Hearing this, Lü Yi looked displeased. "These mere fools from Izumo are trying to play games with this Marshal? Do they think I'll fall for it?"
Although Liang Xiao's reputation far surpassed his as Marshal, he was still nominally the Marshal of the Northern Frontier. Even Liang Xiao treated him with the respect due to an elder uncle.
This Itō Masamune, knowing he was present as Marshal, had claimed to want to see Liang Xiao, clearly another of his petty schemes.
Liang Xiao whispered a reminder, "This man is far more cunning than we imagine, playing the fool to hide his intelligence. It was this very trait that allowed him to escape from Jiangnan, deceiving me and Zhuo Lingjun, and disappearing without a trace. We cannot afford to underestimate him. This time, I shall use his own tactics against him."
Lü Yi suddenly understood.
This seemingly foolish but harmless little scheme had indeed made him complacent earlier.
Out of courtesy, Itō Masamune was granted an audience and publicly knelt before Liang Xiao and Lü Yi.
"The prestige of the Marquis of Anguo is immense; our Izumo nation submits!"
Liang Xiao, acting uncharacteristically impatient, gruffly said, "Get straight to the point!"
Itō Masamune, of course, had met Lü Yi before. Seeing Liang Xiao's arrogance in Lü Yi's presence, he rejoiced inwardly. After flattering Lü Yi, he showered Liang Xiao with effusive praise before stating his purpose.
"As both Marshals know, the Taiji Kingdom is capricious. Since your nation's setback at Helan Mountain, they have been consorting with the barbarians. Our nation intends to cross the sea to attack the Taiji Kingdom and requests your nation's assistance with troops!"
Liang Xiao and Lü Yi exchanged glances, their expressions filled with disdain. "Are you not also consorting with the barbarians, Izumo nation? The Great Gan is preparing for war with the barbarians and has no time for the petty affairs of your small nations!"
"What? This is utterly false! Our Izumo nation does not border the barbarians, and we are an overseas nation. Our entire culture is inherited from the Great Gan. How could we possibly betray the Great Gan or fawn over the barbarians!" Itō Masamune cried out indignantly.
"The Taiji Kingdom once swore eternal allegiance to our Great Gan, yet now they are consorting with the barbarians?" Liang Xiao sneered.
"The two nations are not the same..." Itō Masamune looked at Liang Xiao, and then at Lü Yi, whose face had darkened beside him, in disbelief.
This young man was entirely different from his past cautious and stern demeanor. Had he become arrogant and conceited due to his achievements?
Itō Masamune pleaded repeatedly. Finally, Liang Xiao, impatient, waved his hand. "It is impossible for us to send troops to assist! The Northern Frontier forces are already committed to a decisive battle with the barbarians with only 120,000 men. Where would we find the spare capacity to support you?"
"120,000? That's fewer than the garrison of Yanzhou before the great victory there?" Itō Masamune was taken aback.
Liang Xiao said proudly, "Do we not need troops to defend the cities and guard against the enemy's strategy of 'surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao'? Mr. Itō, your Izumo nation claims to inherit the culture of the Great Gan, yet you are unfamiliar with our Warring States history?"
Itō Masamune was speechless, but his mind began to calculate.
Could they really only deploy 120,000 troops? That was too few...
Liang Xiao's expression suddenly shifted, and he corrected himself, "A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue. We are preparing to deploy 320,000 troops! However, it is temporarily impossible for us to send troops to assist you, as the barbarians remain powerful, and we must go all out. We cannot divide our forces!"
Itō Masamune quickly bowed with a smile, "I see. I can understand."
Liang Xiao continued, "After we defeat the barbarians, the Great Gan will also hold Izumo nation accountable for colluding with the barbarians. Izumo nation should not think that you are safe just because you are across the sea. Our Great Gan's warships have been capable of crossing the oceans for hundreds of years; you are aware of this."
Itō Masamune repeatedly protested his innocence and offered explanations.
"Our nation's talented woman, Tamamo-no-Mae, has already fallen into the embrace of your Great Gan's chivalrous heroes and is raising a family. The Emperor has no complaints and has instead dispatched me to present gifts as a blessing. How could we possibly defy our liege lord..."
Liang Xiao said gravely, "Tamamo-no-Mae is now a subject of our Great Gan. If you wish to visit her, you will require the Emperor's permission, understand?"
Itō Masamune nodded repeatedly.
Liang Xiao then added, "Your Izumo nation speaks of respecting the Great Gan at every turn, yet lacks any substantive sincerity."
Saying this, Liang Xiao extended his right hand towards Itō Masamune, rubbing his fingers together in a gesture for money.
Itō Masamune gave a dry laugh, "Tribute is indeed due. However, our nation is short of gold and silver. I wonder what could be offered in lieu of payment..."
Liang Xiao said, "The weather is cold, and the soldiers require items to keep warm. Do you have any cotton clothes or timber to transport?"
Itō Masamune quickly shook his head. "Timber is too large and inconvenient to transport, and our nation also lacks cotton... If it is for warmth, would sulfur be acceptable?"
Liang Xiao looked completely bewildered and turned to Lü Yi. "Marshal, what is sulfur?"
Itō Masamune was startled.
"It is something that burns and can also be used in medicine," Lü Yi explained.
Liang Xiao immediately slapped his thigh. "Then bring some sulfur! Send as much sulfur as your Izumo nation has sincerity, understand?"
Itō Masamune quickly looked to Lü Yi. "Marshal, what are your thoughts?"
"Listen to him," Lü Yi said with a pout.
Seeing this, Itō Masamune nodded repeatedly. "I will have someone inform the Emperor of this matter and arrange for the timely transport of sulfur. I hope Marquis of Anguo will forgive my offense..."
Only then did Liang Xiao burst into laughter and ordered Itō Masamune to be escorted out.
After leaving Shuofang City, Itō Masamune sat in his carriage, his face grim, and sneered inwardly.
"This child, having achieved such world-shattering merit, has become arrogant and blind to himself. I fear his end is not far off."
Itō Masamune hastily wrote a letter on his carriage, detailing his experiences in Shuofang, and dispatched a ninja to Helan Mountain. Then, he drove towards Mount Tian, intending to find Yu Qingchuan's wife, Yu Zao, formerly Tamamo-no-Mae.
Two days later, the Right Wise King received Itō Masamune's letter and looked puzzled. "This Liang Xiao is destined for defeat due to his arrogance! But he first mentioned 120,000 troops, and then 320,000. Exactly how many troops does he intend to deploy?"
The Left Wise King reminded him, "Although our army suffered a crushing defeat at Yanzhou, we are currently stationed at Helan Mountain and are fully capable of launching a surprise attack on various parts of the Northern Frontier. The Northern Frontier cannot possibly deploy all its forces and leave no garrison. Perhaps Liang Xiao will deploy around 120,000 troops, claiming to have 320,000, to bluff us. After all, neither side is certain of the other's troop strength!"
"Then we shall declare that Liang Xiao's real troop strength is only 120,000, to boost our soldiers' morale?" The Right Wise King mused, then couldn't help but sneer. "This child has never even seen sulfur. He is clearly pampered. Perhaps his earlier defeat was not only due to the Great Gan's military upgrades but also the assistance of some hidden master?"
"Let's say 150,000. Attacking Helan Mountain with only 120,000 soldiers is unrealistic. At the same time, send people to spread rumors in Shuofang Prefecture to sow discord between Liang Xiao and Lü Yi," the Left Wise King suggested, then added a reminder. "Do not underestimate him. This child might just be feigning ignorance to appear weak. Otherwise, how could he have decapitated 170,000 enemy soldiers!"
The Right Wise King found this reasonable and immediately dispatched spies, while also informing the entire army.
"The Great Gan only has 150,000 troops?"
The morale of the barbarian soldiers, which had been low due to the Left Wise King's defeat at Yanzhou, surged.
"Mere 150,000! Let's kill them all! Then, we'll seize the opportunity to counterattack the Northern Frontier and take the Great Gan women as our spoils, and their children as lambs, to avenge our shame!"
"Throw all the Great Gan women, children, and fallen soldiers from Helan Mountain onto the path of the Great Gan troops, so they too can witness the consequences of defying the barbarians!"
Another day passed, and new military equipment was transported from the capital and Yanzhou, passing through Yun Prefecture, to Shuofang Prefecture.