Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 930 Xiao He and Li Zhao stabilize the situation, Gao Yao wakes up!

The most ingenious military deployment was the decision to station 20,000 elite troops at the junction of Beidi and Longxi. This strategic location, known to the generals as the "Three Crossroads," proved to be a crucial chess piece in containing the Chu army, just as Li Zhao and Xiao He had anticipated. Topographically, Longxi and Beidi were separated by a series of mountains. Without passing through foreign territories, the only available routes for a large army were a single official road capable of accommodating five horses at a time and two hidden paths that required traversing the mountains and ridges. Li Zhao's troops were wedged at the intersection of these routes, like a sword hanging over the Chu army's vital chokepoint.

"This is a 'kill three birds with one stone' strategy." That night, while playing chess with Xiao He in the Prime Minister's Residence, Li Zhao had explained his plan. "First, by garrisoning here, we can keep tabs on the Chu army's movements. Second, the Chu army won't be able to determine our intentions and will not dare act rashly. Third, and most importantly—" Li Zhao placed a piece, his eyes penetrating. "We want to keep the Chu army perpetually suspicious, unsure whether our next move will be to seize Longxi in the west or to pacify the northern lands."

Xiao He pondered the chess piece for a moment, his eyes flashing with approval. "Brilliant! The Chu army is currently low on food and supplies, and morale is low. If we divide our forces to defend two locations, we'll be stretched thin. The most ingenious part of this plan is that we don't even need to actually deploy troops; it's enough to throw the Chu army into disarray."

As the two had predicted, the Chu army camp was indeed in chaos. On the third day after learning of the Qin army's movements, Fan Zeng, the general of the Chu army, urgently summoned all his generals for a meeting.

Fan Zeng, already gray-haired, looked even older. Pointing to the spot marked "Three-Way Crossroads" on the sand table, his voice etched with barely concealed anxiety, "The Southern Border Army's move is clearly intended to sever our connection with the rear. If they advance north, they can cut off our food supply route to Longxi; if they advance west, they can take the northern territories. And we—" He sighed heavily, "Now we can't even tell whether they're serious about attacking or just bluffing."

The generals in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment. One young general couldn't help but say, "Mr. Fan Zeng, why don't we take the initiative? It's better than just sitting here and waiting to die."

Fan Zeng shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Attack? Where? Longxi or Beidi? If I guess wrong, the Qin army will take advantage of the situation and invade, and we will all become criminals of Chu." He looked at the gloomy sky outside the tent and muttered to himself, "This Li Zhao, his military experience and sophisticated strategies are truly shocking."

Just when the Chu army was hesitating, Gao Yao in the Xianyang Palace finally woke up.

The first person to discover Gao Yao's awakening was Wanru, the maidservant who served at his side. This sixteen-year-old girl had been standing by his bed for three days, constantly watching over him, wiping his lips with a damp silk cloth every hour. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw Gao Yao's eyelashes tremble slightly. Once she confirmed that Gao Yao had indeed slowly opened his eyes, she was so excited that she forgot all manners and ran out of the palace, shouting, "The king is awake! The king is awake!"

The cry was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, quickly sending ripples through the Prime Minister's residence. The first to arrive was Yu Shu. The former Princess Tuan, now fully accustomed to her role as Gao Yao's wife, hurried into the bedroom, her hair a little disheveled, evidently too hasty to properly style her hair. She sat down beside the couch, gently holding Gao Yao's hand, tears glistening in her eyes. "You're finally awake! It's been three days."

Soon after, Lü Zhi also hurried over with the imperial physician. This usually calm and composed woman could barely contain her excitement, but she maintained her composure. She first ordered the imperial physician to take Gao Yao's pulse, then arranged for the servants to prepare medicine and porridge. After confirming that Gao Yao was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Yu Shu, saying, "Don't worry, sister. The imperial physician said the king is simply overworked and will be well again in a few days."

Gao Yao stared blankly at everything before him, his memory still lingering on that day on the battlefield. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat was too dry to speak. Yu Shu quickly brought him some warm water and carefully fed it to him.

"How long have I slept?" Gao Yao's voice was still weak.

"Three whole days," Lü Zhi took over, briefly recounting the recent events. "General Li Zhao and Lord Xiao He have returned to Xianyang and are currently handling government affairs on your behalf. The Fourth Corps has also deployed around Xianyang, with 20,000 troops stationed at the key road between Beidi and Longxi to prevent any unforeseen movements by the Chu army."

Gao Yao's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard this, and then he smiled with relief: "This Li Zhao really didn't disappoint me." He tried to sit up, but was gently held down by Yu Shu.

"The imperial physician said that you still need to rest." Yu Shu said softly, her eyes full of concern.

At this warm moment, the guards outside the palace announced: "General Li Zhao and Lord Xiao He request an audience."

Lu Zhi and Yu Shu exchanged a glance and were about to refuse when Gao Yao waved his hand, "Please ask them to come in." He motioned for the maid to bring a pillow and, with some effort, he pulled himself up. "There are some matters I must personally attend to."

Li Zhao and Xiao He hurried into the bedroom and were delighted to see Gao Yao awake. After paying their respects, Li Zhao spoke first, "Is the king feeling better? If it weren't for something of grave importance, we wouldn't dare disturb him at this moment."

Gao Yao nodded and motioned for them to continue.

Li Zhao then reported the deployments of the past few days one by one, from the pacification efforts within Xianyang City, to the dissemination of government orders to the surrounding counties, and finally, the most important military deployment. Upon hearing the decision to station 20,000 troops at the "Three Crossroads," Gao Yao's eyes gleamed, and he couldn't help but praise, "What a brilliant 'dangling sword' strategy! Once this plan is implemented, the Chu army will dare not act rashly."

Xiao He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, be wise. This strategy is precisely to put the Chu army in a dilemma. According to spies, the Chu army is truly undecided. They are worried about our attack on Longxi, but also afraid of our sudden attack on the north. There are even divisions within the Chu army over this, with some advocating an offensive, while others suggest holding their ground and waiting for reinforcements."

"Hold on and wait for reinforcements?" Gao Yao's ears seemed to be attracted by this word. His brows knitted slightly and he muttered to himself, "Is the Chu army still waiting for reinforcements?"

Seeing this, Xiao He hurriedly explained, "According to spies, the Chu army has already dispatched a number of scouts to the locations of the Wei and Han armies. There are quite a few of them, so I imagine they're worried about being intercepted."

Gao Yao nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, but still asked with some doubt, "Oh? Then what do you think?"

Xiao He smiled faintly and replied confidently, "I suspect the Chu army is merely bluffing. Although they have sent out numerous scouts, they have little confidence in summoning reinforcements. Otherwise, why would they have waited until now?"