The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 1977 The past is like smoke

A moment later, the scout reported: "Report! Upon investigation, there are no landmines on the road leading to Erlong Mountain!"

Yang Ye's eyes widened: "What? You're sure there aren't any landmines? How is that possible?"

"They only planted one row of landmines, and they've already been triggered and exploded!"

"You mean...they just planted a row of landmines?"

The scout replied solemnly, "Yes!"

Yang Ye's face turned ashen, and he cursed, "Damn it, we've been tricked! Those foxes! Your Majesty, how about we launch a surprise attack on them tonight?"

Liu Mie shook his head and said to Zhou, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy!"

He pointed to the map on the table, "Look at Erlong Mountain. It's only a hundred feet high, but the terrain is rugged, and the only road leading up the mountain is quite steep. Cavalry can't really take advantage there! Moreover, once the Song army occupies the high ground, it's easy to defend and difficult to attack, so our infantry will have a hard time gaining any advantage! Now, both sides should be in a short stalemate. We should take this opportunity to rest and reorganize our troops. The soldiers need to rest, and the warhorses need to recover their strength!"

Yang Ye said, "I understand, Your Majesty! I believe that their long march will be a major problem due to their supply lines. I propose that we send men to cut off their supply lines. Once we cut off their food supplies, I believe that they will collapse without a fight before long!"

A cruel smile appeared in Liu Miezhou's eyes as he said, "Excellent idea! I like it! It would be best to wear them all down to death! Leave no one alive!"

Yang Ye also realized at this moment that Liu seemed to have developed a terrible obsession with destroying Zhou!

Liu Miezhou clearly resented Zhao Guangyi and wanted to kill him, but he was also worried that Zhao Guangyi would die too quickly!
To kill him, one sword strike would suffice! But that would be too easy on him!
We must make Zhao Guangyi slowly lose everything!
Start by taking away everything around him: wealth, power, status, and even beautiful women! Let him taste the bitterness of losing his beloved!
Zhao Guangyi's greatest love was power, so we must find a way to make him lose power!
By constantly depleting his military strength, financial resources, and ultimately national strength through war, he instills resentment and dissatisfaction among his subjects!

Until the moment when the officials force the people to rebel, haha, that will be so interesting, he'll have a hard time getting into trouble!
Ideally, it would be like the Five Dynasties period, where one of Emperor Song's generals rises to power and takes his place! Whether he succeeds or not, Liu Bei's conquest of Zhou would deliver the final blow, sending Emperor Song to his death!

Looking at the twinkling stars in the sky, Liu Miezhou sighed, "Anu, which one is you?"

The past is like smoke, yet it remains vivid in my mind.

From a young age, I was forced by those remnants of the Han dynasty to do things I had no interest in!
They kept chanting in their own ears about restoring the country and the glory of the Liu Han dynasty...

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have no childhood! From birth, every day he was either taught to read by a teacher, taught to fight by a martial arts master, or surrounded by those old men who sighed and lamented! He had no friends, no toys, and couldn't do any of the things he wanted to do. On the contrary, he was forced to do one thing after another, and he had no choice but to do them!

Until he was seventeen, he met Yu Nu!

At that time, she was only thirteen years old, with fair skin and a beautiful face, and she immediately captivated Liu Miezhou!

He was at the height of his rebellious youth, and his long-suppressed discontent finally erupted. For the first time, he roared at those old guys that he was going to marry Yu Nu, and no one could object, not even the King of Heaven himself!
He discovered that only when he was with Yu Nu did he feel like a normal person!
The remnants of the Later Han dynasty were terrified by Liu's unusual behavior in destroying the Zhou dynasty!

A gentle and refined young man suddenly drew his long sword, hysterically staring at them with a hateful gaze, leaving everyone stunned!

The only bloodline of the late emperor must not suffer any mishap!
So they compromised!

From that day on, Yu Nu became Liu Mie Zhou's wife, his only legally wedded wife! With three matchmakers and six witnesses, an eight-bearer sedan chair, and even the Shu Emperor sending congratulatory gifts, her glory was unparalleled!

To the relief of the old guard, since Yu Nu entered the Liu household, Liu Miezhou not only did not indulge in wine and women, but instead became even more diligent in his studies! He not only studied diligently, but also practiced martial arts with even greater rigor, even earning the title of "One of the Ten Great Masters of the Great Shu"! Everyone unanimously believed that Yu Nu was a lucky star for the Han Dynasty! The restoration of the Han Dynasty was just around the corner!

Liu Miezhou felt a dull, sharp pain in his chest!
If it weren't for Yu Nu, why would he have bothered reading those tedious classics? Why would he have had the mind to diligently practice martial arts? These were not things he originally enjoyed doing! It was only because of Yu Nu that he changed!

What he truly enjoyed doing, no one would have guessed, was growing vegetables and raising cats! But the old guard would never allow these things! How could this be the kind of thing a future emperor should do? What kind of decorum was this? To indulge in frivolous pursuits and completely sink into depravity! There was only one person in this world who understood Liu Mie Zhou, and only one person who wholeheartedly supported everything he did: Yu Nu!
Since Yu Nu entered the manor, the entire backyard has been turned over and planted with all sorts of vegetables! A large cat house was specially built in the manor, and dozens of cats moved in at once! All kinds of cats!
After those old-fashioned elders made their announcement, before they could even ask any questions, Yu Nu readily admitted that she had done it all! Since the young mistress likes it, then let her do it!
Only the servants of the Liu family knew who was weeding early every morning, and who was keeping petting the cats in the cat house and reluctant to come out!

They noticed that since Yu Nu entered the manor, the young marquis had been smiling more and more!

Liu Miezhou looked up at the starry sky, and it seemed that Yu Nu's shadow appeared in the heavens! That year, she said, "If you study hard and practice martial arts, I will let you grow vegetables and raise cats!"

That was the sweetest smile and the most melodious voice in the world!

In that instant, Liu Miezhou completely forgot that there were all things in the world besides Yu Nu!
In that instant, Yu Nu was his whole world!
Yu Nu, are you thinking of me in heaven?
Suddenly, two streams of hot tears flowed down my cheeks!

"Your Majesty, what are you looking at?"

Liu Miezhou was startled, only then realizing that there were other people around him, and quickly calmed himself down!
Fortunately, it was nighttime and the light wasn't very bright, otherwise someone would have noticed that the man in the dragon robe was actually crying!

"General Yang, the Song army is very strong. Our men may not be able to cut off their food supply, so we must be prepared for both possibilities!"

"Your Majesty, please speak!"

"The importance of provisions and supplies to the army is undeniable, so if we can seize them, we should, and we won't need to prepare them ourselves! But if we can't seize them, there's only one principle: destroy them on the spot! Either burn them or poison them! In short, what we can't have, they can't have either!"

Yang Ye's pupils contracted, and his heart skipped a beat: He hadn't expected the Emperor to be so ruthless? Poisoning the grain—was he trying to wipe out the Song army?

He tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, have you considered offering to persuade the Song army to surrender?"

Liu Miezhou said, "Why bother with all that trouble? Even if we manage to recruit them, they might just be setting a trap for us! If these surrendered soldiers collude with the Song army from within, we'll be in big trouble! Do you think my poisoning tactic is too underhanded?"

Yang Ye chuckled dryly and said, "Your humble servant wouldn't dare!"

Liu Miezhou sighed, "It's not that you're afraid, you just want to save face for me! General Yang, you're a veteran of many battles, you should understand the cruelty of war, it's either you die or I live! How can you have any pity for the enemy?"

Yang Ye said in a panic, "Your Majesty, I am not sympathizing with them, but thinking about maximizing our interests. The Song army's combat skills are superior to our Han army. If we can convert their military strength into our own, and thus weaken them, we will surely win the final victory!"

Liu Miezhou said, "Give up on that idea! I know the Song army better than you do! How many battles have I fought alongside them? They would never betray the Song Dynasty!"

Yang Ye, somewhat unwilling, lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, their not betraying us doesn't mean they are so loyal to the emperor and love their country. I suspect that the bait they were offered to entice them wasn't enough!"

Liu Miezhou chuckled, "If those who wait for the highest bidder always succeed, how insane would this world be? Each soldier requires an exorbitant fee to surrender, so how much silver would a sizable army require? Originally, two million taels of silver could build a 100,000-strong elite force, but now it costs tens of millions of taels. That's too high a price to pay! Before long, even if the national treasury is emptied, it still won't be able to fill this hole!"

Yang Ye thought about it and realized it made sense!
Liu Miezhou said, "Destroying their supplies won't kill them immediately; they'll find many ways to survive, so don't feel guilty! If you let it go and allow the Song army to receive timely supplies, it's like injecting fresh blood into them and maintaining their fighting strength. In the end, we'll be the ones who die! If you're merciful to them, they won't be merciful to you!"

Yang Ye said, "Your Majesty, I understand! Thank you for your guidance!"

"Continue to keep watch on the movements outside the city tonight, lest they succeed in a surprise attack!"

Yang Ye said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I have already arranged the defenses! The Iron Forest Army and the Iron Falcons are also ready. As long as the Song army dares to appear within a hundred feet of the city, hmph..."

Two massive cavalry armies would deliver an overwhelming blow to them!

Thank you for your strong support and encouragement from Yudong!