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Chapter 423: Song of the Crossroads

To the west of Pingqiu is the main camp of the imperial army.

Outside the heavily guarded camp, there were many refugees, most of whom were from Jizhou. After hearing that Changyuan had been captured, they had no choice but to seek shelter in the south.

When they passed Pingqiu, they saw the emperor's flag. So some people stopped, hoping that the emperor could resist the foreign troops. Most of the people in the empire were illiterate, but they knew the emperor's dragon flag. In their subconscious, as long as they stayed by the emperor's side, they would be safe.

More and more refugees gathered, gradually surrounding the main camp of the imperial guards.

Urgent reports from the north came here like snowflakes, and almost every incense stick of time a messenger would rush into the camp.

All the imperial generals would not have any emotional fluctuations about their arrival, because the messenger would not bring any good news.

Changyuan was lost, and the aristocratic families turned against us. The current situation is nothing but a cycle between extremely bad and worse.

Inside the solemn and pale army tent, an emergency meeting of officials above the fifth rank was being held. At this meeting, the Great Zhou court would make a life-and-death decision that would affect the fate of the country:

Fight or flee?
In addition to the senior officers of the Twelve Guards of the Northern Yamen, the participants also included a number of important officials of the empire, such as Xiao Fuwei, Marquis of Pingjiang County, Xiao Yangwang, Marquis of Yangping County, Wang Yan, Duke of Langya County, Xie Mingren, Duke of Chen County, Shen Chengyong, Duke of Wuxing County, Zhou Liangyi, Marquis of Runan County, etc. Five of the eight clan leaders have been included.

Fang Zun sat in the main seat, speechless and with his eyes closed.

"Except for our own imperial guards, how many reinforcements can we mobilize?" The commander-in-chief of this operation, General Longwu, King of Pingyuan Fang Xuanmei asked in a deep voice.

"We have issued a call to assemble all the troops in the world, but the foreign tribes are coming with great force. They bypassed Fan Yang and headed straight for Yecheng. Their vanguard has already reached Changshan County, which is only two days' journey away from our main camp. In such a short time, our army has no way of reaching the battlefield." Pei Wenyi, the Minister of Five Armies, stepped out and said.

Pei Wenyi is the younger brother of Pei Wenqi, the current head of the Hedong Pei clan. After the Shangyuan Wang clan sealed off the pass, Pei Wenqi claimed to be ill and returned to his ancestral home in Hedong to be idle. But his younger brother still stayed in Changming and followed Fang Zun to the war.

In addition to Pei Wenyi, there were still a considerable number of Hedong Pei clan members in the imperial court, but there was no Shangyuan Wang clan member.

The different attitudes of the three families in Heshuo toward the imperial court can be seen from this: the Wang family in Shangyuan firmly opposed, the Pei family in Hedong hedged their bets, and the Lu family in Fanyang was ready to wait for the price to rise.

"There are about 30,000 troops who can arrive in time within two days. Most of them are garrison troops from the southern counties of Jizhou. Their combat effectiveness remains to be discussed." Pei Wenyi's words were very tactful.

But the civil and military officials present were all important officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could they not know the combat effectiveness of the local garrisons? It was okay to expect them to deal with the mob, but it would be wishful thinking to expect them to remain calm in the face of foreign cavalry.

In other words, if they were to engage in a battle with foreign races, the only troops they could rely on were the 120,000 Northern Ya Imperial Guards.

"How many aliens are there?" Xie Mingren asked.

"The foreign tribes that came south from Changyuan in the three eastern towns this time were led by the Murong clan, whose strength is second only to the Tuoba royal family. The exact number of people cannot be counted, but according to preliminary estimates, it should be around 80,000. Among them, the number of King Kong is roughly 5,000." Pei Wenyi said.

There was silence in the tent for a moment, and everyone had their own thoughts.

One hundred and twenty thousand versus eighty thousand. It seemed that the Great Zhou side had the numerical advantage, but in the face of the powerful combat power of the alien race, such numerical advantage was completely insufficient.

The 80,000 foreign soldiers were all cavalry. Beimo had no shortage of war horses, and the foreign soldiers were even able to switch between two horses, which was the main reason why they were able to fight from Fanyang to Changshan in just three days.

Such high mobility is enough to make it impossible for the front and rear of the Great Zhou army to take care of each other, so that they would lose sight of one thing while focusing on another.

To make matters worse, there were no strategic locations to defend near Pingqiu City; it was just a vast flat plain, which was extremely conducive to a frontal charge by the King Kong Heavy Cavalry.

The Qihewan was also a plain area back then.

In Qihewan, Fang Qianyi personally supervised the battle. The famous general Xun Ying and others led and commanded a total of 400,000 elite infantry and cavalry of the Great Zhou, forming a battle formation to meet the enemy, but they were all pierced through the center of the army by 10,000 King Kong soldiers.

After this battle, the Great Zhou came to the conclusion that using infantry to confront King Kong head-on would be completely tantamount to seeking death.

None of the generals present dared to say that their on-the-spot command ability could surpass that of the mighty General Xun Ying, nor did they dare to guarantee that the combat effectiveness of their imperial guards could be stronger than the battle-hardened army that had followed Fang Qianyi across the world.

A gloomy and depressing atmosphere spread in the big tent, and some people had already begun to consider retreating.

"Your Majesty." Shangshu Zuocheng Wang Yan stood up.

He said carefully: "The foreign tribes are rampant, and our army is not yet fully assembled. It is not appropriate to fight hard. We should retreat to Yecheng and plan for a later battle."

In fact, Wang Yan's thoughts also represent the thoughts of most people present.

There are no strategic locations to defend around, and it would be much safer to retreat to Yecheng.

Yecheng is the capital of Jizhou, with thick walls and abundant food, so it can hold out for a while. Once reinforcements arrive, they will wait for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the foreign tribes.

Frankly speaking, this is the best solution tactically.

"My dear Lord Wang." Fang Zun, who had been silent the whole time, spoke slowly, "Let me ask you a question."

"What about the people of Jizhou?"

Wang Yan was speechless for a moment.

The foreign race was extremely brutal and brutal, and all the counties and cities they captured when they marched south were massacred without exception.

Changshan County, Hejian County, Zhongshan County… the once prosperous counties in northern Jizhou have now turned into burning ruins. The scouts could not even describe the tragic scenes they saw in those places.

"There are 1.6 million households in Jizhou. A full 1.6 million." Fang Zun looked at Wang Yan, his voice calm, but filled with tremendous pressure.

"If I abandon these 1.6 million people and retreat alone, how will the Shangyuan Wang family look at me, how will the world look at me, how will heaven look at me, how can I face my ancestors in the afterlife!"

Fang Zun said this almost in an angry tone.

The ministers were silent.

Obviously, they also understand that this is a dead end.

If we withdraw, we will have to bear the infamy, and the Wang family of Shangyuan will certainly take advantage of this to cause trouble. The morale of the people of Da Zhou will be shaken to its foundation, which is definitely an extremely serious consequence.

If he didn't retreat... he would have to face the alien King Kong head-on, and his life might even be in danger.

Fang Zun rubbed his eyebrows and sighed tiredly.

"Make your stance known. Those who agree to fight will stand on the east side, and those who agree to retreat will stand on the west side."

The ministers looked at each other and stood still. No one wanted to offend the emperor at this juncture, but Fang Zun's order had already been issued, and they could not help but express their opinions.

In the end, Wang Yan, Shen Chengyong and Pei Wenyi stood on the west side, along with them were officials from the three families of Wang, Shen and Pei, as well as many military generals.

The rest stood on the east side.

The number of court officials on both sides was similar, which actually formed a delicate balance. The final decision-making power fell into Fang Zun's hands.

Fang Zun looked around and saw that all the ministers bowed their heads and no one dared to look at him.

The emperor stood up and said in a deep voice:
"King of the Plains."

"I am here." Fang Xuanmei clasped his fists in response.

"Deploy the troops and line up to meet the enemy."

"Here!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present understood that the emperor had already made up his mind.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Wang Yan and others bowed.

No matter what secret plans they had in their hearts, they must now show their support for the emperor.

"I have one more thing to ask of you."

"In two days, the reinforcements won't be able to arrive in time, but the sixth-rank monks can."

Fang Zun said indifferently.

"The foreign race is strong, and we must seize all possible forces. The country is in crisis, and I hope that you will unite against the enemy and spare no effort to mobilize your own tribes and send your own clans to help."

Seeing this, the heads of the clans had no choice but to agree: "Yes!"

"I'm tired, everyone please leave." Fang Zun waved his hand. The ministers walked out of the tent, and Chenjun Duke Xie Mingren walked slowly at the end.

After everyone left, Fang Zun suddenly called him:

"Thank you, please stay."

"Your Majesty." Xie Mingren turned around and bowed.

"It is beyond my expectation that Lord Xie would support my decision." Fang Zun said calmly, "Chen Jun Xie has always been good at calculating, but they would actually gamble with me?"

Xie Mingren smiled and said, "It is my duty as an old minister to share your worries and contribute a little to the people of the world."

Fang Zun looked at him silently, and Xie Mingren kept smiling.

After a long time, Fang Zun asked:
"Wang, or Fang?"

"I have orchids at home, I will follow them." Xie Mingren bowed again.

Fang Zun was slightly startled, and then he smiled with relief.

"Thank you for your kindness."

……

……

The communication space of bright moon and reed flowers.

Xie Lingwan: "The current situation is extremely serious. Murong Wei led 80,000 cavalrymen to break through the three eastern towns of Changyuan, bypassing the Youzhou City guarded by the Lu family of Fanyang and marching straight south. Their goal is very clear, that is, the 120,000 central imperial guards led by Fang Zun."

Xiao Jin: "Why was Changyuan breached in just three days? Was it really breached?"

Xie Lingwan: "The garrisons of Dongning, Xuanfu, and Changping surrendered. Half of the 90,000 Changyuan Iron Guards on the eastern front surrendered with the garrisons, and the other half died in resistance."

Xiao Jin: "What about the Lu clan of Fanyang? Why don't you send the Youzhou cavalry to cut off their retreat?"

Xie Lingwan: "Fan Yang chose to stand aside and watch. All of this was planned by the Wang family of Shangyuan long ago. They just want to mobilize the power of foreign races to destroy the Great Zhou court."

……

Xiao Jin: "We must find reinforcements... Jiang Jiang, can you send reinforcements to Jizhou?"

Tao Yunjiang: "Just now I received news that Tianfang Town and Huaiyuan Town suffered a large-scale attack by foreign tribes. They were the armies of the Helian and Dugu tribes, and the estimated number of people was 120,000."

Tao Yunjiang: "These foreign tribes are carrying some kind of heavy siege equipment, which seems to have come from the Western Regions. It is so powerful that it can even penetrate the city walls."

Tao Yunjiang: "There are only 100,000 troops in the three western towns of Changyuan, and there are 30,000 in Guyuan. And there are only 20,000 people around grandpa. He is now in Huaiyuan Town, and he is trapped. Sorry... Xiaojin, I have to go save grandpa first."

Xie Lingwan: "The safety of Lord Tao is important, and Huaiyuan cannot be lost either, otherwise it will directly threaten the situation in Changming. But... Yun Jiang, Guyuan controls Xiaoguan and is the hub of the three western towns, which is far more important than Huaiyuan."

Xie Lingwan: "Do you understand what I mean?"

Tao Yunjiang: "...I understand."

Xiao Jin: "Jiang Jiang...be careful."

Tao Yunjiang: "I will."

……

Xiao Jin: "The three western towns and the three eastern towns were attacked at the same time. This is obviously a large-scale attack by foreign races. What about the three central towns? Are they not harmed at all?"

Xie Lingwan: "Yanmen Town is controlled by the Shangyuan Wang family, so it is definitely not a target for attack by foreign races. Wuyuan Yunzhong must be strictly guarded. I will send someone to collect information from there, and I hope Fang Tang can send the Changming garrison troops to cooperate in the operation."

Xie Lingwan: "Among the five major alien families, Tuoba, Murong, Dugu, Helian and Yuwen, traces of three of them have already appeared. But the whereabouts of Yuwen and the royal Tuoba troops are still unknown. They should still have about 100,000 troops in their hands."

Xiao Jin: "We'll talk about this later. The most important issue now is what to do with Yecheng?"

Xiao Jin: "What does Fang Zun mean? Does he want to fight or retreat?"

Xie Lingwan: "We can't run away. Changyuan has been breached, and the Wang family has locked themselves up. If we retreat, the prestige of the Fang family will drop to the lowest point in history. Fang Zun is not a fool, he will most likely fight. Even if we lose the battle, we can't retreat."

Xiao Jin: "Can he win?! That's the alien King Kong! This time they don't have the favorable time and place that Brother Fang had last time. How are they going to fight against the aliens on the plains!"

Xiao Jin: "My father and second uncle are both there! If Fang Zun wants to die, can he not drag them with him?"

Xie Lingwan: "The Marquis of Pingjiang and the Marquis of Yangping are very powerful, they should be able to escape unscathed. It would be useless for you to go there."

Xiao Jin: "Of course I know! Do I need you to remind me?"

Xie Lingwan: "Where are you going now?"

Xiao Jin: "Go to Lanling's ancestral land and gather the clansmen to prepare for the transfer."

Xie Lingwan: "Oh, not too stupid."

Xiao Jin: "I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now. Isn't your grandfather also in the Pingqiu camp? Aren't you worried at all?"

Xie Lingwan: "The Xie family will not die under the sword."

Xiao Jin: "Merchant parasites!"

……

Nothing about Fang Weihan was discussed in the group chat, and it seemed that everyone tacitly kept silent.

But in fact his private messages have exploded.

Tao Yunjiang: "My dear disciple, I am going to lead the army to go to save Grandpa and relieve Huaiyuan."

Tao Yunjiang: "There are a lot of enemies, I... I am a little unsure, but I believe I will bring those people back alive. They also called me 'Miss Tao' affectionately..."

Tao Yunjiang: "Be careful, I may not be able to protect you for a long time."

……

Xiao Jin: "Brother Fang, you should be on your way to Luojing now. I was originally planning to go to Luojing to find you, but now the situation has changed. I have to go to Lanling to evacuate the family."

Xiao Jin: "You always like to take risks. You always do this. Promise me, don't do it this time, okay?"

Xiao Jin: "You haven't married me yet, we haven't slept together yet, you must live well for me."

……

Xie Lingwan: "My husband, the situation in Jizhou is already precarious. The gathering in Luojing is doomed to be useless. Yanshan and Taihang are useless. Once the battle of Yecheng fails, the land north of Jianghuai will be difficult to defend."

Xie Lingwan: "Husband, please help me guard Xiangyang."

Xie Lingwan: "Leave the rest to me."

……

Wen Zhexue: "Xiaohan, I have failed to fulfill my responsibility as a sister. I cannot be by your side to protect you at this critical moment."

Wen Zhexue: "The Seventh Transformation Star can partially predict the future. I saw a corner of your future, which was full of blood-red candlelight and frost flowers. The feedback given by the Star was only two words: 'hold the candle'."

Wen Zhexue: "Don't get involved with these two words under any circumstances, otherwise your life will be in danger."

Wen Zhexue: "Once the sect affairs are completed, I will return to you immediately."

Wen Zhexue: "Listen to me, Xiaohan. Don't do it like last time."

(End of this chapter)