Jiuxi

Chapter 1028 1026 [Destiny]

Jing State, Dadu.

Western suburbs, northern foot of Ningshan Mountain.

When Qing Yu Huaijin, dressed in gorgeous attire, emerged from the phoenix chariot, everyone bowed to him with sincerity.

Ever since another bloody night in the capital last autumn, those traitors from the Huiluo and Huite clans who intended to steal power were wiped out by Qing Yu Huaijin, and the forces loyal to the Alihe clan were eliminated two years ago. Now Qing Yu Huaijin has completely taken control of the situation, and no one dares to disobey her.

However, respect and fear cannot be directly converted into research results, especially since firearms technology is essentially an extremely complex and comprehensive subject.

The craftsmen that Qing Yu Huaijin asked Wang Shidao to find were very diligent. They questioned all the Jing army soldiers who had participated in the battle of Lei Ze Plain one by one, and dug out all the information related to Qi army's firearms from each person, from the shape of the opponent's firearms to their approximate power, and finally determined the three research directions of muskets, cannons and fire mines.

Even though the Qi army had pointed them out in the direction, knowing the results but not the reasons was still the most serious problem facing all the craftsmen.

They could only explore and try again and again, but these processes were far more complicated than they had imagined. After consuming the massive resources provided by Qing Yu Huaijin, it took them nearly three years to finally make the first batch of firearms.

Today is the day for shooting range testing.

About half an hour later, Qing Yu Huaijin left the shooting range with an expressionless face.

The craftsmen were terrified, and the other accompanying personnel also looked unhappy.

On the way back to the city, Qing Yu Huaijin frowned, his face full of disappointment.

She knew that the craftsmen had done their best and she shouldn't be too harsh on them. Creating something from scratch was indeed the most difficult step. After all, not everyone was gifted like the man from Nan Qi.

However, the power of these firearms is really limited, and is not as strong as the strength displayed by the Qi army in the Lei Ze Plain three years ago. Now that three years have passed, how rapid will the Qi army's firearms be upgraded?

Over the years, she asked Wang Shidao to find ways to gather intelligence from the south, but the Qi army's confidentiality in this regard was terribly high. First of all, it was impossible for Jing army spies to get close to Dingzhou Ancient County. This was a reality that Wang Shidao had to accept after losing hundreds of elite spies.

Secondly, after the various units of the Qi army began to equip themselves with firearms, each unit had a dedicated person in charge of management, and the soldiers had to follow extremely strict rules and regulations when practicing with firearms, leaving no possibility of leaking secrets.

Although the specific progress of the Qi army in firearms research was unclear, Qing Yu Huaijin could roughly guess that Lu Chen would never relax the requirements on his subordinates, which meant that the lead of the Qi army in firearms would further widen.

Qing Yu Huaijin raised his hand and rubbed his brow, sighing quietly.

However, when the Phoenix Chariot stopped in the West Garden of the Imperial City and she appeared in everyone's sight again, there was no trace of gloom on her face, and she was as calm and indifferent as ever.

Inside the side hall, a group of civil and military officials greeted Qing Yu Huaijin immediately upon seeing him appear.

"No need to be polite, everyone sit down."

Qing Yu Huaijin took the main seat, and Wang Shidao stood respectfully not far from her side.

She looked around at everyone and said calmly, "I believe you have all heard the news that Southern Qi has been gathering heavy troops on the south bank of the Jing River in the past few months, and its intention to invade is obvious."

Everyone's expression was solemn.

They more or less knew what had been going on in the south in recent years. Lu Chen had stepped up his pace of centralization while carrying out various reforms in a bold manner. Relying on the supreme prestige he had gained from Jing Jun, he had established a situation in which his words were lawful and political orders were carried out smoothly within Southern Qi.

The rapid improvement of Southern Qi's national strength is a fact that can be seen with the naked eye. On the contrary, Jing State has to spend a lot of energy just to resolve the internal strife.

As one side gains strength while the other loses strength, the power comparison between the two sides is no longer the same as before.

Now that the Qi army has begun to gather openly, with ambitions almost written on their faces, can the Jing army withstand the opponent's offensive?

Putting aside the gap between the two armies in terms of hard power and military equipment, the choice of a commander-in-chief alone is enough to stump the dignitaries in the palace - even figures like Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong were defeated by Lu Chen of Southern Qi, so who can carry the banner of the Jing army now?

Is it Qing Yu Zhongwang, whose health condition is deteriorating and he is too weak to stand for long, or Shan Yang, who can only lead a small army and is unable to command the overall situation, or Mie Gudi and Xi Lie, who have never had any experience as a commander-in-chief?

At this moment, the nobles and civil and military officials in the hall finally realized the panic and embarrassment of the rulers and ministers of the Southern Qi Dynasty.

After a long silence, Qing Yuzhong, who was sitting in the first seat on the right, coughed twice and said slowly: "The Qi army is coming with great momentum. This battle will definitely be difficult, but we cannot be afraid before the battle." Mie Gudi said in a deep voice: "What the general said is very true. Our dynasty and Southern Qi are like water and fire. There is no reason for us to bow down to them."

The elderly Shangshu Ling Zhao Siwen looked at the solemn Jinglian nobles and said tremblingly, "Generals, I am not exaggerating, but I am afraid that our army cannot withstand the offensive of the Qi army. Lu Chen of the Southern Qi Dynasty is well-known for his ability to lead troops. Most of our soldiers have suffered losses from him on the battlefield. This psychological disadvantage is difficult to reverse in a short period of time. If the war can enter a stalemate stage, it will be fine. If there is a crisis in a certain line of defense, I am afraid that the overall situation will collapse."

Except for Qing Yu Zhongwang, the faces of other nobles who held military power turned cold, but they found it difficult to find reasons to refute.

After all, they didn't dare to pat their chests and swear a military order on this occasion, guaranteeing that they could stop Lu Chen's attack.

Shan Yang glanced at Qing Yu Huai Jin who remained silent, and said thoughtfully: "Judging from the current movements of the Qi army, they should split into two groups from Qingzhou and Lingzhou in the territory and cross the Jing River area to attack our territory. In my opinion, our army must be determined to resist from the beginning. Lu Chen of Southern Qi has obvious intentions. He wants to use this battle to completely lay the foundation for seizing power. Therefore, our army cannot give him the opportunity to rise calmly. Any show of weakness will only make him take advantage of it."

He was naturally refuting Zhao Siwen's opinion, but the words he used were much milder than before.

In the court of Jing State today, due to Qing Yu Huaijin's clear attitude, the civil service system headed by Zhao Siwen is becoming increasingly important. They have played a very significant role in the internal stability of Jing State and the enhancement of national strength.

If it were ten years ago, Zhao Siwen and others would not have the right to discuss military affairs in such an occasion.

After hearing Shanyang's veiled words, Zhao Siwen pondered for a moment and said earnestly, "General Shanyang, I have heard that a general should first consider defeat and then victory. If our army cannot stop the Qi army at the front line, do you have any countermeasures in the future?"

Just as Shan Yang was about to speak, Qing Yu Huai Jin suddenly said, "Shan Yang is right. Once the Qi army led by Lu Chen gains momentum, they will fight more and more fiercely. We cannot let them advance straight in. Although the country has not been stable in recent years, I have not neglected the construction of the southern border defense line. At present, our army has built two relatively solid defense lines on the Shandong Road in the east and the Qingyuan Road in the west."

As soon as she opened her mouth, others naturally held their breath and listened attentively.

"Shanyang, you will immediately go to Shandong Road to command the 80,000 troops stationed there. Miegudi, you will go to Qingyuan Road to replace Xi Lie and command the 70,000 troops stationed there."

Qing Yu Huaijin made the decision quickly and decisively. Shan Yang and Mie Gudi stood up to accept the order. Qing Yu Zhongwang had no objection.

The next moment, Qing Yu Huaijin's words almost made everyone confused. She said calmly: "The army must be united and stick to the end, but this does not mean that we have to go all the way. While preparing to meet the enemy, we can also ask for peace with Southern Qi."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into silence.

To this day, the vast majority of Jinglian nobles have acknowledged in their hearts that Southern Qi is superior to the Jing Army in military terms, but no one will publicly admit this. After all, for the past nearly sixty years, the Jing Army has basically had the advantage on the battlefield. Now asking them to bow their heads and submit to the Qi Army is such a frustrating thing that not everyone can accept.

However, Qing Yu Huaijin remained calm and said frankly, "I know you can't get around this for a while, but you must understand one thing: enduring humiliation is nothing. As long as we can buy enough time for Da Jing and try to slow down the Qi army's advance, we can kneel down and beg the Qi people. Today, I will make my words clearer. As long as it is not about ceding land or paying compensation, we can and must agree to any request from the Qi people."

Qing Yuzhongwang looked at her with some concern, but ultimately did not object to her in person.

Qing Yu Huaijin continued, "Now that I am the regent, I will bear all the shame. All you have to do is to fulfill your duties. Whether you are a soldier on the front line or an official in the rear, you should all do your job and move forward. When our army stands up again and no longer fears the Qi army, that will be the day when Dajing washes away the shame."

Everyone accepted the order in unison.

After a while, they bowed and left one after another, and the hall gradually became quiet.

Qing Yu Zhongwang was still sitting there. He looked at Qing Yu Huaijin intently and sighed softly with guilt.

"Don't worry, brother. I know what I'm doing."

Qing Yu Huaijin stood up and walked a few steps, looking at the giant map hanging on the wall, his sight fell on the Jinghe area in the southern border, and he said slowly: "I know better than anyone how powerful Lu Chen is, and I also know how determined he is this time. In fact, many people don't know that Dajing has reached the most dangerous moment. If we are not careful, the end result will be the destruction of the country and the extinction of the race."

Qing Yuzhong looked at her thin back, hesitated for a moment and said: "Huai Jin, when the time comes, you can actually -"

"Brother."

As if he knew what he wanted to say, Qing Yu Huai Jin turned around and interrupted him, saying calmly: "Since my father has chosen me and you are willing to support me, then from the moment I take over as regent, there will be no Qing Yu Huai Jin in this world. My fate is already linked to Da Jing. If Da Jing dies, how can I live in this world?"

“I know he’s powerful.”

"But I won't give up."

"It's nothing more than death."

(End of this chapter)