Jiuxi

Chapter 1032 [Bow]

As time entered December, Jingguo gradually fell into a desperate situation.

The two Qi armies swept through Qingyuan Road and Shandong Road respectively. After half a month of reorganization, they headed straight into Hebei Road from the southwest and southeast. This was already the core ruling area of ​​the Jing State and an important source of taxes and military personnel, most of which were located at the northern end of Hebei Road. Therefore, the Jing army could not retreat any further.

On December 14, the Battle of Hejian officially began.

The Jing army assembled 150,000 troops in the Hejian Prefecture area, and generals such as Miegudi, Xilie, Shanyang, and Tuoman Ulu personally went to the battlefield with the intention of blocking the Qi army south of Hejian Prefecture.

The Qi army was commanded by Lu Chen himself, and his main forces included the Ruishi Battalion, the Seven Star Army, the Dingbei Army, the Zhenbei Army, the Guangji Army, the Ningyuan Army, the Fengfu Army and the Feiyun Army. In terms of military strength alone, there were more than 140,000 soldiers, which was not inferior to the troops organized by the Jing army, not to mention the huge advantage of the Qi army in terms of commander and firearms.

The moment the war broke out, the first snow of the year fell in the capital of Jing State, two hundred miles away.

A few days later, in the Western Garden of the Imperial City, the courtyard was covered with white snow. In the flower hall that was as warm as spring, a thin figure stood alone in front of the window.

The fatigue in Qing Yu Huaijin's eyes could not be concealed at all.

She had hardly slept well for a single night in the past few months. The continuous news of defeats in the south were like a death knell, keeping her heart tense all the time.

She woke up countless times in the middle of the night and had to make sure there was no latest battle report before she could go to sleep.

Looking back on the three years since he became the regent, Qing Yu Huaijin could only feel endless fatigue and depression.

If she were to ask herself honestly, she had tried her best in the past few years, whether it was eliminating those secretly connected opposition forces or emulating the Southern Qi Dynasty to implement benevolent policies to benefit the people. She tried every possible way to patch up the mess left by her predecessor Emperor Jing. However, the cruel reality made her efforts seem like a joke.

The defeat reports coming from the south meant that the Qi army was advancing triumphantly, and Qing Yu Huaijin didn't even know who to blame.

Were the soldiers not brave enough? Or were the generals giving orders recklessly? Or was it that the rear supplies were not timely enough?

neither.

Facing an opponent like Lu Chen who was extremely skilled in using troops and had many ingenious strategies, the Jing army did not dare to take any risky moves and could only adopt the strategy of holding on to the strong bridges and strong horses. However, given the huge gap between the two armies in terms of morale, courage, and ordnance, this outcome was expected.

Qing Yu Huaijin had thought about delaying time, but since the first time he successfully met Lu Chen, Han Xian wanted to go to the Qi army camp several times to negotiate peace. Not only did he not meet Lu Chen, he couldn't even get close to the Qi army camp. The other side clearly listed him as an unwelcome person.

"The way out..."

Qing Yu Huaijin murmured to herself. She could probably guess what way out Lu Chen asked Han Xian to convey. It was nothing more than asking her to lead Jing Kingdom to surrender to Qi in the name of regent, and from then on she would become a fish on the chopping board of the other side.

Based on her understanding of Lu Chen, he would not kill all the people even if he wanted to annex the North at the lowest possible cost. On the contrary, he might even treat some of the Jinglian nobles well. This was the so-called way out.

But how could she live in disgrace?

When Qing Yuzhongwang dragged his tired steps into the flower hall, Qing Yu Huaijin was still standing in a daze at the window.

"Huai Jin."

Qing Yuzhongwang's face looked very unhappy. He stood a few steps away, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Qing Yu Huaijin turned around and saw that he was holding a military newspaper in his hand. His expression finally changed a little. He laughed at himself and said, "Defeated?"

Qing Yuzhong sighed and said, "I just received news that our army lost three battles in a row in the Hejian Prefecture area, and lost more than 60,000 soldiers. Mie Gudi, Xi Lie and others were unable to resist the Qi army, and could only lead the defeated army to retreat northward to the vicinity of Xuande City."

Xuande City is only 120 miles away from Dadu and is the last barrier to the south of the capital.

Qing Yu Huaijin knew very well that once the news of defeat spread, Dajing would inevitably fall into chaos. In fact, during this period of time, as the Qi army approached step by step, there was already a large wave of voices in the court advocating for peace, including civil officials with Qi blood and many veteran Jinglian military officers.

The problem is that these people don’t understand what the coach in the south wants.

Qing Yu Huaijin said sadly: "It seems that our army's firearms have not played a role."

"Yes."

Qing Yu Zhongwang said with difficulty: "From the details presented in the battle report, our army's firearms are too weak compared to Qi's firearms, and basically cannot cause effective damage to the enemy."

Qing Yu Huaijin fell into silence.

When Emperor Jing died on the battlefield of Lei Ze Plain, she understood that firearms would determine the power comparison between the two countries in the future. She also spared no effort to support those craftsmen, giving them whatever they wanted, hoping that they could give Da Jing a surprise.

However, reality is so cruel.

The firearms and the army of more than 100,000 that she had placed high hopes on were ultimately defeated by the Qi army.

Defeated by that man.

"Huai Jin, we are not at the end of our rope yet."

Qing Yuzhongwang tried to boost his morale and said solemnly: "Dajing still has vast territories such as Hedongnan Road, Hebei West Road, Luyan Road, Xianping Road, and Linyao Road, as well as important cities such as Dadu, Xijing, and Shangjing. At least more than 200,000 armored soldiers can be recruited from the market. The Qi army cannot maintain such high morale forever, and as they continue to extend the battle line, logistical supplies will only become more and more difficult. As long as they delay for another year or two, the situation will definitely turn around!" "Brother."

Qing Yu Huaijin shook his head and said softly, "Don't you know what Lu Chen is doing? Every time the Qi army conquers a place, Qi officials will follow immediately. They settle accounts with the local nobles and those evil tyrants, and distribute a large amount of land directly to the poor people. Just relying on this policy, they can win the hearts of the local people and turn them into a solid backing for the Qi army. As time goes by, the morale of the Qi army will not only not decrease, but will further widen the gap with our army."

Qing Yuzhong looked bitter.

In fact, Lu Chen’s strategy is not uncommon, but Qing Yu Huaijin can’t do that.

At present, the basis of her rule is the Jinglian nobles who hold real power and the local aristocratic families and powerful people. If she uses the interests of these forces to win the hearts of the people, I am afraid that the entire Jing Kingdom would have fallen apart without the Qi army having to march all the way north.

Lu Chen naturally did not have this burden. The powerful and wealthy class in Southern Qi would not be able to extend their tentacles to Hebei in a short period of time, so they could naturally allow him to distribute the benefits.

Qing Yuzhongwang thought about it carefully and felt that the current situation could indeed be described as a dead end.

Because Lu Chen not only knows how to lead troops to fight, he also knows how to win the hearts of the people.

"That's all."

Qing Yu Huaijin exhaled lightly, turned to look out the window and said, "Although he and I are sworn enemies, I believe he is not the kind of villain who goes back on his word."

Qing Yuzhong was shocked.

Of course he knew that Han Xian had gone south to meet Lu Chen several months ago, and he also knew how harsh Lu Chen's response was. Qing Yu Huaijin did not hide these things from him, so he understood as soon as he heard it that Qing Yu Huaijin was ready to accept Lu Chen's proposal and discuss the mysterious way out in detail in person.

"No, that's too risky."

Qing Yu Zhongwang shook his head repeatedly. For the current Dajing, Qing Yu Huaijin's personal safety was too important.

Even without talking about the brother-sister relationship between them, if Qing Yu Huaijin were to make a mistake, he would be unable to control the situation given his current physical condition.

Qing Yu Huaijin understood his intention and said gently but firmly: "Brother, the situation today no longer allows me to hide behind."

Qing Yuzhong was stunned. Looking at the determination in his sister's eyes, he could only sigh.

……

December 25th, the fifth year of Yongning in the Great Qi Dynasty.

The Qi Jing army was in a stalemate near Xuan De City. All the generals of the Jing army knew that the initiative of the war was in the hands of Lu Chen of Southern Qi, and he could order his 200,000 troops to launch a fierce offensive at any time.

After the Battle of Hejian, the Qi army gained an overwhelming psychological advantage, and the Jing army had few choices. They could either fight to the death or surrender. Judging from the unstable morale of the army, the once arrogant Jing army no longer had the courage to resist.

Under such circumstances, it seems that the only way out for the Jing army is to seek peace and sign a humiliating treaty. The problem is that Lu Chen may not accept it.

At the beginning of the Si hour, more than a thousand cavalrymen of the Jing army left Xuande City and gradually entered the area controlled by the Qi army in the southwest direction.

About a quarter of an hour later, the thousand-plus cavalrymen stopped at the location designated by the Qi army. Only more than twenty people continued to move forward under the leadership of a part of the Dingbei army and came to a valley in the west which was heavily guarded by the Qi army.

About half an incense stick of time passed, and the twenty or so people stopped at the foot of the gentle slope.

Qing Yu Huaijin, dressed in military uniform, looked up and saw a large tent standing on the slope.

Qin Zilong held the hilt of the knife with his right hand and said in a deep voice: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is in the tent. Please invite the Prince Regent of Jing to come in to discuss matters. The rest of you stay here."

Not far away, Yuchi Gui looked at the group of Jinglian people with an expressionless face.

More than 20 fierce guards who were loyal to the Qing Yu clan showed their indignation, but Qing Yu Huaijin remained calm. Instead, he looked at Qin Zilong and raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Don't you need a body search?"

Qin Zilong said: "My prince said that he believes that His Royal Highness the Regent came to negotiate with sincerity today."

Qing Yu Huai Jin said no more and walked forward.

When she entered the big tent, the first thing that caught her eye was a long table with some food and a pot of wine on each end.

At the other end of the long table, a man in his thirties sat with a calm expression.

Although he was wearing casual clothes, he still had a profound and majestic aura, like a crouching tiger that was majestic without even getting angry.

Although he had prepared himself mentally, when he saw that face again after so many years, memories flooded back into Qing Yu Huaijin's mind - there was not a single bit of beauty, only the lingering humiliation and hatred that followed him like a shadow.

Lu Chen looked up and saw Qing Yu Huaijin with a stern expression and eyes as sharp as knives, so he raised his arm and pointed at the opposite side, his tone calm and unperturbed.

"Please take a seat."

(End of this chapter)