Jiuxi

Chapter 518 Chapter 516 [The country remains the same]

Beiyan, Moyang Road, Queshan City.

This place is still a hundred and twenty miles away from Yongqiu in the southwest. The 35,000 Jing army led by Qing Yugong personally took a rest in the city.

According to the original plan, this Jingzhou army would march to Bai County, which is more than 20 miles north of Yongqiu, in order to contain the main force of the Jingzhou army and thereby reduce the pressure on the Yongqiu defenders.

However, they had just arrived near Queshan City when bad news came from the south about Zhu Zhen's rebellion, the fall of Yongqiu, and the capture of Niu Cunjie and other generals. Qing Yugong immediately ordered the army to stop and enter Queshan City to rest temporarily.

A far-sighted wealthy businessman surnamed Chen in the city offered his mansion, and his family all moved out, respectfully inviting Qing Yugong to stay.

In the side hall, Qing Yu Huaijin carefully sorted out the military situation analysis sent by his staff, selected the more urgent ones and placed them on major cases, leaving them to Qing Yu Gong for judgment.

More than half an hour later, Qing Yugong read the last military report and said calmly: "Li Tianrun's move really exceeded my expectations."

Qingyu Huaijin naturally knew the situation in Yongqiu. She thought about it and asked, "Father, will Li Tianrun defend Yongqiu?"

"Yes, but not all the main ones."

Qing Yugong stood up and came to the simple sand table and said slowly: "Whether it's a bluff or a bait, Li Tianrun will throw the problem of choice back in front of me again. If I ignore him, the Jingzhou Army has already strengthened its defense line. No matter where we want to break through, it will not be easy, and it will be difficult to hide our marching tracks. If we go to Yongqiu City and cannot take Yongqiu back for a long time, our army may be surrounded by the Jingzhou Army. "

Qing Yugong said calmly: "If my guess is correct, Li Tianrun will take the initiative to divide his troops to help defend the east and west fronts, leaving only a few troops to garrison Yongqiu."

Qingyu Huaijin nodded and asked: "Yongqiu fell and the Yan Kingdom was shaken. Should our army still maintain its established strategy?"

On the contrary, the Jingzhou Army only left some troops to guard the city, and the main force of more than 80,000 people was concentrated in Yongqiu City.

Qing Yugong shook his head, not deliberately comforting her, but continued: "Nan Qi fell too quickly back then, and many Qi people were forced to surrender to our dynasty. Ten years or so was not enough to erase the memories of those people. Among them there are ambitious people like Wang Shidao, and there are also stubborn people like Zhu Zhen who are devoted to Southern Qi. The most difficult thing to guess in the world is the human heart. Not to mention that you are not rich in experience, it is Tian Jue. It can’t be eliminated by taking action personally.”

Qingyu Huaijin gradually came to his senses and asked tentatively: "Is it because of the Battle of Mengshan?"

"You mean to follow his lead?"

In short, if Li Tianrun dared to stay in Yongqiu City and sent most of his troops to the east and west fronts, how could Qing Yugong miss this opportunity to kill his enemy?

Qingyu Huaijin said with shame, "It's because my daughter is incompetent and didn't find out Zhu Zhen's problem in advance."

Qingyu Huaijin showed a slightly puzzled expression.

It's like a long snake formation versus a cone formation.

The hatred and shame of ten years ago are deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Qingyu disciple.

"The investigation is endless."

Qing Yugong raised his hand to pick up the warm tea cup and said slowly: "The walls of Yongqiu City are towering and strong, and the food and grass in the city are piled up like mountains. A small number of troops can defend it for a long time. If Li Tianrun does not have the key internal support of Zhu Zhen, regardless of Jing The state army is so elite that if you want to capture Yongqiu, you have to pay a heavy price. This is why I let him besiege Yongqiu. "

None of Qingyu's children dared to forget the tragic defeat that occurred in the Mengshan area. It was not only the first defeat of Jingjun in a field battle, but also led to Qingyu's death from illness with regret. This incident dealt a heavy blow to the Qingyu family.

Qing Yugong explained: "Li Tianrun will definitely stay in Yongqiu City. As long as he is there, he is sure that I will not go anywhere else."

Normally, Jing's army currently has two choices. One is to continue to invade various places in Jingzhou, thereby forcing the Qi army in Yongqiu City to divide its troops. The other is to form a long snake formation that starts to close in from both sides to the middle. , surrounded Yongqiu City.

Qing Yugong smiled, shook his head and said, "He won't worry about this, because he knows that I will definitely counterattack Yongqiu."

On the one hand, they sit back and watch Li Tianrun occupy Yongqiu and establish a firm foothold to lay a solid foundation; on the other hand, they risk being manipulated by the other party.

Qingyu Huaijin asked in surprise: "Isn't he worried that his father will adjust the deployment of troops and gather heavy troops to attack all the way?"

Now the Moyang Road battle situation is showing a complicated situation. Apart from the troops following Qing Yugong, Jingjun's remaining more than 100,000 elite infantrymen are attacking at multiple points on the front line of hundreds of miles, constantly approaching various parts of Jingzhou. core zone.

This is a dilemma.

Qingyu Huaijin said softly: "Father, no matter what Li Tianrun thinks, he must take the initiative to divide his troops. This cannot be hidden under any circumstances."

The division of troops meant that the strength of the Qi army in Yongqiu City was greatly reduced.

It is extremely difficult to complete the encirclement quietly on a real battlefield, especially when the two armies are now in full contact. For example, if the Feiyu Army and other units on the eastern front leave the front battlefield, Shu Bulie and others will be able to discover it immediately. , even if they were unable to pursue and intercept him in time, they could still send fast horses to inform Qing Yugong of this information.

If Qing Yugong felt that the risk was too great, even if he was outside Yongqiu City, he could lead his army to retreat in time. How could the Qi army in Yongqiu City delay him?
Qing Yugong naturally understood this truth and said: "It's just a bet after all. For Southern Qi, Jingzhou and Dingzhou can withstand the pressure of our army, and Li Tianrun also captured Yongqiu. Even if the battle situation does not change after that, this result has already It is enough to satisfy them. If Emperor Qi dies at this time, it will not cause much turmoil in the court. So no matter what, as long as Li Tianrun gives this opportunity, I must accept it to avoid losing everything. "

Qingyu Huaijin could not hide his worry.

Qing Yugong saw this but smiled and said, "Don't worry, if I want to leave, Li Tianrun won't be able to keep me."

Qingyu Huaijin said without hesitation: "This is natural!"

Qing Yugong looked at the sand table again, landed on the location of Yongqiu City, and said meaningfully: "Since Li Tianrun is willing to put himself to death, then the grudge between me and him should be settled."

"Send the order and order the generals to come here tomorrow at two o'clock."

"Yes, Father."

……

Jiangnan, Yongjia City. The news of Yongqiu's victory was like a whirlwind sweeping through the entire capital.

The streets and alleys were filled with a festive atmosphere. Even the green-skinned rogues were infected by this atmosphere. Everyone thought that the arrogant Jingjun was retreating step by step. The situation in Jiangbei was excellent, and the Qi frontier army was even capable of continuing the Northern Expedition. Recover the vast homeland.

Even those knowledgeable courtiers felt that this good news had diluted their recent worries.

The reason why they were worried was because the emperor suddenly suspended his dynasty seven days ago.

Immediately afterwards, news came from the palace, just three simple words.

Don't hesitate.

This news shocked many courtiers, while others breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, since the fifteenth year of Jianwu, the emperor has stepped up his efforts to delegate power. Prince Li Zongben has become more and more powerful, living up to the name of supervising the country and assisting the government.

Therefore, after the emperor announced his illness and suspended the court, the prince shouldered the heavy responsibility of governance with the support of two prime ministers, several military ministers and ministers of various ministries, and there were no problems in the operation of the court.

In the Imperial Palace, Wenhe Hall.

Li Daoyan, Xue Nanting and Lu Chen were all sitting on round stools.

The prince stood beside the couch, holding the memorial written by Li Tianrun in his hand, and read it in as calm a tone as possible.

Li Duan, who was leaning on the couch, was already very weak and his face was very pale, but he had not yet reached the point where he could only breathe. Otherwise, people from the Taiyuan Hospital would definitely appear in the hall.

It could be seen from his expression that the pain in his body was quite serious, but he still tried his best to listen to the prince's recitation calmly.

After a while, the prince lowered his tone and said: "Father, you have finished reading."

Li Duan nodded slightly and said bluntly: "Lu Chen."

Lu Chen lowered his head and said, "I'm here."

Li Duan paused for a while and sighed: "I can't stop Li Tianrun, and he will not listen to my dissuasion at this time. Since he is determined to use himself as bait and hand over the military power south of Yongqiu to your hands, then you Just go. Remember to send someone on the way to contact Xiao Wangzhi in time. The two of you must cooperate with Li Tianrun in Yongqiu City to win this battle. "

What was rare was that Lu Chen did not agree immediately this time, and neither the prince, Li Daoyan nor Xue Nanting gave any warning.

Because they all knew that the emperor's body could not last long, and Lu Chen's departure from the capital would definitely be separated by yin and yang, which meant that he would definitely not be able to see the emperor for the last time.

After a long time, Li Daoyan said seriously: "Marquis Shanyang."

Of course he understood the young man's mood at the moment.

The emperor promoted him at a young age and gave him absolute trust and unparalleled favor, so there was a prince and military minister in his twenties.

Lu Chen took a deep breath, lowered his head and said, "I accept the order."

Li Duan looked at the prince and said slowly: "Give him the imperial decree and military talismans."

The prince responded: "My son, I obey your order."

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn, almost breathless.

For Lu Chen, on the one hand, there is the overall situation of Jiangbei that is related to the fate of the country of Qi and the fate of countless people he cares about, and on the other hand, the emperor who has shown him countless favors and is terminally ill will never see him again.

Such a choice is like ripping out the heart.

But he must choose.

Li Duan looked at Lu Chen quietly, looking at this young minister whom he admired so much, and said: "Lu Chen, don't let me down."

Lu Chen's eyes turned red, he waved his robe sleeves, saluted and said: "My minister, Lu Chen, will do his best to cooperate with the two governors Li and Xiao to defeat Jingjun. He will remain loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince and will do his best to protect the country of Qi. "

A smile appeared on Li Duan's face and he said: "Okay, let's go."

Lu Chen stood up slowly, saluted the prince again, then turned to the two prime ministers, bowed and said: "Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Xue, I have the courage to ask you two to stay in the palace temporarily."

Li Daoyan and Xue Nanting certainly knew the deep meaning of this sentence. They looked at each other and Li Daoyan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Marquis Shanyang, there is nothing wrong in the capital."

Lu Chen bowed again, and then looked at the weak Emperor on the couch.

Li Duan waved his hand towards him and said softly: "Go."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen engraved this pale face in his mind, then turned around and walked out of the Wenhe Palace step by step.

Walk out of this magnificent palace.

To the north.

(End of this chapter)