Jiuxi

Chapter 544 542 [Ande warriors guard the four sides] ()

The spring breeze brings green to the south bank of the river, and the world is full of vitality.

The atmosphere in Yongjia City seemed very solemn.

It has been more than a month since the emperor suspended the court. Although there are ministers assisting the prince to supervise the country and there are no problems in the operation of the court, the officials and people in the capital are all worried about the emperor's body.

In major temples inside and outside the capital, there were countless ever-burning lanterns praying for the emperor. However, there was no good news from the palace, which made everyone feel even more depressed.

It is rare to see smiling faces in the imperial city.

Especially in the Wenhe Hall where the Emperor resides, whether it is the concubines who come to visit or the palace maids who serve daily, the sadness in everyone's eyes is difficult to conceal.

In just over a month, Li Duan's body became very thin. The Emperor of Qi, who was not originally tall and tall, was lying on the couch with his cheeks deeply sunken. The ravages of illness left him with only two or three meals a day. Always awake.

After getting permission, Prince Li Zongben walked into the inner hall and looked up at the emperor on the sick bed. Even though he came to pay respects several times a day, his heart was still heavy.

"See Father."

Li Zongben suppressed his sadness and stepped forward to salute respectfully.

Li Duan blinked.

Li Zongben continued: "Father, I have just received the military report from Zhang Xu, the Marquis of Yongding. Our army defeated more than 30,000 Nanzhao army vanguards in the Partridge Mountain area, and the enemy army retreated for more than a hundred miles. Zhang Xu asked for instructions whether to continue. Move closer to the south and completely pacify the southwest border."

Nowadays, the war situation in Jiangbei is complicated and difficult to understand. Fortunately, good news came from the south. Li Zongben did not dare to delay for a moment and went to the palace to report, hoping that this good news would make the emperor feel relieved.

Of course, this good news was already expected by the monarchs and ministers of Da Qi.

Although Nanzhao is not a small country, its military equipment has always been lax. Among the so-called 100,000 troops, less than 30% are actual armored soldiers.

After all, Zhang Xu had been the governor of Taiping Prefecture for several years and knew the situation in Nanzhao very well. Therefore, he defeated the opponent's main force in one battle and was very confident if he wanted to take advantage of the trend and invade Nanzhao.

Li Duan thought for a moment and asked, "What do the two prime ministers think?"

Li Zongben replied: "Father, the left minister suggested that we stop temporarily. The land in Nanzhao is barren and the distance is far away. There is little benefit from raising troops southward. Even if it is to frighten Xiao Xiao, now is not the right time. The right minister seconded this opinion."

If Jiangbei is stable now, Da Qi may be able to defeat Nanzhao in one battle and avoid future troubles. However, the situation in Jiangbei is uncertain now, and continuing to fight on two fronts is obviously not stable.

Li Duan's health was deteriorating, but his thinking was not slow. He immediately agreed and said, "That's the argument."

Li Zongben responded: "My son, I obey the order."

The hall fell into silence.

After a while, Li Duan whispered: "Jiangbei..."

Li Zongben took over the conversation: "Father, no news has been returned from Jiangbei. Previously, Shanyang Marquis Lu Chen won two victories on the eastern front of Jingzhou. Duke Rongguo Xiao Wangzhi immediately decided to lead his troops to the west. Duke Li Tianrun of Huai'an County Sitting in Yongqiu to resist the main force of the Jing army led by Qing Yugong, there is currently no further reward. "

Li Duan said slowly: "Don't trust the people you employ, and don't trust those who are suspicious. Since I have entrusted Jiangbei to the three of them, the court only needs to provide good logistics and must not point fingers at their decisions."

Li Zongben lowered his head and said, "Yes, Father."

Li Duan added: "After you ascend the throne in the future, how do you plan to arrange the three of them?"

Li Zongben was shocked.

The prerequisite for his accession to the throne was the emperor's death. Although he knew that the emperor's body had reached the point of exhaustion, he never dared to think about this issue.

"Father, I haven't thought about it yet, so please give me some advice."

"Li Tianrun has worked hard for Da Qi all his life and has fallen ill. After this battle, we can't let him continue to waste his efforts. You can make him a Duke and ask him to return to Jiangnan to recuperate. If he doesn't want to live in the capital permanently, he can choose a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. land as his fiefdom."

"I obey the decree, so who can take over the post of Governor of Jingzhou?"

"Liu Shouguang."

"Yes, Father."

"After Liu Shouguang went to Jingzhou, the Huaizhou Governor's Office and the Dingzhou Governor's Office could be merged into one, and Lu Chen would be in charge of the military power on the eastern front. Xiao Wangzhi is also old and should not continue to suffer in the frontier. Let him return to Beijing to serve as the chief of the Military Academy Minister of War."

"Yes, Father."

"In addition, after Li Tianrun resigned from office, he promoted his son Li Liangyu to be the Minister of War. As for his daughter Li Bingxue, if she is unwilling to leave the army, she will be transferred to Lu Chen's side."

Li Zongben raised his head, realizing the hidden meaning of this sentence.

Li Tianrun was granted the title of Grand Duke and resigned as the Governor of Jingzhou, and Li Liangyu joined the Ministry of War as the Minister. These two arrangements actually weakened the influence of the Li family in the border army, while allowing Li Bingxue to retain the right to lead the army, and to be with Lu Chen legitimately. It may not be a means of appeasement.

He said respectfully: "My son, I obey."

Li Duan said no more.

His thoughts drifted to Jiangbei, and a heavy sadness appeared in his heart.

I wonder if I will receive the real good news at the end of my life?

... Beiyan Moyang Road, outside Yongqiu City.

Since the day when the city was breached by siege, Qing Yugong's Wang Banner once again stood on Jingjun's position.

Wu Linda, the general of the Changsheng Army, led 10,000 cavalry and was stationed in the south of Yongqiu, frightening the Qi capital army in Baima Pass.

Xiashan Army General Wu Lifang and his eight thousand elite cavalry were cruising east of Yongqiu, watching out for reinforcements from the Jingzhou Army's eastern front that might appear at any time.

Nearly 60,000 sharp soldiers under Qing Yugong surrounded Yongqiu. Marshal Dajing rode his horse to stand outside the city, watching the cavalry approaching the east wall of Yongqiu.

The defenders on the city stood ready, watching the horse galloping towards them.

Zhang Zhan, the commander of the Heyang military capital, looked down coldly and raised his hand to ask the archers around him to loosen their bow strings.

When the knight was still more than twenty feet away from the city wall, there was a uniform shouting from the city.

"Stop whoever comes!"

The knight reined in the reins, looked up, and said loudly: "I have come here to see Governor Li of Jingzhou on the orders of the Prince of Changshan County of Dajing City!"

"It's a joke, can you see Governor Li whenever you want?"

Zhang Zhan's face was full of murderous intent, and he said in a cold voice: "If you fart, let it go, otherwise I will kill you without a place to bury you!"

At this moment, the Jingjun knight was already within the shooting range of Qi Jun's strong archers. As long as Zhang Zhan gave an order, this knight would definitely be shot into a hedgehog.

But this person was chosen as the envoy by Qing Yugong, so he was naturally full of courage. He looked at the murderous defenders on the city without fear, and said calmly: "I have something to say to the prince, Yongqiu City can no longer be defended. , our army will definitely be able to break the city. The commander-in-chief Li is an outstanding figure in the world. If he is willing to stop fighting and offer the city, the commander-in-chief will guarantee that no one will be killed. Otherwise, the city will be destroyed. The killings are inevitable, and I hope Governor Li can make the right decision."

The garrison officers and soldiers were unmoved. They were the most loyal subordinates under Li Tianrun and their determination was extremely determined.

Zhang Zhan smiled coldly and said: "Go back and tell Qing Yugong, don't do these useless efforts and attack the city if you have the guts!"

Immediately a burst of cheers from the defenders sounded in the city.

Knight Jing Jun frowned slightly, but still insisted: "Can the general make the decision for Governor Li without authorization?"

Zhang Zhan mocked: "The reason why you were able to get close to the city wall alive and tell these nonsense without shame is because you had been expected by Governor Li. My Commander-in-Chief knows what Qing Yugong is thinking. He is nothing more than He wanted to use Yongqiu City as a raft to lure our reinforcements into rushing in and find an opportunity to set up an ambush. Now that he saw that our reinforcements were not fooled and he could not capture Yongqiu, he had a whim and hoped that our troops would open the city gate. Tell Qing Yugong, since we are in such a dilemma, why not lead the army to surrender to Daqi? I promise that he can become the minister of the Ministry of War!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

All the garrison officers and soldiers laughed heartily.

Although the Jing Jun knight was brave, he did not dare to retort at this time. Who knew whether the Qi Jun general on the city would go crazy and order him to be shot into a hedgehog, so he glanced at the city with hatred, and then turned his horse. The head gallops away.

The city burst into laughter again.

Jing Jun's knight returned to his position, came to Qing Yugong's side, and repeated Zhang Zhan's answer truthfully.

All the generals around him had cold eyes.

Qing Yugong said calmly: "Since Li Tianrun doesn't appreciate it, you don't have to hold back anymore."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Send the order and attack the city."

Qing Yugong gave an order, and a grand and melodious trumpet sound immediately sounded from behind the position.

The episode just now was just a prelude. Jing Jun would not lose his fighting spirit because of the laughter on the city wall, and Qi Jun would not take it lightly just because of the embarrassed figure of Jing Jun's envoy. After many previous contests and trials, the two armies have a clear understanding of each other's strength, and will only be more cautious when war comes.

Especially today, Wang Qi appears again in Jingjun's position, which means that Qing Yugong personally supervises the battle, and his soldiers will definitely attack with the most ferocious attitude.

The war is coming, and the air is filled with an extremely tense and chilling atmosphere.

At this moment, more than ten riders came galloping from the east.

They encountered no obstacles along the way, which is enough to illustrate their identity.

The leader jumped off the horse, passed numerous checks, knelt on one knee next to Qing Yugong and said, "Your Majesty, urgent report from the Eastern Front!"

Qing Yugong narrowed his eyes and said, "Speak."

The man said hurriedly: "The rangers sent by General Wulitan discovered that a large number of enemy reinforcements were coming from the east front. The vanguard of the front army had arrived at Xichuan County, sixty miles away to the east. The enemy reinforcements were both on horseback and on foot. There are tens of thousands of people, judging from the flags, including the Dingzhou Dingbei Cavalry led by Shanyang Marquis Lu Chen of the Southern Qi Dynasty, the Feiyu Cavalry led by Li Bingxue, the Southern Qi Huaizhou Jianghua Army, the Southern Qi Jingzhou Anping Army, etc.! There are so many people that the cavalry led by General Wulitan cannot stop it. Please make a decision, Your Majesty!"

There was dead silence nearby.

The reinforcements of the Qi army arrived, and there was the Beijing army stationed in Baima Pass to the south. This was obviously not good news.

"Stop the siege."

Qing Yugong gave the order decisively.

The generals looked at him worriedly, and suddenly found that the prince in their hearts, who was like a military god, did not have any gloomy expression on his face. On the contrary, he had a faint smile.

(End of this chapter)