Jiuxi

Chapter 563 [Chaotianque] (VIII)
Outside Yongqiu City, the two armies were still in a stalemate.

In a situation like this where the main forces of both teams are in a head-on stalemate, it is not only a test of the patience and determination of each coach, but also an extremely huge project.

It has been said in ancient military books that food and grass must be prepared before troops move. In fact, it is not only food and grass that need to be prepared, but also various materials needed for war. In addition, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating before the war are very tedious and important issues. Especially when the number of troops exceeds 50,000, the things that the commanders of the two armies need to worry about are almost countless. Just keeping the soldiers under their command honestly staying in the barracks and being ready to fight at all times is an extremely challenging and arduous task.

War is never a simple hand-to-hand combat.

This was the first time that Lu Chen commanded an army of such size. If Xiao Wangzhi and Liu Shouguang had not been willing to help him, he might not have been able to guarantee the combat effectiveness of his own soldiers in this stalemate situation.

Fortunately, he has talent in this area, sufficient experience and strong learning ability. He quickly adapted to this rhythm and gradually found a method that suits him.

For Qing Yugong, who had commanded many large-scale battles, there was no unsolvable problem in this regard, but the situation he faced was more difficult than Lu Chen's.

At present, the main force of Jing Army is being held back by Qi Army and is in a dilemma.

If the idea of ​​Qing Yugong and some generals of the Jing army is followed, the best option at this time is to garrison Yongqiu City with heavy troops to protect the most important strategic point of Moyang Road. At the same time, the various units of the Jing army will withdraw to build a solid defense line and keep the border line in its current situation. For the Jing Dynasty, it will be a situation with a basis for advance and retreat.

In the future, whether going south from the northern part of Dingzhou, or using Yongqiu as a bridgehead to head straight to Pingyang Prefecture in the south, Jing's army can do it with ease.

However, an imperial edict from Emperor Jing forced Qing Yugong to stay outside Yongqiu City. The Qi army then took the initiative to advance and formed a stalemate, which made the Jing army completely lose the opportunity to retreat.

If the Jing army retreats now, the biggest problem will be that Yongqiu will be surrounded by the Qi army.

Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye it was early April. During this period, there was no large-scale clash between the two armies. There were only fights between cavalry scouts and two small-scale battles, and the results were all indisputable.

That afternoon, the generals of Jing army received the order and rushed to the central army tent one after another. As soon as they came in, they found that the atmosphere was very solemn.

They looked up and couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

Qing Yugong, who was sitting in the commander's seat, had a gloomy expression on his face, a stark contrast to his usual calmness and composure.

When Qing Yugong was young, he amazed the world with his talent in martial arts. He joined the army at the age of seventeen and quickly showed his talent. Before he was thirty years old, he took over the power of the Qing Yu family from his father Qing Yuding. When he was thirty years old, he was the famous Marshal of the Southern Court of the Jing Army. Such a resume is awe-inspiring to everyone.

These generals of the Jing Army had never seen their marshal lose his composure, and it was rare for him to show his emotions on his face like he did now.

There was a solemn atmosphere inside the tent.

Qing Yugong looked around and said slowly, "We just received a pigeon message from Heluo City. Wang An took advantage of the 50th birthday banquet to turn hostile to Wang An. He secretly prepared hundreds of Wang family experts and assassins to kill Wen Sa, Cheng Changyan, Chen Xiaokuan and more than 30 high-ranking officials of the Yan court. Only Wang Shidao survived, but he was also seriously injured and could only manage the affairs. After the murder, the Wang family mansion was engulfed in flames, and Heluo City was in chaos. Wang An, Wang Cheng and the Wang family fled from the south gate of Heluo overnight."

Deathly silence.

Even though they were all veterans who had fought in many battles, they were all stunned after hearing the news.

To be fair, these people did not care about the life and death of the Yan court officials, and even wished that those disobedient Yan people would die completely.

At their level, although they cannot say that they know the emperor's mind completely, they know that it is inevitable that Da Jing will completely bring the territory of Yan under its rule. Especially after the death of the previous Yan Emperor Zhang Can, the Jing Dynasty has accelerated its pace and will take action as soon as the dust settles on this battle.

However, these people died at the wrong time.

No one can determine how long the Jingqi War will last. It goes without saying how important a stable rear is to the front-line troops.

Now Wang An and the Wang family of Zhai Lin have directly defected, and before leaving, he has also arrested all the high-ranking officials of the Yan State. This is tantamount to paralyzing the Yan State court. How can the soldiers on the front line continue?

Pucha said in a deep voice: "Wang An is so brave, why does he think he can escape with his people?"

The massacre planned by Wang An could indeed paralyze the Yan court, but it would not affect the Jing army in the short term, and it would not cause the northern defense system to collapse directly.

Although the unlucky Wen Sa is dead, the Jing army still has other generals to replace him. After the initial panic, they will definitely be able to intercept the Wang family members from Heluo City to the border.

Qing Yugong glanced at him and said quietly, "There aren't many Wang family members living in Heluo City, so they won't be a big target. Since Wang An dared to do this, he must have made detailed preparations. Moreover, facing the inevitable pursuit and interception by our army, there must be someone in Southern Qi to support them."

Hesheli, who was sitting on the other side, looked slightly changed: "Your Highness, are you referring to the Seven Star Cavalry?"

Qing Yu said respectfully: "That's right."

The generals were silent.

At this moment, a sense of panic suddenly arose in their hearts.

The decision of the Wang family of Zhai Lin to move to Nantou was obviously not made in a hurry. Wang An needed to prepare enough experts and assassins without alerting others, and also arrange the escape route in advance and open up the connections along the way, which all took a lot of time.

The Seven Stars Army cavalry went south from the Baotai Mountains, luckily broke out of the Jing Army's encirclement, and then unexpectedly went north to meet the Wang family. This timing was too coincidental. Could all this be the other party's plan?

This kind of time-consuming plan requires cooperation from all aspects, and such deep scheming is frightening.

Who on earth has such a skill?

"This method of doing things is very similar to the style of Lu Chen of the Southern Qi Dynasty."

Qing Yugong gave his own judgment. In the eyes of the generals who were in doubt, he said calmly: "This is because I misjudged the other party's intention. When I learned that the Seven Stars Cavalry had joined the Qi Army in Dingzhou, I thought they would appear outside Yongqiu City and serve as a surprise force for the Qi Army to change the situation. I ignored that they were the only mobile force that could roam the capital area of ​​Yan during this period. You don't have to be too nervous. This is my responsibility. Your Majesty will not vent his anger on others."

The expressions of the generals eased somewhat, but it was difficult for them to completely relax.

Just as Qing Yugong said, the Jing Army cavalry is currently mainly distributed in two places, one is the northern part of Dingzhou, and the other is the border line of Moyang Road. Although there are Jing Army garrisons in the capital area of ​​Yan State, they are basically infantry guarding the city passes. It is difficult to clamp down on the Seven Star Army cavalry in the wild, and the other side can calmly make a detour to meet the Wang family members fleeing south.

Tuoman Wulu said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, although Wang An and some of his clansmen have escaped from Heluo, most of the Wang family of Zhailin are still in Henan Road. They don't have the support of the Qi cavalry, and they can't pass through the many passes to reach the south in advance. I suggest that you send people to Zhailin County to arrest all the Wang family members, dig up their ancestral graves, destroy their ancestral temples, and kill them all!"

This is the most brutal revenge, and it is also what the Jing army must do. Although this method of killing the chicken to scare the monkey cannot solve the problem from the root, it can at least temporarily deter the people of Yan State and prevent the emergence of more Zhailin Wang family.

"The king has sent someone to convey a message to the local garrison."

Qing Yugong spoke in a low voice, then laughed at himself and said, "However, Wang An is not the kind of person who only cares about the beginning and not the end. Since he dared to kill people and defect, how could he sit back and watch his clansmen in his hometown fall into despair? If I am not mistaken, most of the Wang clan members in Zhailin County have already fled to Baotai Mountain. With the support of Lin Jie and the Seven Stars Gang, they will not be in any danger for the time being."

The tent fell into silence again.

Tuoman Ulu's lips moved, but in the end he had nothing to say.

"I spent all day watching the eagle, but in the end the eagle pecked my eyes out."

Qing Yugong shook his head and then said, "Huai Jin."

Qing Yu Huaijin stood up and said, "Yes."

Qing Yugong thought for a moment and ordered: "You lead 3,000 cavalry to return to Heluo immediately. Wang Shidao may be powerless at this time. You must stabilize the situation in Heluo as soon as possible."

Qing Yu Huaijin took a deep breath and said, "Yes."

Qing Yugong warned: "Don't kill people at will, but don't be soft-hearted. If anyone dares to stir up trouble right now, exterminate their entire clan."

Qing Yu Huaijin said sternly: "Yes."

Qing Yugong pondered and said, "Send a letter to Mie Gudi and Xi Lie, asking them to suspend the offensive on the eastern front and switch the army to a defensive position. Do not let the Qi army find an opportunity at this time. You must hold on to the northern part of Dingzhou."

Qing Yu Huaijin agreed.

Qing Yugong looked at Heshelie again and asked, "How long can the food and grass in Bai County supply the army?"

Hesheli thought for a moment and replied in a low voice: "If there is no subsequent replenishment, the current reserves will only be enough for our army to use for two months at most."

"Two months..."

Qing Yugong repeated these words, his eyes gradually turning cold.

All the generals in the tent were thinking of one question at this moment. Since there was unrest in the rear and food and grass could not be replenished continuously, should the army withdraw in time?

Qing Yugong seemed to know their thoughts very well, and said slowly: "Our army could retreat before, but we can't retreat now. The news of the unrest in Heluo cannot be hidden from the Southern Qi generals, after all, this is their plan. If our army retreats now, not only will Yongqiu be undefendable, but the entire Moyang Road and even the capital area will become the target of the Qi army, and the situation will be out of control. Everyone, our army has been pushed to the edge of the cliff now. If we want to reverse the situation and stabilize people's hearts, we have to take the initiative to fight."

The generals quickly figured out the key points.

The fourth prince Hai Ge, who was standing solemnly at the side, looked at Qing Yugong's calm face and couldn't help but feel admiration in his heart.

Qing Yugong stood up and said, "The only good news is that it is difficult for the Qi army to retreat now. They have also set themselves up outside Yongqiu City. Go back and mobilize and encourage them. I may order a battle at any time."

"The general will obey the order!"

Everyone stood up, bowed, and responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)