Jiuxi

Chapter 724 [Flying Flags]

May, the first year of Dingzheng in the Great Qi Dynasty.

When the news of the defeat in Kaocheng spread, people in the three states north of the Yangtze River could not help but feel uneasy.

Some tragic scenes emerged from the depths of memory, devouring everyone's originally peaceful state of mind.

Once upon a time, the cavalry of the Jing army wreaked havoc in the land north of the Yangtze River, and countless people of the Great Qi suffered greatly.

There are bones on the roadside and no one is living for hundreds of miles.

The continuous victories of the Da Qi border army in recent years seemed like a dream, and the sharp fangs of the Jing army suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

On the ninth day after the Battle of Kaocheng, the commander of the Jing army, Wu Yanshu, personally led his troops south, aiming directly at Xinping and Taikang.

Seven days later, 60,000 reinforcements of Jing's army arrived at the battlefield, and their momentum became even more powerful.

Although Han Zhongjie has woken up, his injuries are too serious and he needs to rest for at least a few months. Therefore, the heavy responsibility of fighting against Jing’s army falls on Liu Shouguang’s shoulders.

At the same time, the Jing army also took action on the eastern battlefield. Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses advanced to Dingzhou Dingfeng Road, and part of the Feiyun Army and the Seven Star Army stationed there were on high alert.

At Yaoshan Pass, the Jing army was heavily defending, and Pucha led more than 10,000 elite cavalry to support the rear.

At this point, the strategic intentions of the Jing Army gradually became clear. They did not underestimate the strength of Lu Chen and the Dingzhou Army, and were prepared to respond, focusing their attack on the western battlefield.

On May 23, Xinping City was besieged by Jing's army, and nearly 10,000 defenders in the city were trapped.

On May 26, Wuyan Shu personally led his troops to approach Taikang, facing Liu Shouguang on the city wall from a distance.

The Battle of Kaocheng was a fatal blow to the Western Army of Da Qi. More than 40,000 elite main troops were killed in one battle, which made the Jingzhou defense line seem precarious.

There is no doubt that this is the most dangerous moment for Da Qi since sixteen years ago.

Almost everyone's eyes were directed towards the distant northeast.

Can Lu Chen, the Grand Commander of Dingzhou and Duke of Shanyang, who has 120,000 soldiers under his command, turn the tide?
Yuan Yuji, Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, looked at the young nobleman in front of him and resisted the urge to ask questions.

The emperor's confidant, who was in charge of the palace affairs, traveled a long distance, accompanied by a group of imperial guards, changing horses all the way and almost risking his life to deliver the emperor's edict to Qingliu Pass in Dingzhou in a very short time.

Fortunately, he had been practicing martial arts since he was a child and had a strong physique, otherwise he would not have been able to withstand such a torture.

This imperial edict was concise and to the point, with only one core point: Lu Chen could temporarily take full charge of all military affairs in the three states in Jiangbei and must stop the fierce counterattack of Jing's army.

After listening to this, all the generals in the hall looked at Lu Chen with awe in their eyes.

Even when Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun were in office, they had never been given such great power to act at their own will!
In short, at least during the duration of this war, Lu Chen had the right to decide all actions of the Da Qi border army, and no one could disobey, including Jingzhou Grand Commander Liu Shouguang.

At this moment, Lu Chen did not look proud. He took the imperial edict and the tiger talisman and asked calmly, "Does your majesty have any other instructions?"

Yuan Yuji had been waiting for this sentence, and immediately said, "Your Majesty asked me to ask you, Master, do you have any plan to repel the enemy now?"

"A strategy to repel the enemy?"

Lu Chen frowned slightly and said, "The Jing army is coming with great force, and the defeat of the Yongyi Marquis was too sudden. I don't have a good plan for the time being."

Yuan Yuji couldn't help but choke.

As the emperor's closest confidant, he certainly knew the helplessness and worries of the man in the palace. He was afraid that Lu Chen would not be able to stop Jing's army and Jingzhou would fall. He was also afraid that the war would last for years and Lu Chen's power would eventually be uncontrollable.

In the emperor's opinion, the best outcome would be for Lu Chen to force the Jing army to retreat with a quick and decisive move, allowing the three states in Jiangbei to return to their former peace.

Although this might raise Lu Chen's reputation in the hearts of the people to a higher level, it is better than letting him stay in power for a long time.

Yuan Yuji, as the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and now an imperial envoy, would appear arrogant in front of most officials. However, facing Lu Chen's straightforward attitude today, he immediately reacted after being stunned, and actually smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right. It's just that His Majesty is worried about the safety of the border. In addition, Your Majesty has always been a master at using troops and has defeated the Jing army many times. Therefore, I hope that Your Majesty can calm people's hearts as soon as possible. In addition to this imperial edict, there are others who hold the same imperial edict to inform all parts of Jiangbei. Now the troops of the three states will obey Your Majesty's orders."

Before leaving, the emperor repeatedly reminded Yuan Yuji to be careful with his words and actions and not to arouse Lu Chen's disgust at this time.

People like him value their reputation the most, but they are also the most likely to give it up and change the subject easily.

"The war will not end overnight. Right now, our army should hold on and block the fiercest first wave of Jing's attack. Then we can discuss other things."

Lu Chen looked at the imperial envoy and said, "Please ask Junior Supervisor Yuan to convey this to Your Majesty. Since I have accepted the appointment, I will do my best to force the Jing army to retreat. Your Majesty, please do not worry too much. In addition, the court must make good logistical supplies and related preparations."

At last, I got a guarantee that is better than nothing.

Yuan Yuji knew clearly that Lu Chen had ordered him to leave and would not reveal the specific battle plan to him.

Although he felt a little aggrieved, he dared not show any dissatisfaction due to the current situation, so he bowed and said, "I will convey the truth to you. I hope that you will report the victory as soon as possible and return victoriously."

After he left, Lu Chen handed the imperial edict and the tiger talisman to Qin Zilong, then turned around and sat down at the commander's seat.

Except for Li Bingxue, all the generals in the hall had strange expressions. They were happy that Lu Chen was in power, but they also thought that the short conversation between Lu Chen and Yuan Yuji was intriguing.

At this time, a personal soldier came in and reported: "Your Excellency, the commander-in-chief of Jingzhou, Gui Zeming, wants to see you!"

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and then a general in his forties with an ordinary face strode into the hall.

Among the generals, Huangfu Yu seemed slightly excited, and Li Bingxue and Huo Zhen also looked friendly, because Gui Zeming had also been Li Tianrun's personal soldier in the past and was very familiar with them.

"I will finally meet you, my father-in-law!"

Gui Zeming has a loud voice and looks straight ahead.

"No gift."

Lu Chen knew the identity of this person, and vaguely guessed the purpose of Liu Shouguang sending him, so he asked: "What changes have occurred in the war situation on the western front?"

Gui Ze answered in a clear voice: "My Lord, the Jing army is currently besieging Xinping and Taikang where our army is stationed. Our army can still hold out for the time being, and Commander Liu is also following your instructions and not giving up an inch. However, the enemy is powerful, and holding out may not be a long-term solution. Therefore, Commander Liu sent this general to ask for an audience with you, asking when the Dingzhou army will rush to Jingzhou to help?"

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You may not know that the Jing army is advancing on both the east and west fronts this time. Not only are your Jingzhou border troops under pressure, but the enemies in Dingzhou are also ready to move."

Gui Zeming was stunned.

He understood what Lu Chen meant. The most important responsibility of the Dingzhou Army was to guard the border of Dingzhou. On this basis, if there was any spare capacity, they would of course support Jingzhou.

The problem is that once Lu Chen transfers part of his main forces to Jingzhou, how should Jingjun respond if it achieves a breakthrough in Dingzhou?

By then, it is inevitable that we will lose sight of one thing while focusing on another.

The reason why Liu Shouguang sent Gui Zeming to Dingzhou was because of his friendship with Li Bingxue and others. With this relationship, Lu Chen would surely not deliberately make things difficult for him.

But he did not expect the situation to be so difficult, and Gui Zeming was not the kind of eloquent person, so he had nothing to say at this moment.

Lu Chen noticed the look Li Bingxue was giving him, so he said calmly, "Go back and tell Commander Liu that the requirements I set for him will not change. In the next month or so, no matter how difficult it is, he must defend Xinping and Taikang, and must not let the Jing army enter Jingzhou. This is a military order, and there is no room for bargaining."

Gui Zeming was honest by nature, and he didn't think much after hearing this. He bowed and said, "I will obey your orders."

Lu Chen glanced around and said, "Huangfu, give him a ride."

Huangfu Yu said gratefully, "Yes, sir."

The two men left the hall. Lu Chen stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall, staring at the border battle situation with his hands behind his back.

All the generals stood up and waited quietly.

These days, Qingliu Pass has become the hub of military intelligence on the border, with countless intelligence pouring in from all over the place.

The Jing army didn't seem to have any tricks this time. Their strategy ultimately came down to two things: guard against Lu Chen and the Dingzhou army, and launch an all-out attack on the severely weakened Jingzhou army.

Simple yet efficient.

"Wu Yanshu should be expecting me to dispatch troops to help Jingzhou now."

Lu Chen spoke in a steady tone, "Previously, the weaving official Yang Jingxuan said that the Emperor of Jingguo had sent at least 100,000 troops, but Wu Yanshu's reinforcements on the western front were only about 60,000. Where do you think Wu Yanshu would hide the rest of his troops?"

Li Bingxue replied: "Northwest of Panlong Pass?"

It is the border between Jingzhou and Huaizhou.

If Lu Chen intended to dispatch troops to support Jingzhou, he could only go south from Dingzhou first, and then turn west, and he would inevitably pass through the place mentioned by Li Bingxue.

Although there is still a road west of Teng County, because of the previous battle between the cavalry of the two armies, the Jing army has firmly controlled the main road to the west of Teng County, blocking the possibility of the Dingzhou army going west.

"It's possible."

Lu Chen nodded slightly and continued, "But in my opinion, the current Xinping and Taikang in Wu Yanshu's eyes have the same meaning as Yongqiu in our hearts. Especially Taikang City, which has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Regardless of our comrades in the city or the strategic position of the city itself, our army cannot give up easily. This is why I asked Liu Shouguang to defend it to the death."

"Wu Yanshu wants to use Taikang as bait and set up a dragnet there. We certainly can't let him do what he wants."

The generals nodded thoughtfully.

"Since we have come to Qingliu Pass, we can't make a wasted trip. Pucha, the commander of the Jing army in the west, is an old acquaintance. The battle at Luwu Mountain must have left a deep impression on him. So let's come again and take the journey west again."

Lu Chen smiled slightly, turned around and looked at the generals, and said calmly and firmly: "Order each army to rest for three days, and then go west out of Gongcheng and advance to Yaoshan Pass."

"Follow the order!"

All the generals responded in unison, ready to fight.

(End of this chapter)