Jiuxi

Chapter 744 [Hanging Upside Down]

At the northern end of Shazhou, Feiniao Pass.

This majestic pass still stands proudly among the mountains, but the flag flying on the pass has been replaced by the Jinglian people's large flag with black background and red characters.

Chemugunnanyong stood on the wall of the pass, gazing at the vast world in the east, with a hint of complacency in his eyes.

As the eldest brother of the current queen, his position in the court has always been awkward. On the one hand, he enjoys a superior status because of his sister's status, but on the other hand, he is looked down upon by those nobles who hold real power.

He wanted to prove his ability, but he had only held a noble and idle position until then. It was not until Qing Yugong was deprived of the right to lead troops that he finally got this precious opportunity.

Nan Yong did not dare to be careless. He not only rushed to the border in advance to investigate and make plans in person, but also brought all the elite warriors of the Chemugun clan, vowing to make a name for himself in one battle.

If he can achieve his wish, the Chemugun clan may be able to catch up in the future and be on par with the five major clans of Jinglian outside the royal family.

"Master Hou!"

A capable man in his thirties came up quickly and saluted.

This man's name is Axian, and he went south to do work under the orders of Nan Yong.

Nan Yong studied his calm expression and said with a smile, "It seems that this trip went smoothly."

Ah Xian replied, "Everything is as the Marquis expected. Apart from Luo Yaozong, many Shazhou leaders and elders did not reject our kindness, except for Ha Dai, Na Yan, and Yang Jin, who were more resolute. Led by elder Lin Shan, a total of twelve people accepted the silver I brought. During this period, Shazhou did not launch a counterattack against Feiniao Pass. The key reason is that they are afraid of the powerful strength of our army. Lin Shan and others should have played a role in this."

"That's enough."

Nan Yong stood with his hands behind his back and said leisurely, "I don't expect those people to work hard for Dajing. As long as Shazhou can't unite as one, I will achieve my goal. From your on-site observation, how long will the people of Shazhou endure?"

Ah Xian considered, "Based on what I have seen along the way, the people of Shazhou obviously did not expect our army to attack Feiniao Pass, which caught them off guard. Originally, they did want to gather their troops to fight, but the Marquis turned east and pointed directly to Jingzhou in Southern Qi, and asked me to carry a large amount of gold and silver to divide them. The people of Shazhou cannot unite in a short time. At present, they will at least wait for the outcome of our dynasty and Southern Qi to be decided before making any plans. However, Luo Yaozong is very scheming, so please be careful, Marquis."

"This man was able to unify Shazhou. His skills must not be underestimated."

Nan Yong did not look down on heroes, and immediately changed the subject, "But as long as our army holds Feiniao Pass in our hands, we can attack or defend. At worst, we can retreat to the north calmly. After all, the people of Shazhou do not have the ability to fly behind us."

Ah Xian said respectfully: "My Lord, you are wise!"

At this time, another general came up and said, "My Lord, the military report from the east."

"speak."

"Our vanguard has advanced over 160 miles and is now only over 100 miles away from Pingyang Prefecture in Jingzhou, Southern Qi. Our army has not been blocked by the Qi army along the way, which shows that the enemy's troop deployment in the southern part of Jingzhou is very empty."

Nan Yong was silent for a moment, then sneered, "That's because Liu Shouguang was trapped in the Taikang area by Wu Yanshu, and he had no choice but to transfer his reserve forces to the north. How could the south not be empty? Du Hu, what suggestions do you have for the next battle?"

The general named Du Hu is a family general of the Chemugun clan. This time he serves as Nan Yong's deputy and leads 10,000 elite infantrymen.

After thinking it over, he said firmly: "My Lord, I think we should take advantage of the opportunity when the Qi army is weak and quickly capture Pingyang Prefecture!"

This suggestion really made Nan Yong very excited.

Since sixteen years ago, Jingzhou and Pingyang Prefecture have been the obsession of the Jing Dynasty's rulers and ministers. Only by taking down that important town could they march south of the Yangtze River. However, there has been no opportunity for so many years, and instead, the Southern Qi has pushed them northward by hundreds of miles.

If Nan Yong could capture Pingyang Prefecture, the merit of this battle alone would be enough for him to gain a foothold in the court. Although he might not be as good as Qing Yugong and Wu Yanshu, he would be stronger than many military nobles.

I have to say that such temptation is enough to make people dizzy.

Nan Yong was torn between inner and outer feelings, but he finally said with a hint of regret: "Pingyang Prefecture is indeed very important, but if we only occupy this city, we will inevitably fall into the vast sea of ​​Qi troops in the end. Not to mention that even if Liu Shouguang drained all the troops in the south, he would not let Pingyang Prefecture become an empty city. The current plan is to cooperate with Wu Yanshu to annihilate the main force of the Southern Qi Jingzhou Army. This is the strategy set by His Majesty, and we cannot disobey."

As his close confidants, Du Hu and A Xian naturally felt it was a pity, but they also understood Nan Yong's difficulties.

Nan Yong looked towards the distant east and continued, "Order our vanguard to continue advancing towards Pingyang City, but control the speed of the march, and do not exceed thirty miles per day."

The other two were slightly stunned. This marching speed was actually a bit slow for a large army.

Du Hu asked cautiously, "My Lord, is thirty miles too little?"

Nan Yong smiled and said calmly: "You lead your subordinates and march towards Shahe City immediately."

Du Hu bowed his head without hesitation and said, "I obey your orders!"

Shahe is located in the northwest of Pingyang City. A few years ago, it was the northwest gate of Jingzhou's defense line. Later, as the Qi army completely occupied the original Yan State's Moyang Road, the defense line moved hundreds of miles north, and Shahe lost its barrier function. However, this important town, like Pingyang, is very important in the defense system of southern Jingzhou.

If the Jing army led by Nan Yong can capture Pingyang and Shahe, it will be easy to sweep across the southern part of Jingzhou.

"We are just supporting roles in this battle. His Majesty has repeatedly reminded us that our army must cooperate with Wu Yanshu's rhythm, so this is why I asked you to march slowly." There was a trace of regret in the depths of Nan Yong's eyes, and he explained uncharacteristically: "The key to our army's previous attack on Feiniao Pass was speed, but now we have to be slow to threaten Jingzhou of Southern Qi. Only by slowing down can the people of Qi send the news to Liu Shouguang in Taikang City in time. At that time, he will be faced with a dilemma. Either he can ignore the fact that his old nest has been destroyed by our army and continue to send the reserve troops to support Taikang, or he can send the reinforcements back to resist our army, but the main force of the Jingzhou army he leads will be in a desperate situation."

The other two suddenly realized.

Du Hu said: "No matter what he chooses, he will eventually have one of his arms cut off by our army!"

"That's it."

Nan Yong gradually calmed down and said slowly: "This is my first time leading an army independently. It is both a sign of His Majesty's trust and a test for me. You must understand this. If we lose His Majesty's trust, our Chemugun clan will never be able to make a name for ourselves in the future."

The two of them were startled and responded in unison.

Nan Yong then said to Du Hu: "Although we need to give Liu Shouguang some time to react, we can't delay too much, otherwise the enemy will notice. After you lead your troops to Shahe, you need to launch an offensive immediately. It would be best if you can capture it, but if you can't, you must also put enough pressure on the Qi army."

Du Hu said loudly: "I obey your orders!"

Nan Yong said with relief: "Go ahead. I will personally stay at Feiniao Pass and guard the rear for you."

Du Hu bowed and then strode away.

As Nan Yong made up his mind, Jing Jun immediately launched an offensive in the southern part of Jingzhou.

For a moment, the people of Jingzhou were in chaos.

You must know that since the great victory at Mengshan ten years ago, the Jing army has never approached the southern part of Jingzhou again. They have tried several times, but were firmly rejected by Li Tianrun, and they were unable to threaten the southern part of Jingzhou at all.

No one could have imagined that this time the Jing army could actually launch a surprise attack on Feiniao Pass and then open up the key road to the southern part of Jingzhou.

The various tribes in Shazhou were surprisingly indifferent to this. The Jing army built a defense line in an area more than 50 miles south of Feiniao Pass, while the people of Shazhou hesitated and seemed to silently accept the result of Feiniao Pass falling into the hands of the Jing army.

As a result, the morale of the main force of the Jing Army in the north was high, and the special force led by Nan Yong came with great momentum. One in the south and one in the north were like iron clamps, which instantly put Jingzhou into a fatal crisis.

Judging from the map, the two elite infantry units under Nan Yong's command drew an arc respectively, one heading straight for Pingyang City, and the other approaching Shahe City in the northwest, with flags flying and a majestic momentum.

In an instant, Pingyang and Shahe were in a state of emergency.

Urgent requests for help flew like snowflakes to Taikang City in the north and the capital city in the south of the Yangtze River.

It would take a long time to respond after receiving the military report from the capital, plus the distance was too far to save the nearby fire. For now, they could only rely on the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office to save themselves.

When the report from the general who could run 800 li fast horses reached Taikang City, almost all the generals were shocked speechless by the news.

They looked at Liu Shouguang standing with his hands behind his back beside the sand table, and besides anxiety, they couldn't help feeling a little sympathy.

The root cause of all this is the defeat at Kaocheng, or rather, the emperor's hasty decision to launch a Northern Expedition, which led to the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office falling into such a difficult situation.

"Grand Commander, I'm afraid we can't hesitate any longer."

Fan Wendi looked solemn and spoke first.

Liu Shouguang was silent for a moment and nodded.

Before Jing's army completed the encirclement of Taikang area, he had only 90,000 soldiers under his command. In addition to the more than 30,000 people near Taikang, there were more than 20,000 defenders in important towns on the east and west lines including Yongqiu. In addition, there were only about 30,000 troops guarding various places in the central and southern parts of Jingzhou.

These 30,000 people were his final assets.

Originally, he asked these 30,000 people to come to Taikang from all over the place for support. Now the situation in the south is critical, and he must make a decision as soon as possible.

Under the tense and worried gaze of the generals, Liu Shouguang said with some difficulty: "Order the Ningcheng Army, Yangdi Army, and Dingding Army to follow the previous military order and continue to approach Taikang City!"

The whole hall was dead silent.

Then the generals were in an uproar.

They looked at Liu Shouguang in disbelief, and an absurd thought came to their minds: Could it be that the commander-in-chief had gone mad?

If we lose Pingyang and Shazhou on the north bank of Hengjiang River, what would be the point of defending Taikang?
However, Liu Shouguang's expression turned firm, and he said without question: "That's it, go and pass the order quickly!"

"Follow the order!"

The officer responded loudly, then strode away without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)