Jiuxi

Chapter 893 891 [The Vast Land]

When it came to the beginning of December, most of Jingchao was already covered with snow, and everything within sight was wrapped in silver.

The north wind blowing south from the snowfields of the far north is as sharp as a knife, carrying snowflakes in great flutters, and when it hits people's faces it only feels cold and painful.

Most people stayed at home. The rich and powerful had charcoal to ward off the cold, but the poor could only rely on thin clothes to keep warm. Even in the capital city under the emperor's feet, many people froze to death every winter.

But things are a little different this year.

Princess Yongping, who had been quiet for a few years, has returned to the world and has been wandering around the city all day, specifically dealing with those domineering noble sons of Jinglian. Moreover, she does not just beat them up and leave it at that. She will not stop until they take out money to help the poor people inside and outside the city.

In this way, many people were able to solve their urgent problems.

Although Qing Yugong's power is not as great as it used to be, Qing Yu Huaijin is obviously not affected. The emperor still values ​​her as much as before and would summon her to the palace for a chat every now and then, or let her accompany the empress who is in a bad mood due to the loss of her son.

These things are all out in the open, so no short-sighted nobleman dares to confront Qing Yu Huaijin to the end.

Some people also thought that Qing Yu Huaijin was buying people's hearts, but when they figured out the details, they all shut up, because Qing Yu Huaijin forced those noble children to take out money to help the people, and she never used her own name from beginning to end, but in the name of the emperor, the court, and the mansions that paid.

The people praised the emperor for his wisdom and benevolence, and at most praised the nobles who donated generously, but they had no idea that this was Qing Yu Huaijin's credit.

"Yongping did a great job. It's time for someone to come out and deal with those mischievous little brats."

In the warm study room, Emperor Jing was smiling, and his doting and love for Qing Yu Huaijin were beyond words.

More than a dozen Jinglian nobles couldn't help but look at Qing Yugong who had a calm expression. Some of them seemed a little embarrassed because among the brats that Qing Yu Huaijin had dealt with were some of their family's useless descendants.

Qing Yugong said, "Your Majesty, this child is still a little naughty after all. I will talk to her when I return."

"No."

Emperor Jing smiled and shook his head, but his tone was unquestionable: "I think she is fine the way she is now, don't always restrict her. The women of our Jinglian clan can also ride horses and shoot, don't be like the women of Qi who never leave the house."

Qing Yugong said helplessly: "Yes, I understand."

Emperor Jing looked around at everyone and changed the subject, saying, "Today I did not summon those civil officials into the palace. I just wanted to talk to you about the situation in the south. Speaking of which, I miss the time when the late emperor was still alive. At that time, I was not yet the crown prince, and you would not be so restrained in front of me. I remember one Shangsi Festival, everyone got a little drunk together, and Abuhan and I quarreled over a trivial matter, right?"

The leader of the Juntugu clan, Abuhan, felt nervous and quickly apologized, "Your Majesty, I was really drunk at the time. Thinking back on it, I feel that I deserved death."

"No need to be so nervous."

Emperor Jing waved his hands and said calmly: "I just feel something in my heart. Now even if I want to drink with you, I can't. The imperial doctors will definitely not agree."

This sentence caused the room to suddenly fall into silence.

More than a year has passed since the horrific explosion at the royal hunting grounds. Everyone knows that the emperor's injuries are serious and difficult to recover. Perhaps this is why the court and the people are particularly docile. After all, no one dares to offend an emperor with a limited lifespan and great talent.

Emperor Jing knew the thoughts of these nobles very well, and he slowed down his tone and said, "Although you cannot drink, I want you to relax a little today. Not like many years ago, but at least you don't have to be so restrained. Come, give each of you a seat."

This arrangement was indeed beyond everyone's expectations.

Emperor Jing’s words were binding and he did not give them any chance to refuse. They had no choice but to bow and thank him, then carefully sat down on the round stools.

"Now that Dai has surrendered, our dynasty's greatest enemy is Southern Qi."

Emperor Jing looked at these high-ranking nobles one by one and said slowly, "You have elite soldiers and generals in your hands, and you all have experience in leading troops in battle. I want to hear your opinions on the war against Qi."

As soon as he finished speaking, several firemen came into the study room carrying a large map and stood at the very bottom so that everyone could see it clearly.

The northernmost part of this map is the Jing River that runs across the continent, and to the south it extends all the way to Yongjia, the capital of Qi State.

As Emperor Jing said, the four great leaders of the Qing Yugong, Sagai, Abuhan, and Wengusun all have rich experience in leading troops. Others such as Shanyang, Shengu, Shidun, and Zhuotuo are all powerful generals of the Jing army. In addition to Wuyanshu and Miegudi, they are still intimidating the Dai Kingdom in the northwest border. The main generals of the Jinglian Nine Armies are all in the upper study today. Seeing that everyone was in deep thought, Emperor Jing was not in a hurry and said lightly: "Tian Jue."

The chief musician Tian Jue bowed and said, "I am here."

"Tell me about the latest situation in the south."

"The minister obeys the order."

Tian Jue stood up and faced the group of Jinglian nobles, starting from the death of Emperor Qi Li Zongben and the exposure of Li Shizhi's conspiracy, to the Empress Dowager Ning and Lu Chen taking control of power, and then to Zhang Xu leading tens of thousands of Beijing troops from the Wuwei camp to retreat from Feiniao Pass and then directly heading north into the territory of Jingzhou, as well as the recent strengthening of vigilance on the two defense lines in Dingzhou.

He spent nearly two quarters of an hour explaining the situation in the south using the markings on the map to give these people a more intuitive understanding of the situation.

Wen Gusun, the chief of the Huite clan, said, "Your Majesty, I think that even if the Southern Qi is prepared, their military strength is still at a disadvantage, which is an advantage that can be exploited. Although Lu Chen of the Southern Qi is good at using troops, he ultimately needs elite soldiers to complete his tactics. The Jingzhou Governor's Office of the Southern Qi suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Kaocheng last year, and the main force suffered heavy losses. It is impossible to recover in just over a year, so I think it is better to continue to attack the Jingzhou front line."

This is a standard strategy. It is not particularly sophisticated, but it is good at not making mistakes. After all, attacking the enemy's weak points is a principle that every general can master.

Emperor Jing pondered and said, "You mean, a stalemate is formed in Dingzhou of Southern Qi, and then our army will attack Jingzhou with all its strength?"

"Back to Your Majesty, yes."

Wen Gusun said respectfully: "I think the terrain of Dingzhou is easy to defend but difficult to attack, especially now that Yaoshan Pass is in the hands of the Qi army. Even if our army can recapture Yaoshan Pass, there is still the majestic Qingliu Pass in front. As for the northern part of Dingzhou, the Qi army has been continuously improving the defense system of the fixed wind channel in the past two years, and Baotai Mountain covers the flanks, which is also a tough nut to crack. In addition, to the south of Dingzhou is Huaizhou, and there are passes such as Panlong Pass, Yongquan Pass, and Qingtian City. The Qi army has a lot of room for detours and retreat."

All in all, in his opinion, attacking Dingzhou by force was not a very rational choice. Not to mention that under Lu Chen's construction, the defense line of the Qi army in Dingzhou was tight and solid. Even if the Jing army could enter Dingzhou, the Qi army could retreat to Huaizhou and continue to deal with it by relying on the defense system established by Xiao Wangzhi. The worst case scenario would be a return to the situation five years ago.

Seeing Emperor Jing nodded slightly, Wen Gusun was greatly encouraged and continued, "Your Majesty, Southern Qi's Jingzhou is short of troops, and many of its troops are not strong, so it is difficult to stop our army's full-scale attack. As long as we can disrupt the opponent's defense line, our cavalry will be able to march straight to Pingyang, and the Qi army will be in chaos. Pingyang City controls the Hengjiang River, and the Qi army cannot afford the consequences of losing this place, so they will definitely find ways to rescue it, and then their defense line will be loose and messy."

Emperor Jing did not give a clear opinion immediately. He looked at the other Jinglian nobles and asked, "Do you all agree with Wen Gusun's opinion?"

Everyone had different expressions; some nodded in agreement, some were secretly thinking, and some were hesitant.

They knew in their hearts that the emperor was not going to decide the strategy of the battle immediately today, but just wanted to find out what everyone thought first.

Judging from the situation on the field, most people think that there is nothing wrong with Wen Gusun's opinion.

Emperor Jing looked at the middle-aged man.

Sensing his gaze, Qing Yugong said, "Lord Wen Gusun, my opinion is slightly different from yours."

Wen Gusun said politely: "Please enlighten me, Prince."

"I don't deserve your advice."

Qing Yugong looked calm and said slowly, "Just now, Lord Tian talked about the recent movements on the border of Southern Qi. Lu Chen has obviously made a prediction. He believes that once our army moves south, the focus of the attack will definitely be on the Jingzhou line. Based on this, I can't help but wonder how he will respond later. It is true that the Jingzhou army is relatively weak, but the other side will definitely give up the field battle and hold on to the city. From Taikang, Yongqiu, Baimaguan, Mengshan to Pingyang in the southernmost part, there are countless strong cities and dangerous passes. Do we really have to attack them one by one?"

At this time, Sagai interrupted and said, "But the Qi army will not actively seek a decisive battle with our army. There is no other way except to attack violently."

Qing Yugong turned his head and looked at him, then said calmly, "What the commander-in-chief said is very true, but things in the world are not static. The Qi army is actually quite strong, and its troops are not few. It is not to the point where they can only defend blindly. This is another thing I want to say. Before the war breaks out, our army needs to make it clear: is this battle for the purpose of capturing cities or for annihilating the Qi army's manpower as much as possible?"

Sagai hesitated and said, "This... this makes no difference."

“There is a difference, and it’s a big difference.”

Qing Yugong's attitude was very calm, but his tone was firm: "If it is the former, then our army can proceed step by step as Lord Wen Gusun said, and take down one tough bone after another. If it is the latter, we must find a way to make the Qi army jump out, and use the advantage of our large number of cavalry to fight in the field and surprise the enemy!"

Emperor Jing raised his hand and picked up the teacup, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

(End of this chapter)