Jiuxi

Chapter 903 901 [First Impression]

By early June, Emperor Jing's impassioned imperial edict to attack Qi had spread throughout the country.

The feeling of impending storm is in everyone's mind.

The border troops of the Great Qi Dynasty quickly entered a state of war. From Dingfeng Road and Baotai Mountain in the north of Dingzhou, to Qingliu Pass and Yaoshan Pass in the west of Dingzhou, to Teng County and Panlong Pass at the junction of Ding, Huai and Jingzhou, and even to the most tense northern part of Jingzhou, all generals continued to strengthen their vigilance, and more than 200,000 border troops were on high alert.

The Jiangnan court also responded immediately. The right prime minister Xu Zuo wrote a manifesto to announce it to the world. In the manifesto, this upright and honest minister denounced Emperor Jing's wolfish ambitions, which had led to endless wars and suffering in the world. He also stated that the Great Qi would never make peace with the other side and called on hundreds of millions of soldiers and civilians to fight to the death with the ferocious enemy.

"Prime Minister Xu's article is a thorough criticism. I wonder if Emperor Jingguo has a headache."

In Ruyin City, in the hall of the Dingzhou Governor's Mansion, Lu Chen made a joke that no one else could quite understand.

Civil officials such as Liu Yuan, Chen Xun and Huang Xianfeng were not the type to flatter. Military generals such as Li Chengen, Huo Zhen, Xu Gui and Liu Yin felt that the prince was well-prepared and was not uneasy because of the hundreds of thousands of Jing troops heading south.

Lu Chen put down Xu Zuo's sharp manifesto, turned to look at Chen Xun and said, "De Zun, tell me about the situation on the northern front of Jingzhou."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Chen Xun came to the side of the map and said in an orderly manner: "On the second day of May, the Emperor of Jingguo appointed Wu Yanshu as the commander of the vanguard army and led an army of 160,000 to invade the south. On the third day of May, the Emperor of Jingguo decided to lead the army in person. It was said that there were a million troops, but according to our analysis, there were actually no more than 300,000 soldiers and horses."

"On May 19, Wu Yanshu led his army to take an oath in Heluo City, and then headed south through the Tongbai line, officially approaching our Jingzhou defense line."

"On May 24, the Jingguo vanguard army led more than 20,000 troops to Mie Gudi, who appeared 30 miles outside Yanwu City in Jingzhou, but did not launch an attack for the time being. On the 27th, another vanguard general, Gu Lijia, led his troops to approach Teng County and launched three offensives within four days, all of which were repelled by our army."

"On the second day of June, the army led by Wu Yanshu appeared in the north of Taikang City in Jingzhou."

Chen Xun paused slightly and said to Lu Chen: "Your Majesty, this is all the current movements of the Jing army."

"Okay, from now on, Wu Yanshu's army will be called the Western Route Army of the Jing Army so that our soldiers can identify them. Communicate this matter to Liu Shouguang and Zhang Xu."

Lu Chen gave an order, then looked at the generals and asked, "What do you think of the battle situation in Jingzhou?"

The generals looked solemn and did not express their opinions hastily.

Judging from the current situation, the target of the 160,000 troops led by Wuyan Shu is the Jingzhou defense line, while the opponent of the Dingzhou army is the 300,000 troops led by Emperor Jing himself.

Just hearing this number, the generals would not be scared out of their wits, but they would feel the pressure like a mountain pressing down on them.

After the brief battle ended the year before, the Dingzhou Army expanded its organization and had one battalion and eleven armies with a total strength of nearly 140,000 people.

However, the Dingzhou army was still less than half of the main force of the Jing army. This meant that Lu Chen could not support Jingzhou through large-scale roundabout transfers as he had done before. Liu Shouguang and Zhang Xu had to rely on themselves to block the advance of the Jing army.

Specifically on the western front, after Zhang Xu led 30,000 Beijing troops northward, the number of defenders in Jingzhou reached 90,000. If they just held the city, they should be able to stop the 160,000 troops under Wuyan Shu. After all, defense is always less labor-intensive than offense.

The problem still lies in the hasty Northern Expedition two years ago. The Battle of Kaocheng and more than ten subsequent battles of varying sizes caused a very serious consequence, that is, the strength of the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office declined sharply, and it was difficult to return to its heyday in less than two years.

In short, the Jingzhou Army is temporarily at a disadvantage and it is difficult to cause too much trouble to the Jingjun Western Route Army.

"Your Majesty, I think it would be better to be cautious and wait and see what happens."

After a moment, Huo Zhen, the commander-in-chief of the Ruyin Army, spoke first.

The other generals agreed with his proposal.

Lu Chen remained silent, looking at the situation on the northern line of Jingzhou on the map, and said slowly: "What kind of person do you think Wu Yanshu is?"

Liu Yin, the commander of the Guangling Army, replied, "Your Highness, this man is calm and cautious in his use of troops. After the previous failure, Emperor Jing still entrusted him with an important task and let him lead the army to attack Dai, and achieved remarkable results. This shows that this man will not be easily defeated by failure. This time he will come back and will definitely be more careful and meticulous. Judging from the offensive choice of the Jing Army's Western Route Army, Wu Yanshu adopted a strategy of responding to each other from a distance and advancing step by step. The main force is in the center to approach Taikang, while supporting the east and west at the same time."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "You are right. This time he has fully learned from previous experience and lessons. He would rather make slow progress than reveal too obvious flaws. He is obviously sure that our armies cannot support each other. However, you still underestimate him."

This sentence left the generals puzzled.

They clearly valued Wu Yanshu enough and gave him very high praise, so why would they look down on him?
Lu Chen slowly stood up and stood in front of the sand table, staring at a sign on the north line of Jingzhou and fell into long contemplation.

Emperor Jing's decisiveness really surprised him.

According to the initial estimate, Jing's army should move south in the autumn, which is the most suitable season for a large-scale attack. Moreover, he deliberately released Pucha in order to continue to arouse Jingdi's suspicion, thereby further delaying the time for Jing's army to move south. In this way, the border army of Daqi will be better prepared. The most important thing is that Lu Chen's killer weapon will continue to be strengthened.

However, Emperor Jing's judgment of the situation was very accurate, and he did not give Lu Chen any chance to delay.

Lu Chen did not lose his composure because of this. Having experienced so many hardships and tempers in wars, he had already reached the state of having a heart as hard as stone. He would not worry about gains and losses because of temporary gains and losses.

The generals had already gathered around, and Li Chengen said calmly, "Your Highness, do you think Wu Yanshu is deliberately creating confusion?"

"This war concerns the fate of Qi and Jing. Since Emperor Jing has given Wu Yanshu the task of leading the charge, he must be hoping that he can take the initiative, rather than engaging in a seesaw battle with our army, let alone directly entering a stalemate."

Lu Chen's mouth curled up slightly, and he said calmly: "If I were Wu Yanshu, I would definitely not be satisfied with just maintaining a suppressive posture." Huo Zhen's heart moved, and he looked at the very important position on the sand table and said: "My lord, could it be that Wu Yanshu's main attack direction is not Taikang City, but Teng County?"

Hearing this, the expressions of the others turned serious.

"Teng County?"

Lu Chen's expression remained unchanged, and he said slowly: "It is possible, Dezun."

Chen Xun immediately responded: "I'm here!"

Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Draft a military order for me and send it to Liu Shouguang on a fast horse with a speed of 800 miles."

Chen Xun bowed and said, "I obey your orders!"

……

In the north of Jingzhou, there is Taikang City.

The flag of the Great Qi Border Army was flying on the top of the city wall. Fan Wendi, deputy governor of Jingzhou and commander-in-chief of the Guangji Army, stood on the city wall, calmly looking at the Jing Army cavalry team hundreds of feet outside the city.

This cavalry unit consisted of less than a thousand men, and they were obviously coming to closely observe Taikang City's defense system.

The leader was Wu Yanshu, the commander of the Jing army's vanguard.

Looking at the majestic and solid city ahead, Wu Yanshu felt a little complicated.

Two years ago, he returned empty-handed here and was tricked by Lu Chen. Now that he is revisiting the old place, how could he forget the humiliation he suffered?

But from the surface, Wu Yanshu can still remain absolutely calm.

"Let's go back."

He turned his horse around first, and nearly a thousand riders followed closely behind him, returning to the Jing army camp more than ten miles away.

Back in the commander's tent, more than a dozen generals stood solemnly on both sides.

Wu Yanshu said calmly: "After two years, Taikang City has become easier to defend and harder to attack. If our army wants to break through this strong city this time, I'm afraid we will have to pay a very heavy price."

The generals had no objection to this. They all had rich experience in leading troops. After following the commander-in-chief to observe on the spot today, they could naturally see that the big city in the south was like an iron barrel, and the Qi army inside must have been prepared to defend it to the death.

Wu Yanshu looked at his confidant beside him and asked, "Are there any reports of the battle from Gulijia?"

The confidant replied respectfully: "Replying to the Marshal, not yet."

Now the Jing army is divided into three parts. Miegudi in the west followed the order of Wuyan Shu and did not launch an attack easily, while Gulijia in the east has not been able to shake the defense line of Qi army in Tengxian after several attempts.

Wu Yanshu stood with his hands behind his back, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Directly attacking Taikang is not a wise choice. What good plan do you have?"

General Guiyou suggested, "General, I think we can take Teng County first! As long as we take this place, we can completely cut off the connection between Jingzhou and Dingzhou of Southern Qi, and further threaten Huaizhou of Southern Qi. It is true that Panlong Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack, but as long as our army can exert enough pressure, the enemy will have to mobilize troops to guard this place. If Panlong Pass is taken by our army, it will be a loss that Southern Qi cannot afford at all."

"Teng County..."

Wu Yanshu tilted his head slightly, looking at the junction of the three states of Southern Qi, Jiangbei, and suddenly smiled and said, "That makes sense. I think Lu Chen has already noticed this place. Send a message to Gu Lijia and order him to continue to strengthen the offensive against Teng County. I will dispatch another 10,000 infantrymen to support them."

"Follow the order!"

"Guiyou."

"The general is here!"

"You lead 10,000 infantrymen and 5,000 light cavalry to immediately go west along the northern route and cooperate with Mie Gudi to attack Yanwu City. You must capture this place before the Qi army notices!"

"The last general——"

Guiyou's expression changed slightly and he didn't react for a moment.

Because Wu Yanshu's two orders were completely contradictory. It was clear that the focus of the attack should be Teng County on the eastern front, so why was it suddenly transferred to Yanwu City on the western front?

Wu Yanshu glanced at him calmly and said, "Didn't you hear clearly?"

Guiyou was startled and said solemnly, "I obey your order!"

Wu Yanshu did not explain too much. He exhaled slowly, and Lu Chen's name appeared in his mind. He said to himself silently: "I don't believe that you can predict everything every time."

(End of this chapter)