Jiuxi

Chapter 920 918 [Before Dawn]

The first year of Yongning in the Great Qi Dynasty, mid-August.

Ruyin City, the Governor's Mansion.

The chief officer Chen Xun reported, "Your Highness, Commander Song of the Feiyun Army and Commander Pei of the Zhenbei Army have sent urgent military reports one after another. The enemy has launched offensives in succession within ten days, but they have all been repelled by our army. At present, Dingfeng Road and Yaoshan Pass are safe and secure. Please rest assured, Your Highness."

"Ah."

Lu Chen responded calmly.

He had expected that the Jing army would start fires from all sides. Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong were both well-known, so how could they not take advantage of the Jing army's biggest advantage at the moment?

Lu Chen was not afraid of the other party playing tricks on him. After so many years of training, he had long been accustomed to such tactics and could distinguish the true from the false. However, Emperor Jing's overwhelming force was the most difficult situation for him.

The Jing army broke the impasse by force. The three armies advanced in parallel, and each army had 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers. The rhythm of the attack was very steady, and so far there was no obvious trend of reckless advance, which meant that the Qi army had almost no possibility of winning by chance.

Unless Lu Chen secretly assembled all his mobile forces and chose to counterattack all the way, he might be able to win another difficult victory.

But this is not without risk. Even if Lu Chen has the ability to win the battle, as long as the main force of the Qi army appears on one route, the Jing army will definitely do its best to break through the other two routes, and use the time difference when Lu Chen cannot return to support to completely destroy the Qi army's defense line.

But if you do nothing, you can only defend passively, and this doesn't seem to be Lu Chen's style.

All the civil and military officials in the hall were somewhat worried about this.

They admired Lu Chen's military talent very much, but they also knew that even a good cook cannot cook without rice. If the current strength of Qi Army and Jing Army were roughly equal, they believed that Lu Chen had enough ability to defeat Jing Army. The problem was that Jing Army had not yet exerted its full strength. If Lu Chen acted hastily, he might fall into the enemy's trap.

Seeing that the atmosphere was rather dull, Lu Chen looked around at everyone and asked with a smile, "Lord Bingyuan, why are you frowning?"

Lu Chen has always been very respectful to the two famous scholars from Huaiyou that the old man found for him, and the two of them deserve his respect.

Although Chief Clerk Liu Yuan came from a poor family, he was not aloof and eccentric. He was fair and just in his judgments. In just over two years, he had managed the Governor's Office in perfect order. His prestige among his subordinates even surpassed that of Chief Clerk Huang Xianfeng, who, as a capable official left by Xiao Wangzhi for Lu Chen, had no resentment about this.

Huang Xianfeng has expressed his intention to step down and let Lu Chen take over many times, but Lu Chen has not agreed.

Another famous scholar is the head Chen Xun, who has now successfully entered the innermost circle around Lu Chen and even been to the secret paradise deep in the Baotai Mountains.

Under the influence of these two people, many talented people from the three states in Jiangbei came to join Lu Chen in the past two years. In addition to the list of trustworthy Wang family members provided by Wang Chulong, the civil servants in the Governor's Office are now full of talents.

Hearing Lu Chen's gentle question, Liu Yuan, who was over 40 years old, said earnestly: "Your Majesty, the enemy is strong, please be patient for a while."

"Of course you have to be patient."

Lu Chen's expression was calm, and he said meaningfully, "But how long do we have to endure?"

When the staff heard this, they felt very heavy.

War is never a one-sided arena. Any great victory in history books requires the cooperation of the enemy, just like the previous Battle of Taikang. If Wu Yanshu had gathered his troops together and attacked only one point like Qing Yugong, what could Lu Chen do even if he was possessed by the god of war?

Could he lead the long sword army to kill 160,000 Jing troops?

At the moment, Emperor Jing obviously will not give Lu Chen another chance to defeat the enemy with clever tactics, or at most he will exchange one group of troops for most of the Qi army's defense line. It depends on whether Lu Chen accepts this deal.

Chen Xun glanced at the map hanging on the wall and respectfully reminded, "Your Majesty, I think we should also be on guard against the Jing army coming south from Teng County."

Lu Chen looked over and nodded, "De Zun's words make sense."

The three armies of the Jing army were heading towards the northern part of Dingbei, the western part of Dingzhou and the western part of Jingzhou respectively. At present, the only battlefield that seemed particularly calm was the border between the three states south of Teng County.

Previously, Lu Chen asked Liu Tongzhao to give up Teng County only because the Qi army was now on the defensive. Teng County was of little use as a bridgehead for attack, and the county was not easy to defend. Forcibly defending it would result in the loss of a large number of troops. It was far better to retreat to Ningling City and form a defense line at the junction of the three states with Ningling, Pingli, Xinchang, Shiquan and Panlongguan.

However, Jing's army deliberately ignored this place, and Qing Yugong only dispatched 20,000 to 30,000 people to set up defenses dozens of miles north of Teng County.

Lu Chen looked at the area on the map and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

It is obvious that the 20,000 to 30,000 troops of the Jing army cannot form an impenetrable defense. As long as they can cross this line of defense, the Qi army can head all the way north to Heluo.

but……

Lu Chen suppressed his impulse and turned to Liu Yuan and said, "Lord Bingyuan, draft two military orders on my behalf. The first one is for Liu Yin of Guangling Army and He Gui of Panlong Army, telling them to cheer up. Jing Army may open up a fourth battlefield at the junction of the three states."

Liu Yuan immediately stood up and said, "I obey your command!"

Lu Chen hesitated for a moment, and then said, "The second military order was sent to Linjiang Marquis Chen Lanyu, ordering him to transfer the Zhenwei Army to the north to garrison Qingtian City and Yongquan Pass."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Liu Yuan did not hesitate and immediately drafted the military order. Of course, he still had to let Lu Chen review it and approve it after he finished writing it.

At this moment, a lieutenant hurried into the hall, bowed solemnly and said, "Your Highness, this is urgent military information from the Jingzhou Governor's Office." Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Go ahead."

The lieutenant said quickly, "At the end of July, the commander of the Jingguo Western Army, Qing Yugong, personally led his army to the west of Jingzhou. On the eighth day of August, he broke through Gaotang City. Then Qing Yugong divided 30,000 troops into Xifengyuan, and he personally led 50,000 troops to continue southward and approach Xileng Pass!"

The whole place was shocked.

As the saying goes, a man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. Even though Qing Yugong was defeated in Yongqiu a few years ago, it does not mean that his ability is worse than before. This time, he took over the mess left by Wu Yanshu and quickly turned the situation around, which will still bring considerable pressure to the military and civilians of Da Qi.

Lu Chen asked: "What are the losses of our army?"

The captain replied, "Your Highness, the Guangji Army held the city for eleven days, with 4,271 dead and more than 2,000 wounded. The remnants retreated to Xiling Pass under the leadership of Jingzhou Deputy Governor Fan Wending."

The atmosphere in the hall became increasingly serious.

No one noticed that Lu Chen's hand trembled slightly.

After a moment of silence, he said solemnly: "Lord Bingyuan, draft another military order to Liu Shouguang, the Grand Commander of Jingzhou, ordering him and his soldiers to continue to defend Taikang, Yongqiu, and Xilengguan. Without my order, they are not allowed to go to battle without authorization. Those who violate the order will be punished according to military law."

Liu Yuan said solemnly: "I obey your orders!"

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Lu Chen then stood up and returned to the back house.

More than half an hour later, Li Bingxue, who was leading the Feiyu Army to rest in the city, hurried over after receiving the news.

What I saw was Lu Chen standing alone in front of the window, quietly looking at a corner of the courtyard.

"The Guangji Army fought too hard."

When Lu Chen heard the footsteps behind him, he naturally knew who could come directly to him, while the heavily guarded sentries outside did not react at all.

Hearing his voice full of guilt, Li Bingxue came closer and whispered, "Husband, we are facing a powerful enemy, no one can stay out of it."

Lu Chen said with a guilty conscience: "In the Battle of Taikang, I ordered the Guangji Army to fight against the heavy cavalry of the Jing Army. That battle had already seriously damaged the Guangji Army. Later, I ordered them to garrison Gaotang City because I had a hunch that the Jing Army would use the western line of Jingzhou as a breakthrough point. Although Liu Shouguang replenished the Guangji Army in time, after the Battle of Gaotang, there were probably only a few veterans left in this army."

Li Bingxue was silent.

The Guangji Army is the trump card of the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office. In fact, it is the absolute direct line brought up by Li Tianrun. Many of the generals have served with Li Tianrun and are very familiar with Li Bingxue. However, after this long war, many people seem to have passed away.

However, this is the fate of soldiers.

Even Lu Chen himself had to lead the long sword army into a risky charge in order to achieve a great victory.

Li Bingxue knew that as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Lu Chen did not need anyone to teach him that kindness is not the key to commanding an army, and it was even more impossible for him to show weakness in front of outsiders. Only when the couple were together in private would he reveal his true feelings.

She sighed lightly, and instead of continuing this heavy topic, she asked, "What are you going to do next?"

"As Liu Bingyuan said, the enemy is strong. We can only be patient for the time being because Emperor Jing has not yet revealed any obvious flaws."

Lu Chen calmed down and said slowly, "But I think the Jing army is not in such a good situation. How much food and grass will be consumed every day to feed nearly 500,000 soldiers and horses? Even if the emperor is healthy, he will not delay for too long. Now it is nothing more than a competition of which side is more patient. In the eyes of the emperor, I am an uneasy person, and I will not always passively take a beating, so this time I will change my past style and drag it out until he can no longer bear it."

Li Bingxue asked: "Do you want to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Jing army?"

"I can't rely on conspiracies and tricks every time. Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong won't give me this opportunity, so a decisive battle is imperative."

Lu Chen's eyes gradually became firm, and he said seriously: "But before that, it depends on whether the three armies of the Jing army can break through our defense line."

Li Bingxue said with a hint of worry: "Husband, over at Xiling Pass..."

The importance of Xileng Pass is unquestionable. If Qing Yugong captures this pass, the Jing army can adjust its strategy and cross the river directly to the south.

By that time, the situation in Jiangnan would deteriorate instantly.

Lu Chen said calmly: "I believe in the old general, and I have also made some other preparations."

Li Bingxue didn't ask any more questions. She also believed that her husband would not be so arrogant.

The fall of Gaotang City was within Lu Chen's expectations. From the very beginning, he did not order Fan Wendi to live and die with the city. He just asked him to delay the advance of Jing Army as much as possible to buy more time for the defense line behind him.

Li Bingxue suddenly remembered what her husband had said, so she asked with a hint of anticipation, "My husband, when will the Princess of Jing take action?"

A complex emotion appeared on Lu Chen's face, and his eyes became deeper: "I have sent people to the north. They should have sneaked into the capital of Jing State and contacted Qing Yu Huaijin. Although I am certain that I can persuade her to take action, the Emperor Jing may not be unprepared."

He looked out the window and said slowly, "I hope there will be a surprise."

(End of this chapter)