Jiuxi

Chapter 926 924 [The Building is About to Collapse]

In late October, the capital of Da Qi was shrouded in a cloud of gloom.

Xileng Pass in Jingzhou fell, and Taixing Army Commander Kang Yanxiao and more than 6,000 soldiers under his command died heroically. Deputy Commander Qiao Mingcheng led more than 4,000 remnants to retreat to Pingyang City in the south.

Qing Yugong, the Prince of Changshan of Jing State, led an army of more than 70,000 and marched southward to Pingyang.

Although Liu Shouguang, the Grand Commander of Jingzhou, and Zhang Xu, the commander of the Beijing camp, guarded the central and eastern lines of Jingzhou, they had no way to support the western line that had been penetrated by the Jing army. Firstly, they were all slow-moving infantrymen, and secondly, Qing Yugong had Mie Gudi lead tens of thousands of troops to watch covetously, and deployed 20,000 light cavalry to wait for an opportunity, giving Liu and Zhang no chance to leave the city.

This time, Qing Yugong marched straight from the northernmost part of Jingzhou to the southernmost part, successively capturing the two important towns of Gaotang City and Xileng Pass. On the way, he easily captured more than ten cities of all sizes. This was the first time in 20 years that his troops had directed their attack towards Pingyang City.

If Pingyang is lost, Jiangnan will be completely exposed to the sight of Jing's army.

It is said that a large number of wealthy gentry in places like Huoning Prefecture, which is separated from Pingyang Prefecture by a river, have fled to other places with their families.

The Jingzhou defense line is in danger, and the situation in Dingzhou is equally grim.

To the west of Dingzhou, the Zhenbei Army was defending Yaoshan Pass. Although the commander of the Jing Army, Wen Gusun, was an experienced general with 80,000 troops under his command, the Zhenbei Army was the strongest infantry under Lu Chen, and Pei Sui was a fierce general who had been in the military for half his life. Relying on the solid and towering walls of Yaoshan Pass, they repeatedly defeated the Jing Army.

Wen Gusun then surrounded the city without attacking, and instead dispatched his troops to continue advancing eastwards to attack Qingliu Pass, where he engaged in a grappling battle with the Lai'an army of Dingzhou that was guarding the area. Relying on his superior military strength, he stormed the two passes, trapping the two elite border troops, the Zhenbei Army and the Lai'an Army, at the west gate of Dingzhou.

At the same time, Shan Yang, another commander of the Jing army, with the assistance of his deputy commander Shen Gu, fought hard at Dingfeng Road in the north of Dingzhou, leaving the Feiyun army and the Ningyuan army no time to take care of other things. Even though Song Shifei and Liu Jiangdong complemented each other in courage and strategy, facing the clumsy, unreasonable and tough attitude of the Jing army, they really did not have much room to maneuver.

In addition, Shen Gu personally dispatched troops and organized the Jinglian people who were good at mountain climbing to invade Baotai Mountain. Even the Seven Star Army was slowed down by them.

There were countless flashes of swords and sabers in the mountains. The masters of the Seven Stars Gang were able to gain the upper hand by relying on their familiarity with the terrain, but anyone with a little insight knew that Jing Jun's frequent sacrifice of lives was intended to entangle the Seven Stars Army and the Seven Stars Gang, the forces most loyal to Lu Chen.

Various pieces of information came in, but there was not a single piece of good news.

A chilly wind began to rise in the capital.

More than six months have passed since Emperor Jing announced to the world that he would lead the army in person. Except for the initial battle at Taikang, the Qi army was basically in a passive position after that.

The situation in Dingzhou is now difficult, and Jingzhou has been torn into an unhealable gap by Qing Yugong. The Jing army is approaching the city of Pingyang, and the advantages and disadvantages of the battle are self-evident.

All kinds of rumors were rampant, such as the Jing army had already broken through Pingyang City and the army was crossing the river to the south; and Huai'an County Prince Lu Chen was afraid of the enemy and was about to surrender to Jing State in exchange for a life of wealth and glory.

Although these rumors are rather outrageous, given the current situation, many people believe them.

In the court, the scene was naturally another matter.

Not many people believed that Lu Chen would betray his country and surrender to the enemy. Even if there really was such a fool, he would not dare to reveal such thoughts.

However, the wave of advocating peace eventually arose.

"Your Majesty, I do not doubt the ability of the Prince of Huai'an to lead the army, but even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice. The Jing army now has the upper hand. Even if our border army can win one or two victories, it will not be able to completely reverse the situation."

Minister of Personnel Qu Hongyi's face was icy as he continued, "If the situation is allowed to deteriorate, once the western and northern gates of Dingzhou are lost, or Pingyang City falls into the hands of the Jing army, the Emperor of Jing will definitely not stop. By then, there may be concerns about the overthrow of the country. Your Majesty, please understand!"

During this period of more than half a year, many changes have taken place in the officialdom of the capital.

The former Minister of Rites, Chu Huaizhong, once again requested to retire due to his old age. Even though Empress Dowager Ning hoped that the veteran minister could hold on for a while longer, she had no choice but to agree when she saw him trembling and almost unable to stand. Then she transferred the Governor of Hezhou, Kong Yingdong, to the capital to take over the Ministry of Rites.

The position of Minister of Personnel had been vacant before and was concurrently held by the Left Prime Minister Xue Nanting. Xue Nanting would certainly not let this situation continue, so after he repeatedly resigned, Empress Dowager Ning promoted Qu Hongyi, the Left Vice Minister of Personnel.

Qu Hongyi was a trusted minister of the previous emperor and had nothing to do with the Li Shizhi case, so no one in the court or the public questioned his belief.

Hearing the advice of the Minister of Personnel, Queen Mother Ning, who was sitting on the throne, looked calm and asked, "What do you think, my dear minister?"

Qu Hongyi said solemnly: "My humble opinion is that we can send an envoy to discuss with the Emperor of Jing State so that the two countries can put aside their hostility and avoid further casualties."

There was a commotion in the hall.

This sentence is simple to say, but if Da Qi wants to achieve it in the end, it will have to bleed heavily!

Now the Jing army has the upper hand on the battlefield, and Qing Yugong has even fought to the outskirts of Pingyang City. Why should they retreat?
Not to mention that the Emperor of Jing Kingdom has ambitions to conquer the world. This time he is heading south with the whole country's strength. If he doesn't get enough benefits, how could he give up halfway?

The officials naturally understood this simple and obvious truth, but few of them stood up to refute Qu Hongyi. If it was when the war just broke out, this situation would never happen. The current atmosphere in the palace was enough to show that most of the officials had no confidence in this war.

"absurd!"

Li Jingda, the commander of the brave camp of the Beijing Army, stepped forward and said sternly: "Minister Qu, the soldiers of the border army sacrificed their lives for the country on the front line. From Taikang City, Gaotang City, Xileng Pass, Yaoshan Pass, Qingliu Pass, Jiuquzhai to any battlefield, how many Daqi men have shed their blood. Even if our army is temporarily at a disadvantage, how can we be so servile and ask for peace? Such behavior, where do the soldiers of Jiangbei stand?!"

Qu Hongyi swallowed his anger and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Marquis Nanxun, are you sure that our army will win?"

Li Jingda said without hesitation: "Of course!"

His words were powerful and decisive.

Qu Hongyi immediately retorted: "I'm not afraid of ten thousand, I'm just afraid of——"

Before he could finish, Li Jingda said solemnly: "Nothing will happen!"

Qu Hongyi was stunned.

He suddenly felt that there was no point in arguing with such a person.

Everyone knows that Li Jingda has long been a supporter of Lu Chen. If Da Qi seeks peace with Jing State due to the current situation, Lu Chen, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, will naturally be responsible for it, and Li Jingda might also be in trouble.

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Qu Hongyi kept silent. Zhu Ruiqian, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, frowned and said, "Marquis Nanxun, seeking peace talks is only a temporary measure. It does not mean that Da Qi will surrender to Jingguo. Besides, the court is a place for reason. Why are you being so unreasonable?"

Normally speaking, Li Jingda was a super-rank marquis, and Zhu Ruiqian was only a third-rank official. It was very disrespectful for him to speak like that, but Li Jingda had always given people an unreliable impression, and there were not many high-ranking officials in the court who truly respected him.

In addition, because Xiao Wangzhi is now recuperating from illness, Lu Chen, Liu Shouguang, Zhang Xu and Chen Lanyu are all in the northern border. In such a large military academy, there are only two military honors, Li Jingda and Shen Yulai. The latter basically does not express his opinions on state affairs, resulting in an overwhelming advantage for civil officials. How many people will take Li Jingda, a prodigal son, seriously?
After Zhu Ruiqian, more than a dozen civil officials came forward one after another, explaining from various angles the benefits of peace talks and the adverse consequences that might be caused by forced support, almost completely refuting Li Jingda.

In terms of verbal debate alone, how could Li Jingda be a match for these people?
"enough!"

Finally, it was the Right Prime Minister Xu Zuo who stepped forward and drowned out the noise in the hall with a rebuke. His thick eyebrows were knitted like swords, and he said sternly, "This is a court meeting, not a market. Have you forgotten even the court etiquette?"

Only then did the ministers give up.

However, through the debate just now, more and more court officials are inclined to temporarily pretend to be friendly with the Jing Kingdom. In their view, as long as Emperor Jing is willing to withdraw his troops, what does it matter if Da Qi pays a small price?

Li Jingda sneered continuously. He knew why the wind direction in the court suddenly changed. No matter how difficult the situation in Dingzhou was, it would not have such an impact. After all, there was Huaizhou behind Dingzhou, and the Jing army could not directly threaten Jiangnan.

However, when Qing Yugong broke through the western line of Jingzhou and his army reached the outskirts of Pingyang City, it was like a butcher's knife was placed on the heads of these Jiangnan dignitaries.

These people are usually willing to support the border troops, but they are most afraid that the Jing army will cross the river. By then, wouldn't the wealth they have accumulated for hundreds of years become the military funds of the Jing army?
There was chaos in the court, but Empress Dowager Ning never interfered. This woman, who was two years older than Lu Chen and held supreme power in this huge dynasty, just watched calmly.

Minister of Personnel Qu Hongyi was confused about what Empress Dowager Ning was thinking, so he could only speak up again: "Your Majesty, although temporary concessions may not look good, they can save the casualties of border troops and calm the people in Jiangnan. I believe that Da Qi will be able to defeat the powerful enemy in the future, but it will take some time."

"Minister Qu, do you think the people of Jing are fools? Why should they negotiate peace with you? Do you know how much the Great Qi will have to pay if they take this step? Do you think that a Dingzhou plus most of Jingzhou will satisfy the Emperor?"

Li Jingda's face showed real anger, and he said coldly: "The Prince of Huai'an once said to me, if you can't gain an advantage on the battlefield, you can only be slaughtered during negotiations!"

Just these words caused the hall to fall into silence.

Left Prime Minister Xue Nanting nodded slightly. When he was about to speak to resolve the matter, a eunuch came to the palace to report that a fast horse from the border had brought urgent military information over a distance of 800 miles.

Queen Mother Ning said calmly, "Announce."

Not long after, a lieutenant walked into the Chongzheng Hall with a solemn expression. Under the gaze of Empress Dowager Ning, Emperor Li Daoming, and all the civil and military officials, he said hurriedly and concisely: "Your Majesty, on October 18th, the Emperor of Jing personally led an army of more than 100,000 from Heluo to the south, all the way to Teng County, intending to capture the junction of the three states in the north of the Yangtze River of our dynasty, and the front line of the army went straight to the heart of Dianzhou and Huaizhou!"

There was a dead silence.

Then it boiled.

The faces of most of the court officials showed deep fear.

Great Qi is in danger!

(End of this chapter)