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Chapter 559: Battle Situation (II)

Yu Chong, who was lying on the bed, barely moved: "General Fan!"

This movement caused the wound on his left shoulder to hurt, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. Although Yu Chong was a tough guy, he couldn't control his body's instinctive reaction.

General Fan was startled and quickly stepped forward: "General Yu, lie down quickly and don't move."

Yu Chong smiled bitterly: "I am like a useless person now. I can't move even if I want to."

General Fan smiled and comforted him: "General Yu was seriously injured that day, bleeding too much, and had a high fever. Even the military doctor said that General Yu was lucky to survive this disaster."

Thinking back now, it still makes me feel scared. Yu Chong's left shoulder injury was not too serious, but he had no time to treat the injury carefully and just bandaged it hastily. Then he encountered a heavy rain and was soaked for half a day. When he returned to the city, he was only breathing his last.

At that time, Yu Chong had a high fever and could not wake up. Everyone was prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Yu Chong was strong-willed and managed to get through it. However, he was also completely exhausted. He has been lying in bed for nearly a month and still cannot get up.

Yu Chong saw that General Fan's brows were full of worry, and asked in a low voice: "Is General Fan worried about the current war situation?"

In the past few months, General Fan and Yu Chong have been dealing with each other frequently. They have similar personalities and get along well. Hearing this, he sighed, "Yes, I won't hide it from you. I am really in a dilemma now."

"If the border troops gave up the advantage of the city walls and rushed out of the city to fight the Rouran barbarians, they would definitely not be a match. But I just stayed in the city and watched the soldiers of the Yongwei Camp being killed by the Rouran barbarians. I did nothing and was too cold-blooded. I felt guilty towards my colleagues and soldiers."

"If we win this battle, I can still defend myself. But if we lose this battle, how can I face the emperor and his ministers, or General Song?"

General Fan sighed again after he finished speaking. These past few days, he had not been able to eat or sleep well, and had been thinking hard about how to break the impasse. After much thought, he decided to continue to defend Sizhou.

Making such a decision is also a great test for him.

Yu Chong has a different standpoint and looks at the matter more objectively: "General Fan is the commander of the border army and shoulders a heavy responsibility. He should consider the border army when encountering problems. There is nothing wrong with that."

"As for the rumors in the army, they are just the outrage of a few Song family members. General, you don't need to pay attention to them."

General Fan smiled bitterly and said, "You have been lying down all day recovering from your injuries, yet you have heard rumors. This shows how rampant these rumors are!"

The highest-ranking officer of the Song family in the frontier army was a lieutenant general of the fifth rank, and the others were from the sixth to the eighth rank. They were considered to be low-level military officers. In fact, they could not influence General Fan's decision. However, they had been in the army for many years and each had their own confidants and colleagues. Such constant complaints were not good for the reputation and prestige of General Fan.

Yu Chong whispered, "General Fan should send someone to warn them. We can't let them talk nonsense anymore. If they continue like this, it will hurt the general's reputation and shake the morale of the army."

General Fan nodded slightly and said, "I have sent someone."

As soon as he finished speaking, a personal soldier hurried in and whispered a few words in General Fan's ear.

General Fan's expression suddenly changed and anger flashed in his eyes.

Although Yu Chong was physically weak, his hearing became sharper and he vaguely heard something.

General Fan did not want to elaborate, so he stood up and said, "Something unexpected happened in the barracks, and I have to deal with it personally. General Yu, take a good rest and recover from your injuries. I will come to visit you again in a few days when I have time."

General Fan strode away.

Yu Chong moved slightly and whispered, "Go and call Li Tie."

After a while, Li Tie came and asked, "General, what do you want me to do?" "Go get some information and see what happened in the border army camp!" Yu Chong whispered, "Report immediately if there is any movement."

After waiting for half an hour, Li Tie found out.

It turned out that General Chu had summoned several generals surnamed Song to the military tent and scolded them harshly. As a result, one of them got angry and started a quarrel with General Chu, and finally got into a fight.

Warriors have this bad habit, they start swearing when they disagree, and when they get angry, they start fighting. The Lieutenant General Song was quite skilled, but General Chu couldn't beat him and knocked him down.

Upon hearing the news, General Fan rushed to the military camp and was furious. He ordered the military doctor to treat General Chu's injuries. He also fined Lieutenant General Song 30 military sticks for the crime of "rebellion". The other generals of the Song family were fined 20 military sticks for speaking ill of them.

In short, after the beating, Song Can-jiang and his men all behaved themselves on the surface. As for whether they still bore a grudge, it was hard to say.

After Li Tie finished speaking, he made a conclusion: "General Fan has been in the border army for too short a time. He has promoted two confidants in total, and General Lin died in battle. Now there is only General Chu left, and the other generals are not loyal. There are only a few generals in the Song family, how could they spread rumors throughout the army. It is obvious that the generals of the border army are dissatisfied with the main general and deliberately spread rumors in private."

"General Fan's outburst today can also shock the army."

Yu Chong frowned: "In the long run, this matter is really bad for the morale of the army."

Li Tie spread his hands and said, "It can't be helped. The Border Army was originally General Zuo's territory, and all the soldiers were General Zuo's confidants. General Zuo went to the capital, and the Border Army lost its morale."

"This is one of the reasons why General Fan was reluctant to leave the city and fight the Rouran." Yu Chong sighed, "The morale of the army is something that is not revealed on weekdays, but it can be seen at the critical moment of fighting."

"The border troops at the moment can only defend the city at best. Once they leave the city gate, they are no match for the Rouran barbarians."

Li Tie said: "Our Nanyang Army has already put in a lot of effort and lost so many brothers. Now that you need to recover from your injuries, we can retreat and take shelter."

Yu Chong glanced at Li Tie and said, "Wait and see what the princess says."

……

During war, it is difficult to transmit information.

The last time I received a letter from the princess was half a month ago. After waiting for a few more days, I finally received the princess's handwritten letter.

Yu Chong couldn't move, and Li Tie sat beside the bed and read the letter.

"...Liu Hengchang led 2,000 men to escort 100,000 dan of military rations to Sizhou. The border troops cannot lose this battle, the imperial court cannot afford to lose, and the people in the north cannot afford to lose even more."

"It is a pity that this princess cannot go to Sizhou in person. However, the Nanyang Army and the Royal Guards went there on behalf of this princess. This princess believes that you will do your best to help the border army win this battle."

"General Yu is injured, so just rest and take care of him. When Liu Hengchang arrives in Sizhou, we will hand over all the troops to him."

After reading this, Li Tie paused and smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.

Yu Chong glared at him and said, "Even if I'm not injured, I'm willing to obey Commander Liu's orders. What's wrong with you?"

Li Tie smiled awkwardly: "I am convinced. Very convinced."