Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 438 Human hearts are fickle.

Inside the main tent, Hou Jing looked at his generals and said loudly:
"Chen Qingzhi is a famous general of Liang, and Woyang is also an important town of Liang. This battle cannot be taken lightly. All generals must go all out and even be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the country."

The northern generals stood up, cupped their hands, and said:

"We respectfully await the General's instructions!"

Hou Jing hummed in agreement, then waved his hand and said:

"You must appease the soldiers and prepare weapons. In this battle, we must achieve a complete victory and drive the Liang people back to Jiankang."

"promise!"

Hou Jing looked at Jia Xiandu and Jia Xianzheng and said:

"I am grateful to my two elder brothers for setting an example for all the generals in attacking Woyang City. On the day the city falls, I will hold a victory banquet in the camp to reward the two generals."

Hearing this, Jia Xiandu and Jia Xianzheng felt nauseous.

Should we attack Woyang City and send them to be the first to charge in?

Isn't this clearly sending them to deplete their own forces?
However, since Hou Jing had said so, no one else objected. After all, it wasn't that just because the two of them went, everyone else had to go.

Everyone knows that Woyang City is difficult to attack, and the first one to attack it will definitely fail.

"As ordered!"

Even though Jia Xianzheng and Jia Xiandu were unwilling, they had no choice but to accept the order.

"You may all leave!"

After everyone left, Wang Wei stepped forward and heard Hou Jing say:

"Do you think I don't know what these two bastards are up to?"

Wang Wei listened and asked:
"What does the Supreme General mean?"

Hou Jing laughed and said:

“These two lads usually collude with Hebasheng. With the severe drought in Guanzhong, they must be harboring ulterior motives and have thoughts of betrayal.”

Wang Wei nodded and said:

"The General ordered them to attack Woyang in order to weaken their military strength and prestige?"

Hou Jing nodded, but then heard Wang Wei ask again:
"But what will they do?"

"Hebasheng is in Jiankang, but his troops are in Lijiang near Shouyang. Once all the counties along the Huai River are in our hands, they will cooperate with Hebasheng from the inside and outside, seize the opportunity to occupy the prefectures in Henan, and gain benefits from both sides."

Wang Wei seemed to be deep in thought after hearing this, and said:
How could the General have known they would do such a thing?

"If I were them, I would have done the same!"

Wang Wei understood; Hou Jing was judging others by his own standards. But upon closer reflection, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Of the several prefectures north of the Huai River in Liang State, only the important town of Woyang remains. If Hebasheng were to truly unite with the Jia brothers and seize several prefectures in Henan, gaining benefits from both sides, and if handled well, both the Northern and Southern Dynasties would tacitly accept this situation.

For the Southern Dynasties, these prefectures and counties were originally intended as buffer zones, and their loss was not entirely unacceptable. The most crucial objective for the Southern Liang Dynasty at present was Sichuan and Chongqing, not Henan.

For the Northern Dynasties, the Guanzhong Plain was suffering from a severe drought, the Sichuan Basin was in turmoil, the northern regions were unsettled, and bandits were rampant in Shandong, all of which were major problems.

South of the Yellow River and north of the Huai River, the only capable armies on their side, besides the Northern Army, were Gao Ang's army guarding the three prefectures of Yan, Ji, and Wei, Murong Shaozong's army guarding Qingzhou, and Yuan Xin's army guarding Xuzhou.

Ang Gao and Murong Shaozong are jointly suppressing the bandits in Qizhou. Yuan Xin's Pengcheng army is good at defense but not good at offense. Under such circumstances, as long as Jia Xianzheng and his men act quickly, they may be able to carve out their own territory.

"General, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Say!"

"If Jia Xianzheng and the others can do it, why can't the General do it?"

"shut up!"

Hou Jing shouted, looking at him with an expression Wang Wei had never seen before.

"I'll only hear you say that once. If you do it again, you won't be able to say anything at all."

Hou Jing's murderous intent was blatant. Wang Wei broke out in a cold sweat, lowered his head, and said:
"I have been speaking nonsense, and I hope the General will forgive me!"

Hou Jing waved his hand, and Wang Wei walked down shakily.

……

Woyang City.

Chen Baxian looked at Chen Qingzhi in front of him and asked:
"General, are we really going to retreat?"

In the darkness of night, Chen Qingzhi stood atop the city wall, his thin frame appearing even more frail in the night wind. "Given the state of the war, this isolated city is difficult to defend. Forcing it is no longer an option. It would be better to lure the enemy deeper into our territory and then annihilate them."

Many famous generals of the Southern Dynasties were not known for their martial prowess.

Wei Rui was like this, and so was Chen Qingzhi.

When Wei Rui fought, he used the military management methods of Zhuge Liang.

He will be at the forefront, pacifying the people and bringing them peace, achieving victory through benevolence and courage.

For many years, Chen Qingzhi has always followed the example of his predecessors.

However, this natural disaster had a significant impact on Chen Qingzhi.

In the face of natural disasters, people are like wild beasts, yet Hou Jing's tactics, which resembled those of a refugee army, proved surprisingly effective.

In the area north of the Huai River, the number of refugee armies under Hou Jing's command is increasing, and the Liang army is already overwhelmed.

If it weren't for the Huai River and the Yangtze River blocking the way, Hou Jing would probably have already marched to Jiankang by now.

In order to deal with Hou Jing, Chen Qingzhi exhausted a lot of energy, and his already weak body became even weaker.

Chen Qingzhi couldn't help but cough, as the chill seeped into his body, and he couldn't stop coughing.

"General!"

Chen Baxian stood beside Chen Qingzhi, looking somewhat worried. He wanted to help him up, but Chen Qingzhi waved his hand away.

"The war isn't over yet, I won't die."

"But General, how could you know that Hou Jing would definitely fall into the trap you set?"

Faced with Chen Baxian's question, Chen Qingzhi did not hesitate to offer his guidance, saying:

“They are northerners, not the Qin King’s Guanzhong army. They are greedy, short-sighted, cunning, and fickle. At this time, they will surely risk advancing rashly. Even if Hou Jing does not want to step in, the crowd will drag him in.”

Chen Baxian looked at Chen Qingzhi and felt that the thin general under the cover of night was standing next to him, yet very far away.

……

As dawn broke, Wang Wei's urgent shout disturbed Hou Jing's sleep.

Startled, Hou Jing instinctively wanted to draw his sword, but instead touched a soft, tender body.

Upon seeing that it was Wang Wei, Hou Jing cursed:

"What are you planning to do barging into my tent so early, kid?"

Wang Wei ignored Hou Jing's anger and said directly:
"General, Woyang City has fallen."

"What did you say?"

In his panic, Hou Jing didn't even pay attention to the woman beside him, and stood up abruptly, saying:

"Can Jia Xianzheng and Jia Xiandu defeat Chen Qingzhi?"

Even if they could win, it wouldn't be possible for them to win this quickly!

Wang Wei said:
"The news from over there is that Woyang is short of food, and Chen Qingzhi has led his troops away."

Hou Jing, upon hearing this, felt some regret and cursed:

"Those two rascals got the better deal."

"General, I'm afraid it's not just that!"

What do you mean?

"Now that the two of them have captured Woyang, people's hearts may change!"

Hou Jing was taken aback, then his expression changed as he recalled the character of his old comrades.

……

When Jia Xiandu and Jia Xianzheng returned victorious, Hou Jing immediately grasped the meaning of Wang Wei's words upon their first meeting.

"Young Hou, thank you for waiting here."

Little Hou?

Hou Jing's lips twitched involuntarily.

……

(End of this chapter)