Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 439 This boy is terrifying

Hou Jing returned to the main tent, panting, with Wang Wei following behind him.

When the beauty in the tent saw Hou Jing's furious expression, she smiled, leaned her fair body against him, and took his hand.

However, the tactic of appeasing Hou Jing no matter how angry he was in the past had lost its effectiveness this time.

"If you have nothing to say, get out of here!"

Hou Jing found the woman's gentle demeanor rather than her irritating, and pulled her hand away.

The beauty was terrified. She glanced at Wang Wei, who gave her a look, and she could only tremble as she left the tent.

Hou Jing, his hands gripping the table, was still furious. Wang Wei advised him:
"General, why should you be angry with the Jia brothers!"

After Jia Xiandu and Jia Xianzheng captured Woyang City, they began to oppose Hou Jing based on their military achievements.

Especially in the meeting just now, Hou Jing intended to call a truce, while Jia Xianzheng and Jia Xiandu strongly advocated continuing the war against Liang, crossing the Huai River, and capturing Shouyang.

Hou Jing was furious because most of the northern generals in the main tent were siding with Jia Xiandu and Jia Xianzheng.

"How could I not be furious? These stinking northerners are truly ungrateful wolves!"

Wang Wei smiled, cupped his hands, and said:
"General, this is not about the Jia brothers, but about the will of the people and the desires of those above and below."

Hou Jing turned his head, looked at his advisor, and asked:

"what for?"

"General, think carefully. Now our army is eager for a battle. Why? Because the higher-ups need military merits and the lower-ups want money and provisions."

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing turned around, leaned against the table, and gradually calmed down.

Seeing this, Wang Wei continued:

“Hebasheng made a pact with the Prince of Qin to conquer all the northern peoples. Now that he has taken control of several prefectures north of the Huai River, the Liang army is in decline. How can these northern people not want to go further? If they were to capture Shouyang, wouldn’t that be a hundred times better than staying in Guangling City?”

Hou Jing listened, lost in thought. By the time he came to his senses, Wang Wei was already waiting.

"Go on!"

"Our army already has hundreds of thousands of displaced people under its command. If we stop the war now and settle them down to cultivate the land, even if this year is a year of disaster or the harvest is good, we will still be short of food by autumn. If we don't let them go south, can they go north?"

When Hou Jing heard this, his heart clenched, and he suddenly realized that things had come to this point and he had no choice but to accept it.

"In that case, I have no choice but to agree."

Wang Wei said:
"Instead of letting the Jia brothers lead you by the nose, General, you should personally command this southern campaign."

Hou Jing listened and nodded slightly, saying:
"Just in case, have our men guard the five cities of Xuanhu, Guangling, Xincai, Gushi, and Woyang, and do not move them. I always feel that Chen Qingzhi's initial defense without fighting, followed by his retreat with his army, is strange."

Upon hearing this, Wang Wei's expression turned serious, and he asked:

"Does the General mean that Chen Qingzhi is luring the enemy deep into our territory?"

Hou Jing shook his head, unable to grasp the situation either, and said:

"It's hard to say, but as long as we hold these five cities, even if we lose this battle, the land we have conquered will not be lost again."

"But if we do this, we will be short of troops for this southward campaign and will inevitably be controlled by the Jia brothers."

Hou Jing thought for a moment and said:
“Send out spies and spread rumors that Hebasheng intends to collude with our army to seize Shouyang.”

Wang Wei was taken aback, not expecting that Hou Jing had already devised a meticulous plan in such a short time.

"promise!"
-
Lijiangting is located in the southeast of Shouyang, near the Lijiang River. It is not even a small town, but rather an outpost.

After Hebasheng led his troops south, he himself entered Jiankang City, while his troops were settled there.

Liang Jun did not allow them to enter Shouyang, which was naturally out of caution.

Nianxian and Hebasheng's troops were also sensible; they were under someone else's roof and didn't complain, quite accepting their fate.

However, the rumors circulating in the Jianghuai region that Hebasheng was plotting a rebellion have recently disrupted their peaceful lives.

"Is our lord really plotting another rebellion?"

"Hou Jing and Jia Xiandu have been conquering cities one after another and are almost at Shouyang. They are coming with great force. Once they break through Shouyang, it is not impossible for them to occupy the Jianghuai region."

...Hebasheng entered Jiankang and was extremely honored, but they lived a hard life there.

If they hadn't gone south back then, they would be on the other side now, enjoying their moment of glory.

Thinking about this, it's hard not to feel resentful.

Some people see further ahead.

During the Six Garrisons Rebellion, the people of Wuchuan scattered in all directions; those who could leave did.

Some followed the Yuwen clan, some followed the Heba clan, some joined the Six Garrisons Rebellion, and the rest who were unable to leave followed Li Shuang.

As time goes by, those who followed Li Shuang are now the ones who are doing the best.

Those who were capable and followed the Heba clan ended up in the worst situation.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Nianxian's arrival interrupted their conversation and brought the topic to an end.

"Are the Hu people still in Jiankang? Are they plotting a rebellion?"

"But why this rumor?"

"What else could it be? It must have been Hou Jing, that Huai Shuo guy, who spread it."

Nianxian had no evidence, but his intuition was remarkably accurate.

"Why would he do this? It can't be that he's trying to sow discord and get Liang's army to kill us, can it?"

"That's not the case. Liang Jun isn't that stupid. He just wants to stir up trouble and discourage the enemy from their plans to defeat the Hu."

After Nianxian finished speaking, everyone started cursing.

Those insidious Huai Shuo people!

Just as they were cursing, a report came from outside the camp.

Liang Jun has sent men!

Nianxian quickly told people to shut up and led his men to greet them.

Before they even left the camp, Chen Baxian had already entered with several armored soldiers.

Upon seeing Chen Baxian, Nianxian felt a jolt in his heart.

Such demeanor is extraordinary!
At that moment, Nianxian became respectful.

"I was unaware of your arrival, General, and failed to greet you properly. My apologies!"

"No need for formalities. His Majesty has appointed Marquis Chen as the military commander of the four prefectures of Nan Si, Bei Si, Xi Yu, and Yu. I have come here on the orders of the Grand Commander to temporarily take over this camp and command the troops here."

"But we..."

The troops are private soldiers; how can they be transferred for other uses?

Chen Baxian understood Nianxian's meaning and, before he could finish speaking, said:

"The Grand Commander has already written to Heba Gong and received his approval. Hou Jing is leading an army of over 100,000 to advance on Shouyang. In this battle, I hope you all will give your all. Once Hou Jing is defeated, the court will surely reward you handsomely."

After hearing this, Nianxian and the others, no matter how unwilling they were, could only obey.

……

Standing on Mount Bagong, Chen Qingzhi watched as hundreds of thousands of troops crossed the river one after another and slowly assembled on the south bank of the Huai River. He couldn't help but cough.

"Grand Governor!"

Chen Qingzhi waved his hand, indicating that his subordinates, the White-Robed Army soldiers, need not worry.

The other party approached step by step as he had planned, but Chen Qingzhi still showed a trace of worry on his face and said:
"In a short period of time, they were able to drive hundreds of thousands of refugees here. If Hou Jing is not eliminated, he will likely become a great threat in the end."

……

(End of this chapter)