Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 215 Gathering

Xie Yan was defeated, Gao Yazhi was defeated, Sun Wuzhong was defeated, and the court had no choice but to appoint Liu Laozhi.

In early June, an imperial edict was issued to Jingkou, appointing Liu Laozhi as General Who Guards the North and Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of the five commanderies of Kuaiji.

Liu Lao ordered the army to join forces and march south.

“The bandits are rampant and the situation is not good. In my opinion, it would be better to pretend to raise grain and gather our troops to delay for a few days…” Yuan He came up with a bad idea.

Liu Daogui naturally knew what he was thinking: he wanted Liu Laozhi to be at the forefront and withstand Sun En's attack.

In fact, many veteran generals of the Northern Army did the same thing.

Sun En's defeat of Xie Yan shattered the morale of the Northern Army, while his severe injury to General Sun Wuzhong shattered their courage.

Seeing Liu Daogui hesitate, Yuan He continued to persuade him: "Although Daoze is of the same clan as Governor Liu, the Zheng Lu Army and the Northern Army are only superficially friendly but not truly at odds. After all, he is an outsider. He will definitely be entrusted with the vanguard on this trip."

Yuan He truly lived up to his reputation as a master of intrigue and scheming; every word he uttered pierced through people's hearts.

In fact, Liu Daogui made up all sorts of excuses, and Liu Laozhi couldn't do anything about it, since there was a layer between the two sides after all.

"You're wrong. Even if I were the striker, I would still have a duty to fight this battle."

"Why?" Yuan He had never led troops before and was unaware of the morale of the army. Everything he did was based on immediate interests.

"The easy battles are never for me, and the ones that are for us are sure to be tough. If you want to get ahead, you have to be a pioneer!"

As someone from a poor family with no family background or social standing to rely on, Liu Daogui had long anticipated that he would have no choice but to risk his life.

Conversely, this major battle may also present an opportunity.

While others retreat, I step forward. With just a little merit, I can make a name for myself in the Northern Army.

“Young man…don’t be too arrogant,” Yuan He suddenly said.

“A true man has things he will do and things he will not do. What is there to fear? War is about winning hearts and minds and gaining momentum.” Liu Daogui’s mind was made up.

This battle was not fought for the Sima family, nor for Liu Laozhi, but for myself.

The Huan family in the west has already risen to power, and time waits for no one. The Celestial Masters Sect is Liu Daogui and Liu Yu's last chance to rise to power. They must secure the right to be on the table and share the spoils, no matter what.

Once you understand this, you won't need to hesitate or look back.

A strange light flashed in Yuan He's eyes, and he stopped trying to persuade him.

Liu Daogui left Zhou Zheng's former colonel in Guangling and asked Yuan He to keep an eye on things to prevent Huan Hong, Liu Yi and the others from causing any more trouble.

Zhao Lunzhi's rear guard was left in Yandu. Without any troops, he couldn't control the local troublemakers, and the salt fields were left unprotected.

The eight military households were handed over to Liu Huaizhen, who was tasked with continuing to train soldiers and integrating the military households.

After arranging everything, Liu Daogui led 1,600 soldiers from the left and right wings southward, where they met up at Jingkou by boat.

Outside Jingkou City, there were significantly fewer flags to identify; all the flags were bearing the character "Liu," and there were fewer soldiers than when the troops had gathered last time.

The bandits came with great force and were clearly a tough opponent. Xie Yan, Sun Wuzhong, and Gao Yazhi were defeated one after another, and their troops suffered heavy losses.

Other Northern Army generals were unwilling to sacrifice their own possessions, using various excuses such as illness, insufficient supplies, and lack of fighting spirit to shirk their duties.

Even if you win, the imperial court may not reward you; if you lose, you will be the one who suffers the loss.

The Northern Prefecture was essentially similar to the other northern kingdoms, forming a loose alliance.

In many cases, Liu Laozhi was unable to command them.

Although the number of men was reduced, their morale did not diminish. Liu Laozhi's troops were the elite of the Northern Army, while the soldiers brought by Liu Daogui, though newly recruited, were fearless and eager to prove themselves on the battlefield.

Of the 1,600 soldiers, 572 were armored, nearly a third.

There was also a cavalry force of two hundred men.

Each soldier was equipped with a long spear, a ring-pommel sword, and a bow or crossbow.

There are also 4,000 able-bodied men from military households responsible for logistics and provisions.

Although the task was to suppress bandits for the imperial court, the provisions still had to be provided by ourselves. The imperial court was currently unable to provide any provisions, so we had to rely on ourselves for everything.

This is also why many veteran generals of the Northern Army are unwilling to go on campaign.

The Sima family is in dire straits and on the verge of collapse. Whoever has more weapons will get the most spoils.

These rounds of turmoil and war have dealt a heavy blow to the power of aristocratic clans, and those who are smart are making preparations in secret.

"Greetings, Governor!" Liu Daogui bowed respectfully, looked around, but could not see his elder brother Liu Yu or Liu Huaisu.

Only Liu Xuanzhi, Sun Wuzhong, and Gao Yazhi were among them.

Gao Yazhi was completely dejected, listless, and had lost his usual arrogance. Sun Wuzhong was still injured and looked dejected.

They were accompanied by dozens of assistants, all of whom looked as if they had lost their parents.

"No need for formalities, we're all family, so I won't waste any more words. This time, we can only rely on the Liu family of Pengcheng to suppress the bandits!" Liu Laozhi was a bit more affectionate than usual.

"I will obey the Governor's orders!" Liu Daogui's presence alone demonstrated his stance.

Liu Laozhi waved his hand and said, "Excellent! The rebels have gathered an army of forty to fifty thousand south of the Qiantang River. The military situation is urgent. Liu Daogui, listen to my command. You will be the right vanguard and march south from Wuxing to join forces with the left vanguard, Liu Yu, to attack Xingpu!"

Sun Wuzhong took a deep breath, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "The enemy army is no small matter. This battle is of great importance. Although the Liu brothers are known for their bravery, these treacherous bandits are cunning. If the advance is unsuccessful, I fear it will damage our army's prestige."

These words were clearly meant to help Liu Yu and Liu Daogui, as he had fought against the demon bandits and knew how formidable they were.

An old general standing nearby said casually, "Ji Nu has the courage of ten thousand men, and the two brothers are the best in our Northern Army. This battle belongs to the two of them!"

Liu Daogui looked in the direction of the voice and saw the veteran general Gao Heng.

These words were clearly meant to flatter and kill; he was obviously hoping that Liu Daogui and Liu Yu would suffer at the hands of the wicked bandits.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue and rivalry. The Northern Army was no exception, with its members vying for power and disliking each other.

At this moment, Gao Yazhi also gloated, "How could a mere bandit be a match for Military Advisor Liu? Everyone in the Conquering Army knows that Military Advisor Liu's bravery is no less than that of Commander Liu. From now on, we people of the Northern Army will all have to rely on these brothers!"

The provocative and instigating intent in his words was too obvious, and Liu Laozhi's face turned purple and darkened.

Liu Daogui was secretly furious. These people couldn't stand to see others do well. Even when they were in complete defeat, they wanted to drag others down with them. They didn't care about the big picture at all.

No wonder the two veteran generals, Sun Wuzhong and Huan Bucai, suffered a crushing defeat at the elegant gathering.

Those who are united in purpose will prevail. These three people represent three forces, each with their own ideas, and they can't possibly agree on anything.

At this point, Liu Laozhi should have stepped forward to reprimand and quell the situation, thus protecting the Liu family of Pengcheng, but he remained unmoved.

Liu Daogui sighed and cupped his hands to the crowd. “The Commander has roamed the world for more than ten years. Who in the world does not know him? How can the light of a firefly compete with the brilliance of the moon? I am able to achieve what I have today entirely because of the Commander’s promotion and the support of my brothers. We are all from the Northern Army. We should support each other in the future. Victory or defeat is not the measure of a hero. General Gao is spineless. He always talks about relying on others. Does he not know that every member of the Northern Army is a man of steel?”

"Bravo!" The surrounding officers and soldiers of the Northern Army cheered in unison.

(End of this chapter)