Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 403 Talk

The New Year is just around the corner, and the atmosphere in all countries around the world is gradually becoming tense.

Not only was the Jin dynasty preparing for war, but the Wei and Qin dynasties were also preparing for war.

Tuoba Si "patrolled" from Yunzhong to Zhongshan, and Yao Xing withdrew his troops from various places back to Chang'an.

Even Liu Bobo's Xia state changed its usual aggressive approach, reduced its military strength, and stopped harassing Yao Qin, allowing Qin to concentrate its forces to deal with this northern expedition.

Just as spring plowing was finished, news came from Jiankang that Liu Yu had selected 13,000 elite troops from the Northern Army and were on their way to Pengcheng.

Feng Kai immediately became alert. "Why Pengcheng? This battle is against Yao Qin. Lord Song should be leading his troops to Luoyang."

Pengcheng is thousands of miles away from Guanzhong. Liu Yu arrived in Pengcheng without any prior notice, which makes his motives questionable.

Moreover, he didn't come alone; he brought an army of 20,000...

With 13,000 troops in Liu Yu's hands, his deterrent power far exceeded that of other people's 100,000 troops.

In the battles of Suanshan and Fuzhoushan, he defeated the demon bandits and Huan Xuan's army of 100,000 with only a few thousand men.

Yin Zhongwen's small eyes blinked, "Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang!"

Seeing his comical appearance, Liu Daogui couldn't help but laugh. "You're right, brother. He is indeed 'Xiang Zhuang's sword dance,' but his intention is to destroy Wei! To destroy Qin, Wei must be contained. Otherwise, if Wei's hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry march south, Pengcheng, Shouchun, and even Jiankang will be caught off guard."

Liu Yu's sudden arrival with 13,000 troops without prior notice must have been driven by ulterior motives.

Like two wild beasts in the jungle, they won't pounce immediately upon meeting, but will instead probe each other repeatedly.

The stronger party presses forward relentlessly, while the weaker party retreats continuously.

Liu Yu has always had this kind of bold and forward-looking style, and there is no doubt that this was a test.

However, he was a fierce beast, and Liu Daogui was no weakling either. They had long understood a principle: the higher you climb, the fiercer the struggle becomes, even between biological fathers and sons, or brothers.

The premise of fighting without breaking is that you cannot be weaker than your opponent.

"Send the order: the Tiger Guard Army shall march south with great fanfare to welcome Lord Song!" Liu Daogui slapped his thigh.

"Leader!"

The generals bowed.

He immediately summoned the Tiger Guard Army.

There are still more than 8,000 Tiger Guards left in Pengcheng. The others are either in Jingzhou or at home on leave. It was not possible to gather them all in a hurry, but 8,000 cavalrymen are enough.

Four hours later, a well-armored elite cavalry unit was assembled.

They were all clad in iron armor, wielding eighteen-foot-long spears, riding tall horses, with colorful banners fluttering behind them, exuding an imposing and murderous aura.

Liu Daogui wore a scholar's armor underneath a purple robe, with the Xinting Marquis's precious sword hanging at his waist. Behind him was a huge banner with the character "Liu," and he was surrounded by a canopy and a staff.

Although there were no axes or swordsmen, they were accompanied by a group of burly, armored warriors.

"Let's go!" Liu Daogui waved his hand.

With a resounding crash, the horse's hooves struck the ground in unison, producing a crisp, clear sound.

Dust billowed all around them as they marched south in a grand procession.

They arrived at Xiapi in less than two days, and a day later, Liu Yu's army crossed the river.

On the Si River, hundreds of boats raced against each other, and huge banners bearing the characters "Song" and "Liu" stood tall between heaven and earth.

On the warship, armored soldiers stood in rows, their presence imposing and solemn.

The Tiger Guard cavalry on the shore immediately formed ranks, and drums and horns sounded in unison.

The soldiers remained motionless; if it weren't for the occasional snort from their warhorses, they would have been mistaken for stone statues.

The two warships slowly approached the shore, and the soldiers, led by Liu Huaijing, shouted loudly, "Greetings, Lord Song!"

The sound was like thunder, stirring the Si River and causing the grass and trees on both banks to rustle.

The Northern Army soldiers on the ship were taken aback.

Liu Yu fought almost exclusively in civil wars, while Liu Daogui fought in external wars, repeatedly battling the Hu people. The morale and spirit of his soldiers were subtly superior to those of the Jiankang Northern Army.

The ship eventually docked.

But half an incense stick's time passed, and still no one came down.

Liu Daogui's heart skipped a beat. With his elder brother Liu Yu's domineering nature, he would never be intimidated by the scene before him.

unless……

Another half incense stick's time passed, and a palanquin was carried out of the cabin.

Sitting above was Liu Yu, so thin he was almost unrecognizable, but he was in good spirits. Beside him were his uncle Liu Juanzi and several doctors carrying medicine boxes.

"Brother!" Liu Daogui strode forward.

"Agui... why make such a commotion?" Liu Yu's voice was weak, but his gaze remained fixed on the Tiger Guard cavalry, his face full of envy.

"Brother, your northern expedition is a magnificent undertaking, how can I, your younger brother, not come to bolster your morale?"

Welcoming him in this way is both a response to his unexpected arrival and a gesture of the highest military courtesy.

Liu Yu laughed and scolded, "I think you... have ulterior motives. Are you perhaps planning to emulate Emperor Gaozu of Han's Feast at Hongmen?"

While laughing, he suddenly started coughing, and Liu Juanzi quickly stepped forward to take his pulse.

The tense atmosphere between the two sides immediately eased considerably.

Liu Daogui frowned. "Brother is unwell. Perhaps we should postpone the Northern Expedition."

"If we wait another year or two, we'll be completely immobilized." Liu Yu seemed indifferent.

He was so badly wounded in the Battle of Xiangcheng back then, and he's still alive today thanks to Liu Juanzi's remarkable skills.

But after holding on for so many years, he had reached his limit. Liu Daogui felt a pang of shame, realizing he had been overthinking things and was even doubting his brother's intentions. But then he glanced at the two people beside him, their eyes sharp.

The two men immediately bowed and stepped forward, saying, "Xie Yu and Xie Hui pay their respects to Duke Pei!"

Liu Daogui waved his sleeve and said, "You two may dispense with the formalities."

Xie Yu said politely, "Pei Gong has an extraordinary demeanor. Only after meeting you today have I realized that you are known as the Crouching Dragon. What you say is true."

"Thank you for your kind words, Sima." Liu Daogui was saddened by Liu Yu's illness and had no interest in idle chatter. He welcomed Liu Yu to enter Xiapi City together.

After settling in, Liu Daogui personally prepared medicine for Liu Yu and took care of his daily life.

As the eldest brother, Liu Daogui was raised by Liu Yu alone. His father passed away early, and the family was poor.

Even though the power struggle created some distance between them, the brothers' relationship remained strong.

"Ji Nu's health has always been inconsistent, and now he's forcing himself to fight on the northern expedition despite his illness. The long journey has only aggravated his injuries and illnesses," Liu Juanzi complained as she prepared the medicine.

When there are no outsiders present, the form of address can be casual.

We've always been one family.

Liu Yu said, "A true man should die on the battlefield, for that is a blessing. How can I die on my sickbed? I have spent my whole life fighting against demons and bandits, but I have never fought against the barbarians. This is a great regret."

"Isn't there A-Gui? Why are you rushing over like this? Isn't it because you were instigated by those two from the Xie family?" Liu Juanzi was outspoken and dared to say anything.

Liu Yu chuckled twice.

Liu Daogui was also extremely embarrassed.

Liu Juanzi suddenly put down her work and looked at Liu Yu seriously. "Forgive my bluntness, but the Xie and Wang families are ultimately outsiders. You two brothers are the real family. Those aristocratic families are sowing discord with their own intentions. Now they've become too powerful to control. Your son Liu Yifu can't fight them. If you dare to let go, then let go."

With a creak, Liu Huaijing and Liu Huaimo quietly closed the door.

Liu Daogui became increasingly embarrassed.

Liu Yu smiled bitterly: "Uncle only knows one side of the story. Without the support of powerful clans, how could my Liu family have the power we have today? So what if we destroyed the Sima, Wang, and Xie families? Twenty years later, there will still be Xiao Tan, Zhao, and Chen. As long as my Liu family is still in Jiankang and in Jiangdong, we cannot do without them."

The aristocratic class had already taken shape during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it had been operating in this way for three or four hundred years, forming a strong inertia.

Anyone who gains power will want to enhance their family's prestige.

It's not something that can be solved simply by "killing".

However, Liu Yu's words reminded Liu Daogui that if the Liu family were not in Jiankang or Jiangdong, they might be able to leave him.

Suddenly, those prophecies inexplicably surfaced in my mind: At the end of the Han and Wei dynasties, people migrated, and half of them died. The Liu family, after five generations, established their lineage. By the year of Jiawu (1894), the Liu family had returned to China, established dominance in Chang'an, brought great joy to the Qin region, and made the six barbarian tribes submit...

There are many hidden masters among the common people; those who can utter such prophecies are certainly not ordinary individuals.

Various thoughts flashed through Liu Daogui's mind, but he didn't have time to sort them out, and many of his ideas were still immature.

Liu Yu waved his hand, steer the conversation back to the Northern Expedition, "Alright, alright, I know what to do, Uncle, there's no need to worry. To destroy Qin in this war, we must first defeat Wei!"

Liu Daogui suppressed the various thoughts swirling in his mind. "What you say, brother, is exactly what I was thinking. Tuoba Si's 100,000 troops are stationed in Zhongshan. He must be eyeing the Central Plains. Guanzhong is a formidable place. If we cannot conquer it after a long siege, the Wei army will surely arrive!"

"Yao Qin is on its last legs, and I can destroy it with a flick of my wrist, but Wei has some strength."

When the topic of military affairs came up, Liu Yu's face lit up with pride.

"You two brothers shouldn't talk too much, get some rest." Liu Juanzi finished preparing the medicine and wisely went out to decoct it.

Liu Daogui asked, "Brother, are you heading north ahead of schedule to attack Wei first?"

In addition to Tuoba Si's 100,000-strong army, Hebei also had 60,000 infantry and cavalry under Changsun Song, Changsun Fei, and Daxi Jin, which hung like a sharp sword over their heads.

Given this situation, who would dare to concentrate their forces to attack Qin?

In fact, Wei's intentions were also very clear: they would not allow Liu Yu and Liu Daogui to destroy Yao Qin so easily.

The world situation had entered a period of tripartite division between Jin, Wei, and Qin, while other states such as Northern Yan, Xia, various Liang states, and Qiuchi were not yet considered significant.

"That depends on how much Tuoba Si can do. If he can't withstand my military might, then we'll take Wei first, and then destroy Qin. Whether we destroy one or two, it's all the same. Tuoba Si has over 100,000 troops concentrated in Hebei, so we won't have to travel over mountains and rivers to Pingcheng to find him!"

Liu Yu's eyes shone brightly, making him look nothing like a wounded or sick person.

"Brilliant! Just as there are no fixed formations in warfare, water has no fixed shape. One who can adapt to the enemy's changes and achieve victory is called a master! Brother, your use of troops is like that of a god!" Liu Daogui exclaimed in admiration.

Everyone knew that the Jin dynasty was making a big show of launching a northern expedition against the Qin state, but unexpectedly, Liu Yu made a feint and dealt a heavy blow to the Wei state.

He really figured out how to use a feint attack.

Of course, whether to attack Qin or Wei depends on how the situation develops.

If the Wei Kingdom is severely wounded by this attack, it can advance unimpeded and march straight towards Pingcheng...

Liu Yu said with a face full of regret, "Yao Xing's bones are in the tomb, unworthy to be my opponent. It is a pity that you and I started too late and could not win the battle against Murong Chui and Tuoba Gui. It is a great regret in my life."

Such spirit and ambition are unmatched by anyone in this world.

What this world lacks most is this kind of heroic spirit and domineering presence.

Liu Daogui suddenly felt that Liu Yu's rise might not be accidental, but rather a final burst of vitality for the Chinese nation's destiny.

With such heroic spirit and domineering presence, how could the Northern Expedition not succeed?

Let the barbarians number in the hundreds of thousands or millions, I will personally lead my troops north!

Liu Daogui was greatly encouraged. "It's not too late now. Tuoba Si is working hard to govern the country, and his harm is even greater than that of Tuoba Gui. If we can destroy Wei and unify the country, then you and I, brothers, will have lived a worthwhile life."

"Hahaha, you understand me best, Agui! Today we shall drink a great toast! Men, bring me fine wine, let's drink until we're completely drunk!" Liu Yu got more and more excited as he spoke.

But before she could finish speaking, the door was pushed open, and Liu Juanzi stormed in, her face full of anger. "Are you out of your mind? You still dare to drink!"

"What a disappointment." Liu Yu rolled over and lay down, pulling the quilt over his head.

(End of this chapter)