Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 192 Reunion after a long absence

Jiangdu, the Forbidden Palace, inside the Imperial Study.

Empress Xiao, Prince Jingwu, the six ministers, and many generals and high-ranking officials gathered together.

"Just received intelligence that the Jianghuai Army was attacked by the Yuwen rebels at Funiu Ridge, suffering heavy casualties and fleeing in disarray. More than a dozen generals, including Chen Dangshi and Xu Shaozong, were killed in battle, while Du Fuwei and the other generals escaped under the protection of their respective troops and personal guards..."

"In the Battle of Funiuling, it is estimated that the Jianghuai Army suffered more than 100,000 casualties, more than 100,000 surrendered, and only more than 200,000 scattered and fled. The Jianghuai Army was severely damaged and it was good enough to hold onto the original territory of Jianghuai. It was difficult for them to expand their territory!"

"Yuwen's rebel army has recruited over 100,000 surrendered soldiers from the Jianghuai region, greatly increasing its military strength. They are heading north to the Jianghuai region, but their intentions are unclear!"

"After the Battle of Hailing City, the Fengming Army withdrew and retreated into the Tianmu Mountains. It is said that they have already built fortresses and passes in the Tianmu Mountains to guard against our army's northward advance..."

"The Liang army and the Nanyue army in Piling County have already begun their withdrawal and are returning to their respective territories. They have no intention of invading Piling County or the former territory of the Liang army!"

"The Wagang Army no longer followed the Yuwen rebels closely, nor did they intend to march towards Jiangdu. They began to retreat, but not to Wagang, but to Luokou, which suggests that their intention is to target Shanghai!"

Cai Shuilan, wife of Ronghua, Minister of War, was the first to report the latest intelligence from the Ministry of War.

"call……"

Everyone present, including Empress Xiao, visibly breathed a sigh of relief and beamed with joy.

Recent battles have been frequent, with powerful enemies emerging one after another. Fortunately, Prince Jingwu led his army in campaigns in the south and north, repeatedly using time differences to resolve the crisis one by one. Otherwise, if all these powerful enemies had erupted at once, the Sui army and Jiangdu would not have been able to withstand it, as they would have lacked both soldiers and generals!
Despite the Sui army's current strength and large number of generals, with nearly a million soldiers stationed in Jiangdu alone, the Sui army only occupies two major cities. If they were to disperse, each city would require at least 100,000 to 200,000 troops, which is far from sufficient and would result in a serious shortage!
"Good! Our crisis is over, and we can look forward to dominating Jiangnan..."

Chen Yiqing, wife of the Minister of Personnel, clearly having prepared her answer beforehand, eagerly replied. She paused, then looked expectantly at Empress Xiao and Prince Jingwu, Xiao Ying, and said:

"Now that the crisis has been resolved, shouldn't we take over the various regions and occupy the cities? It's time to recuperate and develop in a stable manner!"

“Indeed, it’s time to expand our territory, develop our livelihood, and appease the people!” Empress Xiao knew Chen Yiqing’s thoughts and nodded in agreement. She then looked at Xiao Ying and asked, “What does Prince Jingwu think?”

Chen Yiqing's intentions were quite clear. As the Minister of Personnel, if the Sui army didn't expand its territory and only controlled two cities with few officials, wouldn't her position as Minister become merely a figurehead?
"Yes! It is indeed time to recuperate, consolidate our territory, and stabilize our strength and power!"

Xiao Ying nodded without hesitation and quickly added, "Then let's discuss it, allocate specific plans, take over the Shangliang territory first, stabilize it for a while, and then plan for further development!"

Most of the people present were invigorated, especially the six ministers and other high-ranking officials.

They need to have a large enough power to be effective; otherwise, how can a court with only two cities exist when it is nominally the Sui Dynasty? Wouldn't that make them no different from those self-proclaimed emperors, rebel kings, and bandits?

After some discussion, a final decision was made.

The four generals, Jingwu King Xiao Ying, Hong Lingtian, Dugu Feng, and Xie Yingdeng, led 3,000 Jingwu Guards, 20,000 Jingwu Army, 50,000 Zhongfang Wu Army, and 50,000 Dongfang Wu Army to stay in Jiangdu to observe the situation in Jianghuai and wait for an opportunity to advance westward or seize Jianghuai.

Consort Xu Qiubai led 50,000 Left Guard troops and 100,000 able-bodied soldiers to garrison Hailing City, assisted by strategist Sun Shihhan. She also recruited troops on her own, planning to recruit between 300,000 and 500,000.

Princess Yang Qingxuan of Fengming led 50,000 Western Martial Army soldiers and 100,000 troops to occupy Piling County and garrison Piling City, guarding against the Liang Army and the Nanyue Army. She could also recruit her own troops, but the number would be between 200,000 and 300,000.

Led by Shen Lun, the young master of Shangliang, and accompanied by Shen Manxuan, the eldest daughter of Shangliang, and generals Liu Ziyi, Zhao Pojun, Chen Hanyu, Zheng Zitong, Master Lingyan, Dugu Ba, Xiao Wen, and more than a dozen other generals, they led six elite armies, each with a strength of 50,000 men: the Southern Army, the Northern Army, the Central Army, the Vanguard Army, the Rearguard Army, and the Right Army, along with 500,000 ordinary troops. They incorporated and occupied the former territories of Shangliang, such as Wu County, Yuhang County, and Kuaiji County, and sought to seize Suian County, Dongyang County, and Yongjia County when the opportunity arose.

If the plan goes smoothly, each general will be stationed in a prefecture until a more suitable candidate is appointed. These ten elite legions, each with five commanderies, will be a powerful weapon for the Sui army to fight against strong enemies. Naturally, they will not be left to roam the outside world or serve as garrison troops indefinitely, as that would be a waste.

To put it bluntly, the army led by the Shen siblings, in addition to reclaiming the Shangliang territory, would also conquer the counties south of Tianjiang, making the Sui army the true overlord of Jiangnan.

Once the territory is stable, the Sui army can then advance into the Jianghuai and Fengming territories, completely occupying the Jiangnan region and becoming the sole overlord of Jiangnan. At that time, they can then march into the Central Plains and officially participate in the struggle for supremacy! Never underestimate the Jiangnan region.

The Jiangnan region, Lingnan region, and Nanman region are collectively known as the South. Compared to the Central Plains and the North, it is relatively sparsely populated, but its area is extremely large, several times that of the Central Plains.

This world is a cultivation world. The saying that it is sparsely populated is only relative to the densely populated Central Plains. Each prefecture has a population of at least several million, and at most tens of millions. Several large prefectures have a population of hundreds of millions, which is about the same as the population of a city in the three major capitals. However, it is not considered desolate.

……

After the discussion, the generals and ministers were generally quite pleased and expectant, and they all left.

The imperial court will soon issue orders and begin mobilizing troops; that is the responsibility of the Ministry of War!

Soon, only Empress Xiao, Xiao Ying, and their attendants remained in the Imperial Study.

The Imperial Study was spacious and luxurious, with flowing curtains, wafting sandalwood incense, and spotless windows, yet it could not illuminate the loneliness and shadows in Empress Xiao's heart.

Since advancing to the first-rank Supreme Celestial Being, perhaps due to her extraordinary state of mind, Empress Xiao has become more indifferent to power, fame, and fortune. If it weren't for the people around her and her own status, Empress Xiao would have loved to abandon everything and retire to the mountains.

After everyone left, Empress Xiao gestured for Xiao Ying to stay, saying with a mixture of affection and concern, "You've been fighting in many places lately, it's time for you to rest!"

After a pause, Empress Xiao continued, "The Wagang Army's sights are set on Shanghai, and they won't attack anytime soon. However, the Yuwen rebels are unlikely to remain peaceful. Once they are unable to return west, they will surely vie for hegemony in Jiangnan. After dealing with the Jianghuai Army or establishing a foothold, they will turn against us again!"

"I'm not tired, I just want to take this opportunity to lie low and improve my cultivation level. Compared to prodigies like Wu Yunzhao and Yuwen Chengdu, my talent is lacking, so I can only make up for it with my cultivation level!"

Xiao Ying thought that Empress Xiao was tired because she was not participating in the territorial expansion this time, so she shook her head and explained.

Empress Xiao paused, then said softly, somewhat speechless yet with a touch of heartache, "That's enough. Don't put too much pressure on yourself!"

Now, Prince Jingwu is famous throughout the world and his prestige is known far and wide. Especially after the Battle of Chitai Mountain and the death of Marquis Nanyang, he is now recognized as a truly peerless and monstrous general.

It can be said that Xiao Ying's strength is now at the pinnacle of the world; most first-grade supreme celestial beings are no match for him. Even Empress Xiao herself wouldn't dare say she could definitely defeat Xiao Ying, because she felt she was inferior to the Marquis of Nanyang, and therefore made her calculations accordingly.

Even so, Xiao Ying was still not satisfied. He actually wanted to go into seclusion and cultivate, wanting to compete with Yuwen Chengdu, who was recognized as invincible in the world. Did he want to become the number one in the world?
"I want to take advantage of this time to go out and see the world..." Xiao Ying shook her head, but looked at Empress Xiao and said seriously.

"..."

Empress Xiao opened her mouth again but remained silent, finally nodding in agreement: "Yes! It's good to relax; it helps with mental growth!"

That being said, Empress Xiao also wanted to rest!
Having just been "reunited after a long separation," Xiao Ying was about to leave again. Empress Xiao, who had never been separated for so long, instinctively felt a little reluctant, but she endured and agreed.

With a sigh, Empress Xiao gazed longingly at Xiao Ying...

I don't know if it's because we've been apart for so long, but I feel like my younger brother has really changed a lot. He's more composed, mature, and even a bit...

Time and vicissitudes?!
A familiar yet strange feeling!

Perhaps this is growth, and also the price of growth!

(End of this chapter)