My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 129 Impatience and Rashness
Li Chong's army marched very quickly.

Unlike the emperors and princes who had been detached from the common people for too long and had lived in prosperous and wealthy places like Luoyang since childhood, he had genuinely been to the northern frontier and knew exactly how serious the situation was.

They suffered from disasters year after year and received no relief grain from the imperial court.

Even the people of the rich and prosperous states and counties in the Central Plains might not be able to withstand it, let alone the harsh and cold places like the military towns in the northern frontier.

Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan have been holding their positions for more than half a year.

According to Li Chong's estimate, the two military towns that are still holding out have reached their limit. If they are not rescued soon, the rebels will obviously break through the last resistance force of the six towns.

Before the Rouran people obeyed the imperial edict and marched south, the rebel army of the Six Garrisons would have no more worries about their rear and could march directly south.

It will be too late to regret it if things really develop to that point.

The Six Garrisons had barely begun to stir when ambitious figures in Longxi couldn't contain themselves and joined the rebellion. When Li Chong set off from Luoyang, Prince Qi, Xiao Baoyin, also led an elite central army westward, aiming to provide support before Mo Zhe Niansheng could completely 'cut off Longxi'.

Once the Longxi region is cut off, it will be extremely difficult to advance there again!

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu once gathered the strength of the entire nation and besieged Longxi for several years before finally managing to capture it.

The main problem is that once Longxi is lost, the Yizhou territory that was painstakingly conquered will also be lost, which means that... all the territory conquered by Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Ke will have to be given back.

If the rebel army of the Six Garrisons really marches south...

This will further incite those unstable elements and ambitious individuals, at which point the entire territory of the Great Wei will be engulfed in flames of war.

Li Chong led his army straight to Yunzhong, a strategic point for southward expansion that had previously been heavily guarded by Prince Yuan Yu of Linhuai.

"Greetings, Grand Commander."

Although he was a prince, Yuan Yu's position as Grand Commander had been removed by imperial decree, and he was now only the Prefect of Sizhou, subject to the control of Li Chong.

Therefore, Yuan Yu took the initiative to greet him and was extremely respectful to Li Chong.

In terms of prestige, status, and connections within the court.

Li Chong, a pillar of the state, was far superior to Yuan Yu.

"You're too kind, Prince of Linhuai."

Li Chong bowed in return, then introduced his deputy to him. After exchanging pleasantries, he entered the military camp.

Li Chong, who was in the main seat, hurriedly asked, "I wonder how the battle is going at the front? Please, Prince Linhuai, explain the situation to us."

Yuan Yu then recounted the previous battle report again.

These battle reports had already been stated in official documents sent to the court, and Li Chong already knew about them.

Could it be that before I arrived, this Prince of Linhuai hadn't managed to gather any useful military intelligence?

Li Chong was also slightly annoyed. Even if he was afraid that taking initiative would arouse the suspicion of the court, or that he was afraid of making mistakes, he should not be so irresponsible.

Last November, Yuan Yu was appointed as the Grand Commander of the Northern Expedition. Now, half a year has passed, and he is still unwilling to send anyone out to gather the latest intelligence and information.
Cui Xian, this young man, was clearly impatient. He didn't care about priorities and spoke first, with a slightly questioning tone.

"Does the Prince of Linhuai have no recent military intelligence?"

The General of the Army is a third-rank official. Li Chong once held this position and led troops in the field. Cui Xian is not old, but he can hold such an important position. Naturally, he does not need to be as reserved as others. His family background is the greatest source of confidence and support.

The Cui clan of Boling and the Li clan of Longxi also had a marriage alliance, and Li Chong and Cui Xian also had some connection, so they wouldn't hold his rudeness against him.

Yuan Yu shook his head. "After the last defeat, I was afraid that the rebels would take advantage of the situation to move south, so I did not send troops north again. However, Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan should still be holding their ground. If the cities had already fallen, the rebels would probably have already moved south."

Cui Xian was speechless. What was the difference between this answer and farting?
Does the pool have to be filled with water? Does the second floor have to be built on top of the first floor?
He still exercised some restraint; he couldn't very well point his finger at a prince and berate him. But Cui Xian's heavy sigh still made Yuan Yu's face look slightly awkward.

Li Chong quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Jilun, do not be impatient. When leading troops in the field, the first priority for a general is to avoid being hasty and impatient."

"Yes, please forgive me, Prince of Linhuai."

"The general is also worried about the country, so his impatience is understandable."

Yuan Yu quickly got up and made an excuse to slip away. "Grand Commander and General Cui have traveled a long way. I will go and prepare a banquet to welcome you both and to reward the soldiers of the Central Army who have come."

Li Chong also stood up, saying, "Then I thank the Prince of Linhuai."

After Yuan Yu left the military tent, Cui Xian could no longer contain himself and got up to complain to Li Chong, "The governor of a prefecture in our Great Wei, who holds a high position, is such a worm. No wonder the rebels are gaining momentum."

"Watch your words! Ji Lun, stop your insolence!"

Li Chong slammed his hand on the table, glared angrily at Cui Xian, and then lectured him, "After studying at the Imperial Academy for so many years, your temperament is still so impetuous. It's a waste that you were once close friends with the second son of the Gao family, yet you don't even have half of his self-cultivation."

Cui Xian was embarrassed, but he didn't dare to talk back to Li Chong. However, when he mentioned his old friend, the image of that handsome young man couldn't help but come to mind.

"Four years have passed since we parted in Luoyang. I wonder what kind of situation you are in now, my lord?"

Thinking of Huai Shuo, which had been besieged by the rebels for more than half a year, Cui Xian sighed again, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted. He estimated that Gao Yu's current situation was not very optimistic, as anything could happen in the face of war.

However, it did remind him.

"If Gao Lang were here, with his bravery and martial prowess, he would surely lead the central army to defeat the rebels!"

"Uncle, why not send a large army to relieve the siege of Huai Shuo first, or break through the encirclement and welcome Gao Lang back south? Then, with Gao Lang's bravery as the vanguard, we might be able to defeat the rebel army decisively?"

With no one else around, Cui Xian didn't even bother with his official title, instead using more intimate terms of address.

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin. How can it be as simple as you think? Could it be that Ji Lun has never heard of Zhao Kuo's story?"

"Go down first and supervise the soldiers to set up camp. See if you can find out any other information."

After sending Cui Xian away.

Li Chong summoned his personal guards and ordered them to gather the bravest soldiers of the central army to personally scout the front lines and return. Yuan Yu had already suffered a defeat, which emboldened the rebels and demoralized the imperial army.

The imperial court could not afford a second major defeat.

Even knowing that Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan were on the verge of collapse, it was precisely at times like these that one should not be impatient.

Li Chong waited in the camp for seven days, until the end of May.

We've finally managed to gather some useful information.

The main force of the rebels was besieging Wuchuan, or rather, Wuchuan blocked the rebels' westward advance.

To the west, only the rebel army in Woye Town was besieging Huaishuo.

"If that's the case...then why don't we march north from Wuyuan, defeat the rebels in Woye, and then lift the siege of Huaishuo?"

"At that time, we can go north to contact the Rouran and agree on a date for their southward advance. Then we can attack the rebels from both sides and achieve a complete victory in one battle, thus thoroughly quelling this rebellion!"

Cui Xian spoke with great conviction.

Li Chong remained silent, but Cui Xian's words, though seemingly reasonable, harbored a huge hidden danger.

The imperial army will surely receive news of the northward march of the rebel army. If the army does indeed march north from Wuyuan in the west, the rebels can draw an elite force from the Wuchuan direction to attack from both sides with the rebels from the Woye Huaishuo direction. Given the strength of the central army, it would likely be a disastrous defeat.

"Assemble the army and follow me to the White Road."

The White Road is the main road southeast of Wuchuan. Advancing in this direction is intended to draw the attention of the main army in the east and relieve the pressure on Wuchuan.

"Cui Xian, listen to my command!"

"The general is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead 15,000 infantry and cavalry north to Wuyuan. Remember, once the army arrives at Wuyuan, it shall be stationed in place. No one shall advance without my order!"

"Yes!"

After the military order was issued.

Li Chong then led his army to Baidao. The news of the army's departure quickly reached Wei Kegu and others, and the rebels in the east had already begun to discuss countermeasures.

Cui Xian then led his army to Wuyuan alone.

Po Liu Han Baling also received the news, and Wei Kegu also conveyed the news of the imperial army's entry into Baidao to Po Liu Han Baling.

Po Liuhan Baling stood in front of the map, squinting as if deep in thought.

He then revealed a smug smile, "The Grand Commander has quite the scheme."

He ordered Fu Weifeng to lead troops to Wuyuan to confront Cui Xian's army, and gave him some instructions before he left.

…………

After Cui Xian's army arrived in Wuyuan, they initially followed Li Chong's instructions to build strongholds and fight a protracted war. No matter how the enemy provoked or tempted them, he remained unmoved. As long as he was stationed there and did nothing, the rebels would not dare to deal with the main force led by the Grand Commander.

Cui Xian would send out a large number of scouts every day to gather information.

Soon they learned that the rebels had arrived and set up camp to their north, seemingly intending to confront them.

Several more days passed.

The scouts suddenly reported back.

"Reporting to the general, the enemy camp is empty!"

"what?"

Startled, Cui Xian quickly stood up, grabbed the scout's arm, and pressed, "Is this true?"

"It's definitely empty."

Cui Xian paced back and forth. Before dividing the troops, Li Chong had specifically told him this privately.

The army went to Baidao to draw the rebels' attention, while Cui Xian's posture of holding firm in Wuyuan was to lull the rebels into a false sense of security. Once the rebels' attention was completely diverted, they would then...

Cui Xian could then head north and attempt a surprise attack on the rebel forces in the west to relieve the siege of Huai Shuo.

"Could it be..."

"The rebels have seen through the Grand Commander's plan, and the western army has already gone to reinforce him, intending to encircle the Grand Commander?"

"Men! Propagate my military order: the entire army is to follow me north to quell the rebels!"

A bodyguard quickly reminded him, "General, the Grand Commander has given an order."

"The battlefield situation changes rapidly. Furthermore, generals in the field may not obey orders from their commanders. Transmit my orders!"

Cui Xian hurriedly ordered his army to set off, and when they arrived at the rebel camp, it was indeed empty.

"Quickly! March north immediately and relieve the siege of Huai Shuo!"

however……

Just as the army was marching along, it passed through a small hill.

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from all directions as a vast number of rebel troops charged down from the hills!

Po Liuhan Baling also sat on the hill to command, laughing triumphantly.

"Lord Chenliu, your plan is likely to fail."

(End of this chapter)