The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Zhang Shi was overjoyed to finally meet Lu Chaosheng.

Lu Chaosheng was overjoyed to finally meet Zhang Shi.

But some people are unhappy.

The guards at the iron gate were quite unhappy.

Even though Lu Chaosheng had been gone for a long time, a deep sense of melancholy still welled up in her heart, making it impossible for her to find relief.

"Oh dear, just a little bit short."

"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have told Lu Chaosheng that General Wang Ming was inside the Iron Gate Pass. That way, Lu Chaosheng would have been able to defect to our General Wang Ming."

"Our General Wang Ming doesn't seem to care much about this matter. It seems that General Wang Ming has always wanted to give way to General Zhang Shi."

"What kind of talk is that? General Wang Ming doesn't care, so neither do we? Don't you want to get promoted based on your military achievements? Isn't your dream to be a garrison commander? If you keep letting yourself go, do you think you'll ever get the position?"

"That makes sense. General Zhang Shi has already wiped out the enemy's entire army, yet he still tries to steal our credit. That's not fair. We should take what we deserve."

"We have to grab it!"

……

The guards at the gate were discussing their frustration when they suddenly saw horses galloping towards them.

One of them suddenly felt a jolt.

"Has General Lu Chaosheng returned?"

Everyone quickly looked over, and then someone retorted, "Are you confused?"

"Which direction did General Lu Chaosheng depart from? This horse came from the direction of Zhenjiang City, so it's clearly someone else's horse..."

"Hey, judging by his appearance, he's either a soldier or a general!"

"First, form ranks and prepare for battle!"

……

The guards at the gate drew their swords and nocked their arrows once more.

As the person approached, he shouted, "Hey, who goes there? What brings you here?"

The horse came to a steady stop when the man pulled on the reins.

The man dismounted and bowed, saying, "I am Chen Song, the deputy general under Marquis Jingyi, Pei Wugou!"

"Having become unable to tolerate Pei Wugou's perverse and outrageous behavior, which has resulted in greater losses for smaller gains, I have come to pledge my allegiance to the Duke. Please inform him of my arrival!"

The guards at the gate immediately brightened up.

It's terrifyingly bright!

Is this... another person coming to submit a bid?

Is this person still Deputy General Chen Song?

They were also familiar with the name Chen Song, having often heard it from General Wang Ming and even his personal guards.

and so……

The guards at the gate exchanged glances and immediately made up their minds.

"Are you really Chen Song?"

"Of course!" Chen Song took out the seal and handed it to the guard.

After inspecting the place, the guard became even more certain and immediately said, "General Chen Song, we at Iron Gate Pass welcome you to join us. Please come in now."

"Go in?"

Chen Song was taken aback for a moment.

Shouldn't we be notified first according to procedure? Why were we let in directly?

"Hurry up, General Chen Song, or the Duke will be asleep."

Chen Song was taken aback: "What? The Duke is inside the pass?"

"Then we'd better hurry."

Chen Song had considered this when he came.

He felt that the Duke, being of such high status, would not risk his life unless it was a critical moment. He had also inquired and learned that this time, the Duke had sent two generals to lead the way.

One was General Wang Ming, and the other was General Zhang Shi.

He secretly preferred to surrender to General Zhang Shi.

After all, General Zhang Shi was a great general who swept across the northern frontier and was fully capable of confronting Pei Wugou.

but now……

If the Duke is in the city, then what else is there to say?

It's better to pledge allegiance to the Duke than to anyone else!

As a result, Chen Song hurriedly walked inside and was soon led to the General's Mansion, where a person came out to greet him at the entrance.

"General Chen Song, welcome!"

Chen Song glanced at it by the firelight and was taken aback.

It was the same as the portrait of Wang Ming that he had seen.

This person must be General Wang Ming; it is estimated that the Duke sent him to welcome him.

I was immediately moved.

He didn't receive such treatment from Pei Wugou!

He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Chen Song greets General Wang Ming."

"You're too kind, you're too kind..." Wang Ming helped Chen Song up and said, "Come on, follow me inside."

"it is good."

Chen Song entered the general's mansion, but to his dismay, he didn't see the Duke. Annoyed, he asked, "Duke, are you already asleep?"

"What?" Wang Ming asked in surprise, "The Duke isn't at this Iron Gate Pass, why are you asking?"

"Didn't you say..." Chen Song started to say, but then realized that the guard at the gate must have misled him. He quickly changed the subject and said, "It's nothing!"

"By the way, General Wang Ming, are you alone?"

Where is General Zhang Shi?

Wang Ming shook his head: "General Zhang Shi is stationed outside the city."

Chen Song's disappointment deepened once again.

General Zhang Shi, why did you run outside the Iron Gate Pass?

How can he find refuge outside the Iron Gate Pass?

Right now... we have no choice but to rely on General Wang Ming.

He said, "General Wang Ming, I have something to report."

Wang Ming's spirits lifted: "Please speak!"

Suppressing his other emotions, Chen Song immediately accused, "That bastard Pei Wugou is simply outrageous..."

As Chen Song recounted everything that had happened in Zhenjiang City, Wang Ming was completely dumbfounded. What a Pei Wugou! He usually acted all respectable, like a general, but he lost his mind the moment he met Wen He.

Fortunately, he had seen a lot and remained relatively calm.

A sense of joy welled up in his heart. With Pei Wugou's performance, the difficulty of taking Zhenjiang City, and even the entire Jiangbei fortress complex, would be greatly reduced.

His expression turned serious, and he said, "General Chen Song, Zhenjiang City has been ravaged to such an extent by Pei Wugou that the soldiers are disloyal and the people are resentful. In your opinion, should I launch an immediate attack on Zhenjiang City?"

"To take Zhenjiang City in one fell swoop?"

……

In Zhang Shiying's camp, Zhang Shi also asked him almost the same questions.

"General Lu, Zhenjiang City is the core of the entire Jiangbei fortress complex. With its terrain, it can even overlook the four fortresses of Langyan Fort, Suojiangwu, Hengjiangzhai, and Linjiangdu."

"This is a must-attack location!"

"The situation in Zhenjiang City is not stable at the moment. Should I lead the troops to take Zhenjiang City directly?"

"To raze the Jiangbei fortress complex in one fell swoop?"

Lu Chaosheng first affirmed Zhang Shi's idea, saying, "General Zhang Shi has insight. If we can take Zhenjiang City in one fell swoop, the rest, such as Langyan Fort, Suojiangwu, Hengjiang Village, and Linjiang Ferry, will indeed be much easier to capture."

"but……"

"Forgive my bluntness, but I'm afraid Zhenjiang City will not be easy to take."

"Although Pei Wugou seems to lose his mind when he sees Wen He, he is usually quite normal, and his military strategy and tactics are not weak."

"Especially, this person's martial arts skills are simply too high and too strong!"

"Now we're suppressing the unrest and enforcing military discipline."

"Given my position in Zhenjiang, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a suitable inside man for the time being."

"Even if it is found, given Pei Wugou's current cautious approach, it may be difficult to achieve the desired effect."

"After all, Pei Wugou alone is worth an entire army!"

……

Inside the General's Mansion at Iron Gate Pass, Chen Song's answer was similar, but more detailed, and he knew more about the situation.

"General Wang Ming, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take Zhenjiang City for the time being."

Pei Wugou always strictly enforced military discipline.

"It was all done with iron-fisted orders, requiring everyone to obey military discipline. Those who violated it were punished with caning for minor offenses and beheaded on the spot for serious offenses."

"For a time, the soldiers were so suppressed that they dared not make any rash moves."

"With his approach, Zhenjiang City will surely remain an impregnable fortress in the short term."

"but……"

After a pause, Chen Song changed the subject, asking, "How long can this kind of life last?"

"The shortest duration is three months, and the longest is six months."

"The soldiers will inevitably reach their breaking point, and then Zhenjiang City will be in chaos—the perfect time!"

Chen Song spoke with conviction, and Wang Ming basically agreed.

He said, "If that's the case, then we really can't attack Zhenjiang City immediately, otherwise it will be a bloody battle!"

"Countless casualties are certain!"

With that, Wang Ming stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, saying, "Then let's wait."

"I will lead my troops to attack only after something happens in Zhenjiang City!"

Chen Song highly approved of, and even appreciated, Wang Ming's cautious approach, nodding and saying, "General, you are wise; this is exactly how it should be."

"and……"

"I came to serve the general in secret."

"Pei Wugou doesn't know, nor do the soldiers. I can now return to Zhenjiang City and become the general's inside man."

"If anything happens in Zhenjiang City, notify the general immediately."

"The general can lead his troops here."

Wang Ming was overjoyed: "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, General Chen Song."

Chen Song waved his hand: "It's alright."

"It's just a matter of enduring a little longer. I only hope that the general will be patient and refrain from making any rash moves."

Wang Ming smiled faintly.

His greatest strength is that he doesn't act rashly!

After discussing the plan with Chen Song, he personally escorted Chen Song back.

……