The Prodigal Son

At the same time, Qin Yu of Wangzhou Prefecture received news that Xue Chengdao was about to lead his troops to Luzhou Prefecture.

"So fast?"

Qin Yu looked at Qin Xiong, who had brought the news, with some surprise.

Didn't they say before that the advance troops would take at least seven days to reach Shangying?

It's only been six days, and Xue Chengdao has already skipped Shangxing and come straight to Luzhou Prefecture?

They've grown wings!

Qin Xiong replied, "I heard they marched at breakneck speed..."

After Xue Chengdao led his vanguard of 20,000 men on a forced march to Wangzhou Prefecture, he replaced Qin Yu's 3,000 cavalrymen who had been left to guard the prefecture with 3,000 infantrymen. Then he led those 3,000 cavalrymen and their original 4,000 cavalrymen ahead of them to Shangxing.

Upon arriving at Shangxing, Xue Chengdao brought the troops from Shangxing with him, leaving only a thousand cavalry to defend Shangxing.

Early this morning, Xue Chengdao led 10,000 cavalrymen directly over.

As Qin Xiong spoke, he glanced at Qi Dachui, who was doing restorative exercises in the courtyard, and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard that Master Qiao came along too!"

Qin Yu's lips curled into a smile, and he asked in a low voice, "How much longer until they arrive?"

Qin Xiong replied, "The messenger said it would take at most half an hour."

Qin Yu immediately ordered, "Go and inform everyone, except for the officers on duty, to come with me to welcome Commander Xue! Don't let Da Chui know about this; give him a surprise!"

That's exactly what I think!

Qin Xiong chuckled and immediately went down to inform them.

Before long, Qin Yu, along with Nan Que'er and a group of generals, went to the city gate to welcome Xue Chengdao.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, Xue Chengdao led a large cavalry force to arrive.

Seeing Liang Hongqiao, Nan Que'er couldn't help but gently nudge Qin Yu and whisper with a smile, "Do you think Da Chui's body will recover faster now?"

"The recovery might be a bit slower."

Qin Yu smiled and immediately beckoned everyone to come forward to greet him.

Xue Chengdao dismounted, searched carefully through the crowd for a while, and asked in confusion, "Where's your grandfather?"

Qin Yu chuckled, "He and Senior Zhao led men to harass the enemy behind enemy lines. They should be back in the next day or two."

He and the old guys agreed on a seven-day period.

He planned to return just before Xue Chengdao and his vanguard arrived in Shangxing.

Who knew they would run so fast?

"What the heck?"

Xue Chengdao's face darkened, and he felt an urge to curse.

What kind of things did a second-rank marshal do behind enemy lines?

What if something goes wrong?

What if there is an emergency military situation?

When I see that old man, I'll definitely give him a good scolding!

Qin Yu seemed to have guessed Xue Chengdao's thoughts, and said with a laugh, "General Xue, let's enter the city first! I'll tell you about Yan Wujiu's situation while I'm at it."

"good!"

Xue Chengdao nodded, panting heavily.

On the way, Qin Yu told Xue Chengdao about the situation of Yan Wujiu's troops.

After listening to Qin Yu's account, Xue Chengdao pondered for a moment and asked, "How many Yan troops are currently defending Huzhou?"

Qin Yu shook his head and said, "I don't know the exact troop strength, but there should be at least thirty to forty thousand men defending it, right?"

Tiger Prefecture's geographical location is what it is.

Sending 30,000 to 40,000 troops to garrison the area is already considered a small number.

Xue Chengdao thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "It seems our information is correct; Northern Qi has sent troops to assist in the battle!"

"Has the Northern Qi sent troops to assist in the battle?"

Upon hearing this news, Qin Yu was somewhat stunned.

Did Bei Qi not take advantage of the chaos?

Did they really send troops to help in the battle?

Is Murong Wujiang's cultivation level really that high?

Why wouldn't you eat the meat that's already in your mouth?

"right!"

Xue Chengdao nodded: "I received a secret report last night that Bei Qi and Yan have reached a secret agreement. Bei Qi is likely to send troops into Yan through Panshan Pass to assist Yan in its war! It is because of this that I led my troops here early this morning."

He worried that Yan Wujiu would try to lure Qin Yu and his group to Huzhou, fearing that they might be too reckless and fall into a trap.

Fortunately, Qin Yu and the others did not make any rash moves.

Qin Yu lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "So, the Yan army that came from the tiger's mouth was bait?"

Xue Chengdao nodded slightly: "It's also possible that they know you like to infiltrate behind enemy lines, so they deliberately left the defenses of Tiger's Mouth open, waiting for you to plunge in!"

"That's actually quite possible!"

Qin Yu nodded in agreement, but his face was full of confusion. "Isn't the Yan Kingdom afraid of inviting a wolf into their home?"

Xue Chengdao gave him an amused look. "Why are you still thinking about these things at a time like this? For the Yan Kingdom, getting through this immediate crisis is the most important thing!"

"That's true."

Qin Yu smiled.

Desperate times call for desperate measures!

Or, they would rather benefit Beiqi than let Daning have an easy time!

After saying this, Xue Chengdao looked at Qin Yu and said, "By the way, your brother-in-law should have already led his troops to join the 60,000 men escorting the grain supplies to Shangxing!"

Qin Yu was slightly surprised. "Xu Kui is here too? How come he arrived so quickly?"

"That bastard's gone mad!"

Speaking of this, Xue Chengdao wanted to punch someone: "Xu Kui led 20,000 troops, marched all the way to Jiangzhou Jiang'an, and then forcibly requisitioned all the ships of all sizes in Jiang'an to transport soldiers. After arriving in Dingzhou, he marched all the way again..."

It's understandable that Xu Kui is eager to avenge his father, and forcibly requisitioning merchant ships isn't a big deal.

However, except for the section by water, he marched the entire way, which took a heavy toll on his soldiers.

Even if they arrive now, the soldiers will be practically defenseless and will need to rest for a while before they can go back to the battlefield.

What's the difference between this and farting with your pants down?

Fortunately, nothing went wrong on their end.

If something happens to them, and Xu Kui leads his troops on a forced march to get here, it would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths!

Qin Yu suddenly realized what was happening and said righteously, "This is outrageous! I'll speak to Commander Xue on his behalf later!"

"Ha, why don't you say you'll give him a few dozen lashes on my behalf?"

Xue Chengdao glared at Qin Yu with a smile.

They talked all the way to the temporary commander's residence.

As soon as I entered the Marshal's Mansion, I saw Qi Dachui undergoing restorative training.

Upon seeing Liang Hongqiao, Qi Dachui was stunned, clutching a piece of wood used for forging like a big bear.

"What are you looking at!"

Qin Yu glared at Qi Dachui, "Aren't you going to come and greet Commander Xue?"

Qi Dachui snapped out of his daze and quickly stepped forward, clutching the piece of wood in his hands.

"Hey, Hammer, are you trying to kill this old man?"

Xue Chengdao joked.

Qi Dachui suddenly stopped, looking at Xue Chengdao with a puzzled expression and shaking his head, "No!"

Hearing Qi Dachui's words, everyone was speechless.

Liang Hongqiao was also amused by Qi Dachui's appearance, "You blockhead, what are you bowing for while hugging a piece of wood?"

Qi Dachui was taken aback, then realized that he was still holding a piece of wood. He quickly dropped the wood and stepped forward to bow to Xue Chengdao, feeling embarrassed.

"Alright!"

Xue Chengdao waved his hand and asked Qi Dachui, "Are you feeling any better?"

"alright!"

Qi Dachui patted his chest, "I feel completely fine."

"Do you know if anything's wrong?"

Nan Que'er glared at her, "Take it one step at a time, don't overdo it all at once! Otherwise, I won't treat you while you're lying in bed again!"

"oh."

Qi Dachui nodded with a simple smile, but his eyes kept glancing at Liang Hongqiao out of the corner of his eye.

"What the hell are you looking at! It's not like we haven't seen it before!"

Liang Hongqiao noticed Qi Dachui's gaze and teased, "Be careful, or I might call you out on that fight we haven't had yet while you're still recovering!"

"OK!"

Qi Dachui grinned, leaving everyone speechless...