The Prodigal Son

Upon receiving the news that Yan Li had been given a grand funeral by Xiao Yanguang, Qin Yu, who was leading his troops toward Linzhou, felt a pang of sorrow.

Yan Li indeed chose to die for his country.

Both Da Ning and Bei Qi won this great battle.

Only the State of Yan lost.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yanguang buried Yan Li in Yunzhou.

Yunzhou is now part of the territory of Beiqi.

I wanted to go to Yan Li's grave to have a drink with him, but who knows when that will ever happen.

At present, Suhebaoyin has just descended, and it is also winter.

Both Da Ning and Bei Qi have achieved victories, so there is absolutely no need to fight to the death in the dead of winter.

Da Ning's primary task was to consolidate the occupied territories and integrate the troops under Suhe Baoyin.

Beiqi should have also acquired some surrendered soldiers from Huyao. They also need to integrate the surrendered soldiers and deal with the troubles of the newly acquired land.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, both sides should reach an understanding.

If war is to break out, it will probably be sometime after next spring.

In the dead of winter, even marching is troublesome, let alone large-scale warfare.

After a major battle, the number of non-combat casualties may exceed the number of combat casualties.

Xue Chengdao's order to him was to lead his 50,000 troops to seize Linzhou!

If the opportunity arises, we should seize Shengzhou.

However, Xue Chengdao judged that after receiving news of Suhe Baoyin's surrender, Beiqi would likely seize Shengzhou first, hoping to bring Shengzhou, Xiazhou, Liaozhou, and Bozhou into Beiqi's territory.

The Northern Qi had a large number of cavalry, most of whom could not outrun the Northern Qi.

If Bei Qi seizes Shengzhou ahead of time, then they will move into Linzhou.

Sending a large army to Linzhou was to prepare for war after the spring warmed up.

They wanted to push Beiqi's power back north of Panjiang before Beiqi could fully establish itself.

From then on, Daning and Beiqi used the Panjiang River as the boundary line between their territories on this side.

This can minimize the possibility of a major war breaking out between the two sides.

Both Xue Chengdao and Qin Fumeng wanted to deal with the State of Chu first before confronting their mortal enemy, the State of Beiqi.

Northern Qi is a vast territory with abundant warhorse resources, and Empress Murong has been working hard to govern the country since she ascended the throne.

The possibility of defeating Bei Qi in one battle is almost zero.

However, Beiqi also has its shortcomings.

The territory of Beiqi is vast, and the two regions in the north and south of Beiqi implement two different systems.

The overall system in the south was similar to that of the Da Ning and Yan states, but in the north, the Mo Le people had maintained a tribal system for thousands of years.

The various tribes in the rear of Beiqi could launch a rebellion at any time.

The most fatal weakness of Beiqi is its poor ability to withstand natural disasters.

A major locust plague, snowstorm, or drought could significantly weaken the power of Northern Qi and even cause serious internal strife.

If you want to attack Beiqi, it's best to wait until Beiqi suffers from natural disasters or man-made calamities before launching an attack.

Qin Yu did not follow the Wudang Flying Army as the vanguard, but instead stayed with the main force carrying a large amount of provisions.

Escorting grain supplies is really slow!

When their army set off from Pangzhou, the troops previously stationed in Yanzhou were already escorting provisions towards Linzhou.

As a result, they caught up with the grain transport team by marching lightly equipped, and it was estimated that it would take them another three days to reach Linzhou Prefecture.

"It's so cold today..."

Nan Que'er rode alongside Qin Yu, feeling the biting cold wind, and couldn't help but tighten her fur coat.

"Who can argue with that?"

Looking at the steam rising from his breath, Qin Yu called Qin Xiong over and ordered, "Order all units to stop and rest in half an hour!"

"yes!"

Qin Xiong accepted the order.

After instructing Qin Xiong, Qin Yu looked at Zhu Songlan, who was accompanying the army, with a smile, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Zhu Songlan was slightly taken aback, then laughed to himself, "I suddenly feel that life at the Linhai Saltworks isn't so bad after all."

Although the salt fields in Linhai are tough, they are never as cold as they are now, even at their coldest times.

Even with gloves and hoods, the cold wind still felt like knives were cutting their faces.

One can imagine how cold it must have been for those soldiers who didn't have these things.

But for the Yan Kingdom, this is not even the coldest time yet.

I heard that it gets really cold after December.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Qin Yu smirked and joked, "How about I send you back to the Linhai Saltworks?"

"No, let's not."

Zhu Songlan laughed heartily, "Those in official positions, no matter what, have it much more comfortable than those below them!"

"Otherwise, why would so many people want to be officials? Look at the Yan Kingdom, even with such a great disaster, the officials didn't starve to death!"

Qin Yu smiled casually, then suddenly changed the subject, "I'm not asking you which is more comfortable, the past or the present. I'm asking you, after all this busy work, what are your thoughts?"

Zhu Songlan paused slightly, then said solemnly, "Now I understand why His Majesty entrusted me to Commander Qin."

"Oh?"

Qin Yu immediately became interested, "Tell me about it."

Speaking of this, Zhu Songlan couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly and slowly said, "I am arrogant and think that no one can do things as well as I can. I like to take on everything myself. I can do things but I don't know how to use people."

"But after joining the army, I realized that I wasn't as capable as I thought."

"If I were to take on everything and do it all myself, I wouldn't care if I worked myself to death, but if I dragged down the soldiers or missed a crucial opportunity, my sin would be far greater..."

Zhu Songlan had long understood Zhao Luan's purpose in handing him over to Qin Yu.

Over this period of time, he has become deeply aware of his problems and is working hard to make changes.

Sometimes, you really shouldn't take yourself too seriously.

He used to be able to do everything himself because those things were small and few.

But the affairs of the military, especially logistics, are incredibly numerous and are crucial to the entire war effort.

Knowing people and using them wisely is the key to achieving twice the result with half the effort!

Hearing Zhu Songlan's words, Qin Yu couldn't help but smile.

correct!

That's exactly what I mean!

"Now that you understand, what are your plans for the future?"

Qin Yu asked again.

"This humble official wishes to remain in the army and lead troops!"

Zhu Songlan answered without hesitation.

Hearing Zhu Songlan's words, the people around Qin Yu all looked surprised.

Zhu Songlan was a civil official!

It's not that Da Ning lacks civil officials who can lead troops, but they are indeed pitifully few!

If it were just a small-scale war, he could sit back and command from the rear.

But in the event of a large-scale war, the commander-in-chief has to take up his sword and go to kill the enemy.

The chances of a civil official surviving on the battlefield are too slim.

Most civilian officials in the military, like Shangguan Xun, were in charge of logistics and supplies.

Why?

Qin Yu was also very curious.

Zhao Luan sees Zhu Songlan as a future prime minister!

Instead, he thought of leading troops on the battlefield.

Isn't this utter nonsense?

Zhu Songlan smiled, "There's no particular reason, I just wanted to do something spectacular!"

"Forget about leading troops! You're not suited for the military."

Qin Yu said earnestly, "Personally, I think you are more suited to shining in the imperial court."

"No! This humble official is not suited for the imperial court!"

Zhu Songlan shook his head slightly, "This humble official is not used to the intrigue and backstabbing of the court, nor does he understand the intricacies of the court. Even a dragon among men like Commander Qin is unwilling to stand in the court, let alone this humble official."

"Forehead……"

Qin Yu hadn't expected Zhu Songlan to turn the tables on him, and casually laughed, "I'm just lazy!"

Zhu Songlan smiled upon hearing this, "This humble official is actually quite lazy."

"Don't even think about being lazy! You don't have my kind of luck!"

Qin Yu glanced at Zhu Songlan with a smile, "Let's finish what we're doing now! Come back to the capital with me later; His Majesty has other plans for you!"