Considering the potential benefits, Qian Sheye nodded slightly. Even if he couldn't seize the opportunity to annex Zhonghang, he could still get Zhonghang to provide plenty of grain and treasures. In any case, fighting in another country was far better than fighting in his own. Therefore, he asked again, "If we were to send troops to rescue Zhonghang, what good strategies do you have, Yi Qing?"
"As the Grand General has already stated in his memorial, he has mobilized troops from various border regions to garrison at Chiling. I estimate that there are approximately 100,000 troops. The envoy from Zhongxing State says that the Chen State bandits who came with Liu Guang have about 100,000 men. In my opinion, Your Majesty should order our army at Chiling to be the vanguard and enter Zhongxing first to relieve Zhongxing's predicament. Then, mobilize about 100,000 troops from the vicinity of the capital, Haiping, as the rear guard. Our army is strong while the bandits are weak. We only need the vanguard to hold off Liu Guang for more than ten days, and then our army can concentrate its strength to defeat Liu Guang in one fell swoop."
"Should we mobilize the troops near the capital?" Qian Sheye pondered for a while. Hong Kingdom was relatively weak. Although it was far superior to small countries like Zhongxing and Bai, its military strength was not strong compared to Heng Kingdom, Lan Kingdom, and the newly rising Huai Kingdom. Its standing army numbered only over 400,000, of which 100,000 had been taken to Chen Kingdom by Ma Jiyou, and another 100,000 remained on the northern border in preparation for the powerful Lan Kingdom. The country's military strength was only 200,000. According to Yi Tong's plan, all 200,000 of these troops would be dispatched. If there were any changes in the rear at this time, he feared that his throne would be somewhat shaky.
"Your Majesty need not worry. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, all directions have been at peace. The Northern Kingdom of Lan has long maintained friendly relations with our dynasty. Your Majesty may wish to transfer 50,000 troops from the northern border to garrison the capital."
Qian Sheye thought it over and over. The Lan Kingdom was indeed very ambitious decades ago, conquering and destroying many small countries in the north. However, in the past ten years or so, apart from occasional battles with the Su Kingdom, they have almost remained inactive. The current king of the Lan Kingdom is greedy and lustful, spending his days indulging in debauchery in the harem. Originally, there was no need to worry about him.
"As you say, the question is, who will be the general of this army of 200,000?"
"Your Majesty, I recommend General Wei Huang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards, as Marshal. What do you think?" Yi Tong breathed a long sigh of relief. Qian Sheye was stubborn and self-willed. If he could be persuaded, then the decision would likely remain unchanged.
"Wei Huang?" Qian Sheye turned to General Wei Huang and asked, "What does Minister Wei think?"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to fight Liu Guang to the death to repay your favor," Wei Huang said resolutely, seemingly not taking the famous Liu Guang seriously.
"Very well, then I'll trouble you, my esteemed minister, to share my burden." Qian Sheye was about to issue an edict when, just then, a eunuch's anxious voice came from outside the Qian Yuan Hall: "Your Majesty, another envoy from the Zhongxing Kingdom has come to see us."
The envoy from Zhongxing Kingdom hurried up from among the warriors into the hall, knelt down, and bowed deeply to Qian Sheye. Qian Sheye was displeased to see his disheveled and flustered appearance.
"Please rise, Your Excellency. May I ask how the war at Zhonghang is progressing?"
"Your Majesty, please have mercy... The old villain Liu Guang breached my capital, Da Dan, five days ago. My lord is currently hiding in Chiling. When I arrived, Liu Guang's vanguard was less than a hundred li away from Chiling!"
"What? That old thief has already conquered Da Dan?" The ministers of Hong Kingdom were all shocked. In such a chaotic world, Zhongxing, a small country, had survived, partly due to the skillful maneuvering of its rulers among the various states, and partly because its capital, Da Dan, was easy to defend and difficult to attack, known as an impregnable city. But Liu Guang conquered Da Dan in just a few days, and his advance was incredibly rapid. He had already entered Chen Kingdom and was approaching Chiling. If Ma Jiyou hadn't made preparations in advance, mobilizing 100,000 soldiers from the border to be stationed near Chiling, Liu Guang would probably have followed closely behind this Zhongxing minister.
"You've come at the perfect time! Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly take Liu Guang's first victory," Wei Huang said in a resounding voice. As a military general, he was brave, but he did not understand Qian Sheye's true intention of using the neighboring country as a battlefield. Therefore, upon hearing that Liu Guang had entered Hong Kingdom, he was even more delighted, thinking that he could soon settle the score with Liu Guang.
The final decision of the court was that Wei Huang would travel to Chiling overnight to command the Hong army there to block Liu Guang, while Qian Sheye would personally lead the expedition after the northern reinforcements arrived, concentrating his forces to defeat Liu Guang in one fell swoop.
When Wei Huang arrived at Chiling, he learned that Liu Guang had attacked three times. Following Ma Jiyou's orders, the Chiling garrison adopted a strategy of remaining unchanged in the face of all changes and repelled these three probing attacks.
"How can I sit idly by and do nothing when that old scoundrel Liu Guang is running rampant on my land?" Wei Huang was furious when he saw these cautious soldiers. He was originally supposed to lead an army of 200,000 men into battle, but he ended up as a vanguard and had to watch his own army's pathetic state on the front lines.
"The General said that the bandit Liu has launched a sudden attack with his elite troops, and the advantage lies in a swift battle. Our army only needs to hold Chiling Pass to the death..."
"Hold on to your deaths, all you know is to wait here for them to die!" Wei Huang sneered. "Chiling Pass can only hold off that old scoundrel Liu Guang for a while. If he spends another ten days or so, he can take Anyi to the east, and then sail down the Hong River from Anyi to Haiping. Are you going to sit here and watch the capital fall?"
Wei Huang's concerns were not entirely unfounded. If Liu Guang were to sail down the river, it would be extremely difficult to stop him given the current military strength near Haiping. However, the biggest drawback of this strategy was that it was too risky. Liu Guang had only brought a little over 100,000 troops to catch Hong Guo and Ma Jiyou off guard. If his isolated army were cut off from their retreat, they would be left with no choice but to await their doom.
Liu Guang stroked his beard and gazed into the distance from the foot of Chiling Pass, having basically made up his mind. For several days, he had sent small groups of men to launch feigned attacks to observe the enemy's response. Now it seemed that the enemy had clearly received orders to hold the pass at all costs and would not easily leave. To defeat the enemy, a direct assault would be too costly. The best method was still to lure them out of their hole.
"Is everything ready?" he asked Han Chong beside him.
"As the commander-in-chief instructed, everything is ready."
"Send the order to break camp and advance eastward." Liu Guang squinted and smiled slightly.
Under the cover of night, the main army broke camp and left. The next day, when the garrison at the pass reported that most of Wei Huang's troops had left, with only a small force making a show of force outside the city, Wei Huang was furious. He said, "I said I would go out of the pass to fight the traitor Liu, and you repeatedly tried to stop me with the orders of the General. Now look what's happened! That old traitor Liu Guang must have gone east to attack Anyi. Anyi is a small city with few soldiers; how can it possibly hold?"
The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. One of them hesitated and said, "I'm afraid Liu's departure is a trap."
"There's definitely a trap. He feigned an attack on Chiling to force the general to gather his troops here, and then used a small force to hold them back while he went to attack Anyi. The only plan now is to first defeat the remaining enemy forces under the city, and then pursue Liu Guang. The enemy army must be exhausted from their long journey, while our army has rested in the city for many days and is in high spirits. We will surely be able to defeat the traitor Chen in one fell swoop!"
The generals wanted to advise Wei Huang to be cautious, but Wei Huang refused to listen and ordered, "Prepare the horses, leave 10,000 men to guard Chiling Pass, and the rest of the soldiers will follow me out of the pass to defeat the enemy!"
"General Wei, please wait. If that old scoundrel Liu Guang is up to no good, he might use a small force to block you after you leave the city, while his main force attacks the pass. I'm afraid 10,000 men will not be able to hold it." A general said, "This humble general is willing to follow you out of the pass to make a name for yourself. But with your great bravery, you can defeat the enemy without a large army. It would be better to leave more troops in the pass to guard against any unforeseen circumstances."
Wei Huang flattered him, his anger subsiding slightly, and said, "You are still cowards after all. Here's what we'll do: I'll lead 30,000 troops out to defeat Chen, the bandit leader, at the pass. If Chen is defeated, you leave 10,000 men to defend the city, and the rest will join me in the pursuit. We'll take advantage of the victory and strike Liu Guang from behind. No matter how many tricks the old thief has up his sleeve, he won't be able to pull them off."
Although the generals were still worried, they dared not say anything more and could only act according to Wei Huang's words.
Wei Huang led 30,000 cavalrymen out of the three gates south of Chiling Pass, charging like three torrents into the dwindling Chen army. The remaining Chen forces numbered less than 30,000, most of whom were soldiers from Zhongxing who had been incorporated into the Chen army after the capture of Zhongxing. Therefore, the Chen army's formation was immediately shattered. Wei Huang's troops maneuvered and penetrated, breaking the enemy into pieces, making it impossible for them to regroup.
"Take this!" Wei Huang roared, his broadsword flashing like the wind, its powerful force slashing at an oncoming enemy general. The general parried with his halberd, but Wei Huang cleaved him in two, halberd and all. Before the general fell, Wei Huang twisted his hands, and the sword slashed horizontally again, decapitating a Chen soldier who was trying to stab his horse with a spear. Then, the sword cleaved another soldier in the shoulder, splitting him in half from shoulder to chest.
"Hahahaha..." Wei Huang was enjoying the killing. Seeing that the enemy's defeat was inevitable and they were starting to scatter, he snorted coldly in his heart. With his bravery, he would eventually surpass Ma Jiyou.
"Order them to pursue and kill them to the east!" He raised his broadsword. If the enemy army retreated eastward, it would prove that Liu Guang had indeed laid an ambush in the east. But the enemy army's scattered and rout was absolutely true, proving that Liu Guang had not made any preparations.
two,
Li Jun reached out and put his arm around Ji Su's supple waist, pulling her closer to him.
Ji Suwei raised her eyelids, a blush rising to her cheeks. Her eyes lingered on the large hand holding her slender waist for a moment before settling on Li Jun's face. Although they had been married for over a month, her shyness remained.
Li Jun took a deep breath, the faint fragrance of Ji Su wafting in the air. He looked around and, seeing no one nearby, couldn't resist pressing his face close to Ji Su's.
"Ji Su, my dear sister." After a long while, he said in a low voice.
"Mmm," Ji Su responded softly.
“Sister Ji Su,” he said again.
"I'm here, just say what you want to say!" Ji Su raised her eyebrows, seemingly about to get angry at him. Li Jun, however, saw three parts feigned anger and seven parts playfulness in her eyes, and chuckled, "It's nothing, I just wanted to call your name."
Ji Su grabbed Li Jun's other hand and pressed it against her face, whispering with a mixture of shyness and deep affection, "Haven't you called me enough yet?"
"How can I ever call you that enough? I'm afraid I could never call you that enough in this lifetime." After marriage, Li Jun seemed to have become much more eloquent, and he was no longer as reserved as before in front of Ji Su. Recalling how silly Li Jun used to be, not knowing where to put his hands and feet if he talked to her for even a few words, a gentle smile appeared on Ji Su's lips: "Silly boy."
Li Jun scratched his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Hehe, you really deserve to be called a fool. If the brothers of the Peace Army heard this, where would you put your face?" Ji Su couldn't help but burst into laughter, her silvery laughter carrying far across the grassland.
"What are you laughing at, girl?" Mo Rong's voice came from afar. "Did that idiot do something stupid again?"