Chapter 519 Three Days Later, the City Burns in Flames (Happy Lantern Festival)

What? Nothing?

Upon hearing this, Xue Shence and Sun Xiaozhun were stunned, and puzzled: "What does Mo Zhaorong mean by this?"

Behind the two men, the local generals and officials who pleaded guilty, either voluntarily or passively, all looked confused because the two "main generals" took the initiative to admit their guilt.

Mo Chou glanced at the faces around her, smiled, and said, "Don't you two want to ask how we knew the capital was under attack?"

After a brief pause, she answered:

“On the way, we accidentally rescued a shadow guard and learned that the main force of the rebels was attacking the city and that they had sent additional cavalry to break through the defenses.

Commander Zhao made a judgment, suspecting that the rebels were heading for the Taicang Silver Mine, and so he led a team of light cavalry ahead of time to quell the rebellion.

Is this really the case? Has Zhao Duan gone to provide assistance?

Xue Shence and Sun Xiaozhun were startled at first, and then a feeling of surprise welled up in their hearts:

With Zhao Duan's ability and setting off early, it is indeed possible to stop the thieves from destroying the mine.

The rest of the people couldn't help but show relief and surprise on their faces for having "survived the disaster".

If something happens to the silver mine, someone will always have to take the blame. However, if the matter is reported to the court at a time when people are needed, Xue Shence and Sun Xiaozheng may not be in trouble, but the people working under them will be more likely to be dragged out and convicted.

That King of Hell, Zhao, had already acted like a giant umbrella, shielding them from disaster before they even arrived.

Of course, everything was just speculation at the moment and had yet to be confirmed. Even if the silver mine was still destroyed, Zhao Duan's initiative to go there meant that the "commander-in-chief" had taken on a significant portion of the responsibility.

By chance, they all silently felt grateful to Zhao Du'an.

"Governor Sun, please arrange for the two battalions of reinforcements to enter the city to rest. I will go to the west gate to wait for Governor Zhao to return victoriously." Xue Shence said.

Sun Xiaozhun responded and made a "please" gesture to Shi Meng, Yuan Feng and others.

Mo Chou said, "In that case, I will go with Privy Councilor Xue."

The Taicang silver mine is in the west. If Zhao Duan returns, he must return through the west city gate.

When Zhao Duan arrived at the city gate on horseback, he saw from afar that the gate was wide open and a group of figures were waiting. When he got closer and saw their faces clearly, his tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Envoy Xue, it's been a long time since we last met in the capital!"

Xue Shence was dressed in military uniform. Unlike the military officer robe with a lion embroidered on the chest he wore in the capital, the breastplate on the chest of his armor was carved with the head of a strange beast.

He looks to be in his forties or fifties, with fair skin and a short beard. Although he looks much more haggard than before, one can still vaguely see the arrogant demeanor of the "God of War of Dayu".

"I haven't seen you for a few months, and you're even better than before!" Xue Shence was not good at boasting or being polite, so this compliment was his limit. He looked at Zhao Duan carefully, sighing with emotion:

"I heard that the governor escorted His Majesty back to the capital over a thousand miles and even defeated Prince Heng. I cannot match his achievements."

From now on, if anyone says that you, Old Xue, can't flatter others, I'll get angry with him... Zhao Duan smiled, threw the reins to his subordinates, walked over, nodded to Mo Chou again, restrained his smile, and got straight to the point:

"It seems the city is safe, so I'm relieved. I've already wiped out the rebels who wanted to blow up the silver mine. Now I'm leaving Tang Ping and others there to prevent any further accidents.

Furthermore, the rebels destroyed Songjiazhuang and attempted to burn the farmland. By the time I arrived, it was too late. I only had time to wipe them out. Where is Sun Xiaozhun? As the prefect, he will have to worry about the aftermath of this incident."

Kill farmers and burn farmland?

Xue Shence, Mo Chou and others frowned, but during the war, such things were inevitable, and they were more concerned about the safety of the silver mine.

"Prefect Sun has deployed reinforcements in the city, and the generals who were previously dispersed to the surrounding granaries have also returned one after another," Xue Shence said.

"Please come with me to the government office to discuss the next steps to defeat the bandits."

Zhao Duan nodded:

"Master Xue, just call me Envoy. We are officials in the same court, so there is no need to be estranged."

Xue Shence shook his head and said seriously:

"There's no joking in the army. Since you're the commander-in-chief, you should address me like that."

This guy is publicly expressing that he has no second thoughts and showing his loyalty to the court... Zhao Duan's eyes fluctuated and he nodded:

"Just call me Master Xue, as it comes to your lips."

…

…

Huaishui Road, Baihua Village.

Wearing patched clothes, with his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, carrying a wooden sword on his back and holding a whisk, the Guhuo Zhenren walked in the sea of ​​flowers.

The footsteps are hurried.

Looking up, the sea of ​​flowers that used to grow beautifully has become much more messy and unkempt because the villagers have fled in recent days and no one has taken care of it.

He ignored the empty houses in Baihua Village, nor did he visit the house where the empress and Zhao Duan practiced dual cultivation. Instead, after confirming again and again that he was not being targeted by anyone, he quickly walked up the back mountain.

Following the mountain path, we arrived at the dilapidated temple hidden in the barren mountains.

"Fortunately, the formation is still there."

Guhuo Zhenren pulled up a stone pillar from the corner of the courtyard. Seeing the illusion slowly dissipate, his tense heartstrings relaxed, and a smile appeared on his gloomy face:

"You're scaring yourself. Even a celestial being wouldn't be able to discover the uniqueness of this place without searching for it. It seems to be just a coincidence."

The old Taoist priest flicked his whisk, walked through the dusty and dilapidated Taoist temple in his cloth shoes, reached the depths, and flipped the switch.

With a heavy "creasing" sound, the stone wall slowly opened up a secret passage, leading to one of the treasure houses he had created with years of hard work.

"Huh?" When Guhuo Zhenren walked down the stairs, he finally realized that something was wrong. The ground was too clean and the dust shouldn't be so thin.

But when he walked into the secret room, his pupils suddenly narrowed, and the whisk in his hand fell to the ground with a "click". The old Taoist staggered, stepped back several steps, covered his heart with his right hand, his face dull, and rubbed his eyes in disbelief!

But the treasure house that should have been "full of treasures" is now empty, with not a single hair left!

"my darling!……"

Guhuo Zhenren let out a heart-wrenching wail, as if struck by lightning, his face turned pale. Suddenly, as if he thought of something, he suddenly opened another secret door in the secret room and entered a hidden patio.

There is a hot spring here, with a mature black and white tree planted in it. However, the hot spring pool has long dried up, and the mysterious creature with jade leaves has been uprooted long ago, leaving only a few "leaves" that have lost their spiritual power, dried up and cracked on the ground.

The old Taoist priest slumped to the ground, the light in his eyes gradually fading away:

The sky is falling.

…

…

Taicang Prefecture Government Office is located in the north-center of the city. The building is magnificent and has an official style.

In the inner courtyard of the yamen, in a house that was temporarily used as the "front-line headquarters", generals and high-ranking officials in the city gathered and sat down in order of rank.

The atmosphere was restless and filled with the tension of war.

Zhao Duan, as the "Grand Commander-in-Chief of Quelling the Rebellion" bestowed by the empress, is equivalent to a governor and holds a key position, being the nominal "number one" chief of the Western Front Theater.

Mo Chou, who had deliberately changed back into her official robes, donned a wingless black gauze, and adorned her brows with plum blossom makeup, sat beside him. She was the "Deputy Military Inspector."

On Zhao Duan’s right, Xue Shence was sitting upright in armor, expressionless, and intimidating without even getting angry.

On the left, the prefect Sun Xiaozheng sat upright, taking off his black gauze hat and putting it back on his head.

——With his position as a fourth-rank prefect, he should have been ranked behind the commander of the Beijing camp, but because he was the chief officer of the prefecture and also the unspoken rule in the court that civil officials of the same rank were half a level higher than military generals, he was ranked third.

Further down were Shi Meng, Yuan Feng, some military officers under Xue Shence, and local civil officials in the prefectural capital.

Zhao Duan glanced over and saw that most of them were familiar faces. He coughed lightly and spoke first:

"This governor, following the order of His Majesty, has led reinforcements here to quell the rebellion.

As for Taicang Prefecture, I was here last year, and many of my colleagues here should still remember it. I won't bother with unnecessary greetings or nonsense. This governor is a newcomer, and I'm not very clear about the situation on the front line.

Today's meeting is to discuss the subsequent matters of suppressing the rebellion, and it will be presided over by Privy Councilor Xue."

Xue Shence nodded, pointed to a sand table placed in the center of the hall, and explained:

"The current situation is roughly like this. The Huai River is split in two. Prince Mu of Yunfu is now taking root along the Huai River. Intelligence shows that Prince Mu is networking with some of the Huai River nobles to raise military funds, and he is planning to build a second Prince Mu's Palace on the Huai River."

He moved his finger forward to the junction of Huaishui and Linfeng, pointed at a small flag there, and said in a deep voice:

"The commander stationed here is Zhao Shixiong, the commander of the Southwestern Border Army. This name is familiar to all of you. He is also the most formidable opponent among the Yunfu rebels. However, after the news of Your Majesty's return to the capital spread, Zhao Shixiong stopped his march north and is now consolidating the territory."

Finally, he moved his finger forward again, to a county town called "Ning'an" in Linfeng Road, and said slowly:

"This is the headquarters of Su Dan, the vanguard general of the rebels. Su Dan is stationed in the city. To the northeast of Ning'an County, there is another county called Wenshui, where his small Centaur force is stationed. They form a corner with Ning'an County, and they look after each other.

The general stationed here is Su Dan's brother-in-law. With Wenshui County as a bridgehead, several surrounding villages and towns have small-scale rebel groups, led by Su Dan's close associates.

Zhao Duan looked down at the sand table map and immediately understood the geographical pattern.

Sun Xiaozhun was full of energy and said, rubbing his hands:

"Because there are few soldiers in the city, holding on has been difficult, so we haven't been able to launch a counterattack yet. However, now that Commander Zhao has arrived with two large battalions, and with Lord Xue in command, a counterattack to retake Ning'an and Fenshui is a foregone conclusion!"

Everyone nodded secretly at this conclusion.

It's not blind confidence, but it's natural.

Once the reinforcements arrived, the situation reversed. Now Taicang City has many soldiers and strong generals, so it may be extremely difficult to defeat Zhao Shixiong, but if they can't even deal with Su Dan, everyone present should die to apologize.

Shi Meng suddenly looked worried and asked, "But will Prince Jing give us time?"

He met the gazes of his comrades and said seriously:

"The army has set out. Prince Jing on the eastern front will undoubtedly know about it. It will also take some time for the Privy Councilor to arrive on the western front. If the Jiancheng Dao rebels launch a large-scale rebellion at this time, destabilizing the eastern front and thus tying up our forces, how should we respond?"

Zhao Duan didn't say anything, but turned to look at Xue Shence, wanting to hear the answer from this "God of War".

The most embarrassing situation of fighting on two fronts appeared: there was King Mu in the west and King Jing in the east.

The imperial army had a chance of winning against either side alone, but was unable to deal with both at the same time.

Yuan Feng also echoed:

"Now that the two princes have formed an alliance, they are well aware of the principle that if one loses the other, the other's teeth will be cold. Therefore, Prince Jing can't just sit back and watch us fight the Yunfu rebels with all our might."

Xue Shence's expression remained unchanged, he had already made up his mind, and said in a firm tone:

"In my opinion, Prince Jing will not cause any trouble until the territory swallowed up by Linfeng Dao is completely recovered."

He turned his gaze towards Zhao Duan and explained:

“Prince Jing and Prince Mu are indeed allies, but this alliance is very fragile. While neither side wants to see the other annihilated, they also absolutely do not want to see the other side become stronger than themselves.

Prince Jing is now firmly defending the territory he conquered along the Huai River and has not set foot in Linfeng, while Prince Mu has already taken over part of Linfeng's territory. Under these circumstances, Prince Jing is likely to seek the help of the imperial court to weaken the Yunfu rebels.

Sun Xiaozhun also nodded, agreeing with this judgment:

"The Privy Councilor has been at the western front for some time now. Prince Jing must have known about the reinforcements leaving the capital long ago, but the lack of any action on the eastern front shows their stance."

This is an ugly power struggle... Zhao Duan sighed lightly and shook his head in ridicule.

If the two vassal kings worked together, the imperial court would really be unable to do anything to them, and even their titles might have been lost long ago.

But the problem is that it is impossible for the two vassal kings to be "united", and the so-called cooperation and alliance are only out of necessity.

He pondered:

"So, you two think that Prince Jing actually hopes that we can weaken some of Prince Mu's military power?"

Xue Shence nodded seriously:

"I guess the limit that Prince Jing can accept is for us to take back the Linfeng territory, including Ning'an County. But if we want to go further and continue to attack Huaishui, Prince Jing will no longer sit idly by."

Zhao Duan tapped the table lightly with his fingers to attract everyone's attention. He smiled and said:

"This is a good thing. The enemy has a grudge, so we can take advantage of it. With such a piece of fat meat right in front of our mouths, there is no reason not to eat it. In this case, we should counterattack as soon as possible, recapture Ning'an County, and drive out the rebels."

Shi Meng smiled and said:

"Commander-in-Chief, let our Divine Machine Battalion handle the battle to capture the city. This will give these thieves a taste of the power of muskets and artillery."

New firearms... Everyone in the hall's eyes lit up. They were also quite curious about the new firearms that destroyed the Qingzhou rebels.

Yuan Feng said:

"Firearms are indeed powerful, but times have changed. The enemy must be on guard. Using firearms now will no longer be as effective. When it comes to land combat, my Fifth Army Battalion is more adept."

The last defeat made him feel very angry and he wanted to make a contribution to show off his achievements.

"You two lords have come from afar, your troops are exhausted, and you don't know this place well. It would be better for you to hold the fortress, and we will be the vanguard."

A strange officer stood up. He was a local general from Taicang Prefecture. He had been sent to guard the granary and had hurried back not long ago.

Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows. The battle hadn't even started yet, but a group of people started vying for a spot to fight.

Sun Xiaozhun tried to smooth things over and said with a wry smile:

"Everyone, please don't fight over it. Taking the city won't be easy. You know, the enemy general Su Dan is best at defending the city. Although we have troops now, we still need to take a long-term approach if we want to recapture the lost territory."

Chen Gui, the chief officer of the Firearms Bureau, stroked his beard and spoke:

"What's there to fear from a mere county wall? Just give me ten cannons and a suitable location, and I can blow the walls apart!"

After the battle of Qingzhou, Chen Huoshen was a little arrogant and wanted to attack anyone he saw with his cannon.

Xue Shence glanced at him and said calmly:

"I have no doubt about the power of the Shenjiying artillery, but what if Su Danruo escorts a large number of civilians to the city walls? I've read his resume and he's done something similar before."

This... The complacent Chen Huoshen was stuck and unable to answer.

If civilians were used in the front and the city was bombarded with firearms... the result can be imagined. This disgusting method could not deal with the bandits, but it happened to restrain the imperial army.

As long as the imperial court dared to fire, the princes in various places would start to spread propaganda crazily, causing the legitimacy of imperial power to be shaken.

You must know that the court’s strongest “weapon” today is not the army, but orthodoxy.

The empress has announced to the world that all the princes are rebels, and once the court starts to bombard the people, the empress will become a tyrant who should be punished.

"Absolutely not! Firearms can only be used against rebels. Never rashly open the city!"

Mo Chou, who had remained silent the entire time, spoke firmly in a tone that brooked no refusal.

The role of the "military supervisor" is reflected at this time.

Xue Shence nodded immediately:

"With our military strength, it's only a matter of time to recapture the lost territory. At most, it will take some effort, but there's no need to resort to such means."

Everyone agreed, and the tone of the meeting was about to be set.

Suddenly, a general rushed in from outside the hall and interrupted the meeting:

"Report! Scouts ahead have sent word that enemy General Su Dan has ordered Ning'an and Wenshui counties to prepare for burning the city. Although no action has been taken yet, they are stockpiling tung oil, charcoal, thatch, and other supplies!"

What?! Preparing to burn the city?

This news was like a bomb, suddenly changing the originally calm atmosphere of the meeting!

"Speak clearly! Speak clearly quickly! Su Dan wants to burn the city?!" A general stood up and asked loudly.

Xue Shence and others also looked on.

The general who reported the news was sweating profusely and stammered:

"Some of our scouts are lurking in Ning'an County, gathering intelligence. They just sent back news that when Su Dan ordered the attack on the city today, he also distributed a copy of the 'Twelve Detailed Rules for Burning the City', establishing strict regulations.

This involves meeting four 'signals' simultaneously, so that the enemy will burn down the towns in all occupied areas at the same time.

Meanwhile, the enemy was busy transporting food, money, and other supplies from the two counties to the Huai River. Judging from their behavior, they knew they couldn't stop us, so they were already preparing to evacuate.

The whole audience was silent!

Zhao Duan's face was expressionless, and a word suddenly popped up in his mind:

Scorched earth strategy!

Even though he didn't understand military affairs in his previous life, he was familiar with this tactic, which roughly means:

Once the enemy is too strong and the troops are unable to hold their territory, they will burn all local resources into a scorched earth before evacuating, leaving nothing for the enemy. In this way, even if the enemy captures the city, they will not get any supplies.

This is a classic tactic of "trading space for time". Zhao Duan had seen many successful cases using this strategy in his previous life.

However, he did not expect that this "juren general" would be so decisive!

"I see... No wonder I saw the rebels burning the fields when I went to the silver mine. Now it seems this is part of Su Dan's overall strategy...

He knew that once the reinforcements arrived, the territory they had taken would have to be reclaimed, so before we arrived, he launched a massive attack on the city, trying his best to destroy the mines and granaries... At the same time, he arranged for people to move the looted resources to the rear, and then prepared to burn the city..."

"And with the city, they could have defended it to the death, stalling for time until the resources were delivered, or abandoned it if they couldn't hold it anymore... What a determined person!"

Zhao Duan took a deep breath and gained a deeper understanding of this "juren general" whose name he had only seen on paper.

Mo Chou's expression changed, and she said anxiously:

"What should we do next? We don't have much time left! If we continue to nibble away at them bit by bit, taking steady steps, we'll give them enough time to prepare for an evacuation."

The situation changes again!

The good situation suddenly turned bad again!

Although a strong artillery attack can achieve a quick victory, the enemy is willing to burn down the city and definitely does not mind using civilians as shields.

However, without using firearms, it would be difficult to regain lost territory in a short period of time.

The atmosphere was solemn, everyone's face was gloomy, and an atmosphere of anxiety began to spread!

"Why not send a master to assassinate the enemy general? We have quite a few masters in cultivation now." Someone suggested.

"No! Do you think the enemy generals don't have the means to resist the strongest in the world? Moreover, every general is smart. As long as the main general is killed and the signal is sent, I'm afraid that cities will start burning everywhere immediately!" Someone retorted.

"Sir, leave it to me. I'll charge out of the city immediately. While the enemy hasn't reacted, perhaps we can..."

"They have walls to defend! How can attacking a city be easy?"

"In my opinion, it should be..."

For a moment, the hall was noisy and chaotic. Various ideas were put forward but quickly suppressed.

Xue Shence raised his hand to suppress the noise. His expression was extremely solemn, but his voice remained steady:

"Don't worry. Su Dan won't abandon his territory unless he's desperate. King Mu won't agree to that either! From what I know about him, he'll definitely try to fight us. Only when he can't hold on will he resort to scorched earth. So we still have time."

After a pause, he glanced at everyone:

"Three days! It will take them at least three days to complete the preparations for burning the city!

Everyone stay and discuss this together. Before tomorrow, we must come up with at least three strategies for a smooth counterattack in the shortest possible time!"

He turned to Sun Xiaozhun:

"Prefect Sun, I'd like to trouble you to take care of all the affairs in the city."

Sun Xiaozhun nodded vigorously, and the dark and thin prefect's hair seemed to have become even whiter.

Xue Shence looked at Zhao Duan and Mo Chou again, and said with shame:

"Commander Zhao..."

Zhao Duan stood up and said calmly:

"I don't know how to lead troops in battle, so I won't participate in the specific tactical arrangements. I'll go back and rest. I've been ordered to supervise the army, and the specific battle arrangements will be decided by Privy Councilor Xue."

He knew very well how terrible it was for an outsider to guide the insiders, so he made it clear that he would not interfere in specific matters.

Xue Shence gave him a grateful look.

Zhao Duan turned his head and looked at Mo Chou who was still sitting there:

"And you?"

Mo Chou bit her lip and said, "I'll listen here for a while, you go and rest first."

He spoke as if you could understand what he was saying here... Zhao Duan shook his head and walked out alone.

No one watched him leave. Even generals of the Shenji Camp, such as Shi Meng and Chen Gui, were sitting in front of the sand table, concentrating on discussing tactics around Xue Shence.

The voices were loud and lively, but they had nothing to do with Zhao Duan.

Even though he defeated the Qingzhou army, everyone knew that it was the credit of firearms. Therefore, as long as the Shenji Camp was there and Chen Gui was here, it would be enough.

However, when faced with the decision-making and operation on a real battlefield, the difficult and almost impossible task of regaining as much lost territory as possible within three days was encountered.

Everyone's attention will only be focused on Xue Shence.

Place your hopes on this "God of War of Dayu".

Just like when the enemy is attacking a city, as long as they see Xue Shence's figure like a flag on the top of the city wall, the morale of the army will be stabilized.

On the front battlefield, the "God of War" is the real protagonist.

The discussions behind him were getting farther and farther away. When Zhao Duan stepped out of the gate of the "command center" courtyard, he stopped briefly, turned his head to look back at the "conference room" in the depths, and looked up to see that dark clouds had covered the sky without him noticing.

He whispered softly:

"Three days later, will the city be consumed by flames?"

"Oh, that's interesting."

——

ps: Happy Lantern Festival everyone

(End of this chapter)