Chapter 510 Siblings on the Battlefield (Second Update)

The Gu family army began preparing for the siege yesterday, but apart from Gu Changqing and a few others, no one knew which city they were going to attack.

According to information gathered by Gu family scouts, the Chen army predicted that Gu Changqing would attack Beiyang City first, and Ye City had already begun to reinforce Beiyang City.

“That’s good. Lingguan City’s 30,000 troops are no match for us.” In the tent, the right commander said, “Moreover, Beiyang City is farther from Lingguan City than Ye City. If the Chen army really goes to Beiyang City, then even if they realize they’ve been tricked, they probably won’t be able to turn back to reinforce Lingguan City in time.”

Gu Changqing looked at the city on the sand table and estimated the distance between them in his mind.

Beiyang City, Lingguan City, Yuegu City, and Ye City occupy the four cardinal directions: north, south, west, and east. Beiyang City is located in the north, facing Lingguan City to the south, and they are far apart.

However, it's not that far from Beiyang City to Yuegu City in the west.

If they realize they've been tricked, their first action won't be to reinforce Lingguan City, but rather to lead their army to attack Yuegu City.

After sharing their analysis, the two commanders on the left and right disagreed on how many troops to deploy.

The right commander said, "If we mobilize all our forces and eliminate them as quickly as possible, we can return just as quickly as the Chen army."

Commander Zuo said, "Yuegu City is eighty li away from Lingguan City, and also eighty li away from Beiyang City. As soon as we attack the city, Beiyang City will receive a message by carrier pigeon. How long will the attack take? By the time we turn back, it will probably be too late."

The right commander said passionately, "Then let's fight another battle! Let's take back Moon City!"

The Left Commander said solemnly, "But the people in the city will suffer from the flames of war, and the wounded and the garrison will be slaughtered."

The right commander fell silent.

Although his fighting style was aggressive, he did not disregard the lives of the people and the soldiers on the border.

Gu Changqing remained silent.

Today, he inquired about the terrain of this area from Master Hu and Prefect Cheng at the Prefect's residence. He learned that the distance from Yuegu City to Beiyang City and to Lingguan City is indeed the same. However, compared to Yuegu City, Lingguan City is on higher ground and Beiyang City is on lower ground. They returned by descending the mountain, while the Chen army came by ascending the mountain, so the speed was different.

If they attack the city quickly enough, they will be able to meet the Chen army outside Yuegu City.

So now he faces two choices—to launch a full-scale attack, quickly capture Lingguan City, and then rush back to confront the Chen army, or to leave a portion of his forces in Yuegu City and fight on both sides simultaneously.

If it's the second scenario, then it involves the question of how many troops the Chen army will actually deploy.

Is it 30,000 or 50,000?

In the end, Gu Changqing chose to leave some troops in Yuegu City. After all, soldiers traveling back and forth would be less effective and would increase losses and casualties. It would be better to fight both cities simultaneously. The soldiers in Yuegu City would be well-rested and ready to fight. Although they might not have the advantage in numbers, they would certainly have the upper hand in terms of combat strength.

Gu Changqing paused for a moment and said, "Moreover, it's not necessarily true that we are at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. Beiyang City and Ye City always need to be guarded by soldiers. They are also afraid that if we capture Lingguan City, we will immediately attack Beiyang City or Ye City. Currently, the combined strength of the two cities is 80,000. Each city must retain at least 20,000 troops, so the maximum number of troops they can deploy is 40,000."

After discussing with Tang Yueshan and his grandfather, the three agreed to leave 30,000 Gu family troops to deal with the Chen army, while the rest of the troops that could be mobilized would go with Gu Changqing to attack Lingguan City.

In war, injuries are a constant occurrence, so a doctor is essential.

This medical team actually included many skilled doctors from the common people, but amidst the smoke of war and the lurking dangers, Gu Changqing only selected twenty people from the court's medical officials.

Gu Jiao was in the entourage, not as a doctor; she had to go and notify the patients in the village to evacuate.

Although what I told Xiao Shitou was that he would just have someone deliver a message and that Xiao Shitou would lead the people to evacuate.

But how could Gu Jiao possibly let a group of patients escape in the freezing cold?

It could kill someone.

Gu Chengfeng had just been officially appointed as a member of the Gu Family Army, and he was so excited that it felt like a million ants were crawling inside him. He tossed and turned in bed, occasionally letting out silly laughs, which woke Tang Yueshan up.

Tang Yueshan, who used to be terrified of the steamed buns when he first saw them, is now quite calm about it.

This kid's gone mad; he goes crazy seven or eight times a day.

Gu Chengfeng had no appetite for dinner, his mind was focused on attacking Lingguan City. He felt that he was now part of the Gu family army and could not sit idly by; he had to go to war too!

He decisively removed the bandage from his arm and strode out, but before he could even take one step, he was blocked by Doctor Song.

Doctor Song said impartially, "Miss Gu said that no one is allowed to leave this room!"

"I'm not afraid of you. Do you want to give me a shot? Come on, come on, come on!" Gu Chengfeng stuck his butt out in front of him.

Dr. Song said expressionlessly, "I'll deduct one bottle of hair growth serum from your prescription."

Gu Chengfeng was struck dumb!

I've been so busy fighting lately that I've completely forgotten about the hair growth serum!

Gu Chengfeng, who fears nothing and no one, including injections, ultimately succumbed to the allure of a hair growth serum...

After dinner, Gu Changqing led the Gu family army on their way, while the Left Commander and 30,000 Gu family soldiers remained to guard Yuegu City.

Snowstorm raged, and the roads were treacherous.

After a whole night of trekking, the Gu family army finally arrived near Lingguan City.

The heavy snow had not yet stopped, and the army took refuge in a mountain forest.

Gu Changqing gave the order for the barracks to rest on the spot.

Lingguan City is on the east side of the mountain, while they are on the west side, and the thick snow and wind cover them, so even if they start a fire, they won't be discovered.

Gu Jiao was about to go find Xiao Shitou.

The brother and sister had discussed the details of the matter beforehand. Considering the overall situation, Gu Changqing could not leave the team before the battle, but he had accompanying secret guards. He handed over all six secret guards to Gu Jiao.

Even before setting off, Gu Jiao had selected several women in Yuegu City who knew needlework and had them make several sets of protective gowns using oiled paper.

There's no need to trouble them with gloves and masks; we have plenty in the first-aid kit.

She only had one pair of goggles, but she would be putting masks on the plague patients in a little while, so it wasn't a big problem.

Gu Changqing looked at Gu Jiao, who was carrying a small medicine box and a red-tasseled spear: "Are you leaving?"

Gu Jiao nodded: "I'll meet you after I take them to a safe place."

"Okay." Gu Changqing looked at her steadily, his eyes filled with the worry and reluctance of an elder brother, but at the same time he also understood Gu Jiao's capabilities. He tidied her hair and said, "Take care of yourself."

"I will."

If she doesn't take care of herself, she won't get any of those little perks.

Because they needed to pass through a checkpoint, the group didn't ride horses. Instead, the guards used their light-footed skills to carry Gu Jiao through the night.

About half an hour later, the group arrived at their destination.

Gu Jiao stopped outside the wooden bridge, took out gloves, masks and temporary isolation gowns from her small basket, and helped them put them on. She also got fully dressed herself.

One of the guards was to go scout ahead.

Gu Jiao called out to him, "I'll go first, you guys wait for me here."

The guards all nodded.

Gu Jiao went to the assassin's cabin first and gently knocked on the door.

There was a sound of someone getting up inside the room; the movement was swift and indicated that they were very alert.

Gu Jiao nodded secretly; Little Stone's vigilance was quite good.

"It's me," she said softly.

"Dr. Gu!" Shen Xuan hurriedly opened the door for her.

Gu Jiao slipped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. Using the faint moonlight filtering through the crack, she asked him, "Have you been taking your medicine on time these past two days?"

"Yes, yes!" Shen Xuan nodded hurriedly. "I feel much better!"

"Where are the others?" Gu Jiao asked.

Shen Xuan said, "They have also been taking their medicine on time. Most of them are improving, just like me, but some people haven't changed much."

"It's not working?" Gu Jiao frowned slightly and said, "The effects of medicine vary from person to person. Let's observe for two more days. If it still doesn't work, I'll switch them to other medicines."

She left streptomycin and a sulfonamide drug last time; she'll check the medicine box later to see if there's tetracycline or chloramphenicol.

Gu Jiao said to Shen Xuan, "Let's not talk about this for now. There's going to be a war in Lingguan City. I'll take you away first."

Shen Xuan waved his hand: "Doctor Gu, you should leave quickly. I'll take them and hide in the mountains. I guarantee no one will find us!"

Gu Jiao looked at him and said, "They have hunting dogs, so it will be easy for them to find you."

"Ah!" Shen Xuan exclaimed in surprise.

Gu Jiao said seriously, "Time is running out, let's get out of here quickly!"

Shen Xuan dared not delay any longer and woke up the patients one by one.

They hadn't expected Gu Jiaozhen to come back to save them; their initial hope had now grown to five.

Gu Jiao put masks on everyone and led them across the bridge.

But Gu Jiao herself did not leave. Instead, she said to the guards, "Escort them to safety."

"Aren't you leaving?" Shen Xuan asked.

Gu Jiao said calmly, "Okay, I'll leave later."

As dawn approaches, soldiers from the Chen Kingdom will come to deliver breakfast. Someone needs to pretend to be a suicide soldier and knock on the door. Otherwise, if they find that everyone in the village has disappeared, they will guess that the Gu family army has arrived.

Gu Jiajun's whereabouts cannot be revealed in advance.

It's almost the end of the month, can I vote for Jiaojiao with my monthly pass?

(End of this chapter)