Early in the morning, Wei Jing opened his eyes on time, kissed his wife, rubbed her waist and abdomen, lifted the quilt and quietly turned over, but someone pulled his clothes from behind.

Shao Qing rubbed her eyes and sat up: "Husband?"

"Sleep more. Didn't you say you'd take a few days off first?"

Wei Jing turned around and held her down. Although Shao Qing lay back down due to the force, she said, "I'm not sleepy anymore. I'm going to get up."

She was used to getting up early and was not used to sleeping in. These two days, as soon as Wei Jing left the house, she got up right after.

When the news of Shao Qing's pregnancy spread, the entire Pingcheng and even the upper echelons of Yizhou were in an uproar. Although Wei Jing was wise and brave, it was also very important to have a successor. He was constantly receiving congratulations, and he even walked with a breeze.

However, Shao Qing did not get involved. She had been on vacation for the past few days.

Wei Jing was originally facing a powerful enemy, but when he heard Yan Ming say that the mother should avoid falls or injuries in the first three months, he even thought of letting his wife rest well before giving birth.

Of course Shao Qing disagreed. Why should this be necessary? In their previous lives, how many career women worked until their due date was approaching? Relax and work in moderation, and don't overwork yourself.

She knows that her husband cares about her, but there is no need to go to extremes. If he lets her have nothing to do for a year, she will be bored to death.

Wei Jing consulted Yan Ming again and then gave up.

However, his wife had been too busy recently and had been feeling a little unwell recently, so he insisted that she take a few days' rest first and not be too tired when she went on duty later. He would later assign her two more pairs of hands.

Shao Qing had no objection to this. Her own health and the health of the fetus were top priorities and she would not take it lightly, so she immediately nodded in agreement.

Look, it’s already the third day of rest.

Shao Qing didn't argue with him. She lay in the warm bed and watched him go out. She rubbed her lips and then got up.

After having breakfast, I took a walk to digest the food. Then I came back and read a book for a while. Just when I felt it was boring, Mrs. Sun came over.

"Mother."

"Um."

Sun responded with a smile. She was one of those people who was in high spirits when something good happened. She came to accompany her daughter every day in the past few days, and she came early in the morning.

"Yuan'er, did you enjoy your meal today?"

She took two quick steps and held down her daughter who was about to stand up to greet him. Sun looked at Shao Qing carefully and saw that her face was rosy, so she nodded with relief.

"I'm fine, mom."

In fact, Shao Qing didn't have much of a reaction to her early pregnancy. She just had a loss of appetite and rarely felt chest tightness or nausea. Moreover, since she heard the news of her pregnancy, she has been in much better spirits and her appetite has even improved.

For this reason, Wei Jing and Sun were both relieved.

Sun stroked her face and said with a smile, "My son is a blessed one. I suffered a lot when I was pregnant with you and Erlang."

Shao Qing had some common sense. She nodded repeatedly when she heard that and touched her belly. She thought that her child was considerate of his mother and very well-behaved.

Shao Qing happily imagined a good kid and said, "I have to go on duty tomorrow. I am bored at home."

Her daughter is now very independent. As long as it does not affect her health, Sun has no objection. She just reminds her not to overwork herself.

Shao Qing agreed to all the requests and then asked, "Mother, how was your visit to Jinquan Temple with your aunt and fifth cousin yesterday?"

Sun was a devout believer in Buddhism, as was Meng. However, these three went together to the famous Jinquan Temple near Pingcheng yesterday afternoon, not simply to worship the Buddha.

The day after the chrysanthemum viewing banquet, Fan Qing indeed found Wei Jing in private and expressed Fan Tian's and the Fan family's intention to marry Fu Yun.

Except for the private mining issue, Wei Jing mentioned everything vaguely, with the focus on adoption.

He then went back to talk to Meng and Fu Yun about Fan Tian and the Fan family in detail.

He was gentle and allowed both sides to think it over carefully.

On one side is the family of his trusted general, and on the other side is his only blood relative. It would be good if there were further intentions, but it didn't matter if there were none. At that time, I used thunderous force to comfort Meng Fu Yun, but it was just necessary under the circumstances. He naturally knew that a forced melon would not be sweet. If Fu Yun wanted to have a good ending, the higher the degree of willingness of both parties, the better.

He doesn't interfere.

Fan Qing was very straightforward and had discussed everything that needed to be discussed at home yesterday. He stated on the spot that there was nothing wrong with adoption, as the brothers' children were all descendants of the Fan family anyway. As for concubines and maids, it will depend on Fan Tian's own wishes in the future, but he will never favor concubines over his wife, nor will there be problems with illegitimate children.

Wei Jing was quite satisfied. He himself had no second thoughts, but he had to admit that this was not the mainstream idea of ​​the time. If he forced Fan Tian to do it, it would be a bit too much. After all, Fan Tian is nineteen years old and still has a clean family. It's not that he has to take a concubine, but the Fan family wants to retain this right and doesn't want to restrict it.

Being open and aboveboard will make people look up to you.

The Fan family had no objection, and so did Meng and Fu Yun after hearing the news.

As soon as the chrysanthemum viewing banquet was over, Meng immediately inquired about Fan Tian and the Fan family. Fan Tian was young and promising, his brother was capable, and his family had a clean and upright tradition, so she must have been very satisfied.

Since both parties are interested, the parties can have further contact.

Fu Yun's situation is somewhat special. She needs to be comfortable in her future. A blind marriage is not suitable for her. Before settling down, there should be appropriate contact and then see the willingness of both parties.

The Fan family is a family of military generals, and they act decisively. They arranged their first blind date yesterday afternoon.

The location is Jinquan Temple.

The Sun and Meng families prayed to gods and Buddhas, and the two young people contacted each other privately without making it public. Even if the plan failed one day, it would not damage their respective reputations.

Wei Jing received the report yesterday, and it was said that the news was good, but the news reports were often brief, so Shao Qing asked about Sun who went with him today.

Sun said, "Madam Meng and I didn't follow them. When we entered Jinquan Temple, General Fan had already arrived, so Madam Meng urged Wu Niang..."

…

The time goes back to yesterday afternoon.

The spacious fragrant wood carriage left the Pingcheng County Magistrate's Mansion and headed for Jinquan Temple accompanied by guards and female servants.

Jinquan Temple is the largest temple nearby, with many believers and tourists. There are street vendors all the way to the foot of the mountain, making it very lively. Yesterday, Sun learned that her daughter was pregnant, and she came specially to pray for a smooth pregnancy and the safety of mother and child. As soon as she entered the main hall, she kowtowed devoutly with her hands folded.

There were bursts of Buddhist chants. Meng looked at Sun's back, who was kneeling not far away, patted her daughter's hand, and whispered, "Go quickly. General Fan has been here for some time."

Fu Yun lowered her head, clenched her fists, and twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hand.

"General Fan is young and promising, and his two elder brothers are His Highness' trusted generals. The Fan family is the perfect fit."

Meng urged her once more, and turned back to look at the majestic appearance of the Buddha: "Mother is waiting for you here, so I can ask for a fortune for your brother."

After hearing Fu Pei, Fu Yun finally looked up and glanced at the kind-looking Buddha: "Well, mother, I'm going."

"Go now."

With so many men around, Fu Yun was so frightened that she couldn't control herself, but it was okay as she was single. She calmed herself down, called the maids and servants who had retreated to the other side, and walked out of the hall.

Mrs. Meng watched her daughter leave, then turned back to look at Mrs. Sun, straightened her clothes, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed devoutly before the golden statue of Buddha.

…

Sun took out the amulet she had obtained yesterday and placed it in her daughter's palm: "Mrs. Meng is a little anxious."

She was far away and couldn't hear clearly what the mother and daughter were saying. She could only vaguely hear a few syllables.

"It's time to be anxious. Wu Niang is getting a bit old."

It’s not that it’s hard for Wei Jing’s cousin to get married because she’s old, but the range of choices will be greatly narrowed. After all, most men of the same age are engaged or married, which increases the objective difficulty.

If it were Sun, she would be afraid and anxious. She shook her head and said to her daughter, "Wu Niang looked fine after she came back, and the time for her next visit to Jinquan Temple has been set. This seems to be a good plan, and you don't need to worry about leaving."

Shao Qing was pregnant and continued to work. As a mother, Sun naturally didn't want her to worry about other trivial matters.

In fact, she was not as close to the Meng mother and daughter as she seemed. Ever since the incident of her being attentive to her son-in-law, she had been quite dissatisfied. The reason why she was smiling and cheerful as usual was simply because she did not want to embarrass her daughter and son-in-law.

"Now that you are pregnant, the right thing to do is to rest and take care of the baby."

This kind of thing, which is based on the principle of mutual consent, has already been put on track, so Shao Qing really doesn't need to worry about it anymore. She stroked her still flat belly and smiled, "I know, mother."

Sun also laughed. After that, she complained to her daughter again, "Your brother has been leaving home in a hurry for the past two or three months, and he comes back late at night. It's hard for me to even see him. I don't know if his official duties are really that busy."

Speaking of this, Shao Qing was clear: "Erlang is indeed busy, and has been busy with the dispatch of food and grass recently."

Shao Bai learned from Zhuang Yan, who was in charge of this area. The journey from Yizhou was quite long, and the two of them were very busy.

Sun was startled when she heard this. The dispatch of food and grass had lasted for two or three months. "Yuan'er, could it be that His Highness is planning to raise troops again in the near future?"

Shao Qing pressed his lower abdomen and sighed: "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be like this."

…

In the past few months, from Wei Jing's recovery, the discovery of Meng's mother and daughter, to Shao Qing's pregnancy, Pingyang has been quite peaceful, but the situation outside has become increasingly serious.

After the imperial court suffered a great defeat, its control over the localities was further weakened. Emperor Wei Xian's actual control area has been reduced to Sizhou, half of the four states of Liang, Bing, Yu and Yan, and a small area of ​​Jizhou.

It sounds like a big amount, but in reality for an emperor, it has been reduced to only about one-sixth.

Small warlords emerged one after another like mushrooms after a rain. The Dazhong warlords, who were already the leaders of a certain area, became even bolder. They used to carry out small and covert actions, but now they are blatantly doing so, attacking left and right and having a lot of fun.

The emperor was probably very upset, but he had no time to focus on dealing with these things. The offensives of the other two major forces in the world, his old rival Prince Ji and the Zhenquan Army, became increasingly fierce. The imperial court, which had lost 250,000 northern troops, was temporarily overwhelmed even with the recruitment of new soldiers.

And this disadvantage is very likely to continue. The current imperial court is already struggling so hard, there is no guarantee that one day it will not suffer a defeat on the front line and be approached by the rebels.

In a word, in the current situation in the world, the war is most intense in Yu and Yan states, and the rest of the regions are in chaos.

The most chaotic moment has arrived.

This is a good opportunity for those who have ambitions for the world.

For example, Wei Jing.

…

The next day, during the routine meeting, Ji Huan stood up and said, "My lord, our army has rested for several months and is ready now."

"Now that we have all the troops and sufficient food and fodder, we should lead the three armies and take advantage of the chaos to attack."

Wei Jing nodded: "That's true."

If you want to gain the world, you need the right time, right place and right people. Opportunities are fleeting and can only be encountered by chance but not sought after.

Naturally not to be missed.

He looked around at the officials present, and paused at Shao Qing's face on his right. Shao Qing nodded slightly, and he said in a steady voice: "Take advantage of the chaos to escape. What do you think?"

In fact, the host and the guests who were close to him all knew this. Upon hearing this, Ji Huan said without hesitation: "My lord, this is not a good time to march north."

Winter is coming soon, and the roads in the north will be blocked by heavy snow. What's more, at that time the imperial court was in a mess with the Zhenquan Army and Prince Ji, so there was really no need for us to rush into it head-on.

They have better ways to go.

Ji Huan strode to the left wall, looked up at the map of the territory of Great Chu hanging there, stretched out his hand and blocked it in the middle, with his index finger brushing the northern border of Yangzhou, Jingzhou and Yizhou.

"The difficulty of attacking the south is much lower than that of the north, and there is no heavy snow blocking the roads."

He bowed solemnly and said, "I think that you should first capture the three states of Jing, Yang and Jiao, firmly control half of the southern part of the country, and then look down on the northern Central Plains and wait for an opportunity to march north."

If Da Chu is split in half, there will be four states in the south. After Yizhou is Jingzhou, and further east of Jingzhou is Yangzhou, which is on the coast.

There are three states across it, and Jiaozhou lies beneath its feet.

But these four states are all large states, and their combined area is even larger than the nine states in the north. Ji Huan said that occupying four states means firmly controlling half of the country, which is indeed true.

If Wei Jing could firmly control half of the southern part of the country, he would be the most powerful ruler in the world, and no one would be able to match him.

If he launches a northern expedition, the whole world will be shaken.

This is currently the best, easiest and most successful path. There is nothing like it.

Wei Jing nodded: "What Bo Yan said is exactly what I think."

As soon as he said this, the pace of the expedition was immediately decided.

Wei Jing stared at the huge regional map, his eyes moving inch by inch from Jiaozhou to Yangzhou, and finally landing on the four counties east of Jingzhou.

"If you want to march east, you must first defeat King An."

…

The seven counties of Jingzhou are arranged relatively neatly in two vertical rows from east to west. The three counties adjacent to the Chongshan Mountains in Yizhou to the west, Pingyang, Nanling and Wuling, were in the hands of Wei Jing; while the four counties of Lingling, Guiyang, Quyang and Hanshou to the east were the sphere of influence of King An.

Prince An just happened to block all the roads to the east, and to the south were the towering mountains of Jiaozhou.

From a geographical point of view, if one wants to march eastward, one must first attack King An.

in addition.

Zhang Yong hit the long table and said, "Prince An's grandson has been recruiting soldiers!"

Yes, King An has been recruiting soldiers.

He had never given up the determination to retake the two counties of Nanling and Wuling, so he temporarily stopped the fighting, but the situation forced him to do so.

In the Battle of Pingyang, Wei Jing won a great victory and gained nearly 100,000 surrendered soldiers, most of whom were former Northern Army soldiers, greatly increasing his strength.

On the other hand, although Prince An withdrew his troops in time to preserve his strength, he still suffered some damage after fighting for such a long time. Since he met Wei Jing, he had suffered repeated casualties, and the difference in military strength between them was now as much as one-fold.

Shouldn't we take advantage of this opportunity to recruit new soldiers?

Dai Guang said: "The sooner we attack Prince An, the better."

The two sides have new and old grudges, and now there is the plan to conquer the east. There is no need to give King An more time to accumulate strength.

Wei Jing said: "What you said is very true."

The general tone has been set, and the next thing to discuss is the specific battle strategy, that is, the strategy for advancement.

"Hanshou, Quyang, and Lingling, these three counties border us. Among them, Quyang County in the middle is the most difficult to deal with, with many mountains and rivers, and many passes in the west."

Ji Huan was still standing in front of the regional map. He drew a line with his hand and frowned, "This county is the most difficult place for our army to advance."

Speaking of the three counties of Jingzhou under Wei Jing, Pingyang was at the top, Nanling was in the middle, and Wuling was at the bottom. On Prince An's side, Hanshou is at the top, Quyang is in the middle, and Lingling is at the bottom. The two sides border each other roughly in order.

In principle, Wei Jing can advance into any three counties.

But the reality is that Quyang, located in the middle, is most unfavorable to us. First of all, there are many passes where it borders Nanling County, which is not suitable for the first battle and must be ruled out.

After being eliminated, the only choice for starting a war is between Hanshou and Lingling on both sides of it. But after choosing and conquering it, Quyang, which is located in the middle, has many natural dangers. There is no doubt that King An will rely on the terrain to vigorously defend and counterattack, which will definitely be a tough nut to crack.

Simply put, the three counties are easy at the two ends but difficult in the middle. If you choose to start a war at one end, the middle will definitely be a difficult and tough battle.

So can we start a war on both ends? What about attacking the middle?

Wei Jing pondered for a moment and shook his head: "This is not a good strategy. There are many passes in the west of Quyang, but few in the north and south. If we attack Lingling and march north, it will be better to divide the troops."

Military strength is our greatest advantage at present, and dividing our forces will weaken it. If King An reluctantly abandons Lingling and places heavy troops in Hanshou, it will be more difficult for his side to fight in the middle and late stages.

That’s right, if he had to give up something, King An would only give up Lingling, the southernmost part. Lingling is relatively vast and sparsely populated, while Quyang County, the richest and most densely populated area, is the base camp of King An.

Wei Jing's preferred starting point for the battle was Lingling.

Lingling is easier to attack than Hanshou and Quyang. Once we capture Lingling, it will be much easier to march north to attack Quyang than from Nanling. Although it is still a hard bone, it is much smaller.

Everyone thought about it carefully and nodded.

The battle was to start from Lingling.

Ji Huan suggested: "My Lord, the sooner we attack Lingling, the better it will be for our army. How about we pretend to attack in two directions at the same time, with one being fake and the other being real, to disrupt Prince An's sight?"

Although Lingling does not have as many and dangerous checkpoints as Quyang, it still has some. If Wei Jing attacks, King An will lead a large army to meet the enemy. If they could use a fake force to lure out the main force of Prince An's army and attack them by surprise with their real forces, they would surely be able to capture Lingling in one fell swoop.

Wei Jing agreed: "Bo Yan's plan is very good."

He cast his eyes on the regional map for a long time, and finally pointed his finger: "Nanluo can be false, Anshan Pass can be real."

There are several routes to advance from Lingling. Among them, the suburbs of Nanluo City are open and the city is slightly old and obscured, making it the easiest to attack; while Anshan Pass has natural barriers to rely on, making it of medium difficulty.

What Wei Jing was optimistic about was Anshan Pass.

It is possible to say that Anshan Pass is easy to defend, or it is possible to say that it has loopholes. Because the mountains nearby are relatively flat, there are several gaps that can be attacked at varying distances. If there are enough defenders, even the farthest gap can be firmly guarded. However, if there are insufficient troops, there will inevitably be gaps.

Chen Qi clapped his hands and said, "If the Nanluo Xu army attracts most of Prince An's troops, Anshan Pass will indeed have an opportunity to take advantage of it!"

The two places are not far apart, and can be reached by a quick march overnight. By then, the virtual situation will be turned into real situation at a lightning speed, and Prince An will most likely not be able to lead his troops to arrive in time due to being caught off guard.

Once the pass is broken, we can advance straight ahead.

Ji Huan nodded and smiled: "Wonderful, wonderful!"

Wei Jing had strong military capabilities and a unique vision, and this praise is not an exaggeration.

"Everyone."

Wei Jing stood up and looked around at everyone. Everyone was in awe. He said in a deep voice, "I intend to attack Prince An within the month."

"Pass my order, assemble the three armies today!"