The continuous spring rain that had lasted for several days stopped for a while, and the long-lost sunshine shone through the thin clouds and onto the sparkling river surface.

The war drums sounded and the scouts came galloping.

"Report! The Yizhou navy is approaching!"

Qu Shou looked into the distance and saw dark shadows suddenly appearing at the end of the misty river. They flowed down the river and became bigger in an instant.

His heart trembled: "Pass the order, act according to the plan!"

The Yangzhou navy was on full alert, but at this moment, Ji Huan was standing on the deck of the first warship. Following Wei Jing's order, he boarded the warship last night.

"Chen Qi, pass the order down, slow down."

Ji Huan not only ordered the fleet to slow down, but also ordered the large force to change its formation to form a triangular formation, which not only supported each other but also kept a certain distance to prevent accidents.

Getting closer and closer, he squinted his eyes and carefully observed the Yangzhou fleet that was ready for battle ahead.

The enemy had a large number of warships, but to be honest, they were far too small compared to the size of the navy in Yangzhou. However, the current formation is very interesting, and at first glance, it is easy to overlook the above point.

Looking more closely, some warships had a deeper draft, but strangely, there were fewer soldiers on board. These warships were hidden in the gaps between the battle formations, with many of them holding up flags, so they were not noticeable at all.

There is no doubt that these ships were loaded with tung oil or sesame oil.

It is exactly the same as Wei Jing’s judgment yesterday.

Ji Huan smiled and said, "Pass the order and proceed according to the original plan."

He pointed to one of the Yangzhou warships with a deep draft, "This type of warship is the target of attack."

Chen Qi agreed solemnly, looked at him carefully again, and hurried down to make arrangements without saying anything more.

…

In mid-February, the warm yet cold river water hits the embankment, the grass grows, the warblers fly, and the gentle breeze blows on your face. On such a warm morning with the sun rising, Wei Jing led his army in the most intense battle since the attack on Yang.

The Yizhou fleet was moving slower and slower. Just when Qu Shou and others were worried about what was happening, a sudden sound of golden drums sounded, and the Yizhou warships quickly changed their formation and lined up in a matrix on the river.

Qu Shou knew something was wrong and was about to issue an order, but at this moment, rockets rained down like rain, aiming directly at the tung oil warship hidden in his own formation.

He was horrified: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Unfortunately it's too late.

Chen Qi drew his bow and aimed at the sealed window of the tung oil cabin. He fired five arrows in a row, "thump thump thump thump", breaking the gap in the sealing board. The last rocket shot straight into the cabin.

With a loud "bang", the warship loaded with sesame oil suddenly exploded.

The gusts of wind caused huge waves on the river surface, and sticky sesame oil splashed all over the sky. The fire quickly spread along with the oil, and a group of nearby warships were immediately trapped in the blazing red sea of ​​flames.

A huge change occurred suddenly, but because of the secrecy before the war, except for a few generals and a handful of soldiers in charge, the rest of the people did not know the specific battle strategy. After a series of loud "boom boom boom" explosions, the Yangzhou battle formation immediately became chaotic, and screams and exclamations instantly resounded across the river.

The Yangzhou navy has been completely routed.

Ji Huan watched for a moment, then immediately ordered the navy to turn back slightly upstream, abandon their boats and go ashore, and join the land army in encircling the four-allied forces in Yangzhou.

The Yangzhou side was in a panic and the morale of the army was in chaos. It was a perfect time to encircle them. Wei Jing had already ordered the troops to abandon their baggage and march quickly, and they had almost arrived.

Like the rumbling of thunder, the ground shook, and the dark army of Yizhou surged like a tide, quickly encircling both sides.

At this critical moment, Yang Shu rushed forward and said to Prince Ji: "Your Highness, we must withdraw our troops immediately!"

If we don't retreat now, we will be surrounded by the Yizhou army!

Due to the conservative battle strategy, Prince Ji fell behind, with Wang Ji ahead of him. Seeing that Zhenquan's army was surrounded, Prince Ji gave the order without hesitation.

"Pass the order! The rear troops turn to the front troops and retreat immediately!"

Since entering Yangzhou, the Xuzhou army had always been prepared to withdraw at any time, so after the order was given, they retreated very quickly and managed to withdraw successfully before the Yizhou army completed the encirclement.

“Full speed ahead!”

Prince Ji looked back and saw hundreds of thousands of Yi soldiers in black armor swarming in, covering the sky and the earth with no end in sight. He was still in shock.

His 50,000 soldiers were almost wiped out.

fine.

He ordered a rapid march back to Xuzhou. It's a pity that although we managed to escape Yangzhou safely, we did not achieve any results and only wasted food and money.

Yang Shu glanced at Chu Zhu, who was full of gloom, snorted, and rode forward to say to Prince Ji: "Your Highness, Wang Ji's 80,000 soldiers are trapped in Yangzhou, and Ruyin, Shancheng, Xiayi and other cities are empty."

Wang Ji and Prince Ji coveted Yangzhou, and drew troops from the battlefields of Yu and Yan to the south. The former's move was larger than the latter's, with a total of 80,000 soldiers.

Before today, it was not a big deal because the military strength in the Yuzhou area was relatively weak.

However, now, Wang Ji's 80,000 troops were trapped in Yangzhou, but Prince Ji escaped unscathed. This was a perfect opportunity for them to head straight to Ruyin, Xiayi and other cities and seize the opportunity to capture them.

If the mountains don't move, the water will move; if the roads don't move, people will move. Yangzhou has achieved nothing, but Yuzhou can achieve something.

Prince Ji immediately understood, and his surprise turned into joy: "Send my order, take the Xining Road, and rush to Yuzhou!"

The 50,000 Xuzhou troops left without making contact and retreated quickly to the north, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Wei Jing squinted his eyes and watched for a moment, but did not send any troops to pursue.

Chasing may not necessarily yield any results; however, the encirclement has been initially formed, and it is time to further tighten it and destroy it with the most swift force.

Yangzhou is the only purpose of this battle.

Wei Jing withdrew his sights and ordered an all-out attack to encircle and annihilate the enemy.

He flipped his hand, and the golden saber reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight. He clamped the horse's belly and led his troops straight into the enemy's formation like a sharp blade.

…

Compared to the turbulent situation on the front line, Pingcheng in the rear was peaceful and tranquil.

The spring courtyard has the fresh scent of grass, soil, and the faint honey fragrance of blooming flowers. Shao Qing lies on the rattan chair with a smile, feeling the warmth of the spring sun.

She has been pregnant for seven months and is getting heavier day by day, but she feels fine. The baby in her belly is a well-behaved one and doesn't like to bother his mother.

She smiled and said, "Are you a girl?" She is so considerate.

Shao Qing's mood was as bright as the spring sun. The front line had won victory after victory and the army was now approaching Danyang.

I wonder if he eats well and sleeps well?

Just as he was missing his child's father, he heard footsteps approaching. It turned out to be Wang Jing, who brought him the battle report and a handwritten letter from Wei Jing.

Our army defeated the coalition forces from all sides in the Yuntai Tongshui area of ​​Danyang County, annihilated more than 100,000 enemies and captured countless soldiers. Prince Ji fled; Wang Ji lost his eldest son and led more than 10,000 remaining soldiers to break through the siege and escape; the three sons of the Qu family died in the battle, and the rest fled in panic under the leadership of Qu Shou.

Ye City had already fallen into the hands of Wei Jing, and Qu Shou had to lead his troops to fight and retreat to the south.

This is the biggest victory since the war began.

Shao Qing was overjoyed and patted her belly: "This time your father may be able to come back to see you being born."

She happily took the letter from home, stroked it for a while, and handed it to Chunxi: "Read it to me quickly."

"Ah Qing, my wife, how are you and my son? It was a little cold the past two days, don't forget to put on more clothes. Now I have arrived at Pushui. The river here is wide, and there are wild peaches scattered on the dam. It is a unique scenery. I will take you and my son to see it someday..."

Because Shao Qing now has eye problems, Wei Jing's letters home lack the private conversations they used to have. He showed genuine concern and described in detail the scenery he saw during the march. Whenever he thought a scene was good, he would add that he would bring his wife and children to enjoy it together someday.

Shao Qing smiled slightly. She was still not satisfied after listening to the letter. She carefully took it and stroked it for a while. She hurriedly ordered Chunxi to get pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and asked everyone to leave so that she could write the letter herself.

She fumbled with the words and wrote slowly and in order to avoid overlapping, her handwriting was a little big, but she was happy to write it herself, and Wei Jing must have been very happy to see her handwritten letter.

She was considerate and caring, telling him to take good care of himself, and that she and the children were fine and he shouldn't worry. At the end, she wrote with a smile that she missed him very much, and the child must have missed him too. Dad, don’t you miss us?

He folded the letter himself, packed it up slowly, called Chunxi to come over to add sealing wax, and then gave it to Wang Jing.

"No rush, just send it out together with the newsletter."

In fact, Shao Qing didn't know that Wei Jing had specially assigned people to be responsible for delivering messages between husband and wife. But Wang Jing didn't say anything, he just took it respectfully and stepped back.

Shao Qing lay back on the rattan chair, which swayed slightly in the spring breeze. Well, she missed him very much.

I wonder if he can really get back in time?

…

Wei Jing actually missed her very much.

After capturing Ye City, one third of Yangzhou fell into his hands. He immediately set up defenses at the pass cities on the northern border of Lujiang County to block Xuzhou and Yanzhou in the north. He then turned his attention to dealing with Qu Shou.

The surging Yangtze River flows into the sea east of Danyang County. If they turn around and attack south, they will lose the advantage of warships. Although the Jingyi army is full of momentum, it will inevitably take longer.

Wei Jing had led his army into Kuaiji County, and Qu Shou was defeated and retreated step by step.

He took the letter from his wife and carefully stroked the not-so-neat handwriting in the candlelight. He read over and over again, one by one, and then put them away carefully.

He missed his wife so much and was eager to capture Yangzhou before she gave birth, so that he could return in time to welcome the birth of their child.

However, Wei Jing's eagerness did not make him advance rashly. On the contrary, he advanced more vigorously and steadily, forcing Qu Shou to retreat another step to Linhai County.

…

As spring goes and summer comes, the warm spring sun turns into scorching hot, and the scorching sun shines high in the sky. The rising temperature seems to be able to bake off a layer of skin on a person.

Shao Qing had stopped going for a walk outside a long time ago, but she was already very heavy now, so she didn't walk around casually on a daily basis and only stretched her muscles in the house.

Kou Yue came to visit her with her nine-month-old son in her arms. The little guy was crawling around babbling, and there was laughter all over the house.

I forgot to mention that Shao Qing adopted this boy as her godson. She liked him very much, but this boy was very naughty. Kou Yue was always worried that he would rub against her, so she was very reserved and just put him on the floor with a blanket and wouldn't let him get on the bed.

Kou Yue picked up her son and let Shao Qing touch his forehead, then put him back. She smiled at Shao Qing who was still unsatisfied and said, "The queen will give birth in the next ten days or so."

Yes, Shao Qing has been pregnant for more than nine months. In the past two days, she has felt a heaviness and her abdomen has tightened slightly. The fetus has entered the pelvis and delivery is imminent. However, the experienced woman said after touching it that it would not be that fast and it would take at least ten days.

"I heard that His Highness has led his army into Jian'an County. He should be able to return in time."

Jian'an County, the southernmost county in Yangzhou, was also the last county where the remnant troops of Qu Shou could retreat. In three months, eight of the nine counties of Yangzhou fell into Wei Jing's hands. As long as he established Jian'an, he could return immediately.

Kou Yue sincerely hoped that Wei Jing could return in time.

Who says it’s not?

Shao Qing stroked his abdomen, and the little guy under his belly moved lazily. Alas, she understood the righteousness and explained it very clearly, but when the time came, she was still a little anxious.

She is about to give birth, and if the father doesn’t show up, she will miss the baby!

…

In fact, Wei Jing was more anxious than her.

In the final battle against Yang, the army of Jing and Yi surrounded Qu Shou and his remaining troops in Nanquan City.

It was a very fierce siege. The Yangzhou army fought to the very last moment, and the splattering blood dyed the top of Nanquan City and the yellow earth below the city red, mixed with the thick smoke, and evaporated a suffocating smell under the scorching sun.

But no matter whether they were on the attacking or defending side, no one cared about this. They braved the scorching sun and stepped on the blood, and rushed towards the enemy one after another.

Although this battle was fierce, the outcome was no surprise. The aggressive Jingyi army and the exhausted Yangzhou remnants, the latter could not compare with the former in terms of fighting spirit or numbers.

After half a day of fierce fighting, at the noontime when the sun was at its hottest, there was a loud "bang", the Nanquan city gate was knocked open, and a stream of Jingyi soldiers rushed into the city.

The battle was over before evening.

Wei Jing wiped the blood off his face, threw the sword into the arms of his personal guards, and ordered Ji Huan to take charge of post-war affairs. He immediately pulled the reins and rode his horse to the northwest.

No one was surprised. They all knew that the mistress was about to give birth, and all the subsequent matters had been arranged. Ji Huan just needed to make some details and adjustments.

Fan Ya wiped his face and said cheerfully: "When we return, we will just go to the young master's full moon banquet."

Zhang Yong laughed and cheered, but he had some objections: "Maybe it's a little girl."

He vaguely felt that his master seemed to be more looking forward to his daughter.

"All good, all good!"

…

I want to ask Wei Jing which one he is looking forward to more, a daughter or a son?

Actually, they are all similar.

He would be equally happy whether Ah Qing gave birth to a daughter or a son.

However, Wei Jing was unaware of the laughter of his confidants. He was now riding his horse at full speed. The scorching summer could not stop him from being eager to go home. The anxiety in his heart was just like the scorching sun.

He passed through Luling, crossed Yuzhang, left Yangzhou and arrived in Jingzhou, then headed north to Pingyang. On the fifth day, he stepped into the south gate of Pingcheng.

He was covered in dust and sweat, and the fat horse under him was panting. As soon as it stopped, it fell to the ground, but he had already galloped back to the inner courtyard.

Shao Qing had just finished a bath and was leaning on the beauty couch with her eyes slightly closed, letting Chunxi wipe her wet hair with a towel. Suddenly, there was a commotion from afar.

Chunxi was furious and was about to send someone out to ask who dared to make a noise, but Shao Qing suddenly sat up.

Something was about to come out, so she craned her head and looked towards the door.

The hard soles of the boots landed on the ground one after another, with the sound of quick and powerful footsteps. The door was pushed open with a "creak", and the footsteps paused and rushed to her.

"Ah Qing."

A deep voice that haunted her dreams, a pair of familiar arms embraced her, she was held in the broad chest in her memory, and after holding her breath, Shao Qing burst into tears of joy.

"Husband!"

He was covered in dust and sweat, but she didn't notice it at all. She stretched out her arms to hug him back, and the two of them hugged each other tightly.

My heart was in turmoil and it took a long time for me to calm down.

Wei Jing's joy was beyond words. He kept his promise and he made it in time. He wanted to accompany his wife and welcome the birth of their child together.

He gently relaxed, half-knelt in front of the couch, and carefully stroked his wife's bulging belly.

“He’s already this big!”

His joyful tone was mixed with surprise. Shao Qing smiled and didn't mind his words. He kissed him hard and covered his hand with his palm.

"Yes, the midwife said that he will be born in the next two days."