Chapter 202
After the cleansing, the atmosphere in the military camps of the Yichun Corps became more solemn.
No one felt any sympathy for these purged soldiers, and all the generals watched them being taken away in silence.
"Traitor, bah!"
"They are worse than pigs and dogs. They don't even think about who allowed them to live the good life they have now."
"Yes, they really should be sent to the major provinces in the Central Plains to see the people who are starving to death on the roadside!"
Outside Houcheng, Wang Lang's military tent
"Zhu Junlan lost?" Wang Lang was incredulous. How could Zhu Junlan be so useless? He lost to Yao Chunnuan in just one round?
"Yes." The subordinate handed over the secret letter.
Wang Lang took the secret letter and took a look at it. He immediately gasped. Xing Changfeng actually trusted Yao Chunnuan so much? He even gave her the tiger talisman that commanded the entire Yichun Army!
Wang Lang smiled bitterly. No wonder Zhu Junlan was defeated so quickly. They had falsely accused Yao Chunnuan of collaborating with the enemy, in reality, they were simply trying to seize power. They had assumed that Xing Changfeng had disappeared, leaving power in the hands of someone else, a powerless entity. However, they discovered that the entire military and political power over Youzhou was concentrated in Yao Chunnuan's hands, making it impossible for them to seize it.
Wang Lang couldn't help but think of that night again. In comparison, both he and the new emperor looked ridiculous. No wonder Yao Chunnuan rejected them outright.
It took Wang Lang a long time to get over the bad mood after learning that his plan had failed.
As Wang Lang continued to read, he saw that the Yichun City Lord's Mansion had decided to replace the generals. He sneered. He knew all of the famous veterans currently stationed in Youzhou. It didn't matter to him who was replaced. Who would Yao Chunnuan be replaced with? Zhu Fugui or someone else?
Wait, who was Yichun replaced with? Zhou Yushu?
Seeing this unexpected name, Wang Lang even stopped breathing.
Of course he knew Zhou Yushu. He had originally been a general under Marshal Zhu, but had later caught the eye of Yao Chunnuan, who tricked him into trading Wei Qiuyu for him. But his impression of Zhou Yushu still lingered on his gentle demeanor. But why? Zhou Yushu was a relatively unknown young general who had emerged in Yichun two years ago.
Wang Lang gritted his teeth in hatred at this unexpected news.
Yao Chunnuan was so reckless in her personnel decisions, abandoning established veterans and generals in favor of young generals! What on earth are those people in the Yichun City Lord's Mansion doing? Wouldn't they object?
But, by using people in this way, she was actually suppressing herself! He couldn't fully utilize his strengths, and Wang Lang was suffocated. Yao Chunnuan, this woman, really suppressed herself!
Wang Lang fumed for a while, even throwing a cup, before calming down. Yao Chunnuan, Yao Chunnuan, did she think she was done for? Morale in Houcheng was low, and replacing him with a barely grown young general would only increase the pressure and dejection of the soldiers on the front lines. He would be doing himself a disservice if he didn't seize this opportunity to spread rumors and cause panic and instability among the troops.
Yao Chunnuan also knew that the successive defeats on the Houcheng front had led to low morale. If he changed the generals now, the soldiers would probably think too much.
In addition, judging by her own experience, she felt that Wang Lang would not miss any opportunity to attack them, and he would definitely make a fuss about the replacement of generals in the Houcheng army before the battle, so Yao Chunnuan decided to go to the front line to entertain the troops.
The news that the main general on the front line of Houcheng was replaced by Zhou Yushu from Pan Buyi spread in the military camp that day. Even the flags were changed. The big flag with the word Pan was withdrawn and replaced by a big flag embroidered with the word Zhou, fluttering in the wind.
Just when the soldiers on the front line were at a loss, news came that Lord Yao and his subordinates had moved into Houcheng and were planning to stay there permanently.
On Wang Lang's side, the subordinates who had just received the mission secretly looked at their military advisor and general. Would they still spread rumors?
Wang Lang's face was as black as coal, he was holding his breath, and he was spreading his anger. His moves were still brewing, but Yao Chunnuan broke them! This woman really was his nemesis!
The first thing Yao Chunnuan did when he arrived in Houcheng was to take his subordinates to the military camp to comfort the wounded. When he came, Yao Chunnuan even brought Ba Yuan with him.
After visiting the wounded, the child she arranged for, well, bravely asked her why she chose to settle in Houcheng at this time.
Yao Chun spoke warmly and sincerely, "We are all Youzhou people. You fight on the front lines, and we can't hide away in fear. You fight to protect Youzhou, and we work to better govern Youzhou. Although we have different divisions of labor, we share the same goal. We are brothers in arms, and we stand with you, facing danger with you, fearless and unavoidable."
We are all together, facing danger together, fearless! Nothing can inspire the soldiers more than Yao Chunnuan and others stationed in Houcheng and guarding the front line.
The soldiers quickly accepted the change of commanders, and they had their own understanding of it.
Lord Yao had also said that the replacement of generals at the critical moment was unavoidable, after all, General Pan was so seriously injured. However, the replacement of Major General Zhou was also carefully considered by the adults in the City Lord's Mansion. The adults must have wanted to win this battle more than they did.
Although Zhou Yushu was a young general, his military strategy was amazing.
He knew that many people were waiting for the results of his first battle.
Some generals may, under the current circumstances, show weakness to the enemy, suffer a few minor defeats, paralyze the enemy, and then launch a counterattack.
This is also a tactic, but it is not suitable for Houcheng's Yichun Corps.
Everyone was now brimming with energy. Having suffered several setbacks before, another artificial defeat would only dim the light in the soldiers' eyes. More than the previous tactics, they needed a victory to galvanize the troops. Like a spring, it can withstand the right amount of pressure, but beyond that critical point, it could become useless, unable to spring back up again.
Yao Chunnuan felt relieved when she saw that Zhou Yushu's tactics did not include feigning defeat and then counterattacking, but instead were seriously planning a tactic to achieve a small victory.
Zhou Yushu led them to win the first battle after the change of generals. The soldiers let out the pent-up anger, and their morale gradually recovered.
It wasn't surprising that Zhou Yushu led the army to victory in their first battle. Because the Yichun City Lord's Mansion generously provided food for the soldiers, the Yichun Legion's soldiers were inherently stronger than the Nationalist troops. Yao Chunnuan's tactic of employing young and talented generals directly negated Wang Lang's cheating tactics, naturally preventing the Nationalist army from taking advantage.
The soldiers of the National Army did not understand what was happening. How could the military advisor who had been so wise and resourceful when facing the Yichun rebels led by General Pan fail one after another now?
Imperial Palace
The new emperor has been in a good mood recently, mainly because of the frequent good news coming from Youzhou.
Although they haven't captured Houcheng yet, judging by the current situation, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to capture it. Once they capture Houcheng, the gateway to Youzhou, they can march straight into the other five counties of Youzhou, especially the political center of Yichun.
In particular, the news that Xing Changfeng disappeared in Jiaozhou made him very happy.
He knew Wang Lang's plan. If Yao Chunnuan appreciated his kindness, he could make her a king of a different surname and grant her Youzhou as a fiefdom. If she didn't, he would use his second plan and get rid of her.
Xing Changfeng's disappearance left Youzhou leaderless, and if Yao Chunnuan were eliminated, he doubted Youzhou would remain in chaos. Whichever she chose, they would resolve this major threat. The new emperor's greatest hope was that Youzhou would fall into the hands of those they had arranged.
Xing Changfeng's disappearance was the result of his collaboration with Nanman Agili. He didn't care about the infamy as long as Daliang could continue.
The new emperor thought that once Wang Lang captured Houcheng, he would definitely send him reinforcements.
Unfortunately, the new emperor's good mood was short-lived. After Yao Chunnuan decisively and swiftly resolved the signs of political unrest, the new emperor vomited blood upon hearing the news. He couldn't understand why Heaven favored Xing Changfeng and Yao Chunnuan so much. No matter how clever they were, they couldn't kill these two men.
The imperial physician said that this was caused by great joy followed by great sorrow.
Especially after this, when Zhou Yushu became the new commander of Houcheng, he fought steadily, combining the original and the original, and fought brilliantly. This caused the imperial army in Youzhou to suffer a series of defeats, and the new emperor was in a very gloomy mood.
There was also a war in Xuzhou, but the King of Ruyin and his men had always been paying close attention to the war in Youzhou.
When the news of Xing Changfeng's disappearance came, King Ruyin himself was both happy and worried. He was happy because if Xing Changfeng, their powerful enemy, died, they would have one less powerful enemy. But he was worried because there might not be another force to divert the court's firepower in the future.
He discussed this situation with his military advisor Sima Xian, and they both agreed that Youzhou would probably be plagued by internal enemies for a while.
Upon learning that Xing Changfeng had, before leaving for the expedition, actually given Yao Chunnuan the tiger talisman commanding the Yichun Legion, both the Prince of Ruyin and Sima Xian were speechless. How could Xing Changfeng trust Yao Chunnuan, his trusted confidant, so much so that he was willing to entrust the entire Youzhou region to her?
Prince Ruyin completely couldn't understand Xing Changfeng's actions. He felt that Xing Changfeng was too bold. Wasn't he afraid that after he left for the expedition, Yao Chunnuan would turn against him and seize the entire Youzhou in one fell swoop? In that case, his vast foundation would be handed over to him.
Sima Xian also lamented Xing Changfeng's trust in Yao Chunnuan, which is probably the hope of all strategists.
Yao Chunnuan never betrayed Xing Changfeng's trust. After quickly suppressing the signs of political unrest, she even dispatched troops to Jiaozhou to search for him despite the current difficult situation in Youzhou. Some might call this a show, but her direct support for Xing Changfeng's bloodline as the young master clearly demonstrates her loyalty.
I really don't know what to say about this pair of king and minister. I'm afraid only one sentence can describe them: You treat me like a national hero, and I will repay you like a national hero!
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