Chapter 71
A quarter of an hour later, Shi Mei called out to ask about their decision.
Xing Changfeng wanted to use the word "delay" to decide the outcome, but Shi Mei was determined not to be fooled. "Stop talking nonsense and just tell me your decision. Will you give me the spoils or not?"
When he asked this question, the other scout's ears moved, and then he quickly lowered them, put his ears to the ground, and listened carefully to something.
Shi Mei also winked at his scouts, and then his scouts also lay down.
Soon, the scout stood up from the ground with a somersault. "Report, General, a group of about two to three thousand men is heading our way."
Shi Mei looked at his own scout and saw that he nodded as well.
Both sides knew that the people coming at this time were most likely from the military settlement. Because Shi Mei had gone out this time, for the sake of safety, he had taken away almost all the troops that Marshal Zhu could mobilize.
"Xing Changfeng, do you think I'll be afraid of you if you send me another two or three thousand reinforcements?"
He had 20,000 soldiers and horses, but what about them? At most, only 5,000 of them could still fight.
Xing Zhangfeng's heart sank. He knew full well that the two to three thousand reinforcements were almost all the remaining troops in the military garrison. Using all the remaining troops to support him was not the best strategy. He couldn't help but think of the worst-case scenario: could Yu Chen, Yao Chunnuan, and the others not come up with a good solution to this situation?
While they were talking, Lu Chengjun arrived with two or three thousand people.
A quarter of the troops in the Yichun camp turned around and pointed their weapons at Lu Chengjun and others.
"It seems that you have chosen money over life, so don't blame me for being rude." As he said that, Shi Mei raised his hand. The war was about to break out. As soon as he slashed his hand, the two sides facing each other would start fighting.
At this moment, there was another noise from the rear. They all looked towards the source of the sound. Soon, the voice of the messenger came from afar, accompanied by the sound of horse hooves, "Report - Mr. Shi, the commander-in-chief has ordered you to select 6,000 soldiers and bring them back to me!"
The soldiers in the military camp were delighted when they heard this. Was the Yichun camp going to split up its forces? At the same time, they calculated that the enemy had withdrawn 6,000 soldiers, leaving about 14,000. They only had about 5,000 soldiers who could fight. 5,000 against 14,000 was not impossible.
The Xing family soldiers were so happy, they didn't know why Marshal Zhu had issued such an order. But Lu Chengjun knew. Marshal Zhu had made such a decision. Could it be that Yao Zhubo had guessed correctly that Marshal Zhu's second secret vault was really in Funing District? This was too impressive. She had found the first one, and she had found the second one too. Yao Zhubo was truly Marshal Zhu's nemesis.
The young messenger's shouting caused a stir among the soldiers in the Yichun camp. Only Shi Mei had a stern face and said, "Ignore him, take action!"
Upon hearing this, the young general was furious and threw Marshal Zhu's order in front of him, "Mr. Shi, do you want to disobey my order?"
"A general is not bound by his sovereign's orders when he is away from home!"
The messenger gritted his teeth and whispered, "Mr. Shi, do you know where I'm bringing these 6,000 soldiers back to support? Funing District! If the Marshal's secret vault is lost, can you afford it?"
Shi Mei's whole body was perked up. He knew that Funing District was the location of Marshal Zhu's second secret vault. Marshal Zhu had ordered him to send troops to support Funing District. Could it be that the second secret vault had been discovered by the people from the Yichun military settlement? But how could it be possible? The secret vault was in such a secret place, how could it be discovered?
Shi Mei said, "Since Funing District has been lost, we can't give up here!"
"Mr. Shi, are you crazy? Before I set out, the enemy hadn't found their exact location yet. Now you're asking me to return with 6,000 troops. We can still rescue Funing District, but if you delay any further, it's really hard to say. The Marshal's attitude is very firm. We must return to rescue Funing District. You must immediately send 6,000 troops to me, immediately."
Xing Changfeng and the others on the opposite side remained silent, watching them negotiate in silence. Whether the battle would be fought or not depended entirely on the outcome of their negotiations.
Shi Mei was still struggling. The average combat strength of the Xing family army was currently one against three. Once his six thousand soldiers withdrew, he would be left with fourteen thousand men. They would be unable to suppress these arrogant and powerful Xing family soldiers, and his plan would fail.
This opportunity to ambush Xing Changfeng was rare; if he missed it, he probably wouldn't have another chance. He was also well aware that the Yichun military garrison had limited manpower. With Xing Changfeng's reinforcements now totaling 3,000, what would they use to rob the secret vault? A thousand soldiers would be considered good at best. The Marshal could easily organize the remaining men to stop the enemy. Once he finished cleaning up this place, he could immediately return to reinforce.
Marshal's Mansion
Marshal Zhu was still waiting for Shi Mei to come back for help, when his confidant came to report, "Marshal, a group of unknown origins was also discovered in the Huangshi area."
Marshal Zhu's heart trembled. Although the Yellowstone District was not the location of his third secret vault, it was not far away!
"Has Shi Mei returned with his troops?"
"Not yet." The young messenger probably hadn't even walked halfway.
"Go ahead and urge him! Make him go faster. If anything goes wrong with my second secret vault, he'll be held responsible!"
While Shi Mei was still hesitating, he received another order from Marshal Zhu. Half a quarter of an hour later, another order came, and another half a quarter of an hour later...
Marshal Zhu issued five secret orders in succession, each one more urgent and severe than the last.
Shi Mei didn't know Yue Fei's story, how he was also recalled by Emperor Gaozong of Song with twelve golden orders just as he was recovering the lost territory. But at that moment, his mood mirrored Yue Fei's, like a dog caught in the sun. He knew clearly that this was a tactic of the Yichun military garrison to "encircle Wei and save Zhao," and he saw and understood it clearly, but the commander-in-chief above him was not aware of it.
He couldn't help but sigh to the sky and ordered, "Retreat!"
The order was given, but he was really unwilling to accept it. Don't let him know who came up with such a sinister plan, otherwise he will make him pay!
The messenger was stunned. "What's going on? Didn't I ask you to divide the troops? Why are you withdrawing them?"
Shi Mei asked, "Do you think that after you withdraw 6,000 soldiers and horses, the remaining people can deal with them?"
Don't they still have 14,000 men? How can they not handle a mere 5,000 or 6,000 men? When he thought about the terrifying fighting power of the Xing family army, he could only smile awkwardly.
After all, the Yichun camp was a regular army, and their advance and retreat were very orderly. After Shi Mei ordered the retreat, they quickly reorganized their troops and retreated.
"What's going on? Why are they withdrawing? Didn't they say they were just splitting up? What's going on, Marshal Zhu?" The triumphant Xing family troops were completely bewildered. Didn't they say they were preparing for war? Why did they run away?
Xing Changfeng's deputy general and others hurriedly questioned Lu Chengjun. They didn't know what had happened, but Lu Chengjun came from the military settlement to provide support, so he must know the reason!
"Perhaps General Meng Yi has truly found Marshal Zhu's second secret vault. That's why he's so anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, that he's completely reckless."
"What? Marshal Zhu's second secret vault has been found?" Upon hearing the news, everyone became excited and stood up.
"But can the few remaining troops in the military settlement bring back Marshal Zhu's second secret vault? General, I suggest that we rush back as fast as possible to support General Meng!" The soldiers suggested anxiously.
The deputy general shouted, "Shi Mei just withdrew and went back to support Funing District. Do you think we still have a chance?"
But these arrogant and powerful generals would not listen, and each of them was eager to try.
Xing Changfeng could only say, "What good things are you dreaming of? This should be a strategy used by the guest officials and think tanks of the shogunate to rescue us." Besieging Wei to save Zhao, the effect is really good.
Hearing this, the soldiers sighed one after another. In order to rescue them, they actually used such important information. They alerted the enemy and it was not worth it, absolutely not worth it.
Lu Chengjun nodded and echoed the general's guess, "Yes, everything was speculated by Chief Secretary Yao. He only deduced that the approximate location was in Funing District, and he didn't know the exact location." It was quite worthwhile to use this inaccurate information to scare Marshal Zhu away.
Xing Changfeng nodded. That was right. This was probably a strategy the shogunate had resorted to after receiving their request for help. Lu Chengjun had also said that Yao Zhubo didn't know the exact location at the time, only a rough idea. But the situation was urgent, so she had no choice but to give it a try.
Perhaps it was because the previous time they took down Marshal Zhu's first secret vault that he had left such a deep impression on him, so this time, when Meng Yi and his men had just reached Funing District, Marshal Zhu was like a frightened bird, his feathers flying. He issued five orders in a row for Shi Mei to return for assistance, which was also rare.
Wang Lang, standing in the ranks, was also listening intently. The strategy of "Besieging Wei to Save Zhao" was extremely secretive, known only to a few high-ranking officials in the military settlement, including Yao Chunnuan, Yu Chen, General Wu, and Generals Meng Yi and Lu Chengjun. It was only now, through Lu Chengjun, that he learned of their plan.
Wang Lang was becoming increasingly curious. Yichun was so large, how did Yao Chunnuan figure out the exact location of Marshal Zhu's second secret vault?
The method for deducing the location of the first secret vault had been circulated among the middle and upper echelons of the military settlement since Yu Chen's arrival. He was favored by Ji Ze and had the privilege of knowing it. Back then, he'd thought her meticulousness and her logical reasoning abilities were exceptional. But now, he found her abilities terrifying. How could anyone keep secrets from her?
While Wang Lang was thinking about his own thoughts, the soldiers under him finally understood what had happened, especially their Yao Zhubo's strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao, which was truly impressive. Some people couldn't help but shout out, "Yao Zhubo is mighty!"
"Master Yao is mighty!" Some people spontaneously followed suit and shouted.
At first, they were scattered, but eventually they merged into one mass. "Master Yao is mighty!"
Yao Zhubo exempted them from fighting again, allowing them to keep the fruits of their victory.
Wang Lang was stunned. He hadn't realized Yao Chunnuan held such a high prestige within the Xing Family Army. As someone who oversaw military affairs, it was natural for her to enjoy high prestige among the settlers. But he hadn't expected her to be so beloved by the soldiers within the Xing Family Army.
In fact, this is not surprising. Although Yao Chunnuan was not in charge of military affairs, she participated in the two times and only twice, and both times she maximized the gains for the participating soldiers and minimized the risks.
What soldiers wanted most was victory, preferably with zero casualties. They feared no battle, no bloodshed, no sacrifice. If their superiors could help them avoid the risk of bloodshed and sacrifice, how could they not be happy? In their view, Yao Zhubo was just such a general.
As the Xing family soldiers shouted, the main force of the Yichun camp had only retreated about five or six miles when they heard a tsunami of cheers behind them. Shi Mei said nothing, ordering the soldiers to lower their heads and move on. At this moment, Shi Mei was determined to get to Funing District and deal with those little rats.
Xing Changfeng let them shout, let them vent. When they had enough, he raised his hand and said to the entire army, "This crisis has been resolved, but we need to return as soon as possible! Then, Lu Chengjun and Ji Ze, each of you will lead 2,000 men to meet Meng Yi on the route between Funing and Juntun."
"Yes!" Ji Ze stepped out and received the order.
In a time of crisis, he led his troops forward, but the battle didn't start, and Lu Chengjun was disappointed. When he heard the general's mission, he immediately responded, "Yes!"
Coming to support the general and not getting into a fight was a small achievement, and going to support General Meng was also a merit. The combination of the two merits was quite satisfying.
The lights were on in the General's Mansion. No one was asleep. Yao Chunnuan didn't go back either. Everyone was waiting for news.
The messenger rushed into the general's mansion, "It's done, it's done! The Yichun camp has withdrawn!"
"That's great!" Manager Wu and Yu Chen couldn't help but stand up.
Yu Chen said, "Now I am worried about Meng Yi. I am afraid that someone will be blinded by money and delay the return journey." All this is because the place they are going to is very likely to find Marshal Zhu's second secret vault.
Yao Chunnuan was also quite worried. The timing of his retreat was very important. If he withdrew too early, he was afraid the fish wouldn't bite the bait. If he withdrew too late, he was in danger of being eaten. Now that the Yichun camp had withdrawn, Meng Yi and his men were in danger.
Yao Chunnuan knew all too well how some people tend to forget their original intentions as they go along. So, before setting out, she repeatedly warned Meng Yi. But of the 1,400 soldiers he brought, 1,000 were new recruits, so it was only natural for new recruits to have problems. Now, she just hoped they would just run back, as fast as they could! Especially at this point, they must not linger, must not be greedy.
Yao Chunnuan didn't know that the general had already arranged for someone to go and pick up Meng Yi. At this time, her belly was getting bigger and bigger, and her face began to turn pale.
The sweat on her forehead caught Yu Chen's attention, "Master Yao, are you feeling unwell?"
Yao Chunnuan smiled weakly, "I'm afraid I'm about to give birth. I can't wait to see the General, General Meng and the others return safely."
"What, you're giving birth?"
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