Chapter 119 Seizing Daxing
Lin Changning pursed her lips and looked at Qi Rong: "Second brother, I feel that Prince Sheng's side will probably make a move soon. Can we bring the grain over in advance? I don't think Prince Sheng and his group are that stupid."
Upon hearing this, Old Zhou knew what Lin Changning was worried about: "I also think that just waiting is not a good idea. We need to think of a way to bring the grain back as soon as possible. The end of the year has just passed, and the Tartars should be coming down soon. If we run into Prince Sheng again, we will really be trapped like turtles in a jar."
Old Ma shook his head: "Even if we consider everything carefully, it's useless. If the higher-ups are unwilling to give it to us, there's nothing we can do. We can't just forcibly take it, can we?"
Just as the three finished speaking, they saw a messenger riding a horse hurriedly towards the garrison. Old Zhang's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that Changping was right? Let's not go yet, let's go back and ask him first!"
As he spoke, Lao Zhang pulled Lao Ma and Lao Zhou back, and Qi Rong's eyelids twitched as he and Lin Changning walked back to the garrison together.
Old Zhang stopped the messenger: "Wait, wait a minute, come here, I have something to ask you, please stop first."
The courier recognized the three men's clothing as those of officers from the garrison. He immediately reined in his horse, dismounted with a look of anxiety, and asked, "Are you the commander of the Daxing Garrison?"
Old Zhang chimed in, "Yes, yes, it's us. What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The messenger took out a letter from his pocket: "The faction of Prince Sheng captured Yongping and several surrounding border towns at the end of the year. This is a letter. Please have the commander deliver it to Commander Daxing and inform him to prepare for war!"
The hearts of the group sank to the bottom. Yongping had been occupied, their escape route had been cut off, and Daxing was likely to become the next target of the rebels.
Old Zhang took the letter and looked at Qi Rong: "This..."
Lin Changning pursed his lips: "No need to patrol the border anymore. Go back, give the letter to the commander, it's time to prepare for war..."
The group was not optimistic. Before the supplies were burned, it wouldn't have been a major problem. Daxing was easy to defend and difficult to attack; with ample supplies, it would have been difficult for Prince Sheng's faction to besiege them. But now, with only half a month's worth of supplies left, Yongping occupied, and their supply lines blocked, they feared...
Lin Changning rubbed his temples: "When it rains, it pours. What you fear most is what happens."
Several people walked heavily into Zhang Bo's tent. The sounds of laughter and merriment inside only made them more worried. Old Ma spoke first: "Commander, an urgent report from the post station: Yongping has been occupied by the rebel king's faction. Should we hold a war preparation meeting today?"
The laughter inside abruptly stopped, and Zhang Bo came out with a frown: "What did you say? Yongping got beaten up?"
Old Zhang handed over the letter, nodded, and said in a heavy tone, "The rebel king's next target is Daxing. Commander, we should start preparing as soon as possible."
Zhang Bo feigned composure and said, "You will conduct your inspections first today, and come to my camp this evening to discuss preparations for war." After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling the men to leave.
Zhang Bo was just lucky in the capital. He had followed the then Crown Prince since the time he was a prince and served as his bodyguard for more than ten years. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he was given the title of Fourth-Rank Assistant Magistrate. There were no battles in the capital for many years. He usually led a group of noble sons to train and patrol. He was not very proficient in warfare. Fearing that he would reveal his ignorance, he sent the others away first and thought it over by himself.
Qi Rong led a few people out of the city but did not go on patrol. The five of them went directly to the city wall, where there was a small sand table that they could use first. Once the war started, it would be all about information asymmetry.
Knowing that Yongping had been occupied and that it would take time to resolve the situation, Zhang Bo was clearly all bark and no bite. He probably sent the man away first to avoid revealing his true colors to them.
Aside from Lin Changning, all of them were seasoned veterans of the battlefield, and Zhang Bo knew what was going on as soon as he chased them away.
With a heavy heart, Qi Rong pointed to the sand table and said, "We will complete the deployment today and inform him of the deployment tonight. We cannot let him make decisions on this matter. As you can see, he is all bark and no bite. If he takes command, Daxing will be in grave danger."
Lin Changning pondered for a moment and said, "Having someone like this over our heads is always a nuisance. Why don't we drug him? We don't need to kill him, just make him incapacitated."
Qi Rong looked at Lin Changning with disapproval: "This person is His Majesty's confidant. There must be someone above him among the guards around him. If there is no evidence against him, that's fine. But if they find something, plotting against the commander is a capital offense. Sixth Brother, the idea is good, but it is not appropriate."
Lin Changning rubbed his hair: "We have no food, our supply lines are occupied, the Tartars are about to come down, and we have this person weighing on our heads. I don't even know how we're going to fight this war."
Hearing this, Lao Ma and the others also looked dejected. Qi Rong remained silent for a moment before speaking: "It's not all bad. At least after this incident, the Zhang family would never dare to replace us before the battle."
"Alright, no matter what, Daxing still needs to be defended. Let's arrange the city's defenses..."
Yongning Prefecture —
"Your Highness, the passes along the way have been prepared, and the imperial supplies will definitely not be able to cross us."
Looking at the soldier kneeling to report the news, Li Mingde nodded with satisfaction: "Very good. Now Daxing will be ours sooner or later."
Originally, Li Mingde wasn't so confident in taking Daxing, but who could have imagined that the fool Duke of Qi would actually burn Daxing's grain supplies at his instigation? The imperial court already had a shortage of grain supplies this year, and with the army about to set off, it was a time of great concern. Burning the grain supplies would not only take time to collect, but even if they were delivered to Daxing, it would take a month.
Duke Qi was practically a helper sent by heaven. He solved their current predicament with a single fire, and gave them time to seize Yongping Prefecture and besiege Daxing. Even Qi Rong was demoted, which gave them the opportunity to send over a greedy, lustful, and cowardly Zhang Bo. Hahaha.
Li Mingde was extremely satisfied as he looked through the various pieces of information about Zhang Bo on his desk. It would be much easier to take over Daxing from Qi Rong than from Zhang Bo.
Qi Rong was sent to the army by the King of Chu when he was a teenager. Within four or five years, he became a commander in a region. Not to mention that his literary and military talents were among the best of the royal nobles, his soldiers were also full of talent. Among the border garrisons, his Daxing had the most merits. He had been beating the Tatars on the grasslands for years, and the Tatars rarely came to his territory. Everyone knew that this was a tough nut to crack, so few Tatar tribes dared to cause trouble. As a result, Daxing's army was strong, and the border people lived a more peaceful life.
Li Mingde sighed. It was a pity that he hadn't been assigned to the same camp as Qi Rong back then, otherwise he might have been able to pull Qi Rong to his side.
Looking at the terrain map on the table, Li Mingde propped his head up with his hand and pondered. Zhang Bo was the emperor's confidant, and there were spies he had planted nearby. Why not have these spies use their schemes to sow discord between Zhang Bo and several generals of Daxing? Once the rift between them was established, he could then ask someone to persuade Qi Rong and his group to surrender. With these arrogant and fierce generals of Daxing, the pressure on the court in the future would not be so great.
Thinking this, Li Mingde called out to the outside, "Someone come here."
After the person entered, Li Mingde exchanged a few words with him, and then the person hurriedly left. Only after the person left did Li Mingde stretch and prepare to rest.
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