Chapter 502 Car Crash
A flicker of curiosity crossed Lin Changning's eyes: "Oh?"
Seeing this, the King of Chu turned to Lin Changning with a smile and said, "Mingde's Wuyun was bestowed upon him by his imperial grandfather. It is a very famous black horse. When he was young, Mingde liked to sleep in the stable for several nights. He even personally fed Wuyun its fodder, hahaha."
Lin Changning turned to look at Li Mingde, who was rubbing his nose rather embarrassedly: "That year, Hequ only sent three horses as tribute. My grandfather kept one and gave one to my ninth uncle. Wuyun had just been born at that time, and I really liked it, so my grandfather bestowed it upon me."
Lin Changning glanced at the horse that Li Mingde was riding, which seemed quite robust: "According to what Brother Ba said, your horse must be quite old."
A hint of melancholy flashed in Li Mingde's eyes, and he gently shook his head: "Although they are both named Wuyun, the one my grandfather bestowed upon me died of old age many years ago. This is just the grandson of the old Wuyun, and I personally took care of him and raised him to adulthood."
The King of Chu turned his head to look at Li Mingde and the horse beneath him, sighed softly, and then suddenly remarked, "They do look alike. But upon closer inspection, one can see some differences. It's been so long already."
Li Mingde nodded: "Yes, it's been a long time, Uncle Jiu."
The King of Chu seemed unsure how to respond, turning his head away in silence for a long time. Suddenly, Lin Changning's ears twitched as he heard some faint sounds.
He frowned and glanced at Li Mingxiu: "Brother, is there some kind of noise?"
Li Mingxiu was somewhat puzzled, and waved to the guard beside him, saying, "Go and scout the surrounding area."
Lin Changning immediately reined in his horse, frowning as he listened intently to the sounds. The King of Chu also instantly became alert and dispatched two teams of scouts to clear the way ahead.
We're less than 30 miles from Weihui, so it's always good to be a little more vigilant.
Lin Changning tilted his ear again, slowly looked down at the slightly trembling dust on the ground, and looked at the King of Chu with a hint of vigilance: "Father, there should be people around!"
Having fought many wars, the King of Chu naturally understood this. He gestured for his army to halt and waited quietly for the scouts to return.
Not long after, Li Mingxiu's personal guards returned first. They saw Li Mingxiu dismount and respectfully clasped their hands, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness, there is a troop of about 20,000 men not far ahead! Judging from their direction of travel, they should also be heading towards Weihui."
The King of Chu frowned and suddenly said, "No! It can't be heading to Weihui. The official road from the ferry to Weihui is not the same as the official road from the capital to Weihui. Oh no! It must be reinforcements from the imperial court, trying to encircle Old Zhao and his men!"
After saying this, the King of Chu quickly mounted his horse and led the way, rushing towards the direction where Li Mingxiu would be marrying.
Lin Changning and the others quickly followed. As the King of Chu galloped forward, he ordered, "Mingxiu, take 1,000 men to Weihui and inform Commander Zhao to prepare for battle! Mingde, Mingxiao, and Changning, you come with me and lead the army to block this group! Each of you take 10,000 soldiers and make sure to stop them outside Weihui!"
On the other side, the leader was Duke Ji. This time, they brought 20,000 troops with them. However, they learned in the city that the enemy had completely blocked the supply lines and waterways, and that food and supplies had not entered Weihui City for nearly a week.
In addition, many people in the city spread rumors that the King of Chu would distribute grain to the people whenever he entered the city.
Food and supplies could not be transported into Weihui. Those who still had surplus food at home were okay, but after a week, many people had run out of food. For the past two days, enemy troops had been harassing the city gates day and night.
The soldiers were suffering from poor food and sleep, and the people were also unable to obtain supplies. Today, in a state of great anger, many people even attempted to force their way through the city gates.
The reason was that, according to the rumor, as long as the King of Chu entered the city, they could be given rations.
Even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice. Duke Ji did bring enough grain when he arrived, but faced with the indignant crowd, he had no choice but to set aside a portion of the grain and distribute it to the people first.
However, this was not a long-term solution, so he devised a plan last night.
The 20,000-strong army launched an attack from the side gate, bypassed Weihui City, and took the country road to the official road before encircling and suppressing the rebels. The remaining 10,000 men were divided into two groups of 5,000 each. One group was sent to seize back the supply route, and the other group was sent to seize back the waterway, so that supplies from various places could be transported back to Weihui City.
He calculated that the rebel army outside the city numbered no more than 20,000. With 20,000 against 20,000, the chances of victory were still quite high. He just didn't know when the Chu King's reinforcements would arrive. If he could capture this army before the Chu King arrived and delay for another half a month, the various military commands and garrisons would receive the grain. As long as they came to the aid quickly, the Chu King would surely be defeated!
The group of people were galloping towards the camp where Lao Qian and Lao Zhao were stationed outside Weihui City. They had only gone halfway when the Duke of Qi ordered his men to stop immediately.
The Vice Minister of War looked at the Duke with some suspicion: "Is there something amiss, Your Excellency?"
The Duke suddenly dismounted, pressed his palm to the ground, and after half a minute, frowned and turned to look at the Vice Minister of War behind him.
"There are people ahead!"
The Vice Minister of War frowned as he looked at the Duke, clearly not joking, and instantly understood what the Duke was talking about.
"You mean the King of Chu's reinforcements have arrived?"
Duke Ji nodded, pointed out a few scouts from the group, sent them out, and then mounted his horse again.
"Yes, the number is about 30,000 to 40,000, which should be the King of Chu's troops."
The Vice Minister of War hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Should we still go ahead with the surprise attack?"
Duke Ji nodded: "There's no need for that. I'm afraid we'll have to clash head-on with the King of Chu's army. This first battle will have to be fought with the King of Chu."
The Vice Minister of War nodded, understanding the Duke of Ji's meaning.
The King of Chu also arrived with reinforcements, and together with the people already stationed here, their numbers were definitely greater than theirs. Even if they turned back to Weihui now, it wouldn't make much difference.
It would be better to take advantage of the fact that they might regroup and lead 20,000 men to fight them head-on; who knows, the chances of winning might be greater.
Duke Ji sighed, looking at the trembling ground. He felt that even the heavens were on King Chu's side. Today's surprise attack was the best plan he could think of. Who would have thought that they would run into King Chu's reinforcements halfway there?
Now, if it comes to a head-on confrontation, it all comes down to the raw strength of both sides. Duke Ji slowly drew his long sword, sensing the restlessness of his horse, and raised it to address the people behind him.
"Everyone! Prepare for battle! The rebels are not far from us, ready to charge at any moment!!!"
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