Chapter 514 Ji Chang'an
Ji Chang'an received the emperor's secret letter that day, and the next day he and his father led a large army out of the city, a total of 10,000 men, one of whom he led a team and his father led another.
Now that the grain supply route is blocked, supplies from outside cannot enter the capital, and the grain dispatched from the capital cannot reach the various garrisons. The King of Chu has once again swept all the way to Weihui.
With the Central Plains wide open, many people felt that the emperor's reign would not last long.
The Ji family was an exception. The reason was simple: the emperor had arranged a marriage between the eldest daughter of the Prince of Chu and him, and he knew in his heart how Li Mingshu had been tormented during those years.
If anyone in the capital didn't want the emperor to fall, it would be the Ji family. Now that Li Mingshu had escaped back to Taiyuan and even remarried, Ji Chang'an wished he could kill her whenever he thought about it.
Not only did she give birth to a white-haired bastard for him, but now she's even remarrying with that bastard child in her arms. She's truly unfaithful!
However, the situation is now beyond their control. The King of Chu has a strong and well-equipped army that is about to attack the capital, so his family is naturally in a state of panic.
Unexpectedly, a turning point appeared at this moment. The emperor gave them a handwritten edict, ordering them to go to the surrounding garrisons to mobilize troops and directly attack Taiyuan.
The emperor, meanwhile, led the remaining troops to defend Mengjin. As long as Mengjin was held, he and his father could promptly transfer more troops and march directly into Taiyuan. He was sure the King of Chu would be anxious.
If His Majesty's hometown of Taiyuan is raided, and His Majesty can hold out until reinforcements from various regions come to his aid, then the King of Chu will be like a grasshopper in autumn.
Therefore, Ji Chang'an understood very well that this opportunity was not only a chance for survival for him and his son, but also an opportunity for the Ji family to take a further step forward.
Therefore, they dared not delay for a moment and quickly rushed to the surrounding garrisons, preparing to bypass the cities conquered by the King of Chu and head straight for Taiyuan after consolidating their forces.
As Ji Chang'an pondered this, he sped off ahead.
The King of Chu also noticed something was amiss, but after much thought, he couldn't figure out what the emperor was up to. Early the next morning, Lin Changning arrived at the camp before the army set off.
He hurriedly went inside and bowed to the King of Chu.
"Father, your son has intercepted another batch of grain and has just delivered it to you."
The King of Chu's eyes lit up: "Oh? Where did you steal it from?"
Lin Changning smiled at the King of Chu: "When we were inspecting the grain routes and the ferry crossings on both sides of the river, we happened to run into a grain transport team and simply robbed them of their food."
The King of Chu nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, you've worked hard these past few days. Is your wound any better? If it is, you can go to war with your father tomorrow! The emperor is currently in Mengjin City leading the expedition in person. If you can capture the emperor alive, your father will give you a great reward."
Lin Changning clasped his hands and knelt before the King of Chu: "Father, what are you saying? It is my duty to be filial to you."
The King of Chu looked at Lin Changning with a smile: "You must be tired after traveling for several days. Go back and rest for a while."
Lin Changning seemed to suddenly realize something, shook his head, and then suddenly asked, "Father, when I was on my way to Mengjin, I encountered a group of imperial troops, about 4,000 people. They hurriedly crossed the river and ran outwards. Judging from their location, they didn't seem to be heading to Weihui or Shunde?"
The King of Chu suddenly frowned: "What did you say? You encountered a troop of soldiers on your way here, bypassed our main army, and crossed the river?"
Lin Changning nodded: "Indeed, who is the leader? I didn't see clearly, but I'm sure it's someone from the imperial court."
The King of Chu suddenly sat down, his brows furrowed tightly.
"Okay, I understand."
The King of Chu carefully examined the map, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Once he had sorted them out, a clear route slowly extended outwards from Mengjin.
Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, the King of Chu exclaimed in alarm, "Their target is Taiyuan!!!"
The King of Chu pointed to a location on the map and exclaimed, "Someone, go and summon Lao Qian and Lao Qin!"
Old Qian and Old Qin, who were reorganizing their troops, were quickly summoned by the personal guards to the King of Chu's tent.
The King of Chu pointed to a spot Lin Changning had indicated and earnestly said to Lao Qin and Lao Qian, "This time, the imperial army numbers approximately 30,000, and roughly 10,000 will head towards Taiyuan!!!"
Old Qin and Old Qian looked at each other for a moment, and suddenly their faces showed a hint of fear.
"I remember that before we left, Your Highness, you left 30,000 troops in Taiyuan to guard the main camp. I think there shouldn't be any problems."
Lin Changning finally realized that the group they encountered that morning might be a group sent by the imperial court to raid their hometown.
A wave of resentment washed over me; I should have intercepted them.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning suddenly asked, "Even if 10,000 troops were spared to attack Taiyuan, it wouldn't be enough, Father. Do you think those two groups of people went to other places to transfer troops?"
King Chu seemed to wake from a dream, and slammed his hand on the table: "I understand. Someone, send a message by carrier pigeon to inform Commander Qi to quickly lead 5,000 troops back to Taiyuan from Shunde City."
After the guards entered, the King of Chu turned to look at Lin Changning, who was deep in thought with a furrowed brow: "Changning, you will accompany me into battle tomorrow."
Lin Changning nodded and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes, Father!"
After speaking, Lin Changning stood silently beside the King of Chu. Old Qin and Old Qian, seeing the King of Chu's expression, said, "Your Highness, let's go down and prepare the troops first. We'll attack the city later!"
The King of Chu hesitated for a moment: "Everything should proceed according to the original plan. We must take Mengjin as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."
No wonder the emperor is personally leading the expedition here; he wants to divert their attention from other forces so that the troops he sent can easily move on to other places to attack their homeland.
A dark glint flashed in the King of Chu's eyes. If his homeland was held back and Mengjin could not be captured for a long time, then he would truly be a turtle in a jar.
However, it's a pipe dream for a mere tens of thousands of troops to take Taiyuan. Let's see if the emperor's troops can be mobilized faster, or if they can conquer Mengjin faster.
A few thoughts flashed through the King of Chu's mind. Fortunately, Changning encountered soldiers heading out on the road; otherwise, he would never have imagined that the emperor would use this feint attack.
He could detach some troops to hold him off at Mengjin, and then send troops to besiege Taiyuan. Once the two sides reach a stalemate, the final situation will definitely be unfavorable to him.
The King of Chu chuckled lightly. Sometimes fate is truly unpredictable. However, Heaven was on his side after all, as Changning was able to run into someone sent by the Emperor when she returned.
Thinking of this, the King of Chu looked at Lin Changning with a strange scrutiny in his eyes, which made Lin Changning feel uneasy.
"Father?"
Lin Changning couldn't help but ask aloud, touching his face as if to ask if there was something on it.
Then the King of Chu said with a sigh, "Changning is truly a gift from heaven to my father, a fine general..."
Lin Changning touched his face, listening to the King of Chu's seemingly sentimental words, feeling somewhat bewildered.
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