Chapter 93 Factional Struggle: His Majesty Feels Pity for Xiao Xie + A New Crisis + Imminent...
It started raining again.
The raindrops poured down, making the summer not only humid but also muddy.
The emperor hurriedly left Linchuan, working in his carriage and considering whether to dispatch large armies from Jing and Xu provinces to reinforce Xindu.
Rescue is not a foolproof solution. The army has a fixed number of troops in each province. If one side assembles, the other side will inevitably be left without troops. The strength of the Qin Dynasty is far from being as strong as it is now when each province has a large and well-equipped army.
Ying Xi was engrossed in studying the map, her dark gray pupils gleaming.
The emperor's concerns were not for outsiders to know. While the southern expeditionary force was at most responsible for the outcome of this battle, he had to plan for the overall situation.
The envelope on the dating system interface is still flashing.
Yingxi hurriedly clicked on it, finding it annoying.
The system emitted a pink glow that instantly filled the entire field of vision: "Congratulations, host, you have achieved maximum favorability with Su Xueyi! All backgrounds and illustrations of this character have been unlocked. Bonus voice lines are now available, please enjoy them while you can!"
After finishing speaking, a sample reading was played.
Su Xueyi's voice lingered, unable to suppress her excitement, her tone as smooth as glacial snow: "Conquer me, and then I will please you."
Ying Xi was covered in goosebumps!
Outside the carriage window, Lian Qing rode up and reported: "The new capital city is high and the moat is deep. There are still some strategists and generals that Li the traitor can name in the city."
"When Che Chengren was fighting our army, he killed several generals, which greatly boosted the morale of the enemy."
"The new capital is now impregnable. The garrison troops at each city gate are like they've been injected with chicken blood. In just a few days, our army has lost tens of thousands of men under the city walls."
This means that about half of the soldiers who followed them to the rebel capital are now buried in the enemy capital.
Ying Xi frowned, lifted the curtain, and asked, "Does Xie Qing know?"
On this one question, Lian Qing seemed to have anticipated it: "General Xie believes that the enemy is at its last gasp. If they move their troops into the new capital, it will create too much of a gap in the other states. At that time, the whole world will know that our army is trapped, which will become a hidden danger."
Yingxi reviewed the map in her mind again and found that she had similar thoughts.
"I understand."
The strong wind blew water, which dripped along Lian Qingyin's helmet and into the carriage window, staining the wooden window frame a deep red.
Ying Xi glanced sideways at the water stain, her eyes flickering vaguely, as if she sensed something. Her heart skipped a beat, but she couldn't quite make it out.
Ying Xi asked, "How are Xie Qing's injuries?"
"It looks great!" Lian Qing said hurriedly.
That urgency seemed deliberate. Ying Xi raised her delicate eyebrows, her eyes filled with doubt: "Really?"
“Absolutely true!” Lian Qing replied, “When the knife stabbed him, General Xie had a premonition and pulled back his abdomen. The military doctor said that only blood was being drawn out, but the general did suffer only a minor injury!”
Lian Qing responded to the emperor in an earnest tone.
But his fingers, which were gripping the reins tightly, involuntarily tightened, and his gaze shifted away.
The emperor coldly probed, "Che Chengren's two axes are formidable; what should we do?"
"Your Majesty still has us, the fierce generals of the army, who can use spears against axes, leveraging our strengths and overcoming our weaknesses. Thank you—"
Bang!
The emperor frowned and slammed the carriage window shut.
The only sound inside the window was the emperor's muffled cough, and the window creaked loudly.
Lian Qing stood outside, stunned, tilting his head and raising his thick eyebrows high: "..."
Sometimes he really couldn't understand why General Xie was a beloved general whom the emperor would risk his life to save, but judging from His Majesty's attitude, it seemed as if he disliked General Xie very much.
Is this a special treatment for a favorite general?
***
"His Majesty!"
"Your humble servant is late in welcoming Your Majesty, please forgive me, and may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
As the carriage traveled outside the new capital, a baby-faced general came to greet it.
This was none other than Ying Xi's personal team, the commander of the Xuzhou army on the eastern front.
His talent can be traced back to the time of the Longwu Army's reorganization. The emperor selected several promising talents and secretly learned the Xie family's methods of training soldiers, among whom was he.
Ying Xi boldly appointed him, sending him to Xuzhou to lead troops and promoting him several ranks beyond the usual order.
Who wouldn't be grateful for the emperor's recognition and favor?
"The new capital is vast in scale and built on a high slope of a hill, naturally giving it a higher elevation than other places. This creates a terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack."
Lu Heyu invited the emperor to the viewing platform.
The viewing platform was well-hidden, surrounded by the booming war drums and cascading rain. The generals stood in formation on either side, and Ying Xi sat on the dragon throne.
"Please be seated."
Lu Heyu dared not sit down; his baby face turned solemn as he stood and explained the situation to Ying Xi.
Just then, a general was seen leading his soldiers in a fierce battle outside the gates of Xindu City.
The Jiangbei army surrounded the man, and the two armies were like two opposing turbulent currents.
Within the battle formation, the general galloped through the enemy lines, making it impossible to discern the enemy's appearance. All that could be seen were two flickering lights in his hands amidst the rain.
"The enemy general is named Che Chengren. He is bloodthirsty by nature and possesses immense strength," Lu Heyu pointed out.
The interplay of light and shadow comes from two powerful tools.
Below the hill, Che Chengren was engaged in a fierce battle with several generals. He was surrounded, but the encirclement was thinning out. Men and horses were constantly being cut down.
Ying Xi leaned forward, her hand gripping the rounded dragon head on the armrest of the throne: "Who is currently facing off?"
Lu Heyu leaned forward, squeezed past Lian Qing, and whispered, "This humble general is not very capable. Since taking over, the Xuzhou army has become like an iron barrel. This humble general played a trick and let the Jingzhou army go first when encircling them."
"Xie Meng is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy."
Ying Xi paused for a moment.
He understood what Lu Heyu meant; that was precisely the intention behind cultivating them—he wanted military power.
The absolute authority over the army cannot remain in the hands of the Xie family forever.
He was not Emperor Yuantai, and could not form an unbreakable marriage alliance with the Xie family. Ju'er had long said that he did not want to marry his own imperial sister.
Therefore, weakening Xie Meng's Jingzhou army is equivalent to strengthening the emperor.
Lu Heyu truly lived up to his reputation as a trusted confidant; I guess he resembled him.
If this were in her previous life, with numerous conflicts with the Xie family, Ying Xi would most likely have acquiesced.
However, this life is different.
Yingxi's lip line was taut.
The supreme imperial power reflects the unwavering loyalty and fervor of the two Xie family generals throughout their campaigns.
Xie Meng always leads from the front in every battle.
Xie Qianli killed Xu Youyi single-handedly for him.
This caused him to waver between reason and emotion, his brow twitching slightly. The last thing he saw in his vision was Koma's dark, moist eyes.
Ying Xi sighed softly, "I understand."
Lu Heyu raised the corners of his eyes, which gleamed brightly.
The next moment, Ying Xi grabbed the cloak tie and pulled him over, coldly reprimanding him: "Lu Heyu, the battle isn't over yet and you're fighting amongst yourselves. Is this why you haven't been able to conquer Xindu for so long?"
Lu Heyu's baby face changed color.
Ying Xi lowered her voice, a chilling killing intent bursting forth: "Once the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; once the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked! Xie Ji's death almost ruined my reputation. If Xie Meng dies too, what kind of injustice will you place me in!"
Lu Heyu's mind went blank for a moment.
He only wanted to curry favor; he didn't think about anything else.
Lu Heyu knew perfectly well that His Majesty deeply feared the Xie family, who had commanded troops for many years, yet on the surface, His Majesty still treated the Xie family with great favor. This was truly a unique cunning of the emperor.
The relationship between monarchical power and military power is incredibly subtle. He was being superficial.
Lu Heyu was shocked: "This humble general will immediately go to support General Xie Meng!"
After speaking, he led the Xuzhou army, brandishing his twin swords, into battle.
Under the rain curtain of the viewing platform, the Jingzhou army generals who had fought alongside the emperor all the way through bloody battles finally relaxed a little, their faces showing signs of worry.
The undercurrents were suppressed, and the conflict shifted externally.
The sound of torrential rain mingled with the increasingly urgent war drums as Che Chengren swung his axe wildly, killing another general. The enemy soldiers he led also displayed a fighting strength far superior to their previous battles.
Three or five imperial soldiers managed to surround an enemy soldier, but the enemy soldier turned the tables and killed him. The soldier was hacked to pieces and couldn't be saved. He tried his best to turn back to face the city, staggered to the ground and died in battle.
Ying Xi's expression was extremely serious.
Suddenly a soldier reported: "Report! Che Chengren has killed two more of our generals, and General Xie Meng is wounded!"
An uproar erupted from the stands.
The generals ran out to greet them.
The blood-soaked Xie Meng was carried onto the viewing platform on a stretcher.
Despite having multiple external injuries, Xie Meng was still cursing loudly: "Damn it, who told you to carry me back? That thing's axe is already dulled, what are you afraid of? Put me down, put me down!"
The soldier who carried Xie Meng in reported: "Che Chengren has a mental problem. He only knows how to kill. General Xie Meng was hit by two axes. General Lu came to rescue him, and they are still fighting fiercely."
Lu Heyu was promoted exceptionally young.
The generals and officers of the Jingzhou army all said, "Your Majesty, we will go to provide support!"
The factional strife vanished in an instant.
Sweet Tong sighed, "Your Majesty, thankfully you have more foresight than this deer."
The perspective is opened up by experiences in two lifetimes, including the accumulation of trust in this life.
Ying Xi pursed her lips, only distracted for a moment, not in the mood to joke around with Tian Tong.
There's a lot of discussion about Cha Seong-in right now, comparing him to the top rebel general:
"Xu Youyi can command troops in battle, but Che Chengren is a fool."
"At this stage of the war, even a fool has to be put to good use. This fool is full of brute strength, and those two axes must weigh over a hundred pounds."
"When it comes to heavy weapons, who in the army can rival General Xie? We are all delighted to hear that the Duke of England is leading his ships straight to Xu Youyi!"
Sweetheart fangirl: "Waaaaah, you big wolfhound~"
Lian Qing stepped forward, orders in hand, and quickly reported, "Your Majesty, General Xie's injuries have healed remarkably well. He said..."
"Your Majesty, the enemy has sounded the retreat!"
The urgent sound of gongs pierced through the torrential rain, and the gates of the new capital city opened a crack.
Che Chengren turned his horse around, withdrew his troops, and retreated.
In the thick curtain of rain, the new capital city resembled a colossal beast, its eyes closed and its jaws shut.
In an instant, the sounds of battle ceased to be heard outside the city.
Only the torrential rain poured down, washing away the thick bloodstains, for the terrain outside the city was lower, and everywhere was muddy and stagnant.
As the sound of rain accompanied Yingxi, her thoughts were gently stirred.
He thought of the blood on Xie Qianli's body from the blood on the ground, and of the wound on his abdomen, the blood seeping through the gauze. He also thought of how Xie Qianli dared to ask Lian Qing to volunteer for battle twice.
I didn't feel gratified; instead, my heart trembled slightly.
Every time the other party acted recklessly, it made Ying Xi feel very uncomfortable.
But aren't military generals meant to be used?
Ying Xi could only understand it as loving the knife but also fearing it would break.
The emperor concealed his true intentions well, calmly saying, "Che Chengren is just one of the garrison commanders. At present, the gates of Xindu are difficult to breach, and the enemy's fighting spirit is high, even more so than when the two sides first started fighting. We must find the root cause of this."
“But now the new capital is impenetrable,” a general said. “We have also heard that Li’s traitor has a strategist who is good at offering poisonous schemes, but his scouts are always discovered when they try to gather intelligence, so no one has been able to get into the new capital.”
"That's because you're stupid."
Outside the spectator stands, a voice suddenly chuckled.
The newcomer had a gorgeous voice with a rising tone at the end, making his voice quite pleasant to listen to, but his tone was extremely irritating.
The generals couldn't help but glare at him angrily, but because of his noble status, they couldn't bring themselves to attack him or even open their mouths to curse him.
Prince Yong strolled casually to the emperor. He looked up at the emperor, his heart pounding in his chest, but he still smiled and said, "Your Majesty, may I go and gather intelligence?"
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