"What?"
"soldier?!"
Xiao Luomu exclaimed in surprise, "Did we kill the wrong people? They weren't soldiers from Qingdong City, were they? Could they be from Hannan City?"
Zhao Cheng watched the entire battle. Although it was a crushing defeat and ended quickly, he was still able to catch some details.
Zhao Cheng had long dealt with the soldiers of the Right Prime Minister's Office, who were the soldiers among soldiers, the elite among elites.
As long as Zhao Cheng can capture one or two commonalities, he can make a judgment.
Zhao Cheng said, "If they were soldiers from our Jing Kingdom, they wouldn't have attacked me from the shadows before."
Xiao Luomu's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "Could it be..."
"I have long heard that the pirates not only harass the thirteen cities of Jingdong, but have also been causing trouble along the coast of Southern Zhou for a long time. The pirates' scourge is to Southern Zhou what Yedan's scourge is to Jingguo."
“The Southern Zhou army, which has been fighting bandits for a long time, has opened up many sea routes. It is not difficult for them to come to Jingguo by sea. They can then pretend to be pirates and enter the inland areas to infiltrate the city and become spies.”
Xiao Luomu took a deep breath, recalling Zhao Cheng's achievement in dismantling the Yan Chuan Nan Zhou spy organization, and immediately had no doubt about Zhao Cheng's judgment.
"So these people are from the Southern Zhou army?"
"I'm just analyzing," Zhao Cheng said, looking at Xiao Luofeng. "But it's highly likely."
I agree.
Xiao Luofeng, sticking to the facts, immediately said, "When the garrison charged down, these people seemed to be terrified and scattered like birds and beasts, but in fact, their escape was very methodical. This should be their pre-planned pattern: when faced with danger, they don't linger in battle, they just run away."
"They are not only well-trained Southern Zhou troops, but also..."
“Scouts,” Zhao Cheng interjected.
Xiao Luofeng nodded, noticing a change in his gaze as he looked at Zhao Cheng.
Zhao Cheng frowned, looking down into the distance, and pondered, "A scout team of over thirty people... it seems their main force is quite large..."
These words reminded Xiao Luofeng, whose expression tightened, and he said, "How could so many Southern Zhou troops have come to Lingshan? It's probably because there are Southern Zhou spies in Qingdong City and Hannan City!"
What are they trying to do?
Xiao Luofeng immediately pointed to one of the men in the group and shouted, "Go back and report this immediately!"
...
At the foot of Lingshan Mountain.
Like the village where Zhao Cheng had stayed before, it was also a village where all the villagers had left.
However, the village was full of soldiers in light armor and armed with weapons, who had occupied the village and turned it into a camp.
Yang Qingzhi sat in the goose farm of a house, petting the tabby cat in his arms. Seven powerful men stood beside him, and a group of officers stood by not far away.
After listening to the scout's report, Yang Qingzhi said, "A hundred garrison troops are nothing to worry about. Let's discuss the next plan."
"Yes, Junior Commander!"
Yang Qingzhi had a jade-like face and a handsome appearance. Unlike the officers, he did not wear light armor, but instead wore a white brocade robe with a sachet tied around his waist.
In the Southern Zhou Dynasty, there was no distinction between Grand and Junior Governors. Yang Qingzhi's actual official position was only that of a staff officer. He was called Junior Governor only because his father was the Grand Governor.
This is similar to the situation of Zhao Cheng's young prime minister.
The seven men standing on either side were the "Seven Generals of Yangmen," renowned throughout the capital of Yasukuni, who had made outstanding contributions in both eliminating bandits and in the war against Yasukuni.
At this moment, all seven generals of Yangmen actually followed Yang Qingzhi to Lingshan, which shows how important Yang Qingzhi's mission was!
After listening to the analyses of the seven generals, Yang Qingzhi remained calm and stroked the cat, saying, "The generals each have their own good strategies, which are actually not contradictory. They all prioritize occupying Lingshan first."
"That's good."
"The brothers in Qingdong City and Hannan City have made contact. We should not alert them. We should conserve our strength on Lingshan Mountain and wait for the right opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the thirteen cities of Jingdong, severely damaging the economy of Jingguo!"
Yang Qingzhi raised his head, his expression full of confidence.
"Remember, everyone, from the moment you step onto the land of Jingguo, your identities will no longer be those of generals with illustrious war achievements, nor those of unknown soldiers, but rather those who are willing to die for their country."
"If we win this battle, we will be worthy of being called heroes of the nation!"
"Meow—" After Yang Qingzhi finished speaking, the tabby cat on his lap let out an untimely meow.
"Long live the Southern Zhou! May the Governor live a thousand years!" the generals shouted in unison.
Yang Qingzhi nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the performance of his generals.
Before setting off, he only thought of "borrowing" two of the Seven Generals of Yangmen from his father, but he did not expect that his father would let the Seven Generals of Yangmen choose whether to follow him into Jingguo. As a result, all seven generals chose to follow.
The Grand Commander was very satisfied with this result.
The successor he was grooming had also gained the approval of his subordinates and comrades.
Yang Qingzhi himself was very satisfied, but this was accompanied by a heavy sense of responsibility.
Although this mission deep inside enemy territory was fraught with danger and its future uncertain, he already held so many leverage points...
The Seven Generals of Yangmen, two thousand elite troops, and spies supporting the two key cities of Jingguo!
This operation...
Only success is allowed; failure is not an option!
Yang Qingzhi looked up at the sky and thought that his father must think the same way.
Although he held the title of Junior Commander-in-Chief, he had only made some minor contributions in the war against bandits. This was the first time he had launched an operation against Yasukuni.
In the hearts of the people of Southern Zhou, Yasukuni was the real enemy.
Reclaiming the north and unifying the country was the lifelong dream of every soldier in the Southern Zhou Dynasty.
This operation was executed brilliantly, and only then was Yang Qingzhi truly qualified to step onto the political stage of Southern Weekly.
Only then could the supreme glory of his Yang family be continued.
"Report—"
A messenger rushed over, slid down to his knees in front of Yang Qing, and said, "Reporting to the young commander, we have captured a garrison soldier who came down the mountain to deliver a message!"
Yang Qingzhi said, "Just tell me the intelligence."
"The garrison on the mountain came from Qingdong City, numbering about one hundred, and is commanded by Xiao Luofeng, the garrison commander of Qingdong City. Xiao Luofeng discovered our Southern Zhou army's identity, so he sent someone to Qingdong City to inform them!"
"This Xiao Luofeng actually saw through our scouts' identities?" Yang Qingzhi was somewhat surprised, and smiled, "He does have some skill."
"According to the garrison soldier, the first person to point out that we were from the Southern Zhou army was not Xiao Luofeng, but one of the people next to Xiao Luofeng."
"Who is that person?"
"The garrison soldier didn't know; he wasn't a garrison soldier of Qingdong City. Xiao Luofeng called him Young Master Zhao."
Yang Qingzhi thought for a moment and said, "Keep a close eye on them to prevent them from sending out messages from multiple directions at the same time!"
"yes!"
Before the messenger had even left, another messenger came running and handed a letter to Yang Qingzhi.
"Young Commander, a secret report has arrived from Qingdong City!"
Yang Qingzhi took it, opened it, and examined it.
As I watched, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Ma Jian, one of the Seven Generals of Yangmen, asked suspiciously, "Young Master, is there any good news?"
"It's neither good news nor bad news."
Yang Qingzhi changed the subject and asked, "Have you heard of the Young Prime Minister of Yanchuan?"
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