Seeing Zhao Cheng's sincerity, and upon reflection, realizing it made perfect sense, Yan Zheng felt his blood boil and replied, "Please rest assured, General, I will not delay the army's supplies and provisions for even half an hour!"
"good!"
Zhao Cheng's arms trembled, and he said, "With everyone's help, what is there to fear in defeat?!"
As he spoke, Zhao Cheng looked at Yang Taozhi and Yang Huanyun and said, "Sister, sister-in-law, I'm entrusting the family to you."
Yang Taozhi nodded gently.
Yang Huanyun said, "Don't worry, brother. You focus on killing the enemy. We'll take care of things at home."
Zhao Cheng smiled slightly, returned to his seat, and said, "I will bring up the matter of the southern expedition at court tomorrow. Now... I have a question that I really have to ask."
The group exchanged glances, waiting for Zhao Cheng to continue.
"Please be seated, everyone."
Zhao Cheng gestured with his hand and said, "This isn't the first time I've fought Yang Qingzhi, and I know his personality and fighting style well. But I've been very puzzled since the battle report came in. And I'm even more puzzled after learning about his plans to ambush Xiao Luofeng."
Zhao Yan asked, "Brother, what are you wondering about?"
Zhao Cheng frowned and said, "This is not Yang Qingzhi's style of play at all."
Deng Fugui asked, "Isn't Yang Qingzhi the true commander of this battle?"
Cheng Xu stroked his chin and said, "Could it be that Yang Qingzhi has a master guiding him?"
"I have no idea."
Zhao Cheng looked at Yuan Fei and said, "Pay close attention to the movements of Yun Jing County and the Yang Family Army. The time has come to test the Yi Wenfei Team."
...
Yun Jing.
After the heavy snow, the sky cleared.
On a hillside covered with tender buds, sat a person dressed in a gray robe.
He was small in stature, but his gray robe was very large, as if he had deliberately hidden his face and body inside it.
A man with a jade-like face walked up from behind him, holding a cat in his arms. After sitting down next to the man in the gray robe, the kitten jumped down from his arms and stuck out its tongue to lick the tender grass.
The man in the gray robe glanced at the sky, his voice hoarse as if his throat had been damaged.
"The rainy season will be here soon."
"Spring rain is as precious as oil. I hope our crops in Nanzhou will have a good harvest." The man patted the kitten's head.
The man in gray robes said, "Young Commander, are there no more voices in the court opposing the Northern Expedition?"
After these years of trials and growth, Yang Qingzhi has matured from a handsome young man into a seasoned youth. He sat sideways and bowed to the man in gray robes, saying, "Thanks to the strategist, our army was able to defeat Feng Jing and Xiao Luofeng so decisively. When the news of the victory reached the court, the whole court was in an uproar. Our Southern Zhou army was suppressed by the Zhennan Border Army for a long time, and later suffered blows from the Zhao family father and son. When have we ever won such a resounding victory?"
"The Northern Expedition is a foregone conclusion. With the help of a strategist, I have no worries. The Southern Zhou also has a chance to unify the world!"
The gray-robed strategist said, "After Xiao Luofeng's defeat, the person who will go south from Dongjing again will definitely be Zhao Cheng. I have studied his past tactics. He is stronger than Xiao Luofeng and more cunning than you, Little Commander. It will be difficult for him to achieve such a quick victory again. I heard that Zhao Huan was able to recover Yunjing last year because of Zhao Cheng's ingenious plan, which caused you to be groped."
When the defeat was mentioned, Yang Qingzhi was not angry at all. Instead, he bowed to the gray-robed strategist and said, "It was my fault for misjudging people. If I had let the strategist accompany me on the expedition last time, such a flaw would not have occurred."
"This time..."
Yang Qingzhi bowed slightly and said, "It's also because I didn't trust the strategist enough. Otherwise, I would have gambled my entire Yang family's foundation with those opponents in the court and decided on a nationwide northern expedition strategy from the beginning. Then now... I'm afraid even Jiangyang and Xuzhong counties would be ours!"
"Young Commander, there's no need for that. One must take things one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time."
The gray-robed strategist reached out his hand to the kitten and continued, "You must remember that even the most meticulous arrangements can have unexpected consequences. I arranged for Cui Wuming to ambush Xiao Luofeng, thinking Xiao Luofeng was doomed, but he still escaped, didn't he?"
Yang Qingzhi looked at his kitten, his gaze then falling on the gray-robed strategist's hand.
It was a withered hand, but not wrinkled like an old man's; instead, it bore the marks of burns.
"To have a strategist as wise as the military advisor and a master like Cui Wuming..."
Yang Qingzhi stood up, looked at the scenery below the hillside, and said confidently, "This beautiful land will surely belong to my Southern Zhou!"
...
Jing Palace.
Tianze Palace.
Emperor Yuan Wushang sat upright on the dragon throne. In the past two years, he had grown much taller and his appearance had become more mature, almost indistinguishable from an adult.
All civil and military officials stood solemnly.
The chair prepared for Zhao Huan at the bottom of the steps was empty, while Zhao Cheng and Zhao Zhan stood in the front row.
After the officials paid their respects, Yuan Wushang looked at Zhao Cheng and said gently, "General, how has the Prime Minister been lately?"
Zhao Cheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, my son was born not long ago. My father has been enjoying playing with his grandson at home lately and has been neglecting the court. Therefore, he has not come to court. Please forgive him."
Yuan Wushang smiled and said, "General, you are right. The Prime Minister has devoted himself to the court and it is time for him to retire and enjoy his old age."
As he spoke, Yuan Wushang pointed to the empty chair and said, "The seat for the Prime Minister has been prepared, but he is not here. So please, General, take a seat."
Zhao Cheng shook his head and said, "What virtue or ability do I possess to sit before all the civil and military officials? Moreover, in the battle of Yun Jing, my mistake led to the great defeat of the Southern Expeditionary Army, bringing shame to the court. If I had not been leading the army to conquer Yun Jing, Your Majesty would have stripped me of this position as Grand General."
Upon hearing this, the emperor was taken aback.
The officials also began to whisper among themselves.
"General, are you going to launch a southern expedition?" Yuan Wushang asked doubtfully.
Zhao Cheng did not answer Yuan Wushang immediately, but instead waved his hand to the current chief eunuch Jin Hu and said, "Remove the chair."
Jin Hu immediately ordered the eunuch to remove the chair.
Zhao Cheng then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have decided to personally lead the army."
Yuan Wushang hesitated, then said nervously, "General, the new dynasty has only been established for a little over a year, yet there have been constant battles, large and small, and the people... are filled with resentment..."
Before Zhao Cheng could speak, Zhao Zhan raised an eyebrow and interjected, "What does Your Majesty mean by this? The court has repeatedly mobilized troops because of enemy invasions. My father and my elder brother risked their lives to protect the people of Dongjing. It's one thing for some troublemakers to gossip, but does Your Majesty intend to be like them?"
Zhao Cheng held his stomach with both hands, closed his eyes, and did not stop Zhao Zhan.
Yuan Wushang stood up and said, "Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, please don't misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I meant to..."
What's wrong with Your Majesty's meaning?
At this moment, a minister stepped forward and said to Zhao Zhan, "In the numerous battles fought since the founding of the new dynasty, our army has suffered no fewer than 100,000 casualties and consumed countless provisions. All of this is the sweat and blood of the people. The Prime Minister and the General have indeed defended the country against the enemy, and now they have also achieved numerous merits and hold the highest positions in the court. But what about the people? What have they received?"
Upon hearing this, both Zhao Cheng and Zhao Zhan turned around to look.
The minister who spoke out against this was Liu Ying, the former registrar of Jiangyang County.
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