Chapter 245 Letter to the King of Qi
"A tyrant ruler is bloodthirsty, and his sons will naturally be corrupted by the company he keeps."
King Xiao Ming of Qi stood on a high hill, handing a document to Wu Yong, the prefect of Shengzhou, standing behind him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed westward at the battlefield where the sounds of blood and killing were raging. A flock of crows flew over the two armies engaged in a desperate battle, cawing as they flew toward the capital, illuminated by the setting sun.
This time, when the King of Qi's army went to the capital, since Shengzhou was the closest to Zhongzhou, the army led by Shengzhou's prefect Wu Yong was the first to meet up with the King of Qi.
Wu Yong was a middle-aged man in his late forties, and he had always had a close personal relationship with the Second Prince. His rise to the position of Governor of Shengzhou was entirely due to the Second Prince's influence in the court. When the Second Prince issued a manifesto to attack the tyrant, he was the first to respond.
He took the letter handed to him by Xiao Ming, unfolded it in his hands and read it carefully. The advisers under Xiao Ming also came over to take a look.
The letter contains two main contents:
First, Xiao Beiheng, following his father's orders, teamed up with Prince Jing to defeat Xiao Zhuo. Everyone was initially happy, but Xiao Kai suddenly changed his mind and attacked the Dingbei army, forcing Xiao Beiheng to kill him. Deeply saddened by this fratricidal outcome, Xiao Beiheng tearfully accepted Xiao Kai's army, which now numbered 100,000 men.
Second, after learning of Xiao Zhuo's whereabouts, Xiao Beiheng sent his teacher Ji Zhong to persuade him to surrender. Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhuo was extremely vicious and killed his teacher before fleeing. Xiao Beiheng ordered his soldiers to capture him. At the same time, he decided to use his salary to support Ji Lao's family and give them a salary based on the standard of the Taifu official position.
"Xiao Zhuo was already known for his cruelty during his conquest of the Northern Di people," the counselor shook his head. "I never thought he would be so cruel not only to his enemies but also to his own mentor."
After reading the first item, he wanted to praise Xiao Beiheng, but when he saw Xiao Zhuo killing his master, he was shocked and couldn't help but blurt out.
Shengzhou Governor Wu Yong was somewhat puzzled and asked, "That's unlikely. When Xiao Zhuo was in the palace, his conduct was impeccable. This is a well-known fact. He was especially respectful to Master Ji, and even when he went to fight against the Northern Di, he never failed to behave in a proper manner. How could he suddenly become like this?"
The counselor said, "Grandmaster Wu was deceived by Xiao Zhuo's appearance. He usually disguises himself very well, but when faced with life and death, his true nature will be revealed. Wasn't the tyrant Emperor Yongde also very well hidden? It was only after he killed the empress that his cruelty was gradually exposed."
Xiao Ming snorted coldly and said, "The tyrant emperor killed the empress and deposed the crown prince, even using witchcraft as an excuse. He then killed Prince Jing, Concubine De, the imperial physician, and Duke Shen... He didn't give the deceased any chance to defend themselves. He claimed that Prince Jing molested Concubine Xian. Considering Prince Jing's age, it's impossible for him to travel thousands of miles to the capital just to molest Concubine Xian. And Concubine De is even more suspicious. If Concubine De was the mastermind behind the emperor's use of witchcraft, she should be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, interrogated by the Ministry of Justice, convicted and executed to satisfy the world. As for the imperial physician, Duke Shen, and others, their actions are even more inexplicable and can only be explained as madness. Now that his son has committed such a crazy act as killing his teacher, it is inevitable. Since ancient times, like father, like son. Father and son are birds of a feather, so what's there to be confused about?"
Wu Yong seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "According to what you said, the tyrant emperor killed so many people. Could it be that he was involved in some important secret concerning life and death?"
Xiao Ming said, "That's fine. This time, I'm going to the capital to fight against the tyrant emperor in response to the Second Prince's edict. However, I won't kill innocent people like the tyrant emperor did. I must find out the reason and punish him... By the way, where is the Second Prince's army now?"
The counselor said, "Reporting to the King of Qi, according to the latest news, the Second Prince's army is almost reaching the eastern part of Liang Province, but..."
"But what?" Xiao Ming turned his head and looked at the strategist.
"General Zhao at the border believes that the Second Prince's attack on his father is a heinous act. Furthermore, as a minister of Great Yan, he is loyal to Emperor Yongde and refuses to supply military rations. The Second Prince's army has been... has been collecting food and fodder in the villages and towns along the way... uh... ahem...."
It is said that collecting was an idea that was not easily conceived, but in fact it was just plundering everywhere.
Wherever the army passed, not a blade of grass grew. Although the counselor did not say it explicitly, one could already imagine the scene along the way.
After hearing this, Xiao Ming frowned and sighed, "It's a pity that the people have suffered so much... But the Second Prince has no source of food and grass, so he has no choice but to maintain his army."
Although Zhao Mu and he were good friends, he was ultimately a minister of Emperor Yongde. Now that he had responded to the Second Prince's call to arms and marched to the capital, Zhao Mu was in a difficult position. Providing food and fodder to the Second Prince would be treason. Withholding it would be an act of betrayal to Zhao Mu, the Second Prince's ally. The border garrisons were strong, and remaining neutral was already a great honor for Zhao Mu.
We can't ask for more from Zhao Mu.
Xiao Ming turned to his advisor and said, "Hurry and send a letter to Bei Heng, informing him that I have learned of what has happened in Jingzhou. When he returns from Jingzhou, do not allow Zhao Mu to supply him with food and fodder. Now that Jingzhou and Liangzhou have been secured, have him quickly collect food and fodder from the counties of the two states to supply the Second Prince's army."
The counselor took the order and left.
Wu Yong said to Xiao Ming, "Why did the King of Qi make such an arrangement? Although the border guards refuse to supply food and fodder to the Second Prince's army, Shengzhou can provide it on his behalf."
Xiao Ming raised his hand to stop Wu Yong and said:
"Grandmaster Wu, your army and mine total over a hundred thousand men. Even with the food and fodder from Anzhou and Shengzhou, it's barely enough. The Grandmaster of Yuzhou is quite strategic. Instead of leading his army to the capital to defend the king, he's leading his army to attack the Anzhou grain route. If the Anzhou grain route is lost, our troops here will be reliant on Grandmaster Wu's food and fodder. Furthermore, the Second Prince is currently in Liangzhou. Having Beiheng supply him nearby is the quickest and easiest way."
Wu Yong finally understood and sighed, "Prince Qi's prince led only 50,000 Dingbei troops on this western expedition, yet he was able to repel the Western Rong in the north and pacify two states in the south. This is truly an unprecedented achievement."
"With his abilities, he couldn't possibly be Xiao Zhuo's opponent," Xiao Ming said with a hint of a smile on his face. "To be able to achieve this is truly beyond my expectations."
"Will the King of Qi issue a letter to reward us?" Wu Yong asked.
Xiao Ming shook his head. "Let's not do it for now. Bei Heng is a very arrogant kid, and he's always showing off his talents. If I reward him now, he'll definitely get carried away. The tyrant emperor still has over 100,000 soldiers and horses here, as well as the troops from Yuzhou who are here to support him. Furthermore, Xiao Zhuo hasn't been executed yet. If he comes to the capital to help the tyrant emperor, the outcome of the war will be unpredictable..."
Wu Yong was shocked and asked, "With the strength of the Qi Wang Army and the Shengzhou Army, and your Majesty's wisdom and bravery, why would you still worry about a mere Xiao Zhuo?"
In his opinion, the King of Qi was extremely capable in commanding troops and fighting wars, but he did not expect that the King of Qi attached so much importance to Xiao Zhuo.
"Although Xiao Zhuo is unkind and unjust, I am deeply afraid of him when it comes to commanding troops in battle," Xiao Ming said. "Grandmaster Wu, we should command our troops to fight vigorously and strive to defeat the enemy within a few days. Once we have surrounded the capital, Xiao Zhuo's arrival will be useless."
Wu Yong deeply agreed.
Xiao Ming walked down the hill and said to the messenger, "Command the three armies and fight bravely. I will personally beat the drum to support the battle."
The sound of war drums rang out. The soldiers of King Qi's army looked back and saw that it was King Qi himself beating the drums. Their morale was immediately boosted, and the originally stalemate battle line began to slowly advance forward.
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