Chapter 792 A Dream of Youth 324
Those who knew a little about the situation immediately thought of Xie Ning. It seemed that Xie Ning had gone to Bingzhou on a business trip a few months ago, right? Now that something had happened in Bingzhou, Xie Ning was probably also in danger.
When Xie Wangzhi returned home in the morning, he saw his wife with a beaming smile, muttering that Xie Ning and the others might not be back for some time. Xie Wangzhi felt as if his throat was blocked, and he couldn't say a word.
He barely managed to agree, saying a few half-truths, "...Bingzhou is currently under siege, and Bao'er and the others can't return for the time being. Once the imperial court sends troops to their aid and drives the Northern Jin out of the country, Bao'er and the others will be able to go home."
Chen Wanniang's heart clenched instantly. "Bao'er and the others will be alright, right?"
"Yes, everything will be alright."
"Before Bao'er went to Bingzhou, she said she wanted a new winter coat embroidered with red plum blossoms. I made one for both her and Qi'er, so they'll definitely be able to wear it when they come back..."
Chen Wanniang was not stupid. Although Xie Wangzhi made it sound easy that the imperial court would come to their aid, when exactly would they arrive? Could Bao'er and the others hold out until the rescue army arrived?
After comforting his wife, Xie Wangzhi sat in his study for an unknown amount of time. In front of him was a piece of carved black jade, a birthday gift for Xie Ning.
But she couldn't receive it.
This morning, both the grand and small court assemblies discussed strategies for rescuing the enemy, but throughout the entire assembly, not a single sentence was practical.
Xie Wangzhi raised his hand to cover half of his face. He had always believed that some of the ills of the officialdom of the Great Zhou could be gradually changed, and he had been putting it into practice. However, the shirking of responsibility by all parties today had completely disheartened him.
Mo Shu opened the door and placed the invitation on a small table to the side. "Master, the Shi family has rejected the invitation. Young Master Shi said that Old Master Shi is seriously ill and will not receive guests, but he has invited you to a gathering at Linshui Pavilion."
When winter came, Lord Shi fell ill. The emperor sent many imperial physicians to see him, but Lord Shi did not attend court. It seemed that he was really going to die.
Even Master Shi took leave to stay home and care for the sick, which just happened to help him avoid the internal strife and division within the new faction.
Xie Wangzhi remained unmoved. He was considering whether he should take advantage of the chaos to remove some people from their posts, so that the political situation in the court could be somewhat cleared up and not become so murky.
"Prepare the car."
On one side, there was the intrigue and turmoil of the imperial court; on the other, there was the smoke and fire of war, and the fighting under the cover of winter. After escaping, Xiao Chu ran towards the Northern Jin army camp, but he was still too slow.
Seeing his men slaughter the pursuers, Xiao Chu, ignoring the arrow wound in his shoulder, ordered his soldiers to carry him to the main tent. "Your Highness! You must not send troops!"
Gu Yan was stunned when he saw Xiao Chu covered in injuries. "Grandfather, what are you doing here?"
Shouldn't Xiao Chu be at the East Gate?
"Your Highness, we...we've fallen into a trap!"
Zhou Jun's main force isn't at the north gate, but at the east gate. If his army goes there, we'll be surrounded!
Gu Yan's vision went black, and Xiao Chu hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please send people to chase after them quickly; perhaps we can still catch up."
But the probability was extremely low. Gu Yan slowly calmed down and said to Xiao Chu, "Lord Xiao, don't panic. I was uneasy this morning, so I only sent 40,000 troops to the east city. There are still 20,000 troops in the north city and 10,000 mobile troops outside. If we send troops to meet them now, the enemy will surely... It would be better to attack the north city..."
Before he could finish speaking, a messenger on horseback came to report that a force had arrived from the Fen River, and judging from their banners, it was an army from Shaanxi coming to their aid.
But wasn't that army already scattered by them?
Gu Yan didn't have time to think much. He summoned the army doctor to treat Xiao Chu and then led the other generals into the tent to discuss countermeasures. From Xiao Chu's words, they learned that the Great Zhou already knew about their plan to lure the generals out of the city to ambush and kill them. The Great Zhou chose to turn the tables and wipe them out instead.
Now, the Shaanxi reinforcements, who were already scattered, are blocking the road again, just to prevent them from rescuing the main force.
"Your Highness, the troops sent to the East City are probably already engaged in battle. I urge Your Highness to immediately send troops to order them to retreat. The army on the Fen River side has at least ten thousand men and is attacked from multiple directions. I believe it is not advisable to fight at this time."
"And General Shang has already captured Fenglan. Fenglan County is separated from Bingzhou City only by a mountain. Why not defend it from there and then plan our next move?"
Fenglan is a strategically important location, and they had only managed to capture it with great difficulty. Retreating is only a temporary measure.
"Then we shall do as General Liu says."
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