Sure enough, the next month, when the princes were preparing to set off to return to their respective fiefdoms, the Jin army marched south again, almost breaking through several passes leading to the Central Plains.
The emperor's furious voice echoed throughout the hall: "Over half of Kanto has fallen in just two weeks! 7,000 versus 20,000, a heavy loss?!"
"Where is my Kwantung Army?! Where is Xu Changji?!"
The armies of Qi and Zhou were inseparable from the court, and factions were divided according to their origins, places of appointment, teachers, and political views.
The largest force stationed in Guandong to resist the Jin army was the Guandong Army.
The Xu family came from a scholarly family. Before they met Emperor Gaozu, the family had already become very obscure. At that time, the Central Plains was in great chaos, with princes everywhere. The capital, which was then called Chang'an, was not at all peaceful.
The imperial family declined, and the Hu people invaded the Central Plains five times, leaving the people separated from their wives and children and living in dire straits. In the midst of turmoil, wars raged everywhere, and the Xu family's ancestors joined Emperor Gaozu and fought in the wars for twenty years. After that, the country was transformed, the world was crowned with the Xu family, and peace and prosperity prevailed.
After the establishment of the Qi and Zhou dynasties, Emperor Gaozu rewarded the army with high positions and generous salaries. As founding heroes, the Xu family naturally enjoyed constant favor and prospered. By the time Emperor Xie Huaiwei ascended the throne, the Xu family had already produced three top scholars and three generals, all of whom had made significant achievements in their respective fields, earning them the title of a distinguished family.
Xu Changji was the fourth general of the Xu family. He was sent to Guandong when he came of age. It was a place of training for the children of the Xu family from generation to generation. The Guandong Army was initially praised by Emperor Gaozu as "It is easy to shake a mountain, but difficult to shake the Xu family army." It was famous for its strict military discipline and swift marching.
The emperor issued an order in anger, demanding that Xu Changji and the Guandong Army organize an army to resist the Jin people with all their strength! The Zhenxi Army and the garrisons of several states in the heart of the Central Plains would also follow north to provide support.
At that time, the King of Qi took the initiative to submit a petition, but was rejected on the grounds that he was still young and that Lingnan was very different from the north, so he might not be able to do the job.
The war continued until early autumn, when the Guandong Army and other defenders marched north to reinforce the Jin army and defeated them in three months. By then, the land of Guandong was awash in blood and grief.
Shockingly, the Xu family displayed cowardice and retreat during this war. The emperor ordered an investigation, which revealed letters exchanged between General Xu Changji and the Jin army, filled with flattering and flowery language.
This is absolutely ridiculous!
However, if this is not the case, how can we explain the situation where the powerful Guandong Army was completely unable to resist the Jin Army?
"In fact, the Kwantung Army never gave up on counterattacks." Xie Chongyue sighed as he thought about what he had discovered over the years. "It was the court and the officials of Qi and Zhou who formed cliques for personal gain, embezzled logistical supplies, and repeatedly missed opportunities for battle, causing the once promising situation to deteriorate and ultimately leading to a desperate situation."
In fact, as soon as the news of the signing of the treaty reached Kyoto, the Jin people broke off relations and marched north. However, the news was cut off midway, and it was not until two months later, a month after the Spring Banquet, that Kyoto learned of the Jin army's southward advance. By then, the situation in Kanto had completely changed.
"Absurd..." Xu Shiqing clenched his fists. "The logistics supply is not moving without orders. They've left the Kwantung Army fighting alone for two months!"
Guandong is desolate, and food and grass have always relied on the Guanzhong hinterland, and are shipped once a month... But the food and grass needed for war are very different from the food and grass needed in daily life!
What's more, under the circumstances at that time, the conditions for receiving food and fodder could not be compared with normal conditions, which meant that the Guandong Army might not be able to receive these food and fodder, or they might even be looted by the Jin Army.
Xie Chongyue felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked up and saw the young man's eyes, stained with anger, blazing like fire in the night sky. "The interception of the message couldn't have been an individual act. Carrier pigeons, messengers... not even one?!"
Was there no one who passed the news to Kyoto?
Or even the people in Kyoto...
"Kyoto... what are they doing?!"
Xu Shiqing was incredulous: "Deceiving the emperor, corruption, pre-war infighting... Should I be thankful they're not incompetent?"
We were able to take back Kanto in the end!
"..." Xie Chongyue agreed sincerely: "You are right."
He found that Xu Shiqing's focus was not on the relationship between the Xu family and himself, but on the absurd behavior of the court in Guandong that year... In fact, it was not his fault. When Xie Chongyue himself read the intelligence for the first time, he was so angry that he was spinning around in place.
The young man turned twice in front of him, his whole body looking like a steaming kettle.
They had been to Kanto, and because of this, they knew how much wailing there was in Kanto after that war - it was not the destruction of just one family or one city!
"Master, what are they planning to do?" Xu Shiqing's tone became firm. To him, the group of people who did those things back then completely violated his bottom line.
People are more important than anything else. Without people, there can be no human world, let alone the world of martial arts.
The most core and simple point of the chivalry he upholds is to use the sword in his hand to protect innocent ordinary people.
It was for this reason that Xu Shiqing, after learning the truth, had become involved in the Huaibei case three years ago. In his view, Chen Sheng's charges were undoubtedly riddled with doubts, yet the Huaibei officials, despite the doubtful evidence, not only settled the case but also imprisoned the man's wife and children. The Jinling flower-picking incident, Chen Sheng's illness and death, sealed the Huaibei case, and the entire family was exiled to Lingnan, where they died on the road.
How could Xu Shiqing not investigate further?
He came to Guandong, where there were poor people, rampant officials and bandits, and arrogant gangsters. That year, it was said that the tomb of King Tai was discovered here, which contained martial arts secrets, money and treasures that drove the Qi and Zhou gangs crazy.
...That was just a lie, a lie made up by Kanto officials in order to embezzle money.
Then comes Jiangnan.
Xu Shiqing closed his eyes. Qizhou, the place with the rivers, lakes, and seas he loved, now felt frighteningly unfamiliar. It was like a magnificent palace, splendid at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was filled with holes gnawed and corroded by ants, so dense and terrifying.
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