Mountain and River Festival 295. War breaks out, Xiling's famous general

Outside the Li City, two white figures marching side by side proudly stood in front of hundreds of thousands of troops amid the deafening sound of war drums. The dark and seemingly endless Mohist army camp was silent, and black flags fluttered in the wind. Everyone looked up at the pair of white-clad men and women in front of them with trust and respect.

Behind Ye Li followed the generals who were going to go on the expedition together. Zhang Qilan, Lu Jinxian, Feng Zhiyao, Mo Hua, Zhuo Jing...

Offering wine to heaven, the quiet and solemn air outside the city was filled with the faint aroma of wine. After drinking a cup with the people who came to see him off and the soldiers of the Mohist Army, Mo Xiuyao announced loudly: "Let's go!" The clear voice, mixed with internal strength, spread throughout the venue.

"Yes, sir!" hundreds of thousands of people shouted in unison.

Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li smiled at each other, walked to the front and jumped on their horses. They were the first to head towards the distant official road, followed by the generals of the Mohist Army, and the soldiers behind them also slowly began to move, gradually forming a long black dragon that gradually went away.

It was not until the last row of Mohist soldiers left the city gate that the people waiting outside the city to see them off gradually dispersed. Xu Hongyu and Xu Qingchen supported Mr. Qingyun on the left and right, and said, "Father, let's go back too." Mr. Qingyun nodded, and said to his two sons and eldest grandson, "The dragon is soaring in the sky... There will be a lot of things in Licheng in the future. Prince Ding actually entrusted the northwest to you, please take care of it." Xu Hongyu said respectfully, "Please rest assured, father, the northwest is related to the lifeline of Prince Ding's mansion and the Mohist army, and your son will not dare to neglect it."

Mr. Qingyun looked at his children and grandchildren and nodded with satisfaction. He smiled and said, "In the future, it will not only be this world, but also the northwest will be full of wind and rain. You should be careful."

"Thank you for your reminder, father. I understand."

Mo Xiaobao held Leng Junhan and Xu Zhirui on his left and right, looking eagerly at the adults in front of him. Although he was smart enough, he still couldn't understand some of the words. But he knew that the grandfather was instructing his uncle and uncle, "Grandpa, Yu Chen also needs to help."

Mr. Qingyun smiled and touched Mo Xiaobao's head, saying, "You, just being obedient is helping."

Mo Xiaobao wrinkled his nose in grievance. He was no longer a child!

Xu Qingchen leaned over and picked up Mo Xiaobao, saying with a smile: "Take good care of Zhirui and Junhan, and you will be helping your uncle a lot." Mo Xiaobao nestled into his uncle's arms contentedly. He had to agree to his uncle's request. Looking at the two little kids beside him, Mo Xiaobao's sense of responsibility suddenly swelled. These two little kids don't know anything, and they obviously need someone to take care of them. Well, I will take good care of them with great difficulty. Looking up at the black dragon that was getting farther and farther away, Mo Xiaobao rubbed his nose in Xu Qingchen's arms and felt a little sour. Xiaobao misses his mother so much.

The northwest is not a large area. With the speed of the Mohist army, it took only a few days to reach the border between the northwest and Xiling. The Mohist army did not stop at all, and did not give the border guards of Xiling time to react. It took only two days to break through the border town of Xiling. This was also the first time that this border town had been opened by others since the establishment of Xiling. At this time, the war god Lei Zhenting of Xiling was still in the territory of Da Chu, and cast his ambitious eyes on the rich south of Da Chu.

After receiving the battle report, Lei Zhenting was so shocked that he smashed the celadon teacup in his hand, stood up suddenly and roared: "Mo Xiuyao!"

The generals who were originally full of confidence looked at each other, some of them didn't understand what happened. One of them bravely stood up and asked: "Prince? The Mohist Army sent troops to help the Great Chu? Even so, we are not necessarily afraid of them." Although the Mohist Army is known to be brave, this time they have to face not only Xiling alone, but also the Northern Border and the Northern Rong. Although they don't know what the Northern Border is like, it is not easy to get close to Chujing in just a few months. As for the Northern Rong, it is well known that the barbarians outside the Great Wall are fierce and good at fighting. Ding Wangfu wants to fight three enemies alone, and the victory is still unknown.

"Yes, Your Majesty, calm down. We are not necessarily afraid of Mo Xiuyao!" Obviously, there were quite a few people who thought so, and the generals were ready to fight. It seemed that they had completely forgotten the scene of being defeated by the Mo family army a few years ago.

Lei Zhenting sneered, "Sending troops to help Da Chu? Humph! Mo Xiuyao did send troops, but not to help Da Chu, but to attack Xiling!"

"What?" Everyone was shocked.

After the initial rage subsided, Lei Zhenting calmed down. He said in a deep voice: "Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li personally led hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Xiling. They have already broken through the city, and hundreds of thousands of border guards were caught off guard and fled! Rubbish! Hundreds of thousands of people couldn't even last two days!" It is impossible to say that Lei Zhenting was not on guard against Mo Xiuyao at all. Not to mention the wartime, he also kept a close eye on the Mo family army in normal times. So even if he led the country's troops to attack Da Chu, he did not forget to place hundreds of thousands of troops on the northwest border to guard. But he didn't expect that hundreds of thousands of troops couldn't even last two days under Mo Xiuyao!

"Mo Xiuyao clearly promised not to interfere?! Now he openly breaks his promise. This is extremely despicable!"

Lei Zhenting sneered, "Despicable? The so-called agreement is only valid when you are willing to abide by it. If you are not willing to abide by it, it is just a piece of waste paper. What's more... Mo Xiuyao promised not to interfere in the war between Dongchu and Xiling." He did not interfere in the war between the two countries. He directly sent troops to attack Xiling.

"Your Highness, I am willing to lead the troops back to reinforce the border!" someone asked.

Lei Zhenting closed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Mo Xiuyao only brought 400,000 people into Xiling, and there are hundreds of thousands of troops guarding the border of Xiling."

Everyone was shocked. "Mo Xiuyao is trying to stop us from returning to reinforce?"

"Yes, the commander on the border of Xiling is Zhang Qilan of the Mohist Army. Although he is not very old, he is a veteran of the Mohist Army. If our army returns in full force, he will not be able to stop us, but he can still delay us for a while. The most important thing is that once we withdraw, it is difficult to guarantee that the soldiers of Dongchu will not take the opportunity to catch up. Then we will be attacked from both sides." Lei Zhenting said lightly, his face seemed to have aged several years in an instant and his face was gloomy and dark. What he didn't say was that even if they successfully went back to stop the Mohist Army, everything they had done in Dongchu in the past two months would be wasted. Although the soldiers of Dongchu were not brave enough, they were not immovable clay figures. In the past two months, many soldiers in Xiling were killed and wounded. If he returns empty-handed or even ends up in danger in Xiling, his position as regent would be over no matter how powerful he is.

It was not until this moment that Lei Zhenting realized that he had been completely fooled by Mo Xiuyao. He even had to suspect that Mo Xiuyao had been keeping a low profile for the past few years just to wait for the opportunity to launch an attack on Da Chu. Because Mo Xiuyao himself could not take action against Da Chu no matter what.

"Mo Xiuyao! What a great Mo Xiuyao..." Lei Zhenting said gritting his teeth.

"Your Majesty, are we just going to do this..." the generals below said indignantly. So what? Let Xiling be attacked and continue to attack Da Chu? This is obviously impossible. But just give up the territory that Da Chu has already obtained? How can they be willing to do this?

Someone said hesitantly: "The Crown Prince guarding the Imperial City may be able to stop the attack of the Mohist Army. We can send some troops back to reinforce..." He became a little depressed and lost his voice at the end. Although their troops were far superior to the Mohist Army, if they sent half of them back, they would first have to pass the blockade of the 400,000 Mohist Army. Then they could face Mo Xiuyao's elite. Not to mention how many people would be left at this time, just the effect of these remaining people against Mo Xiuyao's army was already worrying.

The room was silent for a long time before Lei Zhenting's voice was heard, "Deputy General, I will leave you 300,000 men. Continue to attack Dong Chu, and do not advance rashly."

The middle-aged man who was the deputy of the army and also Lei Zhenting's confidant stood up and said loudly: "I obey your orders, Your Majesty, please rest assured." Lei Zhenting nodded and said: "I will lead the rest of the people to set off as quickly as possible and return to Xiling. I hope we can still make it in time..."

Everyone wanted to comfort the prince, saying that they didn't need to do it too hard, because Mo Xiuyao wouldn't be able to reach Xiling Imperial City in just a dozen days. But seeing the tired look on their prince's face, they couldn't say any words of comfort. Lei Zhenting waved his hand and said, "You all can leave."

"I'll take my leave." The generals left respectfully, and Lei Zhenting sat alone in the empty room under the dim light. After a long while, he swept all the files and cups on the table to the ground with a wave of his hand, "Mo Xiuyao!"

The worst result that Lei Zhenting expected, or the Mohist Army repeated the scene when Xiling attacked Dachu a few years ago. Along the way, they were unstoppable. In just half a month, 400,000 Mohist Army had already captured four cities in Xiling and advanced to Biancheng in the heart of Xiling. This is the second largest city in Xiling after the Xiling Imperial City, and its prosperity is even higher than Ancheng, where the Murong family was originally entrenched. Because this is the only way for the Western Regions to go to Licheng and even to the Central Plains. The bustle and prosperity here are naturally self-evident. More importantly, although Xiling is vast, most of the area is not suitable for growing food. And half of the remaining places that produce food are near Biancheng. Here is also the Longshan Academy, which is one of the three great academies of the time and is as famous as the Lishan Academy. It is located on the Longshan Mountain in the east of Biancheng.

Such an important place is naturally no different from other places. When the Mohist army arrived here, Lei Tengfeng, who was originally stationed in the imperial city, also led 300,000 troops to Biancheng. So the two armies had their first real confrontation in Biancheng. The previous few battles could only be regarded as unilateral crushing by the Mohist army. Lei Tengfeng was exhausted from leading his troops all the way to Biancheng. The Mohist army had been fighting and marching for more than 20 days in a row, and they were also very tired when they arrived here. So Mo Xiuyao ordered to set up camp outside Biancheng to rest for a while before starting the siege.

In the Mohist army tent, all the generals had high spirits on their faces. They were excited after winning several battles in a row, but they also felt that they were not satisfied yet. So when Mo Xiuyao ordered to suspend the siege, many of them could not hold back and came to ask for a fight.

Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li sat side by side in the main seat of the big tent, leaning on the armrest and looking at the people who were arguing about who should attack the city first. Feng Zhiyao lazily slumped in the chair, watching them quarreling with a smile, scratched his ears and looked at Mo Xiuyao and said: "Prince, you should say something, otherwise we will really fight." Hearing this, the people who were arguing stopped immediately, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes looked at Mo Xiuyao.

Mo Xiuyao said slowly, "Didn't the king say so? Set up camp and rest. We will attack the city tomorrow."

Yun Ting said puzzledly: "But Your Majesty, Lei Tengfeng's 300,000 reinforcements have already arrived. Shouldn't we take advantage of their fatigue and attack them by surprise?"

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said calmly, "He is tired, but we are more tired than them. Do you think that we have been fighting too smoothly all the way, so Xiling is really vulnerable? Don't forget that in the past ten or twenty years, Xiling has always had the upper hand between Xiling and Da Chu."

Isn't it because our Mohist Army didn't participate in the war? Someone muttered in his heart.

Mo Xiuyao said nonchalantly, "The reason why we have been able to win so smoothly these days is that Lei Zhenting has withdrawn most of his elite troops to attack Da Chu. It is also because we caught them by surprise and they had no time to react. Although Xiling often invades other people's borders, they have not fought a war in their homeland for many years. Their weaknesses are very similar to those of the Mohist Army. They are good at attacking but not good at defending. I can tell you seriously that our battle really started in Biancheng."

Lu Jinxian frowned and said, "Your Majesty is exaggerating too much."

"Your Highness is not promoting Lei Tengfeng." Ye Li, who had been listening to their conversation in silence, said, "Biancheng is the largest city in Xiling besides the Imperial City. It is truly a place where dragons and crouching tigers are hidden."

Hidden dragons and crouching tigers? Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They had never heard of any important figures in Xiling.

Ye Li smiled and shook her head, saying, "Before the King of Zhennan, Xiling had three famous generals. Has anyone here heard of them?"

All the generals present were military commanders, so they were naturally familiar with most of these. Yun Ting said in a deep voice: "My princess, the three famous generals of Xiling are General Long Yang of Xiling Fengtian, General Zhu Yan of Xiling Jingtian, and General Feng Ao of Xiling Shuntian. These three are said to be childhood friends of the previous emperor of Xiling, Emperor Xuanwen. After Emperor Xuanwen ascended the throne, he expanded the territory for him and fought in all directions. During Emperor Xuanwen's reign, the territory of Xiling expanded westward by nearly three times the original territory. One-tenth. But among these three, only Zhu Yan had fought with the King Tai, one tied and one defeated. The other two have been in the west and north. After the current Xiling Emperor ascended the throne, he was controlled by his younger brother, the Zhennan King. However, these three generals were loyal to Emperor Xuanwen and to the Xiling Emperor chosen by Emperor Xuanwen, so they were not in harmony with the Zhennan King. They were successively deprived of their military power by the Zhennan King. This happened... 20 years ago. "

The others nodded as well. What they knew was mostly consistent with what Yun Ting said. The youngest of the three generals should be seventy years old now. It was unknown whether he was still alive. Even if he was, he would not be able to fight on the battlefield again.

Ye Li smiled faintly, "Unfortunately, two of these three generals are now in Biancheng. General Long Yang of Fengtian and General Zhu Yan of Jingtian."

Everyone was silent.

Mo Xiuyao looked at everyone with a smile, "Everyone, do you still want to fight?"

After a moment of silence, someone finally said, "Of course we should fight! But... we can take a break before fighting!" Biancheng is not just the 300,000 people Lei Tengfeng brought with him. The defenders around Biancheng, plus the stragglers defeated from the front, add up to at least 200,000 people. Even if Long Yang and Zhu Yan are at odds with Lei Zhenting, they will not stand by and watch Biancheng being besieged. I'm afraid they have been prepared for them. It's a good thing to move forward bravely, but it's stupid and impulsive to move forward without seeing the reality in front of you.

Mo Xiuyao nodded in satisfaction, "Very good, now go and rest. Bring me your siege plan tomorrow."

"I'll take my leave!"

Everyone left, and Feng Zhiyao, who was the last one to leave, hesitated for a moment before staying. Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said unhappily, "What else do you want to say?" Feng Zhiyao thought for a moment and sat down again, "Prince? Are Long Yang and Zhu Yan really in Biancheng?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled, "What good does it have for me to lie to you?"

Feng Zhiyao sighed, "This luck is too bad. It would be fine if I met one of these old monsters, but how come I met two at once? I heard that even the Regent King had a hard time fighting Zhu Yan." The former Regent King of the Great Chu, Mo Liufang, was known as a genius of the ages. He had never been defeated in his life, but he tied with Zhu Yan. This is enough to prove that this General Jingtian is not simple. Moreover, although the other General Fengtian had never fought against the Mohist Army, the name of this General Long in the Western Regions was more famous than that of the Emperor Xiling. He swept through the small countries in the Western Regions, and his reputation for killing was enough to stop children from crying at night.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "It is indeed bad luck. It may be a little difficult for these veteran generals to charge into the battle array. But being a military advisor and giving Lei Tengfeng some advice is enough to make you uncomfortable. However, our luck is not bad. The road ahead of Biancheng is flat, otherwise we would be in trouble before we even reach the city."

Feng Zhiyao was stunned and asked in confusion: "What do you mean? You don't plan to do it yourself?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "My actions will not be any better than yours. I... don't like city battles."

Feng Zhiyao couldn't help rolling his eyes. Do you still get to choose whether you like it or not during a war? Even if they don't like it, the Biancheng standing in front of them will not disappear out of thin air.

Mo Xiuyao said with some regret: "Come to think of it, I really want to meet these old generals. It's a pity... they are too old..." Maybe Mo Xiuyao is too stunning, or maybe the reputation of Dingguo Palace is too loud. Almost no one in Mo Xiuyao's generation can compete with him. Compared with his father and even his brother, Mo Xiuyao was undoubtedly lonely at that time. When people mention Dingguo Prince, they always praise him for how he planned and how good he was at fighting, but only he himself knows that he hasn't been able to fight a good battle for a long time.

"How do you know they didn't raise any offspring?" Feng Zhiyao muttered in a low voice.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "If that's the case, that's even better. This way... it's more interesting."

In the end, Feng Zhiyao, who still couldn't figure out what Mo Xiuyao meant, left angrily.

In the big tent, Ye Li leaned on Mo Xiuyao's arms and asked softly: "These two veteran generals are indeed not simple, we really have to be careful. Are we really going to ignore them during the siege tomorrow?" Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said: "It would be good to kill their sharpness. It's been too smooth all the way, which is not good."

Ye Li nodded. She understood Mo Xiuyao's worries. In fact, this was exactly what she was worried about. Although the two veteran generals who suddenly appeared in Biancheng might disrupt their original plan, it was much better than letting these soldiers face future enemies with excessive pride and even go to destruction. The Mo family army is not the only elite in the world, and Mo Xiuyao is not the only one who knows how to fight.

"Is there enough time? If Lei Zhenting comes back in time, we will be the ones to be attacked from both sides."

Holding her hand, Mo Xiuyao said, "Don't worry. No matter what... If Zhang Qilan can't hold off the 400,000-man army for even a month or two, then all his efforts over the years have been in vain. Besides... I have some other gifts to give to Lei Zhenting." Ye Li thought for a moment, "Murong Shen? And Nanzhao?" The only ones who can threaten Lei Zhenting in the south, besides Mo Jingli's army, are Murong Shen and Nanzhao who are guarding Broken Snow Pass. Mo Jingli is guarding his own territory, and unless Lei Zhenting crosses the Yunlan River, his Li Wang military in the south will never move. So there are only Murong Shen and Nanzhao.

"What benefits did you promise to Princess Anxi?" The wars between countries are not just about friendship. Without real interests, it will never work.

Mo Xiuyao would not hide anything from Ye Li, and said with a smile: "I didn't talk to her about this. Take a look at the letter I just received today."

Ye Li took the letter and looked at it, then smiled and said, "Is it from big brother? Is it from big brother... who negotiated with Princess Anxi?" She sighed slightly, "Big brother..."

"He is the brain trust of the entire Northwest and Dingwang Mansion." Mo Xiuyao held her hand firmly. Xu Qingchen was doing what he should do, although such things would gradually consume the friendship between him and Princess Anxi. It's not that Princess Anxi would have any opinions in her heart, but when both parties are in their own interests, the original friendship will gradually fade and get used to their current and future relationship. But Mo Xiuyao did not intend to feel any apology to Xu Qingchen for this.

Ye Li shook her head and said, "Give them the three states near the Nanzhao border? Princess Anxi actually agreed to it?" Such a condition was too vague. It was not certain whether the Mohist Army could defeat Xiling.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Nanzhao must choose one side between Dingwang Mansion and Lei Zhenting. Make friends with those far away and attack those near... Even if Nanzhao becomes enemies with Dingwang Mansion, it won't gain much. But if it cooperates with Dingwang Mansion, it may be possible to swallow up several states in Xiling."

"Are you really planning to give Xiling to Nanzhao?" Ye Li raised her eyebrows.

"That's for the future. I don't even have it now."

So, is it just empty talk?