Mountain and River Festival 305. Mo Jingli's plan

Mo Jingli knew about the King of Zhennan's unusual move at the first time. No matter how stupid Mo Jingli was, he still remembered that Jiangnan was the capital where he could really make a living. Moreover, Mo Jingli was never a real fool, but he was not smart enough compared to some people. Therefore, as soon as he received the King of Zhennan's move, Mo Jingli, as the regent, ordered Murong Shen, who was leading the troops to the north, to do his best to stop the King of Zhennan from going south. Murong Shen led the troops to the north because the troops in the north were beaten badly by the King of Zhennan. Originally, he came to settle accounts with Lei Zhenting, so he naturally didn't care where he was settling accounts with him. After receiving Mo Jingli's order, he immediately led the army that was originally heading north to the southeast, trying to block the Xiling army.

After making these plans, Mo Jingli still couldn't feel at ease. He secretly ordered his confidants to prepare to move the capital southward, without thinking about the lives of the soldiers who were still fighting against the Northern Border and Northern Rong. However, Mo Jingli's actions were not really hidden from everyone, and soon a secret letter was sent to Zijing Pass in the northeast of Chujing.

At Zijing Pass, the increasingly difficult battles made Leng Huai look older and thinner over the past month. The Northern Border Army seemed to know that Great Chu was already at the end of its strength, and they began to attack more and more frantically since the Northern Rong entered the pass. Leng Huai had reason to believe that the Northern Rong and the Northern Border had been secretly connected for a long time. However, the food and military supplies sent by Chu Jing to Zijing Pass were getting less and less day by day. Since the new emperor ascended the throne, the food and military supplies for this month have been delayed for ten days and have not been delivered. If there is still no food and military supplies in ten days, Great Chu will be defeated without the Northern Border attack.

"Father, what do you want to talk to me about?" Leng Haoyu, who was suddenly called into the study, looked at his father with a leisurely face. He seemed to be completely unable to understand where his father's worries came from. His calm appearance also made Leng Huai angry. He didn't know when this son started to act like he didn't care about anything in front of him. Although he already knew that Leng Haoyu was not really the so-called dandy, Leng Huai couldn't help getting angry when he saw him like this.

"What does it look like to be so frivolous!" Leng Huai said in a deep voice.

Leng Haoyu curled his lips. Does he have to be like Leng Da, with a sullen face all day long, as if someone owed him millions of taels of silver and didn't pay it back? Rolling his eyes, Leng Haoyu said, "Father, what's the matter? I still have to go out and play with Ting'er." The veins on Leng Huai's forehead jumped. "Play? What time is it now? Do you have time to play with your wife? What's wrong with your wife? You are ignorant and she is also ignorant? She is making trouble all day long!"

Leng Haoyu always doesn't care when someone says something about him, but he can't care when someone says something about his dear wife. Leng Haoyu said unhappily: "What's wrong with my wife? She can manage the household, give birth to children, do business with me, and go to the battlefield with me. Even if she's not as good as Princess Ding, she's not bad. How about your wife? How about your eldest son's daughter-in-law?" Speaking of the latter part, Leng Haoyu gradually became proud, as if he felt that his wife was really very good.

Leng Huai couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw him like this, and said helplessly: "I didn't call you here to listen to you bragging about your wife!"

"Am I bragging? I'm telling the truth, okay?" Leng Haoyu muttered in dissatisfaction, thinking to himself, wasn't it you who started it? Wouldn't it be better to get down to business earlier? "Whatever it is, just tell me directly, father."

Leng Huai frowned and said in a deep voice: "What happened in the capital? Don't say you don't know. I know you have other information channels." Leng Haoyu couldn't help but smile at him and asked, "Father, do you know where I got this information channel from? Do you really want to use it? What will you give in return if you use it?"

"This..." Leng Huai was speechless, although Leng Haoyu had never said anything. But during the past few months, Leng Haoyu had not deliberately concealed the truth from him. He had more or less guessed what his son had been doing all these years. Although he was shocked and angry at his son's boldness and willfulness, as a father, he also felt a little proud and relieved that his son could have such abilities and achievements without the help of his family. Leng Haoyu was not in a hurry, and waited for his father to make a decision with a smile.

After a long while, Leng Huai glared at him angrily and said, "You are my son. As a father, do I have to pay you for asking for information?"

Leng Haoyu raised his eyebrows, looked at him with some teasing, but he was not embarrassed. He shrugged and said, "It's nothing. The way back to Xiling for the King of Zhennan was cut off by the King of Ding. He planned to abandon his hometown and go to Jiangnan to seize the territory of the King of Li. Of course, the King of Li was unwilling to give up his territory to him easily, so he was secretly preparing to return to Jiangnan. If he wants to return to Jiangnan, he will naturally have to bring many things and even troops back to Jiangnan. How can he have time to care about your small Zijing Pass? Anyway, the King of Li is not the emperor. Without him in the capital, there is still the prosperous Jiangnan. It is not a big loss for him."

"What?" Leng Haoyu said lightly, but Leng Huai's face turned pale. "How is this possible? Doesn't King Li know that once the capital is lost, most of Da Chu will be finished!"

Leng Haoyu raised his eyebrows and said, "You don't believe me, but you're still asking me? Even if Prince Li doesn't give up, what will happen? The Northern Rong have already entered the pass, and they will soon reach Chujing. Will your Zijing Pass be able to hold out by then? If you withdraw at that time, I'm afraid Mo Jingli won't be able to keep even the land in Jiangnan. Of course he has to leave first. If he goes to Jiangnan, he doesn't have to be the regent king. When the little emperor is killed by the Northern Rong or the Northern Border, he can directly ascend the throne and become the emperor."

Leng Huai was speechless. Although Leng Haoyu's words were crude and unadorned, they undoubtedly hit the mark. But how could he be willing to give up Zijing Pass, which he had defended for so long, especially when he knew the consequences of giving up?

"Then why did you come? Prince Ding must have some plan for asking you to come, right? Does Prince Ding really want to watch the fall of Great Chu?" At this point, Leng Huai no longer avoided Leng Haoyu's identity.

Leng Haoyu's face suddenly turned ugly, and he sneered: "Why am I here? Who told you to run to the battlefield at your age? I'll see whether I should give the body to you or Leng Qingyu? As for Prince Ding, you should give up. Prince Ding is in Xiling now. Even if he changes his mind, he can't grow wings and fly back." No matter what Mo Xiuyao thought, Leng Haoyu appeared here because he was worried that his father would accidentally kill him on the battlefield. Unexpectedly, the other party didn't appreciate it at all, and it was no wonder that Leng Haoyu looked unhappy.

Leng Huai knew that he had been too anxious and said too much, and he didn't care about Leng Haoyu's harsh words. Looking at his son with an unhappy face, he couldn't help but sigh and said, "Forget it, in a few days, you should take Ting'er back to the capital." Leng Haoyu raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Leng Huai said unhappily: "You also said that this Zijing Pass can't be defended. Your elder brother and I are generals of the Great Chu, and it is our duty to die on the battlefield. Are you going to join in the fun? Hurry up while the situation is still better. The Leng family... If you are capable, take care of the Leng family." Even if he was loyal to the Great Chu and the royal family, he didn't really plan to accompany all his sons. Leng Haoyu was not a minister of the Great Chu, so Leng Huai naturally let him go without any pressure.

Leng Haoyu didn't appreciate this, rolled his eyes and said, "Your wife, son and grandson should take care of themselves." I begged the prince to come to Zijing Pass eagerly, but I didn't really come to collect your body. Leng Haoyu silently complained in his heart.

Leng Huai thought that he had a grudge against the Leng family, and shook his head helplessly, saying, "That's fine, everyone has their own destiny. It's up to you."

Leng Haoyu frowned, looked at Leng Huai and said, "Have you never thought about retreating? Do you really want these hundreds of thousands of soldiers to die with you at Zijing Pass?" Leng Huai smiled bitterly, "Retreat? Where to retreat? Behind us is Chujing. We can retreat, but where can these ordinary people retreat? I have never fought any earth-shattering battles in my life, but I have never been a coward who abandons the city and flees." Leng Haoyu had to roll his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "Okay, I don't care about you, and you don't care about me. I will leave when it's time to leave." If it really comes to the last resort, just knock this old man unconscious and pack him up and take him to the northwest. Although he didn't like this old man, he didn't plan to send his father to his death so early. Besides, the prince also wants a general who can fight in battles. Well... He is just in his early fifties, not too old, and can still lead troops for a few more years!

Leng Huai felt very uncomfortable with his son's strange gaze, but he couldn't guess what he was thinking. He could only wave his hand and let him leave.

However, Leng Huai was still holding the Zijing Pass, temporarily blocking the northern army's advance. The other side was not so easy. Most of the northern Rong soldiers were cavalry, and the harsh climate outside the pass had made the northern Rong soldiers more ferocious than the people of Da Chu inside the pass. Even the war horses were the best among all the countries. Among the surrounding countries, the only cavalry that could be compared with the northern Rong was the Black Cloud Cavalry of the Mohist Army, but the number of Black Cloud Cavalry was far less than that of the northern Rong cavalry. Moreover, the Black Cloud Cavalry was good at long-distance raids and could attack and run away. If they really fought face to face, they might not be able to defeat the northern Rong army. So one can imagine the scene after hundreds of thousands of northern Rong cavalry entered the pass.

The people of Beirong and Beifang are slightly different. Although most of them are barbarians, Ren Qining or Lin Yuan are from the Central Plains. He also recruited many talented people from the Central Plains. He also knew that what he wanted to do was to rule the Central Plains instead of destroying it. So although the Northern Border Army did not leave any place untouched, there would not be any major killings. But the Beirong were different. They were a completely nomadic people. They entered the Central Plains to take the fertile land and rich products of the Central Plains for themselves. Therefore, when facing the people of Dachu who originally had these, they naturally killed them without mercy. Wherever the Beirong passed in the north, it can be said that there was grief everywhere and blood flowed like a river. Seven out of ten people along the way died.

The atmosphere in the Chujing Regent Prince's Mansion was solemn. Duke Hua's eyes were wide open, staring fiercely at Mo Jingli who was calm in front of him. Duke Hua's idea of ​​guarding the border was ultimately not realized. It was not that Mo Jingli did not believe in Duke Hua's ability, but that he and Mo Jingqi were both on guard against Duke Hua. Although no one said it on the surface, Mo Jingli still knew where the missing queen had gone. He naturally had reason to believe that Duke Hua's Mansion had already found a retreat for him. He was worried that Duke Hua would lead the troops of the Great Chu to the northwest.

"Your Highness, the Northern Rong army has already entered the pass, and the northern border army is also under pressure. Why are you so reluctant to distribute food and fodder to General Leng?!" Duke Hua asked in a sharp voice.

Mo Jingli's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said lightly: "The old Duke is very well-informed."

Duke Hua snorted and said calmly: "I have been fighting for half my life, so I still have two old friends in the army." Although the Hua family and the Leng family have never been on good terms, Leng Huai worked under Duke Hua for some time when he first went to the battlefield. Therefore, it was not strange for Duke Hua to ask this question at this time.

Mo Jingli certainly didn't believe what Duke Hua said, but he didn't show it. He just said calmly: "Old Duke should know that since the Mo family army broke up with the Great Chu, the North...sooner or later can't stand it." Speaking of this, Mo Jingli was not really frustrated. Even though he was not the emperor yet, he was the actual controller of the Great Chu. No one in power wanted to see all his territory being occupied by others, but the fact was that he couldn't deny it.

Duke Hua sneered and said, "Without food and reinforcements, we can't hold on. I know that the King of Li has his base in the south, so he was naturally anxious when he heard that the Regent King of Xiling was leading his troops south."

"Duke Hua!" Mo Jingli's face flashed with anger, and he said in a deep voice: "Duke Hua, please be careful with your words."

Duke Hua refused to retreat, "Is it possible that what I said is wrong? Your Highness withheld Leng Huai's grain and fodder and refused to send reinforcements to the north. Isn't it because he wants to go south?" Mo Jingli's eyes flashed with a wolfish look, and he said angrily, "The south is more important than the north. If Jiangnan is occupied by Lei Zhenting again, the north will not be able to bear it. What should we do if we are caught in the middle and attacked from all sides? All this was caused by Mo Xiuyao. If he hadn't gone to attack Xiling and blocked Lei Zhenting's retreat, how could Lei Zhenting turn his attention to Jiangnan?"

Hearing this, Duke Hua looked at Mo Jingli indifferently, as if he was looking at an ignorant child. Mo Jingli also understood that he was making trouble for no reason, and Prince Ding's Mansion had already made it clear that it would sever ties with Da Chu. Whether Mo Xiuyao attacked Xiling or cut off Lei Zhenting's retreat, it was all for their own interests. It was none of Mo Xiuyao's business who would be harmed in the process. As a superior, one would never consider the interests of others more important than one's own interests. In addition, if Da Chu was able to make progress on its own, it could have joined forces with Prince Ding's Mansion to trap Lei Zhenting to death. It was their own incompetence that allowed Lei Zhenting to lead his troops all the way south and be invincible. But Mo Jingli couldn't help but want to vent his anger. If there was no Mo Xiuyao, there wouldn't be so many things.

After calming down, Mo Jingli did not want to continue discussing with Duke Hua who was right and who was wrong. Most of the elders in the court were biased towards Prince Ding's Mansion. Even now that Prince Ding's Mansion had abandoned Da Chu and even brought great disaster to Da Chu, these people would still speak for Mo Xiuyao. This situation made Mo Jingli jealous, hateful and helpless.

"It's rare for Mr. Hua to come to my house. Could it be that you came here just to discuss this matter with me?" Mo Jingli asked with an indifferent look.

Hua Guogong glanced at him. It was already this time. Didn't he come to discuss the issue of food and military supplies? Was he still going to have tea with him?

Mo Jingli said: "In fact, the old Duke does not need to worry about these things. The ministers in the court will naturally take care of them. Could it be that the old Duke thinks that all the ministers in the court are good-for-nothings?" Duke Hua sneered. Mo Jingli has not learned any skills in the past few years, but he has learned official language well. The ministers in the court are indeed not good-for-nothings, but none of them has solved the border issues. Like Prince Li, many people are secretly busy packing up their belongings and preparing to go south. Duke Hua looked at Mo Jingli and said in a deep voice: "Since the Northern Rong entered the pass, they have killed civilians along the way. The places occupied by the Northern Rong have long been filled with grief and barren land. I wonder if the prince has heard about it?"

Mo Jingli was stunned, then nodded and said, "I did hear some of it. However... the rumors are a bit untrue. The old Duke is overthinking."

Duke Hua laughed in anger, "Rumor? False? Whether it is a rumor or not, I don't believe it, Your Highness Prince Li. After Chujing, the road to the south is smooth, do I know where Prince Li plans to retreat? Retreat to the south of the Yunlan River? It is indeed a good idea as the Northern Rong cavalry are not good at water battles. But I want to ask, where will Your Highness Prince Li put the tens of millions of people in the north of the Great Chu?" Seeing Mo Jingli silent, Duke Hua's old face showed a sad look, staring at Mo Jingli with grief and said, "Prince Li, those people who were killed are all people of the Great Chu, all the people of your Mo family!"

Mo Jingli's face was gloomy. He stared at Duke Hua and said, "Duke Hua, are you blaming me?"

Duke Hua smiled bitterly and said, "How dare I criticize the Regent? I only remember one sentence that the Regent Mo Liufang said: He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world! Your Highness Prince Li treats his own people as disposable objects, so how can you expect them to be loyal to you? When the Regent first took office, the situation in Da Chu was not necessarily much better than it is now..."

"Enough!" Mo Jingli rudely interrupted Duke Hua's words. Duke Hua's earnest advice sounded more like a sarcasm in his ears. Looking at the old man in front of him coldly, Mo Jingli sneered: "I don't have the ability of Mo Liufang and Mo Xiuyao, so what? How about I invite Mo Xiuyao back for you, or I ask the emperor to give the throne to Mo Xiuyao directly?" Duke Hua was so angry that he trembled all over. If the late emperor was still a scheming hero, Mo Jingli and Mo Jingqi were simply the anomalies of the Mo family. Even in such a situation, they still refused to reflect on themselves, but instead pushed the mistakes onto others. With such descendants, Da Chu is really... the end of its luck, right?

Duke Hua took a few breaths and calmed down his anger. He stood up and said, "Well, if King Li doesn't listen to what I say, I won't bother him any more. King Li, please dispatch food and reinforcements as soon as possible to support the northern border and the northern Rong front!"

Duke Hua swallowed his anger, but Mo Jingli's anger had not completely subsided. He looked at Duke Hua coldly and said, "Duke Hua, I remember that you have been retired for a long time. It is my business to decide whether to send food and grass, reinforcements, and when to send them. Duke Hua should go back home and have a good rest. We may have to set off south in a few days. If Duke Hua is not feeling well on the way and something happens, I will not be able to explain to the Hua family."

"I will not leave Beijing." Hua Guogong said calmly.

Mo Jingli didn't care. It was not up to the Duke of Hua to decide whether to leave the capital. Although the Duke of Hua had not led troops for many years, he still had many old friends in the army. Mo Jingli would never leave him in the capital. Rather than letting Mo Xiuyao get away with it, he would rather give Chujing to Beirong and the Northern Border!

As for the wishes of Duke Hua, Mo Jingli had no regard for them at all. If Duke Hua really refused to cooperate, he would not mind using force.

"Prince Li!" How could Duke Hua not see Mo Jingli's plan? Not only his plan, but also his thoughts, Duke Hua could guess a little bit. That's why he felt even more sad. With Mo Jingli's character, he is not suitable to be a king even in a peaceful and prosperous era, let alone in this chaotic world. Duke Hua calmed down and said in a deep voice: "I will never leave the capital. If Prince Ding insists, you might as well try to take my body out of the capital!"

Mo Jingli frowned in displeasure, even though he disliked Duke Hua extremely. But since Duke Hua was the only old minister in the capital who had served four dynasties, he did not dare to force Duke Hua to death. Moreover, it would be a big deal to convince those old folks to agree to move the capital. If Duke Hua openly opposed it, many old ministers would not agree. He frowned and said, "Duke, I am doing this for your own good. You are so old, why don't you go to Jiangnan to enjoy your old age. As for Chujing... we will come back one day."

Duke Hua sneered, "Enjoy your old age? I can't sleep and rest when I dream of the crying of those innocently dead people! I am an old man, I have lived enough, I swear to live and die with Chu Jing!"

Mo Jingli stood up angrily, stared at Duke Hua for a long while before saying coldly, "I will never give you a single soldier!" Then he turned away.

The Duke of Hua, who was sitting in the flower hall, was stunned for a long time, and finally looked up to the sky and sighed: "Fool! There is such a fool in the Great Chu..." A line of old tears slid sadly across his wrinkled face. Looking at the magnificent Regent Palace with carved buildings and painted buildings around him, he had to slowly stand up and stagger out.

Da Chu... is over...