Chapter 253 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Twenty-Nine): How to Become a Super Strategist...
The next day, before dawn, Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi carried their packed bags to the government office to say goodbye.
At this moment, Song Ce, dressed in full regalia, was already waiting at the door. His personal guards not only led three sturdy horses, but also brought an unexpected guest for the two of them.
“Old Feng, look at that person, isn’t he…Young Master Lu?” Li Dezhong suddenly widened his eyes and asked in a deep voice.
Following the direction Li Dezhong pointed, Feng Ziyi saw a handsome young man in a white robe standing in front of the government office in the dim morning light. He was thin, with fair skin, and looked extremely handsome and elegant. However, for some reason, there was a faint trace of melancholy between his striking eyebrows.
This person is none other than Lu Ying, the wealthy young master who has always been by Meng Tianxi's side!
After the Meng family army carelessly lost Pingzhou, they had only heard that Lu Ying had been captured, and then there was no news of his whereabouts. Now, seeing him standing there unharmed, the two were both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Young Master Lu, are you alright?"
Lu Ying looked up at the two of them, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He paused for a moment, then nodded gently: "It's alright, thank you for your concern."
Li Dezhong, being the most impatient of them all, opened his mouth, then couldn't help but look at Song Ce beside him and ask bluntly, "General Song, what... what do you mean by this?"
Song Ce stepped forward at the opportune moment and explained in a gentle voice: "Now that the Northern Yan is facing a formidable enemy, since General Meng has treated you with sincerity, I should also reciprocate with the same sincerity. Young Master Lu was captured by our army when he was ordered to guard Pingzhou. Today, we will let him return to Qinxi with you two to show our sincerity."
Upon hearing this, Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi felt a sense of relief. They quickly bowed to Song Ce in thanks, then turned to Lu Ying, their voices filled with joy: "Young Master Lu, let's go back to Qinxi to see the general!"
"Hmm... okay."
After Lu Ying finished speaking, she bowed slightly to Song Ce, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible gratitude: "Thank you for your magnanimity, General Song. I will remember it forever."
“No need. The journey to Qinxi is fraught with peril. I hope Young Master Lu will take care,” Song Ce said.
Lu Ying was startled and subconsciously looked up at Song Ce.
From the day he was captured in the Battle of Pingzhou, he was prepared to be humiliated and even die. But to his surprise, Song Ce not only did not treat him harshly, but also settled him properly in the Pingzhou government office.
He had initially thought that Song Ce's actions were intended to lull him into a false sense of security, so that he could extract secrets from him and seize leverage over the Meng family army. However, as the days passed, the people in the government office remained polite and courteous to him, and no one questioned him or monitored him.
It wasn't until last night that Song Ce sent someone to inform him that he would be returning to Qinxi tomorrow with Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi. If it weren't for their differing stances, perhaps he and Song Ce could truly have become close friends!
Thinking of this, Lu Ying's Adam's apple bobbed. He wanted to say something, but in the end he only opened his mouth slightly and said softly, "Take care."
Song Ce smiled faintly and gestured for his subordinate to hand over the prepared bundle.
Lu Ying nodded, accepted the gift with both hands, and said nothing more.
"General Song, our journey has been long and arduous, we must take our leave now!"
The three mounted their horses, bowed to Song Ce in farewell, and then galloped off towards the outskirts of the city. The morning light cast long shadows of them, and before long, the three disappeared into the morning mist of Pingzhou.
Song Ce stood there with a faint smile, then looked away and gazed at the gradually bustling streets and the people coming and going in the city.
Pingzhou, he held it!
Meanwhile, Li Dezhong, Feng Ziyi, and Lu Ying dared not stop and spurred their horses onward towards Qinxi at breakneck speed. Along the way, Lu Ying rarely spoke, only occasionally gazing silently at the dark sky during nighttime rest, lost in thought.
Feng Ziyi noticed his unease and offered him a freshly baked white cake, asking in a low voice, "Young Master Lu, how has General Song treated you during your time in Pingzhou? Has he been mistreating you?"
Lu Ying paused for a moment, then took the white cake and slowly said, "No, none of them neglected me. They delivered my three meals a day on time and allowed me to move around freely. It's just..."
He paused, a complex look flashing in his eyes: "I just didn't expect that he, a humble son from a poor family, would not only be both literate and martial, but also have such skill and magnanimity."
Li Dezhong, who was standing to the side, chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Song Ce is indeed quite capable, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to seize Heyang and Pingzhou from my Qin Prefecture in succession."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ying, who had been feeling somewhat sentimental, immediately fell silent.
Seeing this, Feng Ziyi quickly broke off a piece of the coarse flatbread in his hand and stuffed it into Li Dezhong's mouth, awkwardly trying to smooth things over, saying, "Young Master Lu, Old Li is a rough man who only knows how to lead troops and fight battles, please don't take offense."
Li Dezhong, with a biscuit stuffed in his mouth, waved his hand indistinctly before finally swallowing it after a long while.
"It's my fault for being clumsy with words, Young Master Lu, please don't take it to heart. Look, we're only able to return to Qinxi together now thanks to General Song! If he hadn't let you out, you might still be..."
When Feng Ziyi realized the conversation was getting out of hand, she quickly broke off another piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, "Save your breath!"
In his haste, Li Dezhong wanted to say something more, but Feng Ziyi glared at him fiercely, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth and start eating his pancake in silence.
Seeing the two of them like this, Lu Ying's tense lips relaxed slightly, and the gloom that had been building up in his eyes faded a bit. He looked down at the still-warm white cake in his hand and couldn't help but take a bite.
It wasn't until the warm aroma of wheat gently spread across his tongue that he suddenly realized he hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.
From the day he became a prisoner, though he wasn't mistreated, he was constantly on edge and never slept soundly at night. Now that he was able to embark on his journey back to Qinxi unharmed, the tension that had been gripping him for so long finally eased. Even this ordinary white cake tasted incredibly sweet to him.
The three of them traveled at breakneck speed and arrived at the secluded village in Qinxi, which had been renamed Mengjia Village, in just six days.
"Lu Ying?!"
When Meng Tianxi came out to greet her, he was taken aback at first sight, but then a long-lost smile appeared on his face. He quickly walked forward, patted Lu Ying's shoulder, and said with slightly reddened eyes, "You've suffered these past few days!"
Lu Ying dismounted and bowed to Meng Tianxi, saying, "I'm sorry to have worried you, General. I am incompetent and failed to defend Pingzhou."
"How can this be your fault? I was too complacent. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You should go inside and rest. I'll have the kitchen prepare some hot soup and food for you!"
After the three rested, Meng Tianxi had someone lead them to the council hall.
"Dezhong, Ziyi, how's the situation in Pingzhou?"
Upon hearing this, Li Dezhong immediately stood up, took out Song Ce's secret letter from his pocket, and handed it over. "General, a great victory at Pingzhou! Generals such as Lu Erruolie have all been captured, and the 100,000-strong army of Northern Yan has been completely routed! This is General Song's reply to you."
Meng Tianxi nodded, took the letter, and quickly read it. The letter detailed the battle situation at Pingzhou and the subsequent plan for the two armies to exchange intelligence and immediately support each other in the fight against Yan.
After a long while, Meng Tianxi turned to look at Lu Ying and asked softly, "Lu Ying, you've been in Pingzhou City for so long this time. Do you have any new thoughts about Song Ce?"
Lu Ying paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Song Ce... although he came from a humble background as a civil official, he was well-versed in military strategy. When I was in Pingzhou, I saw that he not only disciplined his troops strictly and was fair in rewards and punishments, but also cared about the people and implemented benevolent policies. Therefore, in addition to his soldiers, even the people of Pingzhou respected him very much."
"Anything else?"
"besides……"
Lu Ying gave a self-deprecating laugh, "In the past, I only thought of him as a weak and inflexible scholar. Now it seems that I was too arrogant and underestimated him. I have no equal in talent."
Meng Tianxi tightened his grip on the letter slightly, and after a long silence, he spoke softly: "You've managed to see through the illusions and understand this point, which is quite an achievement. You're still young, and you have a long life ahead of you, so there's no need to be so self-deprecating."
"Yes, General."
At the same time, Song Ce did not rest for long. On the third day after Lu Ying and others left, he announced a bold decision to his staff in the second hall of the government office: while everyone around him was watching from the sidelines and did not know what was going on, he would organize his army and set off to take Liang Wang's new capital in the southeast of Qi!
Upon receiving this order, even Gao Chengfeng, who had always respected and supported Song Ce, couldn't help but advise against it, saying, "General, although Dali has greatly defeated the Northern Yan army this time, it still takes five days to travel from Xindu to Pingzhou by fast horse! Even if you want to attack, you should thoroughly probe their strength before making a hasty advance!"
Song Ce shook his head slightly, "Our Dali army is currently on a winning streak, and we must not miss such a good opportunity."
"General!"
"Gentlemen, there's no need to persuade me any further. I've been considering this for a long time. After the battle in Qi, I will personally lead the cavalry straight to Xindu!"
Gao Chengfeng wanted to persuade him further, but Song Ce raised his hand to stop him. "Northern Yan has just suffered a great defeat and is severely weakened. It should not be able to launch another attack in the short term. Now all the forces think that Dali will recuperate and reorganize its troops. No one would expect that we will suddenly turn around and attack the new capital of Qi. This is to take them by surprise and attack them when they are unprepared."
Looking at Song Ce's determined eyes, Mu Anyong hesitated for a moment before swallowing his words back.
From the day His Majesty appointed him as deputy general, he had followed Song Ce in countless battles. To put it bluntly, through years of working together, he had long since figured out Song Ce's character—once he made up his mind, he would never easily change it. Since he had decided to send troops to Xindu this time, he must have had some extraordinary considerations.
"General, this humble general is willing to personally lead the Dali army to accompany you all the way!"
With Mu Anyong taking the lead, Tang Yuan, Bao Zhuozhi, and others also stood up to accept the order.
Seeing that the others were all agreeing, Gao Chengfeng knew that further persuasion would be useless, so he could only helplessly cup his hands and say, "This humble general is also willing to go and protect the general with my life!"
Seeing that his generals were of one mind, Song Ce smiled and said, "Good! Since you are all willing to go, let's prepare the troops and set off immediately. An Yong, you will personally lead five thousand light cavalry as the vanguard to secretly scout out the defenses of the outer city of Xindu. Be careful not to alert them."
"Yes, General!"
"Commander Tang, you will temporarily take charge of the defense of Pingzhou. During my absence, you are free to handle all military and political affairs in the city. If there are any unusual developments, you may contact me at any time."
Tang Yuan nodded, clasped his hands in a fist and accepted the order, saying, "General, rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will definitely defend Pingzhou!"
Song Ce smiled and then looked at Bao Zhuozhi behind him. "Military Advisor Bao, after the army sets off, you will accompany me and be responsible for all matters and records in the army."
"Your subordinate obeys!" Bao Zhuozhi bowed and replied.
Gao Chengfeng, who was a step behind Song Ce, saw that everyone had received their tasks and couldn't help but lean forward and ask in a low voice, "General, what about... what about me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
