Chapter 156 The final opponents left in the conquest are none other than He Qinglan and Ye...
In Jinzhou, He Qinglan soon received news that Meng Junping had led his troops to attack Maozhou Prefecture.
The following morning at the meeting, Rong Xi, the deputy director of the secretariat, informed everyone in the administration office about the matter.
"The female soldiers have taken control of Maozhou Prefecture. Next, Meng Junping will use the prefecture as a base to take over the surrounding counties in the shortest possible time."
Rong Qi looked around at everyone with a serious expression and continued, "Sun Yannan's wife and children, the emperor supported by Sun Yannan, and a group of officials, as well as the garrison of Maozhou, have all been placed under guard by Meng Junping's men."
She paused, then said, "The message should have already been passed on to Sun Yannan by the people in Maozhou."
Gan Tang from the Ministry of Finance said, "Then Sun Yannan will definitely lead his troops to attack Maozhou immediately."
Meng Junping's move was tantamount to a slap in the face to Sun Yannan. Whether it was to save his wife and children and the emperor, or to save face, he would immediately head south to reclaim Maozhou.
Lu Fangjue, holding a pen, twirled it and raised his question, "Meng Junping wants to completely control Maozhou before Sun Yannan arrives. But if Sun Yannan's army reaches Maozhou, can Meng Junping still hold it?"
"Don't worry," Qiao Li from the intelligence department laughed, "We have already informed General Ning of this news, and General Ning will lead his troops to intercept Sun Yannan." Sun Yannan's attempt to seize Maozhou won't be so easy.
Fu Tiandong from the Ministry of Health looked thoughtful. "They're going to fight this battle on the road from Xingzhou to Maozhou?" Isn't that Pingzhou?
“If we can stop the war outside Maozhou, we will have ample time to take control of Maozhou,” said Yan Song from the Ministry of Agriculture. “I request to go to Maozhou.”
Yan Song's words prompted other staff members to raise their hands.
"I also want to go to Maozhou, please give me this opportunity!"
“There’s nothing major going on in our department right now, so I’m applying to go to Maozhou.”
"I consider myself quite good at mentoring newcomers, please let me go to Maozhou to mentor newcomers."
"The situation in Maozhou is perfect for someone as bold as me."
Cheng Hui: "Cough cough cough."
He said, "Everyone, please be quiet. We will discuss the selection of people to go to Maozhou in another meeting."
The crowd gradually quieted down.
Someone suddenly remembered something, secretly glanced at the goddess, and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that she didn't react.
Qin Song, the Minister of Personnel, sighed inwardly: "We just selected a group of people to go to Ganzhou, and now we need to select people for Maozhou. This is a lot of work, and the Personnel Department is going to be very busy."
Fortunately, the recruitment department responsible for the national civil service examination will work with them.
She propped her left hand up and rested her chin on it. Maozhou... With Ning Huai'an and Hu Dazhu blocking Sun Yannan, what are the chances that Meng Junping will refrain from attacking Liangzhou?
So... when selecting people for Maozhou, why not also make a list for Liangzhou?
At the end of the morning meeting, He Qinglan concluded, "Our Yun Kingdom and Sun Yannan will be at war for the next few years."
"So everyone, you need to be mentally prepared: all regions of Yun Kingdom need to carry out construction while supporting the soldiers on the front lines until we win or lose."
"I know it will be very hard for everyone, so please persevere. This is not only for me, but also to protect the fruits of your labor."
After the meeting, Cheng Hui, Feng Jiawei, and Fang Wangshu stayed behind to discuss a series of issues following Lu Hong's death with He Qinglan.
Feng Jiawei said, "Lu Hong's family members were all in the capital. Sun Yannan took control of them as soon as he arrived in the capital. Later, after Lu Hong died, Sun Yannan did not take any action against them, but their treatment was reduced considerably."
This was inevitable; with Lu Hong gone, his family lost their greatest asset.
But that doesn't mean they're completely worthless. Most of Lu Hong's men are still around. Who knows whose subjects they'll become in the future? What if we need to bribe them?
Cheng Hui said, "After Lu Hong died, Ning Huai'an brought all his men to Ganzhou, and they are now under Hu Dazhu's command."
He paused, then added, “Several people committed suicide to serve their lord, including Ying Yanzhou.”
He Qinglan didn't care. No matter what world you're in, there are always people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the people they follow.
She simply said, "There's no need to involve their families."
Cheng Hui agreed, "Yes."
Fang Wangshu said, "Lu Hong also has generals who led defeated troops to flee. These people either want to go north to join Sun Yannan, or they want to seize counties and declare themselves kings."
He Qinglan's eyes turned slightly cold. "Send an order to Hu Dazhu to immediately lead troops to intercept and kill this group. We cannot allow them to harm the people along the way."
Whether they are fleeing or seizing territory, these people will show no mercy to the common people.
Those who surrender may live.
Fang Wangshu's expression changed. "Yes!"
After discussing Lu Hong's matter, Fang Wangshu mentioned the death of Cao Ruheng of Ningguo.
"Zhu Yunwei sent us a letter in the name of the new Prince Ning, saying that they will be holding Cao Ruheng's funeral next month."
Mentioning Cao Ruheng's funeral, Cheng Hui asked in surprise, "Will Ye Hui leave Chuzhou and return to Ningzhou?"
Feng Jiawei said, "Probably not. Even if Ye Hui believes us, would she dare to believe Sun Yannan?"
Sun Yannan might take advantage of her absence to send troops to attack Chuzhou; or he might send assassins to kill her along the way.
He Qinglan said, "Cheng Hui, take some men and go to Ningzhou."
The Yun Kingdom and the Ning Kingdom are currently allies and there are no signs of them falling out, so we should give them face.
Cheng Hui is the Prime Minister of Yun Kingdom, so it is perfectly reasonable for him to go to Ningzhou to pay respects on behalf of He Qinglan.
Cheng Hui replied, "Yes."
The capital city.
Upon receiving the message, Sun Yannan was naturally furious.
He never expected that He Qinglan and Lu Hong were fighting so well, but in the process, they actually managed to take over his Maozhou!
All his men fell into He Qinglan's hands!
Seeing Sun Yannan's unpleasant expression, Xiao Yong quickly reassured him, "My lord, please rest assured, you are not yet fallen. He Qinglan will not harm the ladies."
Sun Yannan took a deep breath, "My Sun family's ancestral graves..."
Zhu Yunze calmly said, "The attacking force on Maozhou is a newly trained women's army from the Yun Kingdom. They have only captured the prefecture and have not yet captured the surrounding counties. If we fight our way back, we have a very high chance of taking back Maozhou."
Sun Yannan's gaze fell on Zhu Yunze's face.
Zhu Yunze said, "He Qinglan must have foreseen that our lord would lead his army to seize Maozhou. Therefore, Ning Huai'an and Hu Dazhu will most likely lead men to ambush our army on the way."
"Then let's fight!" Sun Yannan roared. "Do you think I'm afraid of them?"
Zhu Yunze advised in a deep voice, "We are naturally not afraid of them, but we don't necessarily have to confront them head-on."
Xiao Yong mentioned their original plan, "My lord, we should take Qingzhou now."
He analyzed, "Although the man surnamed Zhao is a fool, he is currently obeying the lord, but once we start fighting with the Yun Kingdom and have no time to attend to Qingzhou, then..."
Sun Yannan understood Xiao Yong's meaning.
If he were to fight with He Qinglan, Qingzhou would surely harbor rebellious intentions.
Zhu Kexuan is no fool, and Cao Yuan is still alive. He is very likely to persuade the people of Qingzhou to stop cooperating with Sun Yannan and declare autonomy.
At that time, Sun Yannan's side will not be able to send troops to attack Qingzhou in the short term.
Sun Yannan calmed himself down and said to Zhu Yunze and Xiao Yong, "Xingzhi and Qi Guang, lead the army to attack Qingzhou. Peiran, you stay in the capital. The rest of you come south with me, determined to retake Maozhou!"
Xiao Yong bowed respectfully, saying, "I will not fail my lord's trust and will do my utmost."
Zhu Yunze's expression was serious. "I will guard the capital well for my lord!"
Xiao Yong brought up another matter, "The State of Ning sent a letter inviting our lord to attend Cao Ruheng's funeral. Who does our lord intend to send to offer condolences?"
Sun Yannan remained silent for a moment.
When he decided to fight for the world, how could he have imagined that his final opponents would be He Qinglan and Ye Hui?
"Please trouble my father-in-law to make the trip," Sun Yannan said.
His father-in-law, Yang Xian, was old and in poor health, and could no longer go to the battlefield.
It would be good for him to go to Ningzhou on his behalf, so that he wouldn't have to stay in the capital. The old man was worried about his family being trapped in Maozhou, which would only cause him distress and harm his health.
Zhu Yunze and Xiao Yong had no objection to this.
After Sun Yannan made the arrangements, all parties began to take action one after another.
In Maozhou, Meng Junping was stationed in the prefecture and used forceful methods to suppress a group of troublemakers, killing those who took advantage of the chaos, and then sending troops to attack the surrounding counties.
The successful campaigns in two states gave the female soldiers a great deal of confidence.
They realized that the battlefield was not just a world for men; women could do it too, and women could also fight and achieve great things.
Just like they can study and take exams, work in workshops, work in government offices, or go to the countryside to do grassroots work.
At the same time, they discovered that it wasn't necessary to plunder and massacre the people every time they conquered a place.
They were soldiers too, but they didn't have that kind of desire.
What about those beastly acts of massacring cities after sieges?
Perhaps it's because they don't have a lord like the goddess who cares for all living beings!
Xia Zhao stayed in Maozhou, waiting for Jinzhou to send people to establish the Maozhou Administrative Office.
Yue Yao, Zhong Mingqi, and others went north with Ning Huai'an, intending to intercept Sun Yannan, who was heading south to Maozhou, in Pingzhou.
Ning Huai'an held a meeting with his generals, selected the ambush location, and finalized the ambush plan.
He specifically named the captain of the firearms battalion, saying, "You must make sure Sun Yannan sees the might of our musket team."
The captain was full of confidence: "General, please rest assured, our musket team will surely make a name for itself!"
Yue Yao was quite curious about this new weapon.
He privately sought advice from the captain of the firearms battalion, who generously introduced him to the musket.
Yue Yao was amazed. "With such powerful weapons, Sun Yannan can forget about taking Maozhou."
The captain humbly replied, "That's not entirely true. Our cannons and muskets are still in their early stages and have limited power; otherwise, we would have already pacified the world."
Yue Yao: "?"
Chuzhou.
Ye Hui did not return to Ningzhou to quell the rebellion, nor did she go back to preside over Cao Ruheng's funeral, all in order to hold onto Chuzhou, which she had just acquired.
Seeing that Sun Yannan and He Qinglan were about to fight, she was overjoyed. This was her chance! Even the heavens were helping her to take Chaozhou.
Her soldiers performed admirably, breaking through the defenses of the Chaozhou garrison at lightning speed and capturing the Chaozhou capital.
Then, they launched a pincer attack on the counties and prefectures of Chaozhou, simultaneously attacking from the inside out and from the outside in.
When Sun Yannan received the news that Chaozhou had fallen into Ye Hui's hands, he had just run into Ning Huai'an on a narrow road in a county in Pingzhou.
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