Great Qi.
A border town in southern Xinjiang, with a desert outside the city.
It was early spring at that time, and the vanguard troops of more than 10,000 Da Qi troops were ready. The commander-in-chief of the army leading the southward attack on An was the Qi general Zhou Yan.
"Before us is Anguo's Beiyan City. I have to say this city is truly impressive!"
Looking at the towering buildings vaguely visible in the distance, Zhou Yan sighed.
"good!"
The deputy general Wang Yongzhi beside him laughed out loud and said:
"This city can be the gateway for our Great Qi to move south!"
A group of generals were chatting freely. Suddenly, one of them said:
"General, I heard that the Grand Marshal sent north by the Empress of Anguo this time is from the Duke of Rong's Mansion. She is a female general who has stood out in the battles of Anguo in recent years."
"Yeah?"
Zhou Yan was unconcerned when he heard this. "The Southern Frontier has no brave men, and they let a baby become king!"
Then, the generals looked at each other and laughed in tacit understanding.
"Report—"
Soon, a group of vanguard scouts suddenly came riding from a distance, and the leading scout quickly dismounted and clasped his fists.
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the Anguo border troops have already left the city to confront our Great Qi army!"
Zhou Yan waved his hand, "Got it! It seems that the commander of the Anguo Yan army is very courageous. He actually dared to go out of the city to meet the enemy!"
As he finished speaking, Wang Yongzhi stepped forward and said:
"General, I am willing to be the vanguard and engage An Guo first, securing our army's first victory in the south!"
"Okay!" Zhou Yan nodded. "However, the Anguo Yan army is composed of elite troops, so we must be cautious in everything we do!"
Wang Yongzhi agreed and took the troops behind him to go out and set up the battle formation.
…
In Beiyan City, the generals on An Guo's side had already prepared for a big battle.
Liu Chengce, the commander of the Yan army in Zhenbei, stroked his long beard and squinted his eyes as he looked at the flags of the Qi army in the distance.
"It is said that the generals leading the Qi army southward this time are all renowned figures. It seems that the Emperor of Qi is determined to win this battle."
"It just so happens that the Emperor of Qi is determined to conquer Anguo, which increases our chances of winning."
Looking at the mighty and high-spirited Qi army in the distance, Shi Qingxue showed a relaxed expression.
"Although the An State's treasury is empty, its army has never been poor. Qi State's attempt to simply seize An State's land is truly underestimating An State."
"Marshal Shi is absolutely right!" Liu Chengce smiled heartily, and suddenly stretched out his voice, speaking to the soldiers on the city wall:
"Soldiers, the merits of being promoted to marquis and generals are right before your eyes. Today, follow me out of the city to fight the enemy and defend our country!"
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers who had been silent suddenly raised their voices like thunder:
"kill--"
"kill--"
"kill--"
"Open the city gates and follow me to kill the enemy—"
Accompanied by a loud bang, the originally closed gate of Beiyan City was opened, and then countless Yan soldiers went out of the city to meet the enemy.
Then Liu Chengce also left the city and rode his warhorse out of the city to meet the enemy.
Outside the city, the soldiers of the Yan army quickly formed a battle formation in a tacit understanding. Finally, Liu Chengce arrived with his deputy general, and the armies of both the An State and the Qi State were in place.
"kill--"
There was no unnecessary shouting or waiting. At the command, the Anguo Yan army rushed out first.
For a moment, under the red tassels, there were flashes of swords and shadows, and countless Yan army soldiers rushed to the front line.
This was the first time that the Qi army marched south and clashed with the Da'an army. The troops on both sides were evenly matched, and whoever's vanguard won the first victory would be a great encouragement for the next battle.
The enemy troops from Anguo came down quickly, and Wang Yongzhi, who had already decided to meet the main force of the Yan army first, no longer hesitated.
He stood on his horse and shouted loudly:
"Soldiers of the Great Qi Kingdom, listen to my orders!"
"Arrange the formation! Charge—"
"kill!!!"
…
On the city wall, everything is temporarily safe.
Seeing that the two sides of soldiers had already started fighting, Xu Liang couldn't help but turn his head to look at Shi Qingxue.
"According to Marshal Shi's plan, will the Emperor of Qi really fall for it?"
When talking about this, Shi Qingxue's expression remained unchanged.
"No problem,"
"Whether he believes it or not, if he falls for it, we can easily wipe out Qi's elite troops!"
Xu Liang nodded, "I hope this strategy will work. The Emperor of Qi has powerful generals in his court, but his love of glory and excessive military spending is indeed his biggest weakness."
…
When the first battle was taking place in Beiyan City, Chu Yan, who was far away in Tianshan, had already stationed his 100,000-strong army from the Beijing Camp here.
This time, in response to Qi's southward advance, he did not send troops for the time being. Now under his rule as the "Son of Heaven" of the Great Chu, there is no war in Tianshan Dezhou and other places, and there is peace.
Chu Yan was alone at the Tianshan Pass looking at the northern desert. Not long after, Cheng Xianjun finally came behind him.
"Your Majesty, a messenger has arrived from the imperial court."
Hearing this, Chu Yan nodded, "Who's coming?"
Cheng Xianjun scratched his head and said, "It's someone close to Lord Chu, Xu Zizhuo!"
Xu Zizhuo...
Chu Yan was silent for a moment before he hummed softly.
"I'll go see him later. Let me ask you, what do the brothers think about sending troops?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Regarding Qi's southern invasion, my officers and men all agree that we can join forces with the Yan army. After all, Anguo is their homeland, and they will not tolerate foreign invasion!"
Chu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, but we won't be sending troops at the moment. You should at least convey this to them so that outsiders will think we don't want to fight a foreign war."
"Yes, these subordinates all understand."
Chu Yan waved his hand, "Let's go back."
When he returned to the prefectural mansion in Tianshan City, he met Xu Zizhuo who had just arrived from the capital.
Because of the hardships he had experienced along the way, Xu Zizhuo looked a little tired at this moment.
But after seeing Chu Yan, he still forced himself to act calmly.
But he hesitated when he first opened his mouth.
Facing General Chu who has been forced to ascend the throne, should he still address him as before, or should he simply change his address to "Your Majesty"?
What if I call General Chu and he doesn’t like me?
But... if I call him Your Majesty, it won't work either. After all, An Guo is still Your Majesty in name only, and only General Chu's sister-in-law is Your Majesty.
As if seeing Xu Zizhuo's dilemma, Chu Yan smiled brightly and waved his hand:
"Don't be so polite. This general is not in the mood to change his words yet. Please use the same address as before."
After hearing this, Xu Zizhuo finally bowed:
"General Chu, I came to Tianshan this time mainly because Lord Chu sent me. Regarding the fight against the Qi army, there are some important arrangements that need to be informed to General Chu in advance."
Chu Yan nodded, "Just say it."
"According to Lord Chu, regarding General Chu's 'rebellion', the imperial court will make subtle moves to mobilize troops from other prefectures and counties in Bei'an Province to surround Huining City. This is to confuse Qi and make them think we are at war with each other."
"Of course, these local troops are just a cover-up and will not actually recover the 'lost territory'."
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