Chapter 66 Standing Side by Side "The day you showed up at the military camp"...
The next day, Luo Wan was awakened by the dazzling sunlight. She used to look at the bed opposite first. The quilt that used to be bulging was now left with only an empty bed board and a neatly folded thin quilt.
Jiang Cichen really did what he said, and acted decisively and without leaving any room for maneuver.
Say tomorrow, never put it off until the day after tomorrow.
Luo Wan sat up and rubbed her forehead. She'd been so busy yesterday that she hadn't found a chance to send a message to Tingyu Tower's undercover agent stationed in Yun Country.
On the way back from Jiagu Road, she roughly understood the reason why Jiang Cichen committed treason.
His parents had died at the hands of Princess Kunyi of the Northern Kingdom. Ironically, he, the only heir of the Jiang family, had spent years in the care of the very man who had murdered his father and mother.
The entire Jiang family, and even the entire capital, were deceived by Kunyi's lies for twenty years.
The fact that this truth reached Jiang Cichen through Gu Zhuohan's mouth suggests that there were people who knew. They simply chose to remain silent, to watch the fire from the other side of the river, watching helplessly as Jiang Cichen, with all his heart and soul, wielded his sword against his mother's homeland, for the North and his enemies.
It was not until Beiye Ji ascended the throne that Kunyi, the seemingly unshakable mountain, collapsed due to illness, and the truth that had been buried for many years finally came to light.
However, even though he understood that hatred and betrayal were the triggers of treason, a huge doubt always hovered in Luo Wan's heart, like a dark cloud that would not dissipate.
Although Jiang Cichen suffered the tragic death of his loved ones and the destruction of his family in the Northern Kingdom, and his relationship with the Northern Kingdom was irreconcilable, it was undeniable that he had indeed conquered five cities in the Cloud Kingdom for the Northern Kingdom's iron hooves.
How understanding and forgiving of old grudges must the Emperor of Yun be to be willing to accept the surrender of such a rebel general?
This is the key point that Luo Wan needs an undercover agent to investigate. What was the status of Jiang Cichen’s mother who passed away young in Yun Country?
*
Rumors about the hostility between the generals of Weizhou and Yangzhou and that Yangzhou was secretly withholding food and fodder spread quietly in Weizhou City like a plague.
At first, the Weizhou garrison commander scoffed at this. He knew the relationship between the two commanders best, and it was a mess.
Every time he returned to the court to report and to present himself before the King of Xiliang, if he were unlucky enough to run into his enemy from Yangzhou, a bloody argument would inevitably ensue. The two of them would wish they could spit in each other's faces to relieve their hatred!
The generals of Yangzhou scolded him, "You're a good-for-nothing! You're a drunkard! You've commandeered a large army, but you've been harassing Yun State for years, and you can't even take down a tiny city like Yinan! You're a disgrace to Xiliang!"
He responded to the Yangzhou generals: "You cowards! You're cowards without balls! You only know how to point fingers and complain from the rear! If I really ask you to take up your swords and fight, you'll run faster than rabbits!"
However, all these conflicts were confined to the turbulent undercurrent. On the surface, both of them were pillars of the country with superb acting skills, drinking and chatting happily, acting like brothers and sisters, pretending to be more concerned about the overall situation and more harmonious than anyone else.
The Weizhou generals knew full well that the Yangzhou generals held a deep grudge against them and were unwilling to accept their defeat. However, they were certain that the other party would never dare to tamper with their vital supply of food and fodder. Weizhou City was Yangzhou's last resort.
If Weizhou is destroyed, Yangzhou will be the next lamb to be slaughtered. How could the cunning fox not understand the principle of "lips and teeth are cold"?
Who would have thought that only half of that batch of vital food supplies was robbed, no more, no less, exactly half!
How could a bandit or an enemy only rob half of something?
Rumors were like an invisible sharp blade, tearing apart the fig leaf that both sides had maintained for many years, and exposing those suspicions that could not be made public, nakedly in the streets and alleys of Weizhou City.
Rumors spread at an alarming speed. By the time the rumor of "the two generals were at odds and Yangzhou was out of food" finally reached the ears of the Weizhou generals, it had already spread to every corner of Weizhou City and the military camp.
At this moment, his order to strictly prohibit rumors and block the news was not only useless, but also made the situation more obvious, confirming everyone's speculation.
Not to mention, the food and fodder had literally been cut in half. The Weizhou Army had long been accustomed to a life of ample food and fodder, and plenty of wine and meat. It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. The sudden reduction in rations shook the army's morale.
A few days later, Yinan's spies, who had been hiding in Weizhou City, returned with a report: "The soldiers in Weizhou City are in a panic. They are all worried about food supplies. They are wondering what to do if Yangzhou withholds food or even stops providing it."
There is no need for the spies to say much. From the perfunctory frequency and state of the Weizhou army's sieges in recent days, it is enough to see that their morale is low.
The Weizhou troops, which used to challenge each other almost daily and launch ferocious offensives, now only came lazily every two or three days. They were either impatient and rushed forward randomly, or their morale was low and they were lazy and retreated hastily when faced with the strong counterattacks of the Yinan army.
After listening to the spy's report, Jiang Cichen just waved his hand silently and the spy retreated.
Xie Yan asked, "Do we have to wait for the rumors to continue to ferment?"
Jiang Cichen tapped lightly on the edge of the sand table.
Luo Wan suddenly said: "Maybe, we can't wait any longer."
The speed at which the rumor spread was much faster than they had expected, and it had now almost developed to the point where the morale of the Weizhou army was shaky.
Luo Wan could only think of one thing, the only thing that could explain how quickly the rumor spread, that was that there had long been a rift between the two cities, and they were just the last insignificant external force, lightly touching it. The relationship that appeared as solid as a rock but had actually weathered long ago collapsed in an instant with their actions.
Now the condition of unstable military morale has been met, and things may not develop in the direction they are guiding in the future.
A timely spring rain had already fallen, moistening the parched earth and allowing crops to flourish. This not only brought blessings to the people of southern Yunnan, but also meant that the Weizhou army, which was facing an urgent shortage of food and fodder, would have a respite.
Not to mention whether it is useful for the Weizhou generals to appease the army's morale, the second robbery of food is originally a gamble. They cannot guarantee that the Weizhou army will act like a fool and follow the originally planned route, so the second plan is likely to fail.
Jiang Cichen said calmly: "It's time for us to attack the city."
He had been in Yinan City for a month and had never taken the initiative to attack the city. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to attack a city.
"Attack the city?" Xie Yan seemed to have not expected that he would make the decision so quickly. She was afraid that Jiang Yuanan's carriage had not yet arrived in Liangding. As soon as she arrived in Liangding, she would hear the news that the two cities had gone to war.
Luo Wan nodded slightly. If Weizhou were to suffer from a short period of food shortage and unstable military morale, it would be their chance to attack the city.
Moreover, in the past few days, the Yinan Army and the Weizhou Army have fought and won great victories, which has greatly boosted the morale of the Yinan Army and provided a good opportunity to attack the city.
Luo Wan's eyes met Jiang Cichen's in mid-air and he asked, "When do you plan to attack the city?"
His eyes were sharp and his tone was calm: "Tonight."
*
At night, the moon is high in the sky and the stars are shining.
For the soldiers at the lower levels, no one will discuss with them when to go to war, so they must be prepared for war at every moment.
On the training grounds, the soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers and roars. For a whole month, they struggled to hold out under the fierce attacks of the Weizhou Army, repairing the repeatedly destroyed city walls. Every brick and stone they repaired was soaked with the sweat of frustration and unwillingness.
And now, it was finally their turn. The suppressed and besieged Yinan army launched a counterattack against the towering city walls. The anger and fighting spirit that had accumulated for a month finally found an outlet for venting!
The soldiers quickly assembled, their crude wine bowls raised high. Without any extra words, they tilted their heads back and drank heartily! The spicy liquid burned their throats and ignited the boiling blood in their chests.
The wine bowl was smashed hard on the hard ground, followed by the dull thud of countless spears and halberds hitting the ground.
Luo Wan stood in front of the stable and watched Jiang Cichen lead their horses out together.
She had thought she would need to explain herself before she could be allowed to leave the barracks and join the siege. However, Jiang Cichen simply walked straight up to her and handed the reins steadily into her hands.
The moonlight outlined the young man's profile. He said, "I believe you are someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me."
Luo Wan took the reins and swiftly jumped onto the horse's back. After she was firmly seated, she looked at Jiang Cichen, who was also sitting upright on his horse, and asked, "Who will stay to look after the barracks?"
Even if we take the initiative to attack, we cannot ignore the rear. Since the people in the south city are still there, someone must stay behind to guard the military camp.
Jiang Cichen said: "Qin Yue."
Luo Wan nodded. For an ambitious soldier, going to the battlefield is naturally better than staying at home to guard the house. It seems that the honest man Qin Yue must be depressed to death now.
Jiang Cichen said calmly: "After this battle, we will leave Yinan City, and Qin Yue will naturally continue to guard it."
The Enamored Army marched out of the city, and the trumpets sounded.
However, just as the large army had just poured out of the city gate and the formation had not yet been fully deployed, the originally quiet dark mountains on both sides suddenly erupted with the earth-shaking roar of iron hooves, and countless cavalrymen in silver-white armor poured out.
Yun Kingdom Yulin Army!
No one had ever heard of reinforcements before. Except for Jiang Cichen, everyone present was surprised for a moment. Obviously, he was the only one who knew about this.
If before the appearance of the Yulin Army, the Southern Army's chances of winning the siege were only 50-50, thanks to their high morale and the weakening of the enemy's morale, now it was 70-50. The appearance of the Yulin Army had made up for their lack of manpower.
The Yulin Army is under the direct control of the Emperor of Yun State. It is difficult to mobilize it without the emperor's personal order or the imperial tiger talisman.
Was it Jiang Cichen who mobilized the Yulin Army? Luo Wan was now increasingly curious. If it was really him, why would he be in this old, dilapidated city south of here since he could mobilize the Yulin Army?
The evening breeze blew up their cloaks. Luo Wan turned her head to look at Jiang Ci Chen. Noticing her gaze, he also turned his head.
Just as they were about to attack the city, the Yulin Army appeared. Calculating the distance from Yun Kingdom's capital, Yunjing, to here, it would take at least four or five days to travel there even at full speed.
The order to attack the city was just issued today, which only means that this Yulin Army did not act on impulse, but had planned it long ago.
Luo Wan asked: "When did they come?"
"The day you showed up at the military camp." Jiang Cichen replied.
The Yinan troops were at the gate of the city. On the top of the Weizhou city wall, torches were like a forest, illuminating the densely packed and battle-ready Weizhou defenders.
A scarlet beacon suddenly shot up from the highest watchtower in Weizhou City. This beacon fire was usually used to warn everyone in the city.
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