On the way to Kaifeng, the Ninth Prince ordered the army to set up camp and wait for the battle report from Guancheng.
"Mu Yun is indeed as wise as a god! The Jie people have already started to attack Guancheng. Fortunately, we moved fast." The ninth prince took a piece of paper from the leg of the carrier pigeon, took a quick look at it, and then threw it into the fire and burned it to ashes.
"The Jie are treacherous and cunning, so we must be on guard." Zhuang Xu said with a smile, "We only need to wait another half day until Guancheng is captured, and then we can launch a surprise attack. By then, Le Zhengming's remaining troops will have been wiped out, and the Jie will be exhausted after two consecutive battles. We can wait for them to tire themselves out and easily win. Then, we can pursue them and recapture Guancheng, Guandu, Qiuzhuang, and other places..."
Before Zhuang Xu could finish, the Ninth Prince threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Great, great, Mu Yun's plan is truly brilliant! This way, we've not only eliminated Yue Zhengming, but also annihilated the main force of the Jie people. From now on, the troops guarding the border will all be my direct troops. And since I've recovered such a large area of lost territory, my father will surely value me even more. Great, it really is killing three birds with one stone!"
He was clearly the prince of Wei, but he didn't care about the lives of the people of Wei. When the Jie people broke through Guancheng, hundreds of thousands of people would suffer a devastating disaster, and this severe disaster was just a tool for him to seize power.
The more people who died tragically, the greater the Ninth Prince's merits. He had no heart for the empire, no country, only selfish desires. How could such a person be qualified to be emperor?
But Zhuang Ran didn't see anything wrong with this ruthless plan. He stroked his beard and gave his son an admiring smile. As the saying goes, a general's success is built on the sacrifices of thousands of men. A true man should be ruthless.
This was his and Yanran's son, only sixteen years old and already so brilliant, unlike Zhuang Li, who only knew how to eat, drink, have fun, and cause trouble. It was better for him to die, so he wouldn't have to suffer in vain like his mother.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Ran couldn't help but remind him, "Xu'er, remember to write a letter to your mother later to let her know you're safe. Also, after we get back to Guandu, remember to collect Zhuang Li's body."
"Zhuang Li?" The Ninth Prince squinted at him and snorted coldly, "Why collect that bastard's corpse? I won't dirty Mu Yun's hands. Lord Zhuang, you said Zhuang Li and Mu Yun are both your sons, so why is there such a huge difference between them? One is full of wisdom and brilliant, while the other is as stupid as a pig?"
Zhuang Ran shook his head and smiled bitterly, avoiding answering.
Zhuang Xu waved his hand and said, "After all, he is also my father's son——"
This extremely hypocritical remark was interrupted before it could be finished by a soldier who hurried into the tent: "Report! Great victory at Guancheng, great victory at Guandu! 180,000 Jie troops were completely wiped out by our army!"
The Ninth Prince was stunned for a long moment before he slammed the table and stood up: "What did you say?"
Zhuang Ran's face was full of shock.
Zhuang Xu had just picked up a cup of hot tea when it fell to the ground with a clang. The boiling water scalded his knees, but he didn't feel anything.
"Your Highness the Ninth Prince, the spies just reported that there were great victories in Guancheng and Guandu. General Le Zheng killed 180,000 Jie troops, leaving only 3,000 or 4,000 of them. They have now fled outside the Great Wall." The soldier repeated.
The Ninth Prince was confused.
Zhuang Ran asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is the situation?"
Zhuang Xu finally came to his senses and stared at the soldiers, his mind a chaotic buzzing. He could never have imagined that Le Zhengming could escape such a tight net and even slaughter the ferocious Jie people, leaving only three or four thousand. Was he really that powerful?
The soldier repeated in detail the intelligence brought by the spy.
The Ninth Prince was stunned by the Battle of Guandu, where a small force triumphed over a larger force. He asked in shock and anger, "Where did he find this military advisor? How come I didn't know there was such a formidable military advisor in the world?"
The soldier continued, "Zhuang Li is his military advisor."
Zhuang Ran, who had always been calm and composed, suddenly swayed slightly and felt a little dizzy.
Zhuang Xu suddenly stood up and shouted in a completely outrageous manner, "Zhuang Li is Yue Zhengming's military advisor? Impossible! He knows nothing!"
The soldier glanced sideways at him, his tone firm, "It's really Zhuang Li. After the great victory at Guancheng, Yue Zhengming carried Zhuang Li on his shoulders and paraded him around the camp three times, claiming that all the victories were due to Zhuang Li. Some at the time didn't believe him and questioned how Zhuang Li arranged the troops and formations. Zhuang Li then used two piles of beans to deduce all the strange formations. Our spies were far away and couldn't hear clearly, but the few words they heard were quite terrifying. Zhuang Li is indeed Yue Zhengming's military advisor, otherwise he wouldn't be able to control the dozens of fierce generals under his command."
Zhuang Xu took several deep breaths before quickly saying, "Bring me the map, and then describe in detail how Le Zhengming fought the Battle of Guandu."
The soldier took out a map and explained it by pointing and emphasizing.
Zhuang Xu listened attentively, not daring to miss a single word.
After the soldier finished speaking, he still frowned, as if he didn't understand. After a while, he asked the soldier to bring two cans of beans, and imitated Zhuang Li's actions to deduce the Battle of Guandu.
Following the spy's information, he surrounded the red beans with green beans, then stared at the pile of beans with distinct layers and fell into deep thought.
The Ninth Prince didn't dare to disturb him. He just kept breathing in and out, trying hard to suppress the anger and frustration in his heart.
Zhuang Ran walked over to his son and asked in a low voice, "Do you not understand Zhuang Li's arrangement?"
Zhuang Xu nodded in frustration at first, then froze for a moment before shaking his head hastily. He picked out all the red beans from the inner circle and stared in horror at the thin circle of red beans that remained. He clapped his hands and said, "I understand! So that's how it is!"
The Ninth Prince asked anxiously, "How?"
Zhuang Xu explained the mystery in detail, then sank into a state of dejection. Dejected, he sat back down, his hands resting on his knees, trying to support his suddenly heavy shoulders. He let out a low cry of pain.
It was not until then that he realized that his knees had been scalded by the tea.
Zhuang Ran pulled his hand away with concern and hurriedly summoned a military doctor.
The Ninth Prince, who had always been extremely considerate of Zhuang Xu, paid no attention to his pain. He simply stared at the pile of beans with a flickering gaze, gnashing his teeth and muttering, "Who said Zhuang Li knows nothing? His wisdom and intelligence are unparalleled!"
"It was just luck. It's too early to say that he is unparalleled in the world." Zhuang Ran retorted with a frown.
"Is there such luck in the world? Zhuang Xu, if I ask you to assist Yue Zhengming in fighting this war, what will you do? Duke Zhuang, what will you do? Don't repeat what others have said. Think carefully before answering me." The Ninth Prince laughed angrily.
At the same time, he also supported his forehead, closed his eyes, and put himself in Zhuang Li's position to conceive the strategy of the Battle of Guandu. Then he found that, apart from the strategy formulated by Zhuang Li, he could only think of the four words "abandon the city and flee."
For ordinary people, this battle is not worth fighting!
The Ninth Prince opened his eyes unwillingly and looked at Zhuang Xu, only to find his face pale and empty, his eyes filled with frustration and confusion. It was clear that he had no idea how to break the deadlock.
Zhuang Ran's face was as gloomy as water, his eyes flickered, and he seemed helpless.
The Ninth Prince laughed in anger again, tapping the table and speaking gravely, "Duke Zhuang, Le Zhengming should be grateful to you for sending a gifted man into his care. Zhuang Li has been pretending all these years. Far from being stupid, he's terrifyingly clever! We'll see how this knife performs. Mu Yun, I want to ask you, if you were to fight Zhuang Li on the battlefield, how confident are you of victory?"
In the past, Zhuang Xu would have sneered and waved his hand without answering, because he didn't take Zhuang Li seriously at all.
But now, he looked at the pile of beans in confusion, and was so choked up that he couldn't speak.
"Duke Zhuang, you strangled the eldest princess in front of Zhuang Li. He and we are enemies forever. He is too dangerous and must be eliminated as soon as possible!" said the ninth prince coldly.
Zhuang Ran was filled with shock and annoyance, speechless for a moment. He remembered that Zhuang Li was indeed very clever as a child, having memorized numerous poems at the age of two. He knew how to write characters easily, without any effort.
The eldest princess often boasted that Zhuang Li was a genius and would surely be extraordinary when he grew up.
At the time, Zhuang Ran thought the eldest princess was overly doting on her youngest son, which was simply ridiculous and foolish. He also thought that Zhuang Li's cleverness in childhood might not necessarily improve him when he grew up. Later, when Zhuang Li was allowed to play with Yan Ran, he really became unruly, fulfilling his prediction.
Looking back now, he realized that a genius is a genius, and cannot be fooled by women's tricks. Zhuang Li pretended to be cowardly and incompetent, and actually escaped from his hands.
Thinking of how Zhuang Li had witnessed the entire process of him strangling the princess, Zhuang Ran gritted his teeth and said, "He must die!"
"Then let him help Jin to fight against the Mongolian army." Zhuang Xu, who had calmed down, took out a letter from the pile of letters and spread it out on the table.
This is a letter asking for help sent by the monarch of Jin State.
Today's Central Plains has long become a hunting ground for foreign ethnic groups outside the Great Wall. The Jie people, Qiang people, Jin people, Hu people, Mongolian people... are all brave and warlike races. They easily led their cavalry to crush the Zhou Dynasty that once unified the Central Plains.
The powerful people in various parts of the Zhou State proclaimed themselves kings and established more than a dozen independent regimes of varying sizes, Wei and Jin being among them.
However, Jin's luck was not as good as Wei's. It had been successively conquered by the Mongolian cavalry in Youzhou, Jizhou and Bingzhou, and would soon be completely destroyed.
Among the many foreign races, the Mongol army was undoubtedly the most formidable. They excelled at defeating larger forces with fewer troops, often capturing a city with a force of hundreds of thousands, and even achieving remarkable feats by wielding tens of thousands to vanquish a small nation. It's said they even conquered a distant continent, starting with only a few tens of thousands of men, conquering and annexing the nations along the way until they had established a magnificent empire.
The vast grasslands outside the Great Wall and the desolate Gobi desert are now all within their sphere of influence.
Zhuang Li was able to defeat an army of 80,000 Jie people with only 40,000 men. So what would happen if he encountered the Mongolian cavalry, who were also good at defeating larger forces with smaller ones?
So far, Zhuang Xu had never heard of any Central Plains army that could defeat the Mongols.
The Ninth Prince also thought of the Mongols' terrifying and invincible strength and immediately agreed, "Yes, let Le Zhengming go to help Jin fight the Mongols! I want to see if they can come back alive this time!"
“Your Highness, when the war between Jin and the Mongols begins, our plan can still be implemented.
"If Zhuang Li can drive the Mongols away, we will arrange for the foreign army to ambush him from the rear. He and Le Zhengming will have suffered heavy casualties after a fierce battle, and he will be no match for the foreigners.
"If they lose, we can take advantage of the fierce fighting between the Mongols and the Jin army. If all goes well, we may even be able to capture Jin. His Majesty's birthday is in three months. If you present Jin as a birthday gift, His Majesty will surely be delighted."
Zhuang Xu described a bright future in a slow voice.
The Ninth Prince was indeed coaxed into bursting into laughter by him.
Zhuang Ran then breathed a sigh of relief and gave his son a satisfied look.
However, they were completely unaware that, at the same time, Zhuang Li was pointing at a map and saying, "Our next plan is to drive out the Mongols and conquer the State of Jin. However, we need to find a legitimate reason to attack the State of Jin, otherwise our army will not be able to cross the border. The troops stationed there are all the Ninth Prince's confidants."
Le Zhengming said confidently, "The Ninth Prince will help us find the reason."
7480's hand was broken, and after overhearing these words, he could only use his chubby toes to flip through the script and check the next development line.
Very good, in the script drawn up by the Lord God, the Son of Destiny will suddenly intervene in the battlefield when the Jin State and the Mongols are both defeated and reap the fruits of victory for both sides.
In the end, the son of destiny conquered the State of Jin, made great military achievements, and returned to Luoyang to present this great gift. He was immediately named the crown prince by the ecstatic Emperor of Wei.
This time, the plot will surely not deviate too much. When the host and the Mongols are both defeated, the child of destiny will definitely take action in time!
It’s safe this time!
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