After Xu Di arrived in Wuzhou, he stayed at the General's Mansion next to the city wall.
This is Ma Ming's temporary residence. After Xu Di arrived, he had already defeated several sieges by the Great Yan. In the past two days, Xu Di discussed with Ma Ming about borrowing troops from Yanmen Pass and then launching a preemptive attack to drive the Great Yan people to the other side of the border river.
Last time, the ships transporting grain were burned. Afterwards, the Great Yan spent two days procuring and sending some more. This time, Xu Di did not send anyone. Instead, he found a cliff by the border river, used several bronze mirrors to reflect the bright, dazzling sunlight, and burned half of it.
The two raids were carried out without anyone noticing, which caused some instability in the morale of the Great Yan army. Some people began to whisper behind their backs, saying that the Buddha did not allow the Great Yan to invade the Great Liang. They pointed out that the entire army in Luzhou had been wiped out, and when they arrived in Wuzhou, the ships were sailing on the water without anyone in sight, but the grain on board had been burned.
Although some grain was transported over after the fire, it was still not enough to feed the Yan army stationed in Daliang. Daliang was not a fertile land with enough grain to produce, otherwise they would not have been so focused on invading Daliang.
In order to hold out, the Great Yan began to control the rations of its army, which was already struggling to get enough to eat. Meanwhile, the Great Liang had enjoyed favorable weather this year, with no flooding even in the Miao River. The crops on both sides of the Miao River yielded a bumper harvest, and with the grain, the garrison in Wuzhou could eat their fill every day. Xu Di would also often stew meat to reward the troops, using extremely strong spices when stewing it. The smell, when carried by the wind to the Great Yan army, would only further demoralize their already unstable troops.
The Great Yan is preparing to attack the city again. Ma Ming and Xu Di hid behind the crenellations of the city wall, looking at the Yan army, which was obviously not as strong as before. They sighed and said, "I don't know what these people are holding on for."
Xu Di looked at the slowly approaching troops in the distance and said to Ma Ming, "This time, the Great Yan mobilized the entire nation to attack the Great Liang. I didn't expect it to end like this. They will have to bear the wrath of the whole country when they return. Why don't we just continue the attack from here? Maybe if we can't hold out, wouldn't that give them an opportunity?"
Ma Ming turned around and looked at the soldiers standing guard beside him. The sun was shining brightly today. It was autumn, and the temperature was low in the morning and evening, but the morning sun was wonderful. The sky was a clear blue, with a few fluffy clouds drifting by occasionally. It was truly a beautiful day.
Ma Ming looked around and asked in a low voice, "Has there been a solution to the problem in that valley you mentioned last time?"
Xu Di leaned close to Ma Ming's ear and whispered, "His Majesty hasn't issued any decree yet. After all, they are all remnants of the previous dynasty. If they are not dealt with properly, it will always leave behind troubles. But if those people are not settled, it will make His Majesty seem like a heartless person. I guess His Majesty is having a headache right now."
Ma Ming nodded and said, "That's true. Who would have thought that after more than a hundred years, so many people would suddenly appear again? And it's only in the last few years that those people have become so desperate that they thought of coming out. Otherwise, if they could have people outside supporting them, who would want to come out?"
Xu Di laughed and said, "That's right, who knows what risks we might encounter when we go out."
Just as he finished speaking, someone next to him shouted, "Quick, quick, the Great Yan has begun its attack on the city!"
Xu Di sighed, turned around, and held a crossbow in his hand, ready to fire.
The capital city.
Emperor Liang Cheng flipped through the memorials on his desk, threw them down in frustration, and said to Chen Wufu, "Wufu, go and invite Marquis Yongning over."
Chen Wufu acknowledged and withdrew, pondering in his heart why Emperor Liang Cheng had invited the Marquis of Yongning over as he walked out of the palace.
When Marquis Yongning met Chen Wufu, he was puzzled and asked Chen Wufu what was going on. Chen Wufu shook his head and said, "My lord, I have been thinking about it all the way here, but I really can't figure out what it is. However, a few days ago, a secret guard delivered a letter to His Majesty. After reading it, His Majesty burned the letter."
After thanking Chen Wufu, Marquis Yongning went to the Imperial Study with Chen Wufu.
Emperor Liang Cheng invited the Marquis of Yongning to sit on the round stool in front of the imperial desk, and then dismissed Chen Wufu and the palace servants. Only then did he say, "A few days ago, Xu Di sent me a letter."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Yongning's heart leaped into his throat. For Xu Di to send a letter only to Emperor Liang Cheng and not to him, it must be something extremely important, something that couldn't be easily revealed. But now, Emperor Liang Cheng had invited Marquis Yongning to discuss it, and Marquis Yongning believed that Emperor Liang Cheng intended for him to handle this matter.
Emperor Liang Cheng saw that Marquis Yongning was looking at him intently, smiled slightly, and said, "Xu Di discovered a valley between Luzhou and Wuzhou. The people in the valley are all relatives of the former dynasty's emperor."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Yongning suddenly stood up, then, as if remembering something, knelt down abruptly, not even bothering to speak, feeling sweat beading on his back.
Emperor Liang Cheng said gently, "Marquis Yongning, please rise and sit down. I will explain to you slowly."
After Marquis Yongning rose to thank him, he sat back down on the round stool. Emperor Liang Cheng then continued, "Last time, Xu Di secretly sent me a man named An Muyuan, saying he was the strategist of the Great Yan. But An Muyuan has another identity; he is a descendant of the Zhu family. Xu Di said that he followed your aunt Zhu Shen and traced all the way back to the father of Grand Tutor Zhu. It turns out that Grand Tutor Zhu's father was a descendant of the Yu family. My elder brother, the Crown Prince, was tricked by the Zhu family and was forced to commit suicide. Before he committed suicide, he left a letter for my father, which is why my father took such drastic measures against the Zhu family."
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