Chapter 109 Counterattack
Why her?
Zhao Mingyue looked at the faces of the people with different expressions, and instantly had a guess in her mind.
Because she showed goodwill to both Zhao Ping and Zhao Diao, they both considered her one of their own. Now that neither of them was willing to submit to the other, in order to curb the other's power, they chose to push her to the top, attempting to control the alliance by controlling her.
In their plan, she was just a pawn they pushed in front of others.
But now that the opportunity was right in front of her, whether it was a pie in the sky or a trap, she had no reason to push it away.
Thinking of this, Zhao Mingyue stood up, clasped his hands together, and saluted everyone. He smiled and said, "Since all the princes trust me so much and let me be the leader of this alliance, then I will not refuse."
Zhao Ping was stunned for a moment. He thought Princess Fuguang was afraid to be the first to speak out and would definitely refuse. Before coming, he thought of many words to persuade her, but in the end, he didn't use a single word.
This woman was indeed more cunning than they had imagined, but unfortunately... they had already seen through her scheme.
Zhao Ping looked at Zhao Mingyue's smiling face and lowered his eyelids slightly to hide the murderous intent that flashed across his eyes.
Just two days ago, he led his troops to Zhao Diao's camp to visit him.
Although he hated Zhao Diao for taking his position as leader, he did not want the alliance to disband.
They had been preparing for so long and finally gathered 200,000 troops, but they were not going to just take a stroll around Yishui Pass and then disband.
If this internal conflict cannot be resolved smoothly and the alliance cannot be reunited, once the fighting spirit is lost, the rebel army will never be able to defeat the imperial court!
If you do that, you will be too pathetic and might even be laughed at by the whole world.
After thinking about it, he decided to consider the overall situation and reconcile with Zhao Diao.
Zhao Diao, who just broke his leg, didn't think so.
Hearing his name, Zhao Diao was so angry that he almost stood up from his wheelchair and slammed the armrests. "Get out! Get this bastard out as far as he can. Even if I die, I will kill him first!"
After he finished speaking, Zhao Ping's voice came from outside the tent, "Sixth brother, we princes are now all in the same boat. Queen Mother Chi will not be soft-hearted towards us. With the enemy at hand, don't fight among yourselves over trivial matters!"
Zhao Diao sneered, "Some trivial matters? Didn't you not send food and grass first, and then led your troops to attack my Xingzhou?"
Zhao Ping said: "I have sent people to call back the troops going to Xingzhou. This matter is also my fault. I listened to Princess Fuguang's instigation. But if you hadn't first won over Princess Fuguang, wanted to break your promise and become the emperor yourself, how could I..."
Zhao Diao shouted angrily, "What do you mean by winning over Princess Fuguang? She was the one who came to us first!"
When Zhao Ping heard this, he suddenly realized that he had been fooled by Princess Fuguang and that Xue Shiyun was a traitor!
Thinking of the ten boxes of gold he gave to Princess Fuguang, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
Zhao Ping immediately walked into Zhao Diao's tent and told him his conjecture, "...We've all fallen for Princess Fuguang's scheme. If she hadn't deliberately instigated us, how could we brothers become enemies?"
After hearing this, Zhao Diao was immediately furious and was about to take people to find Zhao Mingyue to settle the score, "I'm going to kill her now!"
Zhao Ping immediately stopped him. "Princess Fuguang has 10,000 elite soldiers and an entire firearms battalion. If you go and antagonize her now, you'll only alert her and gain nothing."
Zhao Diao was still carrying the musket that Zhao Mingyue had given him. He certainly knew how powerful firearms were. Upon hearing this, he immediately calmed down.
"Third brother, then tell me, what should we do? I will listen to you."
Zhao Ping pondered for a long time, then suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "Since Princess Fuguang dared to play tricks on us like this, we must make her pay the price. Instead of exposing her trick now, why not take advantage of her trick and seize the opportunity to devour all her troops and weapons!"
Zhao Diao quickly asked, "How do we turn this trick against them?"
Zhao Ping smiled wryly and said, "Doesn't she have siege weapons and artillery? Let's send her as the vanguard to attack Yishui. When her army is defeated by the imperial court and is unable to recover, we will launch a surprise attack and will surely capture her in one fell swoop. When the time comes, we will split the firearms 40% and 60% - I'll take 40% and you 60%. The extra share will be my apology to you as your brother."
Zhao Diao had coveted Zhao Mingyue's firearms for a long time. He laughed when he heard this. "Great idea, Third Brother! Letting Zhao Mingyue's female soldiers take these firearms would be a waste. Only by giving them to us can we unleash their powerful power."
He paused, a trace of worry on his face as he said, "But Princess Fuguang is so cunning. What if she finds out we're going to deal with her and runs away?"
Zhao Ping narrowed his eyes. "Then give her a reason she can't refuse and an identity she can't resist."
So, after some discussion, the two decided to continue pretending to be at odds and let Zhao Mingyue be the leader.
Although they thought it was shameful to let a woman lead the army, they had no choice but to do so in order to get the firearms in Zhao Mingyue's hands.
It is precisely because Zhao Mingyue is a woman and does not pose a threat to them in competing for the throne that even if Zhao Mingyue becomes the leader of the alliance, she will not be able to gain anyone's support.
Zhao Ping has figured it out. The position of alliance leader is just empty talk. Only the dragon throne in the capital is real!
But Zhao Ping didn't expect that Zhao Mingyue agreed so readily. Could it be that she had already discovered that they had discovered her trick?
Or perhaps, Zhao Mingyue is such a power-hungry woman.
Thinking of this, Zhao Ping smiled and looked at Mingyue. "Since the leader has been decided, it cannot be easily changed in the future. All of us must obey the leader's orders."
After saying the last word, he turned to look at Zhao Diao, indicating to him that it was time to start acting.
Zhao Diao hated Zhao Mingyue for teasing him, but that didn't mean he didn't hate Zhao Ping. He just enjoyed watching Zhao Ping and Princess Fuguang fight each other, so he could use his injury as an excuse to temporarily preserve his strength.
Therefore, after receiving the hint from Zhao Ping's eyes, his face immediately darkened, "Of course, if there is anyone who betrays the alliance again, I will chop off his head with my own hands!" His tone was full of the smell of gunpowder.
Everyone was unaware of what was happening and was afraid that they would fight again, so they quickly stepped forward to separate the two men and pushed Zhao Diao's wheelchair aside, away from Zhao Ping.
"Both princes are right, but the important matter is more important. Let's discuss the method of advancing with the leader of the alliance first."
After the words were spoken, the two men who had just been on edge turned their gazes towards Zhao Mingyue who was standing in the center of the tent.
Zhao Mingyue was startled. Why did these two people behave so strangely?
Her eyes turned and she smiled, "I don't understand military tactics, and I can't compare to you guys who understand the general situation. I still ask the two princes to give me more guidance, and I will definitely obey."
Zhao Ping and Zhao Diao had no intention of giving her the power of alliance leader. Seeing that she was so sensible, they were very pleased and immediately started talking about the method of advancing the troops.
Zhao Diao still insisted on his strategy of attacking Yishui first, while Zhao Ping felt that attacking Yishui was too risky and that he should be more cautious and attack from south to north, taking the counties along the way in turn and slowly attacking the capital.
The result was that the two of them could not agree on a solution and turned to ask Zhao Mingyue whose plan to choose.
This was something they had already discussed. No matter which one Zhao Mingyue chose, they would try to make her lose the war.
Zhao Mingyue fell into deep thought.
The reason why she proposed to attack Nanyang was not because there was abundant food there, but because the main force of the imperial guards was stationed near Nanyang, and it would be easiest to set up an ambush and mobilize troops there in advance.
She didn't insist on doing so only to sow discord between Zhao Diao and Zhao Ping.
But now, since they asked her to be the leader, she had no reason to miss such a good opportunity.
Facing the expectant gazes of Zhao Diao and Zhao Ping, she smiled and said, "What the two princes said makes sense, but I still want to stick to my original idea and attack Nanyang."
The two's expressions changed instantly. They were about to speak again when they were interrupted by Zhao Mingyue, "If you feel it's inappropriate, I'll just quit the position of leader."
Zhao Ping took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll listen to Princess Fuguang and attack Nanyang!"
Zhao Mingyue was a little surprised. Why did he agree so readily this time? Was there some trick waiting for her behind the scenes?
Forget it, no matter what tricks they have, they are doomed to fail.
Zhao Mingyue narrowed her eyes and happily saw everyone off from the camp.
The next day, the army broke camp, bypassed the county towns along the way, and headed straight for Nanyang.
————
Chi Luo received a letter from Zhao Mingyue.
In fact, she knew what was written in the letter without reading it, but she still opened it and read it.
When she saw Zhao Mingyue write that she became the leader of the rebel alliance, she even curled up the corners of her mouth unconsciously.
By the time she realized what was happening, she had already finished reading the entire letter with a smile on her face.
What a bunch of smart-aleck idiots, they were fooled by Zhao Mingyue and didn't know what to do.
It seems that completing the task of [overthrowing the Darong Dynasty] is easier than she imagined.
However, it is not enough to just destroy these rebel troops. The imperial guards must also be treated equally.
She put away her smile, her face instantly turned cold, her dark eyes deepened, and she held the thin piece of letter paper between her two slender fingers and tossed it lightly.
With a swish, the letter paper that flew into the air caught fire, and when it landed on the ground, it had turned into a pile of ashes with no words on it.
"Transmit it to the Minister of War."
Danying, who was waiting outside the palace, immediately obeyed the order. Not long after, the Minister of War walked into the palace quickly, knelt on both knees, kowtowed and saluted, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Chi Li lowered her eyes and looked at him, "Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Minister of War stood up and bowed his head, waiting for instructions.
"The rebel army has gathered in Lanzhou with great momentum. I heard that they are planning to attack Nanyang next. How do you plan to deal with it?" Chi Qi asked him.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on the Minister of War's forehead, and he lowered his head even more.
Ever since the last battle between Qian Qian and Xi Qi, which resulted in the annihilation of the Left Eagle Guard, the imperial guards stationed in the capital have been reduced by more than half. In addition, due to the two years of severe drought, the national treasury is empty, and the troops have not been replenished so far.
Therefore, he had no confidence in whether he could stop the rebellious army.
After a pause, the Minister of War spoke cautiously, "I believe that the rebels will attack Yishui first, so we should send our main force to defend Yishui Pass first."
Chi Li glanced at him and asked slowly, "How many troops can the court mobilize?"
"No, less than 100,000..." The Minister of War said faintly, but quickly raised his voice, "But as long as Your Majesty issues an order to defend the capital, the local kings will surely lead their armies to defend the capital."
Chi Li sneered, "Prince Qin, are you sure you're not inviting a tiger to chase away a wolf? Or do you also want to change your master?"
The Minister of War's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt on the ground, pressing his forehead tightly against the floor tiles. "I dare not. I am loyal to Your Majesty and have no second thoughts!"
Chi Li chuckled softly and said, "Very good. I know of your loyalty. This time, I will appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Military Supervision to suppress the rebellion. I have received accurate information that the rebel army will attack Nanyang first. You will transfer all your troops to Nanyang and ambush the enemy. Remember, this battle requires victory, not defeat."
"Your Majesty, this is too risky. The capital cannot be left without defenders!" The Minister of War looked up in astonishment. "What if the enemy gets the news and storms the capital?"
Chi Li's face was calm. "Don't worry about that. Just do as I say."
The Minister of War was about to say something more, but met Chi Yan's cold gaze and immediately fell silent. He replied with a trembling voice, "Yes."
"Go away." Chi Qi waved her hand, and the Minister of War bowed his head and retreated respectfully with his waist bent.
Chi Lan was the only one left in the hall.
She summoned the main god system and asked, "Calculate how many points are needed to summon a natural disaster?"
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