East Camp on the outskirts of the city.
"Greetings, Your Highness." The army, which had already received Chu Feiyang's secret order, stood in full battle formation in the night, waiting for Chu Feiyang's arrival.
A burst of hurried horse hooves was heard. Under the cold moonlight, everyone saw Chu Feiyang, dressed in military uniform, leading a column galloping towards them. He stopped his horse amid the shouts of the crowd and looked coldly at the 100,000-strong army in front of him.
"Your Highness, I am here to see you." At this time, a man wearing the armor of a third-rank lieutenant general ran out from the camp, knelt on one knee in front of Chu Feiyang, and waited for Chu Feiyang's orders.
Chu Feiyang withdrew his gaze from the soldiers and turned to look at Meng Tao in front of him. He asked in a deep voice, "Commander Meng, can you please count the number of people here?"
"Your Highness, including this general, there are a total of 103,513 soldiers stationed in the northern camp of the capital. They are all here, waiting for Your Highness's inspection." Meng Tao was not vague at all. His firm voice rang out in the silent suburbs, carrying the integrity and loyalty of a soldier.
"Very good." Chu Feiyang nodded slightly, his sharp eyes sweeping over the dark army in front of him again, and he spoke loudly but seriously, "This time, the Sea King has framed the Crown Prince and rebelled in an attempt to seize the Western Chu Empire. When the world is in chaos, the families of the soldiers will also suffer. The people have raised us for many years, and now that the country is in crisis, it is time for us to contribute. I hope everyone will fight a victory with me and don't let the thieves succeed."
These words, though seemingly ordinary, held both deep affection and awe. Country and family have always been closely linked. Without country, there is no family. Similarly, without family, there is no country.
The families of these soldiers are all ordinary people. When their homes are destroyed and their cities are ruined, the first to suffer are the common people. Even if it is for their own relatives and families, everyone will sacrifice their lives.
Suddenly, in the silent night sky, a thunderous shout rang out, "Defeat Aquaman and return my home to me. Defeat Aquaman and return my peace to me!"
"Very good. I hope everyone will remember the passion in their hearts at this moment and fight to the end for their loved ones." Chu Feiyang jumped off the horse and, under the guidance of Meng Tao, walked into the camp stationed in the north to study the battle plan together.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has allocated an army of 200,000, but we only have 100,000 troops here, which is only half of the number. However, the four powerful generals under the Sea King have captured more than ten cities tonight. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to subdue the Sea King in a short period of time." Several oil lamps lit up the tent. Several people walked to the map model. Meng Tao pointed to the more than ten cities that had fallen into Hai Quan's hands and said worriedly.
Chu Feiyang took in the city that Meng Tao's fingers had swept across. A cold glint flashed in his dark eyes. He pursed his lips slightly, and spoke after a while, "Don't worry about this. I have ordered Qu Changqing to go to the garrison on the west outskirts of the city to dispatch troops. However, those 100,000 men are used to guard the capital, and these 100,000 men will be used to capture Hai Quan."
After saying that, Chu Feiyang focused all his attention on the map in front of him, calculating in his mind the disparity in manpower between the enemy and us and the most effective combat plan for his side.
"Minister Qu?" Meng Tao was Chu Feiyang's confidant, so he was naturally familiar with Qu Changqing.
But now, Qu Changqing, as Minister of Justice, has rashly taken over the Ministry of War. I'm afraid this isn't a good thing for him. Furthermore, the current situation is extremely complex, and the Emperor is extremely wary of the Prince, which is why he transferred Qu Changqing from his position as Vice Minister of War. But the Prince has appointed Qu Changqing without informing the Emperor. If someone with ulterior motives tries to sow discord, the Prince's situation will undoubtedly become even more difficult.
Thinking of this, not to mention Meng Tao frowning, all the generals in the tent who thought of this showed solemnity and anxiety on their faces, and were all worried about Chu Feiyang's move.
"Don't worry. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Things have their priorities. Do you still expect the Ministry of War to dispatch those people who can only talk about war on paper? By then, I'm afraid we will be defeated. With my grandfather taking care of Qu Changqing, nothing will happen." Seeing that Meng Tao was concerned about Qu Changqing, Chu Feiyang spoke slowly, but his slender fingers slowly slid along the captured city, and a shrewd look flashed in his eyes.
"Old Prince!" Unexpectedly, this incident had alarmed Chu Nanshan. Meng Tao was immediately filled with awe, not daring to question it any further. Chu Nanshan had distinguished himself with remarkable achievements and military exploits, and even Chu Feiyang was a disciple of his. With Chu Nanshan at Qu Changqing's side, he could rest assured.
Chu Feiyang's attention was always on the map at this time. He circled Zhengzhou, Tongzhou, Yicheng and other cities on the map with a charcoal pencil in his hand, and then pointed at these cities and said in a deep voice, "Hai Quan is really smart, and it's a good plan. He took these cities preemptively and controlled the major transportation cities in the east, south, west and north of Western Chu, which is equivalent to cutting off our reserve grain reserves. If we follow the court's supply route for military rations, military rations must be drawn from various places and then transported to the military camp by water or land. Regardless of the east, south, west or north, they must pass through these cities. Hai Quan attacked these cities first because he wanted to cut off our rear supply. This is not only to kill our army, but also to weaken our army's morale and make us collapse without a fight!"
"Your Highness is absolutely right. Several of us have done research before. If we draw food from various places, we must pass through Zhengzhou, Tongzhou, Yicheng and other places. But according to the current situation, it is equivalent to giving the food to the Sea King's army. We must find a new way. Either we use the food stored in the capital as military rations first, or we transport it by a longer route. But in this way, the food supply of the people in the capital and the palace will be affected, and the people in the capital will be panicked and cause chaos. And if we take a longer route, there is no guarantee that the Sea King will not think of this and hijack our transport army." Ye Chi pointed to the map with both hands, one hand on the location of the capital, and the other hand around Zhengzhou, Tongzhou, Yicheng and other cities. Although he mentioned two options, neither of them was an excellent solution.
Chu Feiyang half-closed his eyes, looking in the direction of Ye Chi's finger. A cold glint flashed in his calm eyes, and then he spoke steadily, "What you said is absolutely correct. The grain reserves in the capital must not be used unless it is absolutely necessary, otherwise it will definitely cause unrest among the people and fall into Hai Quan's trap. As for the other solution, we can think of it, and Hai Quan must have thought of it a long time ago, but it is extremely unfeasible. However, Hai Quan overlooked one point. Now that Jiangnan is flooded, the emperor sent Rong Yunhe to provide disaster relief in order to save the national treasury. Now that Rong Yunhe is not in the capital, he has helped us a lot."
At this point, Chu Feiyang's face turned cold. Fortunately, he told Rong Yunhe early on not to go to Qinzhou where Bai Wuhen was stationed. Otherwise, once Rong Yunhe fell into Hai Quan's hands, the Rong family's wealth would all be in Hai Quan's name, and their situation would become even more difficult.
After listening to Chu Feiyang's analysis, everyone gradually understood...
"Report!" Several generals and Chu Feiyang were discussing the battle plan when the voice of the guards came from outside the tent.
"Come in." Seeing Chu Feiyang analyzing the battle situation, another deputy general Ye Chi asked the guard to come in.
"Report, Your Highness, we have just received news that the capital's defense forces have closed the city gates and blocked all entrances to the capital, forbidding civilians from entering or leaving the city." The guard immediately knelt in front of everyone and quickly told them the news he had just received.
"What?" All the generals felt their hearts tighten, and everyone immediately turned to look at Chu Feiyang.
After hearing the news, Chu Feiyang's calm eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent, but it disappeared in a flash.
"Jiang Muchen is so good, he actually did this at this critical moment. It seems that our 200,000 troops, including Hai Chenxi's people, are locked outside the city gate. And Jiang Muchen is holding the lives of millions of people in the capital." Chu Feiyang sneered three times, his heart filled with anger. Thinking of Meng'er being trapped in Chu Xiangfu, thinking of Jiang Muchen's coveting of Meng'er, even if Meng'er is not in danger now, he is afraid that Jiang Muchen will take action against her after stabilizing the situation in the capital.
"Your Highness, what should we do now? Should we deal with the Sea King or the Chen King?" The Chen King's actions of taking advantage of the situation had already made his ambitions known to the world. He even wanted to take advantage of the battle between the King of Chu and the Sea King to reap the benefits. This was truly despicable.
Chu Feiyang placed his right hand on the sword at his waist, his joints turning slightly white. After a while, he finally let go of his hand. He spoke decisively after a long while, "Send someone to inform Han Shaomian of this news. Keep a close eye on the people in Haichenxi. If they make any unusual movements, report back immediately. We will proceed according to the plan."
It's unclear whether the Sea King is also aware of the King of Chen's affairs. If Hai Quan is still unaware, things will be easier. But if Hai Quan does know, he might take advantage of the chaos to attack the capital. At that point, his 200,000-man army would be extremely strained to deal with both sides. Furthermore, if he were to dispatch troops from elsewhere, it would take at least two weeks, and by the time reinforcements arrived, the world would have already changed hands.
"Your Highness, I will handle this matter myself." Ye Chi bowed to Chu Feiyang and immediately led the guards out of the tent.
"Go quickly and come back quickly. Be careful." Chu Feiyang nodded slightly and handed the matter to Ye Chi with trust.
At this moment, a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats sounded outside the tent, and then the curtain was lifted again, and Xi Lin strode in under the stars. After seeing Chu Feiyang, Xi Lin immediately knelt on one knee and saluted, saying: "Your humble servant greets the prince."
Chu Feiyang frowned, looking at Xi Lin, who was supposed to be staying beside Yun Qianmeng, and asked in a deep voice, "Why are you back? Where's the princess? How's the situation at the Prime Minister's residence?"
"Your Highness, everything is fine in the Prime Minister's Mansion for the time being. The princess asked me to come and protect Your Highness. Please rest assured." Although Chu Feiyang did not blame Xi Lin, Xi Lin could still feel the oppressive feeling revealed by Chu Feiyang, and hurriedly lowered his head to answer Chu Feiyang's question.
"Nonsense! Since you already knew that Prince Chen had closed the city gates and was in control of the entire capital, how could you leave the princess alone?" Chu Feiyang was extremely angry. He stared at Xi Lin, who had followed him for more than ten years, and Yun Qianmeng's pretty face kept appearing in his mind.
After being scolded by Chu Feiyang, Xi Lin lowered his head even lower, but could only speak under Chu Feiyang's pressure, "It was the princess who insisted on letting me come to protect the prince. The princess had already prepared to leave the capital, but she didn't expect the city defense army to close all the gates first, which prevented everyone from leaving the city."
How could Xi Lin not know how important Yun Qianmeng was to the King of Chu? But both of them were masters, and the princess was right. Compared to the capital, the battlefield was more dangerous, and the prince's situation was even more precarious.
"Your Highness, please relax for now. Prince Chen will probably not attack the people in the city. If he massacres the people in the city, I believe the people of the world will rise up and attack him." Du Ronghui stepped forward to analyze. In his heart, he admired the courage of the Princess of Chu, but he also envied the relationship between the King of Chu and his wife even more.
How could Chu Feiyang not know all that Du Ronghui had said? He was simply angry that Yun Qianmeng hadn't considered herself at all during this critical moment. If Xi Lin had stayed in the capital, it would have at least put his mind at ease. But Meng'er, for his own safety, had even refused to let Xi Lin stay by her side. How could he not be worried?
Facing a powerful enemy, Chu Feiyang naturally knew what to prioritize. He suddenly closed his eyes, raised his head and took a deep breath, hiding all his worries and anxieties in his heart. Only then did he open his eyes and said calmly, "Well, you should get up first. Keep in touch with Qiao Ying and report to me at any time on the latest developments of the Princess and the Prime Minister's Mansion."
"Yes." Xi Lin responded in a deep voice, with sincerity in his eyes.
West Camp on the outskirts of the city.
Qu Changqing was the first to arrive at the western camp on the outskirts of the city. He saw several figures running towards him in the dark night. Taking advantage of the silver moonlight, he recognized them as Chu Nanshan and the Xiahou clan leader. Qu Changqing immediately stepped forward and saluted, "Your humble servant greets the old prince and the Xiahou clan leader."
As a general in the field, without the status of a nobleman from an aristocratic family or the constraints of in-laws, Chu Nanshan's great achievements deserve the respect of everyone, making everyone recognize him only as the old King of Chu who once dominated the world.
Chu Nanshan jumped off his horse and threw the reins to Jiao Da. He walked up to Qu Changqing, who was bowing, and patted him on the shoulder. He said calmly, "Good boy, it really is you. Let's go into the tent to discuss things."
After speaking, Chu Nanshan led everyone into the tent quickly.
"Old Chu, Prince Chen has suddenly launched an attack, and we are locked outside the city. We are blocked by Haichenxi and the city defense army in front of us. Once the Sea King's army and the Chen King's army in the city start fighting, I am afraid that our 100,000 people want to protect the capital..." The lights in the tent were on, so that every inch of mountains and rivers on the map was clearly presented in front of everyone. Chief Xiahou spoke first and expressed his concerns.
Chu Nanshan was also buried in the map, his wise eyes sweeping across the north and south of Western Chu, carefully analyzing the battle situation and terrain in his mind. His solemn expression did not look like that of an old man who had not been exposed to war for many years.
"Now the three kings all hold military power. Although Hai Quan and King Chen took the initiative by taking the initiative, the three kings are restraining and checking each other. Hai Quan bypassed the capital and launched an attack from the four corners of Western Chu first. Although King Chen temporarily controlled the capital, he would not take action against the capital so quickly in a short time, because they are both waiting for Feiyang to show his final trump card. If the power in Feiyang's hands was not fully exposed to them, they would not act rashly. How could they let Feiyang gain the advantage?" Chu Nanshan knew the concerns of the Xiahou clan leader very well. Hai Quan had kidnapped the legitimate sons and daughters of all the aristocratic families, including the prince, while King Chen controlled the people of the entire capital. Both of them had hostages in their hands, but Chu Feiyang did not have anything that could hold these two hostages. No wonder the Xiahou clan leader, who always loved Chu Feiyang, was so anxious.
"Look..." Chu Nanshan pointed to the location of the capital on the map and explained to everyone, "The capital is right in the middle. Outside are the 50,000 troops led by Han Shaomian. Although the troops outside are Haichenxi's troops, the troops outside Haichenxi are ours. In comparison, we are essentially sandwiching Haichenxi in the middle. Can't our 150,000 troops defeat Haichenxi's 50,000 troops? Therefore, it is equivalent to our troops guarding outside the city. In this way, if a war breaks out between the Sea King and the Chen King in the capital, the strength of both sides will definitely decline. With the wisdom of Haiquan and the Chen King, they will definitely not do something that will benefit us. But..."
Having said this, Chu Nanshan gradually shut up and fell into deep thought...
"Just what?" The Xiahou clan leader's eyes were all fixed on the map in front of him. Seeing that Chu Nanshan stopped analyzing, he couldn't help but look up at Chu Nanshan with a questioning look in his eyes.
"Jiang Muchen won't attack the common people, but he will definitely not let these two people go!" Chu Nanshan's brows were already heavy, and the solemnity in his tone made everyone's heart rise...
In the capital...
A column of city defense troops guarded a carriage and headed quickly towards the long street.
Inside the carriage, Nanny Jiang handed a cup of hot tea to Concubine Yuande, who was reclining on a cushion, and said softly, "Master, please have a cup of tea. We will be at the palace in a little while. You have suffered so much these days."
As she spoke, Nanny Jiang placed the teacup on the small table inside the carriage, carefully helped Concubine Yuande sit up straight, and then handed the teacup to her.
Concubine Yuande slowly sat up, but her eyes were cold. She frowned slightly, with a hint of anxiety and annoyance between her brows. She said in a low voice, "What a pity! If Chen'er hadn't been afraid that forcing Qu Changqing to stay would arouse Chu Feiyang's suspicion, she wouldn't have made the decision to let Qu Changqing go. If Qu Changqing had been eliminated, Chu Feiyang would have been in a state of panic for a while. Yu Chen'er was also a good thing. What a pity, alas!"
"Your Highness is a lucky man, and it doesn't matter if he fails to get rid of Qu Changqing. Look, isn't the capital city under the control of your Highness now? Dowager Concubine, you can relax." Nanny Jiang whispered to comfort the worried Dowager Yuande, with a respectful look on her face.
Hearing this, Concubine Yuande nodded slightly and then asked, "Has Han Che been dealt with secretly?"
"Yes, don't worry, Concubine." Nanny Jiang replied immediately.
"That's good. Han Che is the head of all officials and is also Emperor Yugan's man. Getting rid of him will greatly boost the morale of our army!" After saying that, Concubine Yuande closed her eyes again and stopped talking.
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