Chapter 626: Pacifying Sibao County (Twenty-Eight) [Requesting Double Monthly Tickets]
"What is this guy doing in Xiaocheng?" Shen Tang had a vague guess in his mind, but still asked for a definite answer.
Xun Ding replied, "Qiu Wenyan offered him a high price."
Force may not be able to sway Gong Xichou, but money can.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang said enviously, "Money is truly a wonderful thing... But, didn't he do any background checks before hiring Gong Xi Chou? He made Gong Xi Chou guard Xiaocheng, and then provoked me to attack Sibao County. This—haha, fate is truly wonderful!"
Sibao County has a deep connection with many people under Shen Tang's command, with Xiaocheng being the most closely associated. At the same time, this place is also a knot in her heart. Although she hasn't mentioned it for many years, she feels heavy with regret every time she thinks about it.
Unexpectedly—
She remarked, "Fate has a knack for dark humor."
His eyes darkened: "Perfect, let's avenge this humiliation!"
If the opponent is simply Akihiko, then it's indeed boring.
Adding Gong Xi Chou would significantly increase the fun factor.
If Qiu Cheng were to hear this assessment, one wonders what he would think. However, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't be in the mood to think about it. The battle of Linshan County was a complete and utter defeat for his side. Of his generals, aside from those lost in two duels, one died in the defense of the city, and the rest were lightly wounded. Sixty percent of his troops were lost in this battle, and nearly half of the remaining four-tenths of the remnants scattered along the way. Looking at his men, who were in such a sorry state, like stray dogs, Qiu Cheng was burning with anger, pounding his fist on the table and cursing furiously.
Who are you insulting?
It was certainly not a rebuke of Shen Tang or his subordinates.
He was reflecting on himself and blaming himself.
The officials naturally couldn't let Qiu Cheng say such things. No matter how much their lord reflected on himself, he was just saying polite words. They could just listen to them and leave it at that. If they really agreed that their lord was the main reason for the defeat in this battle, then they would be too lacking in workplace savvy.
Regardless of whether it's civil or military matters, they actively stepped forward to take responsibility.
After everyone engaged in self-reflection, the atmosphere inside the tent visibly eased, and under Qiu Cheng's guidance, they united against external threats. Shame spurred them to action; they all bore undeniable responsibility for the defeat. The most urgent task was not assigning blame, but rather identifying the root cause of the problem so that it could be corrected and remedied—it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have escaped.
Qiu Cheng and the others knew perfectly well that Shen Tang had come with great force and dared to bring out a group of elite troops to fight him to the death. Since he was taking such a big risk to fight, his appetite would not be satisfied with just Linshan County; he was most likely preparing to annex the entire Sibao Prefecture.
With our forces scattered, we will inevitably be gradually eroded.
The best course of action now is to consolidate and gather our forces.
Waiting for the final showdown.
Qiu Cheng was very hesitant about this.
Gathering troops would mean leaving the defenses of various parts of the territory empty, essentially handing over territory to Shen Tang for nothing. But if he didn't, the scattered troops wouldn't be able to stop the enemy. Furthermore, such a cowardly and passive defense would ruin his reputation if word got out.
One of them said, "Please, my lord, make a decision as soon as possible."
"...Shen Tang is young and ambitious. His several great victories will surely make him arrogant. Perhaps this will be our opportunity." Those who want to show their power to the enemy are called arrogant soldiers, and arrogant soldiers will perish. "My lord, a temporary setback does not mean the final outcome."
Everyone was talking at once, discussing it enthusiastically.
Qiu Cheng frowned, unwilling to make a decision.
Miao Shu understood why he was acting so awkwardly. It was quite simple: Qiu Cheng's pride wouldn't allow him to be completely passive and he had to take the initiative to regain some face. After a moment's thought, she suggested that Qiu Cheng urge his allies in the Dragon Slaying Bureau again. Whether they sent troops or offered verbal support, it would put some pressure on Shen Tang.
Qiu Cheng asked, "How can we possibly make it in time?"
Miao Shu: "Then let's use the strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'."
How do we solve this?
Miao Shu organized her thoughts before saying, "Since the enemy's troop strength in this battle was genuine, and the 20,000 elite troops are real, it means that the strength of their rear defenses is unknown. We should inform our allies of this and let them investigate."
Longwu County, which Shen Tang had meticulously cultivated for two years, was quite a tempting prize, and he believed that allies would be interested. This suggestion was approved by Qiu Cheng, who hesitated only a few moments before decisively adopting it: "This plan is excellent!"
Miao Shu lowered her head, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
She hated Shen Tang and despised Qiu Cheng, and she loathed this world. Only when they fought like dogs could she feel at ease.
Qiu Cheng withdrew his troops towards Xiaocheng.
Gong Xiqiu received the news within two days.
When he received the news from his subordinate, he was enjoying the sun and playing marbles with Gong Xilai, while also paying a little attention to Yang Ying practicing his moves: "Qiu Wenyan is too cowardly. A mere 20,000 troops scared him like this?"
The official in charge said, "Linshan County suffered a crushing defeat."
I almost lost even the calf-nose trousers.
How could Qiu Cheng not have some psychological trauma?
"You couldn't even hold onto a small county like Linshan..." Gongxi Chou scoffed even more, "I've fought in Linshan County before..."
"The general also said that he had fought it."
It's not like you've already won a battle, but you've already won one.
Gong Xiqiu quickly won all the pearls from Gong Xilai's hand, then remembered something: "However, his opponent was Mama, so it's normal for him to lose... Didn't Xun Ding go with him? How come Qiu Wenyan lost so badly?"
The subordinate official said, "General Xun has been captured."
Gong Xilai paused in his work of tidying up the pearls, and was about to ask a question when his elder brother casually asked, "Is he dead?"
"We have not yet received General Xun's head..."
Gong Xichou choked and muttered softly.
"This kid is even more shameful than Qiu Wenyan..."
Gong Xilai pouted: "Brother, how can you say that? Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Living is more important than anything else."
Even the subordinate official couldn't help but say a good word for Xun Ding: "His opponent, after all, is a close friend of the general..."
It's not normal for Xun Dingbing to be defeated by someone who even Gongxi Chou struggled against; the difference in strength was too great.
"Yes, that's true."
This wasn't the first time Gong Xilai had heard his elder brother mention that "Mama," and he asked curiously, "When will that Prefect Shen arrive?"
Gong Xichou shook his head: "I don't know."
But there was a hint of eager anticipation in his eyes.
It wasn't that he was looking forward to seeing Shen Tang, but rather to fighting her. He really wanted to know how much she had improved over the years, and whether a fight with her would be as exciting as before. He was afraid that she had been preoccupied with politics and neglected her martial arts, and that her strength had regressed instead of improved, which would be quite boring: "A-Lai, after I capture her this time, I'll introduce you two, how about that?"
Gong Xilai: "..."
She thought about the rumored image of Shen Youli.
I want to see him, yet I don't want to see him.
Even though Gong Xiqiu repeatedly emphasized that Mama was just as good-looking as him, Gong Xilai had no hope for his sworn brother's aesthetic sense.
If you don't have expectations, you won't be disappointed.
Within two days, as Qiu Cheng led his troops into Xiaocheng, the city's two-year-long peaceful sky began to show signs of bloodshed.
It's still the same people and city.
The difference is that the roles of offense and defense are reversed.
_(:з」∠)_
Well, another piece of bad news today... It feels like all the bad luck in my life has hit me in the middle and latter part of this month.
Leather Jacket started getting a fever that night, and needless to say, he tested positive. His temperature went from 37.5 to 37.7 and then to 38... Fortunately, it didn't rise any further for the time being, and we finally managed to warm his hands and feet by rubbing them together.
Hopefully, physical cooling methods will work so that the 14-day-old baby will suffer less.
There are countless kinds of suffering in the world. Since someone has to suffer them all, why can't those who love him take his place?
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
