Chapter 498 Zhao Duan Arrives
In the central army tent, Yuan Feng, the commander of the Fifth Army Camp, who was about forty years old and had a square face, sat in the tent with a gloomy and ugly expression, looking around at the generals.
At this moment, inside the military tent, all the generals gathered, and everyone's face was silent, solemn, or anxious.
Not long ago, they led their troops in the third battle with the Qingzhou rebels, and the result was still tragic. The elite troops of the Beijing Camp, which they were proud of, were defeated by the Qingzhou rebels who had been despised by everyone in the army. The degree of their defeat was even greater than the previous two times.
"Are you all mute? Speak! What are the casualties?"
Yuan Feng stared at each face with sharp eyes and asked questions.
A military officer stepped forward with gritted teeth and said, "Reporting to the commander, according to current statistics, eighty-seven men were killed in this battle, over three hundred were seriously injured, and over eight hundred were slightly injured... and many horses were lost..."
“Bang!”
Yuan Feng slammed the table with his big hand, interrupting the report. The commander's eyes turned red and his heart was bleeding!
This number does not include the two games yesterday.
He closed his eyes in pain: "Continue reporting!"
The second middle-aged military officer gritted his teeth and stepped forward, his face still stained with blood. He was the fierce general who had just charged into battle.
"Commander, the most important thing right now isn't the casualties, but the morale! In just two days, we've suffered three consecutive defeats, each more catastrophic than the last! Coupled with Prince Heng's psychological attacks, morale in the camp is now low, and some soldiers are already afraid to fight... If we can't turn defeat into victory in the next battle, I'm afraid..."
Yuan Feng clenched his fists, and thick veins bulged on the back of his hands:
"This place is not far from the capital. Send a message by flying eagle. The court must have received the letter requesting assistance yesterday. Announce to the entire camp that reinforcements are coming to reassure the people!"
In the past, the generals of the Beijing camp fought openly and secretly.
The fact that the Fifth Army Camp was commissioned to resist the rebels was because Yuan Feng volunteered.
He was so majestic when he went to war, but now he looks so awkward when asking for help.
They would never ask for help unless absolutely necessary.
Another slightly plump general in the tent had a bitter look on his face:
"Commander-in-Chief, do you think that given the current situation at court, you will provide support?"
This slightly plump general with bright eyes looked around at everyone:
"Let's be frank. Your Majesty has been away from the capital for a long time. The people in the city are in turmoil. The government and the country are in turmoil. Although the Grand Tutor is temporarily in charge of the court, he is ultimately unable to control the entire court. He sent us here before, but he did not dare to start a war lightly. This is evident!
Now, when the news of our defeat reaches the court, just imagine what the civil officials will do? I'm afraid they'll start arguing endlessly, and it won't take a day or two before they can issue an order to mobilize the troops!"
After a pause, he continued:
"In fact, considering the situation in the capital, I'm afraid that group of civil servants would be more inclined to order us to retreat to protect the capital rather than sending troops to support us!
Even if the Grand Tutor makes the decision, against all odds, and sends reinforcements, when will the reinforcements arrive? Tomorrow? Or the day after tomorrow? Will the Qingzhou Army give us that much time?!"
No one answered!
The atmosphere is heavy and depressing.
Yuan Feng stared at him with a sullen face. "So, what do you want to say? To shake the morale of the army?"
The slightly fat general did not retreat or avoid:
"Sir! I just want to say that we can no longer passively accept attacks. We must make a decision before the next attack! Otherwise..."
At this moment, the tent suddenly opened, and an adjutant walked in, holding a letter in his hand, and walked to Yuan Feng's side:
"Sir, a letter was shot in from the other side with an arrow."
Yuan Feng had an expressionless face as he tore open the envelope and read it. Then his heart sank and he sighed to the sky:
"Two hours. King Heng gave us the last two hours to make a choice. Either surrender, or, in two hours, there will be a decisive battle."
Everyone's heart skipped a beat and they became anxious.
A young general said angrily:
"This is an open conspiracy. The enemy has launched three consecutive attacks. Their fundamental purpose is to destroy our morale! So that they can recruit us and devour us!"
Yuan Feng remained silent. How could he not understand?
King Heng was unwilling to sacrifice too much and forcibly swallow up the five military camps, so he chose to intimidate and shake the morale of the army, and then used his status as a "vassal king" to force and lure them into joining him.
This method was very effective, because the empress disappeared, her life or death unknown, and only a group of ministers remained in the court, while Prince Heng was a legitimate "royal family"...
Yuan Feng was certain that many of the military officers in the tent were shaken in their hearts.
Since they couldn't win anyway, it would be better to join the royal family rather than fight to the death and then be defeated by the new emperor.
But Yuan Feng did not think that the empress would die just like that, especially since according to the rumors, the one protecting her was the legendary "Zhao Duan".
As an eyewitness to the military exercise, Yuan Feng still remembers Zhao Duan vividly.
"Now is not the time to curse. We only have two hours left. Let's think about how to deal with this?" someone shouted.
"Sir, why don't you give me a group of elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack from behind and catch the enemy off guard!" One person volunteered.
"Going to die? In my opinion, we should retreat! As long as we retreat to this position, we can use the terrain to restrict those vicious beasts, block them, and wait for reinforcements!" another person analyzed.
He was immediately refuted by the former with a sneer:
"How can we retreat in just two hours? If we move backward, the enemy will pursue us and our soldiers will be instantly routed! Totally defeated! We should take the initiative and attack!"
"No, we should proceed step by step..."
For a moment, opinions in the big tent were divided into two groups, and the military officers argued with thick faces and thick necks, and saliva flew everywhere.
Yuan Feng sat in the main seat, hesitant. It was not because he lacked decisiveness, but because of the current predicament. No matter what he did, the chances of winning were extremely slim.
Just when he closed his eyes again in pain and thought he was in despair, suddenly, the tent was opened again.
The deputy general who delivered the letter returned with an excited look on his face:
"Generals, hold for a moment. Scouts are reporting that a large number of troops are approaching from behind us, in the direction of the capital. They are only a few miles away from our camp! It seems that they are the Shenji Battalion rushing to support us!"
What? Reinforcements are coming?! Yuan Feng suddenly stood up, feeling both happy and surprised. The speed at which the reinforcements arrived far exceeded everyone's expectations.
The arguing military officers were also stunned, with different expressions, unable to believe it.
"Come with me, and you'll know for yourself!"
Yuan Feng took a step forward and rushed out of the tent first, leading a group of military officers on horseback to rush towards the rear of the camp.
…
There was a mountain behind the barracks. Everyone walked around the hill, looked up, and was shocked.
I saw that on the road ahead, which was covered by trees, there were indeed military flags approaching, but the infantry stopped when they were still two or three miles away.
Immediately, a small group of people were separated from the team and quickly approached this side.
When two armies meet, they will not get too close to each other before greeting each other. This is the rule.
"Commander Shi?! He is indeed a comrade from the Shenji Camp!" said the young general who advocated the attack in surprise.
Yuan Feng, who had a square face, also showed a happy expression, and laughed and took the initiative to dismount to greet him:
"Brother Shi, you guys are finally here, haha."
Dadada… Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Camp, who was a burly but meticulous man, reined in his horse, dismounted, and walked over with a similar laugh. He extended his fist, bumping it with Yuan Feng, who was a few years older, and grinned:
"Brother Yuan, my Shenji Battalion has been ordered to come here to support our brothers and annihilate the rebels. Haha, we've been marching quickly all the way, so it seems we're not too late yet."
After the Shenji Camp broke camp, it was caught up by the flying eagles sent towards the capital on the way and learned the information that the Wujun Camp had been defeated.
Yuan Feng smiled bitterly. Time was pressing and he was in no mood for small talk. He even subconsciously ignored the word "by order", thinking it was a reference to an order to mobilize troops.
A general beside him said anxiously:
"Commander Shi, may I ask how many troops the Shenji Camp has dispatched this time?"
The others were also worried because the Shenjiying came too quickly!
Judging from the time of the letter for help, the most likely reason why the Shenji Camp was able to arrive so quickly was that Shi Meng only brought a part of the elite troops, abandoned the baggage, and marched quickly.
In fact, it is only possible if you only bring some cavalry.
But if that were all, it would probably be a drop in the bucket and not enough to resist the Qingzhou rebels.
Shi Meng smiled, seeing through their thoughts at a glance, with a mysterious smile on his face:
"Oh, don't worry, everyone. This time, I've pulled out all the secrets of the Shenji Camp to help. If you don't believe me, just look."
Everyone looked in the direction of his finger and saw another small team hurriedly coming from the shadows of the mountains and forests in the distance.
The leader was a thin man with his chest and head held high, full of the arrogance of a craftsman. He was Chen Gui, the chief officer of the Firearms Bureau.
"Is it Vulcan Chen?!"
"Did you bring firearms?"
Yuan Feng and others were overjoyed. The appearance of Chen Gui meant that Shi Meng must have brought a large number of firearms, which was undoubtedly good news.
Chen Gui reined in his horse, smiled and bowed:
"Commander Yuan, long time no see. I heard that the Qingzhou rebels have some vicious beasts hidden within them? Did they catch you all off guard? I'm curious, how many of my shots can those beasts withstand?"
Yuan Feng had great respect for this craftsman who had a low rank but a special status. He still remembered the shocking scene of the martial arts performance that day.
He said seriously, "With Chen Huoshen taking action, this line of defense should be able to be held. At the very least, it can hold off the Qingzhou army for a while longer."
Shi Meng, Chen Gui, Tang Ping and other generals of the Shenji Camp looked at each other and said nothing.
Obviously, what Yuan Feng meant by this was that he recognized the power of firearms, but did not think that the addition of the Shenji Camp could reverse the situation and defeat the rebels.
You must know that Yuan Feng had witnessed the power of new firearms and was not ignorant... Well, although the firearms he had witnessed at the time had long been updated and were outdated products of the previous version...
However, the fact that Yuan Feng could make this judgment is enough to show that the rebels are stronger than imagined.
Chen Gui smiled, wanting to brag a bit, but he held back and put on a mysterious smile instead:
"Don't worry, everyone. There's another person coming to our aid. He's far more powerful than Commander Shi and I combined. He'll surely be able to wipe out this declining situation and enhance the prestige of the imperial court!"
Huh? Who are you talking about? More powerful than Shi Meng?
Could it be that the Minister of War also came with the army?
Everyone in the Five Army Camps looked at each other in bewilderment. Shi Meng was a third-rank military officer. Apart from a few people in the Privy Council like Xue Shence, no one else in the capital dared to claim that he had a higher status than Shi Meng.
But Xue Shence had already led his men south to Linfeng.
It can't be that civil officials who don't know how to fight a war come to join in the fun, wouldn't that just cause more trouble?
But given Chen Huoshen's temperament, he doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would openly flatter... Everyone's appetite was whetted and they looked towards the official road again with anticipation.
At this moment, the third team rode up on horseback. The leader was wearing bright armor but no helmet. He had a blood-red cloak draped behind him, which was extremely eye-catching.
The voice arrives before the person arrives.
"Commander Yuan, I haven't seen you for several months. Do you still recognize Zhao?"
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice penetrated everyone's ears. It was clearly not shouted loudly, but it was clear as if it was right next to them.
The man on horseback was extremely handsome, with a high nose bridge, lips of moderate thickness, and bright eyes under his thick, sword-like eyebrows like brushes.
There was a calm and confident smile on his lips.
One hand loosely held the reins, the other gently supported the handle of the ancient sword at his waist.
Sigh...
Zhao Duan reined in his horse and stopped in front of the generals. Facing everyone, he smiled and said, "Why, you really don't remember?"
boom!
At this moment, the pupils of all the commanders of the five military camps trembled violently, as if thunder had exploded in their heads, leaving their brains blank. Their expressions were stiff, and they couldn't help but reveal an expression of disbelief.
Zhao...
Zhao Duan! ?
The Grand Protector of Dayu, the imperial husband, nicknamed "King Zhao Yan"?
The generals in the Beijing camp should be one of the people who have the deepest understanding of this empress's lover who rose to power in just one year but created countless legends.
This was because Zhao Du'an was originally an unknown infantryman of the Imperial Guard. Due to the Xuanmen coup, he was accidentally remembered by the empress. Later, he was recommended by Sun Lianying and entered the White Horse Prison. He kept a low profile for more than half a year and was mistaken by everyone as a dandy.
Afterwards, he tore off his disguise and made a sensation after letting Zhuang Xiaocheng go... His official position rose like a rocket until he was admitted to the Shenji Camp. Facing countless soldiers' doubts, he refuted them forcefully... and completely established his reputation in the army.
After that, whether it was to convince Mr. Zhengyang or to make the world-famous scholar willing to call him "Master".
Or, at the Eastern and Western Buddhist debate meetings, he made impassioned speeches that even seduced the gods to descend.
All of this undoubtedly casts a mysterious veil on the name again.
As for going out to Taicang, Huting, Binhai to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng, and even going deep into Jiancheng Road... in comparison, it all seemed normal.
How could the generals of the five military camps not be familiar with such a person? How could they not be impressed by him?
And now, Zhao Duan, who has already been blessed with countless buffs, suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
"Zhao...Zhao Shaobao?!"
Yuan Feng, who had a square face, was almost speechless, suspecting that he had seen it wrong. Then, a greater doubt came to his mind, and he couldn't help but say, "Aren't you protecting the emperor outside..."
Gah——
Yuan Feng suddenly stopped talking, his pupils dilated, and he realized something.
If, for example, Zhao Duan, who had been protecting the emperor, had returned... then Your Majesty... considering the fact that the Shenji Battalion had arrived earlier than planned, and Shi Meng's words "by order"...
"Haha, Brother Yuan's guess is correct. His Majesty returned to the capital the day before yesterday," Shi Meng said with a smile.
"Your Majesty has drafted an edict, announcing it to the world, declaring the vassal king a traitor and ordering us, under the leadership of Young Master Zhao, to suppress the rebellion. Otherwise, why do you think we came so quickly?"
boom--
Two bombs exploded in everyone's mind.
Chen Gui smiled and chimed in:
"Not only that, Your Majesty and Zhao Shaobao have turned a disaster into a blessing. Your Majesty has entered the realm of heaven, and Zhao Shaobao has also entered the realm of the world."
boom--
Another thunderbolt sounded in everyone's mind.
The young master Tang Ping in silver helmet and silver armor was unwilling to be invisible, and said with a curled mouth:
"Not only that, but Li Yanfu was so audacious that he even attempted a coup to seize power. The two commanders of the Imperial Guards were also treasonous and colluded with him. However, before they could even make a move, they were killed by Your Majesty and Zhao Shaobao. Ha, this is the fate of traitors."
boom--
A thunderclap roared in everyone's head.
The explosive news that followed one after another shocked the people in the Fifth Army Camp so much that they were unable to recover for a while.
Trying hard to digest these changes and news.
The young master's last words made some of the generals present break out in cold sweat and feel a strong fear in their hearts.
I can't help but think:
If they really can't stand the pressure and choose to join King Heng, what will greet them?
Fortunately... Fortunately...
At this moment, many generals felt relieved that they had survived the disaster, and then they were filled with great joy.
"Your Majesty...you are blessed with great fortune. You are back on the throne today. Good times are coming!" Yuan Feng's lips trembled as he smiled.
A genuine celestial being is in charge of the capital, which almost ensures that the capital will not fall due to violence.
"Prince Heng doesn't know about this yet?" he reacted.
Zhao Duan looked at the group of people and smiled, "It takes time to pass on information."
Yes, if Prince Heng knew this information, he would understand that it was impossible to seize the capital by force. The most likely possibility was to withdraw his troops quickly and thus establish his own regime in Qingzhou in order to plan for the future... Everyone was not stupid and understood it immediately.
Zhao Duan raised his hand, suppressed the commotion, and said calmly:
"I have come here today to completely crush this group of rebels at the border before Prince Heng can react and flee. Enough of the small talk, Commander Yuan. I need to understand the current situation."
Yuan Feng was shocked and did not dare to delay. He immediately recounted the situation and said at the end:
"The enemy attacked our camp three times, each time with greater force. Our Fifth Army Battalion is skilled in battle formations. Once our soldiers formed a battle formation, the two armies fought fiercely, unstoppable. However, the rebels somehow managed to produce a multitude of chariots pulled by fang beasts, which charged recklessly, making it difficult for us to form a battle formation..."
Fanged beast... Zhao Duan pondered for a moment, and did not express his opinion on this issue. Instead, he suddenly said:
"You said the other party gave you a two-hour deadline?"
"Yes. But my five military camps are loyal to Your Majesty and will never..." Yuan Feng hurriedly expressed his loyalty.
"Hey," Zhao Duan suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him, the corners of his mouth raised, revealing a smile:
"I think surrendering to the other side might not be a bad idea."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
