Chapter 534 Post-War Summary
Zhao Duan smiled, as if he was not surprised by her choice.
He had made similar choices twice before. Once, when he was in the capital, he gave the concubine abducted by the young cabinet minister Li Yinglong a chance to decide her fate.
The second time was to Yunxi, letting her decide whether to do things for herself.
This is the third time, and his purpose for doing so is very simple.
As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Group, Nie Yurong might play a key role in dealing with King Mu as long as she can be used by him.
As a chess player, if you want to defeat a strong enemy, you need to inadvertently place "idle chess pieces", such as Princess Lu Yan'er next to Prince Jing Xu Wen.
For example, what would happen if he placed an insider under Xu Jingtang, the Prince of Mu? Zhao Duan hadn't thought it through.
But it does not prevent him from doing this from his standpoint as the governor.
"Sir Zhao, I can do things for you, no need for my sister." Yuxiu's face changed slightly, and she took a step forward and tried to stop him.
Zhao Duan smiled like a fox:
"Priest, please think carefully. What I want you to do must be related to this imperial civil war, and it will violate the principles of the Tianshi Mansion."
Yuxiu was stunned for a moment. She took a deep breath and said seriously, "I know."
Saying this meant that she would rather break some taboos for Nie Yurong, and even though she was a disciple of the Heavenly Master, she would have to pay a huge price for it.
Nie Yurong shook her head and smiled:
"Sister, I'm determined. Even if you try to stop me, I will return to the Embroidered Robe. Not just for you, but also for my friends over there. Now that I know you're alive and well, that's enough, but I have other things to do."
Obviously, the female killer who can become the Embroidered Clothes Envoy is not an indecisive person, and is more decisive than Yuxiu.
She stared at Zhao Duan and asked seriously, "Can I get a few trustworthy friends to surrender to the court together?"
Zhao Duan looked strange and said:
"Do you think King Mu will lose? Do you want to lead others out of the hell?"
Nie Yurong said, "I don't know who will win, but I don't think Xu Jingtang has the qualities to be a great ruler."
Hiss... What is this Prince Mu like in private? Even his subordinates have no confidence in him. Zhao Duan asked curiously:
"Why do you say that?"
Nie Yurong said:
"Prince Mu has always presented himself as a heroic figure eager to recruit talented individuals, but privately he is not so. Moreover, and most importantly, he is extremely suspicious. He is always worried about Zhao Shixiong. I don't understand so many profound principles, but at least I know that if your subordinates are not united, it will be difficult to conquer the world."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up slightly, he took note of this information, and nodded:
"Okay, in that case, I'll arrange for Song Jinxi to help you create a false appearance of escaping and disappearing, allowing you to sneak back in. Afterwards, you can contact and contact Song Jinxi."
The life or death of a female killer leader was decided so casually.
Now it was Nie Yurong's turn to look at him strangely:
"That's it? Aren't you afraid I'll turn against you after I leave? Am I just putting on an act right now? Are you kidding me? After all, it's normal for sisters who haven't seen each other for decades to be less impressive than me in the eyes of others, who have spent decades with me."
Zhao Duan laughed heartily and waved his hands, his tone full of strong confidence:
"I'm not King Mu. I trust those I employ, and I won't employ those I doubt. I promised to let you go, and that's what I'll do. If you turn against me, I can catch you once, and I can catch you a second time."
Nie Yurong was stunned. At this moment, she clearly realized that the empress's favorite minister in front of her was completely different from the image in the information.
Even though the two of them had only been in contact for a short time, she was still conquered by the boldness and unrestrainedness in Zhao Duan's every move.
"I kind of understand why His Majesty would take a fancy to you."
Nie Yurong suddenly sighed, looked deeply at her jade sleeves, bowed, and walked out of the room.
Yuxiu opened her mouth, sighed, and said goodbye and went back to the house in a somewhat dazed manner.
She didn't blame Zhao Duan, but realized that the crybaby sister in her memory had grown up and was more independent than herself.
…
After seeing off a few people, Zhao Duan silently ate the apple, and a familiar sound of footsteps came from outside.
Mo Chou rushed in quickly, her face filled with joy:
"Xue Shence is back! Su Dan has been captured, a complete victory!"
Finally back!
Zhao Duan was shocked and immediately stood up and left the county government office with Mochou. He saw Xue Shence and other generals returning in triumph.
Many rebel generals were also escorted in the team. "Juren General" Su Dan was tied up, with his eyes closed, not saying a word, and looking indifferent to life and death.
"Commander Zhao! I, Xue, have lived up to your trust and have defeated the enemy army! The prisoners are behind us!"
Xue Shence threw away his Fang Tian Hua Ji, jumped off his horse, and his gloomy face, which had been gloomy for several days, finally brightened up.
Every general had a victorious smile on his face.
Zhao Duan felt relieved and immediately led everyone into the county government office to inquire about the situation.
The process was extremely simple, the plan failed, and Su Dan, who lost the protection of the masters, was attacked by the three groups of the Beijing camp led by Xue Shence, Shi Meng, and Yuan Feng.
Not surprisingly, the army was defeated and the evacuation route was cut off.
Mo Chou also described the current situation in the city, stating that the city had not suffered much damage and that they only needed to wait for the refugees who had been driven out to return. In two or three days at most, order would be restored in this seized territory.
A great victory filled the entire army with joy.
At this moment, Xue Shence, Shi Meng, Yuan Feng, Chen Gui, Tang Jinzhong, Ji Yue, Lang Shiba and others gathered together.
In an extremely relaxed atmosphere, we exchanged our results.
Xue Shence, the commander-in-chief, looked at Zhao Duan seriously, stood up and said solemnly:
"Commander-in-Chief Zhao played a vital role in achieving this great victory in this battle. If he hadn't intervened at that crucial moment, I, Xue, would be held responsible. If the two counties were reduced to scorched earth, I would be the one who would be eternally guilty."
As soon as these words were spoken, dozens of generals in the hall looked at Zhao Duan with gratitude, admiration and submission.
Everyone understood that without Zhao Duan's coordination, the outcome would have been reversed.
"No wonder you ordered the collection of so many rare items at the Lu Mansion. Was it just for today? You were worried about the worst-case scenario, so you made preparations?"
Mo Chou was not stupid. When he thought about Zhao Duan's actions in supervising grain supply in the past two days, he suddenly realized something.
Zhao Duan did not take credit for it, and said with a faint smile:
"It was just a precaution. I wasn't sure if it would succeed, but fortunately the worst didn't happen. This great victory is primarily due to Your Majesty, the king's army, followed by the concerted efforts of all of you, and then the unity of the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp..."
Halfway through his speech, Zhao Duan realized that the beginning of his speech was too strong, so he coughed lightly and said:
"In short, we should celebrate this great victory, but don't let your guard down. Remember, we've only recaptured a small portion of the western frontier of Linfeng, and there's still a long way to go before we can quell the rebellion. And next, we must be wary of counterattacks from the vassal kings."
Xue Shence nodded, restrained his joy, and said seriously:
"Reclaiming Linfeng was within our expectations. And when the news spreads here, I'm sure that Jing Wang Xu Wen, who is on the eastern front of Linfeng, will definitely take action, attack the eastern front, and form an alliance with Mu Wang Xu Jingtang to fight against us."
Mo Chou looked at him: "Are you going back to the Eastern Front?"
Xue Shence nodded:
"Once Prince Jing takes action, someone must be stationed on the eastern front. I don't have much time left. I want to rest for a while, then take some troops back to the eastern front to fight Prince Jing. As for this side..."
Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Camp, said:
"Prince Jing stole the firearm blueprints. I heard that the army has firearms. You will be too passive in the fight. Why not let Chen Gui bring the new firearms with the Privy Councilor to restrain Prince Jing?"
Yuan Feng, commander of the Fifth Army Camp, said:
"Why don't we send the entire Shenji Battalion to the east, and leave the west to the Fifth Army Battalion. I also want to have a showdown with Zhao Shixiong!"
With Su Dan's "bridgehead" abandoned, the western front will continue to move southward and enter the Huai River, where it will face Zhao Shixiong, the commander of the Southwestern Frontier Army.
That was a much tougher nut to crack than Su Dan's.
At the end of last year, Duke Tang and others returned to Beijing to report on their work, but Zhao Shixiong alone refused to go to Beijing.
Zhao Shixiong held a very high position in the border army, and was considered by many to be no less than the "God of War" Xue Shence.
Everyone began to discuss how to divide the troops and who would stay on the Western Front and who would go to the Eastern Front.
Zhao Duan did not let an outsider guide the experts, and fully respected the opinions of these generals.
Finally, after discussion, a consensus was reached:
Xue Shence led the Shenji Camp to the eastern front and will serve as the main force of the imperial court to attack the Jianchengdao rebels.
The Fifth Army Battalion remained on the western front, cooperating with the prefect Sun Xiaozheng to advance slowly and focus on a steady approach.
Try not to confront Zhao Shixiong head-on, but to stabilize the western front and assist Xue Shence strategically.
In other words, it is unrealistic to start a war on both the east and west fronts at the same time. It is better to pick one to fight first.
"In that case, let's do it this way." Zhao Duan, the military supervisor, nodded and said:
"As the military supervisor, I will personally write a memorial to report this news to His Majesty."
Well... Actually, the petition has been submitted, but there is still a need to complete the formalities...
Xue Shence suddenly looked at him and said seriously:
"When the Governor-General submits his report, please also inform His Majesty regarding food and other supplies. I am very worried that Prince Jing, Prince Mu, and other rebels will not engage us, but instead will fortify their defenses, clear the countryside, hide away like turtles, and stall for time."
Zhao Duan's heart moved: "You mean..."
Xue Shence sighed:
"Autumn is almost here. Many of the nine prefectures and eighteen counties of the imperial court have fallen into the hands of rebel kings. With only the territories that the imperial court still controls, I'm afraid that food and other supplies will soon be in short supply."
What is the battle for? Logistics.
The capital city does not produce grain, and Linfeng and Qingzhou are not the main production areas of the Yu State.
This means that if the war drags on and cannot be ended this year, it will be even more difficult to quell the rebellion once winter comes.
And when the spring of next year comes, it will be the sowing season...and once the princes join forces to block supplies, the court will immediately face a "supply shortage".
By then, I'm afraid they will collapse without a fight...
"Three months."
Xue Shence gave a time with a serious expression:
"In a few days at most, the weather will enter the depths of winter, making it even more difficult to fight. Therefore, if we cannot capture the Huai River within three months and cannot obtain sufficient supplies from the extremely prosperous Huai River, then... the court will be in great trouble!"
Take over Huaishui within three months?
Or at least take over half of the Huai River?
After hearing this goal, most of the joy of the victory disappeared, but they had to admit that Xue Shence's judgment was correct.
"Join forces to blockade and cut off supplies... This is indeed the strategy that the rebel kings are likely to choose." Zhao Duan also became serious.
He recalled the day he first arrived in Taicang, when the rebels burned the fields around Songjiazhuang and wanted to blow up the Taicang silver mine.
Obviously, this is the purpose.
Since attacking the capital is no longer realistic, switching to a collective defense strategy and bringing down the imperial court is the most reasonable and wise choice.
"Everyone, don't worry too much. If Duke Tang of Xipingdao defeats the King of Hejian, life won't be too difficult with the reinforcements from Xipingdao."
Seeing the depressing atmosphere and worried about affecting morale, Mo Chou hurriedly spoke.
As for the Tieguan Road further north... she didn't mention it because there was a shortage of resources there.
Xiping Road... Zhao Duan's heart moved. According to the information, the Hejian King's military strength there is not strong, and Duke Tang clearly sided with the Empress last year...
With the strength of the border troops led by Duke Tang, it would not be difficult to defeat the King of Hejian within a few months.
But the problem is... the Western Regions...
The Western Regions would surely be happy to weaken the imperial court's blockade of the border and would likely cause trouble.
Even if Princess Wenzhu is in the Western Regions, the real power there is the Dharma King of Buddhism. If the Dharma King orders to contain the border troops, Princess Wenzhu will not be able to stop him...
Still can't count on others... Zhao Duan sighed in his heart and said:
"I will report the truth to His Majesty."
The meeting ended here, and the soldiers stood up and left to carry out the aftermath work.
But compared to the joy after the great victory, everyone felt a sense of urgency.
Three months...can they conquer Huaishui?
Even with Xue Shence in charge, the three major Beijing camps went out together, and they successively destroyed the Qingzhou army and captured Su Dan alive, but they still couldn't give people confidence.
Zhao Duan also returned to his room in the county government office, had a simple meal, and slept for a while. When the sun went out, the sky turned dark, and the world became dark, he woke up again.
Finally, I felt refreshed and tried to visualize "The World" again.
…
In a trance, Zhao Duan once again entered the world in the scroll.
But this time, as soon as he entered the painting, he clearly felt the existence of the "stone tablet".
"Hey, is it because I left some traces when I walked out of the scroll before?"
Zhao Duan didn't understand the principle, but his consciousness instinctively adjusted the direction. Instead of falling towards the metropolis below, he floated in the air, following the strange pull, and found a gap in the darkness.
"Could it be that these gaps already existed? If there were no gaps, how could my consciousness enter here? So, it was because I couldn't detect the cracks in and out of the scroll before."
"Or maybe Zhenbao left a crack on the scroll that belonged to her when she first entered here, and I memorized the coordinates last time?"
"It's interesting to say, but I only exist as my past life identity within the scroll. Once I leave the scroll, I will revert to the identity of 'Zhao Duan'."
Zhao Duan was lost in thought and tried to drill into the crack.
…
In the imperial palace, inside the old fourth-floor pavilion.
Zhao Duan suddenly emerged from the mural, and what came into his sight was darkness.
The palace had already entered night, but in the dark room, a palace lantern was lit, and the exquisite palace lantern burned quietly.
Dispelled a piece of darkness.
Xu Zhenguan was sitting quietly on the futon and eating dinner!
There was a small table on the ground, with plates of food and a pot of wine on it.
Seeing Zhao Duan "coming back", Xu Zhenguan, who was picking up food with chopsticks, was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face, and he said with a smile:
"It seems you succeeded."
Zhao Duan was also stunned, his expression changed:
"Your Majesty will not wait for me here forever, right?"
Xu Zhenguan nodded as a matter of course: "Of course I have been waiting."
She explained earnestly, “This is something worth waiting for.”
Several hours have passed since Zhao Duan returned to Linfeng.
She waited from the afternoon until dark.
Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, exhaled, and explained:
"After I returned, I felt incredibly exhausted. I rested for a while and dealt with some follow-up matters before trying to return. It seems I can travel back and forth frequently in this state, but the price is that each trip consumes my energy and requires rest."
There was some surprise in Xu Zhenguan's eyes. Although it was only a "soul" that could float over and not a complete person, it was a good thing no matter how you looked at it.
"Sit down and talk? It's a pity that you can't eat like this." Xu Zhenguan joked.
Zhao Duan smiled bitterly and didn't look at the delicious food on the table. He didn't waste any words and talked about some subsequent events of the battle, including the fact that Wei Xianzong had made meritorious contributions while serving his sentence.
"It seems that you have made the right choice in recommending this person. The person recommended by Lord Yuan is indeed talented."
Xu Zhen nodded and said:
"Wartime is a special case. Since he's willing to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, we can give him a chance."
Zhao Duan nodded and mentioned the reunion of the Yuxiu sisters.
"Is there such a thing? Well, you just go ahead and see how to use this person." Xu Zhen nodded, expressing surprise, but these were not big deals after all.
It was not until Zhao Duan finished talking about the content of the post-war meeting of generals and Xue Shence's concerns that Xu Zhenguan finally became serious.
"Blocking supplies and trapping the imperial court... This matter is indeed difficult to resolve, but retaking the Huai River within three months is also a fantasy. What do you think?"
Xu Zhenguan asked, his eyes sparkling in the darkness.
(End of this chapter)
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