Chapter 110 Choosing a Wise Ruler: A Good Bird Chooses a Good Tree to Perch On
For this military expedition, Yuan Yan dispatched Duan Xuchao, Yuan Shi, and others.
In order to gain a foothold in the Phoenix Kingdom's army and to show his loyalty to his new master Yuan Yan, Duan Xuchao has fought with all his might in every battle since arriving in the Northwest, and has made considerable contributions.
In this attack on the Liang army alongside Yuan Shi, she commanded with composure and engaged the enemy general Agumu in direct combat. They not only scattered the Liang army but also severely wounded Agumu, capturing over four hundred warhorses.
The Liang army suffered a crushing defeat, and its generals were captured. The arrogance that had been building up in the past few days vanished instantly.
On the same night.
Xue Lang and his entourage hurriedly returned to the military camp with the grain they had brought.
"Your Highness, please forgive me; the grain supplies were late," Xue Lang apologized to Yuan Yan.
After Xue Lang's explanation, the others learned that the reason he was late in delivering the grain was because the officials of Suzhou refused to cooperate and open the granaries to deliver the grain even after seeing Yuan Yan's seal. Xue Lang negotiated with them and was forced to kill the officials in order to bring the grain back.
"You've done very well," Yuan Yan said, not blaming Xue Lang, but affirming his actions.
With the supplies sent by Yang Lingyi, plus the grain, they had no worries about their rear for a short time and could fight the Liang army with full force.
In the following days, the Phoenix Army changed its previous defensive strategy and took the initiative to launch an attack, chasing the Liang Army and forcing them into a series of defeats.
Just when everything was going well, another piece of good news arrived.
A secret message from the palace informed Yuan Yan that Yuan Hao had awakened. It turned out that shortly after the Empress Dowager replaced Yuan Hao's palace attendants and ordered trusted imperial physicians to take good care of him, Yuan Hao gradually recovered somewhat.
Although he is still unable to attend court, he is now fully conscious.
Upon learning that the Ministry of Revenue was using the excuse of delaying the supply of grain, Yuan Hao was furious. He punished the relevant officials of the Ministry of Revenue, summoned Yuan Jing to his sickbed to reprimand her, and dismissed her from her post as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.
He also ordered that the soldiers in the Northwest be rewarded, and told Yuan Yan to focus on the battle and not worry about the rear, as the previously delayed supplies had been delivered as soon as possible.
[Host, Yuan Jing has been dismissed from his post as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. In addition, you have led the army to a series of victories recently, and your prestige is rising daily. Your power level has increased to 59.65%!] The system looked at the numbers in front of it and was overjoyed.
Ah, Yuan Jing probably never imagined that his mother would wake up at this time.
Yuan Jing was too eager to take advantage of her leading troops outside the capital to deal with her, which led to his current predicament of being dismissed as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. He only deserved it.
Yuan Yan thought to himself.
With the knife gone from her back, she could focus more intently on dealing with the Liang army.
However, while Yuan Yan was doing well in the northwest, things were going poorly on the eastern front. Cao Dexian had fallen into an enemy trap and lost a battle, losing Ruyin. This resulted in heavy losses for the Phoenix Army, which was currently in a weakened state and could only retreat to Xiaqiu.
"We can't let the situation continue like this. Cao Dexian is no match for Jin Yuelun. If we don't get reinforcements, I'm afraid we'll lose Xiaqiu sooner or later."
"We need to find a way to quickly deal with the Liang soldiers and lead our troops back to reinforce Yingzhou," Yuan Yan pondered.
[Host, the Liang army is still hoping to occupy the prefectures and counties of the Phoenix Kingdom. Now that they haven't even gotten any benefits, how can they easily retreat?] The system reminded her.
"Then let's think of a way to force them to retreat," Yuan Yan said, and had his two aunts summoned to discuss the matter together.
Lin Tai and Lin Ping have been stationed at the border for many years and are very familiar with the situation in Liang Kingdom.
“Aunt, I have summoned you here today because I have something I would like to ask you.”
Yuan Yan asked his two aunts if there were any countries surrounding Liang that could threaten it.
Lin Tai, as expected of an experienced general, guessed some of Yuan Yan's thoughts as soon as he heard her speak.
“The Liang Kingdom is powerful, and its neighboring countries pose no threat, but the various tribes within it are not a united front. Several major tribes are eyeing the throne. Your Highness might consider starting from this aspect to repel the Liang army,” Lin Tai suggested, explaining in detail the situation of the various tribes in the Liang Kingdom.
Yuan Yan listened attentively, pondered, and nodded, "Thank you for teaching me, Aunt. I know what to do now."
She thanked her two aunts and then had someone summon Zhang Xiaoju.
"I intend to incite conflict among the various tribes of Liang in order to deter the Liang army. This matter is of great importance, and I do not trust ordinary messengers with it. After much thought, I have found that only the Lady Historian in my court is exceptionally intelligent and capable of accomplishing this task. I wonder if the Lady Historian would be willing to take this opportunity for me?"
Upon hearing Yuan Yan's scheme, Zhang Xiaoju not only felt no danger, but his eyes even lit up, and he gladly bowed down.
"It is my honor to serve Your Highness. Your Highness, please entrust me with the letters and other documents. I will certainly not fail in my mission."
...
The royal court of Liang Kingdom.
King Yelü Chuguang received news again that the Liang army had suffered a major defeat, losing countless soldiers and horses.
"How many times have we lost?"
After hearing the report, Yelü Chuguang's smile turned cold. "Since the launch of this attack on the Phoenix Kingdom, I haven't heard a single piece of good news to celebrate."
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It is the Phoenix Army that is too cunning and difficult to deal with," said Minister Tu Chi.
Yelü Chuguang: "Tuoba Lao'er sent some gold and silver, saying that after the matter was accomplished, he would share the city of Huangguo with me. Now I haven't seen much benefit, but I have lost so many troops. It is truly a losing deal."
“But if we retreat now, wouldn’t all the losses we’ve suffered be for nothing?” Tuchi said, mustering his courage.
Having received bribes from Emperor Wu in private, she naturally had to speak on behalf of Wu. It was Tu Chi who had strongly advocated for the alliance between the two countries in front of Yelü Chuguang, and now that she heard Yelü Chuguang was considering withdrawing, she continued to incite him.
"Tu Chi, the Phoenix Kingdom is not a bone that can be easily gnawed. The tribes to the west are still stirring. What are your intentions in encouraging the king to wage war and deplete military strength?"
Beside him, another minister from Liang stood up to object, his words directed at Tuchi.
Tu Chi said confidently, "Helian Zheng, I'm thinking about the bigger picture. No matter what I say, you always disagree. Do you just want to oppose me?"
The two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in. The other ministers in the royal court were also divided into two factions: one advocating a retreat, and the other advocating fighting to the bitter end.
Suddenly, with a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft, both sides fell silent.
It turned out that Yelü Chuguang had become impatient with the noise and stood up. His tall and strong body exuded a strong sense of oppression, which immediately silenced everyone present.
In the ensuing silence, Yelü Chuguang did not speak immediately.
Instead, he stood still and twirled the ring on his hand, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Baihe tribe has gathered its troops and is heading south."
This sudden news surprised all the ministers present.
Yelü Chuguang raised his eyes, his expression slightly serious.
The Baihe tribe rebelled at this particular time, which seems to be the will of Heaven, preventing her from continuing her conquests.
"Send a message to Wuliangtai, instructing him to withdraw his troops and return home," Yelü Chuguang said.
...
After several days of fighting, the Liang army was the first to retreat.
The Liang-Wu alliance was broken. Emperor Wu saw that his side was in a good position, but Yelü Chuguang withdrew his troops without saying a word. He was so angry that he wrote a letter to Yelü Chuguang, scolding him for breaking his promise and betraying the oath.
However, Yelü Chuguang paid no attention to the letter and replied only, "The current Huang Kingdom is not a country that can be easily conquered. Liang Kingdom shall withdraw its troops and the alliance between the two countries shall be null and void." He then had the messenger relay the message to Emperor Wu.
We will leave aside for now how Emperor Wu reacted upon hearing this.
As Yuan Yan had predicted, after the Liang Kingdom withdrew its troops, Yuan Hao rewarded Yuan Yan and the three armies, and immediately ordered Yuan Yan to lead troops to reinforce Yingzhou.
"Your Highness's plan has taken effect so quickly. A single letter has repelled the Liang army, which is comparable to an army of ten thousand. This humble general is truly impressed," Duan Xuchao said.
"It wasn't due to a well-thought-out plan. If it weren't for the bravery of our generals, which instilled fear in the enemy, and Zhang's solo incursion into Liang to persuade the Baihe tribe to take action, this plan would likely have failed," Yuan Yan said.
In order to incite the Baihe tribe to fight against Yelü Chuguang, Yuan Yan had Zhang Xiaoju deliver letters and weapons. With his silver tongue, he instigated the Baihe tribe to seize power amidst the chaos, forcing Yelü Chuguang to order a withdrawal of troops, thus temporarily resolving the threat.
Next, only Wu Kingdom remains.
...
Yuan Yan bid farewell to his two aunts and marched his army to Yingzhou.
"This humble general, Cao Dexian, pays his respects to Your Highness the Second Prince." Cao Dexian came forward to apologize.
"This humble general is incompetent and has lost Ruyin, failing the Emperor's grace and causing His Highness to personally brave arrows and stones to come to his aid. I deserve to die a thousand deaths."
Cao Dexian was a middle-aged general, usually calm and composed, with good martial arts skills but mediocre strategic acumen. If it weren't for General Chen's injury and Yuan Jing's strong recommendation for her to lead the troops, Cao Dexian would not have been in command of the central army.
The loss of Ruyin this time was due to the Wu army's strategy of besieging the city and attacking reinforcements.
Since his defeat last time, enemy general Jin Yuelun had been severely reprimanded by Emperor Wu and punished by having his salary confiscated but not required to serve. This time, he is leading troops to atone for his crime and is determined to avenge his previous humiliation.
Just then, his subordinates offered a plan to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements, and Jin Yuelun thought the plan was brilliant and adopted it.
Therefore, upon seeing the reinforcements from the Phoenix Kingdom, Jin Yuelun did not directly attack Ruyin. Instead, he sent a detachment to bypass Ruyin and head straight for Caiyang, which was relatively weakly defended to the south of Ruyin. Caiyang was the choke point connecting Ruyin with the rear and an essential route for the transport of supplies. Jin Yuelun personally led the main force, surrounding Caiyang and launching a fierce attack day and night, displaying an attitude of certain victory.
Once Caiyang falls, Ruyin will be in grave danger. After careful consideration, Cao Dexian sends troops to its aid. However, they are ambushed by Jin Yuelun on the way.
At the same time, another elite force that Jin Yuelun had laid an ambush attacked Ruyin and completely captured the city, which was poorly defended.
Cao Dexian recalled the course of the defeat with a look of shame.
"Things have come to this point, there's no point in saying anything more. The most important thing now is to deal with the Wu army and retake the lost city," Yuan Yan said.
Shortly after arriving at Xiaqiu, she took over the military affairs there.
Just as Yuan Yan was discussing matters with Yuan Shi and his generals, Jin Yuelun learned that Yuan Yan had led his troops to Xiaqiu and sent men to challenge him to battle.
Upon hearing the soldiers' report, Yuan Yan questioned the generals in the tent.
"Who is willing to fight for me?"
"This humble general is willing to go." Duan Xuchao stepped forward first, his expression unchanged.
Yuan Yan glanced at Duan Xuchao. This was the first time Duan Xuchao had faced his former comrades on the battlefield since surrendering to the Phoenix Kingdom.
“In that case, this battle will be left to General Duan,” Yuan Yan said.
Duan Xuchao led his troops out of the city.
Jin Yuelun stared at Duan Xuchao's familiar face from afar and flew into a rage.
"You cowardly traitor! Wu Kingdom has treated you well, how dare you act like this?"
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