Chapter 827 Black Wind Iron Cavalry! (Second Update)
The Nangong family is using the prophecy of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall to clear obstacles for themselves. It must be said that this move, though seemingly unoriginal, is very effective.
In ancient times, when launching a rebellion, claiming the name of Heaven was the safest course of action.
A ruler is like a boat, and people are like water. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.
Never underestimate the power of public opinion.
Shangguan Yan's gaze passed over the veteran general Wang Man and landed on Wei Juntin's face: "General Wei, what are your thoughts?"
Wei Juntin said with a solemn expression, "The Nangong family has seized the initiative. If this continues, we will lose more cities. It's easy for them to take them, but it will be difficult for us to take them back."
The cities on the frontier are carefully designed to prevent invasion by foreign enemies, and are therefore easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Furthermore, the Nangong family's army is well-rested and ready to fight, so their combat strength will definitely be superior.
Shangguan Yan then looked at Gu Jiao: "What does Commander Xiao think?"
Gu Jiao looked at the map on the table and pointed west of Yanmen Pass: "The Liang Kingdom's garrison has advanced a hundred feet towards the border and has already crossed the border. The reason they haven't broken through Yanmen Pass yet is because their forces are not strong enough. Like us, the imperial army is on its way. We must seize the initiative and recapture Quyang before the Liang Kingdom's imperial army arrives at the border!"
Shangguan Yan nodded in agreement.
Wang Man scoffed, "A child is a child. Who wouldn't think of such a simple method? Why do you think I didn't tell you?"
Gu Jiao thought about it seriously: "You're a coward?"
"You little brat!" Wang Man slammed his hand on the table and jumped up.
Wei Juntin quickly stood up to stop him: "General Wang! General Wang! Calm down! Calm down!"
Shangguan Yan gave Wang Man a stern look without anger and said, "General Wang, are you going to use force in front of me?"
How dare you scare my dear daughter-in-law! You're asking for trouble!
Wei Juntin continued to act as peacemaker: "Commander Xiao and General Wang are just joking. General Wang is magnanimous and shouldn't hold a grudge against a junior."
"Hmph!" With the Crown Princess present, Wang Man was given a way out, but he still reluctantly stepped down.
The two sat back down on their cushions.
Shangguan Yan understands Gu Jiao. Gu Jiao doesn't talk nonsense; the fact that she brought it up proves that she already has a plan in mind.
However, Wang Man was not wrong; this plan did indeed have its impractical aspects.
Shangguan Yan pointed to the map and said, "We are in this place now. If we march quickly, it will take a month, and if we force our way, it will take more than twenty days. The Liang army is not that far from the border, and they can arrive in less than twenty days."
Gu Jiao said, "At the speed of the entire army's march, we really can't catch up, but the Black Wind Cavalry can. The Black Wind Cavalry can reach Quyang in just half a month."
Shangguan Yan was slightly taken aback: "You want to force a march?"
It's true that cavalry is faster than infantry, but in order to ensure the horses' combat effectiveness, they can't ride too fast. A forced march would take at least twenty days, half a month... that would have to exhaust the horses' stamina.
“No, we’ll still march quickly,” Gu Jiao said, pointing to the map. “Going through the mountains of Liuzhou, it’s a straight line that will take us directly to Feng County in Quyang!”
Wang Man complained, "That mountain range is very dangerous! No army has ever crossed it!"
I walked by.
Gu Jiao thought to herself.
In the dream, Xuanyuan Army paid a great price to cross that mountain range.
This time it won't happen; she knows how to avoid those dangers now.
Wang Man cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness! This matter is of utmost importance! I don't care what means he used to become the commander of the Black Wind Cavalry, but war is not child's play. He cannot let the entire Black Wind Camp be destroyed by his own assumptions!"
After all, the Black Wind Camp is their strongest fighting force!
If this kid doesn't know how to command, just find someone else to command him!
Don't waste such good combat resources!
Shangguan Yan turned to Gu Jiao and asked, "Are you confident?"
Mu Qingchen's eyes flickered slightly.
It was clear that the Crown Princess trusted Gu Jiao.
This puzzled him.
"I'm confident," Gu Jiao said firmly.
Shangguan Yan nodded: "Alright then."
Wang Man's expression changed: "Your Highness!"
Shangguan Yan said, "My mind is made up. General Wang, there is no need to persuade me any further. I will bear all the consequences."
Having said all that, Wang Man had no grounds to object; he couldn't very well draw his sword and force the Crown Princess to change her mind.
"snort!"
He stood up, put one hand behind his back, and patted the outside of his thigh twice with the other hand to vent his dissatisfaction. Then he turned and left with a cold face.
Gu Jiao stared straight at him.
"They're treating the battlefield like a child's game! Xiao Liulang is like this, and so is the Crown Princess! I really don't know how His Majesty could send a mere woman to fight in his place! Does the royal family have no princes? Prince Li, Prince Xu, Prince En, aren't they all better than a deposed Crown Princess!"
Wang Man only spoke after leaving the camp.
Those inside the tent all had excellent hearing.
Wei Juntin smiled awkwardly.
Shangguan Yan's expression did not change much. She said to Wei Juntin, "You may leave. I have something to say to Commander Xiao."
"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave." Wei Juntin stood up, bowed, and turned to leave the tent.
Mu Qingchen also got up.
Shangguan Yan said, "Mu Qingchen, you stay. I have something to tell you."
...
Half an hour later, Mu Qingchen and Gu Jiao came out of Shangguan Yan's tent.
By this time it was completely dark. The soldiers lit a fire and cooked dinner on the spot. After eating, those who needed to rest rested, and those who needed to patrol patrolled.
The two walked along the path in the middle of the camp.
Master Hu greeted him: "Sir! Have you had dinner yet? I've saved you some steamed buns!"
"I've already eaten," Gu Jiao said. "I'll eat it tomorrow morning."
Master Hu was taken aback for a moment: "Ah, yes."
Where can I feed you? Shouldn't I eat it myself?
Mu Qingchen frowned and looked at Gu Jiao: "I really understand you less and less."
Gu Jiao gave him a strange look: "You don't need to understand me."
Mu Qingchen was speechless, but he was used to it anyway.
As he walked alongside her, he said, "I apologize for what happened to Nangong Li."
Although the matter of the Nangong family colluding with the Crown Prince to frame the real eldest grandson of the Emperor has not been made public, as the eldest son of one of the ten great families, he has heard about it to some extent.
However, he did not know that the current eldest grandson of the emperor was Xiao Heng, or was actually Shangguan Qing.
Gu Jiao: "Oh."
Mu Qingchen said with shame, "Did you kill Nangong Li because you discovered his conspiracy? Never mind, that's not important anymore. I was wrong to misunderstand you as a person with ulterior motives because of this matter before."
Gu Jiao didn't actually care about his misunderstanding, but since his apology was so sincere, if she didn't say anything, he would probably keep going on and on.
Gu Jiao scratched her head: "I forgive you."
Mu Qingchen smiled slightly, stopped and looked at her: "Then, are we still friends?"
Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting around, and said somewhat reluctantly, "Yes, right?"
What does "is it" mean?
Mu Qingchen was taken aback.
Gu Jiao spread her hands and said, "I am your superior now. The hierarchy between superiors and subordinates cannot be overstepped. You must stick to your duties."
Mu Qingchen: "..."
Shangguan Yan was worried about her dear daughter-in-law, so she sent Mu Qingchen, who was supposed to be protecting her, to Gu Jiao's side, so that he could go to Quyang to attack the city with Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao is the commander.
He was the lackey.
Gu Jiao imitated Wang Man's official gait, striding forward with one hand behind her back and the other hand impatiently patting her outer thigh twice.
"snort!"
He didn't even let out a groan!
Mu Qingchen: "..."
The next day, before dawn, Gu Jiao gave the order for the entire Black Wind Cavalry to break camp.
Shangguan Yan originally insisted on traveling with Gu Jiao, but Gu Jiao refused.
Shangguan Yan had eight screws inserted into her spine, and she had to wear armor even when traveling, as the cavalry's rapid march would wear her down.
In addition, as the Crown Princess, she could gather more local troops along the way, or at least acquire more grain if she didn't have enough troops.
This is a tough battle, and we must ensure a reliable supply of provisions.
The weather was fine for the first three days of the Black Wind Cavalry's departure. On the fourth day, the army encountered a sudden autumn rain. Fortunately, Gu Jiao knew how to observe the stars and the weather at night and made arrangements for everyone to take shelter from the rain in advance.
On the eleventh day, the Black Wind Cavalry arrived at the foot of the Luding Mountains, the largest mountain range in Liuzhou.
Maps are no longer useful at this point.
Since no one has ever been inside this mountain range, there is naturally no detailed map of it.
Everyone stay put and wait.
Along the way, their impression of Gu Jiao has changed somewhat, but they still have a lot of reservations. The Han family's successive commanders have done a better job than Gu Jiao, but what happened in the end?
The Han family has betrayed us.
They acknowledged that the resurgence of the Xuanyuan family's banner was indeed inspiring.
Having been disappointed too many times, they had long since calmed down from their initial excitement.
Perhaps this is just a way to boost morale.
Who would actually fight for the Xuanyuan family?
Even the Nangong family is using the Xuanyuan family's name to seek their own selfish interests, isn't it?
Everyone looked at the new commander, waiting for him to continue his antics.
They wanted to see if this young commander would be so anxious that he would burst into tears when he got trapped inside.
Mu Qingchen glanced around and whispered to Gu Jiao, "Um, they don't seem to trust you very much."
Gu Jiao: "Oh."
Gu Jiao said to Mu Qingchen, "We have three days to cross the mountains, after which the entire army will rest for a day. We will not stop in Feng County, but will directly attack the city."
"Three days... is that enough?" Mu Qingchen looked at the endless mountain range and thought to himself that it would probably take thirteen days to get out. No wonder the cavalry did not trust their classmate. Even he felt it was going to be tough.
Gu Jiao said, "Whether it's enough or not, we'll find out once we leave. Boss, let's go!"
The forest was filled with the howls of wild animals, and the horses could instinctively sense the danger in the jungle.
However, just as Gu Jiao trusted Black Wind King wholeheartedly, Black Wind King also trusted his companions without reservation.
Black Wind King raised its front hooves, leaped, and easily crossed the six-foot-wide ditch, stepping into the dense forest without looking back.
Black Wind Rider Baby No. 1: "The boss is gone."
Black Wind Rider Baby No. 2: "Shall we have one too?"
The cavalrymen who didn't want to leave said, "...You might not believe it, but my horse has its own ideas."
(End of this chapter)
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