Chapter 868 Father and Son United (First Update)
Marquis Xuanping was just about to order his soldiers to rest and continue the attack on the city the next morning when he received orders from the rear.
He frowned: "Why the rush to finish tonight?"
The best way to cripple Liang's army would be to march all the way into his capital, Bianjing. Of course, this was impossible, as neither the manpower nor the supplies allowed it.
But at least we must seize a few border cities to severely weaken the Liang army.
He'll rest and regroup tonight, and tomorrow he'll storm into Li County and reap even more of Liang Gou's heads.
The guard presented a letter with both hands, saying, "This is a letter from Her Highness the Crown Princess. Please take a look."
Marquis Xuanping casually took it: "Just pass on the message, why write a letter..."
The letter contained no extra words, only six characters: "Qing'er is trapped in Pucheng."
Marquis Xuanping's expression instantly turned cold.
To make it easier for him to lead troops into battle, Shangguan Yan fabricated an identity for him as a former subordinate of the Xuanyuan family who had been secretly working for years, and temporarily appointed him as the General of Dingyuan.
Although the crowd was unfamiliar with this man, it was an undeniable fact that he had killed Chu Feipeng. In addition, the four of them had repelled the Liang army's thousands of troops, so their prestige and strength were beyond question.
In addition, everyone assumed that the Crown Princess wanted to take the opportunity to support her own faction, and they were not too surprised by his sudden arrival.
During this attack on the Liang army, he traveled with General Zhao Guoping of the Great Yan court.
"Has General Zhao received the news as well?" Marquis Xuanping asked.
"Ah...it seems...there isn't," the guard said, forcing a smile.
Marquis Xuanping remained calm as always, but a chilling murderous aura emanated from him: "I understand. Go and tell the Crown Princess that I will take Li County at midnight, not tomorrow morning."
The guard's mouth dropped open.
Midnight?
There's only one hour left, right?
Can we really take it?
Shangguan Yan paced back and forth in the tent, vaguely feeling that she had missed something, but she couldn't remember it at once.
Her mind was filled with the news that her son was trapped in Ghost Mountain; she simply couldn't believe it was true.
Why did her son end up at the border?
And it even fell into the territory of the Jin army?
What exactly happened?
Due to limited space in the letter, Gu Jiao only picked out the key points; everything else would have to wait until they met in person to discuss in detail.
Huan'er wanted to remind her, but seeing her anxious and agitated state, she silently swallowed her words.
When His Highness the Grandson was in trouble, the first person you thought of was Marquis Xuanping. Have you forgotten about General Zhao?
It doesn't matter if she forgets; Marquis Xuanping will handle everything clearly.
At midnight, Marquis Xuanping razed the camp in Li County, killing six Liang generals. The Liang army suffered repeated defeats and attempted to escape, but was met with a strong encirclement by the Yan army.
Ultimately, the Liang army, through the Prince of Pingyang, delivered a humiliating letter of surrender.
With the surrender document in hand, the Prince of Pingyang was taken away by the Marquis of Xuanping as a hostage.
Wang Man's task was much easier. Xincheng was not as fortified as Quyang City, and the Nangong family's garrison had been left in Quyang by Chang Wei, leaving less than 10,000 local troops in the city. If Wang Man's tens of thousands of troops marched in, the Nangong family was doomed to defeat.
As dawn approached, the four sons of Nangong were killed in battle, and the rest were captured alive.
...
In the command tent of the Black Wind Camp in Quyang City.
Master Hu approached, carrying the translated booklet: "Sir! Please take a look!"
Gu Jiao shifted her gaze from the sand table and reached out to take the booklet.
Liao Chen was also in her tent.
The two carefully examined the intelligence on the Jin army.
Gu Jiao said, "It's not just 200,000 troops. Excluding supplies, the number of combat-ready soldiers reaches 160,000."
Given the conditions of warfare in this dynasty, supplies would generally account for about one-third of the total military strength, and the Jin army was no exception.
Gu Jiao continued, "We have about the same number of troops available, but we also have to count the 50,000 troops from the Han family on the Jin side."
The main reason for this situation is that the Yan state was besieged by five states, which dispersed a lot of its troops to various places. At present, the only state that can be sure of withdrawing its troops is the Zhao state at Chishui Pass.
Chishui Pass is primarily a naval force and not suitable for land warfare, so there's no point in rushing over there.
The states of Chen and Zhao are quite far away, and there is no definite news yet.
After reading through all the intelligence in the booklet, Liao Chen said, "Gongsun Yu has deployed a large number of troops at the North Gate and the East Gate, which are the closest gates to us. The South Gate is guarded by the Han family's troops, a total of 30,000 iron cavalry, plus 20,000 Han family infantry. I wonder which gate they will be transferred to. The West Gate is the weakest in defense, but unfortunately it is too far from us."
Gu Jiao said, "It's almost time. Let's go to the pass to meet the Crown Princess."
Due to the urgency of the situation, Shangguan Yan and the imperial army will not enter Quyang City for rest and recuperation.
After defeating the Liang army, they rested for several hours before beginning their march towards Pucheng.
Gu Jiao changed into a red battle suit and black iron armor, and went out to help the Black Wind Riders put on helmets and armor.
When she turned around, Liao Chen had also put on his armor for battle.
Gu Jiao was slightly taken aback.
Is this general, wearing a helmet and armor, still the same handsome monk from my memory who loved to eat meat and drink alcohol?
Shedding his former languidness and sinister charm, he now exudes an aura of fierce battle and ruthlessness.
"What are you looking at?" Liao Chen asked casually.
Gu Jiao pouted: "I'm not used to you suddenly becoming serious."
Liao Chen: "..."
Liao Chen mounted his horse and led his troops out of the city.
Gu Jiao also brought 10,000 Black Wind Riders.
These were mostly soldiers from the garrison battalion, who had long yearned for this battle.
After the destruction of the Xuanyuan family, Wenren Chong, Li Shen, and Zhao Dengfeng finally got to fight side by side once again.
The three men, no longer the spirited young men in their early twenties, now bore the marks of time on their faces.
But their core beliefs have never diminished or wavered.
Zhao Dengfeng sneered and said, "Old Shi is gone, this time we'll take back Old Shi's share too!"
Wenren Chong, Li Shen, Zhao Dengfeng, and Shi Zhongkui were once the four fierce generals of the Black Wind Camp. Shi Zhongkui died in battle more than ten years ago.
Thinking of Lao Shi, a chill crept into the eyes of both Wenren Chong and Li Shen.
Lao Shi's death was inextricably linked to the State of Jin. This time, they would settle both old and new scores together!
"For Lao Shi."
"For the Great General."
"For the sake of the Seventh Young Master."
With resolute eyes, the three chased after him without hesitation!
...
Gu Jiao waited for Shangguan Yan's carriage on the official road outside the pass.
She patted the Black Wind King and stepped into the carriage.
Shangguan Yan's eyes were red, indicating that she had cried because she was worried about Shangguan Qing. However, she had calmed down and was able to speak to Gu Jiao calmly.
She pulled Gu Jiao's hand and made her sit down beside her: "Jiao Jiao, what happened?"
Gu Jiao looked back.
Shangguan Yan said without changing her expression, "General Xiao, please get on your horse as well. I have something to discuss with you and Commander Xiao."
Marquis Xuanping also boarded the carriage.
Gu Jiao told the two about Ghost Mountain, focusing on three main points: Shangguan Qing, Xuan Yuanqi, and the thousand lives lost in the tunnel.
Gu Jiao only mentioned Shangguan Qing's situation in her letter, and Shangguan Yan never expected that it would also involve Xuan Yuanqi.
"My second uncle is still alive... He's actually still alive... He even had a son..."
Shangguan Yan knew nothing about the Shadow Division; she believed that Xuan Yuanqi had truly died back then.
“He is Jingkong’s master,” Gu Jiao said.
“So Jingkong is also…a child of the Xuanyuan family…” Although Shangguan Yan had long suspected it, she was never sure. “Where is Zheng’er?”
Gu Jiao said, "He set off first with 20,000 troops and some of the city's supplies."
Shangguan Yan whispered, "Is Second Uncle still in danger?"
Gu Jiao nodded regretfully: "Yes."
"Gongsun Yu!" Shangguan Yan clenched her fists coldly.
The Marquis of Xuanping, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Two questions. First, where did Old Gu go? Second, why did Qing'er run off to Ghost Mountain? Shangguan Yan, didn't you say he was staying peacefully at the manor outside Shengdu?"
"I..." Shangguan Yan opened her mouth.
Marquis Xuanping raised his hand and gestured for him to stop: "Alright, no need to say more, I understand."
The two looked at him blankly. What do you know?
Marquis Xuanping, unable to hide his emotion, said, "Father and son are of one mind; he must have come to see me."
Traveling a thousand miles to find his father—what a filial son!
Gu Jiao: "..."
Shangguan Yan: "..."
...
Wang Mantian sounded the retreat at daybreak and was on his way.
Mu Qingchen was also under his command.
While they were waiting, Marquis Xuanping and Shangguan Yan quickly learned about the Jin army's troop deployment and drafted a preliminary battle plan.
Gu Jiao's Black Wind Cavalry and Liao Chen's Shadow Division went to launch a surprise attack on the Han family's 30,000 Black Valiant Cavalry. The battle took place at the South Gate.
Marquis Xuanping led 50,000 infantrymen, including archers, to attack the 80,000 Jin troops guarding the north gate.
Wang Man led an army of 30,000 to the East Gate to fight against 40,000 Jin troops.
Finally, Chang Wei led 30,000 troops to detour to the west gate of Pucheng to meet the 20,000-strong Jin army.
The rest of the troops remained in Quyang City to guard against a counterattack by the Liang army and a surprise attack by the defeated Jin army.
It's the end of the month, time to clear out the tickets. Do you have any monthly tickets left?
(End of this chapter)
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