Handing over nearly a million lives to this group of rabble is simply destroying their own army. The quality of Yanbei's soldiers is so poor that it is an unimaginable disaster to let a group of people with no combat experience command a large army. If Yan Xun were here, he could still rely on his prestige to suppress it, but how could he reverse all this? Does Yan Xun know about the situation in the army? If he knew, how could he just hand over the Beishuo Gate to that guy named Cao? And if you don’t know…
Chu Qiao frowned helplessly, how could he not know? He is Yan Xun! But why did he go to Meilin without explaining anything, and asked her to go to Sunset Mountain to look for Miss Yu? If she leaves Beishuo again, wouldn't most of Yanbei's territory be handed over to others?
Yan Xun, what are you thinking about?
These old fellows from the Datong Guild are braver than anyone else in quarreling, debating, making trouble and fighting. They are unparalleled in the world when it comes to shouting slogans and their ability to incite civil unrest is also first-class in the world. But asking them to lead troops into battle, making battle plans, and seeing through the enemy's shallow military defenses, isn't that a waste of their talents!
Chu Qiao was so angry that she couldn't suppress it. She had sent out seven groups of people to inform Miss Yu, but not a single person had returned yet. If no one who could calm the situation came at this time, Yanbei would definitely lose this battle!
The evening sun cast a blood-like light, and outside the soldiers' singing and laughter could be heard, with even the clear and childish laughter of children occasionally heard. Chu Qiao didn't know how long this kind of singing could last, just as she didn't know how long those people outside could live. If she had an army, even if it was only a hundred people, she could immediately tie up those evil officers, but she didn't. The guards that Yan Xun left for her were sent out by her to find Miss Yu. Now she doesn't even have a guard to deliver messages.
How about we sneak in tonight and kill all those old guys? This thought flashed through her mind, and Chu Qiao frowned in frustration. If she had a submachine gun, she would consider the feasibility of this method.
The sky gradually darkened, and Chu Qiao slowly stood up. The bright moonlight shone through the window onto the ground. In the darkness, her back was thin and lonely, with a heavy feeling of powerlessness and loneliness.
As soon as she walked out of the city defense house, she saw several soldiers running towards her in a panic. The leader bumped into her, and when he saw her luxurious clothes, he suddenly came to his senses, knelt on the ground, and apologized repeatedly.
These people used to be serfs and have not yet gotten used to the current reforms in Yanbei. When they meet officers on the road, they always kneel down and kowtow to greet them. Chu Qiao saw that these soldiers were actually children. The oldest was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and the youngest was probably less than ten years old. They were not even as tall as a gun. Each of them held a wooden stick with an iron bar inserted in it as a bayonet. If such a weapon were used on the battlefield, it would not be able to withstand even a single round of the enemy's attack. The Daxia saber was the sharpest weapon in the world at that time. It could easily pierce all armor and even easily break the so-called "bayonet" in the hands of these children.
It would be more appropriate to say that they are a group of beggars rather than soldiers, and they are an important force in Beishuo's million-strong army. Chu Qiao felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if she had fallen into the sea, with her feet entangled by seaweed. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not swim to shore.
Chu Qiao frowned, feeling as if someone was holding her heart tightly. After Yan Xun left, Cao Mengtong recruited soldiers on a large scale. All refugees within a hundred miles were gathered together. The women served as military prostitutes, the men joined the army, and the elderly competed to be civilian husbands. For a time, Beishuo became a devilish purgatory. The officers of the Datong Guild were like beggars who had nothing before and suddenly became emperors above thousands of people. Their tyrannical actions almost made the nobles of Daxia feel ashamed. Chu Qiao made several attempts to advise the people, but was rejected each time. After killing several soldiers who bullied the people, those civilians who did not want to be enslaved either fled the city or hid in the General Staff Headquarters. Now, there was a sea of people there.
This is Yanbei’s free regime; these are the leaders who have fought for Yanbei’s independence for many years; these are the future and hope that the people of Yanbei wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support!
Chu Qiao took a deep breath. These people were suffering so much that they welcomed their destroyer with drums and gongs!
The woman clenched her fists tightly, as if she wanted to crush something. She would wait for Yan Xun to come back. When he came back, she would...
"Sir," the leading child called out timidly, "Are you Mr. Chu from the General Staff?"
Chu Qiao lowered her head and saw that the child was no more than eleven or twelve years old. His arms were so thin that they seemed like they could be broken with a little force. His face was pale and it was obvious that he was malnourished. Only his eyes were still flashing with a child's lively light, and they were black and round as they turned around. He was wearing a tattered jacket and a large cotton-padded jacket on top, which was so torn that the cotton wool was visible.
"How do you know me?"
"There is only one female adult in the army!" the child soldier said happily, "Sir, we have all heard that you are a good adult!"
The children behind him immediately came forward and said in unison: "My sister is in the staff headquarters. You rescued her! Do you know her?"
"My mother is there too!"
"Sir, we saw you chop down that soldier the day before yesterday. You are so awesome!"
"That's right, sir, please teach us a couple of moves, we are about to go to the battlefield!"
"Yes, sir, teach us how to go up and kill the enemy!"
Looking at the faces of these children, Chu Qiao suddenly felt as if her heart had stopped working. She began to have some doubts, doubting her own beliefs, her own values, and the correctness of what she had done. She even wanted to turn around and rush into the City Guard House to complete the terrifying idea she had just had in the conference room. But no matter how much she thought about it, she just stood there, not moving, not doing anything. The light from the torch shone on her face, bright and blood red.
She spoke in a low, suppressed voice, word by word, "Don't run in front when charging."
Then, as if she couldn't bear it anymore, she turned around and walked away quickly, leaving behind a group of children staring at her back in a daze. The child soldiers scratched their heads in surprise and looked at her back, wondering in confusion: Why did what Lord Chu said differ from what the officers said?
Chu Qiao stopped walking as she reached the corner of the long street. She didn't have the courage to continue looking into the eyes of those children, let alone encourage them to work hard and serve their country wholeheartedly to win the battle. She thought she had been tempered like steel by the war, but now she knew that she was far from enough.
"Lord Cao finally won such a victory, but you said at the meeting that it was because Daxia deliberately showed weakness and deliberately paralyzed everyone's nerves. Naturally, he doesn't want to believe you." A cold voice suddenly sounded in her ears. Chu Qiao immediately turned her head and saw Xue Zhiyuan leaning against a wall with his shoulders folded, looking at her with squinting eyes. His expression seemed to be somewhat gloating.
Chu Qiao was now filled with disgust towards these local officers from the Datong Guild. She snorted coldly, turned around and wanted to leave.
"Your Highness, are you going to give up on us?" Xue Zhiyuan asked suddenly in a shocking tone after taking a step forward.
Chu Qiao stopped walking and turned back slowly, her eyes sharp as a knife, "What did you say?"
"Your Highness and Mr. Wu are rare military leaders in Yanbei. They led the elite troops of the First Army to attack Meilin Pass, but left no one to defend Beishuo, allowing the main force of the Second Army to fight head-on with the Xia Army and consume each other. Military experts like Miss Yu only stayed in Lancheng and did not send any support to Beishuo. An expert in military tactics like Lord Chu did not take power, and the entire Beishuo City fell into the hands of a group of rabble who did not understand military affairs. Haha, if I hadn't seen Lord Chu not leave Beishuo, I would really be sure that Your Highness had decided to give up the Second Army."
In an instant, it was like a bolt of lightning striking her mind. It was not that she had not thought about it, but she just didn't want to believe it.
What kind of person is Cao Mengtong, what kind of person is the Second Army, what kind of person is the Datong Association, wouldn’t Yan Xun know? What was his intention in attacking Meiling Pass at this time? Do they really want to attack Meilin Pass and catch the Xia army off guard, eliminate the crisis of fighting on two fronts, and take a detour to the west to attack the Northern Expedition Army from both sides? Or should we set aside some time to let the Northern Expedition Army and the Second Army fight to a mutual defeat?
Otherwise, why would he hand over the military power to Cao Mengtong? Why not leave Mr. Wu in Beishuo? Why let me go to Blue City to seek shelter with Miss Yu? Why did none of the seven groups of people he sent out to look for Miss Yu return?
What is the reason behind this? Could it be that, as Xue Zhiyuan said, everything was arranged by Yan Xun? The purpose is to consume the main force of the Second Army and use Daxia to stabilize its position in Yanbei?
However, is it really worth it to ignore millions of civilians and put Yanbei in danger for such a goal? Can Yan Xun really do it?
"But even if Your Highness is smart, Lord Cao is not a fool. In a month, even if we use human wave tactics to consume the troops, the hundreds of thousands of militiamen will definitely be able to withstand it. When Your Highness comes back, only the civilian army will be consumed, and the main force of the Second Army will not be damaged at all. Your Highness's idea is not a good one."
"In our hometown, making groundless speculations about your superiors will be subject to military law!" The girl raised her eyes and suddenly said in a cold voice.
Xue Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment, and then he heard Chu Qiao say coldly: "You don't have to stir up trouble. Even if Yanbei is unstable and the big guilds are fighting for power, His Highness will not use the entire Beishuo City as a bet for this consumption! Even if everything seems to be as you said, I believe he is definitely not a person who will do anything to fight for power. From a strategic point of view, His Highness's counterattack against Meilin Pass is a perfect steal. There is no problem with the tactics! Miss Yu did not reply, there must be a reason we don't know. This battle is related to the life and death of the entire Yanbei. Only blind and ignorant people will fight for power and intrigue here. Once Yanbei is destroyed, the Yanbei regime will be gone in a flash, and everyone will die. You have so much time, why not train new soldiers to avoid a miserable death in the future! "
Xue Zhiyuan's eyebrows turned cold, and he said coldly: "Since you are so confident, why did you send people to inform Miss Yu repeatedly? If it is true as you said, three days is enough to run from here to Lancheng and back, why is Miss Yu still missing? If Miss Yu did not receive orders from above, do you think she would sit back and do nothing?"
Chu Qiao's heart sank. Just as she was about to explain, she heard a war horse approaching quickly. Everyone on the street gave way. The man on the horse shouted, "Master Chu! Where is Master Chu?"
"I'm here!" As soon as Chu Qiao saw the man, her face suddenly showed joy and she stood on tiptoe and shouted.