On the third day of April, Zhao Che announced that he would send troops to attack the traitor Zhao Yang. That afternoon, Zhuge Yue Jingcong led an army of more than 200,000 soldiers to Zhenhuang.
On the same day, Zhao Yang's personal army, the Southwestern Army, led by some of his senior generals, rushed to Zhenhuang via the Southwestern Canal. The seventeenth prince Zhao Yi was sidelined, and the military power of 150,000 troops fell into the hands of Zhao Yang again.
As a result, the battle between the two dragons for the throne, which has been brewing for many years, finally unfolds in full swing in this season of melting ice and snow.
The cruelty of the war was fully demonstrated from the very beginning. In order to prevent Chu Qiao from destroying the city wall in the same way again, Zhao Yang abandoned the towering city wall and sent a large number of troops to set up an ambush thirty miles outside the city, and engaged in a field battle with Zhao Che and Zhuge Yue, who had more troops than his own. In fact, Chu Qiao had only privately developed a small amount of explosives over the years. In order to prevent this advanced weapon from causing large-scale casualties, Chu Qiao had never passed on the formula of gunpowder.
The dead were like wormwood after autumn, falling one after another on the crisp and green grassland. The shrill horns echoed in the hot summer sky all day long. The scene was as hideous as hell, and the soil was filled with the fishy smell of blood. Every day after the war, medical teams from various armies would run to the battlefield carrying stretchers. What they did most often was not to rescue, but to give the seriously injured and dying soldiers a life-saving blow, giving them a quick release.
Chu Qiao was also someone who had experienced war, and seeing such a scene still made her feel chilled.
She had also asked Zhuge Yue privately, is it necessary to do this? Is it necessary to let the soldiers of Daxia kill each other?
Zhuge Yue looked at her, his tough face showing a strange charm. He said that civil war was inevitable because Zhao Yang had been in power for too long and had a entrenched influence in the court, especially in the military. It was simply impossible to make him willingly serve Zhao Che as his master. Moreover, Zhao Che and himself had only returned to the country for a short time, so it would be extremely difficult to sideline him or split his power. This battle was unavoidable. Now that the death of Emperor Xia has been blamed on him and the various warlords have been allowed to wear down his power in advance, it is the best time for a civil war to break out.
Chu Qiao actually always wanted to ask whether Emperor Xia was really dead, and who did it? Was it Zhao Yang, Zhao Che, or him, Zhuge Yue?
But in the end she still didn't ask, and it was Zhuge Yue who took the initiative to tell her.
It could be said to be God's will. A doctor in the imperial pharmacy was corrupt and secretly imported a batch of moldy medicine. It happened that Emperor Xia's illness recurred during those days, so he secretly ordered his trusted imperial physician to change the prescription. He was afraid that the court and the public would know that his condition had worsened, so he did not announce it to the public. Coincidentally, among that batch of moldy medicines, there was one ingredient that was exactly what Emperor Xia’s new medicine needed. Zhao Yang was the first to learn about this matter. He was the general in charge of the Jingji Army. In his early years, he had placed several confidants in the imperial pharmacy, so he received the news in a timely manner. But he didn't know that Zhao Che had also placed his confidants around him, so the information he knew was passed on to Zhao Che.
In this way, Emperor Xia took the new medicine day by day. His personal physician was only responsible for prescribing the medicine, and the eunuchs who tested the medicine were also in good health and were not killed by the moldy medicine. The frail Emperor Xia finally passed away on the day of Zhuge Yue's wedding.
Emperor Xia had been cautious all his life, and he probably never thought that he would end up dying at the hands of a corrupt and fraudulent doctor. His two sons knew this, but neither of them thought of saving his life.
After Chu Qiao found out, she was silent for a long time. She couldn't help but think of Yan Xun and felt a little sad.
Yan Xun's biggest wish in his life was to kill Emperor Xia to avenge his parents and relatives. But now, he is in power and has a strong military force, but his enemies have died of illness in their beds due to the erosion of time. I wonder how he will feel when he hears this news. Should I laugh happily or cry out of grief and anger? Maybe not. Maybe he would just sit quietly, suppress all his emotions in his heart, and then continue to do what he should do the next day.
The sound of horns blew, and Zhao Yang sent three more cavalry regiments to attack from the flank. Zhuge Yue ordered four auxiliary corps to meet and attack Zhao Yang's army from the side.
The war had lasted for two days and two nights without a moment's rest, with various tactics being used in turn. Zhao Yang and Zhuge Yue were both top-notch military talents of their time. Their strengths were equal this time, and in this head-on confrontation, neither of them had a clear advantage.
Chu Qiao's Xiuli Army also participated in the battle three times, cooperating with the Qinghai Army to attack Zhao Yang's right wing. He Xiao led his men to tear open a gap in the enemy's army twice, but it was quickly blocked by the enemy.
Everyone knows that this is a battle for imperial power. The winner will conquer the world, and the loser is doomed to die without a burial place. And their followers will face the same fate, so no one will retreat. Even if they shed their last drop of blood, they will die on the battlefield.
On the morning of the third day, Zhuge Yue sat on the platform in full military uniform. He did not give an inspiring speech, but simply drew his sword and said loudly to his subordinates: "This is the last day. After this battle, we will surely be recorded in history."
"Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!"
Millions of strong voices shouted together. Chu Qiao stood behind the crowd, half-closed her eyes, and looked at the man surrounded by thousands of troops against the light. She smiled slightly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Along with a low sound like thunder in the sky, a faint black shadow appeared in the empty wilderness. On the endless grassland, Zhuge Yue's army finally encountered Zhao Yang's main force. After two days of hard fighting, both sides suffered heavy losses, but they still stood here with high morale and no sign of retreat.
The shadow was rapidly expanding, like a black cloud, spreading across the sky with no end in sight. Under the sunlight, a large cloud of dust was raised, and the army, in a dense charging formation, stared at Zhuge Yue's army from afar.
Two hundred feet, one hundred feet, fifty feet...
As they got closer, each side could almost smell the warm breath coming from the other's horses' noses.
The breath of death echoed across the battlefield. Carrion crows circled in the sky, uttering strange and unpleasant cries from time to time.
The rumbling of war drums sounded, thousands of horses' hooves moved restlessly, the earth was shaking uncontrollably, and the sound rose from the soles of people's feet and penetrated into their spines and bones, making people feel cold in their hearts.
As a fierce battle was about to begin, everyone held their breath and gripped the knife handles tightly, as if they wanted to squeeze water out of the knife handles.
“Attack.” Zhuge Yue raised his head and gave the order to attack in a casual tone. At the same time he issued the order to attack, the same order was also passed down from Zhao Yang's army.
The cavalrymen in the front row drew their swords, and the sound of them drawing their swords in unison spread across the earth in an instant, as if a god had sneezed. A murderous wind blew across the plain, the sky and the earth were vast, and thick blood streaked across the blade, pointing at the other side from afar, waiting for a life-and-death battle.
However, at this moment, a series of heavy horse hoof sounds suddenly rang out on the distant ancient road, and blew into this vast battlefield along with the fierce north wind.
"An urgent battle report from three thousand miles away! General Zhu from the southwest is asking for help from the imperial capital! An urgent battle report from three thousand miles away! General Zhu from the southwest is asking for help from the imperial capital!"
The young messenger, his head covered in dust, rushed into the battlefield like a flash of lightning. In front of everyone's horrified gaze, he jumped off his horse, fell to the ground and shouted, "General! Your Highness! Stop fighting! Southwest battle report! Southwest battle report!"
Hundreds of thousands of people remained silent at the same time, and no one responded to this soldier who was so bold as to rashly run onto the battlefield.
"What are you talking about?" A deep voice sounded slowly. Zhao Yang was the leader of the Southwest, and all his soldiers were from the Southwest. Upon hearing this, he stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, help me!" The soldier was overjoyed when he saw Zhao Yang, and hurriedly said, "Yan Xun led an army of 400,000 to break through the pass and enter our country. Within two days, he swept through 19 provinces. The southwest area has now become a scorched earth."
"You are spreading rumors to confuse the people!" Yue Qi, holding a sword in his hand and sitting on horseback in full military uniform, said coldly, "There are as many as 300,000 guards at Yanming Pass. How could they let Yan Xun enter the southwestern territory quietly?"
Everyone agreed when they heard this. Chu Qiao suppressed the shock in her heart and felt that this matter did not make sense. Even though there was a civil war going on in the country, everyone knew the importance of Yanming Pass and the threat from Yanbei, so neither Zhao Yang nor Zhao Che withdrew a single soldier from Yanming Pass. How could Yan Xun break through Yanming Pass and advance into the heart of Daxia in just a few days?
"Lord Sima, the pass that Yanbei broke through was not Yanming Pass, but Baizhi Pass!" The messenger said sadly, "Bian Tang was in chaos. Princess Jing'an raised the flag of rebellion, contacted the old subordinates of Prince Jing'an, and secretly led troops to open Tanghu Pass, allowing the Yanbei army to enter Bian Tang. The defenders in the southeast of Bian Tang were all killed, and the capital was in danger. Yanbei took the Bian Tang route and joined forces with the Huai Song army to attack our Baizhi Pass. All the defenders in the southwest of Baizhi Pass were transferred away. Now there are less than 10,000 soldiers, and the beacon tower was destroyed by the spies of Master Feng Si in the city. The message could not be transmitted, so in less than two days, the entire southwest of the country fell!"
Suddenly, one could hear a pin drop on the battlefield, and the north wind blew quietly across the petrified battlefield.
On the sixth day of the fourth month of the 882nd year of the Bai Cang calendar, a joke-like piece of news shocked everyone like a bolt from the blue:
"On the third day of April, Yan Xun led 400,000 Yanbei troops, took the Bian Tang route, and invaded Daxia. The entire southwestern territory fell, and about four million people became slaves."
Wei Shuye raised his head and the fiery red sun came into view. The rising red was like bright blood, and the wild grass was withered and swaying in the wind. The rumbling of war drums roared in his ears, thousands of soldiers rushed towards him, and the iron-gray shadows were like an overwhelming tide, covering the battlefield bit by bit.
He was covered in blood, his handsome face was covered in blood, his hair was tangled and stained with smelly blood plasma, his sword was broken, and the horse under him was shaking with its legs, unable to bear the weight.
Powerful enemies invaded, the southwestern territory fell, Daxia's mortal enemy pried open the country's gates, and brought their ferocious armies to wreak havoc on the empire. However, except for a few defenders in the southwest, he was the only one among all the clans and powers in the entire Daxia Kingdom who led troops south to fight against the enemy.
Along the way, he saw too many aristocratic families leading their family armies to flee northward. The endless stream of people was like a long dragon, continuously pouring northward. They drove horse-drawn carriages, dressed in gorgeous clothes, carrying large amounts of gold, silver, jewelry, and personal guards. Some officials from local provinces even fled hastily to Zhenhuang with their local guards. They waved whips and spears, driving aside the civilians who blocked the way, with panic-stricken faces and no trace of their usual noble demeanor.
Wei Shuye also tried to organize these troops. He even ordered the roads to be blocked and drew his sword against the fleeing noble officials. However, those people gave him sufficient reasons: defending the imperial capital, strategic retreat, rushing to the capital to stop the civil war, preserving the empire's elite strength in order to fight the enemy, etc. In short, they would rather fight with him, Wei Shuye, than turn back to fight with the Yanbei Army.
Some people shouted and cursed, saying that there was no regular garrison left in the southwest, as they had all been transferred back by the princes to fight in the civil war. The royal family members didn't want the country anymore, so why should they go to fight?
Faced with these noisy voices, Wei Shuye was speechless.