An undoubted conclusion.
Yes, not all of Wei Ping's subordinates are mediocre.
Wei Jing thought of Wei Xu.
But it doesn’t matter who it is. Victory and defeat are common in the military, let alone a surprise attack strategy being guessed by the enemy? His expression didn't change much.
In a battle to break through a barrier, it has always been easier to defend than to attack. Since the enemy has been well prepared, there is no need to waste your energy.
"Pass the order, call back the troops."
…
The real and fake strategies failed and a quick victory was not achieved. It was a pity, but it was not difficult.
Then we should attack steadily. Our army has many times more people than the enemy. It will take some time to break through the enemy's defense line.
After a day's rest, Wei Jing ordered his army to be assembled the next morning and march straight to Nanluo City, turning the feint attack into a real one.
The flags blocked out the sun and the sky, and the dark mass of the Yizhou army came like a surging tide. The sky above Nanluo City was filled with thick smoke and the shouts of killing shook the sky.
Prince An's timely anticipation of the war only held off Wei Jing's army for five days.
The Yizhou army launched fierce attacks for several days, and the pressure on Nanluo was very great. King An had to dispatch more and more troops there. On the fourth day of the siege, Wei Jing estimated that the situation was not bad, so he once again ordered his troops to raid Anshan Pass.
On the morning of the fifth day, Anshan Pass was captured.
On the same day, Nanluo City was captured and Prince An was defeated and retreated.
At this point, the gates of Lingling were wide open.
Wei Jing led his troops eastward.
As a relatively vast and sparsely populated county with few natural barriers, Lingling was not difficult to attack. Wei Jing led his army step by step and captured Lingling County in mid-October.
He immediately divided his troops into 50,000 and ordered Chen Qi to take Guiyang County in the east, while he led an army of 300,000 to pursue the victory and head north to Quyang.
The Yizhou army was in high spirits, but Prince An was just the opposite.
His biggest disadvantage was his military strength. He suffered heavy losses in several surprise attacks and two head-on confrontations. He fought fiercely and suffered heavy casualties, but fortunately, he had wise counselors such as Wei Xu and Guo Huai to offer advice. Although he was in danger several times, the main force of his army was never defeated by Wei Jing.
Even so, by the end of the battle, he had lost more than 40,000 of his 180,000 troops, leaving only 140,000.
King An acted decisively, abandoned Lingling, retreated to Quyang, relied on the natural barrier to defend and counterattack the Yizhou army.
It has to be said that geographical advantage is a very important factor in war. The rugged terrain of Quyang County with many mountains, rivers and passes brought great obstacles to Wei Jing's army.
The offensive of the Yizhou army immediately slowed down, and they fought and stopped, until they were finally stuck at the dangerous Zhiwei Pass in the central part of Quyang.
After several rounds of fierce attacks, there was no result and the situation became stalemate.
The stalemate lasted for seven days and was finally broken by Wei Jing, who exploited a hidden loophole in the transportation of grain and fodder, luring an enemy captain named Shen Quan to be greedy for merit and launch a secret raid without the knowledge of Prince An.
A single move could affect the entire body. Wei Jing led a large army and fought fiercely for a day and night. The Zhiwei Pass was breached and more than 30,000 enemies were killed.
Prince An barely escaped and retreated northward to Lingcheng in time.
…
"Behind Zhiwei Pass, there is another spiritual city."
In the temporary meeting room, Wei Jing pointed at the map on the table and said, "If Lingcheng is taken, the north of Quyang will be flat. Even if Prince An can somehow break through, he can only retreat back to Hanshou County."
After nearly a month of fierce fighting, the battle to take Quyang finally came to a close.
It is said that Prince An was also very tenacious. Wei Jing almost surrounded him several times, but he led his troops to escape successfully.
But it's not surprising, as he has some capable people under his command, such as Wei Xu.
"My lord is wise."
Ji Huan bowed. He agreed with Wei Jing's judgment and added: "It would be best if Lingcheng could be taken within a month."
After saying this, he turned his head and looked out the window.
They were now at the newly captured Zhiwei Pass. The night was dark, and the cold drizzle became heavier again, accompanied by a "howling" cold wind, crackling under the window eaves of the temporary meeting hall.
Quyang is a mountainous area with abundant water, high humidity and abundant rainfall. Fortunately, most of the rain in late autumn and early winter falls at night, so it does not have much impact on daytime combat.
But this situation won't last forever, the snow will soon fall. It is even more difficult to attack the city and conquer the enemy. Even if the snow is too heavy, it may not be suitable to continue the attack.
Therefore, it would be most beneficial for us to completely capture Quyang County before the snow falls. Otherwise, it would be difficult to advance throughout the winter, and we would have to guard against a counterattack by King An. The enemy would be more familiar with the terrain, and we would suffer losses.
"Bo Yan is right." Wei Jing also meant this.
Next, we need to discuss how to take Lingcheng.
"This Lingcheng is probably even harder to capture than Zhiwei Pass."
Fan Ya had been staring at the map, thinking. He raised his head and knitted his thick eyebrows tightly: "We must be extremely cautious."
Ji Huan looked solemn: "Yes."
Yes, as the last level to take Quyang, Lingcheng is more difficult than all the previous levels.
What's the difficulty?
Zhiwei Pass is more than 200 miles away from Lingcheng. The distance is neither far nor near, but there are continuous mountains and steep hills between the two places, making it difficult to pass.
Is there a road there?
Of course there is. But not many, just two. One is the Dongluan Road that passes through Heyi in the east, and the other is the Daning Road that passes through Yangxian in the west.
The difficulty lies in these two paths. The road is long and mountainous with dense forests. The Heyi section and the Yangxian section are the most dangerous, and ambushes are almost always successful.
Let’s put it this way, although Wei Jing has a strong military force, he is at a complete disadvantage in terms of geographical advantages. Once he enters the ambush circle, it will be a tough battle.
Even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory, and heavy losses are inevitable.
Is there no way out for us then?
That's not the case.
Wei Jing lightly tapped the regional map: "If Prince An wants to set an ambush, he can only choose one of the two, Dongluan Road and Daning Road."
Military force posed the greatest constraint to King An.
After repeated defeats, King An now has only about 110,000 to 120,000 soldiers and generals under his command. He left some to garrison Lingcheng, and the maximum number of soldiers he can bring out is 100,000.
To ambush an army of 300,000, even with the geographical advantage, only 100,000 would be very difficult. If they were divided into two again, the ambush would fail and they would be killed by Wei Jing instead.
Ji Huan nodded: "I don't know where the prince of An will set up an ambush?"
Choose between two options, one is safe and the other is dangerous. Not only will the former successfully reach Lingcheng, but he can also immediately turn around and counterattack King An; the latter, whether he wins or loses, will suffer the first heavy loss since the war began.
If they suffer heavy losses, not only the current attack on King An will be affected, but the subsequent Eastern Expedition plan may also need to be adjusted.
Ji Huan said solemnly: "I think this is a matter of great importance. If we are not sure, we should keep our troops in place until the snow melts next spring, and then divide our troops to take a detour back to Pingyang and attack Hanshou from Pingyang."
Hanshou County, located on the top of Quyang, was the headquarters of King An and bordered Pingyang to the west. But it’s probably too late to take a detour now. According to previous years, it should snow in another half month. There are too many variables.
This is the safest way.
But now that the battle has come to this point, no one is willing to give up such a huge advantage in vain to give Prince An a chance to catch his breath and gather strength. The temporary meeting room has been busy for several days, with discussions going on until late at night, and a large number of scouts have been sent out to scout the terrain.
They also suffered from the long distance and unfamiliarity with the people and the place. Both the Heyi section and the Yangxian section are only thirty or forty miles away from Lingcheng. King An has already sent soldiers to set up checkpoints and patrol. The scouts find it difficult to get close, and they have not brought back much valuable information in many days.
"Could it be that we really let Prince An's grandson go?!"
Zhang Yong was helpless. He scratched his hair, gritted his teeth and hit the table: "I am so angry!"
Let Prince An go? Who is willing? But there is no other way. You must not take risks before you can make further judgment.
Wei Jing also frowned slightly: "Wait a little longer."
Unable to get close to explore the terrain, the scouts have turned to local villagers in the hope of gathering useful information.
God will not let down those who work hard.
On the ninth day, the scout brought back an important report.
The news was brought by a villager who escaped death.
"All the folks in our village are dead. A group of people came in the middle of the night, surrounded the village, broke into homes and killed anyone they saw..."
A farmer in his thirties cried with tears and snot all over his face: "... My family is poor, so I thought of going to the mountains after the snow to hunt some wild animals to supplement my income, but I was delayed and returned only in the middle of the night, but who knew..."
This was a village in a valley, quite remote. When the man approached the village, he found something wrong and massacred the entire village. He was angry and terrified, so he turned around and ran away, taking one deep step forward and one shallow step back towards the town. His frightened look alone in the middle of the night attracted the attention of the scouts.
Why did the whole village suddenly get massacred? At this critical moment, Ji Huan and the others looked at each other, and he immediately asked, "Has anything unusual happened in your entire village recently, or perhaps in recent years?"
"Unusual?"
The tearful and blue-faced man was stunned and shouted in shock: "Ah! Could it be..."
It really does exist.
More than two years ago, the government recruited corvée labor from several nearby villages, and all men and able-bodied women responded.
Originally, it was normal for the government to impose corvée labor, but the strange thing was that until the corvée period of more than a month was over, they didn't know where they were working.
"…We gathered in the afternoon and set out at night. We took a bus instead of walking. However, the windows were nailed shut and we had to be blindfolded before we could get on the bus."
Everyone was feeling nervous, but since the government was indeed conscripting them, they could only go ahead with trepidation.
"I walked for a long time, and then I took a nap. It was only when it was hazy the next day that I stopped."
The villagers were taken to an iron mine, a very large iron mine. A landslide had just occurred in the mine, and many miners and miners were trapped underneath. They were there to help clean up.
"It's really strange. I've never heard of such a large iron mine in Quyang County."
The man murmured, "We worked for more than a month, clearing the collapsed soil and rocks, and carrying the ore down the mountain to the Jing River before we were sent home."
They were sent back in a black car and were strictly ordered not to disclose the information or communicate with each other, otherwise they would be thrown into prison immediately. Good citizens fear this the most, so they keep their mouths shut tighter than clams.
If you want to say it’s strange, this is the only time that the whole village is involved. The man was horrified: “But, but that’s government corvée?”
Wei Jing and Ji Huan looked at each other.
Government corvée is all too normal.
Iron ore is a very important strategic resource. Jingzhou's salt and iron resources are far less abundant than those of Yizhou. So there couldn't be a second owner of such a large iron mine in King An's territory, so it must be him without a doubt.
Then why not make it public?
The reason is simple. In front of Emperor Luojing, Prince An has always tried hard to hide his strength and pretend to be loyal.
However, there was a massive landslide at the iron mine, and they had to conscript laborers to clean it up.
Wei Jing and Ji Huan's focus was not here.
"You said you carried the ore down the mountain and then pulled it to the Jing River before being sent back home?"
So, this iron mine is next to the road?
The village where this man lives is located in the hills between Heyi and Yangxian, and is about the same distance from both. Calculating the speed of the carriage, it would take just enough time to reach Dongluan Road or Daning Road overnight.
This means that there is a large iron mine hidden near Dongluan Road or Daning Road.
Ji Huan was both surprised and delighted.
Nowadays, mining can only be done in open pits. The large iron mine has been mined for many years, so you can imagine how much the mountain has been hollowed out.
The ambush area, which was originally a place where he never missed a target, suddenly had such a huge pit, which must have had a significant impact on Chen Bing.
It's become useless.
Prince An will definitely not set an ambush here, and it is very likely that he will spread rumors later to guide them to choose another path.
Major breakthrough.
After asking the man and confirming that the iron mine was indeed beside a certain road, Ji Huan quickly asked, "Which road?"
Everyone held their breath and concentrated, but the man shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Zhang Yong was very anxious: "Hey, didn't you carry ore and pull a cart to Jingshui? You have walked dozens of miles, and you don't know which road you are taking?!"
The man said, "We started to pick ore at night, so we couldn't tell where we were. When we got down the mountain and were on the road, our eyes were immediately covered..."
In the darkness of the night, my eyes were covered with a thin layer of black cloth. There was someone walking in front of me with a lamp, so I could only vaguely see the light and would not lose my way. I just kept walking with my head down until I stopped.
"When we get to Jingshui, we are not allowed to take off the cloth. But the wind was strong at that time, and I could clearly hear the sound of waves. It must be Jingshui."
Small rivers and streams usually don't have this kind of sound. The man said confidently, "I walk on mountain roads all year round, and I know how many steps I take in one mile."
Everything seemed wrong and I was scared, but I couldn't talk and I couldn't see. I could only count my steps silently and estimate the distance.
"We walked more than thirty miles, almost forty miles, or maybe a little more than forty miles, anyway, it's about the same."
…
Qing Zhaiwei had an expert in interrogation. After repeated questioning, he reported with certainty that this man was indeed an ordinary farmer and did not lie.
The scouts who went to spy on the village also came back. Several nearby villages were dead silent. Although there was no burning to attract attention, the smell of blood could be faintly smelled in the distance shortly after the incident. Although I didn't get close, I could conclude that the whole village was indeed massacred.
"Forty miles?"
Back in the meeting hall, Ji Huan frowned and said, "The Heyi section of the Dongluan Road and the Yangxian section of the Daning Road to Jingshui are both about 40 miles away."
There has indeed been a major breakthrough, but the problem is back to square one.
Let's ask someone to investigate. These two paragraphs are actually not short. Prince An is on guard, so it will be difficult to find them.
He was just one step away from a breakthrough, but it just didn't work. Zhang Yong was so anxious that he hit his thigh hard.
His skin was thick and rough, so he didn't feel much. With the muffled sound of "pop" of flesh hitting flesh, Wei Jing, who was leaning on the armchair, sat up straight suddenly.
Ji Huan hurriedly asked: "My lord?" But did he find any flaws?
"Private mine? Collapse?"
Wei Jing suddenly remembered something. At that time, his cousin had a concubine. In the end, his aunt Meng had to explain the tragic misfortune her daughter had encountered.
Private mines, landslides.
Fu Yun met with misfortune because she was abducted and taken to a private mine. Later, because of a major landslide in the mine, she had a chance to escape.
He said it cryptically, and everyone was immediately delighted. Ji Huan hurriedly said, "In this case, we need to send a letter to Pingyang immediately to find out which road the iron mine is on."
Finally, a major breakthrough was achieved, and everyone was greatly encouraged. However, to return to Pingyang, they had to take a detour through Lingling, and time was very tight. Wei Jing immediately wrote a letter and handed it to his trusted guard.
"Send it back to Pingcheng immediately and give it to Madam."
…
The matter involves Fu Yun's tragic experience, and the task of investigating is not easy to assign to outsiders. Shao Qing is the most suitable person.
After days and nights of discussions, everyone was tired. Now that the direction had been determined, Wei Jing ordered everyone to disperse and rest.
He was full of energy. He was not tired after fighting for more than a month and attending meetings continuously. As soon as he had some free time, he quickly picked up his pen and dipped it in ink to write another letter home to his wife.
"Ah Qing, my wife, if everything goes well, we should be able to take Lingcheng within half a month. Only Hanshou will remain after Quyang. If there is heavy snow and it is not suitable to march north, I will rush back to Pingyang to spend some time with you and the children. I miss you and my children so much that I toss and turn at night..."
He smiled slightly, wrote down the private conversation between the couple, and ended with another reminder. Just ask about the iron mine issue. Don't worry about the war. You must relax and take care of your pregnancy.
His wife has been pregnant for three months and she is said to be well behaved and not making any noise.
Well, he's a good kid, he deserves more praise.
Unconsciously, he had written three large sheets of paper, dried them carefully, sealed them himself, and ordered his personal guards to send them out immediately, preferably together with the previous official letter.
The guards took the order and rushed out.
As the footsteps faded away, Wei Jing withdrew his gaze and looked at the regional map on the table. His gentle smile faded and a fierce light flashed in his black eyes.
King An escaped repeatedly, and it seems that Wei Xu played an indispensable role. However, if the iron mine can be found this time, there is a high probability that King An can be killed.
Wei Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, looked through the window, and gazed at the dark mountains and forests in the north.
If he could kill it successfully, he would be able to go back and be with his wife and children soon.
…
When Wei Jing was looking far to the north, Prince An and Wei Xu were actually discussing him.
"One hundred thousand soldiers, setting up an ambush on Dongluan Road and Daning Road. You can only choose one."
This issue has been discussed repeatedly, but Prince An has never expressed his opinion. Late at night, all the counselors and officials dispersed, leaving only two people in the meeting room. Wei Xu frowned slightly and said, "This matter must be decided tomorrow at the latest."
The road is long and narrow, and the intelligence cannot be sent back in time, causing considerable difficulties for both the enemy and us. It has been two days and the Yizhou army may advance at any time. We must set up an ambush in advance, the sooner the better.
However, this is really a difficult choice, for me as well. If the ambush is successful, our side will inflict heavy damage on the enemy and will immediately reverse the losing streak. In addition, it is difficult to start a war in winter, so we can seize the time to recruit new soldiers. By the spring of next year, even if we don’t launch a counterattack to regain lost territory, at least self-preservation will no longer be a problem.
But if the ambush fails, Quyang County will definitely not be able to be defended, and even whether they can successfully break through and return to Hanshou is a big question.
Wei Xu had a solemn expression on his face. While speaking, he looked at Prince An. At first glance, he was startled.
"You..." What happened?
Prince An's expression was completely different from the solemn look he had when everyone was gathered to discuss matters. His eyes were bright, his face was slightly ferocious, and he was confident, as if he couldn't wait to speak out.
Wei Xu frowned. Something didn't look right.
What's going on?
"You, could it be that you..." Have you come up with a sure-fire strategy to win?
Wei Xu thought about it and felt a little hesitant. In the current battle situation, there was really no loophole to exploit.
Prince An smiled and said, "Jinzhi, I will definitely annihilate the Rebel King this time!"
"oh?"
Wei Xu was really surprised: "What do you mean?"
It was really hard to explain this at this moment, so Prince An said directly: "Come with me."
Wei Xu's curiosity was really aroused, but he was also a decisive person, so he didn't ask any questions. He just stood up and followed Prince An out.
The two were in the Lingcheng government office. After leaving the meeting hall, Prince An went straight west and walked to the end.
Wei Xu raised his eyebrows. If he remembered correctly, there was a stone prison at the end of the government office.
Prince An’s destination was indeed the stone prison.
The stone prison is guarded strictly and tightly. After entering the prison gate, Prince An walked through the long corridor and went down the stone steps.
The stone steps lead to the underground floor. Wall lamps on both sides drive away the darkness, but it is extremely dark and damp, and in this early winter, the chill is penetrating. Prince An put on a large fur cloak, but Wei Xu did not need one. He continued to wear his wide robe with wide sleeves and a fluttering snow-white sash.
From a distance, Wei Xu could faintly hear a disordered and rapid breathing sound.
There was someone at the end of the stone prison, and he looked very cold.
Sure enough, when I walked to the end and turned around, a small cage-like cell made of fine iron appeared in front of me.
The cage is long and divided into two compartments. Each compartment is very small and can only accommodate about five or six adults standing close together. The advantage is that it is small and movable, and there is still fresh soil on the base of the cage, which shows that it has just been transported and unloaded.
There are two cages, the left one is empty, and the right one has a thin boy curled up in it.
It might not be quite right to call him a boy. He was about twelve or thirteen years old, between a boy and a teenager. His hair was disheveled and his clothes were dirty. They were neither thin nor thick. He was not cold but he could not help shivering.
Hearing the footsteps, the young boy moved and raised his head slightly. All I saw was a small face covered in stains, with a bluish yellow tint. His lips were pale and his cheeks were slightly sunken. Even so, one could still make out his fine features, which showed that he was of good appearance.
Upon seeing King An, the young boy immediately trembled, shrank his body, hugged his legs tightly and sat, looking over with fear in his eyes.
Wei Xu raised his eyebrows: "Who is this?"
How could such a young boy be connected with the ambush on the Yizhou army?
Prince An looked down from above, meeting the young boy's fearful gaze, who immediately shrank back, and he smiled slightly.
"This man's surname is Fu, and his given name is Pei."
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