Banners covered the fields, spears and halberds formed like a forest, and when the 300,000-strong army set out, even the ground was shaking slightly.
Shao Qing leaned forward and listened quietly until the sound gradually faded away. Sun combed her hair and said softly, "Yuan'er, let's go back. It's still cold."
She told Nanny Ping to close the sash window.
Shao Qing wasn't actually cold, but she would not refuse her mother's kindness. She smiled at Sun and was obediently helped into the inner room and sat on the couch.
Sun stroked her daughter's increasingly bulging belly, her eyes full of pity: "My grandson will be born in four months."
Hopefully, this battle goes well and my son-in-law can make it in time for the birth of his grandson.
Sun did not mention these things in front of Shao Qing, fearing that her daughter would think too much. However, since she was thinking about the war, she couldn't help but think of another person.
"I heard that Prince Ji is also interested in Yangzhou. I wonder what Ziming is doing now?" she murmured.
Ziming, Yang Shu, Shao Qing's cousin, she knew long ago that he had joined Prince Ji's camp, and she told Sun who was worried about his safety.
Yang Shu is the only son of Sun's elder sister. The sisters have a deep affection for each other and have treated each other as their own son since they were young. Knowing that the child is safe, she feels relieved and never mentions him in her daily life.
Prince Ji was plotting to rule the world, and so was Wei Jing. Sun had lived for half her life, and since she was in the camp of her son-in-law, she naturally would not say anything she shouldn't say and embarrass her daughter.
This time the two sides will most likely have their first battle. She certainly hopes that her son-in-law will win, but she is still worried about her nephew's safety.
It was difficult to express all the complicated emotions, but Shao Qing could understand them. She held Sun's hand and comforted her, "Although Prince Ji has coveted Yangzhou for a long time, he may not be willing to confront my husband head-on. I think it will be fine with my cousin."
Sun perked up: "Well, that should be the case."
She was probably still feeling uneasy, but didn't want to upset her daughter, so she changed the subject and talked about something else.
Shao Qing didn't know how to continue comforting her.
But in fact, her analysis is still reasonable and well-founded, and the possibility is very high that Yang Shu's cousin's safety should be guaranteed.
…
When Shao Qing and her daughter were talking about Yang Shu, Diling in Xuzhou, two thousand miles away, had just received an urgent report from the scouts in Pingcheng.
The King of Qi assembled an army by land and sea to attack Yang.
"What?"
At that time, Prince Ji Wei Qin had just reached an agreement with Qu Da's envoy half a day ago. Not long after the order to assemble the troops was issued, he was discussing the specific matters of sending troops to Yangzhou with his generals and officials. Unexpectedly, he received such an urgent report.
He stood up with a "Huo" sound: "The King of Qi wants to attack Yang?!"
No wonder he reacted so strongly, the King of Qi was at his peak of power, and he controlled the two states of Jing and Yi. His strength was greater than his own, and he was indeed a great leader of the time. His reputation as the God of War is well-deserved. In just a few years, he has gone from being alone to where he is today.
When the news came, everyone was shocked. Wei Qin angrily scolded: "Didn't that bastard Qu Da say that his father's illness must not be known to outsiders?!"
What's going on now?
With the addition of the King of Qi, the situation is completely different!
The counselor Xu Zhang hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, the King of Qi has put all his strength into attacking Yang, and his military force is far greater than ours. I think we should be extremely cautious about the matter of Qu Da."
Qu Da promised that if Prince Ji helped him defeat his brother, he would cede a county to Prince Ji. At the same time, Prince Ji also knew that Qu Da had also gone to look for Wang Ji, and he must have offered similar conditions.
Among the nine counties in Yangzhou, the one county of Prince Ji and the one county of Prince Ji ceded nearly a quarter of the land. Perhaps Qu Da would regret it later, but it didn't matter. Once Prince Ji's troops entered Yangzhou, he would not be able to regret it. He could even take over more territory.
Qu Da's trusted navy gave up their warships to carry Prince Ji's troops across the river. This was a deal with only benefits and no harm. Everyone in Xuzhou was happy to prepare for war, but who knew that at this moment, the King of Qi would appear.
The King of Qi led an army of more than 400,000 soldiers by land and sea. The most important thing for Prince Ji is the battlefield of Yu and Yan, and he can only send 50,000 troops at most, no more.
To be honest, considering the geographical advantages of the Yangtze River waterway and the bravery of the King of Qi's army, many of the ministers and generals present were hesitant and did not want to wade into this muddy water.
When Xu Zhang said this, many people agreed with him. Wei Qin also fell silent. Chu Zhu became anxious when he saw this and immediately slammed the table and stood up.
"You are wrong!"
"The King of Qi has evil ambitions! Once he captures Yangzhou, he will surely seize the opportunity to launch a northern expedition! By then, he will own half of the country and have a strong army. Have you ever thought about what will happen next?!"
Chu Zhu received a secret order from his master, asking him to try to stop the rebel king from seizing Yangzhou. If that was not possible, he had to delay his steps as much as possible.
Prince An knew better than anyone that after Wei Jing took Yangzhou, he would immediately point his guns at the north. As a mortal enemy, he was the first to be hit.
What he lacks most at the moment is time.
After Chu Zhu finished speaking, the meeting hall fell silent. He looked around at everyone and said slowly: "One side gains while the other loses. The King of Qi becomes more powerful, which will be disadvantageous to Xuzhou in the end."
He raised his hands and said, "My lord, I think it is imperative to send troops to Yangzhou."
There is some selfish motive in saying this, but it has to be said that it is the truth. The rise of the King of Qi is not good for the King of An, nor for the King of Ji.
For a moment, many people showed expressions of approval.
Chu Zhu held his breath and looked up. Prince Ji hesitated for a rare moment. He stood up and paced a few steps, frowning.
To be honest, he has come to this point and cannot retreat but can only move forward. If he fails, it will cost him his life. But he was actually quite wary of the War God's legitimate younger brother.
Chu Zhu tried to persuade him again and again, but Prince Ji still couldn't make up his mind. After thinking for a while, he looked at Yang Shu and said, "Ziming, what do you think?"
Although Yang Shu is young and has great vision, he has made suggestions and strategies in the past two years, and has been good at offense and defense. He has been appreciated by Prince Ji Ji and is now on an equal footing with Chu Zhu. However, their relationship is not harmonious.
Hearing Prince Ji's question, Chu Zhu's face darkened, and he looked at Yang Shu coldly, saying, "I heard that the Princess of Qi is pregnant and will soon give birth to a child for the Prince of Qi. Ziming is the cousin of Princess Shao, I wonder if you have prepared a congratulatory ceremony?"
To put it bluntly, as the cousin of the Princess of Qi, Yang Shu is inevitably selfish and should avoid suspicion.
Yang Shu frowned, glanced at Chu Zhu, ignored him, and just bowed to Prince Ji, saying: "I think Your Highness should send troops to Yangzhou to stop Prince Qi."
One sentence immediately silenced Chu Zhu. Prince Ji often tried to reconcile them by saying, "Ziming's loyalty is something I have never doubted. Sir, please do not repeat this again in the future."
He then got back to the point and asked Yang Shu: "Zi Ming, tell me in detail."
Yang Shu said that with a slightly frowned brow, and it was obvious that he had more to say. He did not neglect the question when he heard Prince Ji asked him about it.
"The King of Qi has a strong army. If we are not careful, we may end up losing more than we gain. Not only will we fail to occupy Yangzhou and stop the King of Qi, but we will also lose soldiers and generals."
It was very subtle, but in fact they were afraid that the 50,000 Xuzhou troops would never return.
This touched Prince Ji's heart, and he nodded repeatedly: "Ziming, what good plan do you have?"
Yang Shu raised his eyes and said, "Your Highness should send out troops, but you must not rush. You should step back and let Wang Ji go first."
I have been dealing with Wang Ji for several years and have a deep understanding of him. This man came from a humble background and has been brave enough to get to where he is today. He is fearless and has always been bold in his advances. Wang Ji will definitely respond to Qu Da, and he will definitely fight to seize the initiative.
Yang Shu suggested that they should let Wang Ji go first. Although they would suffer some losses at the beginning, if the situation got bad later on, they would have Wang Ji to support them and they would have room to retreat.
You can attack when you advance and defend when you retreat.
Prince Ji said: "Ziming, this plan is exactly what I want!"
Chu Zhu was somewhat dissatisfied with the conservative war strategy, but when he thought about the fact that the purpose of sending troops had been achieved and he could deal with the rest later, he stopped arguing and gave in.
"My lord is wise!"
…
Wang Ji, a man in his early forties, planned uprisings dozens of times, and the last one finally succeeded. To be where he is today, courage and bravery are indispensable. Just as Yang Shu had expected, he not only agreed to Qu Da's request, but also wanted to seize the initiative before Prince Ji.
He has coveted Yangzhou for several years, but has suffered from a lack of warships and naval forces. Now that Qu Da has presented him with warships and invited him to enter Yangzhou, how can he refuse?
Wang Ji looked at him with disdain and said, "I have heard of the name of the God of War for a long time. It is a good opportunity to meet him!"
This man was bold but careful, and spoke in an arrogant tone but was extremely careful about tactics. He discussed the strategy of crossing the river for several days and confirmed again and again that there was nothing wrong with Qu Da's warships before he gave the order to lead his troops immediately.
…
People inside and outside Yangzhou were in a state of unrest and many things were happening, but Wei Jing had already led his army to the eastern border of Hanshou County.
There were constant scouts along the way.
Prince Ji and Wang Ji led their armies south together. The former led an army of 50,000, while the latter directly selected 80,000 soldiers and rushed to the Yangtze River to board the warships.
At this point, Qu Da's plot had already surfaced. When a powerful enemy was approaching, he still let the wolf into the house. The whole city of Ye was in an uproar. Qu Mou pointed at his second son, trembling and unable to utter a word. He was so angry that he died.
Qu Shou, the eldest son of Qu Mou, angrily scolded his second brother, which made his father angry to death. Faced with a powerful enemy, he opened the door to welcome the thieves.
Qu Da snorted coldly. His father had already arranged for his elder brother to take over. If he didn't find another way, death would be waiting for him. What else was there to give up?
"Currently, Yangzhou is divided into two factions. Qu Shou has taken over his father's position, while Qu Da and his other five sons have withdrawn from Yedu and stationed in Xuanchi."
Yangzhou was completely divided into two interest groups. Although Qu Shou took over his father's power, he was unable to do anything about it as his six younger brothers were united in their opposition.
Wei Jing curled his lips: "Very good."
Qu Mou died at the wrong time.
He gave the order: "At dawn, advance by sea and land at the same time!"
Danyang County, where Ye City is located, is separated from Jingzhou by Yuzhang and Lujiang counties.
Yangzhou's 300,000 soldiers and generals by land and sea also attracted tens of thousands of reinforcements from Wang Ji and King Ji, but Wei Jing arrived too quickly, so quickly that the Yangzhou army that received the emergency order to rush to the two counties had not yet arrived in place.
The border defense force is insufficient, and this is a perfect time to attack.
…
The warships that rushed down from Yizhou were the first to rush into Yangzhou with unstoppable force. The navy opened the way and the army advanced, successively capturing Yuzhang and Shangyang counties, as well as half of Lujiang County.
During this period, Wang Ji and King Ji, who were stationed in Yangzhou, revealed their intentions and took advantage of the situation to occupy the other half of Lujiang County. Qu Da was dissatisfied and had friction with both of them. Qu Shou was arranging to resist the enemy while angrily rebuking the two thieves and his younger brothers who had betrayed their ancestors' foundation.
But the swift advance of Wei Jing's army made everyone shut up.
As a last resort, the four forces reached a consensus to resist the powerful enemy first and then rely on their own abilities to fight on.
After the alliance was concluded, Prince Ji thought again and again and said to Chu Zhu, "Mr. Lao, please go to Ye City to discuss the strategy of resisting the enemy."
Now the troops from all four parties are stationed in their own territories and they do not trust each other, so it is impossible to join forces. They can only formulate a battle strategy and each take responsibility for a part.
To discuss war strategies, it was impossible for Prince Ji to go to Ye City in person. He nominated the older Chu Zhu, one of his two most trusted advisers, to go.
This was exactly what Chu Zhu wanted.
…
"Everyone, the King of Qi is coming with great force. If we can't destroy him as soon as possible, the consequences will be disastrous."
The battle strategy had been discussed for the whole morning, and Chu Zhu had remained silent. When everyone with gloomy expressions stopped talking, he finally stood up.
"What's your advice, sir?"
Qu Shou suppressed his displeasure and politely addressed him as "Sir". Chu Zhu did not care and asked, "Which of the two armies of the King of Qi, the navy and the army, do you fear more?"
Qu Shou said without hesitation: "Navy."
It’s not that Yangzhou was without naval warships, it was also skilled in naval warfare. The reason why it suffered repeated losses was that the warships specially built by Yizhou were so large that they were unprecedented in life. The sides of the ships were extremely high and the speed was very fast. They came along with the upstream water flow and were simply invincible.
The killing power of arrows shot upwards was greatly reduced, and most of them were blocked by the side of the ship. Even if they tried to ram into the ship, it would not be possible to cause both sides to suffer losses. One can imagine the difficult situation of the Yangzhou navy.
The reason why the King of Qi's army advanced so quickly was that the warships and navy played a great role.
Chu Zhu clapped his hands and said, "If the King of Qi loses his navy, can you resist the enemy?"
"Can!"
Absolutely. Qu Shou stood up and slammed the table, gritting his teeth and said, "If you have a plan to destroy the Prince of Qi's navy, Lujiang County will be ceded to His Royal Highness Prince Ji!"
He had always refused to recognize Qu Da's agreement, but now he was determined to do it.
Wang Ji's eldest son, Wang Qiong's eyes dimmed, but he said nothing.
"good!"
Chu Zhu also slammed the table and stood up: "In the Danyang section of the Yangtze River, the Yuntai and Tongshui rivers are the most dangerous. You can send people to drive huge wooden stakes on both sides of the river at night, connect them with iron chains, and block the river. This move will surely temporarily stop the King of Qi's navy!"
Qu Shou thought that this was right, and was overjoyed, but also worried: "But the King of Qi has already occupied Shangyang in Yuzhang and is approaching Danyang. Time is too short, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to accomplish anything."
It takes time to nail the wooden stakes and connect the iron chains, but the enemy warships are imminent and there is not enough time to connect many iron chains.
Chu Zhu asserted: "It will be enough to block it for half an hour!"
"Oh? Please enlighten me, sir."
"Before the iron chain, you can stop the Yangzhou warships and use them to fight. If you are defeated, pretend to be defeated and retreat to the riverside, allowing the Yizhou warships to continue to advance eastward."
"The Yizhou warships were immediately blocked. The warships that the envoy pretended to be defeated needed to be fully loaded with sesame oil, and pistons were placed in advance. After driving closer, the pistons were taken."
Chu Zhu narrowed his eyes and said, "Then, you can shoot it with a rocket!"
Chu Zhu's plan was extremely vicious. The Yizhou warships were specially made, and their hull planks were soaked in oil, making them tough and difficult to chisel open. However, it has its pros and cons. It will burn more easily.
Sesame oil poured onto the river surface and burst into flames. Can you imagine the result?
He said sternly: "If so, we will definitely annihilate the Qi Wang navy!"
Burn them together with the warships, and then take advantage of this great victory to jointly besiege Wei Jing’s army from four directions, and the news of a great victory will surely be announced!
Although this plan was cruel, it was extremely effective. Qu Shou was shocked, and some of the counselors in Yangzhou cried out in surprise.
"How can this be possible? How can oil and sewage be drained?!"
No matter how dangerous the river is, it is still wide. If you want to burn the Yizhou warships, the entire section must be covered with a thick layer of sesame oil. All of a sudden, the fish and shrimp died and aquatic plants could not grow. I'm afraid it will take a very long time for the waterway to recover.
The Yangtze River nurtures the people of Yangzhou, and the native Yangzhou people have deep feelings for it.
Chu Zhu snorted coldly and glanced at him: "Then do you have any other good ideas?"
The man kept silent.
To Qu Shou, fish, shrimp, and aquatic plants were insignificant to the ancestral foundation. He said without hesitation, "We should follow your advice, sir."
Chu Zhu nodded with satisfaction and warned: "Remember to keep it a secret. If the Qi king's scouts find out, Danyang will be in danger."
Immediately, Qu Shou sent his confidants to quietly place wooden stakes and tung oil chains, and then they agreed on a strategy to encircle the Qi army from four directions, with each person responsible for a part.
Afterwards, they used the excuse of meeting the enemy to drive out all the people in the Yuntai Tongshui area, and secretly nailed wooden stakes and connected iron chains while setting up camp.
Qu Shou stared at the barrels of sesame oil being carried onto the warships and looked coldly into the distance upstream in the river.
"This time, the Yizhou navy will definitely come but never return!"
In Yangzhou, once the navy is eliminated, no matter how capable the King of Qi is, he will not be able to display his abilities. He is absolutely sure that he will be invincible!
…
It has to be said that Yangzhou was the territory that the Qu family had been operating for decades. Without anyone from their own family to hold them back, the strategy of the iron chain and tung oil was kept strictly secret and not leaked at all.
But as Wei Jing, who had a keen sense of war, still vaguely smelled something unusual.
"The four armies went up the river and set up camp in the Yuntai Tongshui area?"
The Yuntai Tongshui area is not only strategically located on the river, but also has a terrain that is advantageous for blocking enemies coming from the west. It is actually quite normal to choose to set up camp here.
What made Wei Jing realize something was wrong was that Prince Ji and Wang Ji had also arrived.
These two people have other intentions, how can the Qu brothers easily command them?
Wei Jing sat at the head, turning the jade ring on his right thumb and slightly raising his eyebrows.
That can only mean that these two people have already gained actual benefits, or they are very confident that they can severely defeat him.
Which one is it?
In the brightly lit central army tent, Ji Huan pondered for a moment and said, "I think the latter is more common."
What practical benefit does King Wang Jiji want most? Only the place of Yangzhou.
Other things like food, fodder, gold and silver may not necessarily move their hearts. Even if they are really moved, the amount is huge, and we will not release the eagle until we see the rabbit. However, we have not received any news about large groups of heavy vehicles and ships traveling to all directions.
Then, if we can attract the two parties, we can only defeat the Jingyi army.
Wei Jing smiled and said, "What Bo Yan said is exactly what I meant."
Zhang Yong scratched his head: "What plan does Qu have? Why didn't he use it earlier?"
Still waiting until one quarter of Yangzhou has been lost?
Ji Huan asserted: "It may have just been proposed, or it may have been due to geographical limitations. It must be one of the two, or even both."
Just discussed? Influence of terrain?
The biggest feature of the terrain in the Yuntai Tongshui area is the dangerous river surface; and the navy played a major role in the reason why our side was invincible.
Wei Jing and Ji Huan looked at each other.
"Water Master."
The Qu family is targeting the navy, so they will definitely make some moves in this section of the river.
Wei Jing thought for a moment and slowly uttered two words: "Fire attack."
"Once the navy fails, the four-party coalition forces can then encircle our land army."
After saying this, he raised the corners of his lips slightly, raising a sarcastic arc.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
