Next, Su Ci entered a stage of life where she only cared about eating, drinking, lying down and sleeping, and didn't care about anything else. A bunch of people surrounded her and worked around the clock. Their only purpose was to make up for all the losses, and also make up for the good ones. Taking care of her body was her top priority.
Yang Yanzong didn't allow her to care about or worry about anything else.
All right, Su Ci just followed suit, and just ignored it, and focused on playing with her son in the house!
That day, when Su Ci woke up, it was just daybreak, but Yang Yanzong was no longer around as usual.
She stretched herself and was about to speak when she heard the rumbling of war drums and the earthquake-like sound of an army charging, which made the earth and mountains tremble faintly. It was like rolling thunder, not far away or near, and it was a little vague when it came over here, but still slightly obvious.
The little baby who was half asleep in the stroller suddenly woke up, opened his little mouth, and started crying.
Su Ci hurriedly said, "Bring it here, give it to me."
The wet nurse had already picked up the baby. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly took two steps at a time and put the child in her arms.
Su Ci shook him gently: "Be good, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's okay, Daddy is outside, we are not afraid~"
The baby immediately calmed down in his mother's arms. If there was a war outside during the day, Su Ci would usually put the child next to her, so that the baby could smell his mother's scent and feel safe, not afraid or awkward.
Mrs. Zhang came over to look at him. People of this age sincerely like children. She sighed and said, "Our little master is so handsome!"
The baby is growing fast. It has been almost a month since he was born. The red skin has faded and he has become fair, tender and a little chubby. His eyebrows have turned black and the swelling between his eyes has disappeared. The child looks very much like his father, with long slanted eyebrows, thick eyeliner, a straight little nose and a similar mouth. Yang Yanzong is very happy every time he sees him.
Su Ci also laughed and gently rocked the little baby who was full of milk and playing with bubbles, saying, "He looks like his daddy. He will be a handsome boy when he grows up."
The two chatted and laughed for a while. Mrs. Zhang heard the rumbling of the battle and couldn't help but say, "Madam, do you think we should move a little further inland, to Qingyuan City? The young master is still young."
She was worried that the noise of fighting would scare the children.
After passing Qingwu Pass, eighty miles west is Qingyuan, the first big city in Guanxi. It is quiet and convenient for doing anything there.
Mrs. Zhang meant well, but Su Ci still smiled and shook her head, "No need, it's not loud anyway."
Although this place is closer to the checkpoint, Su Ci is still reluctant to leave.
Yang Yanzong was very busy and he might not be seen for several days, but whenever he had some free time, he would rush to make time to come back and see the mother and daughter.
Talk to her, hug and kiss the child.
After moving to Qingyuan City, he would no longer see the two of them.
Su Ci had never considered moving inland. Anyway, the distance was not very close and the sound was not loud enough to scare the baby.
It is always especially precious when a family finally gets to see each other.
If possible, Su Ci was unwilling to exploit this.
The tender affection between the family when they were together was not only difficult for Yang Yanzong to give up, but she was also willing to do so. Thinking of it now, she couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Now she can feel the change in atmosphere more clearly. After having a child, her heart has indeed become much softer.
Su Ci disagreed with the move, and Mrs. Zhang had no objection. However, the sound of war outside became more violent and urgent. The offensive of the imperial army was getting more and more fierce in recent days. She couldn't help but feel a little frightened when she heard it: "Madam, you said..."
The nurses and maids in the room had never experienced war, so they were inevitably a little nervous, but Su Ci said, "Don't be afraid, the Duke will be able to guard the gate."
“We won’t lose!”
Her voice was not loud, but her steady and slow manner was very soothing.
Su Ci did have confidence, and this confidence no longer came from the original book, but from Yang Yanzong himself.
She put it more bluntly and said with a smile: "If something bad happened, your master would have made us move inland long ago."
How could Yang Yanzong allow her and her mother to continue staying in Guankou Camp?
Su Ci estimated that the battle situation was now at a stalemate.
The only thing she was unsure of was how long this war would last.
Half a year, one year, two years, I don’t know.
However, due to Yang Yanzong's sufficient preparations in the early stage, the provincial governors and commanders-in-chief of major states and counties are basically his confidants. At present, the southwest and northwest have been initially taken into their possession. The war preparations are endless, and they are not afraid of fighting a protracted war.
…
Let’s talk about the outside.
The war continued in full swing.
On August 26, the first year of Jiade, Yang Yanzong led his troops to retreat into Qingwu Pass. The emperor led the royal army to pursue them. Then, a fierce battle that lasted for nine months broke out.
Emperor Jiade Ji Yuanhao was furious. After the royal army set up camp, they immediately launched a major attack on Qingwu Pass, taking advantage of the fact that the army had just arrived and was not yet familiar with the area!
Ji Yuanhao personally wrote an edict to inform everyone inside and outside the dynasty that the rebel Yang Yanzong was so audacious that he even attempted to divide the territory, which was an extremely heinous crime that was unforgivable! Afterwards, he issued decrees to summon the Northern Army, the Eastern Army and major local camps in the central region, totaling 300,000 troops, vowing to eradicate the rebels and take back the southwest and northwest!
At this time, Ji Yuanhao had already received comprehensive information!
The southwest, northwest and ancient Hanzhong cover a vast area with rich land and abundant resources, occupying nearly one-third of the territory of Daqing. How could he allow Yang Yanzong to split away? At this time, Ji Yuanhao wished he could dismember Yang Yanzong and kill all his nine clans on the spot! !
There was still a war of words going on outside. The imperial court issued an edict in front of the battlefield, scolding Yang Yanzong to a pulp, but Qingwu Pass was not to be outdone. They started from the severe drought and flood in the Northeast from last year to this year, and lamented that Ji Yuanhao was a traitor by birth and God would not allow such a disaster to be sent down, so he was not fit to be a king. After he ascended the throne, he persecuted loyal officials and condoned his trusted camp to harm ordinary officers and soldiers who were not his own, and so on. He had been retreating again and again and had no place to retreat. Yang Gong and others had fought for the country for many years, but the imperial court would not tolerate their survival. It was really intolerable!
Another person worth mentioning is Zhan Shizhang.
He was the Zhaowu General Zhan Shizhang, the commander of the Beijing camp who was in alliance with Yang Yanzong when he openly repaired the plank road but secretly passed through Chencang.
Ji Yuanhao had already found evidence of him reselling military rations, and all he needed to do was uncover it and kill him. Unfortunately, due to a series of events, Ji Yuanhao never found a suitable opportunity to maintain stability.
This man was very agile and decisive. After receiving the news that Yang Yanzong's troops had left the camp, he reacted immediately. Zhan Shizhang acted decisively and, while Ji Yuanhao was unable to take care of him, he took advantage of the chaos to select his trusted battalion commanders and left the camp right away.
Time was running out, so he didn't have all the troops together, but he still had 50,000 elite soldiers.
He went directly around Ganshan Pass and joined Yang Yanzong.
After considering it, Yang Yanzong accepted him.
At this time, Zhan Shizhang appeared. His identity was very special. Not only was he a veteran with rich qualifications and great achievements, but more importantly, he was the old emperor's son-in-law. As soon as Zhan Shizhang stood up, he tried his best to whitewash Yang Yanzong, and then put the blame of forcing the abdication on Ji Yuanhao and Kun. He cried bitterly about the persecution and hardships suffered by the royalists, and directly questioned the legitimacy of Ji Yuanhao's ascension to the throne.
Ji Yuanhao will never be able to wash away the blame for forcing the emperor to abdicate in his lifetime, and Zhan Shizhang seized on this point and criticized him desperately, which actually made him sound morally justified for a moment.
Ji Yuanhao was so angry that one Buddha ascended to heaven and two Buddhas were born.
"I'm so angry!!"
Ji Yuanhao swept all the items on the case to the ground. Huo stood up and said to Xu Wenkai and others: "Everyone, break through Qingwu Pass as soon as possible! Behead all the rebels!!!"
In addition to the 300,000 troops, there were of course also the fierce generals of the Northern Army headed by Xu Wenkai, the generals of the Eastern Army and various local camps.
Ji Yuanhao personally led the troops. He was well aware of his own shortcomings, so he directly adopted Xu Wenkai's military deployment and entrusted him with the position of deputy commander!
Xu Wenkai and his generals fell to their knees with a "pop" and said solemnly: "We obey your orders!!"
"good!"
Ji Yuanhao stepped forward quickly, helped Xu Wenkai and the others up, then left the camp, got on his horse, and ordered: "Pass the order! Beat the drums, knock on the gates!!!"
…
This battle lasted for more than a month.
But in the end, the door of Qingwu Pass was not knocked open.
It's not that Xu Wenkai is not good enough. In fact, Xu Wenkai is extremely talented and has experienced many battles. Whether it is his personal combat power, the ability to command troops, control the fighter plane and grasp the overall situation, he can be regarded as a first-class leader in the world.
When General Xu was still alive, he was very proud of his eldest son and praised him as a disciple who was better than his father.
Xu Wenkai and Yang Yanzong were equally matched in military talent and comprehensive ability, and they both had elite soldiers and generals under their command. If a real battle broke out on the plains, it would be hard to tell who would win.
However, war is not just about ability, it is more about the right time, place and people.
The reason why Yang Yanzong finally chose the southwest and northwest and abandoned Lingnan was, of course, because of the right time and place.
Qingwu Pass is known as the most important pass in Guanxi. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack because of its strategic location. It is an important barrier facing the northwest for Yangdu in the Guanzhong Plain. It is a fortress where many mountains converge, and it locks the throat of east-west transportation. Its grandeur and steepness have earned it the reputation of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand men cannot open it."
Attacking a city has always been more difficult than defending it. It is no exaggeration to say that it is ten times more difficult. What's more, it is such a super strong pass. Not only did they fail to take advantage of Yang Yanzong's tired and unstable soldiers when he just entered the pass, but they failed to capture it with lightning speed. It is not surprising that they could not break through it for more than a month.
It is even possible that it will not be able to be breached for a long time.
Ji Yuanhao knew this very well without Xu Wenkai explaining it. Although he had rarely been on the battlefield in the past, he was not lacking in strategic vision.
Ji Yuanhao's face was as dark as water: "We can't go on like this."
He said coldly.
Ji Yuanhao was a man of extremely quick thinking and great adaptability. Seeing that Qingwu Pass was difficult to capture, he issued seven golden orders that day: divide the troops, open up a road, and require full cooperation from the prefectures and counties along the way. He handed Qingwu Pass over to another famous general of the time, Fan Mingchen, who split his troops into two groups that night with Xu Wenkai and marched quickly straight to Nanzheng and Liangzhou.
Ji Yuanhao almost succeeded!
The imperial army came in full force and was at the gates of the city. The two most important cities in Nanzheng were Wuning and Chenshan. The former was guarded by Chen Guangyuan, the former governor of Shu.
Chen Guangyuan, whose ancestral home is in the Northeast, has always been a minister of Daqing. Although he was forced by his trusted deputy generals to surrender to Yang Yanzong, he was persuaded by Ji Yuanhao, the Emperor of Daqing, who said in front of the battlefield that he would let bygones be bygones, to change his mind!
"...As long as you lay down your weapons, open the city and surrender, I will forgive you for your past. You have made contributions and have no faults. Those who have a rank will be promoted immediately, and those who are generals will be given titles!"
"How many years have you been loyal to Daqing? I don't think you want to end up being a traitor and be infamous forever!"
The last sentence finally touched Chen Guangyuan!
He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then suddenly turned around and walked back quickly. The deputy general and confidant who encouraged him in the beginning saw this and became anxious: "General, General!!"
Chen Guangyuan didn't listen, and walked down quickly. He stepped down the stairs and turned back: "You don't need to say more, I know what to do!"
He immediately issued an order to capture the confidants and new generals sent by Yang Yanzong, "Prepare to open the city... Uh!"
Before he finished speaking, a sword light suddenly appeared, and a silver thunder flashed by, directly cutting off Chen Guangyuan's head!
It’s Yang Yanzong.
He was wearing heavy armor, and Feng Tiexiong followed closely behind him.
He received the news on the night Ji Yuanhao set out. He was prepared for Ji Yuanhao's move and did not even have time to say goodbye to his wife and children. He immediately handed over the military affairs at hand and led the cavalry on horseback to rush to the destination via the western route.
Yang Yanzong killed Chen Guangyuan with one sword!
Blood spurted out, and his cold and stern face was dotted with scarlet. Yang Yanzong glanced at Huang Dezhang, Chen Guangyuan's deputy general who had already defected to his side and said, "From today, Huang Dezhang will replace Chen Guangyuan as the commander-in-chief, and Feng Tiexiong will be the deputy commander-in-chief!"
He immediately made adjustments. All the people under Chen Guangyuan were promoted, and his confidants in Wuning were arranged at certain important nodes.
He used both kindness and severity, both soft and hard tactics, and both new and old soldiers. The original guards of Wuning were all Chen Guangyuan's men. They are currently maintaining stability, and it will not be too late to replace them slowly in the future.
Yang Yanzong quickly brought the situation under control with lightning speed.
If Chenshan in Wuning is not lost, the two roads of Henggu and Wanshan in the rear will be as stable as Mount Tai.
This has been the most important passage from the Central Plains to Liangzhou and Zhengzhong since ancient times. This Zhengzhong in Liangzhou is actually the ancient Hanzhong. Ancient Hanzhong connected the southwest and northwest, and was a place of contention for military strategists. If Ji Yuanhao had succeeded in taking it, the southwest and northwest would have been immediately split into two.
Fortunately, Yang Yanzong reacted quickly and took strong measures.
As soon as he arrived, he quickly took control of the situation between Wu Ning and Chen Shan.
The garrisons controlled by his cronies in many places in the southwest and northwest also set out for the front line one after another, assembled into a large army, and confronted the imperial army.
During this period, the two sides moved their forces several times, and used various strategies for attack and defense. Both sides deployed troops and generals to launch roundabout attacks and compete with wits and courage.
Anyway, by the time Su Ci completed her two months of confinement, the battle line had already moved completely south and opened up.
By the time the baby was six months old and the weather was getting warmer in early spring, Su Ci finally took the child slowly south. The battlefield had already been completely set on the line from Zhiyang to Linyuan in Jiangling - this was the best place for the court to launch a capture war in the entire southwest and northwest defense line.
The Lingshan Pass and the Mozi Road behind are not steep enough, and the other is very short. Anyway, the geographical advantage is not obvious, while the front is a relatively open hilly and mountainous area of nearly a hundred miles.
Although hilly and mountainous areas are not as easy to advance as plains, this is the only gap in the southwest and northwest. After several attempts and moves, Ji Yuanhao finally locked the battlefield in this area that was most powerful for them.
This forced Yang Yanzong to lead his troops out of Linyuan and set up camp, and the two sides launched a head-on battle on the hills.
During the past six months, Yang Yanzong was very busy. The war was in full swing and he was completely focused on it. Sometimes he didn't even have enough time to sleep. The letters he sent back to Su Ci often only had a few hastily written words, "Be well, don't worry. When spring comes, you can take your son and slowly go south."
By the time spring came in February and Su Ci was driving slowly south with her six-month-old baby, the battlefield had already been set in Linyuan for a month.
The two sides can be said to be evenly matched, with each having its own wins and losses.
However, Yang Yanzong no longer wanted to delay.
"Jiangnan is a rich land with an endless supply of rice. General Xu Wenkai and others are outstanding heroes of the time. They are outstanding in both their ability to unite and their combat capabilities."
What’s more important is Ji Yuanhao.
It has to be said that although Ji Yuanhao has many shortcomings that people criticize, he is flexible and knows the pros and cons well. Although he is not familiar with warfare, he is very willing to delegate power to Xu Wenkai.
With a commander like him and the entire country's military and national strength, it is foreseeable how strong the enemy's endurance will be.
With such endurance, Yang Yanzong was also well aware of the abilities of Xu Wenkai and others. Unless there were any accidents, this war would be protracted.
——This is definitely not what Yang Yanzong wants to see!
Firstly, as the defender, Yang Yanzong knew that if he defended for too long, he would lose.
Secondly, and more importantly, he had just occupied the southwest, and while he was fine for short battles, he was not suitable for starting a protracted war.
What he needs to do now is to defend the country and maintain domestic stability as quickly as possible, gain a firm foothold, and then firmly grasp the southwest and northwest in his hands.
Therefore, Ji Yuanhao must die! !
As long as Ji Yuanhao died, the imperial army would be in chaos. It would be one thing for him to take advantage of the opportunity to launch a counterattack, but the imperial court would certainly not be able to unite so wholeheartedly to attack him!
The problem of a long war will be solved immediately.
Late at night, inside the huge tent, Yang Yanzong sat behind a desk with twelve huge screens depicting a fierce tiger descending a mountain. He tapped the corners of the desk quickly with his fingers, his fierce eyes slightly narrowed.
The time is right.
——In addition to the military reasons mentioned above, there was another very important reason why Yang Yanzong went out of Lingshan Pass and built a camp west of Linyuan.
A chess piece he had planted earlier was almost ready.
Ji Yuanhao was the emperor, and even if he refused to sit beside the central army, he was still surrounded by numerous soldiers and guards. Moreover, he was very smart and had also placed a substitute royal flag. After the war broke out, it would be difficult for Yang Yanzong's spies to really locate his real body, let alone anything else.
If Yang Yanzong wanted to kill Ji Yuanhao, he couldn't use ordinary methods.
The best strategy is to use counter-espionage tactics to incite the people close to Ji Yuanhao to rebel and then cooperate with them from inside and outside.
What's more, Yang Yanzong actually has one in his hand.
He looked up and asked Ah Chuan: "How is he doing over there?"
Speaking of this, Ah Chuan couldn't help but reveal a hint of happiness on his face: "It's almost done."
After all, that guy is not stupid.
They are already eighteen or nineteen years old. It is not uncommon for royal fathers and sons to become enemies, especially for a family with such a sensitive and difficult rank as his. This can be said to be the only chance. If he doesn't seize it, he will never have it again.
Yang Yanzong gave an intriguing smile. If it were him, he would definitely make a decision in the end.
He thought that person would do the same.
Yang Yanzong tapped the table, picked up a pen and wrote a letter himself, then handed it to Ah Chuan: "Give it to him."
Just a few strokes of the pen, with a private seal, it turned out to be a private letter asking for a meeting.
It all depends on whether that person is willing to come.
As for who that person was, he was very familiar. Yang Yanzong knew him, and Su Ci also knew him. He was Ji Zimu, the eldest son born to Ji Yuanhao by Ren!
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