The Council Hall of the Prince of Jin's Residence.
The generals of the army that led the campaign to quell the rebellion in Longcheng gathered together to discuss their plans for resisting the enemy.
With the arrival of the secret envoy dispatched by Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, at the Prince of Jin's residence, delivering the imperial court's battle plan for the northern expedition to quell the rebellion to Chen Huai'an, the generals and soldiers of the Longcheng Jingnan Army, who had been resting for nearly two months, were about to embark on another expedition.
Only then did Chen Huai'an understand the purpose of the black-robed old monk Dongfang Xiao's proposal of a marriage alliance to Zhuge Yunsheng, the steward of the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion—he wanted to make Prince Liu Xinwu of Wu Ning willingly place his bets on the Jin Prince's Mansion and on Chen Huai'an!
It turns out that Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, one of the eight kings of different surnames in the Great Xin Dynasty, had influence that was not limited to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
He also had many spies and informants in the Great Xin court.
For example, Chen Huai'an's informant in the capital was able to learn about Emperor Zhao Gan's personal expedition, but he couldn't find out the detailed intelligence about Zhao Gan's expedition in a short period of time.
Details such as troop strength, types of troops, commanding officer, departure time, and marching routes are required.
But Liu Xinwu is different.
Just now, the intelligence delivered to Chen Huai'an by the secret envoy of the Prince of Wuning's mansion detailed the troop deployment, commanding general, marching time, and marching route of Emperor Zhao Gan's personal expedition.
With this intelligence, Chen Huai'an was essentially able to see all of Zhao Gan's cards.
Even with Zhao Gan leading an army of 500,000 to press on the border, Chen Huai'an and his Longcheng Jingnan Army, despite being outnumbered, were still able to respond effectively and efficiently.
If we can prevent Zhao Gan's 500,000-strong army from coordinating their efforts, we can achieve a great victory in this battle.
"His Highness Prince Jin has arrived!"
At this moment, outside the council hall of the Prince's Mansion, came the deep and powerful voice of Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
The next moment, the once noisy council hall fell completely silent.
All the generals stood up and looked towards the door.
Then, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, dressed in a red python robe, strode in.
Behind him stood the old monk Dongfang Xiao, dressed in a black robe.
"Your Highness!"
All the generals greeted Chen Huai'an in unison.
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an smiled and nodded to everyone, then sat down in the main seat of the Prince's Mansion Council Hall without hesitation, before waving his hand and instructing, "Everyone, please take your seats!"
At his command, the generals took their seats.
Chen Huai'an began, "Gentlemen, the main reason I've gathered you all here today is to discuss the next steps in the Longcheng Jingnan Army's battle plan."
"I'm sure you've all heard that after Emperor Zhao Gan learned that we had raised an army in Longcheng to quell the rebellion, cleanse the court of corrupt officials, and eliminate treacherous ministers, he decided to lead a large army on a personal expedition to the north to suppress the rebellion in Longcheng."
At this point, Chen Huai'an smiled and continued:
"It's laughable, really. We fought bloody battles in the northern desert, swept through the Turkic royal court, and wiped out a powerful enemy that had plagued our Han borders for a century. Instead of receiving the reward of being ennobled and appointed as prime ministers by the court, we were branded as traitors, rebels, and rebels."
"I feel truly disheartened for all of you generals!"
"A foolish ruler sits in court, and treacherous officials ruin the country!"
Chen Huai'an's words immediately resonated with the emotions of the generals of the former Longcheng Polu Army.
Former commander-in-chief Fan Wuji was the first to stand up and say, "Your Highness is absolutely right. The court today is no longer the one of the late emperor's time, a court with a wise ruler and loyal ministers and generals!"
"Emperor Zhao Gan the Second was muddleheaded and tyrannical, fond of grand achievements, and the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui controlled the government, appointing people based on nepotism. The entire Daxin court had long been turned into a mess by these people!"
"In my humble opinion, this new imperial court should have long ago..."
"General Fan is absolutely right!"
Suddenly, a thunderous voice rang out in the council hall, forcefully silencing Fan Wuji's words.
The speaker was none other than the valiant General Pang Xianchu.
He stood up calmly and continued, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, it is not important what the court and the emperor think of our Longcheng Pacification Army!"
"The important thing is that we must be clear about what the ultimate goal of this imperial edict to quell the rebellion and lead the southern expedition is."
At this point, Pang Xianchu paused for a moment before saying, word by word:
"Since eliminating the treacherous minister Wu Qingyun cannot make the Emperor repent, then let's continue fighting until all the treacherous ministers in the court are completely wiped out!"
Ha ha!
After hearing Pang Xianchu's speech, Chen Huai'an couldn't help but burst into laughter.
How could he not understand Pang Xianchu's intentions? He was afraid that Fan Wuji might accidentally utter the wild words about overthrowing the Great Xin and establishing a new country in front of all the generals in the council hall!
In fact, Chen Huai'an knew very well what was going on.
If the reason why the generals of the Longcheng Polu Army followed him in raising an army in Longcheng was to protect themselves;
However, after the Longcheng Jingnan Army won one victory after another, and even destroyed the Turkic state in one fell swoop, the thoughts of the Longcheng Polu Army generals under his command naturally became active.
Which military general doesn't harbor the ambition to serve the emperor?
When Chen Huai'an first wrote "The Proclamation to Pacify the Rebellion and Punish the Rebels," it was merely to silence public opinion, to give the uprising a reason, and to reassure the soldiers of the Longcheng Polu Army.
However, as the Longcheng Jingnan Army continued to win battles and its forces grew larger and larger, it was inevitable that these former soldiers of the Polu Army would become arrogant. This is only human nature and can be understood.
However, it is not recommended at the moment.
It is not yet time for him to ascend the throne and become emperor.
What Chen Huai'an wanted to do was to become a great emperor comparable to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, not a Liu Shan who was content with a corner of the country and forgot about Shu.
What he wanted was not simply to be crowned emperor, but for all nations to pay tribute and for the whole world to celebrate.
Therefore, Pang Xianchu's words were exactly what Chen Huai'an wanted to hear.
"General Pang is absolutely right!"
Chen Huai'an immediately affirmed Pang Xianchu's view and continued, "Without eliminating treacherous officials, the country will never have peace; without eliminating treacherous officials, I will never withdraw my troops!"
Then, Chen Huai'an changed the subject and said with a serious expression, "Gentlemen, let's get back to the main topic. I have received a secret report and have obtained the detailed military plan for Zhao Gan's personal expedition!"
"Someone, bring the map here!"
Soon, Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guard, came into the hall with a huge military map. Together with another Imperial Guard, he spread the map out for Chen Huai'an and the other generals to review.
Chen Huai'an stood up, turned to face the map, and said to the generals in the council hall: "Gentlemen, Zhao Gan has personally led this expedition, drawing a total of 500,000 troops from all over the country."
As he spoke, he began to gesture on the military map, pointing and explaining in detail:
"The Ministry of War has drawn 200,000 troops from the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong to prepare for the Japanese pirates. They will travel up the Yangtze River and join forces with Zhao Gan and his Imperial Guard in the capital, Nanjing. They will then take the route through the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, along Yingzhou, through Mozhou and Zhuozhou, and finally arrive at Youzhou!"
"General Li Jingyu, who is stationed in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, will lead 200,000 elite troops from Youzhou, through Shunzhou, Guizhou, Xinzhou, and finally to Yingzhou, to scout out the military situation along the way for Zhao Gan's personal expedition."
"Subsequently, 400,000 troops joined forces in Yingzhou and marched straight for Yunzhou!"
At this point, Chen Huai'an turned his finger, which had been gesturing on the military map, back to Chang'an Prefecture, and continued:
"The other enemy force was led by Guo Dingfang, the General Who Guards the West of the Great Xin Dynasty, and consisted of 100,000 Anxi Border Troops from the Four Garrisons of Anxi."
"This enemy force, starting from Chang'an Prefecture, is heading straight for Longcheng!"
"The above is the troop deployment and marching route for Zhao Gan's personal expedition. I also have a preliminary countermeasure in mind—"
Chen Huai'an's tone suddenly became sharp, and he said, "In response to the enemy's strategic deployment of attacking my Dragon City in three routes, I have decided to concentrate superior forces to defeat the enemy one by one!"
"To catch the thief, first catch the king. I will personally lead the elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to bypass the northern desert, pass through Wuzhou, and deliver a fatal blow to Zhao Gan and his 200,000 Japanese pirate troops!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Huai'an's finger landed on the military map, on a place called "Tumu Fort" in the Wuzhou area.
At the same time, a familiar name came to Chen Huai'an's mind: a student from the Oirat Mongols who was hailed as the God of War of the Ming Dynasty.
Today, when Chen Huai'an received the map of Emperor Zhao Gan's troop deployment and marching route from the secret envoy sent by the Prince of Wuning's mansion, he almost couldn't believe that Zhao Gan would choose the same marching route as the Great Ming's war god when he launched his northern expedition.
In fact, the forces they commanded were the same.
It's truly remarkable how history repeats itself!
Faced with the generous gift that Zhao Gan offered, how could Chen Huai'an possibly refuse it?
After this battle, Chen Huai'an even considered the posthumous title to be given to Zhao Gan: Baozong, Daxinbaozong!
"Tumu Fortress?"
At this moment, the voice of Chang Yuchun, the Deputy Marshal of the Longcheng Army and General Who Conquers the South, suddenly came from inside the council hall. He stared blankly at the three characters "Tumu Fortress" on the map and said:
"Your Highness, are you planning to ambush Zhao Gan, who is personally leading the expedition, in the Tumu Fort area?"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an frowned slightly and asked, "General Chang, is there anything inappropriate about my actions?"
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