Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was carrying an imperial edict from Empress Dowager Su Wan'er and was rushing from the capital city to Mozhou City overnight.
After exchanging pleasantries in Vice General Zhao Kui's tent, the conversation got down to business.
Cai He said, "General Wu, General Zhao, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is deeply gratified by your loyal deeds in supporting the Great Xin dynasty."
"At this critical juncture when the nation is teetering on the brink of collapse, with the treacherous minister Chen Huai'an plotting a rebellion abroad and the corrupt prime minister Qin Ruhui holding power and misleading the country at home;"
"It is fortunate that the two generals are so wise and loyal, which is a blessing for the country and for His Majesty."
With tears welling in his eyes, Cai He continued with great emotion, "By imperial decree of the Empress Dowager, General Wu shall lead his troops into the capital at an opportune moment to defend the Emperor!"
brush!
Upon hearing this, both Wu Sanjia and Zhao Kui exchanged knowing smiles.
As expected, Empress Dowager Su Wan'er was not prepared to take the young Emperor Zhao Lingwu with her to be buried with the Great Xin Dynasty.
"but--"
At this moment, Cai He suddenly changed the subject and continued, "This matter of controlling the military power of the entire realm is not something that the Empress Dowager can decide alone;"
At this point, Cai He leaned close to Wu Sanjia's ear and whispered, "General Wu, the Empress Dowager means that if you can achieve a great victory at the Mozhou front and severely damage the Longcheng rebels..."
"Now that the Empress Dowager has the confidence to grant the title of General Wu the power to control all the troops in the country, the opposition from civil and military officials will surely decrease significantly."
"Furthermore, the entire capital city is now controlled by the confidants of the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui, from the commander of the Imperial Guards stationed there to the commander of the Red-Clad Guards."
"The Empress Dowager is worried that if General Wu leads the elite Tiger Army from Ying and Mo prefectures a thousand miles to the capital to defend the Emperor, the journey may not be smooth."
"so......"
Cai He hesitated, but Wu Sanjia naturally understood the implication behind his words.
He immediately promised, "Eunuch Cai, you may report to the Empress Dowager that as long as she grants me the authority to command all the troops in the country, she can rest assured about my mission to the capital to rescue the emperor!"
As he spoke, Wu Sanjia leaned close to Cai He's ear and whispered a few words.
Upon hearing this, the latter's expression gradually became serious.
Finally, Cai He looked intently at Wu Sanjia and asked, word by word, "General Wu, is this really true?"
Hahaha!
Wu Sanjia laughed heartily and replied confidently, "Eunuch Cai, you are welcome to return to the palace to verify!"
He paused, then continued, "As for the matter of severely damaging the rebel army of Longcheng outside Mozhou City, please report this to the Empress Dowager. This general will certainly not fail the Empress Dowager's kindness in helping me!"
"My title of General of Might and Commander-in-Chief was personally bestowed upon me by the Empress Dowager!"
Um!
Cai He nodded heavily and said, "General Wu, I will take my leave now. After returning to Kunning Palace, I will report your words to the Empress Dowager without missing a single detail!"
"We await the general's good news of his great victory at Mozhou from within the palace!"
Wu Sanjia waved his hand and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Cai!"
"General Zhao, I still have military duties to attend to. Please see Eunuch Cai off on my behalf!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Deputy General Zhao Kui immediately accepted the order, turned to Cai He and gestured for him to come in, saying, "Eunuch Cai, this way please!"
"General Zhao, thank you for your trouble!"
With that, the two left the military tent one after the other.
The two had just left the military camp when they were secretly spotted by Huang Silang, the Minister of War, who was returning from an outing.
Huang Silang raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "What is Cai He, the eunuch by Empress Dowager Su's side, doing all the way to Mozhou City?"
"He even got involved with Zhao Kui, Wu Sanjia's deputy general!"
"Something's not right here!"
As he spoke, Huang Silang hurriedly returned to the central command tent, ordered someone to bring him pen and ink, and immediately began to write down everything he had seen and heard in Mozhou City that day. He then dispatched the paper with the fastest courier service to the Prime Minister's residence.
The next day.
The city of Mozhou was filled with unease and panic; even the grass and trees seemed like enemy soldiers.
This is because the 350,000-strong Longcheng army, which had been besieging the city for half a month, assembled early this morning, ready to launch a full-scale attack on Mozhou City.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, clad in golden armor and with the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss Sword at his waist, personally commanded the siege from the central command post.
The vanguard general in charge of the siege was none other than Chang Yuchun, a fierce general who served as the deputy marshal of the Longcheng army and the general in charge of the southern expedition.
It turned out that on that day, inside the central command tent of Longcheng, the new and old faction generals of the Longcheng army, represented by Fan Wuji and Wang Yucheng, almost came to blows, but finally reached a consensus - to launch a strong attack on Mozhou City!
This consensus was naturally facilitated by the mediation of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
Chang Yuchun, who was the deputy marshal and the general in charge of the southern expedition, volunteered to become the vanguard commander in the fierce attack on Mozhou City.
Even a dignified deputy marshal was willing to lower himself and charge into battle for the sake of attacking Mozhou City;
As for the rest of the generals in Longcheng, whether they came from the Polu Army or the former Tiger Army of the Great Xin Dynasty, who still had the face to raise any different opinions?
巳时时分 (9:00-11:00 AM).
Chang Yuchun's 100,000-strong vanguard force for the siege has already assembled outside Mozhou City.
Each branch of the military, armed with different siege weapons, stood ready, awaiting only His Highness Prince Jin's order to cross the moat and launch a fierce attack on Mozhou City.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Woohoo—
Accompanied by the deep and powerful sound of drums and horns, Chang Yuchun, the deputy commander who stood proudly on horseback in front of the three armies, suddenly drew his sword from his waist.
With one arm raised high, he stared intently at Mozhou City, a thousand paces away.
On the central observation platform, Chen Huai'an also kept his eyes fixed on Mozhou City a few miles away, preparing to issue the order to attack the city when the drums and horns stopped beating.
Suddenly, unusual activity occurred outside the distant city of Mozhou.
Although Chen Huai'an couldn't hear the sound, he could clearly see that the drawbridge hanging over the moat was actually lowered by the Imperial Tiger Army guarding the city.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the heavy wooden suspension bridge spanned the moat outside Mozhou City.
This sudden turn of events surprised Chang Yuchun, who was riding forward on his horse.
Immediately afterwards, a deep and powerful sound of drums and horns rang out from the city walls of Mozhou.
Amid the sounds of drums and horns, the two tightly closed city gates of Mozhou were slowly pushed open from within the city.
The next moment, General Wu Sanjia, the commander-in-chief of the Great Xin Dynasty, riding a white horse, wearing bright armor, and holding the Dragon Gallant Silver Spear, suddenly leaped out of the city and stood proudly in front of the two armies.
Immediately afterwards, countless Tiger Warriors, clad in armor and wielding various weapons such as swords, spears, and halberds, surged out of Mozhou City like a tide and lined up to assemble around Wu Sanjia.
Among them, the cavalry, fully armed and with both men and horses clad in heavy armor, stood out particularly.
It turned out to be the heavy cavalry of the Great Xin Dynasty—the Iron Pagoda!
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