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“Chen Wei, this is all your fault! If you hadn’t deserted in battle, how could we have suffered such a crushing defeat outside the city? Now, 8,000 cavalry are completely lost to the enemy; you cannot escape death!”
Chen Wei’s angry accusation suddenly brought Xiao Han back to his senses. He pointed at the disheveled Chen Wei and shouted. After the initial defeat, not only were most of the Chuzhou army arrayed outside the city lost, but 8,000 of the cavalry he brought were also gone.
Recalling the King’s order to absolutely hold Chuzhou City before his departure, Xiao Han’s heart turned cold. If Chuzhou fell, there had to be a scapegoat to bear all the blame for him, and Chen Wei, the Governor of Chuzhou, was undoubtedly the most suitable person.
Chen Wei immediately became furious and yelled, “You’re clearly trying to take credit and advance recklessly, how dare you pin it on me? This subordinate will report the details of this defeat to His Highness Prince Wei.”
“Audacious! How dare you slander me? Don’t forget, you are merely a servant of Prince Wei’s mansion.” There was a hint of disdain in Xiao Han’s eyes. Then he said to the guards beside him, “Chen Wei, the Governor of Chuzhou, deserted in battle, a grave crime. Take him down and imprison him.”
As soon as Xiao Han spoke, the captain on the city wall hastily said, “Your Royal Highness, absolutely not! At present, only Governor Chen can turn the tide. If Chuzhou City loses Governor Chen’s command, the morale of the Chuzhou army will surely collapse.”
“The Chuzhou army has been slaughtered and scattered by the Southern Expeditionary Army; how many are left? Now, this Chuzhou City relies on the troops brought by this humble prince. If 100,000 soldiers plus the remaining 20,000 cavalry cannot defeat the Southern Expeditionary Army, can they still not hold Chuzhou City?” Xiao Han said coldly.
When he entered the city, he was still somewhat wary of Chen Wei, but after most of the Chuzhou army outside the city was lost, he no longer feared Chen Wei. After all, what could a general without troops do?
Waving his hand, he still had his personal guards drag Chen Wei away.
The quarrel on the city wall did not escape Lu Fei’s observation.
He said to Luo Hong, “Chen Wei seems to have been arrested.”
“Excellent! Xiao Han is simply cutting off his own arm,” Luo Hong said. He had seen Xiao Han when he was in Chang’an, so he recognized him at first sight when Xiao Han appeared on the city wall.
Picking up his telescope to confirm, Xiao Han continued, “General, this Chen Wei is a talented individual. He comes from the Chen family of Chuzhou, but he doesn’t have an ounce of the arrogance of a powerful family’s offspring. In the army, he eats and lives with the soldiers and is very considerate of them. For this reason, the combat effectiveness of the Chuzhou army surpasses that of other armies in Wei.”
Lu Fei nodded. When the two armies were facing each other, Chen Wei’s strategy was correct. If it hadn’t been for the feigned defeat this time, and they had confronted directly, although they could have won completely, their losses would have been significant.
Because these Chuzhou troops fought in a reckless manner, which showed their morale.
“Looking at this, it seems Xiao Han intends to make Chen Wei a scapegoat. Cavalry has always been Prince Wei’s treasure, and with such heavy losses now, Prince Wei will surely assign blame. But no matter what, this is good for us,” Lu Fei slowly said.
Luo Xin then asked, “Are we going to bombard Chuzhou City next?”
“No need. Now that Prince Wei has crammed 130,000 men into a small Chuzhou City, the city’s provisions will inevitably be unsustainable and can only be allocated from other cities. If that’s the case, we will continue to besiege without attacking and simply cut off their supply lines,” Lu Fei said.
Bai Mu had just returned at this time, and he said, “Leave the task of attacking the supply lines to this subordinate.”
From Huaizhou to Jinling City, it was flat terrain, perfect for cavalry to exploit their advantage. He said, “Hmm, you are indeed the most suitable for this task.”
Having finalized the plan to besiege Chuzhou City, Lu Fei had Luo Hong lead a musketeer unit to cut off the main road south of Chuzhou City. In this way, Chuzhou City was completely surrounded by the Southern Expeditionary Army.
Facing the Southern Expeditionary Army’s blatant deployment, no army inside Chuzhou City dared to come out and fight. Xiao Han could only watch helplessly as Chuzhou City became surrounded on all sides.
Seeing this, he immediately sent a carrier pigeon message to Jinling City, hoping for a pincer attack on the Southern Expeditionary Army.
At the same time, Ye Qingyun, with the help of sixteen warships and fifty large merchant ships, loaded soldiers onto the ships during the night. The next day, the fleet sailed directly towards Jinling City along the Yangtze River.
It must be said that this landing in Jinling City was a risky military operation. If this battle succeeded, Jinling City could be taken in one fell swoop, and Prince Wei might even be captured. In that case, the cities of Wei would be like dragons without a leader, easily broken one by one.
However, according to information provided by Li San, Prince Wei had placed most of the cannons purchased from Qingzhou in Jinling City, and there were even musketeers in the city. Compared to other cities, Jinling City was a tough nut to crack.
“Depart!”
At the scheduled time, the warships carrying the Dengzhou army and newly recruited soldiers advanced towards Jinling City. On the flagship’s deck, Ye Qingyun walked to Yue Yun’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder, his gaze somewhat sharp.
Yue Yun smiled upon seeing him. “After two battles, Governor Ye has become much more seasoned.”
“General Yue, you jest. This subordinate merely witnessed Prince Wei’s atrocities in Yangzhou and felt a great deal of sorrow.”
Yue Yun was silent for a moment, then said, “I have also heard about this matter. With the Great Yu Empire crumbling, the common people suffer the most. Precisely for this reason, we should wholeheartedly support His Highness in restoring the legitimacy of the Great Yu Empire.”
Ye Qingyun’s expression was firm. He said, “General Yue speaks well. The great barbarian menace in the north has not yet been removed. It is crucial to resolve the domestic problems of the Great Yu Empire as soon as possible.”
“More than just the barbarians, Great Yu’s true enemy is at sea,” Yue Yun frowned.
“Oh? I wonder what insights General Yue has?”
After receiving Xiao Ming’s order, Yue Yun had come to Tongzhou. At the same time, he left a thousand soldiers stationed in the Sanmyo Kingdom to ensure its safety. He said, “Besides the barbarians, there is also Japan. The current Japan is also equipped with matchlock guns and has been trained by the Dutch. Fighting them will certainly be different from fighting the Great Yu Empire’s vassal princes.”
“Secondly, Western countries beyond Japan are extending their feelers towards the Great Yu Empire. The Dutch have already warned His Highness that a battle will certainly be inevitable then.”
Ye Qingyun shook his head upon hearing this. “The Great Yu Empire is truly beset by misfortunes, and it just so happens to be in a turbulent period. If that’s the case, then it’s even more imperative to stabilize the country sooner.”
Speaking of this, Ye Qingyun realized why Xiao Ming wanted to go straight for Jinling City—it was to end the war in Wei as soon as possible.
Currently, the Great Yu Empire only had the royal bloodline in Wei, Yong, and Qi. All other cities were occupied by vassal princes of different surnames. Only by taking the prosperous Wei and controlling the sources of ore could they acquire the capital to fight for supremacy in the world.
Thinking of this, a glimmer of determination flashed in Ye Qingyun’s eyes.