klisemfg Chapter 222: Attacking from both sides and defeating the enemy
Chapter 222: Attacking from both sides and defeating the enemy
The prince returned to his chambers, but before he could even sit down, a eunuch hurried in to report, "Your Highness, the Emperor just woke up and learned that the treasury was completely depleted. He nearly fainted again!"
Upon hearing this, the prince's face changed suddenly, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a "bang", breaking into several pieces.
He stood up suddenly, his voice a little panicked: "How is Father now?"
The eunuch bowed his head and replied, "The imperial physician has already administered acupuncture to the emperor, temporarily stabilizing his condition. However... His Royal Highness the Second Prince suddenly entered the palace with a large amount of gold and silver, claiming it was the Empress's mother's family's savings, and he was willing to donate it all to the court to alleviate the urgent need. The emperor was delighted and immediately ordered the Second Prince to be regent, responsible for the disaster relief efforts in all directions."
After hearing this, the prince's face changed instantly. He now finally understood why his father suddenly asked the second prince to be regent.
"Haha! He's so eager. Does he really think that paying out money can change the emperor's opinion?"
The counselor was confused by his words, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
The prince smiled but said nothing. Since Yuan Cheng could produce that much silver, wouldn't that tell his father that his mother's family had many good things, comparable to the national treasury? I'm afraid his father would be pleased with it, but he didn't mention the fear in his heart.
If Yuan Cheng really gets through this difficult time, his ending will probably not be good. He is still too impatient.
Seeing the Crown Prince remained silent, the counselor tactfully refrained from further discussing the topic. Instead, he suggested, "Your Highness, the Emperor is furious with you, and the current situation is extremely unfavorable to us. Shouldn't we consider some other solutions?"
"Another way?" The prince murmured, "Tell me about it."
The counselor's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, the future is not determined by money."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his fist and said meaningfully, "We'll have to look at this."
Upon hearing this, the prince's pupils shrank slightly, and his voice suddenly turned cold: "What do you mean by this?"
The counselor took a step closer and lowered his voice, "Your Highness, although the Second Prince has gold and silver, he does not hold the military power in the court. Why don't we take advantage of this time when everyone is ignoring the Prince of Zhennan and General Qin to show some concern for them...!"
"Win over the two of them?"
The counselor nodded, his tone firm, "That's right. Your Highness, the situation has now reached a point of life and death. If you hesitate any longer, I'm afraid... I'm afraid the position of crown prince will change hands."
The Crown Prince's gaze gradually grew sharper. He slowly stood up, his voice low and cold, "The Emperor is already wary of the military power of these two. You're asking me to approach them now because you're afraid that he might suspect I'm plotting to usurp the throne!"
Upon hearing this, the counselor immediately knelt on the ground and shouted "I dare not".
The prince didn't even look at him, "Get out!"
The counselor staggered to his feet and quickly walked out of the bedroom.
The prince looked at the sky in the distance and said meaningfully: "Instead of winning them over, it would be better to find that person!"
Separately, Yan Wanwan galloped to the border, the clatter of hooves like thunder, the dust rising in the air. She leaped onto the city wall, her gaze sweeping outside like a hawk. She saw the Northern Di vanguard encamped densely, their banners fluttering, drums beating. They were barely a kilometer from the city gates, like a ferocious beast poised to pounce on the isolated city at any moment.
Inside the city, the defenders wore solemn expressions. Having been out of food and fodder for days, their strength was gradually failing, and their morale was dwindling. On the city walls, the soldiers' hands gripping their spears trembled slightly, their eyes filled with exhaustion and despair.
Yan Wanwan suddenly turned around and said coldly to the generals guarding the city behind him: "Give me a thousand soldiers."
The general defending the city was stunned and said hesitantly: "County Master, are you going to..."
Yan Wanwan's eyes turned cold, and her voice was as cold as ice: "Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."
The general defending the city was intimidated by her aura and quickly bowed his head and replied, "Yes, I will arrange it right away."
At night, the moonlight was hazy, the wind was cold, and the flickering flames on the city walls reflected the tense faces of the soldiers.
Yan Wanwan ordered the defenders to stand at the city gates and shout insults at the Northern Di general, using harsh language and resorting to extreme humiliation. The Northern Di army was indeed enraged, and they gathered at the city gates to respond with shouts, the sound of war drums shaking the earth.
The general defending the city felt a chill down his spine. In his opinion, this behavior was tantamount to seeking death.
But since Yan Wanwan gave the order, they had to obey, but the voices of their challenge were inexplicably filled with guilt and panic.
"Haven't you eaten yet? Speak louder!" Yan Wanwan gave an order, her voice as cold as a knife.
The soldiers' scalps suddenly felt numb, and they immediately shouted with all their might. The sound was like a wave, shaking the bricks and stones on the city wall as if they were trembling.
Seeing this, Yan Wanwan raised the corners of her lips slightly and nodded with satisfaction.
She turned and walked down the city wall, her figure quickly disappearing into the night.
The generals defending the city couldn't help but wonder: Where did she go? Could she have run away?
In an instant, he was shocked and shook his head repeatedly, comforting himself: No, no, if she dares to escape, the emperor will never forgive her.
At this time, Yan Wanwan was taking advantage of the darkness and personally led a thousand elite soldiers to quietly go around the rear of the enemy.
Her eyes were sharp and she waved her hand, "Action!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the soldiers acted quickly, sneaking into the Beidi army's granary like ghosts, and emptied out all the food and grass in a moment.
"County Lady, the move is complete." A soldier reported in a low voice.
Yan Wanwan immediately took out a torch. The light reflected on her charming smile, but it also revealed a chilling coldness: "Okay, let's add more fire to Beidi."
A stick of incense later, deafening shouts erupted from the Northern Di army: "Fire! Come and put out the fire!"
Flames shot up into the sky and the enemy camp was instantly engulfed in a sea of fire, with thick smoke billowing and flames engulfing everything.
The Northern Di soldiers were in a panic and fled in all directions, and the entire camp was in chaos.
Yan Wanwan, who had already evacuated the enemy camp, immediately raised his hand and fired a flare into the sky. Upon seeing this, the defenders in the city quickly opened the city gates and rushed out.
The Northern Di army was attacked from both front and back and was immediately thrown into chaos.
Even though their generals took command on the spot and tried to stabilize the situation, the soldiers were unable to gather into a formation, and their generals could only rage helplessly in the chaos.
In an instant, Yan Wanwan appeared behind the army, holding a long spear like a dragon, flashing with cold light. Wherever it passed, the enemy fell down one after another.
Before the Northern Di general could react, Yan Wanwan shot him off his horse and killed him on the spot.
"The general is dead!"
"Run, run!"
The Northern Di army was leaderless and fled in panic.
The soldiers at the border took the opportunity to block their way and eventually captured them all. For a while, the cries of surrender and begging for mercy were endless.
The soldiers defending the city looked at the corpse of the Northern Di general in disbelief, "We won?"
"Yes, General, we won!"
The soldiers shouted loudly, and their suppressed emotions were instantly dissipated. Not only did they win, but they could also survive.
The large army behind the Northern Di saw the flames rising from the front from afar and immediately sent people to check, but found that the vanguard army had been wiped out. They were immediately frightened and quickly retreated dozens of miles, not daring to act rashly again.