klisemfg Chapter 375: A Trapped Beast's Fight, the Yunzhou Army Approaches Xueyue City (2)
Chapter 375: A Trapped Beast's Fight, the Yunzhou Army Approaches Xueyue City (2)
After dealing with the scouts sent by Lu Tingen, he lazily lay on the roof, looking towards the southwest and said nonchalantly:
"Xiao Baili, your cousin wants to ask you a question. If... I mean if..."
Baili Dongjun was still holding the piece of brown paper with the road from Xueyue City to Yunzhou Camp drawn on it. Upon hearing this, Baili Dongjun looked at Wen Yanzhao in confusion:
"What if?"
Wen Yanzhao paused, looked at Baili Dongjun who was full of confusion, put away his previous casualness and said seriously:
"Grandpa Baili's military is at its peak right now. It would only take a moment for him to destroy Lu Tingen of Yunzhou. If that happens, most of the southwest, southeast, and world will be under Grandpa Baili's rule. If one day our Wen family and your Baili family really manage to snatch Beili from Xiao Chongjing, what are your plans?"
These words were like thunder exploding in Baili Dongjun's mind. This ending was something he had never imagined.
Now that Luo Shui has handed over a small town of Xueyue with a population of over 100,000 to him, he is already overwhelmed with what to do, and this is even with the help of Sikong Changfeng and Luo He.
If Grandpa really led his army to capture Tianqi and seize the throne of Beili, I would become the only designated heir of Beili!
Baili Dongjun has always been a free and unrestrained person. He is content with a sword and wine in his hands and brothers by his side. The idea of conquering the world makes him feel very restrained, not to mention the intrigues and sinister hearts he has experienced in the past few years since he entered the martial arts world.
If it weren't for Wen Yanzhao, Li Changsheng, and the protection of the old marquis, it would have been difficult for him to deal with it easily by himself.
After being stunned for a while, Baili Dongjun discarded the piece of brown paper and sat back next to Wen Yanzhao. He took a big gulp from the wine gourd and said slowly:
"I am the little tyrant of Qiandong City. What does the world have to do with me? Besides, doesn't Beili still have most of the world? The Xiao family has been established for over a hundred years and has a deep foundation. Even if they lost the southeast, southwest, and southwest, they still have nearly a million troops..."
"Grandpa is already over seventy years old. To be honest, I'm very worried about him. Rather than conquering the world, I would rather be by his side. In his free time, I'd rather let him taste the wine I brew and see my new swordsmanship."
"The world? The world is too bold. Compared to the world, I would rather be a wine immortal who travels around the world! I can't even handle the Lord of Xueyue City, let alone the world!"
After hearing his cousin's words, Wen Yanzhao blinked and thought to himself: "Little Baili is just as I expected. His youthful nature has never changed. Whatever. If the Baili clan conquers the world, won't he still be my uncle..."
Thinking of this, Wen Yanzhao laughed out loud and said, "Good wine fairy Baili Dongjun, drink today and enjoy the wine today. I won't put any pressure on you anymore. Let's finish the current matter first!"
After saying that, Wen Yanzhao took the wine gourd from Baili Dongjun's hand and took a big sip. It was his first time to taste Peach Blossom Moonfall and Wen Yanzhao couldn't help but praise it:
"Such a strong floral scent, Xiao Baili, is this the Peach Blossom Moonfall that Master Gu Chen mentioned?"
Baili Dongjun glanced at Wen Yanzhao with a hint of disdain, snatched the wine gourd and drank the rest in one gulp:
"Yes, it's Master's Peach Blossom Moonfall!"
After drinking the wine, the two brothers jumped down from the top of Tongtian Tower and rushed back to the City Lord's Pavilion under the cover of night.
But the two of them did not notice that at the west gate of Xiaguan City, a tall and thin man with a wretched appearance was touching the wall to avoid the sight of the night watchman at the gate and fled towards Yunzhou.
……
Two days later, outside Yunzhou City, Lu Tingen’s camp.
Inside the central army tent, scout Lu Jiu, who had fled all the way from Xueyue City in a panic, knelt on the ground covered in thorns.
His forehead and cheeks were covered with wounds caused by branches and rocks, and there were some scabs and blood on them.
In the tent, Lu Tingen had a calm expression. On the desk was a piece of rough linen, on which was drawn a rough outline of the route from Xueyue City to Yunzhou with charcoal.
"General, Xu Kaishan and I were originally traveling together. After going through countless hardships, we finally found a shortcut at the foot of Cangshan Mountain! After traveling for three days and two nights, we were extremely hungry when we entered the city. Xu Kaishan went out to find food, but he didn't come back after a whole night..."
"I figured he must have met with misfortune, so I quickly slipped out of the city, eating wild fruits and tree bark along the way, and then rushed back to report to the general!"
Lu Tingen nodded and turned to the chief clerk standing on the left side of the tent and said:
"Lu Jiu has been rewarded with two hundred taels for his intelligence report and sent to the Quartermaster General's Office for recuperation... As for Xu Kaishan, if he doesn't return to the camp within five days, his family will be treated as dead in battle and given generous compensation!"
Upon hearing this, the chief clerk bowed and replied, "General, you are kind and virtuous. I will do it right away!" Lu Jiu also kowtowed repeatedly, thanked him profusely, and followed the chief clerk out of the tent.
Lu Tingen picked up the linen with the map on it, looked at it for a while, and murmured:
"I never imagined that Xueyue City is only about 300 miles away from Yunzhou. Across Cangshan Mountain is Xiaguan City. Hidden between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, I've never even set foot there in the decades I've been stationed in Yunzhou!"
"Thanks to your Majesty's great blessing, I, Lu Tingen, have the honor of finding a shortcut to break through the city today. Your Majesty, I, Lu Tingen, will certainly live up to your kindness. Once I capture the city and Baili Luochen's only grandson, the southwestern half of the country will be stable!"
After saying this, he gathered up the sackcloth, stuffed it into his breastplate, and shouted outside the tent, "Where is the halberd bearer?"
Hearing the commander's call, the two tall, halberd-bearing guards outside the door quickly stepped into the tent and half-knelt on the ground:
"The general is here!"
Lu Tingen picked up the copper helmet hanging on the wooden armor rack and put it on his head firmly, his eyes firm as he said:
"Pass on my order. All the Feather Guards, the Divine Horse Battalion, the Thousand Households of the Border Army Camp, and the Lieutenant Generals shall line up in front of the camp gate!"
The halberd bearers stood up at the same time and said, "Yes!"
Two hours later, Lu Tingen had completed the deployment of his troops.
Since this route was mostly rugged mountain roads, the cavalry of Ju Lingwei and Shenjuying could not pass smoothly, so he sent more than 6,000 elite border troops who were good at field combat to set out from the northwest of Yunzhou and set off immediately along the route reported by the scouts.
After the Battle of Sanqipu, the number of Julingwei and Shenjuying was less than 20,000. Apart from the troops left behind in Yunzhou City, he dispatched more than 10,000 of them to set out from the main road of Yunzhou City. In order to avoid being intercepted by the Pofeng Army led by Baili Luochen, he deliberately bypassed the pass between Yunzhou and Shuzhong and approached Xueyue City.
However, this road is more than 200 miles farther than the shortcut reported by Lu Jiu. Fortunately, the Shenju Camp is composed of cavalry. As long as there are no dangers on the road, they will definitely be able to reach the foot of Xueyue City before the arrival of more than 6,000 border troops!
The order was given and the Yunzhou camp quickly assembled. The soldiers from each camp prepared their weapons in an orderly manner and set out in a mighty procession before sunset.
By the time Lu Tingen personally led the Shenju Camp to leave Yunzhou territory, the defenders of Yunzhou City were less than 10,000 people, and most of them were old, weak and disabled soldiers.
In order to quickly capture Xueyue City and capture Baili Dongjun to threaten Baili Luochen, Lu Tingen went all out in the city!
Having served in the army for many years, he is not stupid and he resorted to this desperate measure out of helplessness.
Outside the city, Luo Chen's 190,000 Pofeng troops were watching covetously. He was no match for them at all. If he didn't come up with a surprise plan, he would have no chance of winning!
Ever since Xiao Chongjing issued the imperial decree asking him to capture Xueyue City, this has been his only choice!
At this time, Lu Tingen, who was galloping on his horse, kept praying in his heart, hoping that he could win the bet this time, but the god of fate did not seem to favor him.
Just as the last cavalryman of the Divine Horse Camp disappeared from sight, Ye Dingzhi also jumped down from the Xuanyuan cypress tree that was more than forty or fifty feet tall!
Under the tree, Baili Chengfeng, wearing armor and riding on his horse, asked with a smile, "Are they all gone?"
Ye Dingzhi also smiled and said: "After leaving, Yunzhou City is now no different from an empty city!"
Baili Chengfeng looked in the direction where Lu Tingen's Divine Horse Camp had departed and said with a playful smile, "Lu Tingen can be considered a good general. Besides your father and the old marquis, the only other famous general in the world is this Marquis of Yunzhou!"
"But what I can't understand is why he would make such a foolish move. Could it be that he abandoned the city and fled to Tianqi City to find the old emperor?"
Ye Dingzhi mounted his warhorse and said with a hint of worry, "I don't think so! He's most likely going after Dongjun!"
Baili Chengfeng was shocked when he heard this: "Dongjun? Dongjun is in the northwest?"
Ye Dingzhi nodded: "That's right. Last time we parted, I heard Dongjun tell me that he wanted to go to a city called Xueyue. This city is a rare paradise between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake!"
After hearing this, Baili Chengfeng seemed to understand: "Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake? Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake are just over 200 miles to the northwest. Why would Dongjun go to that city?"
Ye Dingzhi shook his head and said, "He just said he was going with Mr. Li, but he didn't tell me why. I suspect Lu Tingen got some information and is definitely going to surround Xueyue City and cause trouble for Dongjun, and then use this to threaten the old marquis to lift the siege of Yunzhou City!"
……