knife

Chapter 144 This person is incompetent

"I disagree!" Lenger stood up angrily, looked at Shaliewen sitting at the head of the table, and said sternly, "When the Second Prince left, he repeatedly instructed us to be careful and not to provoke border conflicts. His Highness has only been gone for a few days, and you have already disregarded his orders?"

Some of the generals inside the room lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into Lenger's fiery eyes.

"Who is Xiao Changche? Moreover, now that he has a powerful figure like Li Dachui as his ally, we are afraid that we are not strong enough to defend ourselves. How dare you think of raiding his stronghold? You really don't know the meaning of death!"

Lengge roared in the hall, and Shaliewen flew into a rage, kicking over the large table in front of him. He pulled out a gold medal from his waist and shouted, "Lengge, look carefully! This is a gold medal bestowed upon me by Yandu, authorizing me to temporarily lead the troops along the Qingtongxia Wild Boar Ridge line, with the authority to act as I see fit. Now sit down, and I might consider that you are a veteran general and that you are discussing the feasibility of sending troops with me, rather than deliberately defying me."

Lenger sneered and kicked over the chair behind him. "Just because you have power doesn't mean you can issue orders. What can you do to me if I don't obey?"

"Men, seize him!" Shaliewen drew his sword with a clang, pointed it at Lengge, and roared.

Inside the room, several generals stepped forward.

However, on Lengge's side, a dozen or so people suddenly stood up, their hands on their sword hilts, coldly watching Shaliewen and his group. Some of the generals inside the room lowered their heads, while a few others, who were obviously newcomers, looked curiously this way and that way.

Charlevin took a deep breath; the harsh reality had dealt him a heavy blow.

Just because he holds power doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants.

Lengge has held great power for many years, and most of the generals in Qingtongxia are Tiele confidants. If things really get out of hand, he will probably be the one to suffer in the end.

A label of incompetence is bound to be placed on one's head.

“Lengge, you know how much humiliation Xiao Changche has caused our Great Yuan. Right now, his main force is still in Baoping Prefecture, and Yuan’an is vulnerable. We can take revenge. Moreover, because of their internal strife, Linghu Ye has given us a lot of convenience. There won’t be a second chance like this!” He tried hard to persuade Lengge.

“To start a war, there must be a clear strategic or tactical objective. If it’s just for saving face or to avenge certain people, I will never agree to it!” Lenger said coldly.

Shalievin was speechless. He couldn't very well say that the purpose of this war was to help the Third Prince gain military merits so that he could lay a good foundation for the Third Prince to personally guard the frontier and seize military power, could he?
"Alright, Lenger, you can stay if you want!" Shalievin said no more. He looked around at the other generals in the room: "Anyone else objecting? Stand up!"

There was silence in the house.

Shaliewen nodded in satisfaction. After all, the army of Qingtongxia was still the army of the Great Yuan, and only about a third of them obeyed the orders of the Tiele.

"Lengge, you stay behind with your troops to guard Qingtongxia. Three days later, I will lead the main army to attack Yuan'an!" Shaliewen said coldly, "Some things can be discussed properly after this battle!"

Lenger glared angrily at everyone in the room, then turned and strode away, followed by a dozen generals.

After years of peace, war has reignited in the northern border region.

Old Wu was curled up on the top of the watchtower, snoring. Spring had arrived, the sun was languid, and people just felt unwell, wanting nothing more than to sleep. Tian Xiaoyu, who was on guard duty with him, was visibly nervous, as it was her first time being so close to the enemy. She stood there staring intently at the watchtower opposite, as if the enemy might pounce at any moment.

"Little Fish, you've been standing here for ages, sit down and rest for a bit!" Old Wolf Wu patted the other man's trouser leg helplessly. "What's so interesting about those old guys over there? I'm sick of seeing them these past few months. They're just like us, standing guard here when it's their turn. Otherwise, they're just farmers carrying hoes. We all know them very well. Last year when there was a heavy snowfall, they had nothing to eat and even came to us for food!"

“Today is different! The people who came are all dressed differently!” Tian Xiaoyu said.

Upon hearing this, Wu Laolang immediately stood up and looked at the other side.

A shed, which can accommodate two or three people, is built on a tall wooden frame. Such watchtowers are placed at intervals along the border between the two sides. At the front line, both sides can hear each other if they shout a few times.

"You son of a bitch, something's not right!" Old Wolf Wu gasped.

"Those guys who just arrived weren't sentries!" Old Wolf Wu suddenly cried out in pain, "They're damned Yuan scouts!"

He grabbed the pole and slid down, shouting, "Little fish, little fish, run! The Yuan army's scouts are coming!"

What are the scouts doing here?
They were there to clear obstacles and gather information for the army.

Wu Laolang, who was far more experienced than Tian Xiaoyu, immediately realized that things had gone wrong.

Two horses were tied down at the foot of the watchtower. Two men slid down from the roof, mounted the horses, and rode off.

While running, Wu Laolang didn't forget to pull out a bamboo tube from his body, light it with a tinderbox, and set off a firework with a bang.

The sound of horses' hooves was urgent behind him. Old Wolf Wu turned around and glanced back, feeling the hairs on his body stand on end.

"Little Fish, you saved my life! I'll give you the Second Sister when we get back!" Old Wolf Wu roared. If Tian Xiaoyu hadn't been watching the other side and noticed the new situation, they probably wouldn't have escaped. Running a little earlier or a little later could make all the difference between heaven and hell.

Undeterred by the odds, the two galloped away on horseback.

Some of the Qin army outposts scattered along the border were able to withdraw in time, while others were caught off guard by a Yuan army outpost and were left forever on that wilderness.

"Shaliewen is here, several days later than we expected!" Li Dachui was very dissatisfied. "Our troops have wasted a lot of money and supplies waiting outside these past few days. That bastard is incompetent; he only brought out half the troops, and he can't command the other half at all. They're just stuck in Qingtongxia with Lengge and haven't moved an inch. Our plan has to be changed. What do you think we should do?"

Xiao Changche stared at the small flag on the sand table in front of him.

Eagles circled and soared in the air, making the enemy's troop deployment completely invisible to them.

This battle was the first battle fought after the establishment of the Anxi Protectorate. Whether it was Xiao Changche or Li Dachui, they both wanted a good start.

Having won this battle, the Anxi Protectorate was officially established outside the Great Wall.

If we could take advantage of the Tiele's absence and the internal strife within Qingtongxia to severely damage the Yuan army, that would be the best outcome.

Xiao Changche originally intended to lure out all the Yuan troops in Qingtongxia, then pin them down in Yuan'an City, and then send another army to sweep through the villages and towns around Qingtongxia.

By destroying the foundation that the Tiele had painstakingly built over many years, and then annihilating the Yuan army pinned down in Yuan'an, the opponent could no longer hold out in Qingtongxia.

If we can seize Qingtongxia while we have the chance, that would be a great joy.

Without Qingtongxia, Yezhuling naturally could not gain a foothold, thus completely breaching the front line of defense and forcing the Yuan army to retreat.

As a result, even Linghu Ye was forced to passively enter into this situation, because with the Yuan army making such a move, it was impossible for them to only guard against Xiao Changche and truly let Linghu Ye go unchecked.

What if Linghuye suddenly goes crazy and makes a move?

It is even possible that the Yuan army, in order to reverse its disadvantage on the western front, launched a counterattack in the direction defended by Linghuye's Andong Protectorate.

And this is exactly what Xiao Changche wanted most.

Linghu Ye, you don't want to fight, do you? Then I'll find a way to make you fight whether you want to or not.

Once war breaks out, how it develops becomes unpredictable; it cannot be ended at the whim of either side.

The outbreak of war had little impact on Xiao Changche, as he had been actively preparing for war, and the entire Anxi Protectorate was in a state of war.

But the impact on Linghu Ye would be much greater. If this situation really develops, Linghu Ye will inevitably suffer losses in the early stages, because this old guy is single-mindedly trying to make peace with Beiyuan and send troops into the pass at the right opportunity. Now that Beiyuan has suddenly attacked, if he doesn't handle it well, he will be dragged into the abyss.

Linghu Ye's failure is the best opportunity for Li Dachui and Xiao Changche.

As strength ebbs and flows, the forces outside the Great Wall will make new choices, and different voices will emerge regarding public sentiment and even within the military.

It should be noted that more than 80% of the 100,000 troops stationed outside the Great Wall were locals.

“If Lengge doesn’t move, clearing Qingtongxia will be a pipe dream!” Xiao Changche said disappointedly. “Then let’s settle for second best and keep Shaliewen’s entire force here! Da Chui, you take Gu Xiaoman’s troops and, after the war breaks out, head straight for Qingtongxia to threaten Lengge and prevent him from sending reinforcements! Although Lengge and Shaliewen are at odds, he won’t joke about national affairs. Once he finds that Shaliewen is in trouble, he will definitely think of coming to his aid. You should try your best to hold him off.”

“No problem!” Li Dachui nodded.

“Summer Solstice!” Xiao Changche’s gaze fell on Xia Zhi.

“Yes!” Xia Zhi stepped forward and replied.

"You lead your thousand heavy infantrymen and form a defensive line against the city walls. Xiao Dongwei will command the defense from the top of the walls, providing support from above and below. Keep Shaliewen pinned down!" Xiao Changche said. "Fang Xiaomao and I will flank Shaliewen from the left and right at the right time, surrounding him beneath Yuan'an City. You are the key to this battle! To lure the enemy into a trap, Fang Xiaomao and I will keep our cavalry at a considerable distance, and to maintain sufficient fighting strength, it will take at least half a day for us to arrive!"

"Yes, sir!" Xiao Dongwei and Xia Zhi, who were called upon, both responded loudly.

"Any other questions?" Xiao Changche looked around. "No, then everyone can prepare."

(End of this chapter)