knife

Chapter 421 What kind of double happiness is this?

Linghu Zhishu was beaming with joy, and he even seemed a little unsteady on his feet.

The reason was simple: a great victory had been won on the battlefield.

Yesterday, under the command of Li Guohua, Linghu's army launched a major attack while Zhang Quanyi's main force was attacking Xingyang. The Luoyang defenders were caught off guard and, with severely insufficient troops, only put up a brief resistance before falling.

Then Li Guohua ambushed Zhang Quanyi's main force, which rushed back to provide support, and defeated it in one fell swoop. Of the 50,000 elite troops that Zhang Quanyi had sent out, only about 10,000 managed to escape, fleeing all the way to Yiyang before shaking off their pursuers.

In this contest, Zhang Quanyi made a wrong judgment.

He believed that Linghu Ye would definitely attack Chang'an first.

After all, Chang'an was home to the Wei clan and the emperor. Taking Chang'an would be equivalent to securing legitimacy, making it much easier to do whatever one wanted.

Under this guiding principle, when Wei Yi lost Hedong County and retreated to Chang'an, Zhang Quanyi chose to take the initiative and attack Xingyang, wanting to expand his strategic depth.

The Qin family of Donghai occupied the position of Yingxiang.

Speaking of which, the Qin family of Donghai was really unlucky.

Previously, the Qin family had been oppressed by the Kou family. After Kou Zhong's death, the Qin family immediately turned against them, seizing a lot of the Kou family's interests. Then, in response to Linghu Ye, they sent troops from the East Sea and advanced all the way to Luoyang.

They saw that Linghuye had a chance of winning the championship, so they decided to take a gamble and try to curry favor with him.

Unexpectedly, the Kou family of Pengcheng had no shame and surrendered to the State of Chu, which lured the Chu army to advance rapidly. As a result, the Chu army wiped out the undefended Donghai Commandery.

Having lost their home, the Qin family could only hold out in Xingyang. Naturally, they could not afford to lose this territory they had seized.

When Zhang Quanyi came to seize it, Qin fought back desperately.

Both sides fought fiercely in Xingyang, while Li Guohua's side took advantage of the situation to launch an attack.

Enraged by his strategic miscalculation, Zhang Quanyi lost his footing and made a series of mistakes. He was outmaneuvered by Li Guohua, and tens of thousands of elite troops were wiped out. They fled in disarray to Yiyang.

Thus, the Zhang Quanyi military group, which once dominated the region, was essentially brought to an end. Although it was still alive, the small city of Yiyang was sandwiched between the Linghu Group and the He Zudao Group, and was now insignificant and dispensable.

Whether he can hold on or not depends on the reactions of Linghu Ye and He Zudao.

From being able to influence the world, sit at the table and divide up the land, to losing everything, it only took a few short months.

The Qin family of Donghai, which was once a powerful force, suffered a severe blow when their stronghold was raided and they were brutally beaten by Zhang Quanyi. As a result, they lost their right to be Linghu Ye's ally.

Being an ally also requires strength.

Linghu Ye killed two birds with one stone: he captured Luoyang and weakened the Qin family.

What pleased Li Guohua even more was that the defeat of Zhang Quanyi was so smooth that several large granaries, including Luozhong Granary, were successfully taken over.

That place contains enough food to supply an army of over a million for two years.

This is the key to winning the world!
"Congratulations, Brother Linghu!" Upon meeting, He Zudao immediately offered his congratulations.

"General, congratulations! Congratulations!" Linghu Zhishu's eyes and brows were full of joy. "I just received a letter from Uncle Li. The army from Henan will soon enter Tongguan and head straight for Chang'an. He wanted me to ask the General if he would be interested in joining the hunt in Chang'an?"

He Zudao burst into laughter.

The phrase "hunting" is just a euphemism; it's a way of telling someone to resign and admit defeat!

They've only occupied Luoyang; they haven't taken Chang'an yet!

He Zudao shook his head.

Chang'an also has the shrewd and calculating Wei Zhengdao, as well as hundreds of thousands of troops. And beyond the Qinling Mountains, Shu Commandery will undoubtedly spare no effort to support Chang'an in order to weaken Linghu Ye's strength.

What makes you, Linghu Ye, so confident that you have victory in your grasp?

Don't forget, Li Dachui's Beiting Protectorate is watching you closely from behind!

The Northern Yuan has split into three, constantly fighting each other. Perhaps in less than two years, Li Dachui will bring the Northern Yuan to its end. When that time comes, the Northern cavalry will march south, and Hedong and Hexi will be the first to be hit. If you can't even protect your home base, how can you talk about fighting for the world?
Do you really think I'm ignorant of the ways of the world?
In my opinion, not to mention the Great Chu, even Li Dachui's situation was much better than Linghu Ye's after he took over Shu County.

Linghu Ye is getting anxious!
If they could join forces with him, they would certainly have a significant advantage.

But why should he be the main focus and I be the secondary one?
Can't I be the master for once?
"Brother Linghu, today is truly a day of double celebration!" He Zudao pointed to the banquet in front of him: "Today's feast is not only to celebrate General Li Guohua's capture of Luoyang, but also to celebrate that our eight southern garrisons have finally avenged their humiliation and recovered their lost territory!"

Linghu Zhishu's smile vanished instantly.

"This very morning, while I was still asleep, magpies were chirping loudly outside my window. I knew then that good news was coming, but I never imagined it would be double happiness!" He Zudao laughed loudly. "Feng Kuan sent a report of victory. He led his troops to Fancheng yesterday and, after a fierce battle, recaptured Fancheng, which had been lost for several years. He killed thousands of Chu cavalrymen, and even the governor of Yong'an County of Chu was killed by us. Hahaha! Xiangfan is back together, and the gateway between the north and south is once again under the control of our eight southern towns!"

Linghu Zhishu took a deep breath, a smile returning to his face, and repeatedly congratulated He Zudao, though inwardly he felt deep regret. He Zudao was right; the recapture of Fancheng was of paramount importance to the Eight Garrisons of the South.

Previously, the Chu army held Fancheng, which made it very convenient for them to attack the eight southern towns, putting He Zudao in an extremely passive position in this game.

The recapture of Fancheng meant that, while the eight southern garrisons were not evenly matched with the Chu state, they were at least no longer as passively attacked as they had been in the past.

They have more leverage to negotiate.

Because the State of Chu was well aware that once He Zudao truly sided entirely with Linghu Ye, with Linghu Ye's full support, the struggle in the south would once again become evenly matched.

Therefore, they will inevitably increase their stakes to persuade He Zudao to surrender.

Correspondingly, the price Linghu Group would have to pay to persuade He Zudao would be even greater.

And it might not even work.

What was supposed to be a wedding banquet turned into a dull and unpleasant experience for Linghu Zhishu.

How can it be?

how can that be possible!
Lin Hong, the governor of Yong'an Commandery, was no nobody, but a highly capable minister of the Chu state. Yong'an Commandery was garrisoned with tens of thousands of troops to deal with the situation in Xiangfan.

How could Feng Kuan, a mere brute, possibly kill someone like Lin Hong?
Unless Lin Hong wants to commit suicide!

There might be a reason here that I don't know.

That's too bizarre.

As Linghu Zhishu slowly walked back, a cold wind blew and he felt a chill. Suddenly, he remembered someone and stopped in his tracks.

Li Dachui!
After seizing Shu County, that guy disappeared without a trace. He was neither in Shu County nor returned to Beiting. Where did he go?

Given the past pattern that wherever this guy appears, something earth-shattering must happen, could the death of Lin Hong in Chu be related to him?
Linghu Zhishu thought about it more and more and found it to make sense.

Killing Lin Hong would throw Yong'an into chaos, inevitably affecting the situation in Xiangfan. If Fancheng were in turmoil, Feng Kuan would have the opportunity to recapture it, thus giving He Zudao enough leverage to resist Linghu in the north and Chu in the south, making the world situation even more chaotic.

What is Li Dachui afraid of now?
Isn't it just that they're afraid the major powers within the pass will quickly seize control of the situation?
As a result, the food in the remote Beiting Protectorate was eaten up before it even reached the table.

Therefore, he needs He Zudao, this troublemaker, to keep the situation in chaos.

We must find out exactly how Lin Hong died!

Linghu Zhishu firmly believed that Li Dachui should be within the territory of Chu at present.

We can inform Chu Guo Tianluo of this message through certain channels!
Moreover, Linghu Zhishu finally understood He Zudao during this time.

There's no need to waste your energy on this person.
He Zudao will never turn back until he's completely cornered. Even if there's an impenetrable wall in front of him, he'll most likely still think about getting a chisel and drilling a hole to get through.

Instead of wasting time on him, it's better to turn your attention to his subordinates.

Once He Zudao's momentum declines, he can persuade them to turn back.

In addition, Zhang Quanyi of Yiyang can now be persuaded to surrender.

This person was at his wit's end, and unlike He Zudao, he still had a chance to persuade him.

Linghu Zhishu could guess with a high degree of accuracy what this person was worried about.

He decided to make a trip to Yiyang.

In Yiyang City, Zhang Quanyi looked extremely haggard. Just a few months ago, he was a triumphant and powerful figure who commanded the local chieftains. In the blink of an eye, he was trapped in a small county, with no way forward and pursuers behind him, in an embarrassing situation.

"Your Highness, there are hundreds more deserters today!" Yan Su walked in, sporting large dark circles under his eyes.

When they first arrived in Yiyang, they had more than 10,000 troops. However, Yiyang was a small place and did not have much reserves. How could they cope with the consumption of more than 10,000 troops?
When logistical supplies are insufficient and the future is bleak with no hope in sight, desertion naturally occurs.

"Let them run away if they want. We can't support them now anyway!" Zhang Quanyi said dejectedly. "They've followed me for so long, after all. This failure has nothing to do with them. If they can still make a living after leaving, then let them leave!"

"Your Highness, if this trend is allowed to spread, I fear that within a month, your troops will be completely exhausted and unable to fight."
"!" he said seriously and anxiously, Zhang Quanyi's dejection far exceeded his expectations.

“Even if they all stay, what can we do?” Zhang Quanyi waved his hand: “Yan Su, you go ahead, I’m tired and want to rest.”

Looking at the wine jar beside Zhang Quanyi, Yan Su sighed and retreated with a sense of helplessness.

The tide has turned, what can be done?
In fact, the path facing Zhang Quanyi was already very clear: three paths.

Firstly, what's the point of this?
Secondly, he joined Linghuye!
Thirdly, go to hell!
(End of this chapter)