knife

Chapter 824 Jumping Ship
Just one glance at Zhou Gang's expression sent Cui Cheng's heart plummeting into an abyss.

Things are probably not going well.

Seeing Zhou Gang about to speak, Cui Cheng grabbed him and said, "Let's talk in the car!"

The two boarded Cui Cheng's spacious and luxurious carriage. After the carriage door was tightly closed and the coachman started to drive, Cui Cheng asked, "Is something not going well with the General?"

Zhou Gang sighed, "It's more than just bad luck?"

"A crushing defeat?"

"Commander, it wasn't just that we were defeated in battle, but that our army was completely annihilated in a decisive battle near Anfu Temple, between Danyang County and Liyang County!" Zhou Gang's voice was low and somber.

"How is this possible?" Cui Cheng's voice suddenly became shrill, as if someone had grabbed his throat; it was a natural physiological reaction to extreme surprise or shock. "The General and Na Wei together commanded over a hundred thousand troops, many times more than Jiang Qian's. How could they have been completely annihilated?"

"For some reason, when the General was advancing on Danyang, Na Wei's troops had already been wiped out by Jiang Qian. Jiang Qian then blocked this news, causing the General to misjudge and think that he could still coordinate with Na Wei to attack Jiang Qian from both sides!" Zhou Gang said, "In the end, the enemy took advantage of this. Our army encountered the enemy's main force at Anfu Temple. Due to insufficient food and supplies, we had no choice but to launch a decisive battle. Dozens of generals, including General Chang, were killed in action, and nearly 20,000 were killed or wounded. The rest were all captured!"

With a thud, Cui Cheng's back slammed heavily against the car wall, his face turning deathly pale. His investment had vanished once again, and this was all he had left.

In other words, he went bankrupt.

Now, he can truly say that he has nothing.

After a long silence, Cui Cheng murmured, "I'm afraid Jiang Qian is about to launch a major northern expedition!"

Zhou Gang gave a bitter smile and said, "I just received news that Xiao Zhongren of Moshan in Nanyang has come down the mountain, and his thousands of troops are gathering and reorganizing. I'm afraid they will head north soon. Li Xiu of Xiangfan will probably head north soon as well. Another piece of news is that some of the ships of the Southern Navy have entered the Grand Canal and will also go up the river. Commander, I'm afraid we are really in trouble this time!"

The Eastern Capital is now just an empty shell. It still has tens of thousands of guards, but only those who are in the know know how incompetent they are. Those who were seen on the training ground today are considered elite, and the fact that they were brought before him shows how utterly worthless the rest are.

Cui Cheng felt that there was no need to wait until the enemy was at the city gates; these people would probably scatter like birds and beasts.

"Commander, what do we do next?" Zhou Gang asked, staring at Cui Cheng.

"What should we do?" Cui Cheng smiled bitterly: "It's over, all over! Chang Lei has been defeated, Jiang Qian has gone south, the Eastern Capital is hard to defend, and Chang'an will definitely be unable to hold out. Even if Commander Linghu wins the duel with Li Dachui in the north, his base has been raided, and there is no hope of returning."

Zhou Gang said, "Doesn't that mean that Commander Linghu will inevitably be trapped in places like Shanggu, Yuyang, and the Hetao region? Although these places are fertile, they are still geographically limited, and there is very little room for strategic maneuver!"

Cui Cheng nodded: "Yes, even if Commander Linghu defeats Li Dachui this time, it is only a tactical victory. From a strategic point of view, it is already beyond saving, unless, unless he can completely annihilate Li Dachui in this battle!"

"How is that possible?" Zhou Gang shook his head and said, "I know that Commander Linghu's decision is to send Li Dachui back to the border. Although we have gathered 200,000 infantry and cavalry this time, it is still a long-distance campaign, and the logistical pressure is quite high. The enemy is fighting on their home turf and has strong passes to defend. In addition, they have the morale from the last battle of Boling County. At most, our chances of winning are only 50 or 50. If the news of our defeat gets out, I'm afraid our army will collapse like a house of cards!" "What you said makes a lot of sense!" Cui Cheng sighed sadly.

"So what's our next step?" Zhou Gang took a deep breath. "Commander, we can't just sit here and wait to die, can we? We have to think of something."

Cui Cheng rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, and after a long while he said, "What can we do? Even if we abandon Luoyang and run back to Chang'an, how many days can we live in peace? My Cui family still has more than a thousand people in Luoyang. You can only command a few hundred people at most, right? With such a small number of people, even if they become bandits, they will be weak and powerless and will not amount to anything!"

Silence fell over the carriage.

After a long pause, Zhou Gang finally asked in a low voice, "Will you bring the Cui family back to the main family in Boling?"

Cui Cheng froze, slowly lowered his hands, looked at Zhou Gang, and shook his head, saying, "I can't go back! My second brother and I are already at odds. Even if I shamelessly go back, I will definitely be subjected to the cruelest suppression. General Zhou, in families like ours, the internal struggles are sometimes more intense than the external struggles."

At this point, Cui Cheng suddenly seemed to realize something, "What are your thoughts?"

“Commander, Commander Linghu’s ship is sinking. We need to find a chance to jump ship, otherwise we’ll definitely go down with it!” Zhou Gang said, “You have a whole family, and I have a whole family too. We have to find a way to survive for everyone!”

"Jump ship?"

Zhou Gang nodded: "Let's jump to another boat while we still have some capital!"

"What capital?"

"The Eastern Capital is still in our hands!" Zhou Gang said. "Using the Eastern Capital as our pledge of allegiance might just be the only way we can find another way out!"

"Are you already doing this?" Cui Cheng's eyelids twitched wildly.

Zhou Gang laughed and said, "Commander, in our line of work, we're all intertwined. We all have connections. I do have connections, but I'm just a nobody and my words carry little weight. Even if I wanted to leave, they wouldn't care. Only when someone as important as you, Commander, steps forward can they take it seriously!"

"I fought many battles with them in Nanyang, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. My cousin Cui Haogu is still with Xiao Zhongren, and his fate is unknown."

“Commander, compared to gaining an important city like Luoyang without a fight, what are a few dirty tricks from the past?” Zhou Gang said, “If you still have any doubts, I’ll find a way to bring General Cui Haogu back first, and then we can discuss the next steps of cooperation. What do you think?”

"Will they release Cui Haogu first?" Cui Cheng's eyes lit up. If that were the case, regardless of whether the negotiations succeeded or not, he would not suffer any losses.

"I'll go negotiate!" Zhou Gang said. "Commander, we're in a bad situation right now, we have to take a gamble! What if we succeed? Wouldn't that be like turning a dead end into a bright future?"

(End of this chapter)