Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 263 Return to Xiankong Island

But if they delay any further, it will be obvious that time is not on Wei Qu and the others' side.

The Tatars are ambitious and we have paid a heavy price to feed them, but we have no idea when they will make a comeback, especially when our troops have been on a long expedition and are showing weakness again.

What's even more terrible is that Chen Yunsheng's reinforcements are still coming in an endless stream! Although they are just some grassland tribes, a large number of ants can kill an elephant.

Wei Qu was not a foolish king. On the contrary, he was very clear-headed. Faced with such a bad situation, he could only hold another military meeting in the big tent.

When all the generals arrived, they could see smoke rising from the bronze beast furnace next to them, and there was a faint smell of agarwood.

Wei Qu was half leaning on the dragon-patterned couch, his left half covered with a brocade quilt, his right hand supported on the table with difficulty. The corner of his mouth was slightly crooked, but his eyes were still as sharp as a hawk.

"My dear friends."

Wei Qu's voice was a little vague, but every word was heavy:
"I misjudged the situation this time."

His left hand hung limply, and his right hand slammed heavily on the table:

"I didn't expect that the real threat was not the indecisive idiot Chen Yunsheng in Sansheng City."

The hall was completely silent, with only the sound of Wei Qu's heavy breathing. He raised his right hand with great effort and pointed to the west:
"It turned out to be this reinforcement: the Ye Family Army!"

Tuoba Honglie, the commander of the Xianrui Army, strode out, his armor clanging. The bearded warrior clasped his fists and said:
"Your Majesty, please understand! When I led my army to attack the Ye family army, I found that the chariots were connected by iron chains, and the shafts were equipped with three spikes."

"There are many crossbowmen up there, and their range is obviously longer than the Wild Wolf Crossbows we captured. Our army will have to endure several waves of volleys before they even get close."

"When we got close, the enemy didn't hold out, but quickly retreated into the camp, as slippery as a loach!"

Song Wenhu, the commander of the Killing Army, stepped forward immediately, his left arm wrapped in a bloody bandage, and his voice was hoarse:

"After I led my infantry to break through the chariot formation, I discovered that there were a large number of trenches dug in a crisscross pattern! There were also wooden fences separating the trenches, like a maze."

He gritted his teeth and said, "Our army finally broke through the first line of defense, but was immediately separated by the fence. The crossbowmen on the arrow towers on both sides shot at us from above! They also specifically shot at our officers."

Tuoba Honglie nodded heavily and said:
"That's right. If we have to fight again, our officers must change their uniforms so that they won't be easily identified by the enemy."

Another deputy commander of the Killing Army, Peng Zhuo, said:

"The enemy used a special formation of eight people to fight us. The prisoners said it was called the Mandarin Duck Formation. Each person had his or her own role. In comparison, our single-function five-person formation was completely suppressed."

Song Wenhu said:

"Also, the base of their arrow tower is very solid. The outside is made of wood, but the main structure is made of fine iron. It is extremely difficult to destroy it even if you get close to it."

"Not only that, the bottom of the arrow tower is hollow, with a lot of puncture holes. My personal soldiers rushed up to knock it down, but as soon as they got close, they were stabbed through the heart by the enemy soldiers hiding inside."

After hearing the news, Wei Qu's right hand began to tremble violently and veins bulged.

He stared at the Ye family army's deployment marks on the military map and suddenly started coughing violently. The attendant hurried forward, but he pushed him away with his right hand.

"I never thought that these arrow towers, seemingly harmless, could pose such a big threat?" Wei Qu's voice was filled with disbelief: "They are actually very sturdy!"

Tuoba Honglie wiped the sweat off his face:

"Your Majesty, those arrow towers were built with prefabricated components. They were all erected within two hours after the Ye family army arrived. There are three archers and two crossbowmen on each arrow tower, and there are many protective plates on them, which makes it very disadvantageous to shoot at them."

Song Wenhu added:

"The most annoying thing is their trench layout. It looks chaotic, but it actually hides a secret. Every time our army breaks through one place, we will be caught in a denser fire network. Not only do we have to face the powerful enemy in front of us, but we also have to distract ourselves to deal with the crossbows flying overhead!"

He pointed to his injured left arm:
"I was injured when I broke through the second fence and was targeted by three arrow towers at the same time."

Wei Qu's right hand suddenly clenched the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white. He glanced at the generals in the hall, and saw that many of them were injured. The anger in his eyes gradually turned into solemnity.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly let out a hoarse laugh:
"What a great Ye Yuanjing! I never thought that a place like Sansheng City could quietly recruit so many famous ministers and generals."

The attendant handed over the medicine soup, but Wei Qu pushed it away with his trembling right hand and struggled to stand up. His attendants hurriedly supported him, but a ferocious look appeared on his crooked face:

"Order to hang up the banner of no war. Send another envoy to see King Yong."

The corners of his mouth twitched, revealing a twisted smile:

"Just say that I am willing to discuss important matters with him."

***
At this time, Gong Tianwu was already in Sansheng City.
He said that Ye Yuanjing would take charge of the overall situation, so he would definitely not interfere.

When Gong Tianwu came this time, everyone in the palace was extremely respectful to him, almost placing him on an equal footing with Chen Yunsheng.

Because even the servants understood one thing: after this rescue, the Seventh Prince was already the undisputed Crown Prince and heir to the throne! Even the brothers had to admit this.

At this time, Prince Yong Chen Yunsheng was still waiting for him in the study, and counselors such as Sima Yun and Wei Yong were also present.

As soon as he saw Chen Yunsheng, Gong Tianwu immediately frowned and said:
"Father, you are not in good condition. You need to rest more!"

His words were sincere and came from the bottom of his heart.

After all, apart from family affection, Gong Tianwu also counts on this cheap father to stand in the front and attract attention, so that he can develop quietly.

Chen Yunsheng waved his hands and smiled bitterly:
"The situation has deteriorated to such an extent in the past few days. If you hadn't come, this place would have been a den of ghosts. How could I rest?"

Gong Tianwu smiled and said:
"Then father can take a good rest for a while, because Wei Qu is now in a dilemma. However, given his character, he should be able to make a decision quickly and come for peace talks."

"Negotiation?" Chen Yunsheng's face darkened after hearing this, and he said decisively: "What can I talk to him about? At this point, either he dies or I die!!"

Gong Tianwu smiled and said slowly:
"Among the three elite troops around Wei Qu, half of the Yulin Guards were lost, but the Xiaorui Army and the Shasheng Army are still strong."

"If we risk everything and pay a huge price, we have a chance to keep him here forever, and then what?"

At this time, Gong Tianwu turned his gaze to Sima Yun next to him:
"I've heard that Mr. Sima is good at planning the overall situation. Can you deduce something for me?"

Sima Yun smiled bitterly:

"Seventh Master, you are too kind. Yun is actually not very talented or well-educated."

Gong Tianwu smiled and said:
"I heard that when my elder brother came to Mr. Sima for help, you spoke freely and eloquently. Why do you seem to be so ignorant when you come to me?"

Sima Yun was immediately shocked when he heard this. This kind of thing can't be joked about! He hurriedly said:
"That's not true, but since the Seventh Young Master wants me to talk about it, I'll just talk about it." Sima Yun then came to the side of the map and said:

"First, after hearing the news of Wei Qu's death, Wei Qu's sons will surely immediately fall into a state of division and attack each other in an attempt to fight for the throne."

"But the Tatars will definitely not let go of this opportunity and will definitely send out a large army."

"It was already very difficult to resist the Oirat when Wei Qu was here, let alone in a state of division? Therefore, the Langshan Kingdom is likely to be destroyed quickly."

Gong Tianwu saw that Sima Yun seemed to be about to shut up, and hurriedly said:
"Go on."

Sima Yun smiled bitterly:

"After the Waqir destroyed the Langshan Kingdom, there was a high probability that they would support a puppet regime and let one of Wei Qu's sons take over as a buffer."

Gong Tianwu asked:

"What can we do at this time? Can we take advantage of the situation?"

Sima Yun continued with a wry smile:

"We may not be able to do anything, because if we want to defeat the three powerful armies around Wei Qu, we will definitely be seriously injured and very weak."

Gong Tianwu said:

"Mr. Sima, if you were Yesen (leader) of the Waqar at that time, what would you do?"

Sima Yun sighed:

"I will first urge the puppet regime of Langshan to move south. After all, they have a grudge against us for killing our father, so they must be very motivated to do this."

"We are already seriously injured at this time, and we are exhausted after fighting with the enemy. If the Tatars move south again, it will be very easy for them to deal with us."

Having said this, everyone present looked at Chen Yunsheng next to them.

After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Gong Tianwu and Sima Yun's question and answer were actually a subtle way of admonishing Chen Yunsheng.

Chen Yunsheng snorted and said:

"This matter will be discussed later."

At this time, Chen Yunsheng was the Prince of Yong after all, so he certainly had to save face.

I just said something cruel: either he dies or I die. How inappropriate is it to change my words right away?
***
Three days later,

The Langshan Army set out on their journey home dejectedly.
In order to return home safely, even a monarch as talented and ambitious as Wei Qu had to grit his teeth and give up huge benefits.

It is indeed difficult for Sansheng City to bear the consequences of Wei Qu's death here, but Wei Qu and his trusted generals do not want to die here.

Especially after Gong Tianwu said, "If you can't get it on the battlefield, don't even think about getting it at the negotiating table," the monarch and his ministers of the entire Langshan Kingdom were speechless.

Of course, some are happy while others are sad. After Wei Qu withdrew, Chen Yunsheng immediately raised his butcher knife against several counties that had previously launched "rebellion".

Those smart people who saw the arrival of Wei Qu's army and immediately tried to "restore order" were immediately killed, with rivers of blood flowing and heads rolling.

There is no doubt that Prince Yong's Mansion realized the consequences of rapid expansion and began to enter a phase of strategic contraction, in order to consolidate the territories of the two newly acquired counties.

Of course, the few princes still alive in Prince Yong's mansion also realized the cruelty of expanding territory. Chen Feidi even lost his life and his mother's life for this.
Not everyone can be as successful and at ease as Lao Qi/Qi Ge in the outside world.

After Gong Tianwu returned, he formulated the eight core words "steady and steady progress, development along the river".

At this time, the water volume of the entire Yanzhi River was very abundant, and it had connected more than a dozen cities along the way, forming a golden trade route.

Gong Tianwu's intention was to use the pretext of trade to slowly infiltrate these dozen cities and control their economic lifelines.

People at that time did not understand the power of economic warfare, but Gong Tianwu did.

As for the army, Gong Tianwu gave further instructions: only elite troops are needed! However, he also ordered to start killing horse thieves, mountain bandits, etc.

These guys definitely can't be compared with special forces like the White Robe Army and the Qi Family Army. It's like an adult beating a child.

When these bandits were suppressed, some of them died, and then another part was selected to mine, do hard labor, and become slaves.

The remaining ones who had both ability and family members who were easy to control were gathered together and thrown into a bandit organization called the Black Wind Bandits.

This bandit organization was established almost thirty years ago. After being spotted by Gong Tianwu, it became his tool to do dirty and illicit work.

If they encounter merchants who do not cooperate with or even resist the infiltration of Cui Ji Warehouse, it is time to send out the Black Wind Bandits - at the very least, the goods will be robbed and the farms will be destroyed, and at worst, the families will be broken up and even their own lives will be in danger.

Such behavior targeting businesses instead of the city’s defenders is unlikely to attract the attention of those in power who rule the city.

Even when doing these shady jobs, they may not use the name Black Wind Bandit.

After sorting out these things and getting them on the right track, Gong Tianwu announced to the public that he would follow his master Ming Zhenzi to travel around the world to gain some experience.

As for the foundation, there is not much to worry about. For major matters, a few core members can discuss and make a decision. If there is a disagreement among the core members, it will be even simpler.

Now Gong Tianwu has a wife, so just leave it to the mistress to decide.

Yang Qianmin is not the kind of woman who is kept in seclusion and never goes out of the house.

The inner court business under her jurisdiction was booming, and she herself was already a cultivator at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage, so she could easily manage the situation.

***
Gong Tianwu was very careful to hide his whereabouts when he went out this time. He changed his appearance completely, from a graceful young man to a rough, irritable, and sloppy monk.

Even the identity token for boarding the Xuntian Tower ship was snatched from a casual cultivator he killed out of the blue.

The reason why Gong Tianwu was so careful was because what he was about to do was extremely dangerous, and he would most likely face the search and capture of Fu Sheng Tu again! !
Once it launches the mysterious Wu Chi ritual to pursue the case, what Gong Tianwu does will most likely buy him a few precious days or even months.

For Gong Tianwu, who has been hunted for two lifetimes, any time he can spend in peace and develop is absolutely not too much.

After taking several aimless trips back and forth on the Xuntian Tower ship, Gong Tianwu finally arrived at the old place where he had been before: Xiankong Island.

(End of this chapter)