Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 408 Split into Two Groups (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Screech—"

In the cold October wind, countless vultures circled over Longnan, emitting low cries as they stared intently at the mountains and ravines below.

Countless soldiers drowned in Longmen Gorge. After the defeat, the four thousand vanguard of the Western Army in Shannan were used by Zhang Wu to launch a counterattack against the central army of the Western Army in Shannan.

In order to maintain order, the central army had no choice but to engage them in battle, and together with Longyou, they slaughtered the nearly one thousand fleeing soldiers.

Their physical strength was thus greatly depleted, and at this time Zhang Wu withdrew Chen Jingchong and the other two troops, and launched a large-scale attack with heavy troops.

In the Longxi army, tens of thousands of heavily armored infantrymen, clad in thick lamellar armor, stretched for miles, resembling a giant stone mill, relentlessly crushing towards the Longxi army south of the mountain.

"kill!!"

"Beep--"

When the vanguards of the two sides clashed, their spears and lances clashed repeatedly, while the troops behind them fired crossbows and arrows at each other's faces.

In the Longyou army, all the vanguard soldiers were equipped with bronze face armor, showing a greater emphasis on facial defense than the soldiers of other towns at the same time.

The reason for this was that Liu Jilong knew that there were many heavily armored soldiers in the Central Plains, so whether it was mounted archery or foot archery, he would mainly use face-to-face attacks.

The reason why the Central Plains garrisons have not yet taken it seriously is firstly due to the cost of mass-producing face armor, and secondly because the Central Plains garrisons have not yet completely broken off relations and have not yet engaged in battle.

For this reason, when the vanguard of the Longyou Army clashed with the vanguard of the enemy, it could be said that they did not give the enemy any chance to break through.

Apart from a few unlucky soldiers whose face armor was pierced by crossbow bolts, the face armor of the rest of the soldiers was sufficient to protect them from stray arrows.

"The rear guard moves to the center, and the center retreats!!"

In the rear army formation, Wang Duo, the military governor of Shannan West Circuit, saw a large number of Longyou infantrymen break into the pass and launch an attack on the central army. He immediately waved his command flag and directed the central and rear armies to retreat alternately.

The western army in Shannan kept retreating in shifts, but the army in Longyou continued to pursue and attack relentlessly.

Chen Jingchong retreated, covered in blood, and looked at Zhang Wu, slightly out of breath:

“Our army has already dealt a heavy blow to Wang Duo. I observe that he has fewer troops on his side than when he attacked Chengzhou. I think he must have retreated to Jicao Ridge or Nigong Mountain. We should not pursue a desperate enemy.”

Upon hearing this, Geng Ming and Hu Siguang, who were retreating immediately afterward, also said, "Jicaoling and Nigongshan are both easy to ambush. If we rashly pursue them, we may fall into an ambush."

"That's right, why don't we consult the commander?"

Despite the three men's persuasion, Zhang Wu calmly replied, "My master is elite, and we should pursue them relentlessly now."

"Even if the enemy sets up an ambush, judging from their performance on the battlefield, our army is capable of repelling them."

Zhang Wu had great confidence in the soldiers of Longyou, but this was not blind confidence.

Although Chen Jingchong, Husiguang, Geng Ming and others had all achieved victories against the government army, their command and understanding of the soldiers in Longyou were still too conservative.

If the two armies are of similar quality, there is naturally no problem with a conservative approach to warfare. However, if the two armies are vastly different in quality, then the cost of a conservative approach will be too high.

The most difficult part of dealing with the enemy was breaking through their formation, and the Longyou army suffered the most casualties when breaking through their formation.

If we cannot relentlessly pursue and attack after breaking through the enemy lines, we will be unable to expand our gains and increase our casualty rate.

As for the so-called ambush, as long as they are well prepared and have sufficient personal qualities, it's uncertain who will ambush whom.

Thinking this, Zhang Wu said in a deep voice, "Order the entire army to continue the pursuit!"

"Yes……"

Chen Jingchong and the other two sighed, but still accepted the military order.

"kill!!"

The Longyou army continued its pursuit, relentlessly pursuing the retreating Shannan West Army.

Time passed slowly, and the battle raged for nearly ten miles. The three armies of Longyou took turns fighting, but they were still exhausted and panting.

Compared to them, the Shannan Western Army felt as if their lungs were burning, and their throats were almost on fire.

"Bam—"

The two sides fought and retreated as they left Longmen Gorge and arrived at Jicao Ridge, where the terrain was relatively flat.

The official road was widened, and the number of soldiers who could fight head-on increased from two or three hundred to six or seven hundred.

The number of soldiers in the Shannan Western Army was already small. If the soldiers hadn't known that they had an ambush at Jicao Ridge, they would probably have collapsed by now.

At this moment, neither side's soldiers had the strength to roar anymore. All they could do was endure their exhaustion and numbly swing their weapons. Even if they couldn't deliver a powerful blow, it seemed that as long as they were swinging their weapons, they could save their lives.

"This place is Jicao Ridge. If we continue along the official road, the terrain ahead will become narrow and easy to ambush. It would be best to stop here!"

At the rear, Chen Jingchong and two others led three thousand elite cavalry to follow Zhang Wu. Seeing that the most likely place to ambush them was Jicao Ridge, they all tried to persuade Zhang Wu.

They thought Zhang Wu was eager to show off, or perhaps he was too arrogant, underestimating his enemy and acting rashly.

However, Zhang Wu was perfectly clear-headed. With a wave of his command flag, he ordered the three men: "The elite cavalry shall remain here to escort the commander and the laborers out of Longmen Gorge. The infantry shall continue to pursue the rebels, even if we cannot catch them!"

"you!!"

Husiguang couldn't help but lash out, but Chen Jingchong held him back.

Chen Jingchong turned to look at Zhang Wu, and seeing that he remained calm, he finally exhaled a breath of stale air: "I obey!"

The Longyou army continued to pursue the Shannan Western Army and entered the interior of Jicao Ridge. All around were vast hills with a drop of hundreds of feet, and the official road was located at the foot of countless hills.

It is true that this place is easy to set up an ambush, but it is at least a mile from the highest point of the hill to the foot of the hill. In addition, the forest is dense, so setting up an ambush on the hills on both sides is indeed the best method.

Zhang Wu had long seen through the fact that the Western Army in Shannan had been putting up a brave fight, and the reason they were doing so was, as Chen Jingchong had said, because there were reinforcements or ambushes ahead.

Now it seems that the ambush was probably right here.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wu waved his command flag without hesitation, and at that moment the three armies suddenly changed sides.

Although they were still pursuing the main force of the Western Army in Shannan, the small teams on the left and right flanks of the three armies slowed down and switched from bows and crossbows to long weapons.

"Damn it, I can't wait any longer!"

Inside the rear guard of the Western Army in Shannan, Wang Fuyan couldn't help but look at Wang Duo: "My lord, order the ambush troops to attack!"

"If this continues, the central army will inevitably collapse, and then the rebels will use it to attack our rear lines!"

"Alright!" Wang Duo agreed without hesitation. Upon hearing this, Wang Fuyan immediately took out his bow and arrow and shot it into the air with a whistling arrow.

Wang Duo waved his command flag, and the Shannan Western Army, which had been retreating in panic, immediately regained its footing, and the bugle call suddenly rang out.

"Uuuuuu——"

"put!"

In an instant, arrows shot out from the hills and forests on both sides of the official road at Jicao Ridge, flying like locusts.

"Enemy attack!!"

Chen Jingchong, Geng Ming, and Husiguang all reacted quickly, but Zhang Wu reacted even faster.

Under Zhang Wu's command flag, the three armies immediately split off on the left and right flanks, took a few breaths to adjust, and then rushed into the woods on both sides.

"You bastards! Why did the rebels react so quickly?!"

Wang Fuyan stared wide-eyed in disbelief as thousands of Longyou infantrymen charged into the forest, while Wang Duo paused, his command flag in hand.

"Damn it! A general must have been captured, exposing the magistrate's intentions!"

Wang Fuyan began to curse, trying to justify his actions. Meanwhile, the Shannan Western Army, which had stopped and was counterattacking, was shocked to see that their ambush troops had not caused any significant casualties to the rebels.

"Defeat the enemy! Now is the time!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

Zhang Wu waved his command flag and shouted encouragement, while the flag bearers decisively sounded their horns.

"kill!!"

Even though their lungs were burning with pain, the sound of the bugle call still forced the soldiers of Longyou to roar and wield their weapons to fight back, thanks to the muscle memory they had developed through daily training.

"You pig-dog bastards, prepare to die!!"

In the vanguard team, the archers all abandoned their bows and crossbows, replacing them with long-handled swords and large clubs to advance alongside the front-line vanguard.

Upon seeing this, the central army's troops began firing their crossbows upwards to suppress the western army south of the mountain.

Wielding broadswords, clubs, and spears, they advanced like a wall, slashing and smashing countless soldiers of the Western Army from the south of the mountains.

"Damn it, they're not human!"

After engaging in battle with the Longyou army for more than ten miles, the thousands of soldiers from the Shannan Western Army began to collapse after launching such a well-organized and swift attack.

What devastated them even more was that the banners of the Western Army of Shannan were falling down one after another in the woods on both sides of the official road, while the banners of the rebels were increasing.

"kill!!"

In the woods, the Longyou army, organized into groups, began to attack the ambushing officers and soldiers.

The dense forest makes it impossible to form large formations, which is the greatest test of the quality of soldiers and the leaders of squads and groups.

The Longyou army stormed in and thrived, with each regiment, brigade, team, and squad displaying remarkable bravery.

"You wretches, taste Father's golden mace!!"

Ma Yi swung his golden mace and smashed it hard into the chest of a captain of the Shannan Western Army in front of him.

The captain's armor was dented, and he groaned as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he collapsed.

"Brothers, form the Three Talents Formation and slaughter these bastards!!"

Ma Yi was extremely excited. He felt that after this battle, he would probably be promoted to captain!

Not only him, but also Li Yangchun, Gao Shu, Gao Huai and others who stayed behind in the army were very excited.

In less than six months since the start of the war, they had all been promoted from ordinary soldiers, and none of the survivors had ever been lower than a squad leader.

After this battle, they will at least be promoted one rank.

Thinking of this, they, who were originally exhausted, suddenly felt a surge of strength: "Kill!!"

In the narrow terrain, the soldiers of Longyou formed ranks in groups, with the two in the front row serving as group leaders, one holding a shield and the other a single-handed axe.

The cook was followed by four armed soldiers who used their spears to stab him while covering the advance of the front ranks.

These six men were the vanguard of the gang, and behind them were two men wielding crossbows and two men wielding bows.

After leaping forward, there were two deputy commanders wielding long-handled swords to supervise the battle.

Under this formation, a group of soldiers each wielded their own weapons, with clear division of labor, making full use of the effectiveness of various weapons, and their formation was flexible and adaptable.

Faced with the complex mountain forests and the ever-rising hills, the squad leader holding the shield constantly gave commands based on the situation and the needs of the battle, sometimes changing the formation into a column, or sometimes directing the formation into a line.

As the formation changes, the formation used by the team also changes constantly, from one formation to a two-talent formation on the left and right or a three-talent formation on the left, center and right.

When the formation changes to a two-person formation, the shield bearers follow the spearmen and leap to protect their attack, while the vice-captains are positioned at the rear.

When the formation changes to the Three Talents Formation, the spearmen and leaping soldiers are in the center, the shield bearers are on the left and right sides for protection, and the vice-captain is at the rear.

These five formations, applicable to regiments, brigades, squads, and gangs, are all improved by Liu Jilong and are suitable for small-scale battles and complex terrain.

Compared to the experienced soldiers of Longyou, these ambushers hidden in the forest appeared flustered and disorganized.

Wang Shi trained them for only a year, and they only knew the straight and sharp formations of the Six Flower Formation.

These two types of formations are mainly used in medium to large-scale battles and conflicts. They simply cannot skillfully set up formations in the complex terrain of mountains and forests.

Even though they hastily set up a formation that looked like a curved formation, it was quickly broken by the Longyou army.

In a short time, the banners of the Western Army in the mountains and forests fell one after another, and the banners of Longyou were almost planted all over the mountains.

The ambush troops' banners rose, then fell...

At the foot of Jicao Ridge, the soldiers of the Western Army south of the mountain were filled with despair.

They were the ones who set the ambush, so why did the outcome look more like they were the ones who were ambushed?
"Uhhhhhh!!"

Seeing the vanguard of the Longyou army advancing relentlessly, many soldiers immediately roared like madmen, and before their comrades could react, they turned and fled to the rear.

"Straight bitch!"

"Where to go!!"

His comrades beside him were left without cover. They only had time to shout a curse before a barrage of spears came thrusting and stabbing at them.

The central army of the Shannan Western Army had already collapsed. The soldiers in the front ranks who turned and fled scattered the rear ranks, ultimately causing the entire central army to collapse.

The thousands of routed soldiers turned and fled. The soldiers of Longyou, though exhausted, reacted quickly and formed ranks to give chase, relentlessly attacking them.

"Damn it! Stop it, all of you!"

"Those who retreat will die!!"

The hundred or so Mo Dao soldiers who were supervising the battle raised their Mo Dao swords in a threat, but they could only cut down the fleeing group of soldiers who were leading the retreat. The remaining fleeing soldiers quickly surrounded them and charged towards the rear army.

Wang Fuyan was horrified upon seeing this and quickly looked at Wang Duo beside him: "My lord, the central army has been routed. Quickly order a retreat!"

"This old man, this old man..." Wang Duo watched helplessly as the situation deteriorated and collapsed. At this moment, he seemed to have lost something, his expression was dazed, and he could not form a complete sentence for a long time.

"Retreat!!" Upon seeing this, Wang Fuyan immediately snatched the command flag, waved it a few times, and then grabbed Wang Duo's horse reins, leading him to retreat towards Xingzhou.

"Dang Dang Dang..."

As the sound of retreat continued, the rear guard of the Shannan Western Army turned around and began to retreat towards Nigong Mountain before the fleeing troops of the central army charged into their main camp.

"Brothers, now is the time to make a name for yourselves! Kill the traitors!!"

Although Husi Guang lacked vision in commanding the three armies, he was indeed a skilled vanguard.

Before Zhang Wu could even give orders, he sensed an opportunity and immediately led the Longyou soldiers beside him in pursuit.

He took the lead and charged towards the Western Army in Shannan. Zhang Wu also hurriedly waved his command flag and launched a relentless pursuit, violating common military knowledge.

At this moment, even though everyone was so exhausted that they could fall asleep as soon as they closed their eyes, the merits they had made earlier inspired everyone to unleash their potential and relentlessly pursue the routed troops of the Shannan West Army.

"Damn it, are these rebels even human?!"

Wang Fuyan, on horseback, looked back and felt a chill run down his spine.

He had never seen infantrymen in full armor pursue and kill for more than twenty miles, and these people were running faster than the fleeing Shannan Western Army.

In an instant, countless soldiers of the Western Army of Shannan drew their swords and cut off their shoulder guards, skirts, and other things that bound them as they fled. They even threw away their helmets, leaving only their breastplates to protect their torsos.

The remaining weapons, except for a horizontal sword, were all discarded.

The armor and weapons abandoned by the routed army stretched for miles. Zhang Wu ordered the soldiers who were unable to pursue to rest and collect the weapons, while he led his troops in a desperate chase.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

Countless exhausted and defeated soldiers knelt down in surrender. Upon seeing this, Hu Siguang, who was in pursuit, shouted sternly: "Those who abandon their soldiers and kneel on both sides of the official road may live!!"

In an instant, countless defeated soldiers tumbled and crawled to both sides of the official road, while Husiguang continued to lead his troops to pursue Wang Duo, Wang Fuyan and others who were trying to escape.

They managed to chase for two or three miles before stopping due to exhaustion. Only Husiguang and the hundreds of officers and soldiers on horseback continued the pursuit.

Zhang Wu had no choice but to order his army to cease pursuit, while simultaneously dispatching three thousand elite cavalrymen, who had rested for most of the day, to give chase.

"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

Three thousand elite cavalrymen galloped away, their iron hooves splashing up the reddish-brown, blood-stained soil of Jimao Ridge, and stirring up the red mud mixed with bits of flesh.

Seeing them give chase, Zhang Wu turned his horse around and looked toward the battlefield at Jicao Ridge.

"Um..."

"Help me, I want to surrender, help me..."

At this moment, countless corpses lay on the official road and in the woods.

Besides the corpses, many wounded and fleeing soldiers lay on the official road, pleading for help.

The banners of the Western Army in Shannan were trampled into tatters, and the defeated soldiers knelt on both sides of the official road, their faces stained with blood and mud, filled with fear and unease about the future.

Countless soldiers from Longyou sat down on the spot, panting heavily, their eyes fixed on the routed soldiers on both sides of the official road, like wild beasts sizing up their prey.

Blood pooled in the ground, and Zhang Wu waited for a quarter of an hour before raising his hand and ordering, "Clean up the battlefield and count the dead and wounded!"

Chen Jingchong and Geng Ming, who were following behind Zhang Wu, nodded in agreement. At this moment, they understood why Liu Jilong had entrusted this battle to Zhang Wu for command.

Perhaps because they had been out of the grassroots for too long, these veterans who had served for over a decade were less familiar with the junior officers and soldiers of the Longyou Army than rising stars like Zhang Wu. Had they been in command, they certainly wouldn't have achieved today's victory; they would have withdrawn promptly after Wang Duo ordered a retreat instead of pursuing relentlessly.

Although the battlefield has not yet been cleared, the vanguard and central armies of the Shannan Western Army have been defeated, and many of the rear guard have been hunted down and killed on their escape route.

The troops in Shannan West Circuit are few in number, but they have already killed many in one battle. Xingfeng and Fengzhou can be easily taken, and Xingyuan Prefecture and Yangzhou can also be captured.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wu looked back and saw thousands of cavalry and infantry rushing towards this place.

"General!"

Before long, Liu Jilong appeared in front of Zhang Wu and the others.

He surveyed the battlefield, his hand unconsciously tightening around the reins, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"General, the Western Army in Shannan has suffered heavy losses. It is time for our army to seize Xingfeng Prefecture, Xingyuan Prefecture, and Yangzhou!"

Without hesitation, Zhang Wu offered his suggestion, explaining, "Xingzhou and Fengzhou are key locations for entering the pass, while Xingyuan Prefecture and Yangzhou have a million acres of Hanzhong Plain and more than 200,000 people."

"If we can control this place, we can attack Shannan East Road to the east, support Qin Prefecture to the north to attack Guanzhong, and attack Bashu to the south. It is truly a good place!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jingchong and Geng Ming bowed in succession: "General, this humble general seconds your opinion. We should attack Xingyuan Prefecture now!"

Faced with their statements, Liu Jilong nodded and said, "The war in the south is in dire straits, so I will not personally lead the army to attack Xingyuan Prefecture."

"Chen Jingchong, how many troops do you need to capture and defend Xingfengyang, the three prefectures, and Xingyuan Prefecture?"

He did not continue to appoint Zhang Wu as commander because he needed Zhang Wu, who came from Sichuan, to lead his troops.

Although Chen Jingchong was not as versatile in his military tactics as Zhang Wu, he could easily deal with the defeated Wang Duo. Moreover, Chen Jingchong was getting old, and Liu Jilong was worried that his body would not be able to withstand the journey from the relatively dry Qinlong region to the humid Bashu region.

That is why he decided to send Chen Jingchong to attack and garrison Xingyuan Prefecture.

"Two thousand cavalry and infantry, five thousand infantrymen, and all the defeated soldiers will be incorporated into the civilian laborers. Within a month, we will surely capture Xingyuan Prefecture and the three prefectures!"

After a moment's thought, Chen Jingchong mentioned the one-month agreement.

Liu Jilong shook his head after hearing this and said, "The imperial court will not give you a month."

"If you cannot take Xingyuan Prefecture and the three prefectures within half a month, you will be demoted one rank."

"This subordinate obeys!" Although Chen Jingchong's heart tightened, he still agreed.

Liu Jilong nodded in response, then looked at Zhang Wu and Geng Ming: "Let's set up camp first, and we'll talk about other things later."

"Yes!" The two responded one after the other, and then began to direct the cavalry and infantry of the rear army to dismount and help the laborers cut down trees and set up camp.

An hour later, as the sun began to set, the laborers cut down trees along the roadside and built a three-mile-long camp.

Liu Jilong went into the tent and sat down, followed by Zhang Wu, Chen Jingchong, and Geng Ming.

The sand table had already been set up, but Liu Jilong didn't check it. The terrain of Longnan was already in his mind, so he said without hesitation:
"Tomorrow we will divide our forces and march into Wuzhou. After passing through Wuzhou and Wenzhou, we will enter Longzhou. It is a journey of more than 500 li, and it will take at least ten days to get there."

"Ten days from now, you must at least take over Xingzhou and Fengzhou, and then besiege Xingyuan Prefecture."

"If we fail to take it, the troops from Longzhou can march through Sanguan to attack Fengzhou, and you will not have time to besiege Xingyuan Prefecture and seize Yangzhou."

Liu Jilong reminded Chen Jingchong, who bowed and said, "This humble general understands, but please rest assured, Commander!"

"Commander..." Zhang Wu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Today, our army suffered 657 casualties, 926 were wounded and unable to continue with the army, 4,452 government troops were killed or captured, and 4,690 government troops were captured. The armor and supplies have not yet been counted."

"After dividing the troops in this way, only 14,000 soldiers remained."

According to military reports from the East and West Governorates, there are fewer than 15,000 veteran soldiers in the two governorates, and fewer than 12,000 barbarian soldiers in the West Governorate.

Zhang Wu revealed the exact number of Tibetan troops in Duokang, clearly reminding Liu Jilong that they had too few troops at their disposal.

However, Liu Jilong was confident about this: "In total, there are nearly 40,000 troops. Even if some troops are left behind to guard the area, there will still be more than 30,000 troops available for command, which is enough."

He stood up, holding an ancient book he had just captured from Wang Duo's tent, his eyes sharp as he slowly scanned the three men.

Zhang Wu was still worried, so he couldn't help but say, "That's true, but Shang Moyan of the Dokham Tibetans has many schemes. If the Tibetan army takes the opportunity to waver when fighting the government troops, then our army will only have less than 30,000 soldiers left."

"Eastern and Western Sichuan have at least 80,000 troops, and to the south there are 100,000 Southern Barbarians eyeing us covetously. This humble general is worried..."

"There's nothing to worry about!" Liu Jilong interrupted him decisively, raising his chin slightly as he looked down at the group. "It's just 80,000 troops, isn't it?"

"We have just killed and captured nearly 100,000 government troops in the north. Do you think we would be afraid of a mere 80,000 soldiers?"

Seeing his commander say this, Zhang Wu knew he couldn't continue. Just then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out outside the tent.

"General, your humble servant Husi Guang requests an audience!"

"Come in!"

Liu Jilong turned and sat back in his seat. Husiguang also lifted the tent flap and entered, bowing respectfully as he said:

“This general pursued Wang Duo to Nigong Mountain, where Wang Duo built a rammed earth pass to block my troops.”

"However, my division fought bravely and killed or captured 747 government troops along the way. Afterwards, only two brothers were injured due to falling off their horses, but their injuries were not serious and they recovered after three to five days of rest."

"Hmm." Liu Jilong nodded in response, then gestured for Chen Jingchong to tell Husiguang about his arrangements.

After the matter was finished, the laborers had also prepared the meal.

The rice cooked from millet, along with meat from the hundreds of pigs and sheep captured during the breach of Longmen Pass, was quickly eaten by everyone, who then went to rest.

The following day, Chen Jingchong mustered two thousand cavalry and five thousand infantrymen, and used five thousand government soldiers as laborers, and set off for Nigong Mountain.

Liu Jilong mustered two thousand laborers to send the wounded soldiers and captured supplies to Chengzhou, while he himself led three thousand elite cavalrymen after replenishment, as well as less than three thousand cavalry and infantrymen and more than eight thousand infantrymen south to Wuzhou.

Meanwhile, Wang Duo, who had lost over 10,000 troops, retreated to Tonggu County in Fengzhou under the escort of Wang Fuyan. He immediately reported the matter to Chang'an, requesting the court to send troops to aid Fengzhou.

The news reached Chang'an three days later, and by then Chang'an had become the focus of attention for all the towns.

"What did you say?!"

Inside Xianning Palace, Li Cui, who was sitting on the dragon throne, couldn't help but stand up, his eyes filled with anger.

Standing in front of him were Xu Shang, Yu Cong, and Lu Yan from the Southern Court, with Tian Yun beside him.

Faced with the crushing defeat reported by the Southern Court, Li Cui was like a volcano about to erupt.

"Didn't I already issue an edict ordering Wang Duo to lead his troops back to Xingfeng and Erzhou? Why is he fighting Liu Jilong at Longmen Gorge?!"

Faced with Li Cui's impending outburst, Xu Shang quickly explained, "The imperial decree was issued on the 15th, and it was on the same day that Governor Wang clashed with Liu Jilong at Longmen Gorge."

"Before the imperial decree reached Magistrate Wang, he had already fled in defeat."

"Your Majesty, the Shannan West Circuit has lost more than 10,000 troops, and now only less than 7,000 troops are stationed in Xingfeng and Xingyuan Prefectures, Yangzhou and other places."

"I suggest that an imperial edict be immediately issued to Prime Minister Zheng of Longzhou, ordering him to send troops to aid Fengzhou, and at the very least to hold Sanguan Pass."

"In addition, I request Your Majesty to issue an edict ordering 5,000 Shence Army soldiers to be stationed at Luogu Pass and Ziwu Pass in Chang'an."

As soon as Xu Shang finished speaking, Li Cui irritably waved his sleeve, slamming the memorials on the table onto the floor. He then stood with his hands behind his back, his back to everyone, his anger barely contained.

"I originally planned to hold Sanchuan to the death, giving Prime Minister Zheng half a year to train his troops, and then launch an attack on Qinzhou next summer."

"Now that Liu Jilong has just led his troops south, one prefecture and three counties are in grave danger."

"If one prefecture and three counties are lost, and the imperial court loses contact with the Three Rivers region, how can it control the Three Rivers region?"

"Will Gao Pian become too powerful in Shu, or will he outwardly comply while inwardly defying orders?"

Li Cui could sense that the various towns were gradually disregarding the imperial court because of the battles of Shuofang and Qinzhou, but if the Three Rivers were lost, the imperial court would lose even its way out.

When the rebels invade Guanzhong, what will be left for the imperial court?
Taiyuan, the northern capital, was too close to the three towns of Hebei, and Luoyang, the eastern capital, was too close to Chang'an. Only Jiangling, the former southern capital, remained there.

However, Jiangling is located by the Yangtze River, and the troops from the three rivers can train their navy in Yuzhou and sail down the river.

"Am I to flee to Jiangnan?"

Thinking of this, Li Cui immediately looked at Tian Yun and urged, "Issue an order to have Yang Xuanjie, the left Shence Army Lieutenant, and Ximen Jixuan, the right Shence Army Lieutenant, lead troops to seize Luogu Pass and Ziwu Pass, and wait for an opportunity to send troops to garrison Xingyuan Prefecture."

"Your subject obeys the decree..." Tian Yun dared not delay and immediately sent someone to deliver the message.

While he was making arrangements, Li Cui continued to look at Xu Shang and said, "Send an imperial edict to Zheng Tian: I do not want him to hold San Pass; I want him to defend Xing and Feng Prefectures!"

"Your Majesty, this..." Xu Shang hesitated, after all, three days had passed since Wang Duo's defeat, and it was estimated that Liu Jilong had already begun to attack Xingfeng and the other two prefectures.

Given Liu Jilong's speed in attacking Shuofang and Qinzhou, even if the two prefectures hadn't fallen, they were practically lost.

Since the emperor had already spoken, he had no choice but to agree and send someone to draft an imperial edict ordering Zheng Tian to expedite the rescue of Xingfeng and Erzhou.

Seeing that they had all made arrangements, Li Cui asked again:
"If... I mean if... if Liu Jilong had taken over one prefecture and three states, would Gao Pian and Li Fu have established their own independent regimes?"

"This..." Xu Shang didn't know how to answer, but Lu Yan quickly assured him:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Gao Pian will certainly not establish a separatist regime, and if Gao Pian is loyal to the court, Li Fu will be even less likely to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him."

"The most important thing to do right now is to inform Nishikawa's Gao Pian of this news and instruct him to guard against it at all costs."

"If one prefecture and three counties fall, troops should be ordered to quickly recover the lost counties."

As Lu Yan finished speaking, Li Cui still had some doubts about Gao Pian's attitude towards the court.

The two sides remained deadlocked for a long time, until half a cup of tea had passed before Li Cui nodded and said, "Let Prime Minister Lu handle this matter."

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

Lu Yan bowed in agreement, while Li Cui turned his gaze to Yu Cong and said:

"Now that the autumn taxes have been collected, what percentage of the military pay owed from last year has been paid out?"

"I was just about to present this matter to His Majesty," Yu Cong replied respectfully.
"Although the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance have recorded more than 15 million strings of cash, the amount of money and grain transported from various towns in exchange for cash is only more than 2 million strings of cash and more than 9 million shi of grain, and only 2 million strings of cash and 1.5 million shi of grain are transported to the capital."

"Given the grain prices in Guanzhong, no money or grain has been transported from the provinces and towns of Sanchuan, northwest of Beijing, Datong, east of Shannan, and Lingnan."

"The imperial court owes the military pay of more than six million strings of cash to the garrisons in the northwest of the capital and the Guandong region, while the price of grain in Guanzhong has reached 360 coins per dou of rice."

"One and a half million shi of grain is not only needed to maintain grain prices in Chang'an, but also to supply tens of thousands of troops in the western border. It cannot be moved lightly."

"If the more than seven million shi of grain stored in the local area are sold on the spot and the military pay of the various towns is made up, it can roughly pay off last year's arrears."

"However, in this way, the court can only mobilize two million strings of cash, which, at the price of grain in Guanzhong, can buy at most a little over 500,000 shi."

"However, the salaries of all officials have not yet been paid, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance are already running a deficit..."

Yu Cong said a lot, but Li Cui only understood the last sentence, and his face darkened.

After two consecutive defeats, many regional military governors were unable to transport even 70% of the grain they had in previous years. In addition, the transport capacity of the Grand Canal was only 1.5 million shi (a unit of dry measure), so local grain could not be transferred to the capital to solve the grain price crisis in the capital. As a result, the imperial court had to buy grain at high prices when it needed it.

Thinking about this, Li Cui gradually began to regret it.

He never expected the war to turn out this way, let alone that the various towns would turn against him so quickly.

He couldn't even imagine how the various towns would view the imperial court if they knew that Xingyuan Prefecture and the three prefectures had been lost.

"I understand. You may all leave!"

"Forehead……"

Yu Cong was quite helpless when he saw that Li Cui had no reaction and gestured for them to leave.

He wanted to persuade the emperor to allocate some money from the imperial treasury to maintain the situation, but judging from the emperor's attitude, the emperor had no intention of using the imperial treasury to help the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance.

With a sigh, Yu Cong could only leave Xianning Palace with the others.

Shortly after they left, imperial edicts were issued from the Southern and Northern Offices, but before they could reach Xichuan, Gao Pian, who was in Xichuan, had already received news of Liu Jilong's attack on Shannan West Road.

But now he doesn't care whether Liu Jilong can conquer Xingyuan Prefecture, because he has already obtained what he wanted... Gutao Pass.

"Pattering..."

Under the light rain, the ruins of Gutao Pass, which had been almost flattened by catapults, appeared before Gao Pian's eyes.

Starting from the first day of June when they launched a fierce attack on Gutao Pass, the Xichuan army launched a series of intermittent attacks for more than 120 days, finally capturing this former gateway to Xichuan.

Zhang Lin, wearing a straw raincoat, approached and bowed with a gloomy expression: "General, the bodies of the rebels have all been taken away, and the people of Duanyuan County have also been relocated to Wenshan by the rebels. Should our army launch a strong attack on Wenshan?"

Gao Pian got his wish and obtained Gutao Pass. He even got Duanyuan County, which was not far from Gutao Pass, into his hands, but the result was not ideal.

On Xin Dang's advice, Shang Duoluo relocated all the population ahead of schedule. In addition, Gu Taoguan was severely damaged, and Liu Jilong might move south at any time. They simply did not have time to restore Gu Taoguan to its previous state.

Generals such as Zhang Lin and Wang Zhongren looked grim at this, but Gao Pian remained calm.

“It’s alright!” Gao Pian said calmly. “The Maozhou rebels have suffered heavy losses. Although there have been some changes recently, it’s too late.”

"Order the three armies to quickly repair the old Taoguan Pass and withdraw to Guankou in five days."

Gao Pian issued his military order, and everyone bowed in response. However, Wang Zhongren, after agreeing, worriedly said:

"General, if Liu Jilong learns of the loss of Gutao Pass, he will surely lead his troops south to its aid."

"He won consecutive victories on three battlefields: Shuofang, Qinzhou, and Shannanxi. The imperial court suffered heavy losses. Our army only had 60,000 troops, and 20,000 of them were tied down in Li and Rong prefectures by Youqiu Long."

"If Liu Jilong were to march south with a large army, even with my 40,000 troops, plus the 30,000 troops from Dongchuan, I'm afraid we would not be a match for him."

The total strength of the troops in Dongxichuan is 90,000, which is 10,000 more than Liu Jilong and his men estimated. However, another 20,000 are tied down, so even if they go all out, they can only use 70,000 troops.

Of these 70,000 troops, nearly 20,000 were new recruits who had been trained for less than a year, so Wang Zhongren was worried that they would not be able to deal with Liu Jilong, who was gaining momentum.

Faced with his concern, Gao Pian looked at him calmly, his gaze piercing under the umbrella.

"Our army is short of troops, but his army is large enough?"

"I am certain that he will not personally lead a large army to attack Xingyuan Prefecture. Given his arrogance, he will surely divide his forces."

"The imperial court lost 120,000 troops, but didn't the rebels also suffer losses?"

"The most valiant and skilled warriors under Liu Jilong's command are none other than his 60,000 elite troops."

"Even if we include the barbarian bandits of Duokang, the number is only eighty or ninety thousand."

"After three battles, I don't believe he suffered no losses."

"At present, the number of troops he can mobilize after dividing his forces is no more than 50,000, and as few as 30,000."

"With only 30,000 to 50,000 troops, if he dares to invade Xichuan, then I will defeat him here and take this opportunity to control the troops of the three rivers!"

Gao Pian's voice wasn't loud, but it made Wang Zhongren and the others' blood boil.

However, after the initial excitement subsided, Wang Zhongren still had to say, "But Commander, Li Fu is stationed at Jiangyou Pass, and I'm afraid he won't easily obey your orders."

"In that case, the only troops my division can mobilize are 40,000..."

“Hehe…” Gao Pian chuckled lightly, his expression contemptuous: “Therefore, Taoguan has already been captured by my master, and the Maozhou troops have suffered heavy losses. They are more than capable of protecting themselves, but not of making any further advances.”

"Among the troops of the three rivers, the western route of Shannan is the weakest, followed by the eastern route, while our western route is the strongest."

"If you were Liu Jilong, what would you choose?"

Prompted by Gao Pian, Wang Zhongren's eyes flickered, and Zhang Lin beside him quickly answered:

"General, are you saying that Liu Jilong will attack Jiangyou Pass?"

“Hmm,” Gao Pian nodded without being mysterious, “Let him attack Jiangyou Pass. We will take this opportunity to repair the old Tao Pass and then gather troops in Shifang.”

"Once he breaks through Jiangyou Pass and is locked in fierce combat with Li Fu, we will immediately head north, cross the Luo River, and enter Mianzhou. Then, relying on the hilly terrain of Mianzhou, we will fight against the rebel army!"

During the conversation, Gao Pian's eyes flickered: "Isn't he supposed to be good at cavalry?"

"Then we'll use the waterways to restrict his cavalry, and then I'll use my own cavalry to defeat him, and let him taste the might of my Western Sichuan cavalry!"

"Yes!" Zhang Lin bowed deeply, his mind inevitably recalling the memory of being knocked off his horse by Liu Jilong in one move years ago.

Of the three armies, only he, Lin Ruzhen, and Lu Ruyue were skilled in using cavalry. Lu Ruyue was defending against the southern barbarians, and he and Lin Ruzhen joined forces to defeat Liu Jilong using the very methods he was best at.

Thinking of this, Zhang Lin couldn't wait to see Liu Jilong's defeated and humiliated expression.

Not only him, but Gao Pian had also made up his mind to do so.

Although Gao Pian made the battle sound simple, he was already on high alert.

Liu Jilong, this fierce tiger of Longyou, is not so easy to tame.

Lost in thought, Gao Pian led his men back to the camp, and the light drizzle gradually stopped.

Although the rain had stopped, the sky did not clear up.

The dark clouds in the sky continued to churn, pressing down and making it hard to breathe...

(End of this chapter)