Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 441 The White-Robed Army

After the recruitment was completed, Chen Qingzhi led his troops to Zhicheng, located between Xuzhou and Woyang, to meet with Yuan Hao. They focused on training the troops while awaiting orders to send them out.

As a result, they waited and waited, from late summer to deep winter, but the seven thousand Northern Expeditionary Army still had not set off...

"Damn it, are we going to spend the New Year in Zhicheng?!" On the training ground, having exhausted all his training, Hu Longya couldn't help but start grumbling again. "What is the imperial court up to?"

"As long as we receive enough food and pay, we can celebrate the New Year," Song Jingxiu said leisurely. "Aren't we happy that the court is supporting us for free?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war, you know!" Hu Longya said irritably, "We've already missed our chance."

“Yes,” Yu Tianmin joined in, “Last month, Erzhu Rong defeated Ge Rong with fewer troops and even captured him alive and brought him to Luoyang to be presented as a prisoner. Now he has not only eliminated his biggest threat, but also gained great prestige and stabilized his position.”

“That’s normal. Whether Han or Xianbei, people admire strength.” Ren Yuan said with a wry smile, “Erzhu Rong was able to kill Ge Rong, who had tormented the Northern Dynasty for three years, which fully proves his strength. Naturally, many people will submit to him.”

"Damn it, how did Ge Rong become so incompetent?" Ji Buli sighed in frustration. "Where did his previous spirit of slaying several demigods from the Northern Dynasty go?"

“Because Erzhu Rong has become a god by relying on the miracle of slaughtering all the officials of the Northern Wei.” Ren Yuan also sighed and said, “He seems to be called ‘Heavenly Slaughter God Lord’, and his Heavenly Slaughter Sword has a special attack on the officials of the Northern Dynasty.”

What does "Special Forces" mean?

“It has exceptional lethality,” Ren Yuan explained. “I heard that Ge Rong was captured alive in less than ten rounds at his hands.”

"It was Ge Rong's own doing to bring about his own demise. He thought the Northern Dynasty was doomed, so he rashly engaged in a war with Du Luozhou. Otherwise, the two demigods wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat if they had joined forces," Yu Tianmin spat.

"They lost too quickly. Now there's no way they can take advantage of the chaos to profit," Hu Longya said dejectedly.

"That's not quite it. There's also Mo Zhetiansheng, Xiao Baoyin, Su Qinmingda... and recently Xing Gao has emerged in Hebei, so Erzhu Rong will have to keep busy for a while longer," Yu Tianmin comforted him.

"However, Ge Rong's death has indeed made him much more at ease. The large army that dared not move when entering the capital is now finally free."

"I knew it! What are you waiting for all this dragging on?" Hu Longya said in a muffled voice.

“First, Yuan Hao needs time to contact those in the Northern Dynasty who oppose Erzhu Rong,” Ren Yuan replied. “Second, he himself needs to negotiate with the Emperor, and many things need to be finalized in advance.”

"He doesn't need to fight, so what's the point of him extorting us?" the generals sneered.

"We only need to fight, Your Highness has a lot to worry about... such as whether you can become emperor, when to become emperor, and how to address each other after becoming emperor? The emperor's intention is that you can become emperor, but only after achieving considerable victories. You should address the emperor as 'nephew emperor,' but Yuan Hao insists that he is of the same generation as the emperor, so he can only address the emperor as 'elder brother'..."

"..." The generals were dumbfounded, never expecting that they would be arguing over such a ridiculous matter.

"Damn it, they're not sending troops because of all this nonsense?"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. We're officially His Highness Prince Wei's soldiers now," Ren Yuan said with a smile.

"This is outrageous..." The generals were cursing when they suddenly heard a gong, which was the signal for Commander Chen to assemble.

He quickly rushed to the central command tent to receive orders.

~~
In the central command tent.

Once all the generals had arrived, Chen Qingzhi got straight to the point: "Make preparations, and we will launch a northern expedition in three days!"

"Yes!" The generals were overjoyed upon hearing this. Hu Longya asked, "Commander Chen, has that Prince Wei finally relented?" "It wasn't his order, it was a decree issued directly by the Emperor," Chen Qingzhi said in a deep voice.

"It seems even the Emperor has finally had enough..." the generals laughed.

"That's only one aspect. The most important thing is that just a few days ago, the Marquis of Xinxiang was defeated and captured," Chen Qingzhi replied with a stern expression.

"Huh?" The generals immediately stopped laughing.

Marquis of Xinxiang was Cao Yizong, the younger brother of Cao Jingzong, and one of the three great generals of the Southern Liang Dynasty.

Although the Buddhist sect allowed Xiao Yan to send 10,000 troops on a northern expedition, how could Xiao Yan possibly be so obedient?

While ordering Chen Qingzhi to escort Yuan Hao back north, he secretly instructed Cao Yizong and Xiahou Dan, two regional officials with discretionary power, to organize their own troops to attack the Northern Dynasty.

Just like Chen Qingzhi's pretext of "escorting Yuan Hao back north," Cao Yizong and Xiahou Dan also found their own reasons for launching their campaigns. If they didn't call it a "Northern Expedition," wouldn't that violate the rules of Buddhism?
The pretexts are easy to find. For example, Xiahou Dan of the western route marched under the pretext of avenging the Wei army's looting years ago. Cao Yizong of the central route marched under the pretext of recovering Jingzhou, which had been taken by the Wei army.

But to the surprise of the two generals, the Northern Expedition, which they thought was a sure thing, completely backfired...

Xiahou Dan suffered heavy losses on the western front but failed to capture the strategic Jiange Pass. He was forced to retreat in disappointment after winter set in.

Cao Yizong, who was in the central line, led a large army to besiege Jingzhou for half a year without success. As a result, Wei general Fei Mu led the Northern Dynasty reinforcements to launch a surprise attack and captured the city. Not only did his army collapse, but he himself was also captured.

This was the highest-ranking general captured since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, a blow to the optimistic Southern Liang court, which directly enraged them.

That's why Xiao Yan lost patience and bypassed Yuan Hao, issuing an order to advance the army.

~~
In the big tent.

Chen Qingzhi addressed the now-calm generals in a deep voice: "Commander Xiahou suffered a crushing defeat, and Marquis Xinxiang was captured after his army was defeated. This shows that the Wei army is not as vulnerable as you imagine."

"Yes." The generals nodded in unison, unable to refute the harsh reality.

“Now only our army remains of the three Northern Expeditionary armies. If we are defeated again, the loss of face for the imperial court will be secondary.” Chen Qingzhi emphasized, “The most terrifying thing is that I’m afraid no one will dare to launch another Northern Expedition.”

"Yes." The crowd continued to nod. If they couldn't defeat the Northern Dynasty while it was on its last legs, what would they do when it recovered? A Northern Expedition? Nonsense! They might as well just wait to die...

"So put aside any underestimation of the enemy and treat this war with the utmost caution!" Chen Qingzhi concluded with these words of instruction.

"Understood!" the generals replied solemnly.

~~
Three days later, Chen Qingzhi led 7,000 soldiers to escort Yuan Hao on his journey to the Northern Expedition.

Because they were nominally Yuan Hao's army, they could no longer wear the uniforms of the Southern Liang Dynasty, and they also needed to be distinguished from the uniforms of the Northern Wei Dynasty. So Chen Qingzhi changed the soldiers into white battle robes.

Seven thousand soldiers, all dressed in white, were hidden in the swirling snowflakes.

At that moment, no one knew what an epic and unforgettable journey awaited them.

No one knew that the white robes they wore would become famous throughout the world and be remembered for eternity along with their commander!
(End of this chapter)