Tiger Guards

Chapter 641 Critical Situation

Between Jicheng and Shanggui lies Wangyuan County.

When Han Shu led his army to the scene, there were few boats at the Nandujin ferry crossing in Wangyuan County, only a dozen or so small boats.

According to the statement of the commander of Dujin Pass, the county officials here were attacked and coerced by the rebels, and had no choice but to either join the rebels or lead the people to hide in the wilderness to avoid the battle.

Whether to lead his clansmen to battle or to flee the war with innocent civilians... Han Shu is not interested in the truth at the moment.

What angered him was that the boats that should have remained in Wangyuan County were all requisitioned by the officials who were causing trouble in Jicheng and were all moved to Jicheng upstream, where they may have been hidden or burned.

In short, the ferryman here could only collect a dozen or so dilapidated small boats to deliver to him.

Han Shu observed the surrounding area from near the dock. The army that had accompanied him was pouring into Wangyuan County, which had become a ghost town. Officials and civilians were fleeing, houses were burned down, and there were corpses on the streets that had only been dead for a day.

"Report! General, General Wang's vanguard scouts have reached ten miles outside the city!"

Suddenly, a scout came to report, and Han Shu turned his head to look at the eastern direction of the lower reaches of the Wei River. He saw a fleet of boats sailing upstream on the distant water at the end of his line of sight.

However, a thin mist shrouded the Wei River and its banks, making it difficult to see clearly.

Han Shu pulled his cloak tighter and squinted at the south bank of the Wei River.

Jicheng, upstream, is on the south bank of the Wei River, as is Shanggui, downstream, while only Wangyuan County, in the middle, is on the north bank of the Wei River.

Han Shu did not have many boats at the moment, so it was impossible for him to cross the river rashly and go to the south bank of the Wei River.

Han Shu saw no signs of military activity on the south bank, but still told his men, "Cross the river to scout. If you encounter any of General Wang's officers or soldiers, tell them that the powerful local magnates of Jicheng have colluded with Han Sui's rebel army to murder Zhang Gong and have already rebelled."

"Here."

One of his men readily agreed, and led more than thirty scouts to board the boat with their horses, crossing the Wei River to the south bank.

Han Shu then said to his attendants, "It seems that the powerful families of Jicheng have made a secret plan, blocking the news beforehand and forging Zhang Gong's order. Wang Qi was probably tricked into leaving Shanggui, and Shanggui is no longer under state control."

And then there's Wangyuan County, right beneath our feet. The local powerful families and county officials also cooperated with the rebels' plot, creating panic. Under the leadership of the county officials and powerful families, thousands of men and women in the county fled, and the town and its houses were burned down, causing a lot of trouble for Han Shu to set up camp, spend the night, and settle down.

But Han Shu didn't care. What kind of war hadn't he seen following Zhao Ji?

Even if Wangyuan County is an empty city, it is still an empty city with city walls and courtyard walls. There are still many remnants of wood and straw inside the city. With a little cleaning and tidying, it can be a sturdy fortress.

Han Shu was unaware that Wang Qi, who was withdrawing his troops by both land and water, had already lost his composure and become dejected.

After receiving a false order from the rebels, Wang Qi led his guards out of the city and headed straight for Jicheng. They were ambushed and killed less than 20 miles from the city.

Fortunately, Wang Qi's guards were elite and skilled in battle, and they covered Wang Qi's retreat back to Shanggui.

Meanwhile, an attack was also launched against the garrison in Shanggui City. Shanggui City was not as spacious as Ji City, and most of the garrison was stationed in military camps outside the city.

Therefore, Wang Qi received support from the garrison outside the city. In his flustered state, Wang Qi could only gather the garrison outside the city and bring the troops inside the city out of the city.

Faced with the loss of Shanggui City, Wang Qi had no choice but to lead his army in retreat.

His fleet still carried various weapons and equipment that were supposed to be used on the battlefield of Jincheng.

Wang Qi set up a camp on the south bank of the Wei River. After the camp was somewhat complete before dark, he crossed the river to Wangyuan County to meet Han Shu.

It had been less than a month and a half since their last parting, but Wang Qi, who was only in his early forties, had lost his former glory and suddenly looked much older. Although he was still wearing the high-grade gilded armor and his physique could still support the imposing armor, Wang Qi's face and temperament seemed to have shrunk in Han Shu's eyes.

Wang Qi was the first riding and combat instructor of the Tiger Warriors. His square face must have been full and fleshy, brimming with energy.

At this moment, it seemed as if the whole thing had shrunk. Han Shu couldn't help but step forward to help Wang Qi up: "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Today, we have only suffered a setback because we were deceived by the powerful people of Tianshui."

"Wenbai, there's no need to comfort this old man."

Wang Qi forced a smile and followed Han Shu into the warm house. They sat down around the charcoal brazier. Looking at the mansion that Han Shu had transformed into a military barracks, Wang Qi couldn't help but show a mocking expression.

Productivity in Hedong and Taiyuan developed and recovered rapidly. Even the servants in Wang Qi's household had small iron stoves. Although the wealthy and powerful in Tianshui were rich, their lifestyle remained largely unchanged from the past.

After taking his seat, Wang Qi accepted the teacup offered by Han Shu and said, “Outsiders say that our army has won one victory after another, all because of the Grand Tutor’s personal presence. Now that the Grand Tutor is in Pingyang, Jincheng has fallen, and all four generals except me have withdrawn. Now Han Shu has gathered both old and new rebel armies, and they are converging on Longxi, about to attack Tianshui. The people of Tianshui are in a state of panic, and thus, trouble has arisen. Lord Zhang has been killed, and I have lost Jicheng and Shanggui in succession. How can I face the Grand Tutor?”

Although losing Jicheng and Shanggui would greatly boost the morale of the Tianshui rebels, Wang Qi felt it was nothing serious. He had lost them, but he still had four battalions of field troops and siege equipment ready to be transported to the Jincheng battlefield.

With just the four battalions of field troops and their equipment, Wang Qi was confident that he could capture Shanggui or Jicheng; once one was captured, capturing the other would be easy.

But Zhang Chang died; it turned out that the chief secretary of the Grand Marshal's office had died.

The three battalions of field army sent to garrison Jicheng were all under Wang Qi's command, and he must bear some responsibility for Zhang Chang's death.

He refuses to take responsibility and share the anger of the scholars in Guanzhong. Should Grand Tutor Zhao bear the burden?
Believing his career prospects were bleak, and even more so because he had failed to put his children on the fast track to officialdom, Wang Qi's despair extended beyond himself; he was also filled with worry and resentment about the future of his entire family.

Suffering from severe anxiety, Wang Qi wanted to die in the line of duty, so that at least his descendants could benefit from it.

Seeing his sorrowful expression, Han Shu patiently said, "Your Highness, due to the Grand Tutor's military orders, there are some things I cannot reveal to you. I only hope that after you return to the south bank, you can reorganize your troops. New battle orders will arrive soon."

"Soon? How fast can it be?"

Wang Qi gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh: "The Grand Tutor is far away in Pingyang, and it takes five days for military orders to travel back and forth. With chaos breaking out in Tianshui, the morale of Han Sui's rebel army has soared. If the armies in Longxi are defeated and their retreat is cut off, they will surely be wiped out in Longxi. Once Han Sui's rebel army joins forces with the rioters in Tianshui, and the rebel troops break through Chencang, pass through Jieting, and march into Guanzhong, the Grand Tutor's territory will inevitably be in shock, and the Dongzhou rebel army will take advantage of the situation to advance..."

Feeling that he was being too pessimistic and discussing such matters too negatively, Wang Qi realized his mistake and slapped himself: "It was my oversight. The only solution now is to launch a strong attack on Jicheng. Only in this way can we stop the unrest in the counties of Tianshui. Even if the armies of Longxi suffer defeat and retreat, they can still return to Chencang via Tianshui. In this way, our army will still have the strength to fight."

As he spoke, Wang Qi picked up the warm tea and took a sip, only to find it exceptionally bitter.

Han Shu turned his head to look at a subordinate official, who stepped forward holding a military order: "General, General Wang, this is the Grand Tutor's military order."

"read."

"Here."

The officer held the document with both hands and read aloud: "The officers and soldiers of the three battalions of Hengfang are defending Jicheng to the death and must be rescued. Those who rebel in various counties must not be tolerated or let off the hook. Wen Bai can be dealt with as he sees fit. I will give orders to Wang Qi, and the two of you will work together to quell the rebellion."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qi stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief and surprise.

His eyes lit up as he looked at Han Shu, who smiled and said, "The only bad thing is that Zhang Gong was killed, and I am still a few days late."

"No, Wen Bai's arrival is just in time!"

Wang Qi's aura turned fierce, his eyes blazing: "Tomorrow I will set off to attack Jicheng and meet up with the officers and soldiers of the three battalions of Hengfang!"

(End of this chapter)