Chapter 371: Battle Forces: Eight Hundred Thousand Versus Six Hundred Thousand [Many Thanks

Bianjing

Xingguo Ward

The Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi's Residence

The Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi had already left for court.

In the dining hall, female servants stood with heads bowed in solemn silence.

Morning birds chirped in the trees of the courtyard, and together with the distant hawking cries from the ward markets, they made the hall seem even quieter.

Princess Princess Pingning sat alone at the table, eating her breakfast delicately, while her personal nursemaid beside the table lifted a dish, portioned out some of the food, and placed it onto another porcelain plate.

The portioned porcelain plate was then placed by the personal nursemaid into a food box held by a female servant standing nearby.

In this quiet atmosphere, a sound of hurried footsteps approached.

Soon, the figure of the young page Hearing Buwei appeared at the hall's entrance; stepping inside, he bowed deeply with hands clasped and said:

"My Lady, the Young Master rose somewhat late today; saying he is rushing to the Sheng family, he will not eat breakfast."

Princess Princess Pingning put down her chopsticks, looked at Hearing Buwei at the door without speaking, and the hall fell silent once more.

Consequently, Hearing Buwei bowed even lower.

Only after the personal nursemaid beside her covered the food box did Princess Princess Pingning say indifferently, "Take it; let Heng-ge'er eat it on the road."

"Yes, My Lady!"

Speaking thus, Hearing Buwei extended both hands; waiting until the nursemaid placed the food box in his hands, he backed away from the doorway, turned, and walked quickly out of the courtyard.

Watching Hearing Buwei disappear, Princess Princess Pingning then picked up her chopsticks and continued her breakfast.

After the meal,

Princess Princess Pingning fanned herself with an exquisite round fan as she left the hall, followed by over ten female servants walking slowly through the Xiao Xiao Gongye's residence.

Having walked only a few steps, a stewardess holding an exquisite invitation card hurried over.

She performed a formal bow, handed the card to Princess Princess Pingning's personal nursemaid, and then hurried away again.

The personal nursemaid glanced at the name on the card:

"Princess My Lady, an invitation from the Gao family of Laizhou."

Hearing the personal nursemaid's words, the round fan Princess Princess Pingning was waving paused for an instant against her chest before resuming its motion.

Immediately, Princess Princess Pingning extended her hand and accepted the card.

After reading the card, Princess Princess Pingning said indifferently, "This Gao family's ancestors were honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple during the late Emperor's reign; since they are related to the Chai family and also had old ties with our family's late Xiao Xiao Gongye, prepare a generous gift to send over!"

"Yes, My Lady! From Laizhou to Wanxi, it is close to Prince Jing's fiefdom; she is truly marrying very far away!"

Princess Princess Pingning hummed in agreement and then said, "Prepare the carriage; I am going to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager!"

On the road south from Xingguo Ward,

Qi Heng was eating breakfast inside the carriage.

"Young Master, next time rise earlier! If you are sleepy, we can catch some sleep on the road! Today, Princess My Lady is suppressing her anger."

"Was I not just too happy upon hearing news of Xu Hou's victory? Hearing Buwei, do you understand what a three-pronged pincer attack is?!"

At this moment, the coachman's voice came from outside the carriage: "Young Master, this humble one needs to rein in the horses!"

"Wang Hu Zi, what is wrong?" Hearing Buwei asked.

"Brother Hearing Buwei, near the entrance of the Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen ahead, Constables are blocking the road; it seems the Office of the Western Prison is escorting prisoners."

Hearing this, Hearing Buwei lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw just a short distance away several prisoners wearing heavy cangues and branded on their faces walking out of the street intersection.

Relatives of the criminals were surrounding the escorts, offering items and sending silver money.

While they were speaking, the carriage came to a halt.

The coachman Wang Hu Zi looked at this group of prisoners: "Tsk, tsk, tsk, I wonder how many li these criminals are being exiled; wearing cangues, they will surely suffer!"

Qi Heng in the carriage took one look, then waved his hand, signaling Hearing Buwei to lower the carriage curtain.

After the prisoners had passed,

Just as the Qi family's carriage was about to move forward again, onlooking pedestrians blocked the road.

Questions from the pedestrians came from outside the carriage:

"Officer, I heard Marquis Marquis Yongyi won a great battle in the north; will they release people today?"

"Indeed! Officer, last month when Marquis Marquis Tuoxi won a battle, they did release some people! My family's Erhu, he..."

An impatient voice shouted:

"How can it be that fast! Disperse, disperse!"

"Don't obstruct things here!"

"Can't you see you are blocking the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi's carriage?"

Subsequently, this same voice immediately switched to a flattering tone: "Oh, Sixth Master Wang! Please go this way!"

Inside the carriage, Qi Heng lifted his chin slightly.

Hearing Buwei spoke from behind the carriage door: "Wang Hu Zi, the Young Master says to reward you."

"Yes!"

"A reward from the Young Master! Catch."

Subsequently, the clinking sound of copper coins rang out outside the carriage; the jailer caught the thrown string of coins, and another shout of thanks came.

The carriage wheels rumbled on,

Having eaten his fill, Qi Heng yawned and dozed off for a while in the carriage.

Upon arriving at the Sheng family's gate, hearing the street crier announcing the time, Qi Heng and Hearing Buwei hurriedly alighted and walked quickly toward the academy courtyard.

Before even entering the academy courtyard, Qi Heng heard hearty laughter.

After entering the gate, he saw only Xu Xu Zaijing, Sheng Changbai, Gu Gu Tingye, and Xu Zaizhang standing at the entrance, each waving the folding fan in their hand rapidly, their faces full of smiles.

Qi Heng hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting and joined the discussion regarding the timeline for the destruction of the Bai Gao Kingdom.

End of the Hour of the Dragon (9:00 AM)

The sun had risen,

baking people until they felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Southwest of Bianjing,

outside the Zailou Gate of the outer city,

a group of criminals sentenced to exile, burdened with heavy wooden cangues, walked out of the city; at the escort's shout, they moved to the roadside to rest in the shade of the trees.

While in prison, these people had felt nothing, but after donning these heavy cangues and walking less than ten li out of the city, the skin around everyone's necks was already chafed raw.

The wounds mixed with sweat, stinging fiercely.

The lead escort watched this group of criminals with an amused expression; just as he was about to order the journey to resume, a Constable rode up on horseback to the outside of the city gate.

After a brief conversation, the transporting escort nodded repeatedly.

Among the criminals, some faces lit up with joy and hope, and they began whispering excitedly to one another.

A moment later,

after the escort clasped his hands to see off the Constable delivering the order, he walked to the front of the crowd of criminals.

"Heh~ Ptoo!"

After spitting a mouthful of saliva, seeing everyone looking his way, he clasped his hands toward the sky and said:

"His Majesty is benevolent!"

"Marquis Marquis Yongyi has won a great victory in the north; even you bunch of damned stubborn prisoners can catch some of that luck."

"Men! Swap the heavy cangues for medium ones, medium for light ones, and light ones for hand shackles!"

"Once swapped, wait for the clerks from the yamen to come replace the seals!"

Seeing the criminals' joyful expressions, the escort continued: "Don't get your hopes up too early! The Prefect my lord also said that during the transport, if any of you dare to make a move..."

"Hmph! You will be killed on the spot without pardon!"

Speaking thus, the escort swept his gaze across the criminals.

This caused certain criminals, whose eyes held suspicious glints, to lower their heads.

Jiying Lane

Sheng Family Academy

In the corner, in the very last row, Minglan lifted her head; glancing forward at Zhuang Tutor, who was lecturing on Sheng Changfeng's lessons with great cheer and a forceful voice, she dipped her brush on the edge of the inkstone and continued writing on her copybook.

"Thank you, thank you, Tutor, for your instruction! This student shall keep it in mind."

Sheng Changfeng, also sitting in the last row, stood up, clasped his hands with a look of shame, and spoke.

In the first row, Seeing Mo Lan frowned, turned her head, and gave her elder brother Sheng Changfeng a somewhat reproachful glance.

When she accidentally made eye contact with Qi Heng, Seeing Mo Lan quickly forced a smile, straightened her head, and somewhat uneasily smoothed the hair beside her ears.

Seeing Seeing Mo Lan act this way, Hearing Rulan, sitting in the middle, directly rolled her eyes and curled her lips in disgust.

Zhuang Tutor nodded: "Mm, sit down!"

After speaking, Zhuang Tutor picked up the folding fan resting on the desk; in high spirits, he paced a few steps before the desk, smiled as he made eye contact with his students, and said:

"Just now when I entered the courtyard, I happened to hear you discussing the matter of the Bai Gao Kingdom with great enthusiasm! Since the lesson is now finished, let us continue to debate it..."

"How long can the Bai Gao Kingdom hold out! Why! Sheng Changbai, you go first!"

Sheng Changbai stood up, clasped his hands, and said: "Yes, Tutor!"

"Tutor, this student believes the Bai Gao Kingdom can hold out for another three years! The reasons are as follows."

"First, although it has been ten years since the birth of the Imperial Prince that Your Majesty adopted Official Wang Shao's strategy of opening borders in Hehuang, now that the Bai Gao Kingdom faces life or death, it will surely mobilize its entire nation's troops to fight our Great Zhou to the death. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both nations clashing and millions killing each other, such a kingdom cannot be destroyed overnight!"

"Second, this student believes Your Majesty will certainly learn from the experience of the early victory followed by defeat in the initial great war against the Bai Gao Kingdom upon ascending the throne; this time, Your Majesty will surely advance steadily and strike surely. Although Marquis Marquis Tuoxi attacked the Youzhou Route and Marquis Marquis Yongyi destroyed the Heishan Weifu Army Command, the combined strength of the Youzhou Route and the Heishan Weifu Army Command is only forty to fifty thousand men; the Bai Gao Kingdom has not suffered any fundamental damage."

"Third, the Northern Liao has the threat of the Jin Kingdom distracting it, so it certainly does not wish for our Great Zhou to recover the former lands of Bai Gao and remove the constraint on our Great Zhou's northwest! Just as before, when the Northern Liao envoy met with our Great Zhou at the South Imperial Garden to jointly discuss the expedition against Bai Gao, they did not commit many troops.

At this moment, the Bai Gao Kingdom may have already issued a state letter, requesting the Northern Liao to mediate! The Northern Liao's Southwest Pacification Commission might dispatch troops to threaten our Great Zhou's Hebei Two Circuits!"

"Fourth, although the Bai Gao Kingdom has internal turmoil, because the Northern Liao was watching closely from the side like a tiger eyeing its prey, our Great Zhou delayed the war for a year, and the Bai Gao Kingdom also remained stable for a year."

"Therefore, this student believes it will take at least another three years. Tutor!"

Zhuang Tutor waved his hand to signal Sheng Changbai to sit, then said: "Xu Zaizhang!"

Xu Xu Zaizhang stood and said: "Tutor, this student feels it may take two years; the reasons are no different from Sheng Changbai's! But since the Bai Gao Kingdom is currently in internal turmoil, three years will not be needed; this student believes two years will suffice!"

After Zhuang Tutor waved his hand to signal him, he said: "Heng-ge'er?"

Xu Zaizhang sat down; Qi Heng rose, clasped his hands, and said: "Tutor, this student shares the same view as Elder Brother Zhang."

"Gu Tingye?"

Qi Heng sat down; Gu Gu Tingye stood up, clasped his hands, and said: "Tutor, this student agrees with Sheng Changbai's view. But there is one point where Sheng Changbai was wrong!"

Zhuang Tutor: "Oh?"

Hearing this, Sheng Changbai also looked at Gu Gu Tingye with confusion, his eyes signaling Gu Gu Tingye to explain where he was wrong.

Gu Gu Tingye glanced around the classroom and continued: "Yesterday I saw the family gazette; the Northern Liao's Southwest Route Pacification Commission is not 'might' dispatch troops! They have already dispatched troops."

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the classroom turned somewhat grim.

At the Tutor's signal, Gu Gu Tingye sat down, and Sheng Changfeng stood up, echoing Gu Gu Tingye's statement.

After pondering for a moment, Zhuang Tutor said: "Xu Zaijing? What do you think?"

Xu Xu Zaijing stood up; looking at Sheng Changbai, Gu Gu Tingye, and others who had turned to look at him, he smiled, clasped his hands, and said: "Tutor, this student believes that what Sheng Changbai, my elder brother, and Brother Ye said all have merit! But they have overlooked certain matters."

Hearing this, Zhuang Tutor's eyes brightened: "Oh? Tell us what you are thinking!"

Xu Xu Zaijing clasped his hands in assent and continued:

"Tutor, what Sheng Changbai stated as his first point is correct!"

"However, what Sheng Changbai mentioned as the third point overlooks one thing! Although the Northern Liao State's hawkish gaze upon Bai Gao granted it a year of respite, has not our Great Zhou also been preparing for war for a year?"

Hearing these words, everyone in the academy nodded one after another.

Xu Xu Zaijing continued:

"Ten years ago, whenever Bai Gao encountered the Tibetan tribal clans in the Hehuang region, it was always massacre and plunder; many clans hold generational feuds with Bai Gao! Yet when our Great Zhou opened the Hehuang frontier, our military edge was extremely sharp, and Lord Wang's strategies were entirely appropriate—conducting punitive expeditions, offering amnesty, promoting commerce, and establishing schools. Over the past decade, the Xihe Circuit has flourished day by day, yielding eight hundred thousand strings of cash annually in commercial taxes alone."

"The Xihe Circuit possesses over sixty thousand regular troops and tribal soldiers combined, among whom cavalry forces are particularly numerous! Last year, the court conscripted fifty thousand soldiers from Chengdu Prefecture as reinforcements, bringing the total to one hundred and ten thousand. Meanwhile, the entire mobilized strength of Bai Gao's Gansu Military Command does not exceed forty thousand!"

"Subtracting the forces Bai Gao stations in the west to guard against the Uyghurs, Bai Gao faces us with merely over three hundred thousand troops; adding the Gansu Military Command brings the total to four hundred thousand!"

"As for our Great Zhou, after last year's reinforcements, Marquis Marquis Tuoxi, General Cao Lao, commands nearly four hundred thousand troops in the Western Army! My father, Marquis Marquis Yongyi, commands eighty thousand troops, and last autumn, the capital guards of Bianjing, along with the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Britain and Marquis Lady Ningyuan, assembled an additional ten thousand cavalry as reinforcements!"

"Six hundred thousand troops against four hundred thousand! An advantage!"

Xu Xu Zaijing stopped himself just in time from making a bold proclamation, saying: "Although Bai Gao's military losses are not significant, as my elder brother stated, Bai Gao's previous internal turmoil caused widespread devastation!"

"Numerous families closely related to the Li imperial clan were slaughtered!!"

"It is like a person who has had their head replaced trying to command their limbs; it will inevitably be clumsy and difficult! Bai Gao's cohesive power has diminished greatly compared to before!"

"As for Bai Gao's outstanding young generals..."

Gu Gu Tingye interjected from the side: "Several were crippled by you, Jing-ge'er, and several defected to our Great Zhou!"

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded, saying: "Ye-ge'er speaks the truth!"

"Moreover, among these defecting generals are cavalry commanders and infantry commanders, all sharing a blood feud with the Liang Yi family of Bai Gao! Nowadays, most serve as military advisors beside Marquis Marquis Tuoxi and Marquis Marquis Yongyi..."

Gu Gu Tingye interjected again: "Exactly! The moment the opposing generals so much as lift a buttock, we know exactly what they intend to..."

"Ahem!"

Sheng Changfeng coughed once, and Gu Gu Tingye hastily stopped speaking.

Xu Xu Zaijing glanced at Gu Gu Tingye: "Between this loss and that gain, our Great Zhou army now knows both itself and the enemy!"

"Furthermore, the Li imperial clan has ruled Bai Gao for many years, yet the only two legitimate heirs are here in our Great Zhou. With these two present, persuading the defending troops to surrender should not be difficult."

"As for what Sheng Changbai and Ye-ge'er mentioned regarding the Northern Liao's Southwest Pacification Commission..."

"Hah! Even before the Jin State existed, the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Britain and Marquis Lady Ningyuan, stationed in the two Hebei circuits, dared to clash head-on with them, let alone now!"

Hearing these words, Gu Gu Tingye immediately straightened his back and nodded.

Master Zhuang stroked his beard and smiled: "So, Jing-ge'er, how long do you think it will take?"

Xu Xu Zaijing bowed with clasped hands: "Master! This student has no fixed conclusion, but... next year marks Your Majesty's milestone birthday!"

"Hiss!!!"

Understanding the shocking implication within Xu Xu Zaijing's words, everyone in the academy inhaled sharply through their teeth.

Seeing the surprised expressions of the crowd, Xu Xu Zaijing silently said to himself: There is also an uncle named Watching Zhao Taifeng lurking in the Jin Chuihuan Bureau.

"This is far too optimistic!"

Xu Xu Zaijing bowed with clasped hands: "The Master speaks correctly!"

Master Zhuang nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and said: "Let us all rest for a while!"

Having spoken, the Master sat back behind his desk, drew out a sheet of paper, and began to write.

After finishing writing, the Master folded the paper, placed it into an envelope, wrote the words 'Received by the Prefect my lord' on the envelope, and then set the envelope aside on the desk.

At this moment, Gu Gu Tingye's voice rang out in the academy: "Sheng Changbai, do you think if that prince of Bai Gao had not died, would the Liang Yi family still have plotted to rebel against Bai Gao?"

(End of Chapter)