Chapter 1566

Guo Guangbi said: "Move west?"

Xie Jian nodded heavily and said: "Taking advantage of now, all sides' attention is on Yunyang; this is exactly a great opportunity for us to withdraw west; for us, only heading west is a way out; Ji Cheng is currently under our control; after passing Ji Cheng and reaching Ankang grassland, we can escape the predicament."

Guo Guangbi listened and remained silent for a long time; as Xie Jian said, Xingzhou has already become a rib of little use; the reason we have fallen to this state can be said to be related to our poor management; but if we truly leave, he is somewhat hesitant, after all he has invested too much emotion in Xingzhou, sacrificed countless subordinates, shed countless blood and sweat to gain a foothold in the Central Plains; now giving up would be tantamount to wasting all previous efforts and sacrifices; leaving Xingzhou, if we later want to return to the Central Plains, it will be even harder, perhaps never again possible.

Xie Jian said: "Better than sitting and waiting for death, we should open a path of survival; my lord, now is the best time for us to leave; absolutely do not hesitate!"

The Xichuan army withdrew thirty li, re-established camp; throughout the camp were wails, wounded visible everywhere; Li Yan, accompanied by several commanders, inspected; the sight before him was unbearable to behold; preliminary casualty numbers have been reported; the situation is worse than anticipated.

The soldiers poisoned by the venom had festering flesh, and the poison wounds kept spreading; even the army doctors accompanying them could do nothing.

Yan Huacheng finally withdrew and returned; his whole body was drenched in blood, his cloak stained, even his armor's original color indistinguishable; he came before Commander Li Yan to report; before Yan Huacheng could speak, Li Yan's face darkened, and he coldly said: "Someone, seize him for me!"

Everyone was stunned; they thought they had misheard.

Li Yan roared: "How? Do you dare not obey my orders?"

At this moment, the surrounding soldiers finally understood, rushed forward to seize Yan Huacheng, twisted his arms behind his back, knocked off his helmet, and forced him to kneel.

Yan Huacheng never expected Li Yan to treat him this way; he shouted: "Commander, what are you doing? I, your subordinate, do not know where I have offended you; why treat me thus?"

Li Yan gave a cold snort, pointed at Yan Huacheng and said: "You have not offended me; I am certainly not one who repays personal grudges publicly; today on the battlefield, why did you show mercy to Yuan Qing Shan's subordinates? After his defeat, why did you refuse to pursue? What exactly are you hesitating about?"

Yan Huacheng said: "It is not that I, the subordinate, am hesitating; rather, Yuan Qing Shan is clearly trying to lure me deeper; Commander, cannot you see that the two commanders they initially sent out are clearly meant to lure the enemy?"

Li Yan angrily said: "Yan Huacheng, how could I not see? Today you have consecutively lost to three enemy commanders; there must be deceit! Tell me honestly, did you collude with Su Yuchi early on?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Huacheng's heart turned cold; he instantly understood Li Yan's intention: today's battle was a crushing defeat, Li Yan could not bear this responsibility, so he rushed to push the blame for this defeat onto him. Yan Huacheng glared at Li Yan; Li Yan, guilty as a thief, dared not meet his gaze, and loudly said: "First take him away and keep him under strict guard; after reporting to the Grand Marshal, then decide his fate."

Today's battle shocked Hu Xiaotian. Zhuge Guanqi was the same; after returning to Dongliang Jun, the two came to Hu Xiaotian's residence, facing each other in silence. Hu Xiaotian had originally been calculating the profit of the clam and snipe conflict, hoping to pick up a bargain, but now he finally understood: even if Su Yuchi faced simultaneous sieges from Xichuan and Xingzhou, his combat power shown today left the opponent with no chance.

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: "After this battle, I fear few will dare to have designs on Yunyang."

Zhuge Guanqi nodded and said: "In the short term, that should be the case; however, the two lethal devices Su Yu displayed will make everyone feel threatened, thus becoming a target of public anger."

Hu Xiaotian naturally understood the principle that an innocent man who carries a jade invites crime; this is the fundamental reason he decided to temporarily conceal the news of the Heaven-shaking Thunder. Given the current state of the world, once others believe your weapons endanger everyone's existence, it will provoke a united hatred to eliminate the greatest threat; Zhuge Guanqi's meaning is that Su Yuchi's formidable combat power displayed today will make all sides tremble.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The lethal devices possessed by the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets are surely not limited to these."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Before we have ascertained the enemy's true strength, blindly dispatching troops will inevitably cause huge losses; today's battle is a clear example." He paused, then added: "My lord, perhaps you should reconsider the matter of Yunyang, temporarily slow the plan to contend for Yunyang, first take Xingzhou, and form a pincer movement in the north."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, still silent, when Huo Shengnan quickly entered; seeing Zhuge Guanqi also present, she smiled and greeted him, then said: "Just received news: Guo Guangbi's 50,000-strong army from Xingzhou has withdrawn, but they did not return to Xingzhou; instead they moved west."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed; truly heaven helps me; could Guo Guangbi have decided to abandon Xingzhou? He glanced at Zhuge Guanqi, seeing his face also lit with joy, Hu Xiaotian said: "Shengnan, immediately muster the army to attack Xingzhou; we must seize Xingzhou in the shortest possible time."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Those eyeing Xingzhou are certainly not just us; Xichuan has not withdrawn; I think Su Yuchi may not dare to act rashly; the most likely to attack Xingzhou is the Nanyang water fortress; my lord must dispatch the Yongjiang navy, ostensibly to attack the Da Yong navy, while the main force advances by land to take Xingzhou; according to current intel, Guo Guangbi took 50,000 with him, leaving fewer than 20,000 garrison in Xingzhou; if properly allocated, we should be able to seize it."

Yuan Qing Shan quickly approached Su Yuchi, clasped his fists, and said: "General, just received news: Guo Guangbi's side in Xingzhou has begun to retreat, but they did not return to Xingzhou; instead they led their troops westward."

Su Yuchi nodded and said: "Xingzhou has exhausted its ammunition and grain; in fact it has become an isolated city; if they return, they only have a dead end; better to flee than to starve; moreover, their provisions and military supplies likely come from Da Yong; by staying idle they have already offended Da Yong, which will certainly not let them off."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Should we pursue our victory?"

Su Yuchi shook his head and said: "No need! We also cannot spare that many troops; although Xichuan was defeated by us, they have not withdrawn; if we divert forces to chase Guo Guangbi, it will surely leave Yunyang defenseless; perhaps Li Yan will lead the remnants back."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Will Xingzhou change?"

Su Yuchi sighed, slowly walked to the city wall, patted the battlements, and said: "There will certainly be changes; I just don't know whether Hu Xiaotian or Xue Daohong will act first."

Xue Daohong sat in a luxurious palace, accompanied by two beautiful consorts, drinking wine while enjoying the palace maids' gentle song and dance, occasionally bursting into delighted laughter; at this moment, a eunuch hurried to his side and whispered: "General Li has arrived!"

Xue Daohong furrowed his brows, released the two consorts, letting them retreat quickly, then waved his hand, signaling the palace maids to leave.

When Li Shen Zhou entered the palace, he happened to meet a group of hastily withdrawing palace maids; smelling the strong wine fragrance inside, he already understood what this Da Yong emperor was doing; since the northern war entered winter recess, Xue Daohong has obviously relaxed considerably, recently gaining two favored consorts, nightly revelry, living in drunken dreams; Li Shen Zhou, through various channels, already knew these two favored consorts were presented by Prince Yan Xue Shengjing; their malicious intent is self-evident.

Xue Daohong regarded Li Shen Zhou as extremely important, even feeling some reverence in his heart; he dismissed his beloved consorts and palace maids out of worry that Li Shen Zhou would be displeased upon seeing this; upon seeing Li Shen Zhou, he personally rose to greet him, beaming: "Shen Zhou, it's been a while since you've visited."

Li Shen Zhou performed a respectful salute: "Shen Zhou pays respects to Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

"No need for excessive courtesy!" Xue Daohong affectionately grabbed Li Shen Zhou's wrist and said: "Come, let's drink a few cups together."

Li Shen Zhou said: "Your Majesty, I have come this time to report urgent military intelligence, not to drink."

Xue Daohong's expression showed some displeasure; he coughed and said: "What military matter? Is it worth your personal presence to report?" Inside he blamed Li Shen Zhou for disturbing his enjoyment.

Li Shen Zhou said: "Su Yuchi defeated the Xichuan army; Guo Guangbi of Xingzhou withdrew without attack, currently fleeing due west of Xingzhou."

Xue Daohong angrily said: "This wretched thing, I already said this person cannot be trusted; you refused to listen, even urged me to give him grain; now we have lost all that grain for nothing."

Li Shen Zhou inwardly sighed; Xue Daohong's judgment is indeed problematic; having come to report military affairs, he only noticed that bit of grain.

Seeing Li Shen Zhou silent, Xue Daohong realized his words might have been too harsh; he regarded Li Shen Zhou as his best friend, fully confident in his abilities, and sighed: "Shen Zhou, I am not blaming you; it's just that those rebels have always been fickle and cannot be trusted."

Li Shen Zhou respectfully said: "Your Majesty's admonition is that Guo Guangbi leads his troops westward; Xingzhou is currently empty; what do you think we should do, Your Majesty?"

Xue Daohong said: "Xingzhou is Dakang's territory, right?"

Li Shen Zhou nodded.

Xue Daohong said: "According to your view, what should we do?"

Li Shen Zhou said: "We should seize Xingzhou with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, to counterbalance Yunyang from the north; eastward it can also check Hu Xiaotian's westward expansion."

Xue Daohong nodded and said: "I have no objections, but our war with the Black Hu is not yet over; now it is deep winter, if we fight it will surely be arduous, and we might thereby offend Dakang; I am not afraid of Dakang, but if this causes Dakang and the Black Hu to unite, that would be unfavorable for us."

Li Shen Zhou furrowed his brows; when did Xue Daohong start becoming so timid? He stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, Xingzhou concerns the future grand scheme; if Hu Xiaotian obtains it, it will surely be troublesome."

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