Chapter 168: Yulin in Peril

Of course, Xia Shouzhong would not show it outright; he furrowed his brows and his complexion shifted.

He pretended to be somewhat reluctant and, after a pause, said slowly:

"Originally this matter was rather difficult; Jia Jing, the lady scholar, is deeply favored by the Empress in the palace."

"But Lord Jingwu's filial devotion is greatly admired by us. Moreover, Lord Jingwu rarely speaks up; we must, in any case, give him this face."

"Lord Jingwu, rest assured, we have taken care of this; Sister Ling will certainly be on this round of reduction list."

Jia Jing, fully aware that Xia Shouzhong was feigning difficulty, still smiled and bowed, saying:

"Then I thank the minister for the assistance!"

After finalizing Yuan Chun's matter, Jia Jing further cemented ties with Xia Shouzhong before taking leave.

After rendezvousing with his personal troops at the palace gate, Jia Jing rode without rest toward Bashang Daying; many pre‑deployment preparations still required his personal oversight.

It was already midday; the spring day was bright, and the gentle breeze still carried a hint of chill.

Bashang Daying.

At this moment, the troops inside the camp were already being mobilized under the command of Niu Jizong, Zhu Que, and others.

This time Jia Jing does not intend to transfer all one‑hundred‑thousand soldiers of Bashang Daying to the northwest.

On one hand, Shenjing cannot be left without reliable garrison forces; relying on the troops of Jingying would be unacceptable.

Secondly, the northwest campaign must be swift; Shenjing is too far from the western four towns, and moving infantry would take too long.

Moreover, the Northern Yuan and Hunxie forces consist mainly of cavalry, so an excess of infantry would be of little use.

Therefore, Jia Jing is primarily drawing 20,000 elite cavalry and a contingent of Hongyi cannons under Ma Guocheng to the northwest.

Infantry will also be drawn, roughly 20,000 men, mainly to transport supplies and, incidentally, to see some combat on the battlefield.

At this time, Niu Jizong, Zhu Que, Ma Guocheng, and others were tallying the cavalry units for the expedition and arranging logistics, armaments, and provisions.

Besides them, General Feng Tang and Marquis Han Wu of Jinxiang were also in the camp.

These two, together with Niu Jizong, basically are the few remaining founding war‑heroes who have seen battle and still hold military ranks.

This time Jia Jing has already obtained an edict from Jing Sheng Di, transferring them from Jingying under his command to jointly march northwest.

Feng Tang's and Han Wu's sons, Feng Ziying and Han Qi, were already under Jia Jing's command when they were in Liaodong.

It can be said that Jia Jing personally brought them up; they have now been promoted to senior fifth rank, first‑class gentlemen.

Consequently, Feng Tang and Han Wu are deeply grateful to Jia Jing, and in recent days have actively aligned themselves with him, viewing him as the leader of the founding war‑hero lineage.

This time Wang Ziteng can ultimately obtain the task of reorganizing Jingying, precisely because Jia Jing covertly instructed Feng Tang and Han Wu to support it.

Feng Tang and Han Wu were originally deputy military commissioners of Jingying; with their leading support, the other founding war‑heroes in Jingying did not strongly oppose the court's reorganization.

Because of their insight, Jing Sheng Di agreed to let them join the northwest expedition.

First, to employ their martial strategy, adding some odds of victory to the northwest war.

Second, to remove the two highly respected figures from Jingying, facilitating Wang Ziteng's upcoming reorganization there.

"Lord has arrived!"

Zhu Que's eyes, the sharpest, instantly spotted Jia Jing entering from outside the camp and called out to Niu Jizong and the others nearby.

Hearing this, Niu Jizong, Feng Tang, Han Wu, Ma Guocheng, and the others hurried forward to usher Jia Jing into the central command tent.

Jia Jing entered the tent, looked at the assembled generals, and asked in a deep voice:

"Are all the expedition preparations complete? This northwest campaign is of great importance; I intend to dispatch 20,000 cavalry from Bashang Daying to rush to Yulin first."

"Then send some firearms troops and another 20,000 infantry to reach Guyuan thereafter; the cavalry must have their logistics and supplies arranged promptly."

Jia Jing already has a complete plan in mind for this battle; to swiftly defeat the combined forces of Hunxie, Northern Yuan, and False Qing, seizing the timing is essential.

First, defeat that front to stabilize the Da Han Empire's situation.

Then lead the elite cavalry to strike the Northern Yuan's royal court at Langshan and the Hunxie capital, hitting the enemy's stronghold directly.

We will not engage in a passive defensive war of attrition with the enemy's forces, being led by the nose.

Instead, we must take the initiative, seize battlefield momentum, and maneuver the enemy's troops according to our strategy.

In other words, "You fight your fight, I fight mine"—see who collapses first.

Thus, the cavalry's mobility is crucial; the early stage is about racing the enemy for time.

Zhu Que bowed and replied:

"Lord, rest assured, the camp has long completed the expedition preparations; we only await your command, and the army can set out tomorrow toward the northwest."

These past days, under Jia Jing's oversight, Bashang Daying has already been covertly preparing for the northwest expedition, awaiting only the court's official order and the allocation of supplies and logistics.

"Well, the cavalry needs half a month's rations; the Ministry of Revenue will dispatch the grain in the next few days."

"If timing is tight, once we reach the border passes, this Lord has his own means to gather provisions."

Jia Jing has never been concerned about the logistics of this battle; it is not that he wouldn't let it become a drawn‑out war of attrition.

If the delay does become long, he also has ways to procure supplies himself.

Those Jin merchants up in the northwest, he's been keeping an eye on them for a long time.

If a chance arises, he'll wield the Imperial Sword during the war to capture them all at once, ensuring there will be no lack of supplies.

"Regarding arms and armor, we must coordinate with the Ministry of War today and be ready to depart at any moment."

"You all go down and tighten the deployments! Also attend to your household matters; barring any mishap, we will dispatch troops officially very soon."

Jia Jing continued to issue orders.

Zhu Que and the others bowed in agreement.

After Niu Jizong, Feng Tang, and the others left, Zhu Que took a secret report from his coat and handed it to Jia Jing, saying:

"Lord! Take a look at this; it's urgent intelligence the Embroidered Uniform Guard delivered today, concerning Yulin in the northwest."

Jia Jing hurriedly took it, and after reading, his expression grew solemn as he said in a deep voice:

"The Northern Yuan's 80,000 troops have descended straight from Hetao, bribing local commanders and launching night raids, already capturing Da Baoyou Fort and Bailin Fort."

"Nearly two thousand garrison troops were killed in the two forts, and almost ten thousand civilians were brutally slaughtered; I fear the Northern Yuan main force has already reached the foot of Yu Lin Wei Cheng and is now fighting our Han Army."

The Yu Lin Town defensive line stretches east‑west along the Great Wall for more than 800 km; the Da Han Empire has established forty‑two forts, garrisoned in sections.

The core defense zone of Zhong Lu, from Yu Lin to Heng Shan, is the heart of Yu Lin Town's defenses, containing nine border forts, including Great Tar Fort and Cypress Fort.

Departing from this route and heading downstream of the Wuding River is the shortest path, the marching route Northern Yuan often chooses.

Zhu Que roared:

"How does this Ji An Marquis Lu Heng defend the city? The court has repeatedly ordered him to fortify the walls and clear the fields, warning him to beware of Northern Yuan."

"How could Northern Yuan still have breached two core border forts, causing so many civilian casualties, and so quickly let the enemy troops reach the foot of Yu Lin Wei Cheng?"

"That defending commander is grossly negligent!"