Chapter 490

Two generals, there is urgent intelligence; the Prince summons the two generals to the military headquarters to discuss matters.

Just as the two were talking and daydreaming, a burly soldier strode up quickly and called out to them.

Chen Ruiwen and Qiu Jianhui exchanged a glance, not knowing what had happened; under the escort of the personal guards, they descended the city wall, spurred their horses, and after the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, rushed to the military headquarters inside Jizhou City.

Upon entering the headquarters, they felt the atmosphere was exceptionally solemn and stern.

Prince Nan'an wore armor, his face grim, hands clasped behind his back, standing before a desk covered in military reports; Mu Chen, Ma Shang, Xie Jing, and others sat separately on either side, each with a solemn expression.

Seeing all the generals assembled, Prince Nan'an threw a freshly opened military report onto the desk, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone, and he spoke in a low tone:

"Generals! We have just received intelligence from the direction of Tongzhou; Jia Jing has ordered the twelve regiments' army to set out, advancing in three routes toward the various guard posts of the capital region; Tongzhou City has already been occupied by the imperial troops, and the main force will soon arrive before Jizhou City!"

It must be said, Jia Jing arrived too quickly, somewhat beyond Prince Nan'an's expectation,

He had originally thought that as long as the guard posts did not openly rebel, he could at least delay for one or two months, enough for him to lay out his plans calmly.

Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the imperial army would already be mobilized!

Under such urgent and pressing circumstances, all their previous schemes are likely to have to change!

Fortunately, Jia Jing's son is arrogant and overbearing; this time he did not personally lead the troops, but instead appointed an obscure nobody as commander—this is our opportunity!

Mu Chen, Ma Shang, Chen Ruiwen, and the others heard this, their faces all changed, realizing the gravity of the situation; Chen Ruiwen was the first to exclaim in shock:

"They came this fast?! How could Tongzhou City be captured so quickly? Is Commander Liu not one of ours? How many troops did the court dispatch this time? Is Jia Zi Jie personally leading the army?"

Chen Ruiwen was obviously very surprised, firing off four or five questions in one breath.

Prince Nan'an spoke in a deep voice:

"Nine battalions of the twelve regiments have been mobilized, about 140,000 troops, divided into three routes: one heading for Jizhou, one for Baoding, and one for Tianjin."

"The commander-in-chief leading the troops is Lan Yu, commandant of the Yangwei Battalion; he commands five battalions, about 80,000 men, constituting the central route army marching straight toward Jizhou. Meanwhile, Jia Jing holds Shenjing, not coming in person."

"As for Tongzhou being captured, it was merely due to the suddenness of the affair; Liu Shun failed to notice in time and was caught off guard!"

Prince Nan'an did not dwell on the fact that Tongzhou had been bombarded, so as not to affect morale.

"One hundred forty thousand..."

Qiu Jianhui sucked in a breath of cold air, his face turning somewhat pale, his heart shocked, and he remained silent for a moment.

You must know that they have managed, with great effort, to train only fifty thousand elite troops these days; although there are also several thousand guard post soldiers, they are essentially worthless in combat.

"Jia Jing is putting all his resources on the line! Tongzhou is not far from Jizhou; if Lan Yu's central army moves quickly, they could be at the city walls by tomorrow."

"Your Highness, have we received any replies from Xuanfu and Shanhaiguan? And what about the guard posts of Hejian and Yanping—do they ultimately intend to join us in rebellion or not?"

Prince Nan'an's face was grim as he slowly shook his head:

"The routes to Xuanfu and Shanhaiguan are far away, and we have not yet received a definite reply. The guard posts in the Hejian and Yanping areas have ambiguous attitudes; they dare not openly support us, nor dare they openly oppose the court."

"They are waiting to see which way the wind blows before deciding; this bunch of fence-sitters will only add icing on the cake, not give charcoal in the snow—for now we cannot rely on them."

It is worth mentioning that not everyone among the hundred-plus guard posts of the capital region dares to stake their lives and fortunes following Prince Nan'an and the others in rising to purge the court.

Some guard post commanders who have occupied little farmland or committed few legal violations, and who are not afraid of the imperial army's rectification, have not been won over by Prince Nan'an; still others are merely observing the situation.

Of course, such people are in the minority!

Ma Shang sat at the lower end, his thin face drawn long, and then he spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Who is Lan Yu? In these years at the Five Military Governor's Office, I have never heard of a person named Lan Yu."

"Those promoted by Jia Jing from the northwest—Zhou Yingyuan, You Shiyong, and Qin Qiong from Liaodong, along with his close aides Zhang Yi and Ma Guocheng—at least we have heard their names. Where did this Lan Yu crawl out of a crack in a stone?"

"Jia Zi Jie didn't even send a proper general, but instead dispatched an unknown nobody to brush us off—who does he think he's looking down on?!"

Chen Ruiwen's eyes flickered; he took up the conversation and forced a smile:

"What Brother Ma says is true; I see no need to over-worry. Though 140,000 troops sound intimidating, most of the twelve regiments are newly recruited soldiers, with only the twenty or thirty thousand who returned from the northwest having seen real battle."

"Moreover, Lan Yu is an unknown nobody, newly arrived; even the officers may not necessarily obey him—how could he possibly command effectively?"

Xie Jing suddenly rose to his feet, his sallow face showing a long-lost fierce valor; he looked over everyone and spoke solemnly:

"Not bad! Brothers, all listen to my words."

"I, Xie someone, have also rolled through the piles of corpses in the northwest and Liaodong, having navigated life and death several times."

"At this juncture, saying more is useless; better to steel our hearts, put our lives on the line, and fight him! Whether dragon or worm, we must drag him out and give him a walk!"

"In my view, let's muster our troops, meet them beneath Jizhou City, and see the real outcome! Our ancestors, who followed Taizu to conquer the realm, were all heroes and good men; we cannot disgrace their legacy!"

He spoke these words with murderous fervor, his rough voice like sandpaper scraping iron, stirring a low murmur of approval in the hall.

Mu Chen also rose, snapping his folding fan shut with a 'pa', his gaze sweeping over everyone; his voice was not loud, yet it carried the particular aristocratic air of a noble scion, tinged with a chilling solemnity, as he said:

"Uncle Xie is right! Now that things have come to this, everyone has abandoned home and livelihood—where is there any retreat left?"

"We were originally meritorious officials who shared weal and woe with the state; how much blood did our ancestors shed for this realm, how many did they lose?"

"Now it is merely because of a little land inherited from our ancestors that we have been forced to flee to Jizhou, unable even to remain in the capital. The court's lack of benevolence comes first, not our lack of loyalty."

"If we must speak a single great impropriety, Jia Jing's son has monopolized the government and deceived the emperor; our rising this time is not rebellion but rather to clear the ruler's side! Even if we are defeated and die, when we meet our forefathers we shall have a clear conscience."

As these words went on, they grew more impassioned, to the point that even the breathing of Chen Ruiwen, Ma Shang, and the others became heavy.

Prince Nan'an's gaze lingered for a moment on the faces of Xie Jing and Mu Chen, then he slowly nodded.

In times of adversity, true mettle is revealed; Mu Chen and Xie Jing usually keep a low profile, but now they show sufficient courage and spirit, not losing face!

Prince Nan'an straightened his back; the gloom on his face dissipated somewhat, replaced by an air of resolute and stern vigor.

In his weathered voice, there was no longer a hint of hesitation; he spoke decisively:

"Well said! When narrow roads meet, the brave prevail. The court's blade is already at our throats; not to fight is to die. Only by fighting do we have a sliver of hope."

"I originally intended to follow the example of the Chengzu Emperor, avoiding the twelve regiments' main force and striking out with a surprise attack to seize Shenjing, but now it seems this path is blocked."

"Although the main force of the twelve regiments has come out, they still left three battalions with forty or fifty thousand troops garrisoned in Shenjing; now the city is under martial law, the Feathered Forest Guard and the Imperial City Office have also been set in motion, and with Jia Jing's son holding the fort, relying only on the Cao Guo Gong's meager forces would hardly be sufficient!"

After all, Cao Guo Gong has been stripped of his office, powerless and insignificant, unlike the days of the Chengzu Emperor when his ancestors commanded the city gates with such ease!

Furthermore, we now have a better strategy!

Prince Nan'an walked up to the map, his finger striking heavily between Shenjing and Tongzhou, then he tapped the three arrows diverging outward, and spoke in a deep voice:

Their deployment, you have also seen — troops split into three routes, looking imposing, but in fact they have committed the great taboo of dividing forces in military strategy.

Lan Yu is a nobody; the troops he can use are no more than eighty thousand. He first attacked Tongzhou, already dividing forces to garrison there; when a route that has taken cities and strongholds arrives at Jizhou, his forces will be even more scattered.

Moreover, the two routes from Tianjin and Baoding are beyond reach; when the central route army arrives beneath Jizhou City, the most we will have to face is at most fifty or sixty thousand troops.

In that case, we are not without a chance of victory!