Chapter 250

Outside Xiangyang City.

"Prince, the pseudo-dynasty's reinforcements are less than a hundred miles from Xiangyang, and at most in three days, they will clash with us.

If we cannot capture Xiangyang before then, we will be in big trouble!"

Vanguard General Qin Zhao Laosan said with a grave expression.

Even if he hadn't read military books, after several years of campaigning, he had basic common sense.

Failing to capture Xiangyang for so long was already affecting the morale of the army.

Once the enemy receives reinforcements, the momentum of offense and defense will instantly reverse.

While he shouted every day that the imperial army was not worth mentioning, deep down, he was still full of fear for the imperial court.

"You can see it, and naturally I know the severity of the problem.

But the problem is that the walls of Xiangyang are sturdy, and there are tens of thousands of defenders inside.

We have attacked for so long and haven't been able to get in; capturing Xiangyang in just two days is simply impossible.

The ones in charge inside are diehards loyal to the pseudo-dynasty; neither threats nor inducements work."

Wei Hao said with a frown.

He had wasted too much time on the walls of Xiangyang.

If he were to give up now, he would certainly be unwilling.

Yet the imperial army's reinforcements have arrived, with the Capital Battalion and border troops coming together; looking at that formation, he knew the imperial court was playing for real this time.

Whether he could crush the enemy army, he had no confidence at all.

Just look at the White Lotus Holy Emperor; he was originally the most powerful existence in the White Lotus Sect, but because of the imperial court's focused strikes, he can now only flee around the world.

Fortunately, he kept an eye out and deliberately delayed the speed when sending reinforcements, otherwise the reinforcements sent out would have been like meat buns thrown at a dog.

"Prince, since we can't take Xiangyang, why don't we just turn around!

The pseudo-dynasty's reinforcements have a large number of cavalry; on the Central Plains, we have no advantage in a decisive battle with the enemy.

Although many of the Holy Emperor's decisions are wrong, choosing to enter Shu this time is a brilliant move.

It's a pity the action was a bit too late, and the Holy Capital is too much of a burden, so retreating unscathed is not easy.

But we are different; we don't have the burden of a large number of family members.

We can completely take advantage of the fact that the enemy hasn't reached the battlefield yet, adjust our operational direction first, and kill our way into the Shu lands to avoid the edge of the pseudo-dynasty's main army.

Most of the enemy's reinforcements are northerners; once they cross the Yangtze River, their combat effectiveness will be greatly discounted.

We can completely choose a suitable battlefield and annihilate them!"

Senior Secretary Xu Xu Yanyu spoke up to persuade him.

Compared to seizing the Central Plains, moving west into the Bashu lands is strategically more cowardly.

But there is no other way; the plan to contend for the Central Plains has already gone bankrupt.

Continuing to besiege Xiangyang and fight to the death, if the enemy's reinforcements arrive, they really might not be able to hold them off.

"Mr. Xu, are you sure the Holy Emperor cannot enter the Shu lands?"

Wei Hao asked, looking somewhat pleasantly surprised.

He had long been dissatisfied with the Holy Emperor pressing down on his head.

When fighting externally, the Holy Kingdom contributed nothing, yet kept reaching out for troops, money, and grain supplies.

Besides these, the Holy Kingdom's high command often pointed fingers at the front-line command, and even the attack route was decided by the White Lotus Holy Emperor.

Once or twice was fine, but after being tossed around so many times, his heart was no longer balanced.

Contending for the Central Plains sounds domineering, but it's just too difficult!

Failing to make a breakthrough in Xiangyang for so long, he had long since not wanted to continue.

But for the sake of the Holy Kingdom's big picture, someone had to attack the Central Plains to contain the pseudo-dynasty, so he could only fight to the death against Xiangyang City.

Even if he was dissatisfied, he could only hold it in.

No matter what, he is the Eastern King of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom.

Under the framework of the Holy Kingdom's system, he must be constrained.

He cannot bear the notoriety of betraying his master.

The White Lotus Holy Emperor hasn't made any major mistakes, and the grievances he suffered simply cannot be brought to the table.

If he could betray the White Lotus Holy Emperor today for some minor matter, then tomorrow the generals under him could betray him for the same reason.

"Loyalty and righteousness" is the bond that maintains the righteous army; once loyalty and righteousness no longer exist, the righteous army has reached its end.

But if the White Lotus Holy Emperor brings about his own destruction and gets himself finished, then it doesn't matter.

At worst, after the White Lotus Holy Emperor dies, he will burn some paper money and raise the banner of revenge again.

"Prince, who can say for sure about such things!

However, that thief Li Mu is indeed formidable, and now he commands the troops of three provinces.

The army before the Holy Emperor is only a little over a hundred thousand, and against that thief Li Mu, there isn't much of a troop advantage.

Moreover, there are imperial troops from Guizhou blocking the way ahead; if there are no changes, the imperial troops in the Shu lands will also be attracted to Loushan Pass.

Not to mention the difficult roads, with strong enemies blocking the way ahead and pursuers chasing relentlessly behind, the path to enter Shu can be said to be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

By comparison, our side is much easier.

The pseudo-dynasty's troops in Shu have been attracted away, which is exactly when the interior is empty.

Sailing upstream directly, the imperial troops along the way can almost be ignored; it's much better than killing a bloody path out of the Guizhou mountains."

Hearing Xu Xu Yanyu's explanation, everyone showed signs of being moved.

Fighting all the way from Among Guangxi to now, having fought countless battles north and south, they have never had a stable home.

Compared to other regions, Sichuan is simply too suitable for separatism.

After taking Sichuan, they can advance to emulate Emperor Emperor Gaozu of Han, launching a northern expedition to Guanzhong to seize the foundation of a prince's hegemony.

They can retreat to hold a region, enjoying decades of wealth.

"Prince, Mr. Xu's words are reasonable.

Now is the best time to enter Shu; as for this Central Plains, let's leave it to others to contend with Great Great Dayu.

After occupying the Shu lands, we will sharpen our weapons and horses, and wait for Great Great Dayu to decline before killing our way out to contend for the world."

Left Capital General Deng Er spoke up to persuade him.

"I understand what you mean.

But if we move our troops into Shu alone, what about the Holy Kingdom's foundation?

Without us here to contain them, the pseudo-dynasty's main army will inevitably move south, recovering Huguang, Jiangxi, and other places along the way.

Although the Southern King and Western King are skilled in battle, they cannot withstand the siege of multiple imperial armies.

In this way, wouldn't that put me in a position of unrighteousness!"

Wei Hao refused with a frown.

The various factions of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom fight fiercely, and they have often stabbed each other in the back in private.

Worrying about the life and death of colleagues is fake; it's purely nonsense.

What truly makes Wei Hao hesitate is that once he runs away, these colleagues won't be able to withstand the imperial army's suppression.

If all the rebel kings are finished, even if entering Shu is successful, he will be fighting alone.

Opposing the world with a single corner of land is a sure way to seek death.

"Prince, trees move and die, people move and live.

The Holy Kingdom has many loyal and brave soldiers; even if they can't beat the imperial army for a while, I think they can rely on the terrain to contend with the imperial army.

As long as they can flexibly use tactics and change the battlefield in time, the Southern King and Western King will not be in danger."

Xu Xu Yanyu immediately persuaded him.

Deep down, he was already secretly complaining.

He had brought up the matter of entering Shu many times, but the Eastern King had always been hesitant, wasting too much time.

If they don't make a decision now, they won't be able to leave in the future.

The imperial court is not made of paper; once they start playing for real, these righteous armies of theirs are simply not worth looking at.

Referring to the peasant uprisings of all dynasties, everyone knows that those who raise the rebel banner first, no matter how fierce they are, cannot escape the fate of being annihilated.

The commotion stirred up by the White Lotus Holy Kingdom can only be considered not bad when looking at history as a whole.

Huang Chao's uprising even directly captured the capital, but still couldn't escape the Tang Dynasty's counterattack.

With their current strength, staying at the north-south transportation hub is just waiting for death.

"Fine, I'll do it!

Pass the order down, let everyone pack their bags and prepare to enter Shu!"

Wei Hao slammed the table and said.

……

"Bang, bang, bang……"

"Ah!"

The dense sound of muskets, mixed with screams, tore through the silent night sky.

"What happened?"

Shi Shi Rongxuan, awakened from his sleep, hurriedly asked.

"Holy Emperor, the sound is coming from the east; it is suspected that the imperial army has launched an attack.

The guards have already gone to check, and I think news will come soon."

The female official's answer made Shi Shi Rongxuan frown.

One truly fears what one expects.

He had long known that Li Mu's troops were skilled in night raids, and he had even specially ordered the strengthening of the camp defenses.

Unfortunately, the team was too large, and they could only set up camps separately.

In the process of specific execution, because of various special circumstances, the subordinates couldn't strictly execute the orders.

At this moment, the battle has started; once one camp is breached, it will inevitably implicate other camps.

Yet in this pitch-black darkness, he wants to send reinforcements but doesn't know how to coordinate.

Deep down, he suddenly had a bad premonition.

Intuition told him that with a large number of family members, the team simply wouldn't be able to reach the Shu lands.

"Kill!"

On the battlefield, the shouts of killing shook the heavens and earth.

The trained soldiers could barely withstand the pressure, but the accompanying family members fell into chaos.

The righteous army camp that first fell into the flames of war has now been reduced to a living hell.

To counter the imperial army's muskets, the righteous army also formed its own firearms troops.

In the vast darkness, righteous army soldiers picked up antique muskets and engaged in a shootout with the imperial army on the battlefield.

The brief clash exposed the gap in training.

Compared to the imperial army's orderly volley fire, the righteous army side was purely shooting randomly based on feeling.

Not to mention the poor accuracy, the key was that after a round of shooting, when the soldiers were busy reloading ammunition, the enemy's musket attacks didn't stop at all.

The gap between reloading became the enemy's hunting moment.

The righteous army generals clearly overestimated the combat will of their own army; staying put and taking bullets was simply not something ordinary soldiers could withstand.

Discovering that the imperial army's firepower was uninterrupted, the musket troops the righteous army had painstakingly trained instantly collapsed.

No matter how hard the generals tried, they couldn't stop everyone's determination to flee.

It was pitch black, and there were fleeing soldiers everywhere; the supervision teams couldn't keep up.

One camp was breached, and the flames of war immediately burned toward another camp.

"Everyone is forbidden from approaching the camp; violators will be killed without mercy!"

The garrison general ordered coldly.

"General, those outside are our own people!"

The young soldier said, unable to bear it.

"Slap!"

"I won't say my order a second time.

Archers, aim and shoot at those approaching the camp; this general will never allow anyone to threaten the safety of the camp!"

After slapping him, the garrison general ordered again.

The camp gate originally used to defend against the enemy was not used to defend against the enemy army, but instead used to block their own people.

But there is no other way; war is cruel.

Once the fleeing soldiers and family members outside are let in, their own camp will soon fall into chaos.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh……"

As the arrows flew, the chaotic army originally charging the camp gate instantly scattered and fled.

Vaguely, one could still hear threats and curses.

……

The tragedy outside was gradually conveyed to Shi Shi Rongxuan.

"Enough!"

"I called you here to discuss strategies to repel the enemy, not to listen to you accusing each other.

In the dark of night, who knows if there are imperial army spies lurking among the chaotic army? What is the problem with stopping them from entering the camp?"

Shi Shi Rongxuan rebuked on the spot.

The number of imperial troops coming for the night raid is not large; the ones suffering heavy losses now are mainly the few camps in the east.

If the spread of chaos is not contained in time, the situation will be different.

Once the imperial army seizes the opportunity, it will be a massacre, and it might affect the entire army.

As for the losses of the family members, Shi Shi Rongxuan pretended not to see.

With the situation developing to this point, the family members carried by the army have already become the Holy Kingdom's greatest burden.

Yet he cannot order them to be abandoned.

Dying in the imperial army's night raid is exactly what he wants.

He had arranged heavy troops to guard them; failing to protect the family members was because the imperial army's offensive was too sharp.

Even if there is resentment in his heart, he can only record the hatred on the imperial army.

"Holy Emperor, we must find a way to counterattack!"

Mi Mi Yingbo said with a flushed face.

The imperial army's methods are too ruthless; in the night raid, they killed everyone they saw, dealing a heavy blow to the army's morale.

If left unchecked, there will be no peaceful night.

"I just sent reinforcements, but unfortunately, before meeting the enemy, they were blocked by our own people.

Not to mention the formation being disrupted, now wanting to retreat to the camp, we can only wait until dawn."

Shi Shi Rongxuan said with a grave expression.

The camps suffering heavy losses now are all those with a high proportion of family members.

Regardless of whether one wants to rescue them or not, the posture of full-force rescue must be made.

After understanding the situation, he sent reinforcements at the first opportunity.

As a result, as soon as the team passed, the formation was disrupted by their own people.

In the dark of night, soldiers don't know the generals, and generals don't know the soldiers; the difficulty of command has greatly increased.

"Then we can't do nothing!"

As soon as he said it, Mi Mi Yingbo realized he had made a slip of the tongue.

Since ancient times, only superiors have vented their anger on subordinates; if a subordinate vents their anger on a superior, that is reversing the natural order.

No matter what, a minister should not point the finger directly at the Emperor; this is the way of a minister.

"Lord Mi, watch your words!

No one wants to see the current situation.

The tragedy that happened tonight is entirely because the enemy is too despicable.

If you have resentment in your heart, you can record this account on that thief Li Mu, instead of losing your temper here."

Chancellor Wuzhou Zekai rebuked immediately.

At a time like this, there cannot be internal chaos in the court.

If the Holy Emperor were to kill Mi Mi Yingbo in a fit of rage, it would only make the situation worse.

"This subject made a slip of the tongue; please punish me, Holy Emperor!"

After reacting, Mi Mi Yingbo hurriedly asked for punishment.

"Enough, it's a minor matter; I have no heart to care about it now.

Everyone, hurry and discuss the policy to repel the enemy; if we drag it out until dawn, I'm afraid more imperial troops will join the battle."

Shi Shi Rongxuan waved his hand magnanimously.

This scene fell into Mi Mi Yingbo's eyes, and he instantly turned ashen.

Having no heart to care now doesn't mean he won't care in the future.

If he really wanted to let this matter pass and not care about him, he should have punished him now.

Not punishing him means he might settle old scores at any time.

It doesn't even require Shi Shi Rongxuan to take action; political enemies in the court will take the initiative to collect his evidence and give him a hard blow at a critical moment.

Knowing it is useless, Mi Mi Yingbo's words just now violated the Holy Emperor's taboo.

It was almost explicitly saying: Shi Shi Rongxuan considers the accompanying family members a burden and deliberately sent them to the imperial army.

……

(End of chapter)