Chapter 669: Launching an Attack

"That's right, it was precisely this kind of firearm that caught my Qi troops off guard; otherwise, how could the Yanzhou troops have captured my Qi Fortress in a single day?" Han Zheng said angrily.

To him, the impact caused by this battle was extremely dire, as it would leave the Qi army in a state of panic, fearing and dreading the war.

Then, he said: "I do not know what brilliant plan the Prime Minister has brought this time; please, speak quickly."

He knew that Wang Zi'an bringing Wang Xie was certainly not a whim.

Wang Zi'an gave Wang Xie a look.

Wang Xie said at this moment: "Since we understand this new type of firearm, we must find a way to counter it. In my opinion, we should take the initiative to abandon unimportant cities, lure the Yanzhou troops deep inside, and concentrate our forces around Lu Commandery. I do not believe they can dig tunnels in the mountains."

"This..." Han Zheng hesitated, feeling somewhat reluctant.

The terrain of Qi is very unique; the outer perimeter is a plain, but in the middle is a belt of mountains, and in the middle of that mountain belt is another plain.

Lu City is situated right in the middle of the plains within the mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Therefore, Wang Xie's words made a lot of sense; one only needs to hold a few key fortresses in the mountains to firmly defend Lu City.

"But if we just abandon the other cities like this, wouldn't the Yan Wang's troops arrive even faster? We should resist them step by step to delay them," Han Zheng said.

Wang Xie smiled lightly, "Your Majesty, I only said to let the Qi army abandon unimportant cities; I did not say to let the Rich Clan private armies abandon them as well."

"The Yan Wang has always been unpopular, and the Rich Clans of the world wish they could eat his flesh raw, fearing that the Yan Wang will seize their land and distribute it to the commoners. Therefore, one only needs to summon the Qi Rich Clans to pull together a massive army, creating endless trouble for the Yan Wang's troops."

After a pause, he continued: "Therefore, I implore Your Majesty to issue an edict to denounce the rebels, calling on the Qi Rich Clans to unite, command their respective private armies, and head to the places the Yan Wang's troops must pass, harassing the Yan Wang's supply lines day and night and attacking their main camps, leaving them exhausted."

"And our Qi troops, resting while the enemy tires, will surely be able to hold out until the various armies for the subjugation of Yan arrive, and then crush them in one fell swoop."

The Xie Family army currently has one hundred thousand concentrated in Peng City.

If things go smoothly, this army can reach Lu City within ten days, and at that time, they will be able to relax a bit.

Once the other armies arrive one after another, they can coordinate from inside and outside to slaughter these hundred-plus thousand Yan Wang troops to the last man.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant." Han Zheng was overjoyed. "I shall issue the edict to denounce the rebels immediately, ordering the Qi Rich Clans to assist me in resisting the Yan Wang's troops."

Having said that, he ordered someone to fetch brush and ink.

Once the edict was finished, he immediately ordered it to be posted at every gate of Lu City, and at the same time ordered the Cavalry to go to other commanderies and counties to post the edict.

In the edict, besides ordering the Qi Rich Clans to raise troops to attack the Yanzhou troops together, he also promised to reward them based on the number of enemies killed, and upon the end of the war, to grant official positions based on military merit.

Once the edict was sent down, the Qi Rich Clans were instantly in an uproar, one after another summoning their private armies, preparing to head to the south bank of the Jin River to kill the enemy and earn merit.

Just as Wang Xie said, the Yan Wang's practice of exterminating Rich Clans in Yanzhou and distributing land to the commoners made the Rich Clans of the world view him as an anomaly.

Their hatred for him,

exceeded that of the Northern Di.

Now that the Yan Wang's troops had arrived, how could they tolerate their ancestral heritage being destroyed at the hands of the Yan Wang?

Even if they had to pay any price, this time they would fight the Yan Wang to see who would win or lose.

Furthermore, the promise of the Qi Emperor Han Zheng also tempted them.

Especially the small Rich Clans in various commanderies and counties, whose family members held low-ranking positions in the government.

If they could earn merit in this battle, they might be able to get their family members into the Imperial Court and bring glory to their families.

For a time, the Rich Clans of various Qi commanderies and counties recruited soldiers and bought horses, heading toward Dong Commandery.

Dongping City.

The corpses of the Qi soldiers on the streets had long been cleared away, and the bloodstains had been washed clean.

Three days ago, this city had been captured.

At this moment, Chang Wei was listening to the intelligence brought back by the Scout.

"An edict to denounce the rebels?" Chang Wei frowned. "This is truly an insidious move. No wonder His Highness ordered us to stabilize the rear and nibble away step by step."

If they ignored the commoners in the occupied territories,

I fear that once these Rich Clans arrived, the commoners would immediately be threatened into joining the Rich Clans' ranks.

But now, these commoners are firmly controlled by the Prince's Personal Army.

Instead, they will become helpers in resisting the Rich Clans.

He would like to see whether Han Zheng's war of the Rich Clans is more powerful, or their people's war is more powerful.