Chapter 688: Closing In Step by Step

Three days later...

Xiangcheng.

In the Imperial Study of the Imperial Palace, Dou Wei pointed at the map hanging on the wall, discussing with Dou Mu the matter of sending reinforcements to Wuguan.

Five days ago, he had received a request for help from Dou Kuang.

Immediately, he had Dou Xiao assemble the Southern Liang troops near Xiangcheng.

After five days of preparation, thirty thousand troops were urgently dispatched to Xiangcheng, and he gave Dou Xiao another fifty thousand Imperial Guards, ordering him to set off for Wuguan tomorrow.

"That Ma Han was able to capture Qinzhou and Yongzhou within ten days relies on the firearms Yan Wang gave him. I never expected Zhao Xu to be so generous, actually giving his best firearms to the Ma Family." Dou Wei's finger pressed on the location of Wuguan, his brow furrowed tightly.

All along, in his heart, he believed that Yan Wang would never fully trust Ma Han.

After all, the Ma Family was once one of the eight great clans; even if they had submitted to Yan Wang, they still belonged to a separatist force in the northwest of Da Song.

Dou Mu said, "Is Yan Wang not afraid that Ma Han will raise an army and rebel?"

His thinking was the same as his father's; if the Ma Family had submitted to Southern Liang, he would certainly have to watch them carefully and could never be completely open with them.

Having said this, the two exchanged a glance.

Naturally, they would not have thought that Zhao Xu's trust in Ma Han stemmed from absolute confidence in his own strength.

Even if Ma Han rebelled, he could easily deal with him.

Therefore, he was naturally able to arm the Ma Family's soldiers to the teeth to achieve his strategic goals.

As the two were speaking, a eunuch suddenly hurried over and whispered something into Dou Wei's ear.

Upon hearing this, Dou Wei's expression changed drastically, and he muttered, "This... how is this possible?"

"What is it?" Seeing Dou Wei's face turn ashen, Dou Mu suddenly felt a wave of intense unease in his heart.

Dou Wei had never been as panicked as he was at this moment, and he said to Dou Mu, "Wuguan... Wuguan has fallen."

"Ah?" Dou Mu was instantly stunned, as if turned to wood.

It took two days even by fast horse from Wuguan to Xiangcheng.

This meant that Ma Han had only spent one day to take Wuguan.

Now, the thing they feared most had happened.

Rang City hadn't lasted a day, Xian City hadn't lasted a day, and even Xiao Pass had only taken Ma Han one day.

It was precisely because he understood these terrifying intelligence reports that he had ordered Dou Xiao to immediately dispatch reinforcements to Wuguan as quickly as possible.

It was just that it would take the infantry at least four days to travel from Xiangcheng to Wuguan; they were still a step too late.

Thinking of something, Dou Wei grabbed the eunuch by the collar and urged, "Immediately send out fast horses to call the Imperial Guards back to garrison Xiangcheng."

Dou Mu rested his right hand on the table and sat down slowly, a flash of panic appearing in his eyes. He said, "Even if Dou Xiao returns, Xiangcheng only has one hundred thousand Imperial Guards. How many days can they hold off Ma Han?"

Seeing Dou Mu's dejected expression, Dou Wei felt some pity.

Although he himself was also very flustered at this moment, he still comforted him, "Xiangcheng has been set up with over four hundred pieces of Artillery. Leaning against the mountains and rivers, it is like a wall of bronze and iron.

As long as Dou Xiao can return, relying on these one hundred thousand Imperial Guards, it is enough to hold off the Ma Family's troops for over a month. After all, they are the elite of our Southern Liang."

Hearing this, Dou Mu felt slightly at ease.

He said, "I fear this is also not entirely appropriate. We should have General Xiao Cheng lead his troops back to retake Wuguan, otherwise, Southern Liang will have no peace from this day on. Furthermore, the Border Market between our Southern Liang and the Northern Di will be ruined, causing huge losses."

Dou Wei nodded, then his eyes rolled, and he suddenly realized, "Your Majesty, we cannot fall for Yan Wang's trick. I fear that Yan Wang ordered Ma Han to capture Wuguan for the purpose of making us recall our two hundred thousand troops so he can defeat them one by one. The more he does this, the more it shows he is guilty and believes he cannot deal with the Anti-Yan Coalition."

Dou Mu pondered for a moment and nodded slowly.

But the next day, following a piece of news that arrived, they became nervous again.

About sixty thousand Ma Family soldiers set out from Wuguan and headed toward Xiangcheng.

Although the Southern Liang Rich Clans intercepted them on the road, they collapsed at the first touch and were simply no match for them.

At this time, the news they received was that the Ma Family's troops were in Neixiang County, one hundred li away from Wuguan.

The next day, more intelligence was delivered.

Rich Clans near Nanyang discovered the tracks of the Ma Family soldiers.

On the third day, the Xinye Rich Clans encountered the Ma Family's troops.

The local Rich Clans assembled thirty thousand troops to engage them on the only path, but they were routed and fled in just half an hour.

At this time, a sense of panic began to spread through Southern Liang, and the Rich Clans fleeing to Xiangcheng described the Ma Family soldiers as extremely terrifying.

They claimed their muskets could shoot ten li away, and that they could just chop off a tree branch, turn it into a stick, throw it, and it would explode.

These rumors made the people of Xiangcheng panic for a time.

"Your Majesty, Xinye is only one day's distance from Xiangcheng. Tomorrow the Ma Family soldiers will be able to reach Xiangcheng. If we don't ask for reinforcements from my brother now, when are we going to wait?"

In the imperial court, a general stepped out and bowed to Dou Mu.

He was none other than Xiao Cheng's younger brother, Xiao Yuanshan.

After plotting against Mo Di, he had fled back to Yizhou.

Before Da Song fell into civil strife, Xiao Cheng had always been protecting him.

Once Southern Liang was founded, he no longer had any scruples and openly secured a position in the Southern Liang imperial court.

Today, because the Ma Family's troops were about to reach Xiangcheng, Dou Mu had summoned the ministers to discuss countermeasures, and he couldn't help but speak up.

"Recalling General Xiao at this time will cause the campaign against Yan Wang to fall short of success. Can you not distinguish between what is light and what is heavy?" Dou Xiao said coldly.

In his view, Xiao Yuanshan was just a good-for-nothing, and he had always been very disdainful of him.

He had been halfway through leading his troops when he received the order to return to Xiangcheng.

Now, all fifty thousand Imperial Guards had returned to Xiangcheng.

Xiao Yuanshan sneered, "The Ma Family's troops are already this fierce; who can guarantee that the Anti-Yan Coalition can defeat Yan Wang? If they fail, and Xiangcheng cannot hold off the Ma Family's troops, what then? Besides, I am doing this for your own good. Whether you listen or not is up to you; in any case, Jingzhou is the foundation of your Dou Family."

Silence.

There was a deathly silence in the imperial court.

Although Dou Xiao refuted Xiao Yuanshan with a flushed face, he was well aware that Xiao Yuanshan's concerns were not without reason.

If the Anti-Yan Coalition suffered a disastrous defeat and they could not hold Xiangcheng, Southern Liang would lose Jingzhou, and the situation might even be worse.

After all, this was a place their Dou Family had managed for over two hundred years.

"Your Majesty, issue an imperial decree to recall General Xiao and the Northern Di Iron Cavalry," Dou Wei's voice broke the silence in the grand hall.

Three days ago, he was still full of confidence.

But as the routed Rich Clans poured into Xiangcheng, he began to doubt.

Setting aside the exaggerated parts of the Rich Clans' rumors.

After questioning, he confirmed more realistic intelligence.

Currently, the Ma Family troops heading toward Xiangcheng indeed numbered around sixty thousand.

Moreover, these soldiers possessed muskets with a range exceeding three hundred meters and strange Explosive Sticks that could kill over a dozen people when thrown into a crowd.

It was precisely this thing that had terrified the Rich Clans, causing them to describe it in god-like, mysterious terms.

And such a Ma Family Army could clearly not be stopped by the one hundred thousand troops in Xiangcheng alone.

He could not make the same mistakes as Ma Jin in Rang City and Xian City, or the Northern Di general at Xiao Pass.

Xiangcheng.

Must not be lost.