Chapter 347: War Fires Ignite Again

Inside the military tent...

Tu Tu Kesiluo slammed the table hard, his face turning iron-green: "Wei Wei Yangyao has nothing left but tofu dregs in this life! How could our One Da Jiang be coveted by a speck of a nation like Southern Jiangnan?!"

Li Goudan sneered: "A mere barbarian land dares to wound our territory! This Cao Cao is truly greedy for life and afraid of death, destined to replay the tragedy of Bei Yue from years ago!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked the messenger in a deep voice: "How is the Empress? Is she safe and sound now?"

The messenger hurriedly replied: "Please calm Your Majesty's anger, Your Majesty. The Lady has taken thorough precautions in disguise; the people of Southern Jiangnan could never discover her identity under any circumstances. The Lady is very safe right now."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt slightly relieved then and ordered: "You must hurry back to Southern Jiangnan and tell the Lady to be extremely careful; even if she has to abandon business opportunities, she must withdraw safely, do you understand?"

The messenger repeatedly accepted the order and left. Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment, then turned to announce to the generals: "I have decided to return to the country immediately to rescue the three provinces!"

"Indeed, time waits for no one!" Tu Tu Kesiluo agreed, "Your Majesty, you do not need to fight personally; let me lead a hundred thousand troops to go, and Southern Jiangnan will surely be pacified within half a year!"

"A mere rabble, ready to be deployed at any time," Li Goudan said with hatred in his voice.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head, his brows tightly furrowed: "There is no time to lose; the entire army must return to the country quickly within half a month! Southern Jiangnan has weak soldiers and cowardly generals, but if they stir up trouble, the three provinces might not be safe even by a slim margin. Also," he looked at Tu Tu Kesiluo, "order Fuxing Sword to be on high alert immediately; do not let anything go wrong!"

"Understood!" Tu Tu Kesiluo nodded vigorously!

The moon rose above the treetops; three hundred thousand troops were fully equipped and ready to depart, with horses neighing and men shouting, their killing intent soaring.

The scorching sun hung overhead as three hundred thousand troops marched vast distances across the wilderness. Dense grass blades and dust covered Jiang Jiang Mingyu's boots; he wiped a layer of sweat from his brow and slowly guided his horse to walk side by side with Tu Tu Kesiluo.

"Big Brother, I still cannot figure it out: Southern Jiangnan knows full well they cannot match our army, so why provoke the border at this very moment?" Tu Tu Kesiluo stroked his chin, his face full of confusion.

"Just listen to me explain in detail." Jiang Jiang Mingyu patted his saddle, "Southern Jiangnan is far from Other Xi Xia; simply sending messages back and forth takes several months. By the time they learned of my eastern expedition, Other Xi Xia was already in the bag. Plus, with Crown Prince Ou Feng's strong opposition, Wei Wei Yangyao had to hesitate for a long time before choosing to use force at this moment."

"I see now." Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly understood, "I didn't expect this to actually help us; we can now declare war on Southern Jiangnan with full justification!"

"I fear it is not that simple." Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned, "Although Wei Wei Yangyao is greedy for life and afraid of death, since he has started a war, he must have some backing. I must personally go to the front line to prevent trouble before it happens."

Tu Tu Kesiluo disagreed and pressed on: "Big Brother, is a mere rabble worth your personal presence? It would be better to leave you to guard the country while I take responsibility for this battle; I guarantee Southern Jiangnan will retreat in a landslide!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head seriously and said with deep feeling: "Never underestimate the enemy! The strength of the enemy is not absolute; those who treat the enemy as fools are themselves the biggest fools..." The words revealed his responsibility and commitment to national affairs, showing his determination to lead the expedition personally.

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's firm attitude, Tu Tu Kesiluo stopped dwelling on the necessity of Southern Jiangnan's military action and turned to the topic of border defense: "Big Brother, although Southern Jiangnan is a rabble, they do share a border with our country; the terrain of the three provinces is complex. If our troops are not careful in their garrisoning, there is no guarantee they won't take advantage of a gap to break through the pass. Please give your instructions on how to strengthen the border defense of the three provinces to prevent sudden changes."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned tightly and pondered for a long time before saying: "What you say makes sense. Having Fuxing Sword lead the main army to guard the three provinces is likely still insufficient. We should order the twenty thousand elite troops of Jibei stationed at White Horse Mountain to move south to reinforce, under the command of Vice General Qin Kui, to help Fuxing Sword hold the key positions. Additionally, the garrison troops in each province must strengthen night patrols and checkpoint deployments to strictly prevent spies from infiltrating."

Tu Tu Kesiluo shouted "Yes!" in agreement after listening, then raised the issue of military supplies: "Big Brother, military grain and pay must also be fully prepared. I see that for this southern expedition, we will need at least ten thousand grain carts, and we must prepare large amounts of grain, silver, and silk. What is your opinion?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded: "Exactly so! I will immediately issue an edict to the Censorate and the Ministry of Revenue to make every effort to procure military supplies. There can be no lack in vehicles or grain. Only when there is surplus in money and grain can we display our army's unyielding bravery!" The two discussed the operation of large-scale military supplies and boosting morale for a long time, making fully prepared arrangements for the hard battle ahead.

Six days later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu led the army to the outskirts of the city; he saw that Shangmu City was near, and Feng Xiwu stood facing the wind. Although a smile hung on his face, worry was hard to hide in his eyes.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu walked forward, looking worriedly at Feng Xiwu's injuries: "General Feng, has your injury healed completely?"

Feng Xiwu nodded firmly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern; my injury is no longer a major issue. It is just that seeing the enemy army pressing against the border, I cannot help but feel a little worried in my heart."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head and said: "General Feng, why blame yourself? Defending the homeland is a great righteousness. Now that I have personally led the army to arrive, I will surely protect the country and drive back the invading enemy!"

Feng Xiwu's eyes immediately lit up, and he loudly requested: "Your Majesty, time waits for no one! Please allow me to join the army in battle and contribute my share to the country!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at Feng Xiwu's determined face, nodded, and said: "General Feng's spirit of swearing to die for the country is etched in my heart. We will surely fight side by side to protect the country!"

Eight days later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army finally arrived at Jincheng. On the city tower, Zhu Ge Yu walked towards them, his face looking very exhausted.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu stepped forward quickly and steadied his shoulder: "Prime Minister, you have worked hard these days; with state affairs constantly demanding your attention, I have been very concerned!"

Zhu Ge Yu smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty is too modest; I am merely doing my best to share Your Majesty's worries."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu patted his shoulder: "The Prime Minister has worked hard for the country; I should be grateful. I will now discuss the situation in Southern Jiangnan with you in detail and plan together."

Thus, Zhu Ge Yu recounted the details of the Southern Jiangnan invasion one by one. After hearing this, both Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo had solemn faces.

Tu Tu Kesiluo hesitated and said: "Grand Marshal, the crisis in Guizhou was indeed caused by my underestimation of the enemy. I hope the Grand Marshal will quickly order reinforcements!"

After pondering, Jiang Jiang Mingyu said: "Guizhou concerns the survival of the nation; we must not be the slightest bit negligent. General Tu, we must quickly agree on a countermeasure and do our utmost to defend Guizhou!"

Zhu Ge Yu also eagerly interjected: "Guizhou is currently in the autumn harvest; if it is lost, the consequences will be unimaginable! Please, Your Majesty, send troops to reinforce immediately and cut off the enemy's path of aggression!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes were firm as he loudly ordered: "Starting today, issue the conscription edict! Mobilize four hundred thousand troops from within the country to strike directly at Southern Jiangnan and annihilate all invading enemies!"

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu nod, Zhu Ge Yu then continued to speak.

"Therefore, considering both strategy and food, rescuing Guizhou is imperative."

He turned back and pointed to the map, suggesting: "My opinion is to adopt a tactic of splitting the forces into two routes."

"One main force will depart from Yizhou to suppress the Southern Jiangnan army head-on; another force will take a detour through Jizhou to attack their rear."

Zhu Ge Yu said with full confidence: "With this, the Southern Jiangnan army will be unable to attend to both front and rear and will surely collapse in disarray!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed intently at the map, as if simulating the battle situation in his mind. After a long time, he lightly tapped the table and said decisively: "Good, let this be decided! This battle concerns the survival of the nation; we must win!"

"Zhu Ge Yu, you quickly contact Fuxing Sword and have him lead a contingent of reinforcements to prepare. Once our army arrives, launch a pincer attack immediately."

Zhu Ge Yu nodded respectfully: "Your humble subject obeys. Please rest assured, Your Majesty; Fuxing Sword will surely complete the task excellently."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu then turned to Tu Tu Kesiluo, his gaze firm: "King of the Nation, you must return to the main camp immediately and order the soldiers to be fully equipped and ready to depart. Our twenty thousand soldiers will set out for the south early tomorrow morning!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo clasped his hands and replied: "Big Brother, rest assured! I will go and handle it immediately; I will surely make the morale high and go all out!"

"Regarding this expedition, I must trouble the Prime Minister to handle matters properly in the country. If anything is needed, just speak up!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu said with deep feeling.

Zhu Ge Yu smiled modestly: "I will surely do my utmost and not fail the heavy trust of Your Majesty!"

Seeing Tu Tu Kesiluo leave quickly, Jiang Jiang Mingyu then lazily yawned and casually asked about the recent state of court affairs. Hearing that everything was normal, he then remembered another major matter.

"By the way, Zhang Zhang Jiani's time is coming soon, right? Has any news arrived?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked eagerly.

Zhu Ge Yu smiled: "Replying to Your Majesty, the good news has already arrived! The Lady of the Nation gave birth to a son smoothly a few days ago, and Tu Tu Kesiluo wept with joy!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but chuckle: "Congratulations! This young man is truly blessed; while our army is out on campaign, he was the first to see his own flesh and blood."

"Prime Minister, you go quickly to prepare some auspicious gifts. When Tu Tu Kesiluo returns from the main camp, we will go to visit together." The smile on Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face grew even stronger.

After Zhu Ge Yu accepted the order and withdrew, Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment, then ordered those around him to invite Zhang Zhang Jiani's family to come.