Chapter 352

The scout commander had sweat on his forehead and spoke very fast; such a situation was extremely unfavorable for them.

"Who is the Ming Army's main general? How many troops?"

"The vanguard main generals are Han Xiao, Luo Feng, and others, all of whom are Jiang Jinshi's confidant fierce generals. I heard that Jiang Jinshi has personally arrived in the pass to sit in command. Troops... unknown for the time being, and since they are guarding the dangerous pass, the opponent's morale... is quite high."

The Ming King is sitting in command! Troops unknown! Guarding the dangerous pass! Morale is high!

These were all bad news; they had rushed here day and night, thinking they would face the Ming Army's anger at not being able to attack, or the paper-tiger-like Beijiang.

Yet they never expected that what awaited them was a Guansongling that had been managed by the enemy like an iron bucket, with elite soldiers and sufficient grain, and morale like a rainbow!

What was even more fatal was that the opponent's commander was that Jiang Jinshi who held the Imperial Seal and defeated the Xiongnu!

"Great General, let's attack by force! Our 250,000 sons, are we afraid of his Ming Army? Use human lives to fill it, and we must fill Guansongling!" A deputy general with a fiery temper couldn't help but roar.

"Fill?"

Yang Jiye looked at him coldly and pointed his finger toward Guansongling, "How to fill it? The first pass has the highest terrain and the best view, and the Ming Army can easily overlook our army's movements.

The second pass is sandwiched between two passes, the passage is narrow, and the large army is difficult to deploy.

The third pass wall is high and thick, the most solid! Our army is attacking upward, the numerical advantage cannot be exerted, and it only increases casualties! Jiang Jinshi took this pass in a few days; we might not be able to fill even one pass with 100,000 lives!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger and a hint of helplessness surging in his chest. He was good at defending the city and knew well how terrifying a price the attacking side had to pay in this kind of terrain.

What's more, the opponent's commander was by no means mediocre; judging from the process of taking the pass, he used treacherous and ruthless tactics and was good at attacking the heart.

Attack by force? I'm afraid it would fall right into the opponent's trap.

"Could it be... just watch?" Another general said unwillingly.

Yang Jiye was silent for a long time, his eyes moved to the map; the city closest to Guansongling and most suitable for defense should be "Shuoning City," about eighty miles away from Guansongling.

Although not as dangerous as the pass, it was one of the gateways for Beijiang to go south, and the city defense was okay.

There were cities closer, but the scale was smaller, not enough for the large army to station.

"Pass the order." Yang Jiye finally spoke slowly, "The large army retreats thirty miles, sets up camp along the Shuoning City line, digs deep trenches and builds high walls, and sets up tight defenses. Send more cavalry to investigate all the large and small roads from Guansongling to the outside world; I want to lock the Ming Army inside the pass!"

Having lost the initiative, Yang Jiye could only take it step by step, determined not to let the Ming Army go south a single step!

"Great General, is this to... surround without attacking?" A general was puzzled.

"Attack? What to attack with?"

Yang Jiye shook his head with a bitter smile, "Jiang Jinshi wishes we would attack the city, so he can consume our army's sharpness and strength. Right now, our army has just arrived and is not yet stable, and the enemy is waiting for work and guarding the natural barrier; attacking by force is the way to defeat.

Only by stabilizing the camp, trapping him, and waiting for the Imperial Court's subsequent reinforcements and rations can we seek a battle opportunity.

In addition..."

He paused, a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes: "Immediately send a 600-mile urgent report to the Imperial Court, detailing the actual situation here. Guansongling has been lost, and the Ming Army is powerful and guarding the dangerous pass, making it difficult to attack. Our army is temporarily taking a defensive stance, building a defense line along the Shuoning line to block the enemy from going south.

Whether to fight or make peace, whether to gather more troops to attack by force, or to seek other strategies... please ask His Majesty and the Imperial Court to decide quickly!"

The generals in the tent heard this, and although they were unwilling, they knew this was a steady strategy.

Facing a majestic pass firmly controlled by the enemy, attacking rashly was indeed no different from sending them to death.

It's just that this "fear of battle" rhetoric being passed back to the Imperial Court, the Great General himself...

Yang Jiye saw the worry of his subordinates and waved his hand, "As the commander, I should naturally put the lives of the soldiers and the safety of the country first. Personal honor and disgrace cannot be cared about. Execute the order!"

Soon the Imperial Court's army retreated and began large-scale construction of camps and digging trenches along the Shuoning City line further south, putting on a posture of long-term confrontation and strict defense.

The news flew like wings to the capital and to all parts of the world.

The decision-makers of the Si family, after learning the exact news that Guansongling was lost and Yang Jiye's army was stagnant, gathered quietly in the middle of the night.

They had different expressions, but Si Gui's figure could not be seen in the crowd.

"The situation is like this."

The clan elder responsible for external liaison ended the report in a low voice, placed the secret letter on the lamp flame to ignite it, and watched it turn into ashes.

"Guansongling has fallen into Jiang Jinshi's hands, and Yang Jiye has retreated to defend Shuoning. Beijiang's momentum cannot be suppressed, and the Imperial Court has lost face. That old fellow Yan Chonggu is jumping up and down in the court, contacting quite a few people. Tomorrow's Great Court Meeting will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble, and the target is Si Gui."

Si Wenjing, who was in charge of the clan school, was the first to break the silence:

"The family head is to blame for this. It was he who insisted on being tough on Beijiang, it was he who recommended Heba Sheng but was rejected, and it was he who single-handedly promoted the policy of taking hostages and was instead utilized by Jiang Jinshi!

Not to mention that mess of Lu Wenchang's affairs; once it is dug deep by the Yan party, it will definitely implicate him! Now the court and the public are boiling with resentment, and he can't sit firmly in this position of Prime Minister, and even... this head might not be saved!"

"Is there no room for recovery? We still have quite a few people in the court, Lu Wenchang and the others..." A clan elder still carried a glimmer of hope.

"Lu Wenchang?"

Si Wenjing sneered, "He can't even protect himself! Now it's not the time when we all joined hands; the situation is already very clear, the Great Qian tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered, the wall has fallen and everyone is pushing, and all this is inseparable from the family head."

"There are more than just the Emperor who want to topple our Si family, there are also these former allies! Once the old fox Yan's offensive comes out, the first one to protect himself will be him! As for the others... not kicking us while we're down is already considered having a conscience!" Another clan elder spoke, and couldn't help but sigh after finishing.

Si Wenjing's tone was even colder, "It would be fine if Wushuang were here; with his wisdom and means, he might be able to maneuver for him and stabilize the situation. But where is Wushuang now? Unknown whereabouts, maybe even..."

He swallowed the second half of the sentence, but everyone understood what he meant—Si Wushuang might have already defected to Western Liang.

Si Gui had already lost this most powerful and mysterious arm.

"Wenjing is right."

Si Wenyuan, who was the leader, opened his eyes, full of determination, "Wushuang... his heart is too big; if he were here, the situation might not be like this. Now that he is not here, Si Gui is alone. The Imperial Court's anger always needs a vent.

And our Emperor also wants to take back real power, and the mouths of the people of the world also need someone to block them.

Si Gui is already the target of public criticism, and also the most suitable candidate to be pushed out!"

"Big Brother! You mean..."

"Abandon him!"