Chapter 379: Striking Directly at Shuoning in Beijiang

Wei Xi Yuan walked alone on the road back to his sleeping quarters; the once golden and magnificent palace appeared completely dilapidated in his eyes.

He did not break his promise or regret it; after returning to his sleeping quarters, he summoned the only remaining old eunuch who was still considered reliable and ordered him expressionlessly.

"Go to the treasury, take one hundred taels... no, take five hundred taels of gold, exchange it into banknotes and scattered gold and silver that are easy to carry, and take a few pieces of jade that are inconspicuous but valuable, and send them to... the courtyard of that person in the east."

"Tell her that the corner gate on the west side will open for a quarter of an hour at midnight tonight. After she goes out, life and death are up to fate, and it will... have nothing to do with Zhen anymore."

The old eunuch was suspicious but dared not ask more, bowing and retreating.

In the side courtyard of the Dong Gong, the Crown Princess held that heavy package of wealth, enough for an ordinary family to live without worry for generations.

She changed into a dark gray, inconspicuous coarse cloth dress, carefully hid the money close to her body, and replaced her wooden hairpin with the most ordinary thorn hairpin.

She didn't know if Wei Xi Yuan's words were true or false, but she was willing to pursue even a glimmer of hope, and without hesitation!

She took one last look at this cold and quiet courtyard, and then hurried away.

The corner gate on the west side indeed opened a crack silently; the old soldier guarding the gate was holding his long spear, leaning against the wall and dozing, completely unaware of the figure slipping out.

At the same time, in a side hall on the side of the main hall of the Huang Gong, the lights were bright.

Wei Xi Yuan had already changed into military attire; although the armor appeared somewhat empty on his thin frame, there was a light in his eyes that had not been there before.

Below were the few remaining loyal officials, standing solemnly and waiting for orders.

"Your Majesty, the 170,000 Imperial Guards in the capital have been initially reorganized, with about 3,000 obviously unstable individuals removed; the rest have all been issued partial money and grain, and Your Majesty's decree of 'leading the expedition in person, crusading against the national traitor, and rewarding with heavy honors' has been proclaimed. Currently, the morale... is temporarily usable."

The old general of the Ministry of War reported in a deep voice, his tone cautious, not daring to say that morale was high, only daring to say "temporarily usable."

Wei Xi Yuan was not surprised and continued to ask: "What about grain and equipment?"

"Your Majesty, exhausting the inner treasury, imperial estates, official granaries, and... the donations from all the ministers, plus the remaining grain, we have raised about enough grain to supply the army for one month; a batch of arrows, knives, and spears has been replenished, but armor and warhorses are still severely lacking."

"Especially warhorses; there are fewer than 20,000 in the capital, and most are weak..."

The newly appointed old official of the Ministry of Revenue actually said too much; enough to supply the army for one month also depended on the situation, as there was a difference between eating dry rice and drinking porridge.

"One month? That's enough!"

Wei Xi Yuan interrupted him, "Zhen does not need to fight a protracted war! Zhen wants speed, ruthlessness, and surprise!"

"If warhorses are insufficient, prioritize equipping the generals and elite cavalry; as for the rest of the infantry, have them run on their two legs for Zhen!"

"Tell them that once we take the south, there will be as much gold and silver treasure as they want!"

Of course, Wei Xi Yuan wanted to attack Beijiang, but the order had to say attacking the south, because everyone knew the south was wealthy, and only then would the soldiers have sufficient motivation.

When they encountered the Beijiang Ming Army with hope, they would know they had been deceived, but by then, this lie would no longer be important.

"Your Majesty, General Gao at Tongguan has already replied."

The young official of the Ministry of War stepped forward and handed over a secret letter, "General Gao said that although the morale at Tongguan has dissipated, it has initially stabilized through suppression and the encouragement of Your Majesty's decree."

"He will personally lead 150,000 elites who can still fight to head north today to create a posture of a fierce attack on Shuoning, and will definitely contain a large number of Beijiang's forces on the western front for Your Majesty! The rest of the troops... will continue to guard Tongguan, bluffing to block Western Liang."

"Good! Tell him that Zhen does not blame him for his previous failure; if this battle succeeds, he will be Zhen's number one meritorious minister for guarding the empire! If we fail... Zhen will wait for him on the road to the underworld!" Wei Xi Yuan didn't even look at the content of the secret letter; he only needed the expression of loyalty now.

"Your Majesty! Our army heading north has several routes to choose from. Taking Hedong is closer but may encounter Beijiang patrol cavalry! Taking Hexi is a detour but more concealed. In addition, Beijiang must have set up checkpoints on the border..."

"Do not take the main road, and do not take all the small roads."

Wei Xi Yuan walked to the military map and said: "Split the troops! Zhen will lead 50,000 of the most elite Imperial Guard main force, travel by boat under the cover of night, go east down the Wei River, enter the Yellow River and head north rapidly, land secretly in the Longmen Ferry area, and strike directly at the southern hinterland of Beijiang's Shuoning! Catch them off guard!"

"The remaining 120,000 troops will be led by the old general, making a grand display, creating a posture of attacking from the front of Hedong, attracting the attention of Beijiang's main force!"

"Remember, your mission is not to win the battle, but to feign an attack, to drag them down to death! Create an opportunity for Zhen to strike directly at the heart!"

This plan was bold and risky, almost pinning all hope on the success of the surprise attack and Beijiang's slow reaction.

Everyone looked at each other, seeing the shock and unease in each other's eyes.

But things had reached this point, the Emperor's determination to lead the expedition in person had been made, and the plan had been set; they had no way out except to fight to the death to execute it.

"Your Majesty, what about the death squads sneaking into Beijiang..."

"Have they been sent out?"

"127 people have been selected, all of them desperate criminals or people whose families have been destroyed, harboring deep hatred for Beijiang's new policies; they are divided into ten teams, carrying gold, silver, poison, and fire oil, and I have personally explained the mission to them; they have already snuck into Beijiang through different routes."

"The targets are grain warehouses, armories, and government offices in places like Shuoning and Guangwu, as well as... the possible residences of high-level Beijiang generals. Even if they cannot succeed, they must stir things up!"

"Very good!"

Wei Xi Yuan took a deep breath; at this moment, he had no way back: "My ministers, this is the final gamble for the national destiny! Zhen and you all have no way out! If we win, we will turn the tide, restore the prestige of Da Qian! If we lose..."

He paused, his voice becoming even higher, "Then we will be wrapped in horse hides, our names will remain in history! Let future generations know that the monarch and subjects of our Da Qian were never cowardly creatures clinging to life! Zhen will hold the oath-taking ceremony for the expedition outside the Zhuque Gate at dawn tomorrow!"

"We swear to follow Your Majesty to the death! Execute the national traitors, restore Da Qian!"

Everyone in the hall, regardless of what they were thinking, responded hoarsely at this moment.

At this moment, Western Liang also received news from the capital and was discussing countermeasures in the council hall.

Wei Wenlie sat high in the main seat, below were Si Wushuang and the Cui clan disciples, followed by a group of military generals and the Lu family, and finally the Fu family and those families from the south.

"Let's all talk! Who does my nephew in the capital want to bite before he dies?" Wei Wenlie got straight to the point, his voice carrying mockery.

In his hand, he held a summary of emergency military intelligence that had just been pieced together by scouts from several routes and verified by Si Wushuang and the Cui family.

Cui Yan was the first to step out and bow: "Your Highness, according to our few remaining eyes in the Chang'an palace, as well as reports from our spies in Tongguan and Hedong, the following points can be confirmed."

"First, Wei Xi Yuan secretly summoned his last few core officials the day before yesterday and announced that he would 'lead the expedition in person'!"

"Second, the 170,000 Imperial Guards in Chang'an have been urgently mobilized, money and grain have been issued, and there are signs of large-scale scavenging of civilian vehicles and boats!"

"Third, the garrison commander at Tongguan has been frequently mobilizing recently, and some of his elite troops have quietly left Tongguan, their whereabouts unknown, but there is a high probability they are moving north!"

"Fourth, in Chang'an, the public denunciations against our Western Liang have not increased, but rather, the cursing against Beijiang has increased." ===== CHAPTER 380 =====