Chapter 1065 is of no use!

Huainan, Shouchun

In a luxurious mansion, He Jingyun, who was ordered to control the military and political affairs of the south, was listening to the reports of his subordinates...

The first person to stand up and report was Liu Da, the commander of the First Army who had just returned from Lin'an. He stood up and reported to He Jingyun:

"Sir, I have already met Lu Jianchao in Lin'an. This old guy seems to be determined to conduct military exercises in Guangshou to show our army strength. In addition, he seems to be interested in showing me that Song Weijie from Sichuan is also trying to win him over!"

Hearing this situation, He Jingyun frowned slightly and felt that things were a little difficult to handle. Because of Ye Mingsheng's order not to move without permission, he actually didn't want to make any trouble. After all, less trouble is worse than more!
But now it seems that Lu Jianchao is a bastard who is determined to fight with us!

If there was no order from the Marshal, he would not be afraid of Lu Jianchao's move. On the contrary, he would welcome Lu Jianchao to do so!

However, the Marshal's order was like a tight hoop, which made him feel somewhat restrained when facing Lu Jianchao's provocation!
After a moment's hesitation, He Jingyun thought of Lieutenant General Hu Can and asked:
"Where is Director Su Yisu of the Foreign Affairs Bureau now?"

Hu Can answered without hesitation:

"The news sent five days ago said that Director Su Yisu has arrived in Licheng, and now it is estimated that he is about to enter Huainan..."

After hearing this answer, He Jingyun continued to ask Cui Zheng, the assistant commander of the Fourth Army,

"Minister Cui, what is the current situation of your Fourth Army?"

Cui Zheng stood up and said:

"Reporting to Lord He, our Fourth Army has already rushed to Xuancheng under the leadership of Lord Zhang Meng. If nothing unexpected happens, we will be able to follow the scheduled time!"

He Jingyun thought for a moment and replied:
"Notify the Xuancheng frontline, if the enemy continues the military exercise, then our troops will also conduct military exercises!"

He Jingyun had just finished speaking when Lieutenant General Qin Hao suddenly walked into the room and handed a piece of letter to He Jingyun.

He Jingyun glanced at the contents on the paper, his expression changed instantly, and he immediately asked Qin Hao:

"What the hell is going on?"

Qin Hao shook his head and said:

"We don't know what happened yet, but what is certain is that the war has now broken out!"

Qin Hao's words immediately attracted the attention of all the generals in the conference room. Feeling everyone's curiosity, He Jingyun thought for a moment and nodded at Qin Hao.

Seeing this, Qin Hao also informed everyone.

“On October 17th, enemy General Lu Yun led an army of 30,000 and headed straight for Xuancheng. General Tang Kai of the Sixth Division led his troops to fight back. After one battle, they defeated the enemy General Lu Yun’s troops and captured him alive. The enemy troops in Guangshou abandoned the city and fled. General Tang took advantage of the situation to capture Guangshou and pursued the defeated enemy all the way...”

When Qin Hao said this, everyone looked at each other in disbelief. First of all, they didn't believe that the Jiangnan Army dared to take the initiative to attack.
Secondly, although they felt that the Jiangnan Army's combat effectiveness was not high, the Sixth Division under Tang Kai was not the main trump card of the Fengwu Army. It was still very surprising that they could defeat an enemy twice their size in one battle!

As if he had seen what was in his mind, Qin Hao added:

"This news was sent by the Sixth Division. The messenger of the Sixth Division said that they are currently under the leadership of General Tang Kai, singing a triumphant song and following the defeated enemy towards Lin'an!"

"General Tang Kai hopes that the friendly forces will follow up and protect the rear and flanks of the Sixth Division to prevent the Sixth Division from being isolated and deep in the enemy's territory!"

"Similar news has been received from the Coordination Office, confirming that General Tang's troops have made great progress in Xuancheng and have now entered Jiangnan. They have even been assassinated. According to the current situation, the Sixth Division is likely to reach Lin'an within three to five days!"

After hearing what Qin Hao said, everyone believed it was true. Liu Da, the commander of the First Army, was the first to ask He Jingyun for instructions:
"Sir, please give me your opinion on this matter!"

“Although General Tang won a great victory, his troops are only more than 10,000 people after all. If they cannot withdraw in time or have insufficient support after going deep into the enemy’s hinterland, they may be surrounded by the enemy. The situation will be very serious at that time...”

He Jingyun also started thinking secretly after hearing this. He knew that this was a good opportunity for the Fengwu Army. As long as he led his troops south, he might be able to take over Jiangnan!

But the key question now is, how should this matter end?

He Jingyun clearly remembered that Tang Kai and Hu Can had previously wanted to disobey the Marshal's orders and take the initiative to provoke a war!

Although he had sternly warned Tang Kai, what if this kid didn't listen to his warning and still insisted on doing what he wanted?

Thinking of this, He Jingyun couldn't help but look at Hu Can beside him. Coincidentally, Hu Can also looked at He Jingyun at this time. The two people's eyes met in the air. The next second, Hu Can didn't know what he was thinking, and he lowered his head to avoid He Jingyun's gaze.

Seeing this, He Jingyun was a little unsure of what was going on, and kept weighing the pros and cons in his mind!

To be honest, he also wanted to do this, but he didn't know whether Tang Kai and Hu Can's actions were secret. If this matter was found out by the Coordination Office, the consequences would be disastrous. If he was also involved, would the Marshal think that this matter was instigated by him? Thinking of this, He Jingyun sighed secretly. Tang Kai was putting himself on the fire. He was in a very uncomfortable situation now, neither advancing nor retreating...

Just when He Jingyun was a little undecided, Cui Zheng, the assistant commander of the Fourth Army, suggested:
"Master He, I think the situation has completely changed. We can't go back to the original situation. If we retreat now, we will miss the opportunity. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. So I think we should seize the opportunity and pursue the victory now!"

Cui Zheng's words finally made He Jingyun determined. He took a deep breath and ordered:
"Send a message to the commander of the Fourth Army, Zhang Meng, to lead his troops to attack Jiangnan and protect the rear and flanks of the Sixth Division!"

"Yes!"

After making this most critical decision, He Jingyun began to deploy the battle. The first thing he did was to ask the logistics department to prepare all the necessary supplies.

The most important of these is the supplies needed to attack Lin'an. Judging from the current situation, the Jiangnan Army is about to collapse, and it is just a matter of time before the Fengwu Army arrives at the city of Lin'an. Lin'an is one of the most fortified and powerful cities in the entire Great Zhou!

Therefore, if you want to capture Lin'an, you need a large number of artillery shells to cover the soldiers' attack, you need medicines to ensure the soldiers' lives, and you need sufficient food to feed the soldiers!

Because the Fengwu Army wanted to take over Jiangnan peacefully in the past, these were not prepared. But now the change in the situation requires all of these to be prepared as soon as possible...

After perfecting all the conceivable details, He Jingyun asked everyone else to prepare, leaving only Lieutenant General Hu Can alone in the room.

In the study, He Jingyun looked deeply at Hu Can, and Hu Can became a little uneasy under his gaze. He knew very well what He Jingyun wanted to ask, so without waiting for He Jingyun to ask directly, he took the initiative to say:
"Sir, I don't know what Tang Kai did, but this matter really has nothing to do with me!"

"Ever since you warned me last time, Tang Kai and I have stopped all our plans!"

Seeing Hu Can was so impatient, He Jingyun was a little disappointed. He originally wanted Hu Can to bite to death and pretend nothing had happened!
But looking at Hu Can's current state, He Jingyun knew that as long as the Coordination Office investigated Hu Can, Hu Can would definitely not be able to withstand their interrogation!

Thinking of this, He Jingyun sighed in his heart, but at this moment he had already boarded the pirate ship and there was no possibility of getting off. At this moment he could only leave it to fate. He then waved at Hu Can to indicate that he could leave!
Upon seeing this, Hu Can felt as if he had been pardoned. He first bowed to He Jingyun, and then quickly left the room.
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Jiangnan, Lin'an

Compared to He Jingyun's dilemma, Lu Jianchao in the Jiangnan Governor's Mansion was extremely terrified at this moment. When he heard the news of Lu Yun's defeat and capture, his mind was confused, his hands were shaking, and his back was cold!
Lieutenant General Lu Liang, who was the first to come back with the news, knelt at Lu Jianchao's feet and cried, saying:

"Governor, those bastards from the Fengwu Army blew up our gunpowder depot in Guangshou City under the cover of darkness!"

"General Lu Yun was so angry that he wanted to take his troops to Xuancheng to ask them for an explanation, but he didn't expect that we would be ambushed by the Fengwu Army shortly after entering Xuancheng!"

"We were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. General Lu Yun originally wanted General Cai Kang to cover the rear, and then gather the defeated troops and regroup to continue the fight with the Fengwu Army!"

"But the firearms of the Fengwu Army were too powerful. Their soldiers rushed forward desperately, and although General Cai Kang led his troops to fight hard, they were quickly defeated by the Fengwu Army. Even General Cai Kang himself was killed by the Fengwu Army's artillery!"

"After General Cai Kang died, the Fengwu Army continued to pursue us. We were completely defeated by the Fengwu Army, and even General Lu Yun was captured alive by the Fengwu Army!"

Lu Liang's words were like sharp blades piercing into Lu Jianchao's heart, making Lu Jianchao turn pale and have difficulty breathing. It took him a long time to utter a word with difficulty.

“Find Houde for me…”

Half an incense stick later, Lu Houde rushed to his father's house. At the same time, the news of Guangshou's defeat quickly swept through the entire city of Lin'an like a flood.

When Lu Houde entered the study, he saw his father sitting on a chair with a pale face. He immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously:
"Dad, how are you?"

Lu Houde had been in a high position for many years and had seen many ups and downs. Although he had lost his composure a little when he heard the news of the defeat, he had calmed down at this moment. He patted his son's hand and said calmly:
"Dad it's okay!"

Hearing this answer, Lu Houde gradually felt relieved. Others might not know, but as Lu Jianchao's eldest son, he knew that his father Lu Jianchao had some heart problems as he got older, so he was really worried that his father could not accept the blow that had come so quickly!
"Yun'er was captured alive by the Fengwu Army. What do you think of the current situation?" Looking at his eldest son Lu Jianchao beside him, he asked in a deep voice:

Facing his father's question, Lu Houde also looked hesitant. He always felt that Jiangnan was unable to compete with the Fengwu Army, so when facing the Fengwu Army, he should mainly rely on negotiations, and not use military means if possible!
Unfortunately, although Lu Houde thought so, he had no decision-making power on this issue. Lu Jianchao, who had the decision-making power, was always dissatisfied with Ye Mingsheng's strong style and wanted to seek more benefits························

In order to get the conditions he wanted in the negotiations, he even foolishly wanted to use military exercises to demonstrate his strength to the Fengwu Army!

Although Lu Jianchao was extremely regretful at this point, unfortunately, things had already happened and regret was of no use!
Under his father's gaze, Lu Houde gritted his teeth and said:
"Dad, the troops under Brother Yun's command are already the most elite troops in the Jiangnan Army. They have all fallen to the Fengwu Army. The remaining troops are even more useless. I think we should negotiate with the Fengwu Army again now!"

Lu Jianchao lowered his head upon hearing this, with a look of reluctance, worry, and hesitation. Feeling his father's complicated gaze, Lu Houde also spoke to comfort him:

"Father Marshal Ye is a broad-minded person. Look at Yin Biao and Gao Zongchang, father and son. Aren't they living well in Yijing?"

"Besides, we haven't really offended Marshal Ye. I believe that as long as we surrender, Marshal Ye will not make things difficult for us!"

After hearing his son's words, Lu Jianchao's worries were alleviated. After hesitating for a moment, he asked again:

"Then Houde, do you think we can keep the title of Duke of Wu?"

Seeing that his father was still thinking about the title of Duke of Wu at this time, Lu Houde felt very helpless but could only say patiently:
"Dad, this time I plan to negotiate with the Fengwu Army in person. I will try my best to keep the title of Duke of Wu..."

(End of this chapter)