Chapter 501 "Attack from front and back!"

Gu Shouting shook his head and said:

“Hong Xiang, what you said is wrong. It’s not that the Fengwu Army failed to capture Zhao Jianan, but Ye Mingsheng ordered the entire army that no one can capture Zhao Jianan, no one can hurt him, and they must also ensure Zhao Jianan’s safe departure from Yijing…”

Zhang Hongxiang was a little confused when he heard this, and asked with doubt:
"What is General Ye doing? Wouldn't it be better to capture Zhao Jianan? He is the eldest son of Zhao Fuqu. His status in the Yan army is second only to Zhao Fuqu himself. He is second only to Zhao Fuqu in the Yan army!"

Feeling Zhang Hongxiang's confusion, Zhao Jianan sighed first, and then began to speak:
"At first, I thought the same as you. I didn't understand why Ye Mingsheng not only didn't arrest Zhao Jianan, but also wanted to ensure his safe departure. But last night, I thought about it all night and gradually understood what Ye Mingsheng was thinking. Since the Fengwu Army entered the pass, the Yan Army has been retreating step by step, with heavy casualties. Now even Yijing has been lost. This is partly due to the Fengwu Army's sneak attack and the Fengwu Army's powerful firearms."

"But the biggest problem of the Yan Army is not the firearms, nor the sneak attack of the Fengwu Army, but the internal friction caused by the succession issue of the Yan Army. Ye Mingsheng chose to let Zhao Jianan go back because he saw this fatal weakness of the Yan Army!"

"If Zhao Jianan fails in Yijing this time, then Zhao Fuqu and the Yan Army will only have Zhao Jianwen as their heir. Zhao Fuqu and the Yan Army will have no choice, so the biggest contradiction within the Yan Army will be solved! They can unite and concentrate all their strength to deal with the Fengwu Army!"

“And if we let Zhao Jianan go, his reputation will plummet after the battle in Yijing. Given Zhao Jianwen’s character, he will definitely try to beat Zhao Jianan to death with one blow. Zhao Jianan naturally won’t sit still and wait for death. The division within the Yan army will continue, and this will undoubtedly affect the Yan army’s ability to concentrate its forces to fight against the Fengwu army…”

Listening to Gu Shouting's thorough analysis, Zhang Hongxiang sighed with emotion:
"General Ye is truly no ordinary man. His plans are profound and astonishing!"

"Yes! Otherwise, he wouldn't have risen from a humble background to become the governor of Liaoyang. Now he is about to take over Youyan. By then, with the control of Liaoyang and Youyan provinces, our Governor Ye will probably be the greatest lord in the north! He can achieve great things!"

Although Gu Shouting was full of admiration for Ye Mingsheng while speaking, there was a fleeting flash of complexity in the depths of his eyes. No one except himself knew what he was thinking at this moment.

After finishing the topic about Zhao Jianan, Gu Shouting seemed to have thought of something again, and continued to explain to Zhang Hongxiang very seriously:
"Hong Xiang, from today on we are the Fengwu Army. There are some things you need to keep in mind!"

"The Fengwu Army is very different from the Yan Army. The Fengwu Army has very strict military discipline, unlike the Yan Army, which is merciful in everything. The consequences of violating military law are also very serious. Even Ye Mingsheng's clansmen are no exception. Last time, a relative of Ye Mingsheng drank and caused trouble in the army, and he was severely punished according to the law and his official position was completely removed!"

"Apart from military discipline, the biggest difference between the Fengwu Army and other armies is that the Fengwu Army's pay is distributed directly to the soldiers and their families from the bank, without going through the hands of higher-level generals. Generals at all levels are also strictly prohibited from interfering in local government affairs..."

Zhang Hongxiang was stunned by what Gu Shouting said. He never thought that there were so many rules in the Fengwu Army. Although he was a little worried, he could not regret it now. He could only nod and say:
"Don't worry, Shou Ting, I will follow the rules!"

After getting a positive answer from Zhang Hongxiang, Gu Shouting felt relieved. Then he talked to his good brother about the next plan for training the Sixth Division.

···························
···························
While the Fengwu Army was busy cleaning up the mess in Yijing and restoring order, in the county government of Jiangshan County, 300 miles west of Yijing, Zhao Fuqu, the governor of Youyan, who had not yet fallen to Yijing, was busy making arrangements for the battle plan.

"Soldiers, Ye Mingsheng and the Fengwu Army, these bastards, dared to come out and make trouble while I was not at home. Don't look at him as a bitch. He is fighting happily now. The real troops are surrounding Yijing, but Yijing is still as solid as a rock and safe. Zhao Yong in Guangzong County has also tied up a large part of the Fengwu Army's forces!"

"Now that I have returned with my army, it is time for the Fengwu Army to show their true colors and go back to where they came from!" Zhao Fuqu, who was sitting in a handsome chair with a refreshed look, waved his hand and said domineeringly:

As soon as Zhao Fuqu finished speaking, the generals of the Yan army in his tent also echoed him:

"What the Marshal said is correct. Ye Mingsheng is just a young boy. What does he know about fighting?"

"The Fengwu Army has been able to fight until now only because they took advantage of the shameless attack from behind by the main force of our army, Invasion Yun. If they can't get the support of the Marshal and fight with real swords and guns, they will be completely finished!"

"The Marshal has fought more battles than Ye Mingsheng has eaten. Ye Mingsheng is not even worthy of carrying the Marshal's shoes. If the Marshal were to go out and defeat a small fry like Ye Mingsheng, wouldn't it be easy for him to capture him?"

·······················
·······················
The atmosphere in the county government office gradually became heated. If people who didn't know the truth saw this scene, they would probably think that the Yan army had already attacked Dongning city, the Fengwu army was about to be destroyed, and Ye Mingsheng was about to commit suicide after being defeated, instead of the Fengwu army besieging Yijing and the Yan army being defeated!
Looking at the generals who had already started a heated discussion about how to humiliate Ye Mingsheng after capturing him, Zhao Fuqu, who felt that the army's morale was high, nodded with satisfaction, then pressed his hands to signal for silence and continued to speak:

"Let's start the battle deployment. Where is Sun Zheng?"

Hearing Zhao Fuqu's words, a square-faced strong man walked out of the team and bowed to Zhao Fuqu and said:

"The general is here!"

"I order you to lead 3,000 light cavalry as our army's vanguard to rush to Yijing's aid. Tell my son Zhao Jianan and the loyal men of Yijing that I, Zhao Fuqu, have returned with a large army. Let them have confidence and hold on to Yijing!"

"Yes!"

Sun Zheng took the order and returned to the queue.

After giving Sun Zheng the order, Zhao Fuqu ordered again: "Wang Chengzhao!"

"The general is here!"

A dark-faced burly man, eight feet tall, stood up with a muffled voice.

“I order you to lead the scout troops to contact Zhao Yong’s troops in Guangzong County and tell them that they will launch a fierce attack together with our army in seven days to attack the Fengwu Army from both sides…”

"I will obey your orders!"

After giving orders to Sun Zheng and Wang Chengzhao, Zhao Fuqu issued orders to several other people. After doing all this, Zhao Fuqu stood up from the commander's chair and said confidently:
"In this battle, our army will attack from both sides, making sure that the Fengwu Army cannot take care of itself. We will defeat the Fengwu Army at the gate of Yijing City in one battle, and collect the profits from Ye Mingsheng for daring to sneak into the pass and attack. When we drive the Fengwu Army out of Youyan and our army attacks Liaoyang, I will settle the accounts with him! I will not return until Liaoyang is conquered in this battle!"

"I will not return until I conquer Liaoyang!"

As soon as Zhao Fuqu finished speaking, slogans were suddenly heard in groups of three or five in the tent. However, just when Zhao Fuqu, full of confidence, was about to adjourn the meeting, his adviser Li Liang ran into the tent in a panic. Seeing that all the generals were in the tent, he realized the seriousness of the matter and wanted to whisper to Zhao Fuqu so that only Zhao Fuqu would be told the news.

However, Zhao Fuqu was full of confidence after this round of self-hypnosis. Seeing Li Liang's hesitation, he said with dissatisfaction:
"Everyone present here is a general of the Yan army, and none of them are outsiders. If there is anything you need to hide, Li Liang, please speak openly in front of everyone!"

Although Zhao Fuqu had said so, Li Liang seemed to have other considerations in his mind. After hesitating for a while, he tentatively said:

"Marshal, I'd better tell you alone..."

Seeing that Li Liang refused to carry out his orders, Zhao Fuqu, who was in an excited mood, immediately flew into a rage. He drew the sword from his waist, pointed it at Li Liang's head and said viciously:
"Li Liang, you bastard, you are so bold as to disobey military orders! Are you going to tell me now? If not, I will chop you to pieces right now!"

Seeing Zhao Fuqu's blade flashing with cold light, Li Liang, a civil servant, couldn't help but shudder, then swallowed his saliva and whispered:

"News came from Guangzong County that five days ago, Ye Mingsheng personally led the main force of the Fengwu Army, 60,000 men, to ambush General Zhao Yong in Guangzong County. General Zhao Yong fell into the trap of the Fengwu Army and was defeated by the Fengwu Army,
"Only Xue Kun led several thousand defeated soldiers to escape back to Zhuo County. General Zhao Yong himself was killed by Guo Zhiping, the general of the enemy's third division, in a duel. The soldiers who followed him to break through were also forced to surrender to the Fengwu Army!"

Listening to Li Liang's story, Zhao Fuqu, who was originally full of confidence, suddenly felt a chill in his heart. His hand loosened subconsciously and the knife in his hand fell to the ground, but he pretended to be calm and said:

"How is this possible? This must be fake news spread by the Fengwu Army to confuse our army..."

Wang Chengzhao, who also heard the news, felt very embarrassed. He had just received an order from Zhao Fuqu to contact Zhao Yong. The two sides launched a fierce attack on the Fengwu Army from the front and back. Now Zhao Yong's troops were defeated by the Fengwu Army, and even Zhao Yong himself died at the hands of the Fengwu Army. Should he contact Zhao Yong's troops now?
Just when the tent was as quiet as death and the sound of a needle dropping on the ground could be clearly heard, a messenger suddenly rushed into the tent in a panic. He had no idea what was going on here. He reported to Zhao Fuqu loudly, panting:

"Report to the commander-in-chief, the scouts ahead have sent us news that our army's flag is no longer on the top of the Yijing city wall, and the flag of the Fengwu Army has been raised instead!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals in the camp showed expressions of shock and disbelief. Although everyone knew before that Yijing had been besieged by the Fengwu Army and was in a difficult situation under the fierce attack of the Fengwu Army, they were thousands of miles away after all and did not know the specific situation in Yijing. They all thought that Yijing had sufficient guards and the city defenses were complete and solid, and the Fengwu Army would never be able to succeed in attacking the city!

The news coming back now undoubtedly gave them a resounding slap in the face. The Fengwu Army was more powerful than they imagined. Even the solid Yijing could not stop their conquest. Those present were all generals of the Yan Army. They all knew very well what the fall of Yijing meant to the Zhao family and the Yan Army...

If we think about what Li Liang said just now, that Zhao Yong's troops suffered heavy casualties and Zhao Yong himself was killed in the battle, then even if Zhao Fuqu rushed back from Yunbing now, it seems that it will not change anything for the entire Youyan situation!

Just as the camp fell into deathly silence and the generals were all thinking about their own things, Zhao Fuqu, who was sitting in the commander's seat, suddenly showed an abnormal flush on his face. The next second, he was filled with grief and indignation and spit out a mouthful of blood. Under the gazes and exclamations of everyone, he fainted on the ground and lost consciousness.

······················
······················
Dongning, Mingru Temple.

Accompanied by her maid, Murong Qingwu respectfully paid homage and offered incense to the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in the temple. For some reason, during this process, Murong Qingwu always felt that someone was observing her secretly, but she did not find anything unusual after looking back several times. This made Murong Qingwu think that she was hallucinating.

However, when she and her maid were walking down the mountain, when they came to a mountain path, a woman with a white veil on her face and an elegant temperament was standing quietly in the middle of the path, as if waiting for something.

Although the other party did not say anything and just stood there quietly, looking at the woman in front of her, Murong Qingwu felt that this woman was very dangerous, and she should stay away from her as soon as possible...
Although she didn't know why she still had this feeling, Murong Qingwu hesitated for a moment, and still dismissed the maid beside her, then slowly walked to the side of the mysterious woman. Although the other party's face was covered by a white veil and her appearance could not be seen clearly, Murong Qingwu could feel that this mysterious woman should be very beautiful, and her beauty might even be as good as hers.

After staring at the other party for a few seconds, seeing that the other party had no intention of speaking first, Murong Qingwu bowed slightly to the other party and said softly:

"Just now in Mingru Temple, you were the one hiding in the dark, right?"

(End of this chapter)