Chapter 516 Xu Zhaojie’s ambition!

Anqing, military camp.

Xu Zhaojie, dressed in military uniform, looked at the sand table in front of him expressionlessly. No one knew what was in the mind of the famous Marquis Zhenyuan of Da Zhou and the current Inspector General of Anqing...

And right next to Xu Zhaojie, one messenger after another was reporting various information to him!

"Reporting to the Lord, the Huai Army's vanguard of 10,000 people has already engaged in a fierce battle with the Qi Army at Sansheng Mountain, 30 miles west of Langya. The battle is currently fierce, and although the Huai Army has the advantage in numbers, the progress is not smooth!"

"I have learned that Feng Keqin, the governor of Huainan, has arrived in Huaiyuan Prefecture to supervise the battle. The main force of the Huai Army, 80,000 men, has assembled in Huaiyuan Prefecture!"

"Your Excellency, I would like to inform you that the Youyan envoy Huang Wen Ze and his entourage have already concluded their meeting with Qilu General Cao Changping three days ago. The outcome of the talks between the two sides is still unknown!"

"Your Excellency, I have received news from Licheng that Cao Changping has dispatched troops from Licheng two days ago and assembled 30,000 soldiers and horses to head to Langya!"

"Your Excellency, our army has recruited 12,000 new soldiers, but we don't have enough weapons, armor and firearms to distribute to the soldiers!"

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After hearing the news about his side, Xu Zhaojie finally reacted and gave a deep order to his subordinate Zhang Chong beside him:

"Conscript all the craftsmen in Anqing to forge weapons day and night from now on. Make sure to make up the difference within two months!"

"In addition, the training of new recruits must also keep up, and extraordinary measures can be taken when necessary!"

After Xu Zhaojie finished speaking, a hint of hesitation flashed across Zhang Chong's eyes. He was a little unsure whether the extraordinary measures he understood were the same as the extraordinary measures Xu Zhaojie mentioned!
Just as he was about to ask, he met Xu Zhaojie's eyes and felt the coldness in Xu Zhaojie's eyes. He wisely swallowed the words he wanted to ask and bowed and said:
"Yes!"

Glancing at Zhang Chong, Xu Zhaojie said calmly:
"Don't be afraid of casualties. A hundred or eighty deaths is not a big deal, but you must remember to distinguish between rewards and punishments!"

Zhang Chong was really shocked when he heard this. Knowing Xu Zhaojie’s style, he originally thought that the casualty target for this training session would only be 20 to 30 people. He didn’t expect Xu Zhaojie to be so ruthless and directly increase the casualty target several times...

He said it so easily that it was no big deal, which was enough to show that in Xu Zhaojie's heart, the lives of his soldiers were worthless like grass. Thinking of this, Zhang Chong not only sighed, but also felt a little pity for the future fate of these recruits.

Whether you are a general or a soldier serving under Xu Zhaojie, you need to be extra careful, otherwise you might anger Xu Zhaojie at any time and lose your life!

Although he thought so in his heart, under Xu Zhaojie's gaze, Zhang Chong still agreed without changing his expression:

"I will follow your orders, sir! I know what to do now!"

After getting Zhang Chong's affirmative answer, Xu Zhaojie shifted his gaze back to the sand table and waved his hand slightly to signal Zhang Chong that he could leave. Seeing this, Zhang Chong bowed to Xu Zhaojie, then hurried away to prepare for the difficult task assigned to him by Xu Zhaojie.

Soon after Zhang Chong left, another soldier came to Xu Zhaojie's side and reported:

"Sir, Fang He, the special envoy of Qilu Inspector General Cao Changping, is here, and he wants to see you now..."

Listening to the words of the personal soldiers, Xu Zhaojie's eyes flashed with a gleam of light and he said lightly:
"Take him to the side tent, I'll be there in a minute!"

"Yes!"

An incense stick later, Fang He, who came from Licheng, paced back and forth anxiously in the tent, anxiously waiting for Xu Zhaojie to come and see him. He came secretly on the orders of Cao Changping to discuss with Xu Zhaojie about jointly dealing with Feng Keqin. The matter should have been extremely urgent, but unexpectedly Xu Zhaojie seemed so unconcerned that he hadn't seen Xu Zhaojie for an incense stick of time.
Since becoming the Inspector General of Anqing, although Xu Zhaojie appeared to be following Feng Keqin's orders, in fact, after getting rid of Li Sandao, the spy planted by Feng Keqin in Anqing who actually controlled Anqing, Xu Zhaojie had been hooking up with Cao Changping. The two of them secretly communicated with each other and conspired to plot against Feng Keqin and swallow up the lucrative piece of fat meat of Huainan under Feng Keqin's command.

And now the developments in Qilu, Anqing and Huainan are all in line with their plans!

About a cup of tea passed, and just when Fang He couldn't help it and wanted to walk out of the tent to ask when Xu Zhaojie would show up, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the tent. Hearing the footsteps, Fang He, with an anxious look on his face, was stunned at first, then he restrained his expression and sat upright on the stool, pretending to be unhurried...
Just one second after Fang He finished this series of actions, the camp door was pushed open and Xu Zhaojie walked in with a smile on his face. He said with a hint of apology in his words:

"I am so busy with military affairs. I am sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Fang!"

Although he was very dissatisfied with Xu Zhaojie for making him wait for so long, Fang He suppressed his anger out of courtesy, stood up, bowed to Xu Zhaojie and said:
"Your Excellency is too kind. Your military duties are more important, so it's nothing for me to wait for a moment!"

Listening to Fang He's answer, Xu Zhaojie nodded with a smile and said:
"Mr. Fang, you came here this time to bring me some news, right?"

Fang He heard this and said in a deep voice:

"Liu Guodong, the thief, has been killed outside Guyang City! All 5,000 soldiers under his command have been annihilated!" After Fang He finished speaking, Xu Zhaojie was silent for a few seconds, then he sighed and said:

"Liu Guodong is a traitor and a two-faced traitor. He deserves to be put to death. It's a pity for the 5,000 good men of the Anqing Army..."

Upon hearing this, Fang He bowed to Xu Zhaojie again and pretended to be moved and said:

"Lord Xu, your love for the soldiers is truly admirable. My lord, the military governor, is well aware of your kindness, so he specifically instructed us to treat the captured Anqing soldiers well. When the battle is over, my lord will return them to Zhao intact and escort them out of the country with courtesy!"

Liu Guodong thought that the secret dealings between him and Feng Keqin were flawless and unnoticed by anyone, but he didn't know that there is no wall that is impenetrable. Xu Zhaojie had already sensed his rebellious intentions and saw everything he did.

If Xu Zhaojie had not been worried that the poisoning of Li Sandao had already alerted Feng Keqin, and that killing Liu Guodong would easily anger Feng Keqin completely, how could he have tolerated Liu Guodong living to this day?

Sending Liu Guodong to Guyang County was a trap set by Xu Zhaojie. On the one hand, it was to confuse Feng Keqin and make him firm in his confidence and no longer doubt whether the Anqing army would participate in the war. On the other hand, it was to kill with a borrowed knife and use Cao Changping to kill Liu Guodong.

Although Fang He said nice things like returning the jade intact to Zhao State and sending them out of the country with courtesy, Xu Zhaojie could naturally hear the hidden meaning behind Fang He's words. The thousands of Anqing surrendered soldiers under Zhao Guodong's command were probably already hostages in Cao Changping's hands.

If I do as they say, these thousands of surrendered soldiers may be able to come back, but if I don't do as they say, then it would be like throwing meat buns at a dog, and there would be no return...

Thinking of this, a flash of contempt flashed across Xu Zhaojie's eyes. They thought that they could make him obedient and let them control him just by relying on a few thousand surrendered soldiers. This really underestimated him, Xu Zhaojie!

Although he thought so in his heart, Xu Zhaojie still kept smiling on the surface and said:

"I feel relieved with Brother Cao's words!"

After the host and the guest sat down and exchanged greetings, Fang He, who couldn't wait, spoke first:
"Lord Xu, you should have known by now that Feng Keqin has personally led 80,000 Huai Army troops to Huaiyuan City. Our army is under great pressure on the front battlefield. So Lord Xu, please see when your troops can act as agreed and attack the Huai Army from the rear!"

Listening to Fang He's words, Xu Zhaojie narrowed his eyes and said without hesitation:
"My Anqing Army has already begun to recruit young and strong men in the territory. However, after losing 5,000 veterans under Liu Guodong, my Anqing Army only has more than 30,000 soldiers who can fight. Even so, nearly half of these more than 30,000 people have just joined the army. Many of them have not yet been equipped with weapons and armor. How can they undertake the task of attacking from the rear?"

Feeling the evasiveness in Xu Zhaojie's words, Fang He still wanted to try harder and said:
“Our army can pin down the enemy head-on and lure them into attacking Langya. Lord Xu, you can lead your troops to take advantage of the opportunity and cut off the connection between Feng Keqin’s troops and Huaiyuan City. In this way, the enemy’s food supply will be cut off and they will panic and collapse without a fight…”

In response to Fang He's statement, Xu Zhaojie shook his head and said:
"Mr. Fang, your idea is very good, but my Anqing army is short of soldiers and generals. Not only do we lack weapons and armor, but we also need to strengthen training. Many of them are farmers who have just put down their hoes. They are not yet capable of fighting. So please give me some time, Mr. Fang. When I have trained my soldiers, I will follow your plan and take advantage of the opportunity to intercept Feng Keqin's food supply!"

Faced with Xu Zhaojie's refusal, Fang He still did not give up and wanted to persuade Xu Zhaojie to join the war as soon as possible. However, Xu Zhaojie was also adamant and insisted that the Anqing army did not have the ability to fight on a large scale and asked Qilu to give them some time.

As both sides were very determined and unwilling to give in, the talks came to a stalemate for a while and the two sides parted unhappily. Fang He returned to Licheng to report to Cao Changping.

Fang He had been gone for half an hour, but Xu Zhaojie was still sitting in his seat, his face changing and looking very ugly!

Fang He was so insistent on asking the Anqing Army to send troops first. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be Cao Changping's request. The two sides seemed to be arguing about when the Anqing Army would send troops, but if you look through the surface to the essence, you will realize that this is actually a question of trust...
At present, Feng Keqin has assembled an army of 80,000 in Huaiyuan City. The daily food, drink, and defecation of these 80,000 people cost a large sum of money. Although Feng Keqin has sufficient funds in the Huainan treasury, he will not turn this war into a protracted war or a tug-of-war, so the Huai Army's offensive on Langya is imminent.

This is also the reason why Xu Zhaojie repeatedly declined Fang He's request. Although he is sitting with Cao Changping now, in Xu Zhaojie's heart, he does not regard Cao Changping as his ally, and what he really wants is not to defeat Feng Keqin together with Cao Changping!

Xu Zhaojie's real goal was to make Cao Changping and Feng Keqin fight to the death in Langya, and then he could take advantage of the situation and take control of Huainan!

Although Xu Zhaojie had made a good calculation, it was obvious that Cao Changping was not an easy person to get to the position of General of Qi and Lu. He had long been aware of Xu Zhaojie's little trick, so he specifically asked the Anqing Army to join the war as soon as possible to not give Xu Zhaojie the opportunity to reap the benefits!
Facing this situation, Xu Zhaojie had no good solution but to delay. Anyway, Feng Keqin was about to attack Qi and Lu, not his Anqing. However, he had to be careful, lest Cao Changping gave up and told Feng Keqin about their conspiracy, thus dragging himself into the water...

If his plan succeeds this time, he can take advantage of the situation to enter Huainan and become the overlord. He can use the world as a chessboard and the Central Plains as a battlefield with Ye Mingsheng to settle the grudges between the two sides. But if he fails, it is foreseeable that Feng Keqin will definitely not let him go next, and Cao Changping will definitely attack from the north to ensure that they do not all fall into Feng Keqin's hands.

The strength of these two men's troops is far superior to his own. If they attack from both sides, Xu Zhaojie will surely be defeated and killed!

Thinking of this, Xu Zhaojie couldn't help but clench his fists tightly, and his eyes became more determined. He would never allow this situation to happen. He wanted to keep his life and chop off the head of Ye Mingsheng, the bastard, with his own hands!

After pondering for a while, Xu Zhaojie called his adviser Feng Tai over and whispered something in his ear. Feng Tai's expression suddenly became uncertain after listening to Xu Zhaojie's words. When Xu Zhaojie finished speaking, he said in disbelief:
"My Lord, is this okay?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhaojie waved his hand and ordered in a deep voice:

"Do as I say! Don't worry about the rest!"

Seeing what Xu Zhaojie said, Feng Tai, as his subordinate, could only obey the order. Looking at Feng Tai’s leaving back, Xu Zhaojie narrowed his eyes slightly. Since Cao Changping had already noticed his intention, he had to give himself some insurance...
(End of this chapter)