Chapter 780: Subduing the Tiger!

Somewhere in the mountains in Jinzhong

A scout quickly came up to Xun Ke and reported loudly:

"General, thirty miles ahead, more than 10,000 Yunbing troops are besieging Lingyuan County. The situation in the county is extremely critical..."

Hearing this news, Xun Ke was immediately delighted and said:
"Zhang Lipeng really didn't let us down! Lingyuan County is just ahead, soldiers, follow me!"

"Yes!"

Although he told Lin Huaiwu that he had confidence in Zhang Lipeng and believed that he could stop Wang Muzhi's attack, Xun Ke was actually unsure whether Zhang Lipeng could do this, so he led his troops as quickly as possible. Now that he heard the news that the enemy was attacking the city, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

After running for a full hour in one breath, Xun Ke saw that Lingyuan County was only seven or eight miles ahead. He felt that victory was in sight. As long as his 3,000 cavalrymen came to the rescue, Wang Muzhi's conspiracy would fail.

Although he was very anxious to reach Lingyuan County quickly, Xun Ke also noticed at this time that the road on both sides was getting steeper and the trees in front were very lush. Seeing this situation, Xun Ke felt a sense of crisis for no reason.

Xun Ke also felt this and asked his subordinates beside him:
"where is this place?"

The subordinate looked around and then spoke hesitantly:
"Sir, this seems to be Fuhu Ridge to the west of Lingyuan City. After passing here and walking another two miles, we will reach the county town!"

Hearing the name "Fuhuling", Xun Ke couldn't help but frown slightly. He was born in the year of the tiger and this year is his zodiac year, and this place is Fuhuling, which is exactly in conflict with him!

Just when Xun Ke was hesitant, another scout he had sent out hurriedly returned to report:

"General, Yun Bing's army has already reached the city wall. Our army in Lingyuan County can't hold on any longer..."

Hearing this, Xun Ke no longer cared about the sense of crisis in his heart. With a glimmer of hope, he ordered his men:
"Don't delay, soldiers! Pass quickly!"

"Yes!"

At Xun Ke's order, the three thousand cavalrymen immediately continued to move forward quickly. After half an incense stick of time, they were about to walk out of Fuhu Ridge. They had not encountered any danger yet. Xun Ke felt that he was a little too nervous. Just when he relaxed a little, he heard two cannon shots from both sides of the mountain.

Then there were deafening shouts of killing from both sides, and countless bullets and arrows were fired at them. Faced with this sudden attack, the Fengwu Army was caught off guard and were hit one after another. Hundreds of people were shot off their horses on the spot.

Seeing this, Xun Ke was horrified and furious, but although he was very angry, he still kept his rationality at this time and shouted to the soldiers beside him:

"Ignore the enemy! Get out of here quickly!"

"Yes!"

Under Xun Ke's order, the Fengwu Army soldiers who were ambushed also gave up the idea of ​​counterattack, and instead followed Xun Ke to rush towards the exit of the mountain road. Seeing this scene, Wang Muzhi had a smug smile on his face and ordered:
"Seal the exit! Xun Ke must not be allowed to escape!"

"Today I will kill the fierce tiger Xun Ke in Fuhu Ridge..."

Under Wang Muzhi's order, the soldiers of the Yunbing Army who were ambushing at the road exit immediately began to form a battle formation, with swordsmen and axemen in the front, followed by musketeers, and finally spearmen. Under the cover of the swordsmen and axemen, the musketeers fired the first wave of volleys. After shooting, the musketeers immediately retreated, while the spearmen stepped forward and used their spears to force back the charging Fengwu Army cavalry.

Seeing that the number of soldiers around him was decreasing, but they were unable to break through the enemy's formation, Xun Ke knew very well that if he did not rush out, he and the three thousand cavalry would be surrounded and annihilated here. Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and roared:
"Organize a death squad and blast a bloody path for me!"

"Yes!"

Under Xun Ke's command, the remaining Fengwu Army cavalry immediately organized a suicide squad of dozens of people. They were tied with explosives and, under the cover of their comrades, bravely and fearlessly rushed towards the enemy's formation.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With dozens of explosions, these suicide squad members used their flesh and blood to blast a gap in the enemy's formation, opening up hope of life for their comrades behind them. Xun Ke naturally would not waste this precious opportunity, and immediately led his troops to take advantage of the situation and kill them.

Faced with the Fengwu Army soldiers struggling for life, the Yunbing Army soldiers who were blocking the road exit wanted to do their best to block the gap, but in the end they failed and were defeated by the offensive of the Fengwu Army soldiers······························

Wang Muzhi, who saw this scene on the mountain, hammered the big tree in front of him unwillingly, his eyes full of unwillingness and regret.

For this surprise attack, he saw the weaknesses of the Fengwu Army, namely, insufficient manpower and an empty rear. He planned it carefully for a long time in order to achieve a surprise victory by besieging Wei to save Zhao. However, what he did not expect was that the defender of Lingyuan County was very tenacious and had held on until now in the face of his surprise attack.

Just when he was worried about when he could break the city, he heard the news that Xun Ke was coming. Wang Muzhi was also surprised by this, but when he reacted, he realized that the fall of Dagu County was a foregone conclusion. Wang Muzhi, who had been unable to capture the city, changed his mind and set up an ambush at Fuhu Ridge, planning to ambush Xun Ke!
For him, since Dagu County had already fallen, it would not be too much of a loss if he could encircle and annihilate Xun Ke's troops. What's more, if Xun Ke's troops were completely annihilated, the Fengwu Army in Lingyuan County might give up resistance after seeing the reinforcements being defeated. In this way, it could be said that he had a slight advantage.

However, Wang Muzhi never expected that Xun Ke and his Fengwu Army cavalry were so tenacious that they could grit their teeth and fight their way out of the encirclement in the face of such a desperate situation.

Wang Muzhi was filled with annoyance at this moment, because Xun Ke came too quickly and he only had half an hour to set up the ambush, so there was no way to make more arrangements. If he was given another half an hour, Xun Ke and the others would definitely be doomed...

While Wang Muzhi was feeling annoyed, Xun Ke, who had led his troops to fight his way out of a bloody battle, looked around at the wounded Fengwu Army soldiers around him. He couldn't feel happy at all. He originally had 3,000 cavalrymen under his command, but after the bloody battle just now, only more than 1,500 of him had escaped.

Although he was very sad and angry, Xun Ke did not let his emotions control him and made a wise decision in pain. "Retreat!"

Looking at the retreating Fengwu Army, Wang Muzhi's eyes were filled with disappointment. If Xun Ke had just chosen to take revenge, then he might have had a chance to wipe out Xun Ke's troops here. But Xun Ke had withdrawn now, so his surprise attack this time was doomed to be in vain!
At this moment, a subordinate came over and reported happily:

"Sir, our army killed more than 1,300 enemy soldiers and captured 198 of them. This battle can be regarded as a great victory!"

After hearing the report from his subordinates, Wang Muzhi could not hide his bitterness. Compared with the capture of Dagu County, this achievement was simply not worth mentioning.

Seeing that Wang Muzhi seemed to be in low spirits, his subordinates also restrained their smiles and cautiously asked:

"Sir, shall we continue the siege?"

Wang Muzhi shook his head and said helplessly:
“Let’s go! There’s no chance anymore. If you don’t leave now, you might get locked up and beaten…”

·································
·································
Yijing, Military Governor's Mansion
Ye Mingsheng was processing Qi Lu's financial report for the past three months in his study. Looking at the numbers on it, Ye Mingsheng smiled slightly.

As the traditional heartland of the dynasty, Qi and Lu have a very good economic foundation despite having experienced many years of war.

In addition, Sun Jing'an had been in power in Qi and Lu for many years and was very familiar with the local situation. Therefore, under the leadership of Ye Mingsheng, the progress of reform was very fast. The economy of Qi and Lu soon regained its vitality, and the people gradually settled down and worked in peace and contentment.

At present, the financial surplus in Qi Lu's account has reached 150,000 taels of silver. Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but hesitate about this, because he did not expect Sun Jing'an to manage Qi Lu so well, so he thought that Qi Lu's finances were in a difficult situation. So he decided to grit his teeth and tighten his belt. Even if he had to live a hard life, he did not plan to collect silver from Qi Lu this year.

But the current situation in Qi and Lu is much better than expected. Should some of the remaining 150,000 taels of silver be turned over?
Zhang Juning from the Finance Department has been making a fuss. Yun Bing is now burning three thousand taels of silver every day, and the Finance Department's treasury is almost empty.

Besides, the New Year is coming soon. According to the convention, all government offices have to provide benefits to officials, which is another considerable expense...
Just as Ye Mingsheng was hesitating, there was a knock on the door outside the study. Ye Mingsheng heard that it was Ye Cheng knocking on the door and ordered without raising his head:

"Enter!"

After receiving Ye Mingsheng's instructions, Ye Cheng immediately walked into the room and handed two official documents to Ye Mingsheng.

"Sir, news has arrived from Gongdu and Huainan!"

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng also became excited. After a little hesitation, he chose to open the news from Gongdu first. After carefully scanning the content, Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction. Wang Xuecheng did a good job in Gongdu. Li Xuanchang’s old nest, Kangshan Port, had been breached, and Li Xuanchang fled to Dongdao again.

Next, Wang Xuecheng plans to expand the influence of the Fengwu Army in Gongdu and let the new Gongdu National Army and the Fengwu Army sign more clauses that are conducive to peace and stability for both parties, and ensure that the interests of the Fengwu Army in Gongdu will not be violated. This is undoubtedly very good news!
Putting down the letter from Gongdu, Ye Mingsheng opened the message from Huainan. After just two glances, he couldn't help but shook his head.

We really can't relax on this guy Xu Zhaojie. I just kept an eye on him for a few days and he caused such a big trouble in Huainan...

This guy was still so cruel. He once again launched a large-scale purge of the aristocratic families in Huainan. This time, he killed more than 10,000 people, and at one point the water of the Huaihe River turned red. Although this turned the two sides into a life-and-death feud, it also allowed Xu Zhaojie to firmly grasp the power of Huainan in his hands.

According to the information from the Coordination Office, after the purge was completed, Xu Zhaojie obtained a lot of money, grain and land from these aristocratic families. Xu Zhaojie also imitated the policy of the Fengwu Army and distributed these lands to the soldiers of the Zhennan Army and ordinary people. This also made Xu Zhaojie gain great support among the people.

At present, the Zhennan Army is simultaneously cleaning up the remaining influence of the aristocratic families and expanding its military in preparation for war. Under the temptation of land and money and food, the Zhennan Army is expanding its army very quickly, recruiting more than 10,000 people in just seven or eight days.

Seeing this situation, Ye Mingsheng knew very well that Xu Zhaojie, this bastard, had already foreseen that he would take advantage of the chaos to launch an attack on Huainan, so he expanded the army here to prepare for a rainy day. However, how much effect could this last-minute help have?
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng directly ordered:

“Let He Jingyun’s First Army and Zhang Meng’s Fourth Army split into two groups and launch attacks on Huainan separately! I want to see how many tricks Xu Zhaojie can come up with this time…”

"Yes!"

After thinking for a while, Ye Mingsheng ordered again:
"Keep 30,000 taels of the 150,000 taels of silver remaining in Qi and Lu, and have them send the rest to the central government! Also urge them to send the silver from Liaoyang as soon as possible. In addition, send a message to all departments in the central government to cut down on some unnecessary expenses!"

"Understood! I'll pass the order to each department right away!"

After a moment of silence, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have remembered something and asked Ye Cheng:

"What's going on in the Madam's yard recently?"

Ye Cheng heard this and said:

"As usual, there was nothing special. The first lady just asked Master Jingren to start practicing calligraphy and asked him to recite Xunzi's "Encouragement to Study". Because it was a little difficult, Master Jingren didn't understand it, which made the first lady a little angry. She also beat Master Jingren with a few sticks!"

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng shook his head helplessly. He had already discussed this issue with An Miaoyi, but his wife always pretended not to obey.

Since I didn't allow her to find a teacher, she tutored him herself. It's nonsense for a two or three year old to recite "Encouragement to Study"...

(End of this chapter)