Chapter 846: Complications arise!

New Year's Eve, late at night
While the military and civilians in the county were celebrating the coming of the new year, in a hidden valley on the west side of Wenshan County, tens of thousands of fully armed Fengwu Army soldiers were silently waiting...
Holding up the telescope, Xun Ke observed the movements in Wenshan County. Two days ago, Yuan Song led the Second Army to besiege Heyi County. Under the cover of the Second Army, Xun Ke led the Third Army of 10,000 soldiers and arrived at this small valley after a forced march of two nights and one day.

Although he only brought 10,000 people to carry out the mission this time, these 10,000 people were elite troops carefully selected by Xun Ke from among the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Third Army. Xun Ke was very confident in their combat effectiveness.

Xun Ke was convinced that as long as He Dechang opened the west gate of Wenshan County according to the plan, he could occupy Wenshan County in one night and create a big gap in the defense line carefully arranged by Wang Muzhi!

After observing the situation in Wenshan County for a while, Xun Ke put down the telescope in his hand and asked the lieutenant general beside him:
"What time is it now?"

In response to Xun Ke's question, Admiral Cui Jian thought for a moment and replied:

"It should be just after midnight, and there is still half an hour until the third watch!"

Listening to Cui Jian's answer, Xun Ke did not say anything, but continued to look at Wenshan County in the distance.

Three o'clock in the morning is the time they agreed with He Dechang. At that time, He Dechang will set off three fireworks. After they get the signal, they will start to act. Then He Dechang will open the city gate and let them into the city...
Even though they would certainly encounter desperate resistance from the Yunbing army's soldiers after entering the city, in Xun Ke's opinion, as long as they could succeed, the matter would be settled!

Without a city to rely on, the several thousand defenders in the city would be no match for his ten thousand elite troops!

Although he was very confident in his side's combat effectiveness, Xun Ke also had his own concerns. Although the Coordination Office provided He Dechang with this opportunity, because time was too tight, the Coordination Office did not have time to conduct a detailed investigation of He Dechang, so they were very cautious about the authenticity of the intelligence.

Therefore, Xun Ke was prepared for both situations. On the one hand, he planned to launch a night attack to capture Wenshan County. On the other hand, he was also prepared. In case this opportunity was an ambush set by Yun Bing’s army, he was ready to lead his troops to break out of the siege.

Just as Xun Ke was thinking, the Third Army scout chief Zheng Fang came over and reported:

"Commander, we have conducted reconnaissance in a ten-mile radius of Wenshan County and found no trace of large-scale enemy forces. In addition, we have captured five enemy sentries, and after interrogating them, we also found no information about possible ambush!"

Listening to Zheng Fang's report, although Xun Ke showed no emotion on the surface, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and nodded and said:

“Zheng Fang, you scouts have worked hard, go back and rest…”

"Yes! Thank you for your understanding!"

Listening to Xun Ke's words, Zheng Fang was also very grateful. After marching all the way here with the main force, everyone else was able to rest, but their scout team started reconnaissance without stopping. Now these dozens of people can no longer hold on.

After settling the scouts, Xun Ke looked towards Wenshan County again, his eyes revealing a hint of excitement.

Fearing that this was Wang Muzhi's plan to lure the enemy into a trap, Xun Ke was extremely cautious and did not dare to be careless. After arriving at the designated location, Xun Ke ordered his scouts to begin investigating the area surrounding Wenshan County.

In Xun Ke's opinion, if this was a trap set by Wang Muzhi, then Wang Muzhi would have to deploy at least 30,000 troops around Wenshan County.

Wenshan County is just a county town, and the 30,000 Yunbing troops have no place to hide. So if this is an ambush, Wang Muzhi must arrange a troop of more than 10,000 people in a hidden place around Wenshan County, waiting for his action, and then attack from the front and back with the troops in the city. Only in this way can Wang Muzhi achieve the effect of annihilating and severely damaging his troops.

And now the scouts have reported that they have not detected any trace of the enemy, which proves that Wenshan County is most likely not an ambush trap set by Wang Muzhi!

Since it is not an ambush trap, Wenshan County is an opportunity to change the situation of the battle...

After experiencing unfavorable combat last year, both the Fengwu Army and Xun Ke needed this opportunity to speed up the progress of the war!
At the end of the First Yunbing War, the former commander of the Third Army, Guo Zhiping, was transferred away from the Yunbing battlefield with He Jingyun, the then commander-in-chief of the Fengwu Army in Yunbing. Guo Zhiping became the deputy chief of staff, while He Jingyun was transferred to the First Army as commander.

The Third Army suffered too heavy losses in the first Yunbing War, and the Fengwu Army was in financial difficulties at the time, making it difficult to provide a transfusion to the Third Army and restore its organization. So Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and temporarily merged the Third Division and the Fourth Division under the Third Army into one division, using the Third Division's number!
With Ye Mingsheng's decision, a new problem arose, that is, who would serve as the general of the Third Division?
At that time, the commander of the Third Army, Guo Zhiping, was transferred to the General Staff, the commander-in-chief Cui Desheng was captured, and the general of the Fourth Division, Peng Ce, was seriously injured. Basically, there were problems with the senior generals, so the Fengwu Army was guessing who would take over the Third Division!
Because the 3rd Division was the main division of the Fengwu Army and had the only established cavalry unit of the Fengwu Army, serving as the military chief of this unit meant that he would definitely have to undertake important military tasks, and therefore had many opportunities to achieve success.

Therefore, around the position of the general of the Third Division, the Fengwu Army started a fierce struggle. It was not an exaggeration to describe it as the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers.
The popular candidate at that time was not Xun Ke, but someone else. Xun Ke did not think he had this opportunity. After all, his Eighth Division had just been established. Although it performed well on the Yunbing battlefield, it did not make any great achievements. So Xun Ke never thought about transferring to the Third Division. He only wanted to improve the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Division.

However, no one expected that the group of people were fighting for the position of general of the Third Division. As a result, Ye Mingsheng issued a transfer order that made Xun Ke emerge as the general of the Third Division!
Although it seemed to be a lateral transfer, from the Eighth Division to the Third Division, Xun Ke was very clear that he had been promoted this time. His Eighth Division was just a newly established unit, and in the combat sequence of the Fengwu Army, it was responsible for some auxiliary tasks to help others!

The Third Division was the main force of the Fengwu Army, which specialized in taking on tough tasks. The two were not in the same position in the Fengwu Army's combat sequence. Good things like cannons and horses were given priority to the Third Division, and the Eighth Division could only pick up other people's leftovers. Therefore, Xun Ke was very surprised to be transferred to the Third Division, and he was also very grateful to Ye Mingsheng for promoting him. At the same time, there were constant disputes within the Fengwu Army about Xun Ke's promotion.

Xun Ke did not disappoint Ye Mingsheng. Despite the doubts within the Fengwu Army, he successfully assisted Lin Huaiwu in completing the established combat objectives.

At the end of last year, as the Fengwu Army's finances improved, the matter of restoring the Third Army's original organization was also put on the agenda!

Compared to the last time he was transferred to the Third Division, when he had never thought about it, Xun Ke would be deceiving himself if he said that he had never thought about the position of the commander of the Third Army!

However, Xun Ke also understood that he had just been promoted to General of the Third Division half a year ago. It was basically impossible for him to be promoted to Commander of the Third Army half a year later. But he also wanted to go a step further, so he wanted to serve as the General of the Third Division and concurrently as the Associate Commander or Assistant Commander of the Third Army.

In this way, he has stepped one foot into the core of the Fengwu Army's combat sequence and is only one step away from becoming a commander in the future.

But no one expected that the "royal favor" on him was so heavy that Ye Mingsheng directly promoted him to the commander of the Third Army in one step, without the need to transition to positions such as command co-governor and command assistant!
If the transfer from the general of the Eighth Division to the general of the Third Division had only caused widespread doubts within the Fengwu Army, then this time Xun Ke directly served as the commander of the Third Army, which completely caused an uproar in the Fengwu Army. No one expected that Xun Ke would take the position again so soon...

Although the 3rd Division was the main force of the Fengwu Army, it was still a division-level combat unit in the final analysis. Xun Ke still held the rank of general. Although he was a senior general in the Fengwu Army, he did not enter the core of power and participate in the formulation of the overall strategy of the Fengwu Army.

But the commander of the Third Division is completely different. He is an absolute powerful figure in the army, with only a few superiors and people of the same rank as him!
Therefore, Xun Ke's direct appointment as the commander of the Third Army immediately aroused the jealousy of many people, including Ma Zhongjun, general of the First Division, Zhang Meng, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Army, and others. They were all queuing up to become commanders, but they never expected that Xun Ke would overtake them.

Because the matter involved too many people, even the new Chief of the General Staff, Zhao Han, wrote to Ye Mingsheng, saying that the promotion of Xun Ke to the position of commander should be carefully considered, and he should first transition from the position of assistant commander.

After his joy, Xun Ke realized that his promotion to commander had made him the target of public criticism in the Fengwu Army, and he even considered refusing the position.

However, with Ye Mingsheng's insistence, Xun Ke finally took the position of commander of the Third Army!
Although he was appointed as the commander of the Third Army as he wished, Xun Ke also knew that his achievements in the Fengwu Army were not enough to support his position as commander...

Although he has now successfully taken the position of commander of the Third Army with the support of Ye Mingsheng and the voices of opposition have been suppressed by Ye Mingsheng, if he fails to produce military achievements to prove his ability in a short period of time and silence those doubters, then no matter how high he climbs, he will fall hard!

Those who envy and hate him don't dare to do anything to the Marshal, but they will definitely come over to give him a kick!
Xun Ke was eager to make some achievements in the Yunbing battlefield, which was why he took the risk even though he knew there were risks in Wenshan County.

Just when Xun Ke was immersed in his own thoughts, the lieutenant Cui Jian beside him discovered something and whispered in his ear:
"Commander-in-chief, there is a fire at the west gate!"

Xun Ke was immediately awakened by these words. With a serious expression, he raised the telescope and looked towards the west gate of Wenshan County. He saw that the West Gate, which had been extremely peaceful, was now showing some sparks of fire.

Seeing this, Xun Ke felt nervous. He wondered what was happening in Wenshan County at this time and whether it would affect the implementation of the plan.

Although he was a little worried, Xun Ke also knew that the more critical the moment was, the more he had to stay calm. Being flustered would only make things worse. He took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice:
"How long until the third watch?"

Cui Jian thought for a while and replied:
“Your Excellency probably only has about an incense stick of time left…”

Listening to Cui Jian's answer, Xun Ke's gaze towards the Wenshan County wall became more and more serious. At this moment, a faint cry of killing came from the county seat of Wenshan County!
In the winter night wind, although the sound of shouting and killing was intermittent and very weak, it was still caught by Xun Ke!
Hearing the shouts and screams, Xun Ke gave up the last fantasy in his heart, knowing that something must have happened to He Dechang in the city!
At this point he faced two choices.

The first option is to lead the troops to retreat. Although this will waste a lot of effort, it will allow the troops to retreat safely!

The second option was to rush in and attack Wenshan County directly. However, in order to be able to march lightly and quickly, the soldiers under his command did not carry heavy equipment. They only had a few makeshift ladders. It would be difficult to capture the city directly without support!

Xun Ke gritted his teeth and looked at Wenshan County, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. He knew that no matter what the choice was, he had to make a decision as soon as possible. At this moment, he remembered a sentence that Ye Mingsheng had said when he was still in Fengzhou, and immediately took out a silver coin from his body!
Since you are hesitant, just leave the result to God. If the word is facing upwards, retreat. If the word is facing downwards, rush forward to attack the city. Thinking of this, Xun Ke no longer hesitated and threw the silver dollar into the air...

However, before the silver dollar fell from the sky, Xun Ke had already made up his mind as Ye Mingsheng said, and he shouted:

"Brothers, it's time to serve the Marshal! The Marshal is watching us!"

"The soldiers of the Third Army are targeting Wenshan County! All troops, attack!"

(End of this chapter)