Chapter 283 Guaranteed to Win

Qiu Qiongying became anxious when she heard the conversation between the two, because Zhao Fujin could only take one person away, which meant that the rest had to stay.

Although throwing shells with bare hands is refreshing, it is not as exciting as seeing blood with a sword. Especially when following Yang Chang to kill the enemies, the feeling of bullying and domineering is unique.

"Sir, then we..."

"The enemies outside the pass are fierce, my lady must stay."

"Oh"

A hint of disappointment flashed across Qiu Qiongying's eyes.

Sun Xin and Mrs. Gu looked at each other and thought in tacit understanding that once Yang Chang left, who would have the final say after Fengyue Pass?

In terms of territorial management, Fengyue Pass was under the charge of Sun Li; in terms of who had the highest official position, before Lu Junyi came to surrender, he was a fourth-rank envoy appointed by the court, second only to Yang Chang; but in terms of who was closest to Yang Chang, it was undoubtedly the third wife.

Taiwei Yang always employed people based on their merits rather than personal connections. Except for his powerful sworn brother Wu Song, he never gave special privileges or overly important positions to close relatives like Yang Jian, Hu Cheng, and Ye Qing.

Mrs. Gu was worried that the unclear commander would cause the subsequent operations to lose cohesion, so after looking at Sun Xin, she decided to take the initiative to ask for clarification, but she was interrupted by Yang Chang as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Yang"

"Brother, you should pack up tonight and leave for Liaozhou early tomorrow morning to provide support."

"Yes."

Lu Junyi was very excited after hearing the first half of the sentence, thinking that Yang Chang was going to take him to Pingbei. But when he heard about Liaozhou, he was a little stunned and asked hurriedly, "Liaozhou is guarded by Sun An and assisted by Zhu Wu. In addition, the enemy army has difficulty in supplying, so it should be easy to defend."

"I know."

Yang Chang nodded and explained: "I want to draw soldiers and generals from Liaozhou, so I need my brother to supplement the checks and balances."

"You're going to use me alone to exchange for the generals and troops? I remember that Liaozhou didn't recruit soldiers last year, and the total garrison was just over 20,000, most of which were the surrendered Yisheng Army and the original garrison troops of the state. I wonder how many soldiers the Taiwei will take?"

"half!"

Lu Junyi had lost the self-confidence in Hebei, but he regained it in the past two years following Yang Changyi. Now he mistakenly thought that he would be the commander-in-chief, so he asked about the situation in advance. When he heard that half of the soldiers would be withdrawn, he immediately became nervous.

Fighting with fewer people against more? I'm not good at that.

Seeing that he frowned and said nothing, Yang Chang smiled and comforted him: "Brother, you are unrivaled in the world with your spear and stick. Yelu Yudu was scared away by me last time, so he can naturally be intimidated by you. Besides, Sun An is very experienced in using troops, and Zhu Wu is here to give you some advice and strategies. Even if there are only 10,000 people defending Liaozhou, it should be the easiest."

"Ok?"

Lu Junyi paused for a moment, revealing an incredulous expression. "General Manager Sun and Military Advisor Zhu are not leaving? Then who will the Grand Commandant transfer to Weisheng?"

"It's mainly Shi Dalang. He has a lot of experience in defending the Weisheng outpost. I heard that Pucha Shi Jianu is a veteran of the Jin army. I'm afraid my brother-in-law Hu Cheng can't handle it."

"That's it, I know."

After listening to Yang Chang's explanation, Lu Junyi finally felt relieved.

He was not upset about not being the main general. Instead, he thought that Yang Chang's decision to exchange him for ten thousand people was a recognition of his own strength.

"By the way, sister-in-law, what did you want to say just now?"

"Uh, I want to ask"

Just as Mrs. Gu was about to say something, she suddenly felt that it would be impolite to ask Qiu Qiongying, so she put aside the question of who was in charge of the relationship and started to state the difficulties.

"Taiwei has seen that the Jin army has suffered more casualties than us, and they are still attacking tirelessly every day. I guess that after you and General Lu leave, the offensive may be even more fierce. Do you need to make some arrangements? For example, transfer Xiao Yi brother to help?"

"hehe."

Yang Chang smiled and nodded, and said: "Yan Xiaoyi is the acting commander of the Luzhou army, so he should naturally come to Fengyue Pass to take charge, so that you can have a unified command. By the way, after the princess sends me to Weisheng, she will come back here to help."

"what?"

"Second sister wants to stay at Fengyue Pass?"

"Yang Lang, what are you doing?"

Zhao Fujin's eyes were full of doubts. He thought, "You're not going to leave me here, and then I can't stand it and go to the front line to report the news like last time? And then bring you back to defeat the enemy?"

This idea is feasible, but isn't it too hard?
I am a princess after all. I should just follow the front line to scout military intelligence. How can I always be an errand boy?

"Princess, please stay at Fengyue Pass and help. I can use the Night Owl Army for combat and reconnaissance. Pingbei has been developing for a long time, and its troops are no less than those of Buluhu. The Jin people have carefully prepared a table of dishes, and I want to eat my fill this time."

"But what can I do if I stay here?"

"The princess plays a big role."

Yang Chang smiled and said, then turned to look at Qiu Qiongying and said meaningfully: "When the Fengyue Pass shells are used up, we will have to rely on the princess's magic to repel the enemy."

"Magic? But my magic can only hurt people."

"That's enough. We still have defenders here. As long as we hold out until I break through in Pingbei, Talai will definitely retreat, and it won't take too long."

"OK then."

When Zhao Fujin went out to fight before, she had always been with Yang Chang. Now that she was asked to stay at Fengyue Pass, she couldn't help feeling a little lost for a while.

Qiu Qiongying was delighted, clapping her hands and laughing, "This arrangement is perfect, sir. It's just right for us sisters to keep each other company."

"Oh"

After Yang Chang arranged everything, he asked Zhao Fujin to set off overnight and return to Weisheng at noon the next day.

Both husband and wife had cultivated themselves, so they didn't need to catch up on sleep after staying up all night. When Yang Chang arrived, he summoned all the generals to understand the situation, while Zhao Fujin went back to the back house to prepare clothes.

Yang Chang was afraid that as a princess, she would not be able to adapt to the Fengyue Pass for a long time, so he suggested that she take her maid Li E with her, and let Lei Zhen or Ma Baoguo lead a team of guards to follow her.

March 16th, afternoon in Weisheng City, Taiwei Mansion.

Looking at Wu Song, Chai Jin, Li Ying, Shi Qian, Jiang Jing and others in the hall, Yang Chang felt that those who were able to stand on their own had been sent out, and it seemed that there was no suitable person to take the lead and cooperate with his next counterattack.

"Pingbei has not received any reports of the battle yet. Liaozhou and the enemy have just been in a standoff. Only the Weisheng Valley has been fighting for several days. I heard that the battle is quite intense, but the troops I sent to support are currently staying in Nanguan Town and have not been deployed."

"why?"

Wu Song's final report brought Yang Chang back to his senses.

"The situation is under control. Brother Hu is quite capable of commanding troops."

"Oh?"

Yang Chang was stunned when he heard this, and thought to himself that he knew very well the worth of that honest brother-in-law.

He was Sun An's deputy before, mainly responsible for the army's logistics, but now he has become so powerful? I was so worried before that I even transferred Shi Jin here.

No, could it be Li Yanxian? The man that Master Zhong had high hopes for?
I remember that after Sun An and Shi Jin were transferred away, Yang Chang promoted Hu Cheng to be the orthodox commander. After this brother-in-law took office, the biggest personnel adjustment he made was to recommend and promote Li Yanxian, a lieutenant general, to be the commander of the central army.

Take this opportunity to test yourself?

Yang Chang immediately ordered Chai Jin and An Daoquan to go to Luzhou to assist Yan Qing in dispatching food and grass and treating the wounded, and ordered Li Ying to be responsible for Hu Cheng's logistics, and Shi Qian and Huangfu Duan to go to Pingbei with him. Before leaving, Yang Chang left a secret order for Hu Sanniang, that is, if the Puchashi slaves suddenly withdrew their troops, it would mean that he had won a great victory in the west, and then let Hu Cheng cross the canyon to pursue.

March 17, early morning.

Ma Baoguo escorted Zhao Fujin out of the south gate of Weisheng, while Yang Chang led a thousand elite cavalry out of the west gate of Weisheng, each rushing to the most important battlefield before them.

In order to ensure smooth communication between Pingbei and Weisheng, the counties along the route often used militia to rest and repair the roads, and built additional official supply stations, making it much more convenient to travel by horse and carriage.

At that time, spring had returned to the earth, the dew in the mountains had receded, and the temperature was neither too cold nor too hot.

Yang Chang knew that speed was of the essence in war, so he only rested for three hours a day and it took only two days to reach Hongdong.

It was not yet dusk, so he wanted to rush to Zhaocheng in the north to rest his horse. However, on his way around the city, he was stopped by a rider from the city.

The man who came was the new commander of the army in Jiangzhou, Cao Zheng, the disciple of Lin Chong who wields the sword.

Yang Chang was appointed as the ambassador of Hedong and Hebei. Logically, the military affairs of all the prefectures and counties under these two routes, whether they were occupied by the Jin people or controlled by the imperial court, should be under the control of Yang.

At that time, the only states still under the control of the imperial court were Xizhou (now Xi County), Cizhou (now Jixiang) and Jiangzhou (now Xinjiang), which bordered Pingbei. However, apart from local banditry, these places had not been attacked by the Jin people in recent years, and the military and political officials in the states were relatively stable. If all of them were replaced by his own people, Yang Chang would not only not have enough officials to appoint, but he would also be worried about chaos caused by too many officials. So he only intervened to add people without replacing them.

As the three states were adjacent to Pingbei and needed Pingbei's support in case of any problems, Yang Chang, at the recommendation of Zhu Tong, appointed Yang Chun as the military commander of Xizhou and Chen Da as the military commander of Cizhou. The southern part of Jiangzhou was Jiezhou, which produced salt and saltpeter. In order to ensure the smooth entry of saltpeter into Pingbei, Yang Chang directly appointed Cao Zheng as the military commander of Jiangzhou.

Cao Zheng suddenly appeared in Hongdong. Yang Chang mistakenly thought that Zhu Tong was sent to fight against the Jin army, so he frowned and showed an unhappy expression, and scolded: "Why did you come all the way to Hongdong instead of staying in Jiangzhu? Is this what Zhu Zongguan wanted?"

"Yes and no." Cao Zheng waved his hand and explained, "General Su came to announce the decree. General Zhu was busy resisting the Jin army. All parts of Pingbei were under martial law. It was inconvenient to pass without a guide, so I was asked to escort them to Weisheng."

"General Su? He took a detour through Jiangzhou?"

"Yes."

After hearing this, Yang Chang thought to himself, wow, it seems Zhao Huan hasn't forgotten about the marriage and he went through so much trouble to convey the order. This brother-in-law is not completely useless.

"Is General Su in the city?"

"Yes, he heard that your cavalry was passing through the border, so he asked me to stop you and let you into the city for a chat."

"Okay, you guys take a rest here, I'll be back soon."

"Yes."

On the way into the city with Cao Zheng, Yang Chang asked about the situation in Jiangzhou.

Cao Zhengyan said that the officials of Jiangzhou were polite on the surface, but secretly they were guarding against him together. The reason was that Yang Chang’s land and tax collection were extensive, and many people had moved to Pingbei before. They were worried that Cao Zheng would also let the army build projects on their behalf, affecting the interests of Jiangzhou officials and gentry.

Yang Chang remained silent after hearing this. He thought to himself that if I hadn't been blocking the north, Jiangzhou would have become the territory of the Jin people. These people are still thinking about their own interests. However, I should not rush things. I will wait until I have defeated the Jin people and have time to take action against these interest groups.

Soon, they arrived at the city.

Su Yuanjing took the initiative to come out to greet him, and unexpectedly, Ling Zhen was there with him.

"Yang set it up."

"General Su."

"Captain Yang."

Although Yang Chang was promoted to the ambassador of Hedong and Hebei, he found it troublesome and did not set up an office of the envoy, so the officers and soldiers under his command were still called Taiwei, while Su Yuanjing was called by the new position.

After greeting each other, Yang Chang said sternly, "I have military duties to attend to, so I cannot accompany the general to Weisheng. Please forgive me."

"What are you talking about, Yang Zhizhi? Military affairs are naturally the most important thing. I asked Cao Dujian to stop me. Please don't blame me. Isn't the military commander in charge of Weisheng?"

"Haha, he's here."

Yang Chang smiled faintly, and then added: "However, the surrounding states are in flames, and the soldiers at all levels are busy fighting. This marriage can only be passively postponed. If the general is not in a hurry to leave, he can stay in Weisheng for a while."

"Uh"

"Captain Yang."

When Su Yuanjing was thinking, Cao Zheng reminded him, "General Su's family members are staying in Linfen at this time."

"Linfen? Why?"

As soon as Yang Chang finished speaking, he immediately realized that Su Yuanjing was worried. He was afraid that the Jin people in Taiyuan would break through the pass and put his family in danger.

The last time this guy went to Weisheng to convey the emperor's order, he had already asked to move his family here, so he couldn't be stopped even if he took a detour this time. As a result, when he arrived in Pingbei, he found out that the Jin army was attacking from multiple locations, so he felt guilty and left his family in Linfen, so that if he really couldn't hold on, he could withdraw at any time.

Thinking of this, Yang Chang smiled and said, "Linfen is also a good place. I will ask Xiao Rang to take care of it. The commander does not need to worry about the Jin army coming to the border. Their good days will not last long because I am going to take action."

"Yang Zhizhi is full of confidence, it seems that he should be able to hold on"

"What do you mean by hold on? I'm going to scare them. Just wait and see. I'm sure to win."

"Uh yes yes, that's right."

Su Yuanjing followed suit and flattered him, then changed the subject and reminded him, "Song Jiang occupied Huaizhou and Weizhou, and colluded with the Jin people to threaten Shanxi. Upon hearing the news, Your Majesty ordered Qian Gai, the governor of Shaanxi, to dispatch troops from Guanzhong to rush to the defense of Tokyo. On the day I crossed the river in Hezhong Prefecture, Fan Zhixu and his troops from Yongxing Road passed through the border. I heard that there were tens of thousands of troops on this route. He should be able to check and balance Song Jiang and relieve the pressure on Zezhou."

"Oh? That's good."

Yang Chang had a smile on his face, but he didn't have much expectation in his heart. First, Song Jiang had the navy to control the Yellow River, and second, there were sufficient troops left in Zezhou. Lin Chong could even defend against Nianhan, so how could he not defend against Hei Sanlang?
Turning around, he saw Ling Zhen smiling, and immediately asked, "Brother Ling, why are you here?"

"General Zhu asked me to support Yangliang Pass. I heard that the Jin army brought a large number of siege equipment, and our soldiers were having a hard time defending it."

"I see. But since I'm here, it's unnecessary for you to go. Take the artillery troops to Weisheng. Maybe they can help. Just leave 200 shells behind."

"Yes."

With Ling Zhen accompanying him to Weisheng, Cao Zheng's escort mission was over.

Su Yuanjing was confused at first and thought that Yang Chang was just bragging, but on the way he listened to Ling Zhen's talk about throwing cannonballs by hand and was almost shocked to fall off his horse.

No wonder he is so confident. He should be confident if he has extraordinary abilities.

Yang Chang rushed to the south gate of Yangliang and found a large number of infantry and cavalry gathered there. Just as he was about to ask who the commander was, Zhu Tong came out from inside the pass.

"General? Aren't you supervising the battle in Luzhou? Why did you suddenly come to Yangliang Pass? There's nothing wrong with me."

"Of course we are here to defeat the enemy and report Pingbei's wealth."

"Family background? Oh."

Zhu Tong reacted instantly and replied solemnly: "Excluding the reserve militia, Pingbei currently has 12,000 cavalry, 35,000 infantry, and 5,000 naval forces."

"How many?"

Commander Yang opened his eyes wide. Last year, he ordered all states to recruit soldiers for expansion. However, due to uneven training, they had not had time to compile statistics and report. He thought that the strength of Pingbei could exceed 30,000, but he did not expect it to be directly reduced to 50,000 or 60,000.

At this moment, it felt like each battalion reporting their financial situation before Li Yunlong attacked Ping'an County.

I knew that my brothers had all become rich, but I didn't expect Zhu Tong to be so rich. No wonder he just said there was no problem, as his troops were more numerous than those of the Jin army.

(End of this chapter)