Delong

Chapter 560 Sending Wu Xing (10)

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, after midnight, Zhang Xing, who was inside the gate tower of Fangcheng, had a dream, a very strange dream.

In dreams, there are no special people or events, but rather all sorts of scenes.

Even though the land outside was covered by solid ice and snow, he could still see the black soil beneath the ice and snow, the moisture in the soil, even the warmth, and the breathing of insects, snakes, frogs and ants in the warmth, as well as the budding of various seeds.

Looking up at the sky, even though it was the first day of the lunar month, he could see two moons like two wheels.

Not only that, the white moon is like jade, bright and clearly visible, with its light and shadow interwoven, clearly arranged; while the red moon is like blood and flame, neither light nor solid, deep and unfathomable.

Above the night sky, across the vast expanse, stars shone like imprints, each in the same position as in the original world. However, some of them were enveloped in rich primordial energy, while others were merely specks of light.

Above that, the void is like a wall or a shell, and one cannot advance an inch further.

Turning down, the plains stretched out before me, the mountains were like wrinkles, and the rivers shimmered... especially the Han River, which, it is said, was filled into the river after the dragon was slain, and it shone as brightly as the Milky Way in the sky.

As for the mist along the Huai River, it seems to be reflected in the surging of the frozen river. Looking further out, although there is some sense of it, it is already beyond the reach of the eye.

So they went down again, back to the vicinity of the Nanyang Basin. In a small area at the northernmost end of the basin, two bright clusters of light faced each other across the basin. Unsurprisingly, the dimmer cluster was actually the campsite on the western side of the Funiu Mountains.

Further down, back in Fangcheng, the camps inside and outside the city stretched endlessly, filled with the sounds of snoring, breathing, bugle calls, whispers, and even faint cries.

As he tried to "look" at himself, Zhang Sanlang sat up on his own.

Zhang Xing knew exactly what was going on; his cultivation level was hovering around the Grandmaster level due to some unknown opportunity.

It makes sense when you think about it. Xu Shiying commanded a battle and held the line, which was enough to earn him the title of Grandmaster. As the leader of the Expelling Dragon Gang and the de facto military and political leader of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Xing had controlled so much territory, effectively ruled over so many people, and gathered so much power. Moreover, he had managed to control the situation in a typical chaotic world of power struggles. It would be strange if he couldn't approach the level of Grandmaster.

Previously, due to his shallow cultivation, he had even made a fool of himself by mistakenly believing that he had already achieved the Core Formation stage because he did not understand the object of his visualization. Now, he could no longer deceive himself.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more one knows, the stronger one's abilities, and the heavier one's responsibilities, which inevitably leads to more thoughts and considerations.

As dawn broke, the situation unfolded exactly as predicted.

The Chulong Army is busy chopping wood and transporting supplies for New Year's rewards, while the Guanzhong Army in Funiu Mountain has not taken the opportunity to invade Wuchuan City, which was suddenly abandoned by the Chulong Army yesterday, but it has not retreated either.

However, in the evening, a small surprise occurred. Sima Zheng was more aggressive than expected. His main vanguard of the Eastern Capital army had arrived at Luyang Pass in the afternoon. Logically, they should have rested there for a day and then marched south to Wuchuan City the next day.

However, Sima Zheng directly led a very small number of elite vanguard troops south.

That very night, they occupied the deserted city of Wuchuan.

Frankly speaking, this is a good opportunity. Sima Zheng is far from the territory of Dongdu where he established his tower, and he has ventured deep into enemy territory alone. If Zhang Xing and Bai Hengqiu have a tacit understanding, they should take this opportunity tonight to test this guy's strength. They should launch a joint attack with their high-end combat forces and the army to drive him back, and the situation can be brought back under control.

However, neither Zhang Xing nor Bai Hengqiu seemed to have any intention of doing so.

Sima Zheng waited all night on the city wall of Wuchuan, but the result naturally disappointed him... As dawn approached, he issued a military order that, except for the necessary troops left at Luyang Pass to secure the rear, the rest of the army would continue to advance.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there was no fighting on the southern front.

Of course, there was no fighting in Hebei on this day. In fact, the core area ruled by the Chulong Gang, which is the whole of Hebei, was peaceful.

From the moment they withdrew their troops from Hanoi, while the rest of the world was engaged in war and military standoffs, they seemed to be isolated from the world, enjoying the winter leisure and festivals from November to December and into the first month of the new year. Various sacrificial activities expanded to the entire Hebei region, including the Duolong Festival, spontaneously continued and organized matchmaking events of all sizes, and thriving market activities.

In large cities like Yecheng, these economic and cultural activities have become so enthusiastic over the past month that it's almost unbelievable. Although the Chulong Gang firmly implements the equal land distribution system, there are always rich and poor, and people are always busy or idle. As a result, it seems that here, officials, soldiers, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants are all eagerly participating in and organizing similar activities, investing their time, money, and energy without any regard for the consequences.

It was like, like, a carnival.

Yue Niang, who grew up in Dongdu, thought the people of Yecheng had gone mad... Of course, the people of Dongdu had also gone mad before.

“We’re not crazy. We at the Grand Secretariat have considered the reasons.” In the central hall of the Tunfeng Terrace, Chen Bin sat down with a smile, unfastened his sword Tai’a and placed it on the large round table, and briefly explained to the person opposite him. “Firstly, the people of Hebei believe that our Great Ming can stand firm, so they dare to do business and marry into the military; secondly, they do know that this peaceful life won’t last long. There are already signs of ice jams on the southern river. Once the ice jams end, it’s hard to say whether we can wait until after the spring planting to send troops out… So, they have some trust in the situation, but they are also worried about their own future in the situation, which is why they are so eager.”

The man opposite nodded, then looked around. He saw Wei Xuanding, who was the busiest, walk in, covered in sweat. He disregarded all formalities and spoke directly: "So it seems that the people of Ye City are quite knowledgeable. My purpose in coming here is very simple. I believe that since Leader Li has defeated the Witch Clan's royal court, we should immediately send troops to Jin to respond!"

Indeed, news of Li Ding's breach of the royal court has already reached us, but it's not about breaching the central royal court, or even the eastern royal court. Rather, it's about breaching and forcing the surrender of the main force of the eastern royal court. This news has now spread rapidly to Ye City via the Bitter Sea.

The speaker was none other than Zhou Xingfan, a senior member of the Chulong Gang, a close confidant of Chief Zhang, and the current head of the Jinbei Xingtai.

Zhou Longtou was resolute and determined. After the news reached his jurisdiction in northern Shanxi according to previous regulations, he traveled day and night, disregarding the New Year, and rode to request the dispatch of troops.

The leaders of the Grand Secretariat looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Wei Xuanding looked somewhat embarrassed, because everyone knew that his opinion could not be ignored.

“We naturally have no objection to the Jinbei Xingtai sending troops. Zhou Longtou has the authority to act independently as the Xingtai. The establishment of the Jinbei Xingtai was also for the purpose of cooperating with the Wuzu’s actions…” After a moment, Chen Bin spoke, his words cautious.

“If it weren’t just our army that sent troops, I wouldn’t have come. I think we should immediately mobilize the main force in Hebei and launch a full-scale attack on Shanxi to try and capture Taiyuan!” Zhou Xingfan corrected earnestly.

"Zhou Longtou, we actually discussed Li Longtou's situation yesterday, including the possibility of sending troops to support him," Chen Bin hesitated for a moment before explaining earnestly. "But the Grand Council believes there are two things we must consider... First, the specific situation on Li Longtou's side. After defeating Du Lan, how long will it take him to control and integrate the eastern Wu tribe's forces? Should we form an alliance with the central region? Should we attack the central region? Otherwise, if he marches south, he'll be blocked by the Guanzhong army in front and harassed by the Wu tribe from behind, leading to his complete annihilation. So there's no need to rush into a support operation. Second, the Chief previously instructed the main force in Hebei to rest and recuperate while he led the various Henan units to maneuver in Huaixi-Nanyang. Now, the ice jam is approaching. Isn't this a sign that he intends to make full use of the Hebei main force after the spring planting? How can we arbitrarily change the overall plan, and why rush things?"

"Moreover, if the main force in Hebei moves again, shouldn't it join forces with the Henan troops to take the now isolated city of Luoyang?" Wei Xuanding also came to his senses and interjected. "Once Luoyang falls, the tide of the world will turn in our hands. This was the established strategy we discussed at our pre-battle meeting."

Zhou Xingfan listened attentively, glancing at the silent Xu Shiying and Xiong Bonan. He knew perfectly well that he had to persuade Xu Shiying about the military issue, but he also needed to get a response from Chen Bin.

Upon realizing this, the man spoke frankly: "What the Grand Marshal said makes sense, but I disagree... First, let's talk about Li Longtou. Li Longtou does need to consider his rear, and with the Bitter Sea separating them, it's impossible for us to know his movements in time. But in any case, inaction is wrong, especially since the opportunity has already appeared. We can waste our efforts, but we cannot miss the chance... Think about it, if we mobilize our main force to attack Shanxi now, with the Yellow River experiencing ice jams on one side and the Wu tribe behind us having encountered problems on the other, they will inevitably be panicked, to the point that the main force of the garrison cannot attend to both. So, if Li Longtou does indeed send troops in time, we can achieve great things."

The four leaders present remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Secondly, and most importantly," Zhou Xingfan said earnestly, glancing at the four leaders before him, "why must we attack Dongdu first? Why must we use our main force to attack Dongdu?"

The other four were taken aback. Three of them reacted immediately. Chen Bin hesitated, but soon looked somewhat bewildered. Then, he instinctively went with Wei and Xiong to see Xu Shiying.

As for Xu Shiying and Xu Dalang, they were stunned and remained silent for a long time.

"Gentlemen," Zhou Xingfan said solemnly. "Let me explain why everyone felt, and indeed decided in a meeting, that we should attack Dongdu first... because our real opponent is actually Guanxi. Only Guanxi is qualified to compete with us for the world. Moreover, Guanxi at that time had a Grandmaster, a Grandmaster who was just barely passing the threshold, as well as many veteran Grandmasters, and hundreds of thousands of well-known Guanlong Prefecture soldiers. We knew we couldn't defeat them directly, so we could only decide the outcome by annexing Dongdu, which occupied the core position between the two sides and had a large number of talents and treasuries."

"But what about now? Now that the war has begun, we've discovered that while the Guanzhong people certainly have fighting strength and power, their strength is great but not sustainable, their fighting prowess is lacking in agility, their movements are rigid, and they have no one to carry them. Ironically, the Chief's strategy is correct. We've constantly stretched the battle lines, attacking on all sides, forcing them to defend themselves on all sides, like someone pushing their limbs to their limit, their weaknesses and fatal flaws have been exposed. On the other hand, our advantages are now evident. We have more men than them, more money and supplies, and better preparations. No matter how we deploy our troops, no one has any disloyalty, and our high-end fighting force is growing stronger with each battle… Wasn't Xu Longtou supposed to become a Grandmaster in a single battle?"

"With this shift in power, it seems that Dongdu is a tough nut to crack. In addition, in order to play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, we are now fighting on all fronts, opening up new battlefields everywhere, from Wudi to northern Shanxi to Henan, and even Nanyang and Jingxiang. We are fighting with the Guanzhong people for thousands of miles. The position of Dongdu may not be so important anymore. So why not simply bypass Dongdu and focus all our efforts on attacking the Guanzhong people, who already have enough weaknesses?"

"If we attack Jin, and it fails, at most we'll just keep wearing each other down. But if Li Longtou marches south in time, preventing them from supporting each other, then the matter can be settled. Once Jin is secured, and even Guanzhong, what is Luoyang?! Why must we attack Luoyang first? The situation has changed!"

The group couldn't resist going to see Xu Shiying.

Xu Dalang thought for a long time and replied seriously: "I think what Zhou Longtou said makes sense... The situation has changed. The Guanzhong people are obviously rigid in their deployment. Although their main force of troops is still there, if we can create a fatal situation on the three battlefields of Nanyang, Jin, and Wu at the same time, they may lose their composure and collapse on all fronts!"

The other three were taken aback, and then became tense.

“But this matter is of utmost importance, and we cannot make a decision.” Chen Bin hesitated for a moment, then his tone became firm. “Your Majesty, you must go there immediately! Explain things to the Chief in person and obtain his approval! How many days will you be able to return?”

"Four or five days..." Xiong Bonan hesitated slightly. "Will that be enough time?"

“Let’s mobilize first,” Xu Shiying interjected. “Mobilize the main force first, make preparations, and at the same time, let Hong Longtou and Zhou Longtou send out troops first, immediately. This way, when we send out troops, we can follow up and also confuse the enemy, making them mistakenly believe that we are just using the original defensive forces at the front line to harass Li Longtou.”

This was still a case of acting first and informing later to some extent. The responsibility wasn't that heavy, but it was still there.

Chen Bin neither refuted nor spoke, but instead glanced at the group of five. Of the five people present, Zhou and Xu, both military personnel, agreed that he could resolve the matter with a single word...

"Then let's do it this way!" Wei Xuanding suddenly stood up. "The Chief has painstakingly cultivated you all and even set up the Wind-Swallowing Platform here. Are you suggesting we gather together to shirk responsibility?"

Chen Bin immediately grabbed the sword in front of him: "Well said! King Xiongtian, please go. The Grand Secretariat will take full responsibility for everything!"

Upon seeing this, Xiong Bonan did not hesitate. Without packing anything, he immediately swept away from the Swallowing Wind Terrace, drawing the attention of everyone inside and outside Ye City, who pointed and whispered among themselves.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, there was still no fighting in Henan.

However, as the main force of the Eastern Capital advanced further to the Wuchuan area, established outposts, and controlled roads, the Kansai Army in the Funiu Mountains experienced significant unrest—the previous rumors resurfaced in a bizarre manner.

Rumors circulated in the army that Zhang Xing had yielded to Wuchuan, and Sima Zheng was pressing forward, intending to fulfill the ultimatum issued after previous failed mediation efforts. Both sides were to join forces to punish the people of Guanzhong.

"How could anyone believe such a stupid rumor?" Zhang Shijing was utterly speechless. "How could the traitors who overthrow the dragon and the traitors of the Eastern Capital trust each other?"

"Not necessarily... If Sima Zheng were reasonable, he wouldn't have come." Liu Yangji had gone to escort a new batch of grain supplies, and the one who came was Bai Liben, the leader of the last batch of reinforcements. He had a different opinion. "This fellow has been acting strangely before... His father was about to rebel in Jiangdu, but he ran away from Xuzhou. What kind of behavior is that? If he had stayed in Xuzhou at that time, restrained the imperial guards for his father, and calmly returned north, would Zhang Xing have dared to stop him? Now their territory is only Luoyang? I'm afraid it's all of Henan, or at the very least, they will fight us for Guanzhong."

"Could it be..." Zhang Shijing tensed up. "He's really going to come and attack us?!"

"If he dares to come, I dare to fight!" Bai Hengqiu suddenly raised his head, his eyebrows like swords. "I'd like to see how much he still has left outside of Luoyang!"

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the sun shone brightly and the snowflakes melted slightly. After a whole morning of cooking smoke rising from the chimneys, the 20,000-strong army of Wuchuan set off in formation, about to cross the still frozen Yu River and head towards the Funiu Mountains.

Meanwhile, the Chulong Army, which had sensed something amiss as early as morning, also hastily set out westward with the Kan Leng and Wang Xiongdan battalions as their vanguard a little later. Zhang Xing personally led the remaining eight battalions and the White Cavalry to follow.

The war suddenly broke out.

Or rather, since Sima Zheng has now set out with his troops, he has not hesitated or wavered.

The people of Guanzhong in the Funiu Mountains, upon learning that the two armies were advancing in their direction, were truly on edge... Were they really going to join forces to attack them?!
P.S.: I'm inhaling formaldehyde alone in my new home. There are no kids or cats to bother me. I've been sleeping for about 12 or 13 hours since 10 p.m. last night... My sleep quality is strange. I should be sleeping soundly, but I keep feeling like something's wrong and I wake up repeatedly. Then I try to go back to sleep, and it goes on and on.