Delong

Chapter 566 Sending Wu Xing (16)

The next day, the tenth day of the first lunar month, a light spring rain fell on both banks of the Yangtze River.

Last night's battle was dazzling and spectacular, naturally sparking some rumors within the city of Songzi. However, precisely because the spectacle was so dazzling, no one in the Guanzhong army had yet pinpointed Wei Shengji's exact location. Even those experts who witnessed the final scene and guessed their own defeat still assumed Marshal Wei was recuperating within the city, daring not to consider the last possibility.

As a result, breakfasts were able to be eaten in an orderly manner in the Kansai military camp.

On the other side, Bai Yousi naturally conveyed the message to the senior generals, but the soldiers below had the same thought as the other side: they all felt that there might be some outcome, but they never dared to think that the outcome was already decided and life and death were decided... Otherwise, why had there been no progress for the past six months?

Considering that the main force of the Huaiyou League's navy would not arrive until the afternoon, Bai Yousi simply ordered the entire camp to remain as usual, waiting for the reinforcements to set off together, and formulated a simple strategy after the reinforcements arrived.

For the entire morning, the two sides remained peaceful, as if nothing had happened the night before.

In the morning, an unexpected visitor disrupted all the planned schedule—Bai Liben arrived.

After being assigned by Emperor Bai to find Bai Yousi, this general of the Bai clan boldly chose the route south, which was to enter the Han River channel from the western part of Nanyang, which was then controlled by the Guanzhong Army. He then bypassed the Nanyang-Xiangyang urban cluster and used his cultivation advantage to cross the Jing Mountain west of Xiangyang alone, directly to the Nanzhang River, and finally went straight to the Zhijiang-Songzi battlefield.

This route allowed him to reach his destination in just a few days.

Upon reaching the north bank of the river, Bai Liben hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to first see Wei Shengji, and then proceed from Wei Shengji to meet Bai Yousi openly and legitimately as an envoy... The reasons were self-evident: firstly, to respect Wei Shengji; and secondly, because if he did not act openly and legitimately, there was a certain risk of being detained.

But this seemingly aboveboard approach led to a major mishap.

He risked his life to fly from upstream to the south bank, revealed his identity, entered Songzi, found a familiar lieutenant general, and then went to see Marshal Wei Shengji.

Then they discovered that Wei Shengji had disappeared!

The senior officers of the Kansai Army were not fools. Recalling the events of yesterday, they immediately realized that something terrible had happened... Even if Wei Shengji was only injured and went to the mountains behind the city to recuperate, and couldn't come out for a while, the commander's position couldn't be left vacant!
Bai Liben was a responsible man and knew the gravity of the situation. He only discussed Wei Shengji's fate with the officer who brought him in. When he summoned the other generals he knew well in the camp, he only told them that Li Ding had attacked the Eastern Wu tribe and might march south at any time. Therefore, Marshal Wei had been urgently recalled to Chang'an, and Tu Wanchanglun, as the deputy commander, was to come south immediately to take over. Bai Liben himself, as the envoy and the Grand General of the First Guard, was to lead the entire army back to Baidi City.

Finally, the drums were sounded to summon the generals, gathering all the senior officers of the army. It was said that Wei Shengji had fought for a long time without success, and his troops had been stuck in the lower reaches of Sichuan for too long. His Majesty had already issued an edict to have Wei Shengji and Tu Wanchang exchanged... Unexpectedly, Wei Shengji lost his temper and left!
Therefore, he, as the angel, and the military governor, along with the entire army, had to retreat to Baidi City first, awaiting the arrival of Deputy Commander Tuwan.

After some deception, regardless of whether everyone believed it or not, Bai Liben's identity was still there, the military rank law was still there, and most importantly, after everyone knew that Wei Shengji was inexplicably missing, they probably all knew that "once discovered," Bai Yousi would attack, and no one could stop the attack from the other side, so leaving quickly was no problem!
Thus, before noon, under the leadership of Bai Liben, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, the Guanxi army here, like the one in Nanyang, began a large-scale retreat that could be described as generally orderly.

Bai Yousi could no longer sit still. Without waiting for reinforcements to arrive, he hastily dispatched his troops.

Led by Feng Fu, a Grandmaster and more than ten newly recruited Core Formation cultivators set out together, immediately cutting off the Yangtze River with part of the navy in an attempt to intercept the entire British navy on the river. Meanwhile, Bai Yousi, along with Du Pozhen, Fu Boshi, Wang Hou, and others, led a portion of the troops to attempt to cross the river and attack the city.

Bai Yousi made a move, but Huang Yun never appeared again, and the morale of the Guanxi Army immediately became unstable and out of control.

The moment the battle began, the British land and naval forces collapsed!

Frankly speaking, both Bai Yousi and Xie Minghe found it hard to accept, because if it had been an hour or two later, as long as the subsequent navy arrived and there were enough ships, they could have blocked the enemy's port while simultaneously transporting troops across the river from downstream to launch a land attack.

At that time, not only will we have a complete victory, but we will also be able to seize the valuable ships!
And now?

At least a third of the enemy ships have now fled during the initial voyage because Songzi City is located further upstream. On land, due to the difficulty in deploying troops across the river in a short period of time, a large number of British troops have fled upstream along the land route.

However, this is from the perspective of Bai Yousi and Xie Minghe. In reality, not to mention from the perspective of the Guanzhong Army, even from the perspective of Feng Can and others, they felt that it was already overwhelming enough.

When the Huaiyou League's navy arrived in the afternoon, they marched in a mighty force and began their counter-current advance... The standoff between Songzi and Zhijiang Jiangxinzhou, which had held off the Chulong Army's southern front for almost half a year, was finally brought to an end.

What more could one ask for?

Of course, it must be said that not achieving a complete victory will always cause trouble. The next day, the eleventh day of the first lunar month, the sun shone brightly. As the Chulong Army captured Yidao without bloodshed, the consequences of the previous day's incomplete victory began to appear—Bai Liben completely abandoned the navy and the Yangtze River waterway, and with a number of remnants that were difficult to count but definitely considerable, he fled from Yidao along the Qingjiang River into Qingjiang County.

Thus, a debate naturally arose within Yidao City: should they pursue them first, or race against time to continue westward and directly enter Shu?
“We have already defeated Wei Shengji. Even if they send another Grandmaster, he will not be a match for our leader. On the contrary, if the entire army pours in, the waterways are narrow and winding. If Bai Liben’s 10,000 or 20,000 men suddenly come out and block us from the rear or intercept our supply lines, it will be a problem.”

"Bai Liben's army is a bunch of defeated soldiers. They've run out of food themselves and will soon disperse. How can they possibly come out and intercept our supplies?"

"Qingjiang County is a complex system containing several cities, and there are many local barbarians deeper inside that can also be lured... Conversely, it would be much easier to attack directly now."

"It's easy to go anywhere now... Hurry up and enter Yiling, cross Wuxia Gorge, and seize Baidi City. They are isolated outside and will soon collapse on their own."

"That's right, tens of thousands of defeated soldiers, lacking clothing and food, are not a concern, especially after we captured Wuxia Gorge, they are utterly incapable of doing anything..."

"What if they receive more support? Or is it just a smokescreen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Then I'll be frank." Lin Shiyang finally lost his patience, turning to look at Bai Yousi, his tone suddenly becoming earnest. "Dragon Head Bai, now that we've killed Wei Shengji and defeated the enemy on the river, we must continue westward into Sichuan. At the same time, Chief Zhang is also pursuing Bai and Emperor Bai towards Wuguan. Today, there's new information that Dragon Head Li has already defeated the Eastern Witch Clan... With all these examples before us, even a child would know that the tide of the world has turned... So, may I ask, will Cao Shiyu and Xiao Hui continue to be at odds? May I ask, will the so-called Southern Liang continue to support us in resisting the Great Ying? After we leave, if they really do come upstream, can Dragon Head Zhou really hold them off alone?"

Du Pozhen, who had been arguing with Lin Shiyang, sneered. He wanted to mock him, but after glancing at one of the people in the room, he remained silent.

"Enough! Enough!" Seeing Bai Yousi also coming to see him, Xie Minghe sighed and stood up. "Bai Longtou, you continue westward, I will turn back to Jiangdong."

"Why did Steward Xie turn back?" Bai Yousi asked seriously.

"Find a way to persuade them to surrender, or at least stall them." Xie Minghe said casually.

“There’s no need,” Bai Yousi said seriously. “Once Guanxi is pacified, the matter of Jiangdong is just a matter of me turning back and going down the river again.”

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!" Xie Minghe said with a wry smile, but didn't say it aloud.

“What Bai Longtou says is absolutely right.” Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiaoshang, who had only caught up today and had remained silent, suddenly spoke up. “General Xie, Bashu is prosperous, and the mess in Jiangdong and Jiangdu is such that even if they wanted to reconcile, it probably wouldn’t be over anytime soon… In just ten or fifteen days, our army will cross Baidi City and seize the prosperous Ba County. If they want to cause trouble, even with Bai Liben’s ten or twenty thousand defeated soldiers causing trouble, it won’t stop us from continuing to sweep through Shu. As for my place, I will defend if I can, and if I can’t, I will fortify my defenses and send ships and supplies to Xiangyang to delay them. If all else fails, I will abandon the nine counties of Jingxiang and take some troops north to Nanyang to assist Chief Zhang in attacking Wuguan. There is really no need to worry.”

Bai Yousi nodded in agreement several times.

But Xie Minghe remained silent.

At this moment, Du Pozhen finally sighed and turned to Xie Minghe: "Chief Steward Xie, there are some things you and Bai Longtou can't say to each other, so I'll say them for you—you saw Wei Shengji and Huang Yun the other day, who seemed to resemble Jiang Shen Yang Bin from back then, but were defeated and killed by Bai Longtou's three swords. Given the current situation, you're worried that if Jiangdong isn't handled well... or to put it bluntly, those people in Jiangdong don't know the consequences, don't understand the situation, and just walk right into it. If it's someone like Li Longtou or Shan Longtou who takes charge, there will inevitably be another round of killing. That's why you volunteered to turn back, wanting to control the situation and pull them back, isn't that right? After all, we're from the same village!"

Xie Minghe nodded with a dark expression.

“White Dragon Head, you already know what Steward Xie is thinking, but no one knows if those people will do something stupid, so it’s not good to make a promise directly. You’re also worried about Steward Xie’s safety on this trip and don’t want him to return to Jiangdong, but you can’t stop him, right?” Du Pozhen continued to ask.

“Of course.” Bai Yousi nodded awkwardly.

"That makes things easier." Du Pozhen finally chuckled. "Gentlemen, I have a perfect solution... How about you two, Steward Xie continue westward with White Dragon Head to Sichuan, while I return to Jiangdong with General Lin?"

Everyone was stunned, but Lin Shiyang's eyelids twitched on the spot.

Du Pozhen had already calmly explained: "We just said that Steward Xie invited Lord Feng and his people, which changed the situation drastically. After Bai Longtou killed Wei Shengji, he saw that the situation was settled and took the opportunity to seize the troops and territory of General Lin and me. We could not stand firm and could only go to them separately... When we got there, we just wanted to find a way to make them fight amongst themselves and buy time. General Lin and I are not useless."

Most of the crowd remained silent, because they had realized that even Du Longtou was worried that his previous posture had not been upright enough.

Surely not? The foundation of your Huaiyou Alliance is most deeply intertwined with the Chulong Gang. Countless leaders, big leaders, local chieftains, and military protectors are all tainted by your Alliance Leader Du. If you start doing this, what are the others supposed to do?
Who on this great river isn't a newcomer?
“Then let’s do it this way!” Bai Yousi, sitting at the head of the table, watched as Xie Minghe bowed respectfully to Du Pozhen, and without hesitation, made the decision.

On the afternoon of the eleventh day of the first lunar month, with almost no pause, a coalition of tens of thousands of troops, bearing the banner of the Chulong Army (which actually consisted only of a few battalions of soldiers brought by Wang Hou from Xuzhou, but included some Jingxiang troops, a large number of surrendered Hunan people, and almost all the remaining troops of the Huaiyou League), with the Huaiyou League's Huai River naval forces as the vanguard and the Jingxiang troops as the rearguard, decisively abandoned the remnants of Wei Shengji and Bai Liben's troops who had fled into Taotong in Qingjiang County, and continued to meander westward, heading straight for Baidi City.

Of course, what they didn't know was that on the same day, a massive military operation was also underway in Hebei.

Unlike the concentrated, upstream advance along the Yangtze River, the main force of the Chulong Army in Hebei, which had been summoned again, along with the two smaller military commands of Jinbei and Wu'an, which had been engaged in the battle, launched a simultaneous attack in multiple routes according to the established plan:
First, from Henan, following the Qin River, we reached Changping; second, from Wu'an, we passed through the Hongshan Mountains and reached Shangdang; third, from Hengshan, we passed through Jingxing and reached Taiyuan; fourth, from northern Shanxi, we reached Loufan Pass.

Four armies marched in to attack Jin territory. Judging from the banners, Xu Shiying, Xiong Bonan, Zhou Xingfan, Hong Changya, Wang Shuyong, Xu Shiren, and other key generals and leaders of the Chulong Army were all present. Moreover, it was obvious that there were decoy troops, flanking forces, and the main force among them. This clearly well-prepared and large-scale attack naturally terrified the entire Jin territory in an instant.

Soon after, Grandmaster Yu Jieluo, who was originally stationed in Hedong and had just been ordered to go north to take over the Wuzu Poison Desert defense line, suddenly received requests for help from at least three of them on his way to the ferry, leaving him completely stunned.

Where should he go now?!

"I shouldn't ask too many questions, but I'll keep this in mind anyway. Where is Deputy Commander Xu planning to go?"

On the evening of the same day, outside Ye City, in the twilight, Xu Shiying, whose banners had clearly appeared in Wu'an, suddenly appeared in an army about to set off. Accompanying him were Xiong Bonan, a veteran master of the Chulong Army, and Xu Shiren, a major general. Clearly, many of the troops at the front were feints, and the distinction between the main force and the flanking forces depended on the situation. As for the person who was asking him questions, it was none other than Chen Bin, the head of the Grand Secretariat, who had come to see him off with his sword at his side.

Xu Shiying instinctively felt strange, but still answered seriously: "It depends on the situation. Let's try the weakest point, Shangdang, first, and see if we can attract Wang Huaitong from Taiyuan and Yu Jieluo from Hedong, so that Wang Wulang can make a contribution. If they don't come, we can take Shangdang directly... Of course, if Li Longtou in the north launches an attack too early, we must immediately shift the battle line from the inside."

Chen Bin nodded, clearly giving a perfunctory answer.

Now, even Wei Xuanding, Xiong Bonan, and Xu Shiren on the opposite side realized that the plan had been organized and implemented for many days, and today was just the start of the operation. This Deputy Commander Chen must have other ideas.

What I just said was just a starting point.

“Deputy Commander Xu, Heavenly King, Head Commander Xu.” Chen Bin hesitated for a moment before deciding to be frank. “We will not deny our defeat on your journey, and we may have to come back. But given the current situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if we succeeded in one fell swoop. In that case, we don’t know when or where we will meet again… There’s something I told Wang Wulang in private when he left. Now that you are leaving as well, and since Lord Wei is here, I must say it publicly.”

Xu Shiying, Xiong Bonan, and Xu Shiren clasped their hands in greeting, while Wei Xuanding stroked his beard and turned to listen.

"There was a saying in the gang that was very insightful. I don't know if it was referring to the leaders of our gang or the big bosses when you founded the gang, but it was said that none of you were easy to get along with. I wholeheartedly agree."

Chen Bin, leaning on his sword, spoke cautiously in the early spring sunset, clearly not wanting to cause any misunderstanding.

"In fact, based on my experience and views over the years in Daxingtai, it's not just a few people; there's no one in the entire gang who's easy to get along with!"
"It's just that some people's ambitions are outward, while others' are hidden; some people are clever in their pursuit of personal gain, while others are ugly in their behavior; some people consider themselves to be from a high family and look down on others, but they don't realize that some people have climbed up from the bottom and have always been unscrupulous in their methods; some people are as foolish as peasants and are unwilling to relinquish any military power, while others are ambitious and always thinking about some unrealistic future."

"Not to mention the disputes. You are from Hebei, I am from Henan; you are from the Grand Secretariat, I am from a local Secretariat; you are a founding member of the Yuan Dynasty, I am a surrendered person from the former Wei Dynasty; you are a military man, I am a scholar who just came from the imperial examination... They just don't get along with each other."

"Are you right?"

"Who doesn't know that?" Xiong Bonan sighed. "But at least we can still unite as one."

"That's the crux of the matter. Why is our Chulong Gang able to unite as one? Why hasn't it fallen apart? Why didn't Li Shu's departure cause internal strife? Why can we still maintain our current order and have the world in our grasp?" Chen Bin continued, asking a series of questions.

“Naturally, it’s because…because Chief Zhang is wise and resolute, isn’t it?” Wei Xuanding stroked his beard as he spoke, but his tone seemed somewhat evasive.

"Indeed!" Chen Bin suddenly raised his hand on his longsword and responded loudly. "Indeed! Even without Chief Zhang, or the Chulong Gang, they would only be confined to the banks of the Ji River in Henan, and then either crash down in the Eastern Capital or fight to the death with those in Hebei, only to be swept away by the Great Britain when they came out of the pass! Even without Chief Zhang, even with the Chulong Gang, even if they crossed the Great River and survived to this day, they would still inevitably suffer from internal strife and systemic failures. You come to fight, I come to plunder, and only today have they learned to build systems and regulate routes, and yet they still cannot escape being swept away by the Great Britain."

At this point, Chen Bin placed one hand on his sword and pointed the other at the several leaders present, finally fixing his gaze on himself: "Gentlemen... if it weren't for Chief Zhang, let alone us getting together to do things, realize our ambitions, or even cleanse the world, we would probably have long been fighting and killing each other in some corner, with the winners becoming dogs of others and the losers becoming bones on the roadside. Can any of you deny that?"

Wei Xuanding, Xu Shiying, and Xiong Bonan remained silent, waiting for Chen Bin to continue, as they already guessed what he was going to say. Xu Shiren wanted to agree, but since the others didn't speak, he could only keep quiet and wait.

"Gentlemen, Lord Wei." Chen Bin first glanced around before settling on Wei Xuanding beside him. "I know that the five-year period is not enough, and I also know that this position of king was not something you sought yourself. On the contrary, the chief himself looks down on the position and even intends to use his status to strengthen the position of our Chulong Gang... But times have changed, and the situation has changed. If we really reach Chang'an this time and achieve a swift and great victory, the morale of people both inside and outside the city will be unstable, and there will definitely be scoundrels who will try to take advantage of the situation."

At this point, Chen Bin looked at Xu Shiying and the others again: "At this time, if you can meet up outside Chang'an, it doesn't matter whether it's the emperor, the sage, or the ruler of the country. The important thing is to invite the chief to succeed the legitimate line of the Three Radiances and Four Emperors, to assume the throne, and to establish the Mandate of Heaven! There can be no hesitation! This is both a personal matter and a public duty! It concerns the succession within the gang and the stability of the Ming Dynasty! You must not hesitate or waver! Can the three of you make a promise to me?"

“That makes sense.” Xiong Bonan nodded. “I’ve thought about this, and that’s exactly right.”

Xu Shiren, being of lower rank, forced himself to wait until Xiong Bonan finished speaking before quickly nodding, "That's exactly right! Commander Chen's instructions are appropriate! The chief should obey the mandate of heaven, how dare I, your subordinate, refuse?!"

Xu Shiying remained calm throughout... He had guessed what the other party was going to say from the beginning, because he originally intended to handle the matter himself. Conversely, since Chen Bin had taken the initiative to speak, he didn't need to be in a hurry to show his attitude.

Therefore, he instinctively looked at Wei Xuanding, as if he cared a lot about the other party's attitude.

Wei Xuanding was originally quite composed, but when he saw Xu Shiying looking over with apparent concern, he immediately spread his hands and said, "That's exactly right! But if you ask me, Commander Chen, there's no need to make such a big deal out of this. The hearts of the people are laid bare. Look, the five of us are completely different in terms of background, position, experience, kinship, and cultivation. Isn't it just Xu Dalang who's hesitating?!"

The other three went to look together. Xu Shiying was stunned on the spot, feeling that Chen Bin's opening words were truly sincere.