Delong

Chapter 568 Sending Wu Xing (18)

As the first half of the first lunar month approached, although the land of Wu remained cold, it received more sunshine, and the temperature rose considerably. Li Ding had been conducting a reorganization operation among the Wu tribe for half a month.

Gather the elite troops of the royal court and assign them to trusted generals. Adjust livestock, pastures, herdsmen, and able-bodied men according to their order of service. Those who should surrender should be accepted, those who should be suppressed should be suppressed, those who should be rewarded should be rewarded, and those who should be deprived should be deprived.

Including the pardon and reappointment of the Qinghe Cui clan's Wenxiu Zongshi, who was supposedly turned against his cause on the eve of battle, it seems that nothing was done in vain. In fact, even a military supervisor like Huang Ping had nothing to say and believed that Commander Li Longtou was making the necessary war preparations.

But at this very moment, someone who should least have questioned Li Ding raised his own question.

"Li Longtou, is this delaying tactic a strategy of warfare or a strategy of governance?" That morning, Zhang Shizhao barged into the king's tent and got straight to the point.

"It's the art of war." Li Ding raised his head, waved for his trusted lieutenant Deng Long, who was still awaiting orders, to go out and stand guard, and then gave his answer. "Did Lord Zhang see that?"

“How could I possibly see that?” Zhang Shizhao laughed. “I just know that, given the Wu tribe’s habits, no matter how much you reward or punish them, or how much you reorganize them, it’s not as effective as winning a battle. So it’s strange… Li Longtou, where is your strategy for warfare?”

“I’m waiting for their commander to arrive,” Li Ding said solemnly. “Once I break through Wudi, they will be shaken, because beyond Wudi lies the rear of Guanzhong, their fatal weakness. So regardless of whether I send troops out in time, they will definitely concentrate all their efforts on dealing with me, thus allowing their outer lines to advance…”

Zhang Shizhao nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense."

"Not only that, but as they gather their forces, the more troops they come, the easier it will be for other places to break through. Meanwhile, we can wait in comfort and fatigue, and once we win, the effect will be even better," Li Ding continued to explain.

Zhang Shizhao nodded: "I understand what Chief Li means. The flaw has already been created, and it will affect the whole situation. If we win here, we will win everywhere else. In that case, why not delay a bit and take a big gamble... isn't that right?"

“This is not a gamble,” Li Ding said solemnly. “It is our determination to win.”

"Because we can wait in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out?" Zhang Shizhao continued to ask.

“Not only that,” Li Ding said, looking at the man before him. “There’s also the morale of the army… Lord Zhang, you only think that winning a battle will make the Wu tribe submit, but do you think that victories outside count as victories? If they knew that we were besieging Guanzhong from multiple directions and were repeatedly successful, what would they think? And what about the Guanzhong army?”

Zhang Shizhao was silent for a moment, then immediately pointed out the opponent's flaw: "Li Longtou, what you're saying is just sophistry! Winning small battles early can immediately rouse the small tribes, while waiting for good news from outside will only give those big tribal chiefs limited trust in us; the same goes for the other side, they may become increasingly nervous, or they may make a desperate gamble, and a desperate army will surely win... It can only be said that fighting early or late has its own advantages, it cannot be said that fighting late will guarantee victory... You just want to fight a big battle!"

Li Ding nodded: "So what?"

Zhang Shizhao was speechless.

Of course! So what? Can't a commander even dream of fighting a major battle? Can't a commander even believe in his own victory?!
"It's good that Chief Li knows." Thinking this, Zhang Shizhao nodded, then continued to ask, "Have you reached the Grandmaster level?"

Li Ding shook his head: "We must wait for this battle. Once we leave the Poison Desert, I will be a Grandmaster!"

Zhang Shizhao was increasingly speechless.

Stepping outside, the sunlight was dazzling, the surrounding earth felt soft, and a gentle breeze carried a vibrant, earthy scent. Zhang Shizhao wasn't exactly disappointed or worried; rather, he was somewhat flustered. He had just realized in the royal tent that the problem wasn't Li Ding, but himself… specifically, he had actually chickened out on the spot!
If he were younger, he would have been on the same wavelength as Li Si, both full of confidence and eager for a major battle to be fought on his side. But now that he's older, Zhang Shizhao knows very well that if he fails this time and the world falls into stalemate again, he will never have the chance to manipulate events again in his life.

The idea of ​​completely digesting and reforming the Witch Land using the system of the Expelling Dragon Gang will only become more illusory.

However, this panic and unease did not last long. Just three days later, intelligence came from the front that Yu Jieluo, who had made his fortune in the early years by fighting against the Wu tribe, was about to arrive at Yuguan, which he was familiar with, to take charge of the defense of the Poison Desert as the Marshal-Grandmaster-Duke of the Northern Front.

Just half a day later, the official document from Zhou Xingfan, the governor of Jinbei, delivered through the Bitter Sea also arrived at the royal court... In the document, this Zhou leader informed the expeditionary force of Wudi that the people of Guanzhong were clearly going to abandon Jindi, and a large number of people and supplies were being withdrawn to Hedong. Jindi would make a major breakthrough in a short time. He was prepared to give up meeting with the Hebei allied forces in Jinyang and instead advance directly west to threaten Baidao Pass from the flank.

At the same time, he also relayed the "latest" news from the southern front that he knew, namely that Bai Yousi killed Wei Shengji and broke into Baidi City, the Feng family of Lingnan completely sided with the Chulong Gang, and Zhang Xing chased after them to Wuguan to set up a battle line, and so on.

To be honest, when Li Ding received the document, he even suspected that Zhou Xingfan was using some kind of strategy with him in secret, namely, to fabricate favorable military intelligence and intimidate the Wu tribe through this public document.

However, Li Ding immediately realized that this was probably not the case, because Zhou Xingfan had no reason to fool him as well.

Even if they were really desperate and wanted me to send troops, at least several leaders of the Grand Secretariat would need to agree to make this kind of deception. But the timing doesn't match up, and this back-and-forth would take too much time... In addition, Yu Jieluo's appearance at Yuguan also verified some of the claims that he was originally in Hedong.

It was no coincidence that Yu Jieluo's news arrived at the same time as this document; rather, there was a cause-and-effect relationship. Yu Jieluo's departure from Jin was itself a sign that Jin had been abandoned. It was precisely because of this that Zhou Xingfan decided to abandon Loufan Pass and Jinyang and instead threaten Baidao Pass, which led to this document.

Realizing this, Li Ding hurriedly summoned Hei Yan, Lu Dun, Huang Ping, Zhang Shizhao, and Tuli Khan, who had no right to speak and indeed did not speak, that very night. After a brief discussion, they unanimously agreed that the relevant military intelligence was correct.

Immediately afterward, the war commander and leader who was leading the army sent a document to Dou Lide, who was reluctant to leave the east side, and immediately issued a military order: the entire expeditionary force, along with all the Wu tribes that had surrendered and were under the control of the army, plus the army's logistics troops and the Wu tribe able-bodied men with a large number of livestock, totaling 200,000 people, were to march south and must arrive at the northern side of the Poison Desert within ten days to set up their formation.

The army was vast and imposing, especially with the countless cattle and sheep serving as logistics, along with the tents and wagons of the Wu tribe, making the military formation appear exceptionally large. Therefore, its very movement was enough to shake the entire Wu region, and it was utterly unable to prevent the Guanzhong army at the Three Passes of the Poisonous Desert from obtaining intelligence.

Yu Jieluo learned the information on the night of the 21st of the first lunar month, when he had only been at Yuguan for three and a half days.

To be fair, at this point, the marshal of the northern front did not show much panic, and even seemed somewhat relieved... because what was bound to happen was bound to happen. He knew from the first day he arrived that a battle would soon be coming, so he kept busy, and the situation here was unexpectedly not so bad.

Indeed, the previous war did not affect the Three Passes defense line. The basic troops originally used to defend against the Wu tribe were still there. After clearing out the entire Three Passes and the border counties of Yulin, Wuyuan, and Shuofang, plus the troops brought from Yan'an, Honghua, and Diaoyin along the way on his way to take office, Yu Jieluo quickly set up a fixed defense force of 20,000 people distributed in the Three Passes and a mobile defense force of 30,000 people.

Furthermore, at his repeated requests and urging, Great Britain gave the Poison Desert defense line the highest priority, and countless provisions, weapons, and livestock were sent there before his arrival. Calculating the timeline, Dou Shang would personally lead over 30,000 troops hastily plundered from Longshang-Lingwu to this location within a few days, and over 10,000 troops from Jin who couldn't evacuate from the southern front would also arrive in time to act as a natural eastern barrier.

In this way, when the expeditionary force from the Witch Lands arrives in the Poison Desert, he will have a mobile defensive force of 60,000 to 70,000 men and a complete defensive line.

Considering the balance of power and the fact that the Poison Desert is isolated to the north and south, there are only three passages. In theory, holding them should not be a problem.

Back in the early days of the Great Wei Dynasty, the Wu tribe was in turmoil. It was here that Yu Jieluo relied on mobile defense to hold off a Wu tribe coalition that outnumbered him several times over, thus gaining fame in one battle. Later, he replaced Yang Bin as the governor of the northern front and was promoted to Grandmaster.

If you do the math, it's been almost forty years since I first fought here as a general in the army.

Now, he's actually a marshal.

"Does Yu Jieluo only have one son?" In the main hall of the Lantian County Government Office, Bai Hengqiu, who looked noticeably haggard, frowned and raised his eyes, slightly surprised.

Looking at each other, Liu Yangji, who had just returned, spoke up without hesitation: "Your Majesty, Yu Jieluo has five sons... They were all in Luoyang before. Cao Che was suspicious of him in Jiangdu because he was worried that he would run back to Luoyang... When Yu Jieluo came to join us from Luoyang, he only brought one young son with him."

"I see." Bai Hengqiu nodded, seemingly enlightened. "He has been kind enough to Sima Zheng to teach him, and he's not worried that his son will be punished if he stays in Dongdu..."

Liu Yangji nodded, while stealing a glance at the other person... He knew that Bai Hengqiu was too tired. A grandmaster like him was so busy that he was completely overwhelmed. He couldn't possibly be unaware of this matter, yet he hadn't caught on.

At the same time, he felt a pang of regret. He had advised Bai Hengqiu to put everything aside and communicate more with these powerful clans of Guanzhong. But now, these people and their descendants were standing in the Lantian County government office, seeing a Grandmaster Emperor who was overwhelmed by the pressure of the situation.

It is conceivable that countless ambitious individuals will, upon returning home, reach some tacit but rebellious consensus among fathers and sons, and among brothers.

These are all his faults.

Bai Hengqiu put that matter aside and continued, "How is it in Jin? Still no response?"

"No," Liu Yangji replied helplessly. "We still haven't received any news from Lord Huaitong..."

Bai Hengqiu did not sigh, but remained silent.

"It must be that the Shangdang region was breached, and the Chulong bandits entered Huguan." Liu Yangji quickly comforted him upon seeing this. "Perhaps they've only hindered the messengers."

“We entered Huguan Pass and took the Shangdang Basin, not Shuque Valley and blocked the Taiyuan Basin.” Bai Hengqiu was utterly speechless. “Do you think I don’t know the topography of Shanxi?”

Liu Yangji had nothing to say.

Bai Hengqiu was silent for a moment, then nodded first: "That's right. We let Marshal Yu withdraw from Shangdang himself, and General Tu Wan also went south. Even if we abandon Jin, people will miss their hometown and want to settle down... It's normal that Lord Huaitong is from Jin and doesn't want to move."

Despite speaking frankly, Bai Hengqiu couldn't help but lower his head, his white hair at his temples appearing disheveled.

Liu Yangji felt a pang of sadness and forced himself to lower his head.

Just then, Bai Hengqiu suddenly stood up straight. A moment later, a man lifted the tent flap and entered, bowing respectfully. It was none other than General Han Changmei... According to the newly issued decree, anyone of the rank of general or above, or holding the position of chief steward, could directly enter the tent to meet the emperor.

"What is it?" Bai Hengqiu's tone was elusive, as if he had everything under control.

"Your Majesty, I am on duty at the central army headquarters." Han Changmei presented the document in his hand. "Lord Huaitong has arrived in Linfen..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Hengqiu was overjoyed, and even the officials standing solemnly around him visibly relaxed.

But the next moment, when the emperor opened the document in his hand, he smiled bitterly again: "Lord Huaitong said that most of the officials and heroes in Jin were unwilling to come. Wang Chenkuo wanted to use force but was stopped by him. He only brought a few hundred officials, a few dozen families and 20,000 men... But it's good that they can withdraw at this time. We can't be too harsh on them... Besides, Xu Shiying and Xiong Bonan are really heading to Jinyang."

At this point, the man looked around the county government hall below and said, "Gentlemen, Linfen cannot be defended, but Wenxi can be tried... We cannot keep retreating, otherwise the people of Jin will fall apart, and who will be willing to go and provide support? Don't worry, if the enemy's grandmaster arrives, you can retreat to Anyi without any trouble... I will set up a net there and cut off Zhang Xing's arm!"

Everyone perked up, but then they realized something was amiss... A grandmaster, whether it was Xiong Bonan or Xu Shiying, should have one arm, but weren't there Niu He and Wei Wenda in Wuguan? Weren't there Bai Sanniang and Li Silang in the north and south? Was this arm one of the three heads and six arms?

While many were still debating which arm to use, Han Changmei, who was already in the hall, immediately cupped his hands and volunteered: "Your Majesty, I am willing to provide backup!"

A sudden chill ran through the crowd, and almost everyone turned to look at the white-clad emperor at the head of the table.

There's no other reason than that everyone knows the Han family's character has always been questionable, especially since their nephew Li Si has already reached such a level within the Chulong Gang. What if, when they reach the local authorities, they turn around and claim that the emperor decreed that Wang Huaitong was colluding with the Chulong Gang, and that they're closing the gates of Wenxi City to wait for a Chulong soldier to come and follow his dead brother's example and defect? ​​Whose fault would that be?! Of course, on the other hand, the fact that his brother died at the hands of the Chulong Gang seems to prove something, so using him isn't entirely unacceptable.

Just then, Liu Yangji stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject also requests to fight!"

The White Emperor looked down at the two men for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. He walked down and helped them up one by one: "In this time of national crisis, you two are so eager to help. How can we not accomplish great things? General Han, I will have you lead your troops to Hedong... Rest assured, I am a Grandmaster. I have established a kingdom and built a tower in Chang'an. Hedong is under my control. If any Grandmasters from there come, I have nothing to fear!"

Han Changmei quickly bowed again.

Everyone knew perfectly well that while the power of the Grandmaster's tower might indeed allow His Majesty to control Hedong, the current situation was dire, with attacks coming from three sides and seven directions. Even if one was usually wary of people like Han Changmei, they would have to be put to use now. Besides, logically speaking, Han Changmei's brother had indeed died, and there was a reason for it. If he didn't use him, who would he use? Otherwise, if they really wanted to be picky, how many passes could his few trusted confidants possibly fill?

In fact, even Liu Yangji understood this principle, and after getting up, he calmly congratulated Han Changmei.

After Han Changmei left, there was news that Zhang Xing had knocked on Wuguan Pass that same day. Although we knew it was just harassment, we still had to take it seriously. Otherwise, if we allowed the other side to push into the heart of Weinan, the morale of the people and the army would be unstable.

With the departure of Emperor Bai, news arrived that Bai Yousi had captured Baidi City and then Linjiang, and was already heading straight for Ba County, making the situation seem insignificant.

And so, Bai Hengqiu and Zhang Xing fought fiercely in Wuguan until evening, making quite a scene... but as anyone with a sense of the bigger picture knows, it was all for naught!
Chief Zhang's goal was simply to wear down Emperor Bai's mind and keep him occupied. Otherwise, Wuguan would have been smashed to pieces by his dragon claws, so why wouldn't he dare to go inside?
What's there to be afraid of? The Wuguan Road is so long, almost two hundred li to Lantian. Just keep going!
But Chief Zhang just wouldn't move. Every time there was a battle, he wouldn't cross the city wall unless the White Emperor came. After the battle, he would usually politely retreat to the outside of the broken city wall of Wuguan and continue to set up camp, as if he would continue to attack the city the next day.

On the other side, after the battle, the White Emperor flew through the air and retreated to Lantian, but passed through Lantian without entering. He traveled hundreds of miles in one night without stopping for a moment, and flew straight to Taibai Peak, southwest of Chang'an.

On Mount Taibai, Daoist Chonghe had been sitting on the mountaintop since that afternoon. After four o'clock, he sighed and went down the mountain to meet him. The two met before dawn at a small mountain near Ziwu Pass. They did not land but faced each other in the air.

"Brother Dao, I have been taken advantage of by a junior. You must lend me a hand." Bai Hengqiu got straight to the point after meeting the other party.

Chong and Mo remained silent.

“We met in our youth by the Wei River, and later went our separate ways. Looking back, we were just the three of us who were lifelong friends. Now that Shengji is dead, are you still going to sit and watch me die? If you are really so heartless, just hide in the mountains to the southwest tonight. Why deceive yourself?” Bai Hengqiu continued.

Chonghe finally spoke: "You are indeed my close friend, but Jingfeng and Yousi are also my children. In this worldly dispute, what does it matter if I help you?"

Bai Hengqiu breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that since the other party had brought up the matter, they could continue tonight: "Even if it's even, brother, don't forget that you wronged me once and owe me a settlement!"

"When have I ever wronged you or owed you anything?" Chonghe was greatly surprised.

"That day you divined for me, saying three times: 'Entering the house, conquering the country, invading the family!' Was that not true?" Bai Hengqiu pressed. "Don't say that this foreshadowed my current situation..."

Chong He was utterly speechless: "Old Bai, you are also a Grandmaster, how could you not know about divination? It's not like I'm manipulating it... This is a sign from Heaven! So what if it happens to you instead?"

"Then you should have reminded me!" Bai Hengqiu retorted, pressing him. "Brother! Given our friendship, if you had guessed the outcome back then but didn't tell me, even if it went against the will of Heaven, you should have told me, reminded me! How could you just sit by and watch me fail?"

Chonghe fell silent for the second time, and after a long while, he slowly spoke: "Old Bai, to tell you the truth, I did guess at the time that this divination might happen to you, after Zhang Xing's several attempts, to enter Guanzhong, conquer the country, and take over the family. But I was just guessing. I also felt that it might happen to you or Zhang Xing attacking the Eastern Capital! This is because the Mandate of Heaven was in chaos at that time. Zhang Xing established his own Mandate of Heaven and grew stronger day by day. I could only guarantee that the divination would have some effect, but I could not discern the overall situation."

“Since fate is in chaos, there’s even less reason for you, brother, to stand idly by on Mount Taibai and watch me fall… Please help me!” Bai Hengqiu was already struggling to speak, and could only do his best. “I won’t ask you to take the initiative, how about you guard the pass for three months? As long as someone enters the pass, just drive them away for me! Guard it for three months, and after that, life and death, success and failure, will all be up to me. Think about it, brother, if I can reverse the situation in three months, they might not even be able to reach the pass. Then no one will know about your promise, and it won’t affect the future of the Three Ones Sect.”

“Old Bai, you really are…” Chong He shook his head repeatedly, pointing to the two moons in the sky, then to the faint light of dawn in the east behind him. “What is it that Sanhui doesn’t know?”

Bai Hengqiu has decided to give up.

"I'll cast a divination." Just then, Chonghe suddenly took out the wooden sticks from his bosom, tossed them into the air, and they scattered at his feet, yet stopped as if they had landed on the ground. "Zhou, the third: Out of me, in me, the chief of good and bad fortune."

"What do you mean?" Bai Hengqiu pressed for an answer.

“It reminds me to fear the will of Heaven,” Chonghe said earnestly.

Bai Hengqiu was almost in despair.

“Old Bai, I promise you.” Chonghe suddenly spoke. “The three-month period, I will bear the consequences myself… It’s not for any other reason than I’m afraid that you will also die. In the future, when I sit alone on Mount Taibai, I will be unable to control my emotions when I think of the story of the three of us traveling in Sichuan.”

Bai Hengqiu took several steps back in mid-air, bowing respectfully to the other party as if he were on the ground. He knew that the other party might lose something far beyond his imagination.

Chonghe accepted it calmly, sighed, and turned back to Taibai Peak.

At dawn, thousands of miles away, in the heart of Shanxi, on the road from Shangdang to Jinyang, Xu Shiying, who had been traveling all night, was swaying on his horse as if he were dozing. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked at a mountain beside him.

The mountain appeared ordinary among the myriad mountains of Jin, but Xu Shiying, with his master cultivation and greatly enhanced eyesight, noticed from afar that a flat rock formation on the mountaintop resembled a chessboard, with two huge rocks pressing down on it like weights. It was quite interesting, especially since he could clearly sense that the area was filled with true energy, suggesting there was something special about it.

As they were watching, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead. A moment later, a man they knew was escorted to their horse by patrolling riders.

"Xu Dalang, it's been a long time! I am Wang Huaiji, you must recognize me!" The man was carrying a mirror, and he waved excitedly as soon as he landed.

Xu Dalang knew this man was no ordinary person, so he immediately dismounted to greet him and asked with a smile, "Lord Huaiji, why are you stopping us? My chief is at Wuguan! Besides, you have worked hard on the 'Six Secret Teachings,' and it is now complete."

“We should have stopped Chief Zhang. He shouldn’t have gone to Wuguan; he should have gone to Taiyuan from here and then climbed Qipan Mountain along the way,” Wang Huaiji muttered, seemingly at a loss. “Besides, after finishing the Six Secret Teachings, there are others… There was a Yi Jin Jing before, which you all studied… There’s a Pulse Classic and a Materia Medica here, which are his things, kept on that mountain over there. You should give them to him!”

As he spoke, he took out two more books from his bosom. Xu Shiying's eyes lit up, and he quickly took them and began to flip through them. The first book, "Compendium of Materia Medica," was a medical book that recorded medicinal herbs. Although he knew it was precious, he didn't have time to read it much. He then continued to read the second book, which contained some orthodox cultivation methods. It was clear that it corresponded to the "Yi Jin Jing" (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic). He was greatly excited and quickly told someone to put it away carefully, preparing to copy it with him.

Having received the gifts, Xu Shiying was extremely polite and immediately, leaning on the Jinglong Sword, earnestly asked, "Lord Huaiji, does my chief disciple have any more books? If he stops going everywhere, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Wang Huaiji smiled wryly: "I'm worried about it too... At first, he went to some places he was supposed to go, but in the wrong order. Later, everything went wrong, and he stopped going to any places at all. I don't know what to do!"

Xu Shiying laughed loudly: "It should be returned to its rightful owner! Lord Huaiji, go and see my chief!"

Wang Huaiji nodded, then shook his head: "I'm a little afraid of him now."

"Who isn't afraid of him?" Xu Shiying said dismissively. "But we must consider that in today's world, the Chief's influence is immense. It's one thing if he doesn't want to go somewhere, but can others bypass him?"

Wang Huaiji nodded repeatedly.

PS: Thank you to the Walking King for the oath to Shao Song. Looking forward to meeting everyone at Yue Wang Temple on the morning of August 2nd.