The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 129: Defend or Fight? (Master, please give me the monthly ticket)

Late at night, the lights in the annex of the Xingzhou City government office were brightly lit.

Zhao Jili, the guest envoy of Shu State, was entertaining several of his close associates. He was in high spirits and ordered someone to call dancers to entertain him.

After a while, a group of enchanting dancers walked in gracefully and danced to the melodious music. Suddenly, the faint scent of rouge floated in the air.

After admiring for a while, Zhao Jili became restless. He stretched out his hand and pulled a dancer into his arms, rubbing her up and down with a "hehe" smile, causing the dancer to moan sweetly.

A close confidant smiled and complimented him, "Lord Zhao is here to oversee the battle at the front. With you at the helm, we will surely defeat the Zhou army. Upon returning to Chengdu, His Majesty will surely promote you to Privy Councilor and Prime Minister."

Hearing this, Zhao Jili was extremely proud, but he said modestly: "Fighting is the job of the soldiers. I am just here to watch for Your Majesty. Alas, I don't have any merit to speak of..."

He had just arrived in Xingzhou City at noon today, but his words implied that the battle had already been won.

Of course, there is a reason why Zhao Jili is so confident.

The last time the Zhou army attacked Shu, he was sent by the Shu emperor to inspect the front line. He witnessed the Shu army defeating the Zhou army under the Weiwu city, and also captured alive the Zhou army's vanguard commander, Puzhou governor Hu Li and other generals.

Zhao Jili suddenly felt that the Zhou army was just so-so. How could they really prevent the Han army and Khitan people in the north from crossing the border?
He thought the rumors were indeed unreliable... Some people in the country regarded the Central Plains and the Liao Kingdom as a scourge, which was simply an exaggeration!

So when the news came back from the front line that the Zhou army had invaded again, Zhao Jili immediately recommended himself to the emperor and asked for orders to go to the front line to lead the war.

The emperor agreed to his request and appointed him as the military supervisor of the Northern Camp, giving him the power to make decisions on the spot and mobilize the troops.

At this time, another person flattered him, "Last time, Your Majesty sent Wang Zhaoyuan to the Qin and Feng lines to deploy troops, and he only managed to repel the Zhou army. After Wang Zhaoyuan returned, he was immediately promoted to Privy Councilor."

"If Lord Zhao can completely annihilate the invading Zhou army this time, it would be a truly tremendous achievement!"

When Zhao Jili heard the name Wang Zhaoyuan, his face suddenly became a little uneasy, and his hands moved a little harder, causing the dancer in his arms to scream in pain.

"What are you shouting about, you lowly slave?" Zhao Jili was furious. He pushed the dancer to the ground and called for his servants to drag her away.

Everyone was startled and fell silent. The dancers were also shocked and pale, huddled together and sobbed quietly.

"Damn, what a bad luck!"

Zhao Jili lost all interest for a moment and waved his hand to have the dancers taken away.

He picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp. Only then did he calm down a bit and snorted coldly: "That Wang Zhaoyuan is just shit. He compares himself to Zhuge Liang for no reason. Ugh!"

"He was born a beggar, and in his early years he served as a boy behind a monk. If he hadn't been lucky enough to be chosen by His Majesty, who was then the Crown Prince, and taken by his side as an attendant, how could he have achieved what he has today?"

Zhao Jili was proud of his literary and military talents, and few of the ministers in the Shu court could catch his eye.

But Wang Zhaoyuan, the person he despised the most, had always been superior to him, so he naturally felt extremely unbalanced.

In addition, Wang Zhaoyuan also looked down on Zhao Jili, and even called him a self-righteous and good-for-nothing in private.

The feud between the two began from then on.

After calming down, Zhao Jili sneered and said, "The last time the Zhou army attacked, Wang Zhaoyuan tried his best but failed to stop the Zhou army and let them retreat safely."

"This time, I will show him what it means to master the art of strategy and achieve victory at the edge of the enemy line... I will make sure that the Zhou army will never return!"

Perhaps thinking of the glory of winning the final battle and returning to Chengdu with a great victory, Zhao Jili couldn't help but laugh.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a panicked servant rushed in without even saying a word.

Zhao Jili frowned slightly and scolded, "How can you be so flustered?" But the attendant didn't bother to apologize. He came up and said anxiously, "Oh no! The Zhou army is coming!"

"Bullshit!" Zhao Jili sat up straight. "Fengzhou is hundreds of miles away from Xingzhou. Could it be that the Zhou army flew here?"

The attendant said with a mournful face, "The Zhou army captured eight of our camps in ten days and annihilated 3,000 of our troops in Tangcang Town. Weiwu City has been lost!"

Zhao Jili was stunned on the spot, muttering: "How is it possible, how is it possible..."

Then he suddenly realized and hurriedly asked, "Where is Fengzhou's mighty governor, Wang Huan? Why didn't he send troops to rescue?"

The attendant hesitated and could not answer when he heard this. It was naturally impossible for him to know the details of such a matter.

Fortunately, Zhao Jili soon learned the specific situation on the front line, because Gao Yanchou, the commander of the Shu front-line camp stationed in Xingzhou, sent someone to invite him to the government office hall for discussion.

As soon as he saw Gao Yanchou, Zhao Jili couldn't wait to ask, "How is the war going on the front line? What exactly happened?"

Gao Yanchou smiled bitterly and said, "The Zhou army captured Weiwu City and defeated the more than 2,000 troops sent by Weiwu Jiedushi Wang Huan to rescue them at Baijian. Fengzhou City is now under siege by the Zhou army."

"According to reports from the troops stationed in Guzhen, the Zhou army's vanguard commander, Li Yi, the commander of the camp, has led his troops past Fengzhou City and is advancing towards Qingni Ridge."

Zhao Jili was confused and asked, "What about Guzhen and Qingniling? Where are these places?"

He was so ambitious and wanted to do something big, but in the end he couldn't even figure out the defensive arrangements on the front line.

Gao Yanchou quickly explained, "Guzhen is over a hundred miles south of Fengzhou City, and Qingniling is..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Jili interrupted impatiently, "Just tell me how far the Zhou army is from Xingzhou City?"

Gao Yanchou said, "If the Zhou army breaks through the defenses of Guzhen and reaches Qingni Ridge, then they will be no more than a hundred miles away from us."

"Wouldn't it be possible to attack us in a few days?" Zhao Jili was very anxious and immediately turned around and walked out.

Gao Yanchou was confused and quickly grabbed him and asked, "Should we send troops to Fengzhou immediately?"

Zhao Jili glared and said, "You ask me, who should I ask? Don't hold me back, I have to hurry!"

Gao Yanchou asked in surprise, "Where is Lord Zhao going now?"

Zhao Jili said, "Where else can we go? Of course, we should hurry back to Chengdu to report the war situation on the front lines to His Majesty. Otherwise, what about staying in Xingzhou City and waiting for the Zhou army to attack?"

He said this with confidence, without any guilt or desire to escape.

Gao Yanchou advised, "We still have several thousand troops stationed in Guzhen. The Zhou army won't be able to reach Qingni Ridge anytime soon. Lord Zhao is the military supervisor appointed by Your Majesty and has the authority to command the troops on the front lines. If you stay in Xingzhou and command the troops, we still have a chance to push the Zhou army back."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Zhao Jili sneered and said, "It's only been half a month, and the Zhou army is almost reaching Xingzhou. Who can these troops on the front line rely on? If Gao Zhaotao is confident that he can stop the Zhou army, then I will give you the power to make decisions on the front line!"

Gao Yanchou was stunned. Damn it, if you want to run away, it’s fine, but why do you just open your mouth and put the blame on me?
He suppressed his dissatisfaction and said humbly, "Lord Zhao is determined to leave, and I will not stop him. But you need to give me a clear answer about the battle on the front line. Will you defend or fight?"

Zhao Jili snorted, "I don't know!"

That night.

Zhao Jili ignored the dissuasion of Xingzhou officials and officers, ordered them to open the city gates of Xingzhou City, and fled to Chengdu with a group of trusted followers.

(End of this chapter)