The battle for the throne in Kowloon starts with the steady prince

Chapter 103 Let Old Six Come and Pick Up the Easy Success (Seeking Monthly Tickets and Reading)
The Han Dynasty, the Imperial Palace.

In the imperial study, Emperor Shouguang of the Han Dynasty expressionlessly tossed a letter onto the ground.

"Yunzhou sent troops, and Meizhou and Songzhou both fell."

Upon hearing this, the other high-ranking officials in the Imperial Study were all trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice.

"Who said that the Great Qin Dynasty and Yunzhou are estranged and that Yunzhou has become a de facto independent kingdom?" Emperor Shouguang asked with a gloomy face.

Pfft!
Leng Tingyu knelt down. He was the Minister of Rites of the Han Dynasty and the chief envoy of the Han Dynasty delegation.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has fallen into a trap."

Cold sweat trickled down Leng Tingyu's forehead.

Many officials present knelt down.

"Your Majesty, we have all been tricked by Emperor Daxing!"

Emperor Shouguang looked at the people kneeling before him with a grim expression. In truth, hadn't he also been tricked?

Emperor Daxing was too cunning and ruthless to himself. In this situation, the Qin Dynasty is now unstoppable.

"There's no point in saying more now," Emperor Shouguang said calmly. "Let's think of a solution."

Leng Tingyu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the only plan now is to hope that Minister of War Xie Jingzhe can take over Qingzhou and then reclaim Meizhou and Songzhou."

The other officials all shouted in unison, "We second that!"

Emperor Shouguang took a deep breath.

"Success or failure both stem from this natural barrier," Emperor Shouguang shook his head. "Order Xie Jingzhe to send troops out. There must be no further delay. If things cannot be accomplished, retreat back to the capital."

"Yes!"

The high-ranking officials of the Han Dynasty, including Leng Tingyu, all knew that Emperor Shouguang's strategic thinking had reached a very advanced level.

Clearly, while the Han Dynasty was able to defend itself for a long time thanks to its natural defenses and avoid national collapse, it also meant that it would be very difficult to send troops to reclaim lost territory.

Right now, all we can do is pin our hopes on Xie Jingzhe's 500,000-strong army. But facing a pincer attack from both Yunzhou and Qingzhou troops, Xie Jingzhe will probably have no choice but to slink back to the rear.

……

……

The Qin Dynasty, the Imperial Palace.

In the Imperial Study, Emperor Daxing Qin Changqing, Prince Zhou Qin Changjian, and Prince An Qin Changliu were discussing matters.

"Congratulations, Second Brother, Meizhou and Songzhou have been incorporated into the territory of our Great Qin." Qin Changjian smiled.

Qin Changqing shook his head. "The war is not over yet, and there are still variables. We cannot let our guard down."

Qin Changjian and Qin Changliu both nodded. They could float, but Qin Changqing couldn't, which was fine.

Qin Changqing continued, "Currently, Baizhou has an army of 500,000. It won't be so easy to take it all at once."

Qin Changjian asked, "Would Fifth Brother's method be feasible?"

Qin Changqing nodded, "Of course it's feasible, but the people of Qingzhou will have to endure a few more days of hardship."

"It's acceptable, I suppose," Qin Changjian said.

Qin Changliu opened his mouth, but didn't say anything more.

"Hmm," Qin Changqing nodded, "The best course of action now is to take Baizhou first. In that case, everything east of the natural barrier will fall into the territory of the Great Qin."

"it is good!"

Qin Changjian was somewhat excited.

This is something even their father, Emperor Saint Martial Qin Tianlai, couldn't achieve.

It can be considered a groundbreaking event.

The natural barrier of the Tianqian Continent is an incredibly deep chasm, separating the two places.

If they completely occupy the area east of the natural barrier, then the Qin Dynasty will be completely secure, and neither the Chu nor the Han Dynasty will be able to pose a threat to the Qin Dynasty anymore.

Emperor Daxing can be considered one of the greatest emperors in history.

……

……

Qingzhou.

Inside the camp, Prince Ning, Qin Changfeng, received an imperial edict from Emperor Daxing, Qin Changqing.

Then, he addressed his soldiers, saying, "His Majesty has approved my plan."

Upon hearing this, He Cuicheng opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

He Cuicheng, as the governor of Qingzhou, had been managing Qingzhou for many years. Now, Qin Changfeng was using Qingzhou as a tool, throwing it away and taking it back, which really made him feel helpless.

However, He Cuicheng also knew that this would allow for a quick victory.

From a strategic perspective, this approach can minimize casualties.

"Alright, set off immediately for Baizhou," Qin Changfeng said. "Let's create the illusion that we're going to have a decisive battle with the Baizhou army." Under Qin Changfeng's leadership, 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers came out in full force, as if they were going to fight the Han Dynasty's Baizhou army to the death.

……

Baizhou.

In the barracks, Xie Jingzhe, the Minister of War of the Han Dynasty, hesitated upon receiving the news.

General Mo Pojun, who was standing to the side, said, "Commander, this is a golden opportunity. The Qingzhou soldiers have abandoned their advantage of defending the city and come out to fight us. We can give it our all."

In Mo Pojun's eyes, how could someone with 500,000 men possibly lose against 100,000?

Xie Jingzhe had considered many things. Previously, Yue Xuanjing, the Minister of War of the Great Chu, led an army of 300,000 against an army of 100,000 of the Great Qin, and ultimately chose to abandon the city and flee.

It sounds incredible, but it's actually a very wise choice.

First of all, if they were certain to lose, no one would choose to do that.

The opponent must have a chance of winning to make a move.

Furthermore, given the Qin army's current strength, avoiding direct confrontation was actually a good option.

Preserving manpower is the right thing to do.

It is precisely because Xie Jingzhe has this kind of thinking that he can become the commander-in-chief, while Mo Pojun is just a general who charges into battle.

"Commander, didn't His Majesty issue an order for us to send troops? If it doesn't work, we can retreat," Mo Pojun said.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jingzhe's expression changed.

This was a secret order from Emperor Shouguang. Xie Jingzhe did not tell anyone, but Mo Pojun already knew about it.

This means that Mo Pojun had connections with court officials.

Xie Jingzhe sighed.

The Han Dynasty's army was too disorganized. Five hundred thousand troops seemed like a lot, but whether they were enough to defeat the Qin army of one hundred thousand was still unknown.

Xie Jingzhe took a deep breath and said, "Pass on my order: let's fight a decisive battle against the Great Qin!"

"Yes!" Mo Pojun clasped his hands and stepped back.

……

The Han army of 500,000 men marched toward Qingzhou.

The 100,000-strong army of Qingzhou took a roundabout route, circling around to the rear of Baizhou and directly capturing the main city of Baizhou.

When the 500,000-strong Han army learned of this news on the way, morale plummeted.

Inside the camp, Xie Jingzhe, Mo Pojun, and other generals gathered to discuss what to do.

"Commander, what should we do?"

Mo Pojun's expression shifted, his previous composure vanishing.

The reason we dared to fight before was because if we couldn't win, we could retreat and go back to the other side of the impassable barrier.

Moreover, it was Emperor Shouguang's decree, so it didn't matter if we lost.

But now, their retreat has been cut off. At this point, they have nowhere to go but to be completely annihilated.

"Now that things have come to this, what should we do?" Xie Jingzhe sighed. He should have learned from the Moon-Hanging Mirror and retreated immediately!
At this moment, a general said, "We have no choice but to attack Qingzhou!"

"That's right!"

"No, what if there's an ambush in Qingzhou?"

"If we don't attack Qingzhou, our 500,000-strong army will just sit around eating away at our resources, and won't we just starve to death?"

Inside the tent, a great commotion erupted.

"All right!"

Minister of War Xie Jingzhe slammed his fist on the table.

"On my command, turn around and attack the main city of Baizhou to reclaim the lost territory!"

"Yes!" The generals all accepted the order. After all, if they could recapture the main city, they could run away. Taking Qingzhou would only delay the inevitable defeat.

……

Baizhou main city.

In the main hall of the governor's mansion, Prince Ning, Qin Changqing, He Cuicheng, and others were all somewhat taken aback upon receiving the news.

"Why is the Han army attacking a fortified city instead of capturing the undefended Qingzhou?"

It should be noted that their 100,000-strong army was able to capture Baizhou City because 500,000 troops from there had come out in full force, and they had captured an empty city.

Now, the Han army is coming, and they will be facing Baizhou City, which is guarded by 100,000 troops.

Qin Changfeng said calmly, "In that case, 100,000 troops can exchange for 500,000 troops."

He Cuicheng, standing to the side, was covered in cold sweat. These were 100,000 elite troops, not wooden chess pieces!
Qin Changfeng said, "I'll contact my second brother and have my sixth brother come and take advantage of what's already there."

(End of this chapter)