At the beginning, I became a county magistrate with greed of 500 million. The empress asked me to be

"Are Lord Lei and Xiao Zongnan familiar with each other?"

After reading the official letter from the Ministry of War, Xia Yun asked with a gloomy face.

Upon hearing this, Lei Zhenning shook his head on the spot.

"Xiao Zongnan is the late emperor's younger brother, only about thirty years old. He was selected to lead the expedition this time with the support of the cabinet officials."

"But I have an official letter from the Ministry of Personnel here. You can take a look at it too."

Lei Zhenning's face showed an unpredictable expression, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yun immediately took the official letter from the Ministry of Religion from Lei Zhenning.

When he opened it, he found that it was an order from the imperial court appointing him as the first-rank general of Hangzhou.

"Master Xia, congratulations. From now on, you are a true first-rank frontier official."

It was not until this time that a smile appeared on Lei Zhenning's face.

"This order is quite interesting."

Xia Yun nodded. The imperial court had just ordered Xiao Zongnan to lead 500,000 troops to go to war, and right after that, it promoted him to the first-rank general of Hangzhou.

Although the title of Hangzhou General is not well-known, he is a genuine first-rank official. Looking at the entire Daliang Dynasty, there are only seven or eight people with the same position.

"It was the Ninth Prince who fought for you in front of His Majesty." Lei Zhenning added immediately.

"I see."

Xia Yun seemed to be thinking about something and nodded on the spot.

If it was the Ninth Prince who fought for this appointment for him, then the matter could be explained.

The Ninth Prince was probably worried that Xiao Zongnan would use his power to bully others after he arrived in Zhejiang. By then, he would only be a second-rank governor, and it would be inevitable that he would be inferior to him in power.

"According to the date when the imperial court dispatched the troops, it will take at most ten days for the 500,000-strong army led by Xiao Zongnan to arrive in Zhejiang."

"But before that, the Japanese pirates will surely launch a more violent offensive."

Lei Zhenning stood up and walked to the map on the wall.

"Most of the cities currently occupied by the Japanese pirates are located along the southeastern coast of Zhejiang. Only Diaoyucheng, Subeicheng, and Anqiucheng are like a sharp sword, inserted in the center of the southeastern coast of Zhejiang."

"It is estimated that the Japanese pirates will launch attacks on the entire southeastern Zhejiang region from these three cities in one day."

While analyzing the specific war situation, Lei Zhenning pointed out the exact location on the map to Xia Yun with his hand.

"How is our defense line?"

Xia Yun directly asked the most crucial question. From the map, the outskirts of the three cities of Diaoyucheng, Subei City and Anqiu City are all small plain areas.

At the same time, the three cities support each other, which means that the Japanese pirates can now attack or defend.

"Our army has deployed a large number of defense lines in the hilly area 200 miles away from Diaoyucheng and Subeicheng. Even if the Japanese pirates launch a surprise attack, it will be difficult to break through the defense lines."

"The problem lies in Anqiu City. To the north of Anqiu City is Shanyin County, and to the west is Huairou County. Huairou County is the frontier gate of Wangbei City. Once the Huairou line is lost, Wangbei City will be in danger."

When analyzing the battle situation, Lei Zhenning's expression became extremely gloomy.

"What weapons did the Japanese pirates use?"

Xia Yun suddenly asked.

"The weapons used by the Japanese pirates were mainly swords and guns, but they also had a kind of firearm that could attack from a distance, causing our army to suffer a lot."

When Lei Zhenning responded, there was a deep light in his eyes.

As far as he knew, Xia Yun seemed to have a powerful firearm in his hands, and judging from the rumors, the firearm in Xia Yun's hands was far more powerful than that of the Japanese pirates.

firearm?

Xia Yun was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the Japanese pirates also mastered this kind of weapon.

"Let the Hangzhou City Defense Army station in the Huairou County area, and I will personally be in charge of the front line."

After thinking for a moment, Xia Yun made a bold decision.

"Okay, this is what Master Xia is waiting for!"

When Lei Zhenning heard Xia Yun volunteer to fight, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

On that day, Xia Yun was in the capital and slaughtered thousands of soldiers in one battle. It can be said that his trust in Xia Yun had reached an unprecedented level!

……

In the evening of that day, the Hangzhou city defense army led by Xia Yun rested in Wangbei City for a day, and then set out again under the leadership of Xia Yun, heading for Huairou County.

The military situation is urgent. If the Japanese pirates really launch a large-scale attack in a day, they will be caught in a life-and-death battle.

Accompanied by the moonlight, Xia Yun led his army and finally arrived at Huairou County at midnight.

"Sir, we have sent people to search, and all the people in Huairou County have been evacuated."

At the front of the team, Xu Wan'er rode quickly to Xia Yun and reported.

"Very good, order all the lieutenant generals to lead their troops immediately and enter Huairou County in order!"

Xia Yun immediately gave an order.

The Hangzhou City Defense Army had been training at the Military Academy for more than half a month, and Xia Yun had already promoted a group of lieutenant generals with considerable abilities from them.

Soon, 10,000 Hangzhou city defense troops marched into Huairou County in a mighty force.

Xia Yun took Xu Wan'er and a team of personal soldiers to quickly survey the terrain of the entire Huairou County.

In the blink of an eye, another two hours passed.

Xia Yun finally had a clear understanding of the terrain of Huairou County.

It turns out that Huairou County is surrounded by mountains, similar to a huge canyon terrain, and there is only one road from east to west in and out of Huairou.

And there are almost mountains on both sides of this road.

"Sir, Huairou County is a good ambush location."

At the exit of the main road east of Huairou County, Xu Wan'er couldn't help but sigh.

Obviously, the reason why Lei Zhenning ordered the Hangzhou City Defense Army to enter Huairou County was to reduce Xia Yun's pressure.

"ambush?"

A cold snort came from Xia Yun's mouth.

When he set out from Hangzhou to the front line, he never thought about defending against an ambush.

As the saying goes, a risky tactic is necessary. Now that he is here, we have to catch the Japanese pirates by surprise!

"Where is Jiang Wenzhong now?"

Xia Yun then asked.

"According to news from the Zhejiang camp, General Jiang Wenzhong is currently withdrawing from the front line. It is expected that he will arrive in Huairou County and join us in another half a day." Xu Wan'er responded.

Prior to this, Xia Yun dispatched Jiang Wenzhong to lead his troops as the vanguard to quickly support the Zhejiang camp.

Now with his arrival, Jiang Wenzhong will naturally return to the team.

"Pass on my order. Immediately dispatch a large number of outposts through this intersection to quickly investigate the movements of the Japanese pirates. If there is any situation, report back immediately."

In just a few breaths, Xia Yun issued the first order after entering Huairou County.

Only by knowing both yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. Before Jiang Wenzhong arrives, more intelligence about the Japanese pirates is needed.