The First Lackey Under The Empress

"What? Nothing happened?"

Hearing this, Xue Shence and Sun Xiaozhun looked stunned, filled with deep incomprehension: "What does Zhaorong mean by this?"

Behind them, the local generals and officials who had either voluntarily or involuntarily pleaded guilty because the two "chief generals" had taken the initiative to confess their guilt also looked bewildered.

Mo Chou glanced around at the faces, smiled, and said mysteriously, "Wouldn't the two of you like to ask why we knew that the prefectural city was under attack?"

After a slight pause, she explained:

"On the way, we accidentally rescued a Shadow Guard, learned that the main force of the rebels was attacking the city, and also received news that cavalry had been dispatched to break through the defense line.

Governor Zhao made a judgment and guessed that the bandits were heading towards the Taicang Silver Mine, so he had already led a team of light cavalry to quell the rebellion in advance."

So that's what happened? Zhao Du'an had already gone to support?

Xue Shence and Sun Xiaozhun were first stunned, and then a surge of joy welled up in their hearts:

With Zhao Du'an's ability, and having set off early, he was indeed very likely to stop the bandits from destroying the mine.

The rest of the people couldn't help but show uncontrollable relief and surprise on their faces, as if they had survived a disaster.

If something happened to the silver mine, someone would have to take the blame, and since this was a time when people were needed, if it was really reported to the imperial court, Xue Shence and Sun Xiaozhun might not be in trouble, but the people working under them would be more likely to be dragged out to be convicted.

That King Yama Zhao, even before arriving, was like a giant umbrella, shielding them from a catastrophe.

Of course, everything was just speculation at the moment, and had not yet been confirmed. But even if the silver mine was still destroyed, Zhao Du'an's initiative to go meant that this "supervisor" had taken a large portion of the responsibility upon himself.

By chance, they all silently felt grateful to Zhao Du'an.

"Prefect Sun, please arrange for two battalions of reinforcements to enter the city to rest. I will go to the west gate to await Governor Zhao's triumphant return," Xue Shence said.

Sun Xiaozhun responded and made a "please" gesture towards Shi Meng, Yuan Feng, and others.

Mo Chou said, "In that case, I will go with Secretariat Xue."

The Taicang Silver Mine was in the west, and if Zhao Du'an returned, he would definitely return from the west gate.

When Zhao Du'an rode his horse to the outside of the city gate, he saw from afar that the city gate was wide open and a group of people was waiting. When he got closer and saw their faces clearly, his taut heartstrings suddenly loosened, he let out a breath, and smiled:

"Secretariat Xue, it's been a long time since we parted in the capital!"

Xue Shence was dressed in military attire, which was different from the official robe embroidered with a lion on the chest that he wore in the capital. The heart-protecting mirror on the chest of his armor was carved into the head of a strange beast.

He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with fair skin and a short beard under his jaw. Although he looked much more haggard than before, one could still vaguely see the domineering demeanor of the "Great Yu Military God."

"It's been several months since we last met, and Governor is even more impressive than before!" Xue Shence was not good at flattery, and this compliment was his limit. He carefully looked Zhao Du'an up and down, and said with a sigh:

"I heard that Governor escorted His Majesty back to the capital for thousands of miles, and even defeated Prince Heng. I am not as good as you in such achievements."

From now on, if anyone says that Old Xue doesn't know how to suck up, I'll argue with him... Zhao Du'an smiled, handed the reins to his subordinate, walked over, nodded to Mo Chou, restrained his smile, and went straight to the point:

"It seems that the prefectural city is safe, so I can rest assured. The rebels who wanted to blow up the silver mine have been wiped out by me. Now I have left Tang Ping and others there to prevent any more accidents.

In addition, the group of rebels destroyed Songjia Village and tried to burn the farmland. I arrived one step too late and only had time to wipe them out. Where is Sun Xiaozhun? He, the prefect, must worry about the aftermath."

Massacring villagers and burning farmland?

Xue Shence, Mo Chou and others frowned, but during the war, such things were unavoidable. What they were more concerned about was the safety of the silver mine.

"Prefect Sun is arranging for reinforcements to be stationed in the city. The generals who were previously sent to the surrounding granaries are also returning one after another," Xue Shence said:

"Please, Governor, come with us to the prefectural government office to discuss the subsequent plans to defeat the bandits."

Zhao Du'an nodded:

"Secretariat Xue can just call me Envoy. We are both officials of the same dynasty, so there is no need to be so distant."

Xue Shence shook his head and said seriously:

"There is no joking in the military. Since you are a governor, you should be addressed as such."

This guy is openly expressing that he has no ulterior motives and showing his loyalty to the imperial court... Zhao Du'an's eyes flickered and he nodded:

"It's fine as long as Secretariat Xue is comfortable calling me that."

...

...

Huaishui Road, Hundred Flowers Village.

The Bewitching True Man, wearing a patched robe, hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, carrying a wooden sword on his back, and holding a horsetail whisk, walked through the sea of flowers.

His footsteps were hurried.

Looking up, the sea of flowers, which used to grow very well, was now much more untidy and chaotic because the villagers had fled in recent days and no one was taking care of it.

He ignored the empty houses in Hundred Flowers Village and did not visit the house where the Empress and Zhao Du'an cultivated together. Instead, after repeatedly confirming that he was not being watched, he quickly went up the back mountain.

Along the mountain road, he arrived at the dilapidated temple hidden in the barren mountains.

"Fortunately, the formation is still there."

The Bewitching True Man pulled out a stone pillar from the corner of the courtyard. Seeing the illusion slowly dissipate, the heartstrings that had been tense all the way relaxed, and a smile appeared on his gloomy face:

"I was scaring myself. Even a Celestial Being would not be able to discover the special nature of this place without deliberately searching. It seems it was just a coincidence."

The old Taoist priest flicked his horsetail whisk and stepped over the dilapidated Taoist temple covered in dust, arriving at the depths and flipping the switch.

In the heavy "creaking" sound, a secret passage in the stone wall slowly opened, leading to one of the treasure troves he had painstakingly created over the years.

"Huh?" When the Bewitching True Man walked down the steps, he finally realized that something was wrong. The ground was too clean, and the thickness of the dust should not be so thin.

And when he walked into the secret room, his pupils suddenly contracted, the horsetail whisk in his hand fell to the ground with a "plop", the old Taoist staggered back a few steps, covered his heart with his right hand, his face was dull, and he rubbed his eyes in disbelief!

But the treasure trove that should have been "full of treasures" was now empty, with not a single hair left!

"My treasures! ..."

The Bewitching True Man burst out with a heart-rending wail, as if struck by lightning, his face as pale as paper. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he slammed open another secret door in the secret room and entered a hidden patio.

There was a hot spring here, in which a mature black and white double tree was planted. But at this moment, the hot spring pool had long been dry, and the mysterious object with jade-stone leaves had been uprooted long ago, leaving only a few "leaves" that had lost their spiritual power and were dry and cracked on the ground.

The old Taoist priest fell to the ground on his butt, the light in his eyes disappearing little by little:

The sky has fallen.

...

...

The Taicang Prefectural Government Office was located in the north-central part of the city, and its architecture was magnificent and full of officialdom.

In the inner courtyard of the yamen, in a house that was temporarily used as the "front-line headquarters," the city's generals and high officials gathered, seated according to their ranks.

The atmosphere was restless and uneasy, filled with the tension of the war's shadow.

Zhao Du'an, as the "Grand General of Pacification" conferred by the Empress, was equivalent to a governor and held the main seat, nominally the "number one" chief of the Western Front war zone.

Mo Chou, who had deliberately changed back into her female official robe, wearing a wingless black gauze hat and with plum blossom makeup on her brow, sat beside him. She was positioned as a "Deputy Military Supervisor."

To Zhao Du'an's right, Xue Shence sat upright in his armor, expressionless, and exuded an imposing presence.

To his left, Prefect Sun Xiaozhun sat upright, having put the black gauze hat he had taken off back on his head.

—With his rank as a fourth-rank prefect, he should have been ranked behind the commander of the Jingying, but because he was the chief official of the prefectural city, and because of the unspoken rule that civil officials of the same rank in the court were half a rank higher than military generals, he was ranked third.

Further down were Shi Meng, Yuan Feng, some military officers under Xue Shence, and local civil officials of the prefectural city.

Zhao Du'an glanced over them, most of them were familiar faces. He coughed lightly and took the lead in speaking:

"This Governor has been ordered by His Majesty to lead reinforcements here to quell the rebellion.

I have also been to Taicang Prefecture last year. Many of you colleagues should still have an impression. I will not mention any unnecessary greetings. This Governor is 'new here' and is not clear about the situation on the front line.

Today's meeting is to discuss the subsequent pacification matters, and Secretariat Xue will preside over it."

Xue Shence nodded and pointed to a sand table placed in the center of the hall, explaining:

"The current situation is roughly like this. The Huai River is divided into two lines in the middle. Prince Mu of Yunfu is now rooted in Huaishui Road. Intelligence shows that Prince Mu is networking with some gentry families in Huaishui to raise military expenses, with the intention of building a second Prince Mu's Mansion in Huaishui."

He moved his finger forward, moved to the border between the Huai River and Linfeng, pointed to a small flag here, and said in a deep voice:

"The one stationed here is Zhao Shixiong, the commander of the Southwest Border Army. Everyone is familiar with this name. He is also the most difficult opponent among the Yunfu rebels. However, after the news of His Majesty's return to the capital spread, Zhao Shixiong stopped his northward advance and is now digesting his territory."

Finally, he moved his finger forward again, to Ning'an County in Linfeng Road, and slowly said:

"This place is the base camp of Su Dan, the vanguard general of the rebels. Su Dan is stationed in the city. To the northeast of Ning'an County, another Wenshui County is stationed with half of his men, forming a mutual corner with Ning'an County, echoing each other.

The general stationed here is Su Dan's brother-in-law, and taking this Wenshui County as a bridgehead, there are small-scale rebels in the surrounding villages and towns, and the leaders are all Su Dan's confidants."

Zhao Du'an looked down at the sand table map and immediately understood the geographical layout.

Sun Xiaozhun was high-spirited and eager to try, rubbing his palms and said:

"Because there are few soldiers in the city, it is difficult to defend, so we have been unable to counterattack. However, now that Governor Zhao has arrived with two major battalions, and with Secretary Xue's command, it is certain that we will counterattack and take back Ning'an and Fenshui!"

Everyone nodded secretly at this conclusion.

It was not blind confidence, but a matter of course.

With the arrival of the reinforcements, the situation was reversed. Now the Taicang Prefectural City had many soldiers and strong generals. It might still be very difficult to fight Zhao Shixiong, but if they could not even deal with Su Dan, everyone present should apologize with death.

Shi Meng suddenly looked worried and said, "But will Prince Jing give us time?"

He met the gazes of his colleagues and said seriously:

"When the army is mobilized, Prince Jing on the Eastern Front will definitely know. Secretariat has also been on the Western Front for some time. If the rebels in Jiancheng Road cause chaos at this time, making the Eastern Front unstable and thus involving our forces, how should we deal with it?"

Zhao Du'an did not say anything, but turned to look at Xue Shence, wanting to hear the answer from this "Military God."

The most awkward place for a two-front war appeared. There was Prince Mu in the west and Prince Jing in the east.

The imperial army had a chance of winning against either side alone, but was unable to cope with both sides at the same time.

Yuan Feng also echoed:

"Now that the two princes have reached an alliance, they will not be unaware of the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold', so Prince Jing cannot sit idly by and watch us fight the Yunfu rebels with all our strength."

Xue Shence's expression remained unchanged, and he had already made a plan in his mind. He said in a firm tone:

"Based on my judgment, Prince Jing will not cause trouble before we completely recover the territory that was swallowed up by Linfeng Road."

He met Zhao Du'an's gaze and explained:

"Although Prince Jing and Prince Mu are allies, this alliance is very fragile. Although both sides do not want to see the other being annihilated, they will definitely not want to see the other stronger than themselves."

Now, Prince Jing is holding firmly to the territory of Huaishui that he has conquered, without setting foot in Linfeng, while Prince Mu has eaten up a portion of Linfeng's territory. In this situation, Prince Jing is probably hoping to use the court's hand to weaken the strength of the Yunfu rebel army."

Sun Xiaozhun also nodded, agreeing with this assessment:

"Now that the Grand Secretariat has been on the Western Front for some time, Prince Jing must have known about the news of reinforcements leaving the capital long ago, but the lack of any action on the Eastern Front indicates his attitude."

This is the ugly power struggle... Zhao Du'an sighed softly, shaking his head in mockery.

If the two great feudal lords worked together, the court would really be unable to do anything to them, and even Linfeng might have already been lost.

But the problem is that the two feudal lords cannot "work together"; so-called cooperation and alliance are only a last resort.

He pondered:

"So, you two believe that Prince Jing actually hopes that we can weaken some of Prince Mu's military strength?"

Xue Shence nodded seriously:

"I guess that the limit Prince Jing can accept is for us to take back the Linfeng territory, including Ning'an County, but if we want to go further and continue to attack Huaishui, Prince Jing will no longer sit idly by."

Zhao Du'an tapped the table lightly with his finger, attracting everyone's attention, and he smiled:

"This is a good thing. It's easier for us to exploit the cracks when the enemy has discord. Now that such a piece of fat has been delivered to our mouths, there's no reason not to eat it. In that case, we should counterattack as soon as possible, retake Ning'an County, and drive the rebels out."

Shi Meng laughed:

"Governor, let's leave the city-seizing battle to our Shenji Camp. It's time to let these bandits experience the taste of firearms and artillery."

New-style firearms... Everyone in the hall's eyes lit up. They were also quite curious about the new-style firearms that had destroyed the Qingzhou rebels.

Yuan Feng said:

"Firearms are indeed powerful, but today is different from the past. The enemy must have taken precautions. If we use firearms again now, it will be difficult to have miraculous effects. When it comes to land battles, our Five Army Camp is better."

His previous defeat had left him feeling stifled, and he wanted to perform meritorious service to raise his eyebrows and exhale.

"You two adults have come from afar and are tired, and you don't understand the situation here. Why don't you hold the line while we act as vanguards?"

A strange officer stood up. This was a local general from Taicang Prefecture who had been sent to guard the granary and had recently returned in a hurry.

Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows. The battle hadn't even started yet, and a group of people were already vying for the chance to fight.

Sun Xiaozhun smoothed things over, smiling wryly:

"Everyone, don't compete. I'm afraid this city-seizing matter is not simple. You must know that the enemy general Su Dan is best at defending cities. Although we have troops now, if we want to retake the lost territory, we still need to consider it carefully."

Chen Gui, the chief officer of the Ordnance Bureau, stroked his beard and said:

"What's there to fear from a mere county city wall? Just give me ten cannons, find a suitable location, and I can blast open the city wall!"

After the battle of Qingzhou, Chen Huoshen was a little cocky and wanted to bombard everyone with cannons.

Xue Shence glanced at him and said calmly:

"I don't doubt the power of the Shenji Camp's artillery at all, but what if Su Dan escorts a large number of civilians from the city in front of the city wall? I have read this person's resume, and he has done similar things before."

This... The smug Chen Huoshen suddenly stalled and couldn't answer.

Using civilians in front, if you forcibly bombard the city with firearms... The consequences can be imagined. This disgusting method cannot deal with bandits, but it happens to restrain the court's army.

As long as the court dares to fire, the feudal lords entrenched in various places will frantically start propaganda, causing the legitimacy of imperial power to be shaken.

You must know that the court's strongest "weapon" now is not the army, but legitimacy.

The Empress has announced to the world that the feudal lords are rebels, and once the court starts shelling the people, the Empress will become a fatuous ruler who should be讨伐(Tǎo fá: condemned and possibly overthrown).

"Absolutely not! Firearms can only be used on rebels and must not be fired on the city rashly!"

Mo Chou, who had been silent all along, spoke firmly, her tone leaving no room for refusal.

The role of the "監軍(Jiān Jūn: army monitor)" is reflected at this time.

Xue Shence nodded immediately:

"With our strength, it's only a matter of time if we want to retake the lost territory. At worst, we'll take some effort. There's no need to use such methods."

Everyone agreed, and it seemed that the meeting's tone was about to be set.

Suddenly, a military officer rushed in from outside the hall, interrupting the meeting:

"Report! Scouts from the front have reported that the enemy general Su Dan has ordered Ning'an and Wenshui counties to prepare for burning the cities. Although there has been no action yet, they are already stockpiling tung oil, charcoal, and thatch!"

What?! Preparing to burn the cities?

This news was like a bomb, causing the originally calm atmosphere of the meeting to change suddenly!

"Explain clearly! Explain clearly quickly! Su Dan wants to burn the cities?!" A general stood up and questioned loudly.

Xue Shence and others also turned their attention.

The reporting officer was sweating profusely and stammered:

"Some of our scouts are lurking in Ning'an County to gather intelligence. They just sent back news that Su Dan, while ordering the attack on the city today, had already sent a 《焚城細則十二條》(Fén Chéng Xìzé Shí'èr Tiáo: Twelve Burning City Details) to various places, formulating strict rules.

Including the requirement to simultaneously meet four 'signals' before the areas occupied by the enemy will simultaneously burn the towns where they are located.

At the same time, the enemy is working feverishly to transport grain, money, and other items from the two counties to Huaishui. Judging from their appearance, they also know that they can't stop us, so they have made preparations for withdrawal."

The whole place was silent, soundless!

Zhao Du'an was expressionless, and a word suddenly jumped out of his mind:

Scorched Earth Policy!

Even if he didn't understand military affairs in his previous life, he had heard of this tactic, the general idea being:

Once the enemy is too strong and one's own side cannot hold the territory, all local resources are burned into scorched earth before withdrawing, leaving nothing for the enemy. In this way, even if the enemy captures the city, they will not get any supplies.

This is a classic "space-for-time" tactic, and Zhao Du'an had seen many successful cases using this strategy in his previous life.

However, he did not expect that this "舉人將軍(Jǔrén Jiāngjūn: Juren General)" would be so decisive!

"So that's it... No wonder, when I went to the silver mine, I saw the rebels burning the fields. Now it seems that this is part of Su Dan's entire tactic...

He knows that once the reinforcements arrive, the territory that has been eaten must be spit out, so before we arrive, he will launch a large-scale attack on the city and try his best to destroy the mines and granaries... At the same time, he will arrange for people to move the looted resources to the rear, and then prepare to burn the city..."

"And relying on the city, they can defend the city to the death and delay time. When the resources are sent away, or they can't hold it anymore, they will abandon the city and leave... What a decisive person!"

Zhao Du'an took a light breath, gaining a deeper understanding of this "Juren General" whom he had only seen the name of on paper.

Mo Chou's face changed, and she said urgently:

"What should we do next? In this way, we don't have much time left! If we continue to nibble away little by little and fight steadily, we will give the other party enough time to prepare for withdrawal."

The situation changed again!

The excellent situation suddenly deteriorated!

Although a strong attack with artillery can lead to a quick victory, the other party dares to burn the city, and they definitely don't mind using civilians as shields.

But if firearms are not used, it will be difficult to retake the lost territory in a short time.

The atmosphere was heavy, everyone's faces were gloomy, and a sense of anxiety began to spread!

"Why not send masters to assassinate the enemy general? We have quite a few cultivation masters on our side now," someone suggested.

"Impossible! Do you think the enemy general doesn't have any means to resist the strong in the world? And every general is not stupid. As long as the main general is killed, the signal will be sent, and I'm afraid that the city will be burned immediately!" someone retorted.

"Sir, leave it to me, immediately kill out of the city, while the other party hasn't reacted, maybe we can..."

"They have city walls to defend! Is attacking a city an easy task?"

"In my opinion, we should..."

For a time, the hall was noisy and chaotic, and various ideas were put forward, but they were quickly extinguished.

Xue Shence raised his hand to suppress the noise. His expression was extremely solemn, but his voice was still calm:

"Don't worry, Su Dan will not abandon the territory at will unless he is desperate, and Prince Mu will not agree! With my understanding of this person, he will definitely try to fight us. Only when he can't hold it will he implement the scorched earth policy, so we still have time."

After a pause, he glanced at everyone:

"Three days, it will take the other party at least three days to complete the preparations for burning the city!

Next, everyone stays and discusses together. Before tomorrow, we must come up with at least three sets of strategies for a stable counterattack in the shortest possible time!"

He turned to Sun Xiaozhun:

"Prefect Sun, please take care of the affairs in the city."

Sun Xiaozhun nodded vigorously, and the black and thin prefect's hair seemed to be even whiter.

Xue Shence looked at Zhao Du'an and Mo Chou again, ashamed:

"Commander Zhao..."

Zhao Du'an stood up and said calmly:

"I don't understand leading troops in battle, so I won't participate in the specific tactical arrangements. I am ordered to supervise the army, and the specific battle arrangements will be decided by Grand Secretariat Xue."

He knew how terrible it was for a layman to guide an expert, so he clearly stated that he would not interfere in specific affairs.

Xue Shence gave him a grateful look.

Zhao Du'an turned his head to look at Mo Chou, who was still sitting in place:

"What about you?"

Mo Chou bit her lip and said, "I'll listen here for a while. You go and rest first."

It's as if you can understand if you listen here... Zhao Du'an shook his head and walked out alone.

No one saw him off, even Shi Meng and Chen Gui, the generals of the Shenji Camp, were all focused on sitting around the sandbox, discussing tactics around Xue Shence.

The voices were noisy and enthusiastic, but they had nothing to do with Zhao Du'an.

Even if he had defeated the Qingzhou army, everyone knew that it was the credit of the firearms. Therefore, as long as the Shenji Camp was there and Chen Gui was here, it would be enough.

And when facing the real battlefield decisions and operations, wanting to retake the lost territory in three days as much as possible is an almost impossible task.

Everyone's eyes will only focus on Xue Shence.

Hoping on this "Great Yu Military God."

Just like when the enemy attacked the city, as long as they saw Xue Shence's figure like a banner on the city wall, the morale of the army could be stabilized.

On the front battlefield, the "Military God" is the real protagonist.

The sound of discussion behind him became farther and farther away. When Zhao Du'an stepped out of the courtyard gate of the "headquarters," he paused briefly, turned his head to look back at the "meeting room" in the depths, and raised his head to see dark clouds covering the sky at some point.

He murmured softly:

"Three days later, the city will be burned in flames?"

"Heh, interesting."

—

ps: Happy Lantern Festival, everyone