Chapter 843 The Road of the Past!

Although the Zhao army's combat effectiveness was truly lacking, and even though the Great Yan had never considered the Zhao state a worthy opponent before,

such a record of capturing three mountain fortresses in a single day, followed by breaking through a pass in quick succession, directly shattering the morale of the enemy, was indeed something to be proud of.

Most importantly,

Chen Yang was finally able to release some of the depression he had been bottling up since learning of Li Fusheng's death.

To say he was getting carried away wouldn't be entirely accurate; after all, he was a seasoned veteran who had seen the world and had his own composure. But at the very least, the flush on his face had deepened, and the gleam in his eyes had become richer.

However, when Chen Yang received a report from a scout,

saying that Prince of Pingxi was leading the main force and heading east from Sanshan Pass,

the slight flush that had just appeared on his face immediately froze:

"What, what is this!"

…

The Prince of Pingxi entered Sanshan Pass, the Prince of Pingxi comforted the officers and soldiers, the Prince of Pingxi visited the wounded soldiers, the Prince of Pingxi declared to everyone that he had once again witnessed the demeanor of the Jingnan Army back in the day, causing the soldiers to cheer!

Afterward,

the Prince of Pingxi sat down in the hall within the pass;

below him,

sat Chen Yang, Chen Xiong, Chen Yuan, and a group of other generals,

with Xue San and Fan Li also sitting on the side.

The Prince took a sip of tea,

and everyone looked somewhat awkward.

Their achievements and battle results, which they could have boasted about, were now impossible to mention at this moment.

They fought well,

they fought bravely,

but precisely because they fought too well and too bravely,

they had scared away the biggest fish?

Was this a merit or a fault?

The Prince of Pingxi took a sip of tea, set down his cup,

and said:

"It was my mistake."

The Prince of Pingxi revealed an expression that was seventy percent kind and thirty percent apologetic:

"I should have communicated with the Earl of Yishan earlier; it was my negligence.

All I can say is,

I didn't expect the Earl of Yishan to be so vigorous, and my Jingnan Army to still be so spirited!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone felt a sense of relief from the bottom of their hearts.

The previous matter was now considered closed.

Since the Prince had offered them a way out, they would naturally take it.

Chen Yang immediately stood up, examined himself for being "greedy for merit and advancing rashly," which ultimately led to "missing the opportunity," and asked the "Prince to punish him."

The Prince then comforted him with kind words, which was actually mutual flattery, and they tacitly dissipated the remaining awkwardness.

Ultimately,

it was Zheng Fan's fault.

He was the one who formulated the plan, but he failed to anticipate this kind of change.

Perhaps this was the difference between himself and Old Tian;

when Old Tian used him in the past, whenever he gave "surprises," Old Tian would immediately follow up and coordinate, implementing seamless integration.

But he, obviously, couldn't achieve that level of precision and timing.

This was what Zheng Fan was thinking,

and at the same time, he said these thoughts out loud.

In front of the old Jingnan Army subordinates, admitting that he was not as good as the Prince of Jingnan was not self-deprecating; on the contrary, it could further increase his favorability.

In addition, this also affirmed that Chen Yang had the ability to rival himself in the war.

The military meeting began in a relatively awkward atmosphere,

but it ended in a harmonious one.

Even Fan Li, in order to cooperate with the atmosphere, grinned foolishly for a long time, and in the end, he couldn't help but pinch his face, his muscles aching from smiling.

After dealing with everything,

Zheng Fan also felt a little tired, propping his chin with his hand.

Xue San and Fan Li looked at each other, then looked at Ah Ming together, who had his eyes closed.

For a moment,

the old awkwardness had passed, and a new awkwardness arose.

Blindy was in the Zhao capital, Liang Cheng was in Zhennan Pass, and Fourth Mother was at home.

After removing the Devil Pill, the three brothers present couldn't find anyone who could analyze the current situation with their lord;

in short, everyone present was brainless.

This feeling of wanting to say something but not knowing what to say was really tormenting.

Fortunately,

Zheng Fan didn't intend to discuss the next strategy with them.

Actually,

whether it was the Yan army or the Qian-Chu allied forces, everyone was fighting on foreign soil, and when fighting on foreign soil, there was no need to pay too much attention to the gains and losses of "territory," since none of it was their own base.

What everyone was competing for was the contest and consumption of the living forces.

But precisely because of the continuous success, this kind of consumption, which could seize the initiative, had become empty talk.

Zheng Fan's original intention was to wait for the other side to make a move and then respond accordingly, but the actual effect was that he was prematurely making moves step by step, disturbing the other side.

The fall of the Zhao capital should have directly inclined the Qian-Chu allied forces towards retreating;

in the battle of Sanshan Pass, he wanted to gain some minor advantages while achieving the main goal, but he was still scaring the Qian army away in advance.

The main general of that Qian army had naturally discovered his intention to complete the encirclement by detouring behind the enemy lines. Even if he wasn't clear before, when the scouts of both sides made contact during the retreat, everything became clear.

It was conceivable how fearful the opposing general must be now, and this fear would lead him to be even more unwilling to take risks in the future and would make him shrink back even more.

According to the current development,

this grand battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops from the three countries of Yan, Chu, and Qian would turn into a large-scale exercise. After everyone completed a set of square formations, they would politely and tacitly lead their troops back home.

Taking stock,

the Yan country was at a loss;

Li Fusheng and his unit were almost completely wiped out;

although he had adopted the barbaric method of "gathering grass" to supply the army on the spot during the mobilization of the army, the early preparations and consumption were also real expenditures;

as for taking the Zhao country, unless the Yan country planned to station a large army here, the difference between taking the Zhao country and not taking it was actually not that big, and Nanmen Pass, as a fortress and a temporary boundary of power, could allow the Yan country to protect its borders at the lowest cost. Extended, it was equivalent to having another exclave.

The larger the territory, the better, but it depended on whether one had the ability to cover and manage it; otherwise, it could only become a wound that bled continuously.

Qian and Chu had earned a profit, winning a great victory, boosting morale, boosting domestic morale, and shattering the myth that the Great Yan was invincible.

Moreover, in the case of the main force of the Yan army being dispatched, they were still able to retreat completely, earning a profit that was too obvious and too much.

So,

what about himself?

The foundation of Jinyang was untouched,

a large gathering, the first time commanding so many troops, his prestige and reputation soared to the peak at once. He used to be a Prince, but now he was a being who could legitimately enjoy the same political and military treatment as the Prince of Jingnan.

He had driven away the Qian-Chu allied forces, and if everyone publicized it, it could be said that they were scared away by his "prestige."

In fact, he had earned a profit.

Even if he maintained this tacit understanding, he would be the big winner.

The Yan country was at a loss, but what did it have to do with his Great Yan Prince of Pingxi?

Quit while you're ahead?

Quit while you're ahead?

This voice kept ringing in Zheng Fan's heart;

if Zheng Fan was a politician,

if Zheng Fan was a warlord,

if these identities were more pure,

that would be it.

But unfortunately,

the sentimentality in his bones prevented him from feeling at ease.

Li Fusheng was dead!

How could he use Li Fusheng's death as an excuse to stroll around here just to earn this so-called "prestige"?

This was not righteous, nor did it have any vision.

Xue San, Fan Li, and Ah Ming just watched their lord keep thinking,

sometimes nodding,

sometimes shaking his head,

sometimes looking solemn,

sometimes relaxing;

since everyone didn't know how to help their lord discuss, then fine,

everyone very tacitly

changed their expressions along with their lord's expressions.

When their lord nodded,

everyone nodded as if they understood;

when their lord shook his head,

everyone made a sighing expression;

when their lord's brows relaxed,

everyone made an "ah" sound.

Fan Li didn't control himself well,

and shouted out:

"Ah~"

"..." Everyone.

"What's wrong?"

Zheng Fan was pulled out of his thoughts and looked at Fan Li.

Fan Li: "Ah?"

"Heh."

Zheng Fan took a breath, then slowly exhaled, and said to Xue San, "Bring back the Earl of Yishan for me."

"Yes, my lord."

"Ah Ming, spread out the map for me."

"Yes."

"Ah Li."

"Here."

"Keep shouting, to refresh my spirit."

"Ah~ Ah~"

Chen Yang, who had just gone out not long ago, was called back again. As soon as his foot stepped in, after hearing Fan Li's shout, goosebumps couldn't help but run all over his body, like being suddenly poured a basin of cold water in the middle of summer;

"Stop."

Fan Li stopped.

"My Prince!"

Chen Yang saluted Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan got up and walked down from the chair, saying:

"Earl of Yishan, I am not willing, I am still not willing. To pull out the troops and gather grass like this, and in the end, not accomplish anything. When I go back and hear the people boasting that it was my prestige that scared away the Qian-Chu troops, I will be ashamed."

Chen Yang immediately shook his head and said:

"Which ignorant bastard dares to say such a thing? If I hear it, I will be the first to cut off his head!"

Fan Li silently raised his axe,

and shouted:

"Okay!"

"..." Chen Yang.

Zheng Fan looked over,

and Fan Li silently put away his axe again.

"My Prince, this general was previously muddled in the head because of the fire in my heart. In the past two days, my mind has cleared up, and after looking at the overall situation, I have realized the difficulties of the Prince.

Liang territory is like a low-lying pool.

It is located right between my Yan country and Qian and Chu;

The Qian-Chu allied forces in Liang territory are like the fish and turtles in this pool. We are standing by the pond, waiting to catch them and make soup.

But the problem is that there are no reinforcements left in Nanmen Pass, and it is also very empty.

We are standing by the pond, but if we are really single-minded in bending down to catch fish, we might be kicked in the back by the Qian or Chu people and be thrown in as well.

Even if we don't drown, but we break an arm or a leg, we will suffer a great loss.

Their foundation is thick and they can afford it, but my Great Yan now…"

Zheng Fan glanced at Chen Yang,

and said:

"It would have been better if you could have had this kind of overall perspective earlier."

Chen Yang sighed and nodded, saying: "You can't see clearly if you don't experience things. I was spoiled by the Old Prince. When the Old Prince was here, we were also used to his banner pointing the way, and we would just charge and kill, without having to pay attention to those twists and turns."

Zheng Fan nodded slightly. Wasn't he the same back then?

The Qian-Chu allied forces were in Liang territory, and the Yan people were on the periphery, like two people playing fencing, probing each other.

The Yan army wanted a quick victory and to achieve results, while the Qian-Chu allied forces were thinking of stability first, while also hoping that the Yan army would advance rashly. Once they caught the opportunity, they would definitely seize the Yan army.

As long as Liang territory fell into a stalemate, a decisive battle would inevitably break out, because neither Qian nor Chu would be willing to have their elite troops buried in Liang territory like this.

At that time, the other reinforcements and supplies of Qian and Chu would be continuously transported from the country to Liang territory, and the Yan army would be surrounded.

A quick victory would also turn into a dull and boring battle, which would be an expanded version of Li Fusheng's battle.

If Old Tian was here,

if Old Tian was in command of this battle,

what

would he do?

"My Prince?"

Chen Yang saw that Zheng Fan had started to fall into deep thought again, and couldn't help but remind him.

Zheng Fan asked, "Old Chen, are you willing?"

"How can I be willing to just fight the Zhao army!"

"Yes."

Zheng Fan licked his lips,

pointing to the map spread on the ground,

and said to Chen Yang:

"Back then, I was in Li Fusheng's army, following him all the way south, and fought under the capital of Shangjing. There was another route, which was Li Bao.

And you,

should have been with the Old Prince, borrowing the road from the Qian country, turning east, and finally entering Nanmen Pass to open Jin."

"Yes, my Prince."

"Come, draw the route that the Old Prince borrowed to march on this map for me,

draw it for me

again!"