Chapter 966 National War (II)

"It's raining."

Gou Moli, sitting on horseback, looked up at the night sky. Raindrops fell on his face, with a clear tendency to increase.

Around him, soldiers were busy because their commander had just ordered the army to prepare to retreat.

During this time, there were generals who, after receiving the order, wanted to come to the commander's tent to express their opinions, but Gou Moli had his personal guards block them directly.

This was an attitude, a decision belonging to the commander, brooking no argument.

Even Chi Lin and Hao Min, seeing the Sword Saint still standing beside their commander, would no longer insist on offering advice and could only continue to follow orders.

The White-Clad Sword Saint, Xian Yu, rarely appeared in public, but for that very reason, he could, to some extent, act as the Prince's representative.

The Sword Saint's Longyuan sword had long been given to the little princess of the Prince's Mansion;

but the Sword Saint himself being here was like the Prince sending a supreme sword to Gou Moli's side.

"Are you uncomfortable with this, Old Brother?"

Gou Moli turned his head and asked the Sword Saint.

Being used as the "Prince's decree" probably wouldn't be pleasant, since Gou Moli knew the Sword Saint's temperament.

Sometimes Gou Moli would try to reminisce about the past. If the Sword Saint hadn't forcefully broken through to the Second Rank and killed Gelimu before Xuehai Pass back then, would everything be different?

Of course, it was just a thought. There was no point in dwelling on past events.

The Sword Saint shook his head and said, "I'm used to it."

To some extent, Zheng Fan had long figured out the Sword Saint's temperament;

of course, Zheng Fan had paid a great price for this. A son and a daughter had both been accepted as disciples by the Sword Saint.

"Your temperament has really changed a lot."

"Who wouldn't change?"

"A swordsman changes too? I thought a swordsman's sword was always straight."

The Sword Saint opened his hand and said,

"That's why I don't wear a sword anymore."

"Tsk." Gou Moli exclaimed in admiration, "Impressive."

"You've changed too."

"Where?"

The Sword Saint looked at the somewhat hurried and tense military camp in front of him and said, "You guessed this scene long ago, and then deliberately played with Da Niu's toys there.

The purpose

was to wait for the military report to arrive

so you could react just in time."

"Well, you've seen through my little trick?" Gou Moli reached out and wiped the rain off his face.

"He's the same."

Gou Moli added, "It's called emulating the virtuous."

Immediately afterward,

Gou Moli cracked his whip

and said,

"Sorry to trouble you, accompany me on the run."

"I'm used to it."

The Barbarian Army began to retreat, retreating somewhat hastily.

In the same rainy night, Xie Zhuyang rode his horse, leading his soldiers in pursuit.

"Patriarch, this subordinate has a question," a general beside Xie Zhuyang asked.

His name was Xie Yi, Xie Zhuyang's nephew.

Xie Zhuyang had only one son, so naturally, many nephews would be brought to his side to serve and be cultivated.

Of course, the Xie family's prodigy was too outstanding, so even if the main line only had one descendant, the collateral lines wouldn't dare to have any other thoughts.

"Ask."

"Why did the Yan army retreat like this?"

For an isolated army, being surrounded would naturally lead to the first instinct to be to clear a path back, which was the safest and most reliable choice.

But this Yan army actually had other options, which was to deliberately choose a path of no return.

Xie Zhuyang glanced at his nephew and couldn't help but sigh:

"They're afraid."

"The Yan army is afraid?"

"No, you're afraid."

"We..."

"In your eyes, the Yan people have become so powerful that they're invincible. You've become accustomed to losing to the Yan people, accustomed to avoiding the Yan people's sabers, accustomed to being timid in front of the Yan people.

But... the Yan people are still people.

You only saw Qu Tiannan and the Qingluan Army being slaughtered beneath Jade Plate City, but you ignored the fact that the Wangjiang River was once filled with the corpses of Yan people;

you only saw the great fire that burned in Yingdu that night, but you ignored the scene of the Yan people's Tiger Might Earl dying by the lake.

The Yan people aren't invincible, they aren't gods.

Admittedly, their previous generation had the Jingnan Prince, and this generation has the Regent Prince. I admit that they are all first-rate heroes, but as long as my Great Chu can continue to exist, and my Chu people can continue to protect their Chu identity,

there will always be a day when the wheel of fortune turns to our side!"

"Yes, Patriarch, this subordinate is grateful for your teachings."

"However, you're not entirely wrong this time. If the opposing forces were other soldiers of the Yan, it would be normal to break through to the north.

But the one leading the army on the opposite side is that wolfdog from the snowy plains.

A wolf travels a thousand *li* to eat meat;

how could he be willing to just run away like this?"

"Patriarch, then the meat he wants to eat is..."

Xie Zhuyang looked at his nephew with a deep gaze.

Under the rainy night, everything seemed to be covered in a layer of mist, making it difficult to see clearly, but Xie Zhuyang's eyes seemed to emit a captivating light:

"It's... us."

...

"Huff... huff..."

The biting cold wind had already risen, and the chill of winter arrived ahead of schedule.

The project south of the Wei River had not stopped.

Military camps sprang up one after another, and fortifications were built in rows;

These scenes, if seen by someone who didn't know the background, might be mistaken for the Chu army being the main attacker, and the Yan army being the main defender.

Compared to the bustling scene on the Yan side, the Chu side seemed somewhat desolate.

The Yan people, at the cost of the lives of a large number of Barbarian auxiliary troops, were essentially allowing the three commanderies' defenses to develop from local defense to enclave defense as much as possible.

These three commanderies should have been relatively wealthy areas of the Chu Kingdom, but since the first Yan-Chu national war, the Chu people's originally fertile land had gradually been eroded. In other words, the Chu Kingdom's overall national strength was in a state of constant weakening.

In addition, after the Regent Prince took over Jindong after Zhennanguan Pass was in their grasp, the Prince, who never forgot to care for the spiritual civilization construction of his snow plain neighbors, never slacked off in taking care of his wife's family, constantly bleeding the Chu Kingdom dry.

The reason why the Chu Kingdom's imperial court could continue to persevere and maintain its military strength was mainly because the Chu Emperor had expanded the court's power by weakening the Chu nobles with external forces. At the same time, a series of policies to win over and divide the southern Shanyue tribes in recent years had also given the court further support from the south.

From the perspective of the entire Chu Kingdom, it was weakened; but from the perspective of the "Chu Kingdom," it was actually "stronger."

But this strength was achieved by overdrawing the entire country's vitality, that is, its potential.

"My lord, the current Chu Kingdom is actually very similar to the situation between the North and South during the Three Kingdoms period."

"The Three Kingdoms period?" Zheng Fan said.

"Yes." The Blind Man nodded. "During that period, the North did the best in development, while in fact, the South, which was richer in later generations, was still a relatively 'barbaric' place.

The situation in the Chu Kingdom is like this now. To some extent, our offensive against the Chu Kingdom has forced your brother-in-law to increase the development of the Chu South region."

"In that case, my brother-in-law can be considered to have made a great contribution to the Xia, hehe."

"Hehe."

Zheng Fan reached out and tugged at the cloak on his body, and walked up to a watchtower one after the other with the Blind Man.

"Blind Man, how long do you think the Chu people's logistics can last?"

"We've been developing diligently these past five years, but they haven't been idle either."

Zheng Fan nodded upon hearing this and said, "The main reason is the Great Swamp. The Barbarian auxiliary troops have been very effective, but when the Chu people completely pull in their necks and have the Great Swamp to rely on on their flanks, our army has no way to cut off their rear, which allows my brother-in-law to constantly provide supplies to the front-line army."

Cutting off logistics before fighting should not be called a habit of a commander, but an instinct.

Zheng Fan stopped and said, "However, the Chu Kingdom's situation is due to the terrain. But when attacking the Qian in the future, we can use this trick to break the Qian Kingdom's three borders. The Qian people's north is very flat."

"What my lord says is true."

The two walked to the top of the watchtower. Zheng Fan didn't look south, but turned around and looked north.

From there, two armies appeared. Their armor was different from the Jindong Army.

"Have they been rotated up?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Reporting to my lord, it was arranged long ago. You specifically ordered it, and this subordinate dared not neglect it."

"Hmm."

Zheng Fan faced the south again and gently patted the railing in front of him: "In fact, this national war is larger in scale than the first Yan-Chu national war fought by Old Tian."

The number of people may be the same, but the number of regular soldiers and the abundance of logistics are much better than Old Tian's back then.

"It was also planned by you personally, my lord. Sometimes, when this subordinate looks at you, my lord, I feel astonished. I always feel that it's a bit unreal, but I've gradually gotten used to it now."

"You're much better at praising people than that fellow A'Cheng. There's a setup, it's not stiff."

"Thank you, my lord."

Below the watchtower, Manton led his men back. He didn't know that the Regent Prince was standing above his head at this time.

He was in no mood to look around, because his mood was very low.

With the arrival of winter, the Chu people also stopped most of the production activities that had to be done and began to huddle up.

Ears were not so easy to obtain, and Chu soldiers were not so easy to chew on, often requiring several times the cost to obtain much fewer ears than before.

The most infuriating thing was that batches of cavalry bearing the banner of the Yan court began to seize the work that originally belonged to their Barbarian auxiliary troops.

The explanation from above was that they had just arrived and needed a chance to practice.

According to Manton and the other Barbarian auxiliary troops' understanding of Great Yan, the Yan court was also a powerful tribe, allied with the Regent Prince's Jindong tribe.

But after all, they were Yan people...

Therefore, when the court's soldiers entered, the Barbarian auxiliary troops did not dare to compete with them for meat, and could only leave some easy targets for them.

Manton and the other Barbarians did not think that they were being bullied, nor did they think that there was anything wrong with being inferior to others. Instead, they hoped more eagerly that they could obtain the status of registered household, so that everything would be different.

Unfortunately, it was still a little bit short, just a little bit short.

Manton led his horse and his men, somewhat dejectedly, through the inspection and entered the military camp, just in time to see the earless Guo Dong hurriedly running past him.

Manton found it a bit strange, but his status was not enough to stop him out of the blue, but after seeing Guo Dong run up to the watchtower, he dared not delay any longer and went to the place to count the ears.

"This humble subordinate pays respects to Your Highness, may Your Highness live for ten thousand years!"

Guo Dong knelt before Zheng Fan.

"Is it orderly here?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Reporting to Your Highness, it's not well-organized, but it can be considered orderly."

"What kind of word is that?" Zheng Fan couldn't help but laugh.

Guo Dong also smiled sheepishly, got up, and stood respectfully on the side.

"Is your family well?" Zheng Fan asked.

Guo Dong was flattered and hurriedly said, "Reporting to Your Highness, my family is doing well."

"I heard you had a daughter?"

"Your Highness, it's two daughters."

At this time, the Blind Man interjected, "Xu An's family had two sons."

Zheng Fan's impression of Guo Dong came more from his past experiences and his "disability," but this disability itself was a walking military medal.

As for Xu An, this impartial military discipline officer in the army, he naturally remembered even more clearly.

"Oh, I remember you two being very close, did you arrange a betrothal for your children?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Reporting to Your Highness, not yet."

"Was it delayed by the war?"

"No..."

"Then what's the reason?"

In this day and age, there was no such thing as free love.

The fact that he snatched the Chu princess back then could already be considered a pioneering model of "free love" in this era.

"Reporting to Your Highness, this humble subordinate originally wanted to arrange one, but that guy actually wanted to arrange two. This humble subordinate couldn't stand it, so we didn't talk about it."

"Hahahaha." The Prince laughed upon hearing this, "He's really making a good calculation, you can't agree, otherwise you'll lose everything."

Guo Dong nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, yes, Your Highness is right."

At this time, Xu An also walked up to the watchtower. Seeing Guo Dong standing next to the Prince, he was not surprised. He first saluted the Prince and Master Bei, and then presented a memorial to the Prince.

The Prince didn't take it, Master Bei took it.

Inside was a list, a list of purges, some of whom were officers above the rank of colonel in the army;

Some were directly taken down, and some were "accidentally" killed in battle.

For example, if you're in charge of logistics, you're suddenly told to go out and collect ears, and then that's it.

The Blind Man didn't open it, but he had already read it and nodded to Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan sighed and said, "You've worked hard."

"It is my duty, I dare not complain."

"I have to reward you with something."

"This subordinate dares not..."

"Hey, rewards and punishments must be clear, right? How about this, I'll arrange a marriage for your children. Guo Dong, you agree to me being the matchmaker, right?"

Guo Dong immediately put on a bitter face and said, "Your Highness's bestowal of marriage is this humble subordinate's honor, thank you, Your Highness."

Xu An also bowed immediately: "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Hehehe."

Zheng Fan turned around and continued to look south.

This purge was not for political reasons. In Jindong, the Prince was the only one, there was no such thing as differing political views.

The root cause of this round of purges was that, in the early stages of entrepreneurship, there was a representative force that had played a great role, and that was the smugglers from various countries.

When Jindong needed them most, they came in, allowing Jindong to have commercial circulation. While they made a fortune, Jindong also got what it desperately needed.

Their relationship with the Prince's Mansion was once extremely good.

But not every smuggling team was like the former Fan family.

In fact, even Fan Zhengwen, the Emperor's uncle-in-law, initially thought of dividing and governing. If he hadn't been forced to a dead end and rescued by his army, he wouldn't have voluntarily handed over the Fan family's ancestral land.

Most importantly, after both Xiao Liuzi and himself in the court issued a declaration to unify the Xia, this group of people became a force hindering this process.

Jindong was better. The Prince's Mansion had strong control. In addition, for the Prince's Mansion's military war group, the benefits of foreign wars were obviously greater than the smugglers' tributes, so these guys did not become a force in Jindong.

What Xu An was cleaning up were just some small fries, and there were only these small fries.

On the contrary, the court was more serious.

Back then, Ji Lao Liu had an operation, faked his own sudden death, and used Lu Bing as a knife to clean up a group of people. A large part of these people were the "officials" who colluded with merchants.

After the Yan army trampled on the noble families, it created a huge vacuum, which would always be quickly filled by other things;

And back then, Ji Lao Liu, who was still a prince in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, used every means to support his father in the war. In fact, Ji Lao Liu was the largest smuggling boss in the entire Great Yan at that time!

Under his leadership, smuggling became Great Yan's most relied-upon source of wealth for a period of time, bringing up a large group of vested interest groups.

These smugglers spread throughout the Xia often had their own local backgrounds behind them. They could become the Yan people's eyes and ears, but they were definitely not just one person's eyes and ears;

They would cry and shout, supporting and looking forward to the unification of Great Yan, wishing that their hometown would become Yan soil immediately, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Great Yan royal army, but the ones who least wanted unification were actually them.

"I think Ji Lao Liu will be furious." Zheng Fan suddenly laughed.

His Jindong took the lead, which was equivalent to hitting the grass and alerting the snake, catching Ji Lao Liu in Yanjing off guard.

The Blind Man said; "Necessity knows no law, this subordinate has actually greeted the Emperor."

"Oh, that's good."

When the Emperor had long known that the person who usually corresponded with him was not himself but someone else,

The Prince not only did not feel ashamed, but instead more comfortably did not personally reply to the letters and handed them all over to the Blind Man. The Blind Man would only tell him the main points.

At this time,

Two Jinyi personal guards ran quickly to the watchtower.

"Reporting, Your Highness, emergency military situation from Fancheng!"

This time, without waiting for the Blind Man to take it, Zheng Fan personally reached out to take it. He opened it and immediately burst out laughing:

"Hahahaha,

Our little dog is surrounded."