As for the Red Coat Army, Song Qingshu didn't let Li Quan's troops completely merge with Yang Miaozhen's. Instead, he let Zhang Lin be in charge, but he had to listen to Yang Miaozhen's orders in name.
The reason for this arrangement was that the Red Coat Army's main goal was to fight against the Jin Kingdom. Yang Miaozhen was from the Yang Mansion of Tianbo, so she naturally wanted to be loyal to the Southern Song. Now that the Jin Kingdom was his property, he couldn't say it out loud. If Yang Miaozhen continued to cause trouble in the Jin Kingdom, he would be in a difficult position.
He might as well use this opportunity to split the Red Coat Army. Yang Miaozhen's troops would be fewer, so even if she did something, the losses would be acceptable.
Therefore, even though the two of them had sex, Song Qingshu wasn't blinded by lust and made this arrangement.
The leaders were discussing how to deal with Xia Quan in the tent. Zhang Lin reported, "Li Quan has been here for a long time. It will take a long time to completely digest his troops. I'm afraid he can't join the battle right away."
"How many people can you send?" Song QingShu was also clear that he had just subdued this army. If he acted too hastily, it was inevitable that he would repeat the mistakes of Yuan Jian in the past. Purely for the advantage of numbers, he let the surrendered army that had not been completely digested go to battle. At that time, if there was a mutiny in the front line, it would not be worth it.
In the end, Zhang Lin and Yang Miaozhen came up with a plan. Together, they were able to gather around ten thousand seasoned veterans. Song QingShu frowned slightly. This should be enough to deal with Xia Quan, but it might not be enough to deal with Liu Gu.
Liu Gu led 30,000 elite soldiers to wander around Yangzhou City all day long, which was really an unstable factor. God knew if Jia Shidao would order him to attack Yangzhou one day. With his personality, he really couldn't stand the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head all the time.
However, the Golden Snake Army seemed to be on good terms with the Southern Song government. If he used the power of Yangzhou to deal with Liu Gu, it would have a huge impact. However, if the Red Coat Army defeated Liu Gu, then the Southern Song government wouldn't be able to do anything about it. That was why he risked his time to come here.
"Ten thousand soldiers. That's enough." A confident look appeared on Yang Miaozhen's face. At this moment, it was as if she had once again become the Fourth Lady, who was invincible in the wilderness.
"But I can't use the troops in Yangzhou to deal with Liu Gu." Song Qingshu voiced out his concerns.
Yang Miaozhen smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I don't need your people to show up." Since she already knew that Liu Gu was the mastermind behind her brother's death, she naturally had to take revenge.
"You still want to deal with Liu Gu?" The yellow-robed woman was somewhat dissatisfied. No matter how disgraceful Liu Gu's actions were, he was still a high-ranking official of the imperial court. Moreover, his subordinates were all soldiers of the imperial court. She really did not want to see this situation happen.
Yang Miaozhen said angrily, "Since the time of Taizu, our Yang Family has shed blood for the imperial court, and now what do we get in return? In the end, we only became the sacrificial pawns in the struggle between the upper echelons of the imperial court. All these years, we've worked hard in the Central Plains, hoping that the imperial court's army would conquer the Central Plains on a northern expedition, but what was the result? First, Lord Yue was killed, and then Minister Han was killed. Has that person in the palace really thought of subduing the Central Plains? "
The yellow-robed woman frowned. "Sister, be careful with your words!"
Yang Miaozhen snorted and said, "Haven't you been dissatisfied with him for a long time? You should know that he didn't save your father and brother for the sake of the throne."
The yellow-robed woman replied in a deep voice, "That's a different matter. After all, Liu Gu's subordinates are soldiers of the imperial court."
"Are they really soldiers of the imperial court?" Song Qingshu said at this time, "I'm afraid these are already Jia Shidao's private soldiers. You must know very well why the emperor wants to go to WuTang Mountain this time."
The yellow-robed woman opened her mouth, but she could not refute. It was not that Zhao Gou had never encountered something similar. After Yue Fei's death, Qin Hui had the backing of the Jin Kingdom, so he could be said to be extremely powerful. All the officials in the imperial court were Qin's henchmen. When Zhao Gou went to the imperial court, he even prepared a dagger in his shoes, because he was afraid that Qin Hui would kill the emperor.
At that time, Zhao Gou was not as radical as this time, mainly because Qin Hui was old at that time, and he was still young. He could use the power of time to kill Qin Hui. In the end, as expected, Qin Hui was beyond cure, and Zhao Gou took back his power.
This time, Jia Shidao's situation was completely different. First, Jia Shidao was younger than Zhao Gou, and second, some of Zhao Gou's hidden injuries in his early years had become more and more uncontrollable in recent years. He knew that he would never be able to outlast him, so he had to take the risk.
"If Jia Shidao is defeated in the battle of WuTang Mountain, what if Liu Gu's trusted subordinates rebel with the army? Wouldn't the situation be even more difficult to deal with then? "Song Qingshu continued to persuade her.
The yellow-robed woman was indeed persuaded, but she still had some concerns. "But … those people are soldiers of the imperial court, after all."
"Don't worry. We want to get rid of Liu Gu, not all of his soldiers. After that, I will try to deal with those soldiers in a gentle way. If they don't want to stay, I am even willing to let them go back to Jiangnan," Song Qingshu said.
"Really?" If that was the case, the yellow-robed woman thought it was a good ending.
"Why would I lie to you?" Song Qingshu was thinking that he would give her a lot of good conditions when the time came. Those soldiers in the Southern Song Dynasty often didn't get paid, and they were often punished unfairly. As long as he made targeted improvements, they would all go higher. When the time came, they would be willing to serve him, and I wouldn't be breaking my promise.
Hearing him say that, the yellow-robed woman finally relaxed. She turned to Yang Miaozhen and asked, "Sister, what's your plan?"
Yang Miaozhen raised her chin and said excitedly, "Of course it's a honey trap!"
"Huh?" Even Song Qingshu was a bit dumbfounded, let alone the yellow-robed woman.
Noticing their suspicious looks, Yang Miaozhen was immediately displeased. "Am I not beautiful?"
"Of course you are." Song Qingshu couldn't say anything against his heart, especially with that slender waist full of strength and those long legs that looked down on everyone else. No one would say that she wasn't a beauty. However, when it came to honey traps, people always thought of some weak or charming and gorgeous women, such as Chen Yuanyuan. It was really difficult to associate a tough woman like Yang Miaozhen with the word honey trap.
Hearing his insincerity, Yang Miaozhen said angrily, "This time, I was able to accept Li Quan's troops so smoothly. Wasn't it because I lured him here with my beauty? If she didn't covet my beauty, how could you so easily incite Zhang Lin? "
Song Qingshu had to admit that what she said was somewhat reasonable. At this time, Zhang Lin also said, "The Fourth Lady has always been famous in the circle for her beauty. Xia Quan should have coveted her for a long time."
"How do you know?" Hearing his words, Yang Miaozhen was a bit proud and couldn't help but ask another question. It wasn't that she wanted to know the answer, but she wanted to hear it from someone else's mouth so that she could gain face in front of Song Qingshu.
Zhang Lin immediately shrank back, "This … I don't dare to say."
Yang Miaozhen frowned, "Why don't you dare to say it?"
Zhang Lin smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid that you will kill me."
"I forgive you." Yang Miaozhen waved her hand, acting like an emperor.
Zhang Lin swallowed his saliva, as if he had made a great decision, and quickly said, "In our circle, as long as it's a normal man, they all want to … want to … you." After saying that, he guiltily hid behind Song Qingshu, for fear that he would be stabbed to death by Song Qingshu's spear.
The woman in yellow blushed, thinking that these people in the forest were really vulgar.
A dangerous light flashed in Yang Miaozhen's eyes. She approached Zhang Lin and said, "So, you also want to?"
Zhang Lin hurriedly waved his hand, "I don't dare."
Yang Miaozhen clenched her fist, "You don't dare or don't want to?"
Zhang Lin showed a bitter expression, "You said you wouldn't kill me."
Yang Miaozhen kicked him out of the tent and coldly snorted, "I didn't promise not to hit you."
Only then did Song Qingshu stop her. "Alright, alright. Didn't his words just prove your charm? You don't really want to kill him, do you?"
Only then did Yang Miaozhen resentfully stop. She seemed to have thought of something and fiercely glared at him, "You got lucky."
Naturally, Song Qingshu knew what she was talking about and could not help but smile bitterly.
The woman in yellow looked at the two of them suspiciously. She had a feeling that after just one night, there seemed to be something between them that they were hiding from her.
Next, the group discussed the details of the plan. Then, Song Qingshu and Yang Miaozhen led a small group of people directly to Xia Quan's encampment. The woman in yellow and her subordinates led the rest of the army to follow from afar and wait for the signal.
When they arrived near Yangzhou, the two of them also learned of the latest battle situation. Under the command of Zhou Zhiruo, the Yangzhou army took the initiative to attack Xia Quan before he could stabilize his footing and caught him unprepared. If not for Liu Gu's timely arrival, which made Zhou Zhiruo worry that he would take the opportunity to attack Yangzhou and have no choice but to retreat to defend, they might really have been completely annihilated.
Of course, the current situation was that although Xia Quan lost, he was not seriously injured. Although Zhou Zhiruo won, she did not obtain a decisive advantage. She still prioritized defense.
After understanding the entire situation, Yang Miaozhen could not help but sigh, "That wife of yours is really amazing."
Song Qingshu was also a little surprised by the results of Zhou Zhiruo's battle. He could not help but feel a little proud, "Are you afraid?"
Yang Miaozhen, on the other hand, understood the unspoken meaning in his words and could not help but spit, "Who said I wanted to marry into your Song Family? I don't want to be jealous of a bunch of women all day long. My stage is destined to be on the battlefield."
This belief of hers had originally been somewhat shaken after that night, but now that she knew how powerful Zhou Zhiruo was, she had completely given up on other thoughts.
Song Qingshu nodded, "The female generals of the Yang Family are famous throughout the world. It is indeed a bit of a waste of talent to let you enter the boudoir. Don't worry, there will be many places where you will be needed in the future."
"As long as you don't only want to use me at night, it's fine." Yang Miaozhen mumbled, but in her heart, she knew that Song Qingshu's influence was growing. In the future, there would definitely be many opportunities for him to fight on the battlefield. However, she seemed to be letting down the Yang Family's ancestral teachings by doing this.
Hearing her words, Song Qingshu could not help but think of the scene that night. He thought to himself that with her skills, it would indeed feel good to use her at night.
… …
At the same time, in the Red Coat Army, Yang Miaozhen easily found a middleman to pass a message to Xia Quan. The group was quickly welcomed into his army camp.
Huo Yi, Peng Yibin, and the other generals did not leave his side. The surroundings were also filled with imperial bodyguards. There was even a team of a thousand soldiers waiting for orders at any time. One could imagine how cautious Xia Quan was.
"This formation is really big. You have so many men, and you're afraid of a woman like me?" Yang Miaozhen swept her gaze over them. She knew that with this kind of defense, even with her martial arts, it would be difficult to injure him. Of course, with the addition of Song Qingshu, there was still hope. However, this was not the purpose of their trip.
As for Song Qingshu, he had already disguised himself as one of her bodyguards and stayed by her side.
"Woman?" Everyone in the army camp cursed under their breath. They thought to themselves, "When did you ever think of yourself as a woman? Moreover, with the might of your Pear Blossom Spear, who wouldn't fear it? "
Of course, no one was willing to reveal their fear. Xia Quan chuckled and said, "It's only because of the recent ambush from Yangzhou. Everyone has learned from their mistakes, so we always carry weapons and maintain vigilance. It's not targeted at Fourth Lady. I hope Fourth Lady will not blame us."
Yang Miaozhen secretly cursed him for lying through his teeth. However, she did not expose him. She said with a smile, "I heard that the situation on your side is not good."
"It's just a small trick to lure Yangzhou out for a decisive battle." Xia Quan could only feign ignorance. He did not want to say more on this topic. He hurriedly asked, "Fourth Lady, what is your purpose for coming here?"
"I want to ask about the details of what happened to my brother." When Yang Miaozhen said this, even Song Qingshu broke out in a cold sweat for her. She clearly knew that it was the other side who did it. Yet, she asked such a question in front of him.
As expected, the expressions of Xia Quan and the others changed, but they quickly concealed it. "We are also extremely saddened by the death of the First Master. That day, the First Master and I discussed the matter of the alliance, and then we left this place …" He repeated the lie that he had long prepared.
"It really is the lackeys of those Golden Men!" Yang Miaozhen said through gritted teeth.
Seeing that she really believed him, Xia Quan could not help but sigh in relief. If it was someone else, he would still have some doubts. However, the Yang siblings had always had a deep hatred for the Golden Men. Once they heard that the Golden Men were behind this, new and old hatred surged together and they lost their rationality. This was also the reason why he wanted to find the Golden Men to take the blame.
Xia Quan hurriedly comforted her. "Fourth Lady, please restrain your grief. We will definitely avenge First Master."
"General is righteous! I thank you on behalf of my brother. "Yang Miaozhen cupped her hands and bowed.
Xia Quan hurriedly went to help her up. "Fourth Lady, you're too polite. First Master and I are sworn brothers. I will not hesitate to avenge him." At the same time, his eyes swept over Yang Miaozhen's body. He thought to himself, "I haven't seen her for a long time. This woman is becoming more and more feminine. That small waist, those hips, those legs. Tsk tsk, it must be nice to be pressed under her body …"
Yang Miaozhen got up in advance and did not let him help her up. "Oh right, I just heard the general mention the matter of the alliance that you discussed with Big Brother. I wonder if it still counts?"
Xia Quan was stunned. He had just said it casually. It should be known that he had only agreed to it to numb Yang Aner. However, in front of so many subordinates, he could not go back on his word. He could only smile and say, "Of course it still counts."
However, he secretly despised her in his heart. What right do you have to form an alliance with those defeated soldiers of yours? Li Quan is more like it. Eh?
"Oh right, where is Li Quan?" Xia Quan asked curiously.
"I killed him." Yang Miaozhen said indifferently.
As soon as she said this, everyone in the tent unsheathed their long swords. A group of people surrounded her and looked at her warily.
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