In the cold sky, an eagle was flying. It was not afraid of the arrows of the humans below. Fearlessly, it glided down. Gliding across the battlefield that stretched for several li, it clearly saw the bodies of the Hu tribe soldiers who had died under the enemy's knives, spears, and crossbows. The fresh blood that gradually seeped into the sand and red earth, as well as the stimulating smell of iron and blood. The Qing army that had set up an ambush at the mouth of Hong Mountain began to clean up the battlefield and organize their formations. Even the most elite Dingzhou army had paid a heavy price in a great battle with the grasslands' main force.
The eagle flapped its wings and flew a little higher. Then, it was alarmed to discover that a group of Qing light cavalry had silently attacked from the direction of the Shituhai meadow in the northeast. There were at least 4,000 people in this group. Following the natural rise and fall of the sand dunes and meadow, they silently advanced into the depths of the grasslands.
A strange cry was heard as the goshawk seemed to have sensed the cavalry's killing intent and fearsome aura, so it flew higher into the cold clouds. After flying for an unknown period of time, it finally broke through the clouds and zoomed toward a small hill beside a lake.
There were thousands of grasslands Xi Hu soldiers on this small hill. Mixed among them were some Northern warriors who had moved from the snowy plains in the North. However, this group of soldiers were clearly people who had escaped with great difficulty from the battle at the mouth of Hong Mountain earlier. Their morale was very low, and many of them were already injured.
Chief Su Bida's lips were dry, but there was no blood on his body. He looked coldly in the direction of the mouth of Hong Mountain in the distance. He knew that the Dingzhou army there was reorganizing and would not be able to rush over in a short amount of time. Presumably, the Qing people would not go deep into the grasslands in pursuit.
He glanced at the warriors of the court around him. Seeing the injuries on their bodies, he thought of the great battle at the entrance of Hong Mountain. His eyes grew cold.
Once the grasslands entered winter, they rarely used soldiers. This was something that Xi Hu and the Qing Kingdom were already used to. The biggest reason was that the weather was cold and the ground was frozen. They had no supplies, so it was difficult for the Hu people to use their methods of coming and going like the wind and leaving like lightning. This winter, the Chief had listened to Hu Ge's suggestion and gathered the most elite knights in his hands to begin an attack on Xiliang Road. It appeared to be an unwise choice, particularly with the wretched situation at hand. It seemed to further prove this point.
But who was Chief Su Bida? Thirty years ago, the Chanyu Royal Court, which was declining day by day, produced a person like him. He was able to survive and grow stronger in the cracks between the Left and Right Virtuous Princes, and he wisely accepted the barbarian cavaliers from the snow and ice in the north. He broadened his mind and absorbed the people from the Central Plains into his court …
If it weren't for this era, if the eastern continent didn't have so many outstanding people, Chief Su Bida would have undoubtedly grown into a wise ruler of the grasslands, a figure whose might shook the world.
How could he make such a low-level mistake? Su Bida's gaze pierced through the hill and landed on the Hu woman on the horse at the top of the hill. His expression became extremely complicated and downcast.
Chief Su Bida had his own way of thinking as to why he had chosen to take the risk of attacking Xiliang Road in the cold of winter. He knew that the Qing court was currently in internal chaos. The Emperor and his most favored officials were in a cold war. As for Hu Ge …
The corners of the Chief's eyes narrowed slightly. Like an eagle, he gazed in the direction of the distant Hong Mountain Pass. He thought to himself that Hu Ge, who dared to betray the grasslands and collude with the Overwatch Council, should already be dead. What a stupid person. How many of those who came into contact with the Overwatch Council could live smoothly?
In this year, the Chief Yu had already investigated what Hu Ge had relied on to rise up on the grasslands. Thus, he guessed why Hu Ge would choose such a winter to attack Xiliang Road. Chief Su Bida cared a great deal about the political rumors in Jingdou. With just a little calculation, he guessed that it must have something to do with Sir Fan junior, who had lost power.
The last time Fan Xian entered the grasslands, he had cleaned out most of the spies and spies the grasslands had sent out. The power of the court had been severely damaged. In the end, Fan Xian had still managed to escape with a few hundred Black Knights right under the Chief's nose. This reality made Su Bida feel endless humiliation. Particularly each time he looked at Songzhi Xianling, this humiliation was even harder to bear.
This winter, Hu Ge's fake attack on Xiliang Road was an opportunity for the Chief. After a long conversation with Songzhi Xianling, he rejected the princess' suggestion for him to be cautious. Instead, he wanted to use this opportunity to beat Fan Xian at his own game. Using the momentum of Fan Xian wanting to use foreign troops to help the position of the Dingzhou general, he gathered the power of the grasslands and attacked Xiliang decisively.
This was a clever plan. Presumably, the Dingzhou general, Li Hongcheng, had also received Fan Xian's news and thought that Hu Ge was faking an attack. He would not have expected the Chief to take advantage of the situation and launch a large-scale attack, catching them off guard.
Who would have thought that there would be more than 100,000 Qing elite soldiers gathered around the mouth of Hong Mountain?
…
…
This was a most shameless ambush. After this battle, Hu Ge had been ambushed and killed. The court and the Right Virtuous Prince's troops had suffered heavy casualties. At least 20,000 strong grasslands soldiers had lost their lives on the red earth.
Thinking of the pain of the battle earlier, the Chief's eyes narrowed even more, and his heart grew colder. He squeezed his horse's belly and came to Songzhi Xianling's side. In an icy voice, he said, "You said that he was only borrowing the grasslands soldiers to help Li Hongcheng stabilize his position."
Haitang Duoduo did not turn around. The fur coat on her body shivered in the cold wind. "As the Chief, such a risky gamble should never have been made. I have never truly trusted him. However, I think this time has nothing to do with him. He is just a pitiful pawn that has been killed by someone else."
The two of them fell silent at the same time. To be able to clearly calculate Fan Xian's response and the Hu people's strategy of beating them at their own game, and to have planned it long ago, resulting in a crushing defeat the grasslands had not experienced in 30 years, there could only be one person in the Qing Kingdom with such great foresight and eyes on the world.
In front of the Qing Emperor, it seemed that all of the scheming and scheming were just the prelude to the killing move in his chess game.
The eagle finally landed and landed on Su Bida's cold outstretched arm. The sky was cold and the ground was frozen. After flying in the cold clouds for a while, the animal shivered in the cold. The color of the feathers on its body appeared particularly dim.
Su Bida's pupils constricted. In a low voice, he said, "There are thousands of light riders coming from the northeast …" He said in a cold voice, "The Qing people are planning something big this time. I don't know which general dared to send another powerful army deep into the grasslands after this battle. In such cold weather, do these Qing people still have the extravagant hope of capturing the court in one fell swoop?"
Although he said this, the Chief was still shocked at the valiance of the Qing army and the determination they displayed to destroy everything. Although there were still thousands of grassland men around the lake, they had just experienced a great battle and were tired and low. If they were to face the 4,000 light riders who had been accumulating power for a long time in a head-on charge, victory or defeat would be obvious.
Su Bida viciously cursed the Qing people for being despicable. They did not give him any chance to rest. As a King, he did not allow his angry emotions to destroy his reason. In the first instant, he had already sent out a warning to his subordinates at the bottom of the hill. Immediately, the court warriors around the lake immediately began to move. They moved quickly. It was impossible to see their earlier injuries and low moods.
"Are you going with me?" The Chief turned his horse's head and turned his head to glance at the Hu tribe woman on the hill.
"I'm going to the Qing Kingdom." Haitang Duoduo lowered her head slightly. Her eyes never left the mouth of Hong Mountain. Her expression was calm, but her voice revealed a glimmer of self-blame and self-reflection.
She could see countless resentful spirits rising up in that direction. Because of Hu Ge's trust in a certain person, her trust in a certain person, and the Chief's trust in her, tens of thousands of soldiers on the grasslands had been surrounded by the Qing Iron Riders. There were heavy casualties. Broken limbs and heads littered the ground like dead wood in a rotting swamp.
This hellish scene on the battlefield made even her heart waver involuntarily. Only in that moment did the present leader of Tianyi Dao realize that, among thousands of soldiers and horses, one person's power was actually very small and could not change anything.
"I want an explanation. If I can't, I have to give you, as well as these people who died, an explanation." After Haitang finished speaking, she gently squeezed her horse's belly and turned into a streak of light smoke. Riding down the hill, she headed in the opposite direction of the sun.
The words Fan Xian had asked Hong Yiqing to bring to her had already been delivered. Because of the matter between Xiliang and the grasslands, Haitang could not leave at the moment. At this moment, she had to go to Jingdou.
Chief Su Bida didn't turn his head to look at the streak of dust again. With a stern cry, he led his remaining soldiers and advanced deeper into the grasslands. He believed that as long as he returned to his true home, the Qing light riders leaping at him like wolf cubs would no longer be a threat to him. In the west of the grasslands, of the 10,000 Northern Man Iron Riders who only obeyed Songzhi Xianling, 7,000 were still alive and waiting for him.
…
Compared to the strange battle in the north of the mainland, the battle in Xiliang Road between the Qing Kingdom and the Hu people was, without a doubt, more far-reaching and important in history. The beginning of this battle was actually a series of orders Fan Xian had the Qinian Unit send out in a small courtyard in Jingdou that had been bought for over 100 liang of silver.
It was because of these orders that Hu Ge led the Left Virtuous Prince's old subordinates and pretended to launch an attack against Xiliang Road. Chief Su Bida's hawk-like eyes saw the relationship between Hu Ge and the Overwatch Council's Fan Xian and took advantage of the situation to act. Unexpectedly, all of this was within the Dingzhou military's expectations.
The large net at the mouth of Hong Mountain had reaped countless Hu lives. After this battle, the Left Virtuous Prince's troops were completely wiped out. The court and Right Virtuous Prince's troops suffered heavy losses and lost all their prestige. The various tribes on the grasslands began to grow restless. Chief Su Bida's budding ambition to establish a country with the help of Northern Qi's Tianyi Dao, Songzhi Xianling, was shattered. For decades, the grasslands would be in chaos. There would be no opportunity for unification.
The great defeat of Xi Hu in this battle had far-reaching effects. History called it the Qingzhou Great Victory.
Other than the battle at the mouth of Hong Mountain, there was another important reason for the endless unrest on the grasslands. It was the 4,000 light riders that had been discovered by the eagle. A young general had planned the entire battle of the Dingzhou army ambushing the elite Xi Hu troops. Furthermore, this general had abruptly left the battlefield at the mouth of Hong Mountain the moment the battle began. As the commander, he led the 4,000 light riders hidden in the east and launched a continuous half-year chase toward the remaining soldiers of the court.
This chase was carried out in the ice and snow and galloped across the wasteland. Regardless of whether it was the pursuers or the deserters, they all lived unusually cruel lives. In the end, this chase had beaten Chief Su Bida until he lost all of his courage. No matter what, he was unable to make contact with the 7,000 Northern Man Iron Riders scattered in the far west.
Passing through winter, spring, wind, snow, and long grass, this jaw-dropping chase continued for five months. When the last remaining strength of the Chief's court finally made contact with the last 7,000 Iron Riders Haitang Duoduo had left on the grasslands, the brave and heroic Qing light riders finally withdrew from the grasslands.
In the five months on the grasslands, this group of only 4,000 light riders burned, killed, and plundered along the way. They destroyed countless Hu tribes. Using iron-blooded methods and discipline, they maintained a difficult chase through the grasslands. By the time they returned to Qingzhou in the spring of the second year, there were only 800 of the 4,000 left.
The commander of this group of Iron Riders that had completely changed the situation in the west of the Qing Kingdom and completely dispelled any thoughts of Xi Hu invading the Central Plains was actually the commander of the Qingzhou victory. As a high-ranking general who should have been in the tent giving orders, he had bravely lowered his rank and entered the grasslands in pursuit. Other than the Qing Emperor's meticulous planning, this young general was the truly powerful figure in the Qingzhou victory. Chief Su Bida's defeat at his hands was not undeserved at all.
This young general was called Ye Wan. He was the eldest son of Commander Ye Zhong, Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs in the Qing Kingdom, and the brother of Second wangfei Ye Ling 'er. He was the person who had left the Dingzhou army at the age of 17 and gone to the front lines in Nanzhao.
…
…
While Ye Wan was holding down the fort in Qingzhou and commanding the deployment of the battle at the mouth of Hong Mountain, killing the Hu people until they cried out for heaven and earth, the highest military commander in Xiliang Road in name, General Li Hongcheng, was under house arrest in the General's manor in Dingzhou.
Also in the manor with him was Gong Dian, who had left his position as Commander of the Imperial Army and had come to Dingzhou to take over. Military reports from Qingzhou flowed endlessly into the General's manor. Gong Dian and Li Hongcheng sat on two sides, silently looking at the military reports and not saying a word.
The troops entering battle near Qingzhou were basically the headquarters of the Dingzhou army in Xiliang Road. They were all border soldiers born and raised there. The Ye family had operated here for decades. Other than the Great Prince's expedition to the West, where he was still able to leave some influence, the Ye family was like the Emperor of the Dingzhou army. Presently, the Emperor had moved the eldest son of the Ye family back to Dingzhou to lead these old Dingzhou soldiers in a ferocious attack. Of course, there was no problem in cooperating.
The half of the Nanzhao border army that made Fan Xian's heart tremble did not actually surge into Dingzhou as he had imagined. Instead, it stopped in the north of the Cang Mountains to the west of Jingdou. Then, it chose one of them to enter Dingzhou. There were not many of them, but it was enough to control the General's manor.
The handover of military power in Dingzhou was not actually a handover of soldiers. It was just a handover of generals. The eldest son of the Ye manor entered Dingzhou. With the cooperation of the Imperial Army and other powers led by Gong Dian, he easily took military power from Li Hongcheng's hands.
If everything had gone according to Fan Xian's plan, if there had not suddenly been a young general, Ye Wan, who used soldiers like a god and the Dingzhou army saw as their own, then when Hu Ge led his people to attack, Li Hongcheng could have taken the opportunity to keep him in office for another year and a half.
It was very quiet in the General's manor. After a long silence, Li Hongcheng calmly said, "When it comes to marching and fighting, I am not as good as Ye Wan."
Gong Dian raised his head and glanced at him. A moment later, he replied in a raspy voice, "Ye Wan grew up in the Dingzhou army. From the age of three, he had practiced martial arts on horseback and controlled battle formations. However, he was impetuous in his youth. He resented his father forcefully suppressing his achievements, so he abandoned Dingzhou and joined Nanzhao."
"No wonder there is so little news of this person in the capital." Li Hongcheng nodded.
Gong Dian sighed and said, "Back then, Commander Ye suppressed his achievements because he was too young and had too much military service. He was afraid it would arouse fear. After all, the old Qin Master's eldest son had died a violent death in the camp."
"Qin Heng was also not as good as him." Li Hongcheng looked at the military report in front of him and shook his head. "Commander Ye is well aware of the art of blending with the light. No wonder he was able to hide such an outstanding son for so long."
"The Dingzhou army's wish in this life is to pacify Xi Hu." Gong Dian was also a general from the Dingzhou army. He gazed at Li Hongcheng and said, "It is only right and proper to be loyal to the Emperor. Regardless of what the world thinks of the Dingzhou army, for the benefit of the Emperor and the Qing Kingdom, we are willing to do anything."
Li Hongcheng laughed bitterly. He knew these words were referring to Ye Ling 'er's marriage to the Second Prince. In the end, the Dingzhou army had changed sides during the Jingdou rebellion, giving the Second Prince the heaviest blow.
"I don't know what Fan Xian has said to you in private, but if this time, he led in the enemy to invade just to protect your position as General …" Gong Dian's eyes narrowed. Coldness surged. "I find Fan Xian's actions shameful."
Li Hongcheng raised his face and gazed calmly at Gong Dian. "Who do you think I am? Who is Fan Xian? Since I dared to have Hu Ge come, I have my ways. Even if Ye Wan hadn't come, do you think I would have let the Hu people take advantage of me? "
"In the end, it is something that hasn't happened. There is still room to turn around," Gong Dian said. "I think the Emperor must be extremely disappointed in Sir Fan junior …"
He paused and then continued, "After the crown prince returns to Jingdou, please help me take a message to Sir Fan junior. I have always admired him, but this time, I am somewhat disappointed. A man is born between heaven and earth. How can he use the blood of soldiers as a bargaining chip?"
Li Hongcheng took a deep breath and gazed at Gong Dian with a not-quite-there smile. After a moment of silence, he calmly said, "In the end, you still don't understand Fan Xian. If he was truly a person who built his success on tens of thousands of bones, if he truly did not care about the lives of Qing soldiers, then the Qing Kingdom would probably have long become a tattered shirt riddled with holes. No matter how great and astute the Emperor is, how could he stop him from ripping apart this shirt from the inside? You underestimate his ability. You also underestimate his character. "
Gong Dian was silent, but there was a faint chill in his heart. He didn't know that in front of the Emperor, Sir Fan junior had already suffered a great injury. Could he still have the power to retaliate?
…
…
Although the battle at the mouth of Hong Mountain was an ambush, they had faced tens of thousands of grasslands riders who were like wolves and tigers. The Qing court, or more accurately, the Qing Emperor, had put a great deal of effort into this. One secret edict removed Li Hongcheng's military power. Another secret edict gave the eldest son of the Ye manor, Ye Wan, full authority to command. As the saying goes, don't doubt the people you use and don't use the people you doubt. The Emperor's confidence, or gamble, in that young general ultimately won a complete victory.
Victory required a foundation and soldiers. In order to defeat the Hu people on the grasslands, all of the soldiers in the military camps inside and outside Dingzhou had been moved out. The entire Dingzhou army had gone out. Adding on the Qingzhou army, only then did they obtain such a result. Presently, in Dingzhou, the group of soldiers Gong Dian had personally brought, as well as a small portion of the Nanzhao border soldiers Ye Wan had left behind, maintained order and peace.
Li Hongcheng silently returned to his manor and stared at the large map in a daze in his study. He then said to the guest who had been accompanying him the entire time, "I am about to return to Jingdou. I will send you out of Dingzhou. As for how you will escape in the future, that will depend on your ability."
The guest was silent for a moment and then said, "I thank you on your behalf for your great kindness." This person was Fan Xian's trusted aide, Deng Zi Yue. He was fully responsible for the matter of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council stationed in Xiliang. After the upheaval in Jingdou, Deng Zi Yue had become a figure the court had to capture. No one had thought that he would be so daring as to hide in the General's manor.
"In the Qingzhou victory, other than the Emperor's bright eyes and General Ye's godly use of troops, the Overwatch Council was also fully mobilized. Yan Bingyun has been in Dingzhou the entire time. Presumably, Jingdou doesn't know." Deng Zi Yue sighed and then said, "Sir Fan junior's plans have all fallen into the Emperor's calculations. Now that things have come to a head, I cannot betray the interests of the Qing Kingdom and go inform those Hu people. I trust that Sir Fan junior and I also have the same thoughts."
Li Hongcheng was silent for a moment and then said, "I suddenly feel that Gong Dian's words are reasonable. No matter what Fan Xian does, in the end, he is not the Emperor's match. He is also unwilling to let the Qing people sink into a wretched situation. Since it is so, why bother?"
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