The two armies faced off against each other at the Western Wall. They had just survived the damned rainy season. The muddy ground gradually hardened. An imperial edict from Tai 'an City was somehow made public and spread widely. It was like a thunderclap that suddenly exploded on the ground, shaking people's hearts.
Xu Xiao from Li Yang had used most of the Xu family's elite cavalry to win the Battle of Jinghe. He had used up all of Da Chu's so-called invincible great halberd warriors. His morale was at its peak. He only needed a suitable time to make the final decision at the Western Wall. Then, the imperial edict came out. All his efforts were in vain. The encirclement around Da Chu had not been completely completed. Now, it was even looser.
The balance of power that had been exchanged with the lives of hundreds of thousands of Xu family soldiers instantly became a precarious situation.
The northeast defense line was still fine. After all, Gu Jiantang had already destroyed Dongyue without any effort. Most of the Gu elites were still there. Even if they did not go south to support Xu Xiao's army as promised, they were still a blade hanging over Da Chu's head. However, General Zhao Bodang, who had been avoiding direct battles during the expedition to the south, even though he was only responsible for the easy task of building the northwest defense line, as one of the few high-ranking officials and generals with royal family background, he abandoned the task at the crucial moment. He retreated 600 miles in one breath as if he was determined to watch the fire burn on the other side of the river. Without a doubt, he was giving away the great victory of the Battle of Jinghe. Compared to Xu Xiao, who had exhausted himself on the battlefield at the Western Wall, Zhao Bodang had come into contact with the imperial edict earlier. Therefore, when his army retreated through the night to the Lead Mountain Pass 600 miles away from the Tomb of the Concubines, anyone with a discerning eye knew that the true battle between the two countries had already surfaced.
At that time, Da Chu, who still had the advantage in terms of military strength, only needed to retake the Tomb of the Concubines to gain greater strategic depth. As long as Xu Xiao, who was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, dared to divide his forces to attack the Tomb of the Concubines, the War Saint Ye Baikui could be the first to blow the horn on the Western Wall. How could Ye Baikui, who had never been defeated, turn a blind eye to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? The reason why Da Chu had fallen into the current predicament was that Xu Xiao had fought a series of battles that were almost desperate. His adopted son, Chu Lushan, who was not well-known, had stood out in these battles. It was this fat man, who was good at killing one thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of his own men, who had beaten Da Chu's Northern Army with a kind of unreasonable and vicious method. This had helped Chen Zhibao to clear out all the periphery of the Northern Front, and finally led to the great victory at the Jinghe River, forcing Da Chu to retreat and station their troops at the Western Wall. So, they had lost the advantage in terms of manpower but lost the advantage in terms of geographical advantage. Ye Baikui, as Da Chu's stabilizing force, was known as a great military strategist who could lead a country alone. At this time, he made a decision that would be debated endlessly in the history of future generations. He gave up on Cao Changqing, who had shown stunning military talent as a fledgling, and chose his trusted general Meng Hu, who had great experience, outstanding military service, and a steady personality. He sent this person to lead an elite troop to the Imperial Concubine's Grave.
Before the Xu Family's army had to move out, there was a fierce dispute limited to a small area. The two strategists, Zhao Changling and Li Yishan, finally had their first fierce disagreement. Zhao Changling decided that since they had lost their momentum, and the Zhao Emperor had decreed to retreat without fighting, then the three hundred thousand troops led by the general would retreat to Li Yang. They could openly retreat to the Imperial Concubine's Grave, or even to Zhao Bodang's camp, and "eat" this troop. Then they would have Gu Jiantang listen to orders, and resolve the problem of "Gu". Then they would fight to the death with Da Chu and Ye Baikui. Li Yishan, on the other hand, believed that this retreat would allow Great Chu, who was barely breathing, to breathe a sigh of relief. Therefore, Li Yishan suggested that they divide their forces decisively, but at the same time, they could not divide too much. 20,000 was the limit. Zhao Changling, who had always been gentle and refined, was furious. He scolded Li Yishan for being a child's play. Ye Baikui had clearly learned of the imperial edict and Zhao Bodang's retreat earlier than the general. Da Chu had split forty to fifty thousand people from the already crowded West Wall. It would not hurt them. But the general's twenty thousand people would hurt the general's chances of victory in the battle between the two armies. It was also a muddle-headed move that was like throwing a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood. It was the same as going to the Imperial Concubine's Grave to die for nothing.
In the heavy atmosphere of the tent, there was a map of Da Chu's situation hanging. The red and black lines that symbolized offense and defense were circled with cinnabar and charcoal. The arrows on the table used to accurately time the marching arrows were slowly dripping.
Inside the tent, there was Xu Xiao, who was in his thirties and could decide the fate of the world. Zhao Changling and Li Yishan, who had been strategizing in the tent. The three adopted sons who had been urgently summoned into the tent, Chen Zhibao, Yuan Zuozong, and Chu Lushan, as well as a group of meritorious commanders of the infantry and cavalry. There was Wu Qi, a swordsman who had come with his sister from the Wu Family Sword Tomb. He could be considered half of Chen Zhibao's military master. There was also Xu Pu, whose reputation in the cavalry army did not lose to the general's brother-in-law Wu Qi. He was a rare scholarly general in the Xu family army. There was also General Zhong Hongwu, Yan Wenluan, who had been nicknamed "Camp Step by Step," as well as Liu Yuanji, Wei Tieshan, and other generals. It could be said that if the dozen people in the tent were successfully assassinated, only half of them would die, and the world would be Da Chu's.
Hsu Fengnian turned around and looked at these familiar and unfamiliar faces. They were the ones who had fought for Xu Xiao.
They did not see a young person standing under the map, his finger gently moving along the red and black marching routes. At the top of Wudang's Lotus Peak, the three "people" entered the spring and autumn to see the spring and autumn. This "person" had appeared in the tragic battle of Jing River, and then followed them to the Western Wall. But in his eyes, the people and objects in the spring and autumn were only divided into black and white. His joy, anger, sorrow, and joy would not affect the people in the spring and autumn. At this time, Zhong Hongwu had not yet taken control of the Northern Liang cavalry. Before him, there were still Wu Qi and Xu Pu, two great mountains. Yan Wenluan was already blind in one eye, but he was the most new face in the tent. Compared to the future Lu Qiu 'er, Chu Lushan seemed to be a few dozen catties thinner. He was full of viciousness, and did not have a flattering smile like a decade later. The famous White Bear Yuan Zuozong probably did not care to take care of his beard. His beard was thick, and he seemed even more heroic.
The old general Hong Ze had not died of illness outside Xiangfan City, and the great general Su Hengqu had not died in Western Shu.
Hsu Fengnian looked at Zhao Changling who was standing next to Xu Xiao. He looked at the side profile of this strategist from Da Chu's Guangling Green Pavilion Zhao Family. He was elegant and determined. Zhao Changling was the kind of scholar that rulers and officials would admire at first sight. When attacking Da Chu, where the country was, Zhao Changling did not show any mercy. On the contrary, the chief of the Xu family's cavalry, Da Chu, mostly came from his plans. Zhao Changling was the main, and Li Yishan was the support. The two strategists complemented each other.
Hsu Fengnian moved his gaze slightly. The humble strategist who had been willing to let Zhao Changling cover his edge had a calm expression under Zhao Changling's aggressive questioning.
At this time, his master's expression was still very good.
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