It was snowing?
It really was snowing.
Chen Xiliang, who had risen to the top of the Beiliang bureaucracy as a scholar of the Jiangnan Han Clan, stood shoulder to shoulder with the provincial governor of Liuzhou, Yang Guangdou. Together, they gazed at the sky that was white from the snow.
Compared to the tall and majestic city walls of the central plains, the short outer walls of Qingcang City were comical and laughable. This isolated city was located on the northwest frontier fortress. It was like a delicate woman pushed to the shore of a flooded river, ready to be killed by a wave at any moment. Chen Xiliang reached out to catch the snowflakes that were still sparse and thin. He murmured, "In Great Peace City, those who withdraw from court in the snow are nobles and marquises."
Yang Guangdou nodded and smiled. "Yes, we are not the same here. The snow covers the bows and knives, and the armor and heavy knives are heavier. However, the boorish people here can't say anything about nobles and marquises. At most, they can say something about a black hole at the mouth of a well. "
Chen Xiliang smiled slightly and asked, "I once heard this story in Gangnam-do. It seems to have something to do with the Great General?"
Yang Guangdou rubbed his hands together. "When Prince was still young, His Royal Highness, the Great General brought his family to Tidehark Lake to admire the snow. In the end, His Royal Highness forced him to write a poem. In his desperation, how could the Great General write a poem? After scratching his head for a long time, the Great General actually managed to come up with one. If I remember correctly, the entire poem was about snowflakes as big as fists and a black hole at the mouth of a well. A yellow dog in white clothes, a white dog … "
Chen Xiliang smiled and asked, "And then?"
Yang Guangdou said helplessly, "The Great General clearly couldn't continue. At the time, His Royal Highness chased after him for a long time. However, this absurd scene was often seen on Mount Qingliang. Everyone in the Wang fu has long gotten used to it. "
At this point, Yang Guangdou felt a little sad. His voice was hoarse as he said softly, "At that time, the Great General's legs were still very nimble. When he ran for his life, he ran as if he was flying."
Chen Xiliang exhaled and said with a smile, "Of all the Royal Highness in Li Yang, only Beiliang dares to be so 'disgraceful'."
Yang Guangdou smiled and said, "Isn't that so!"
Li Mo Fan hurriedly walked up to the top of the city wall. As the Deputy General of the Long Xiang Army, he was indeed as unruly and difficult to tame as the rumors said. After entering Liu Province, he had never stepped into the Provincial Governor's Mansion, but today, he actually took the initiative to meet the Provincial Governor, shocking the guards on the city wall. A while ago, the Long Xiang Army had disobeyed the orders of the Governor-General House and split up their troops to attack. Both the military and the government of Liuzhou were already showing signs of hostility. Yang Guangdou turned to look at Li Mo Fan and said with a smile, "Oh, rare guest, rare guest. Does Deputy General Li also have the elegance to climb high and admire the snow?"
Li Mo Fan frowned but didn't take offense to the Provincial Governor's mockery. He said in a deep voice, "I don't know the details of the purple energy phenomenon and the arrows piercing through the air, so I won't talk about it. However, just now, the crossbowmen on the frontlines reported that Gu Dongtan and Liu Gui's camp had urgently mobilized three cavalry units, all of them rushing toward Linyao City. Among them, Huyan Kechen and Yelu Zongtang's two great generals each led 500 light cavalry units. Liu Gui's trusted aide Lin Fu even led the Liu Family Army's 10,000 main cavalry units. There were even 200 heavy cavalry units hidden among them, ready to charge into battle at any time. "
Yang Guangdou's expression was grave. He asked, "They're rushing toward your Long Xiang Army's Commander?"
Li Mo Fan grunted and rubbed his chin. His eyes were sinister. "It seems that the Qiang cavalry unit that came between Qingcang and Linyao City was bait."
Yang Guangdou was furious when he heard this. He couldn't help but say that if he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have spoken so angrily in the beginning. Chen Xiliang, who didn't have a high rank and was temporarily an advisor to the Provincial Governor, pulled on Yang Guangdou's sleeve and walked forward. He calmly asked, "General Li, let's assume that the young prince's Long Xiang Army is already facing the 10,000 Qiang cavalry. If the Qiang cavalry evades the vanguard and intentionally lures the enemy in, will the Dragon-Elephant Cavalry be successful in their pursuit?"
Li Mo Fan sneered. "As long as they're caught by our Long Xiang Army, unless the Qiang cavalry choose to turn tail and run, they'll definitely be wiped out in less than two hours!"
Li Mo Fan reached out and pressed against the wall. "What I'm afraid of now is that the Qiang cavalry, who are best at running in circles, will blindly avoid battle and allow them to hold out until they meet up with Lin Fu's army."
Li Mo Fan turned to look at Yang Guangdou, who was nominally the most powerful official in Liuzhou. "This general entered the city not to ask for battle, but to say hello. This general will split 10,000 of the Long Xiang Army to follow Lin Fu. If the army that Liu Gui left at Gudong Beach takes the opportunity to move south, I will personally lead the remaining 10,000 Dragon-Elephant Cavalry to resist the enemy. Qingcang City will not be lost."
Yang Guangdou finally couldn't hold back his anger. "The war is about to begin. You dare to divide your forces when you're at a disadvantage and keep on dividing! Li Mo Fan, to think that you were a general that the general thought highly of when he was alive. I, Yang Guangdou, am a layman who hasn't read many military books. Even I know that this is a taboo. The importance of Flow Province lies not only in the fact that our side is defending Azure City to the death to restrain Liu Gui's army, but also in the fact that the thirty thousand Dragonelephant Cavalry is maintaining a posture of being ready to pull back but not unleash it, so as to form a deterrent force to the entire Northern Mang Southern Dynasty. Neither of these two factors can be missing. If either of them is missing, then Liang Mang would have already lost the first great battle. Even if your Dragonelephant Cavalry is exchanging one for two, even if you, Li Mofan, have accumulated countless battle achievements, Northern Liang King will still cut off your head! You, Li Mo Fan, deserve to die! "
Li Mo Fan's expression was cold as he said stiffly, "Provincial Governor Yang, this general has said that Qingcang City will not be lost! Even if we take a step back and say that the 10,000 Dragon-Elephant Cavalry are all gone, as long as the general and Wang Lingbao can return to the vicinity of Qingcang City, Liu Gui will still have to be a coward. Right now, the most important thing is to ensure that the general of the Long Xiang Army will not meet with any accidents on the battlefield to the east of Linyao. "
Yang Guangdou took a step forward. "Surnamed Li! The King of Beiliang has promised that I, Yang Guangdou, can do whatever I want in Liuzhou. Do you really think that I don't dare to act first and report later?! "
Li Mo Fan's face was full of undisguised disdain. He tilted his head slightly and pointed at his neck. "Why don't you come and try. Old man Yang, with your little ability, do you think you can chop off my head?"
Chen Xiliang didn't act as a peacemaker, only looking towards Gu Dongtan's side. He slowly said, "Provincial Governor Sir and General Li aren't wrong, it's just that matters have their priorities. Right now, we might as well plan for the worst. The appearance of the Qiang cavalry was a trap set up by Northern Mang from the start. Now, since our Dragon-Elephant Army has already taken the bait, moreover, what Northern Mang wants to eat isn't just a few thousand Dragon-Elephant Army soldiers, but an even more important target, Commander-in-chief Xu Longxiang! In that case, I feel that the Northern Mang Southern Dynasty will definitely activate a relatively sinister backup plan. Who knows, it might even be a small group of Northern Mang's most outstanding martial experts. At the very least, they would be able to fight against the young prince. If Beimang succeeds, this loss will be unbearable for Qingcang City, all of Liuzhou, and even all of Beimang. "
Chen Xiliang continued, "Since it's like this, I feel that mobilizing ten thousand Long Xiang Army is not too much. It's not enough. We also need to add all the crossbowmen we can use, as well as the White Horse soldiers in the city. If possible, even the loyalists and spies hidden in Qingcang City should rush out of the city."
Li Mo Fan nodded.
Yang Guangdou also remained silent.
Chen Xiliang turned his head and looked at Li Mo Fan. "General Li, I don't want you to make any military pledge, nor do I want to hear some grand speech about being defeated. Right now, I only want to ask you one thing. You only have ten thousand Dragon-Elephant Cavalry. Once Liu Gui's army resolutely charges south, can you guarantee that Qingcang City will last until the twenty thousand Long Xiang Army returns?!"
Li Mo Fan's eyes were abnormally resolute. He said in a low voice, "I can!"
Li Mo Fan smiled. He patted the Beiliang war blade at his waist and pointed outside the city with his other hand. "Chen Xiliang, it's fine if you don't trust me, Li Mo Fan, but please trust this cold blade of mine! If one isn't enough, there are ten thousand outside the city! "
Chen Xiliang nodded. Li Mo Fan turned around and strode away.
Chen Xiliang suddenly turned to the back of this Beiliang Frontier Army general and said, "General Li, the Long Xiang Army soldiers are Beiliang people, and so are the people of Liuzhou."
"I never thought so before, but from now on, I will remember it!"
After saying this, the general with his back to the two "civil officials" suddenly raised his hand and gave a thumbs up.
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