After the dust settled, Shi Xinmao, who had led Fu Zhou's troops to chase after Ling Wulin, stopped his horse.
The soldiers who had gone to test the waters came back with mud on their feet and told them that they couldn't go any further.
Although the flood had receded, the land that had been soaked in the water was like a swamp. It was difficult for people to even move their feet down there, let alone a large army.
He turned back to look at the Fu Zhou men who had chased after him tirelessly. They were already so tired that they didn't even look human.
They had worked so hard and were about to reach the rebel army, but they had failed at the last step. Shi Xinmao looked up at the sky and sighed. He knew that Wu Gongling would be in trouble if he let him escape.
After that, the feudal vassals had no choice but to take a detour, giving Wu Gongling another one or two days to escape.
Anyone could tell that the flood was definitely not without a reason. It must have been caused by Wu Gongling's breach of the dike, and the purpose was to obstruct the pursuers.
The cultivators around Wu Gongling, including Hui Qingping, all reacted, but Wu Gongling refused to admit it no matter what. He was so thick-skinned that he insisted that he had borrowed divine power.
What was even more outrageous was that he didn't hide it at all and passed the marriage contract written by Hui Qingping to the army under his command for them to read, so that they could all laugh together.
Wu Gongling kept saying that Hui Qingping was his woman and ordered the army to call her "Madam Wu" whenever they saw her.
Hui Qingping was so ashamed and angry that she almost had the urge to commit suicide.
Faced with Wu Gongling's shamelessness, Hui Qingping was completely defeated and returned to the Goddess Sect.
To be exact, the Goddess Sect forcibly summoned Hui Qingping back. They thought that Hui Qingping had already lost her rationality. If she could even fall for such a low-level trick, what else could she be if she hadn't lost her rationality? They then ordered someone to replace her.
Hui Qingping returned in defeat, and the news soon spread throughout the world. Hui Qingping's reputation was completely ruined by Wu Gongling.
Not long after Hui Qingping returned to the Goddess Sect, she was stripped of her position as an elder. She had already become a complete joke in the cultivation world, and it wasn't appropriate for her to continue being an elder. Hui Qingping was also ashamed and didn't fight back. She accepted the Goddess Sect's decision and retired from her position. However, she couldn't forget killing Wu Gongling …
"Oh? There's such a thing?"
Outside of Yan Jing City, outside a thatched cottage amidst the green hills and clear waters, Niu Youdao, who was standing with a sword in his hand, was somewhat surprised when he heard about this.
Previously, when they heard that Wu Gongling was defeated because he was going to join forces with the Song army, they were already somewhat surprised. They had actually been tricked by Wu Gongling's flashy actions. This time, they did not expect Wu Gongling to pull off such a trick again. He managed to force the Elders of the three great sects of Daehan to retreat without any bloodshed. Only then did they realize that Wu Gongling was quite interesting.
Yan Jing was the most dangerous place for him, but he had been hiding near Yan Jing recently.
He was forced to do what he could. He didn't know much about military campaigns, so it was useless for him to participate in it. In the face of the competition between the major forces, the cultivators in his hands would be sent to their deaths if they went out. In addition, he had to avoid the search of the three major Yan sects.
In normal times, the three major Yan sects could not be underestimated, and he might not be able to hide from them if he hid in Yan Jing City. But now, even the three major Yan sects could not mobilize their own forces, so it was difficult for them to launch a large-scale search for him.
Since Shang Chaozong was taken away, he came to the capital and met with Gao Jiancheng several times. He asked Gao Jiancheng to pay close attention to the attitude of the imperial court toward Shang Chaozong. Once he found that Shang Jianxiong showed any signs of killing Shang Chaozong, he asked Gao Jiancheng to use all the forces he could in the imperial court and rescue Shang Chaozong at the expense of exposing himself later.
As for the Gao Family, Niu Youdao would also arrange for them to evacuate, and Gao Jiancheng would be sent away by a bird as soon as possible.
Gao Jiancheng promised him that if it really came to that, he would be willing to give up the position of Minister of the Interior since the fate of the Yan Jing City was deteriorating year by year.
Of course, Niu Youdao did not want to expose Gao Jiancheng until the last step. And Niu Youdao hid in the capital just in case, to protect Shang Chaozong's life, and to find a suitable opportunity to get Shang Chaozong out. It was impossible for the imperial court to capture Shang Chaozong and leave him alone.
As for the physical pain Shang Chaozong had suffered, he had learned about it from Gao Jiancheng, who had gone to the Heavenly Prison to see it in person.
Whether or not the Shang Chaozong could understand the pain, he did not care. There were some things that the other party might not believe even if he tried to explain. He just wanted the Shang Chaozong to consider the big picture.
Guan Fangyi said, "Yes. This matter has been spread all over the cultivation world. I haven't heard of anyone from the Fairy Sect coming out to refute the rumor. It should be true."
Hui Qingping actually encountered such a thing. Niu Youdao thought back to his sworn sister whom he had come into contact with several times. He vaguely remembered the sense of superiority that came from deep within her bones. He really didn't expect that she would actually be beaten down by Wu Gongling. Just thinking about how sullen she must have been was a little funny.
But the situation made Niu Youdao sigh. "It seems that the meeting between Wugong Ling and the Song army is inevitable."
Guan Fangyi said, "After Wugong Ling destroyed the river embankment, the rebel army can no longer catch up with him. Commander Meng also thinks that the imperial court's heavy defense line can't withstand the torment of Wugong Ling. It is inevitable that the Song army will invade the Yan Jing City. But it may not be a bad thing for the Prince. It may be a chance to escape. "
"It will be difficult for Shang Jianxiong to agree. It seems that we have to let the Southern State take the initiative to state the conditions." Niu Youdao nodded. Wugong Ling unexpectedly created an opportunity for him, but he was not happy. Once the Han army and the Song army invaded the Yan Jing City, the internal and external situation would make the Southern State uneasy …
Year 530 of the Wu calendar, the beginning of the year.
Under the attack of the Yan rebel army led by Wugong Ling, the Yan army's heavy defense line was in chaos. The Song army only paid a small price to cross the river and successfully invade the Yan territory.
In the tent, Shang Yongzhong, who had read the urgent report from the frontline, slumped into a chair. His face was pale. The urgent report in his hand fell to the ground, and his heart was full of fear.
His army had just bypassed the flooded area when the Song Kingdom's attack began. One of the Yan Kingdom's generals who had a direct confrontation with the Song Kingdom's army had already died in battle. Once the battle started, they were in a disadvantageous position. The frontline urgently asked for reinforcements from several vassals.
He thought that the suppression of the rebellion was in the bag, so he came to snatch the credit. Who knew that there would be an accident? Not only did the suppression of the rebellion fail, but it also led to the destruction of the country. He could not bear the responsibility!
Shen Yuhong and the others rushed into the tent. Seeing his sad face, he was angry, "Minister of War, the situation at the border is urgent, and you still have the mood to be in a daze? The army at the border of the imperial court is under your command, Minister of War. What are you waiting for? "
Shang Yongzhong, who came back to his senses, quickly picked up the urgent report on the ground and stood up. He walked around the table and handed it to Shen Yuhong, "The border army is asking for reinforcements. Ask the three factions to immediately put pressure on Shi Xin Mao's troops in Fuzhou, Zhang Hu's troops in Changzhou, and Xu Jingyue's troops in Gongzhou. Order their troops to quickly go to support and suppress the Song army's attack. An Xianzhao and Su Qi's troops also need to go immediately. I will immediately return to the capital to see His Majesty! "
Shen Yuhong grabbed his collar and said angrily, "As the commander-in-chief of the army, you did not personally go to the battlefield to command the battle. Instead, you ran back to the capital at this time. The battle situation is so far away. By the time the decision is made, the situation will have changed. How can you command the army?"
Even he, who did not know how to fight a war, understood this logic. However, Shang Yongzhong stomped his feet and said, "Wrong, wrong. The real commander-in-chief of the army is His Majesty. It is His Majesty who is in charge of commanding the Grand Council. There are many things that I cannot make the decision on my own. His Majesty has to make the decision!" To prevent the emergence of a second King Ning, Shang Jianxiong restricted the Minister of War's military power.
If the suppression of the rebellion failed, he could use it as an excuse. Asking him to personally command the Yan army was no different from asking for his life. If the commander-in-chief were to fail, the responsibility would be so great that even his entire family's heads added together would not be enough to chop off.
Shen Yuhong said angrily, "As the commander-in-chief, you cannot leave now. You must stay and stabilize the army's morale. If the commander-in-chief runs away, how can we fight this battle? If you want His Majesty to make a decision, you can just send a message. How can you run around now? "
Shang Yongzhong had no choice but to stop Shen Yuhong from leaving. He ordered the feudal vassals to hurry to the battlefield as soon as possible. At the same time, he summoned Su Qitong and An Xianzhao to ask for advice.
After that, while reporting the military situation, he also secretly wrote two letters to Tong Mo and Gao Jiancheng. He asked them to help him shirk the responsibility of failing to suppress the rebellion and causing the destruction of the country. He promised to reward them handsomely after the incident!
At the border of Yan and Song, under the command of Luo Zhao, the Song army attacked ferociously. The Yan army was losing ground again and again.
Ever since the fall of Qin, there had not been a war that could destroy a country for a long time. When the Song officially launched an all-out attack, the world was shocked!
After the successive defeats, the Yan imperial court was in a mess. All kinds of voices emerged. Even Tong Mo and Gao Jiancheng could not suppress them.
Facing the pressure of blaming Shang Yongzhong, Tong Mo and Gao Jiancheng still tried to exonerate Shang Yongzhong. They said that Shang Yongzhong was not responsible for the rebel army escaping from Wugong Ridge. When Shang Yongzhong went to suppress the rebellion, the rebel army had already escaped. How could they blame Shang Yongzhong?
Shang Yongzhong was well-informed in the imperial court. When he heard the news, he immediately submitted a memorial to defend himself. He pushed the blame to the feudal vassals and blamed them for not being able to chase after the rebel army, allowing Wugong Ridge to escape.
Even though he did not say it clearly, everyone knew that he was blaming the feudal vassals for holding back their troops and not being able to deploy them with their full strength.
As the saying goes, when a country is in trouble, it needs a good general. At the moment of life and death, there was another voice that didn't dare to speak up normally. It directly pointed out that the current soldiers of the imperial court weren't good at fighting. It called for the imperial court to release the Shang Chaozong and let him lead the army into battle.
This voice almost pointed out that Shang Jianxiong's decision to change generals at the last minute was wrong. This made Shang Jianxiong's face very ugly.
Of course, there were also people who spoke up for Shang Jianxiong. They said that even if Shang Chaozong was still commanding the rebellion, he might not be able to catch up to Wugong Ridge.
When the feudal vassals heard the news that Shang Yongzhong was exonerating himself, they were furious!
In such a situation, the feudal vassals could see that the absurd Yan army could not stop the decline. They could not command the troops of the imperial court and could only watch as they fought. Even if they used up all their capital, it would be useless. Now that they were risking their lives on the battlefield, they were still trying to push the blame onto them. This was outrageous. It immediately spurred the feudal vassals to preserve their strength and make other plans.
However, under the threat of the three major sects, the feudal vassals were forced into a corner. If they did not obey, they would die. They had no choice but to rush to the battlefield. However, the cultivators of the three major sects could not force them to do anything. If you think that my command is wrong, then you can give us some advice. We will listen to you.
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