flstandardbreds Chapter 176 August! Troubled times.
Chapter 176 August! Troubled times.
Zhao Sheng, who was in Dingzhou, was completely unaware of what was happening in Qingshui County, Shizhou.
However, he was well aware of the battle at Pingshan Mine and the heavy losses it caused.
"Looks like we have to shrink our defenses. This type of weapon, designed for superior blocking, isn't suitable for such a large-scale, wide-ranging battle."
Zhao Sheng's face was solemn, and he was thinking secretly in his heart.
He knew very well that he did not want to see too many lives lost, and holding on might be the most effective fighting strategy at the moment.
"Send a message to Jing County, instructing them to withdraw from the battlefield and to hold Pingshan and the county seat firmly. The surrounding civilians must also retreat to safe areas."
Zhao Sheng decisively gave the order again, with determination in his eyes.
This battle is very likely to turn into a protracted tug-of-war, and necessary proactive attacks are still indispensable.
"How is the situation in the first war zone?" Zhao Sheng was still working in the workshop. This way, it would be more convenient for Zhao Yongsheng and others to find him.
"The First War Zone successfully repelled the enemy in Huaian Town using only landmines the day before yesterday. Zhao Long even sent an urgent report!"
Zhao Yongsheng was telling the story with great excitement, but Zhao Sheng had a frown on his face.
"The Yuwen family is by no means stupid. They will surely find another opportunity. Order the troops to withdraw and deploy defenses at Shuiquan Fortress."
"If we retreat, will the trading market still be open?" Zhao Yongsheng couldn't help but ask.
"Draft a document. Reduce the number of people entering and leaving the fortress's trading market. Move the trading address two miles forward. Only established customers are allowed in. No newcomers are allowed in."
Of course, old customers can only bring one person in at a time." Zhao Yongsheng quickly wrote down the order to be sent to Weizhou.
He knew very well that his son was somewhat upset because of the Pingshan Mine incident, and it was imperative to strengthen the defense of Weizhou.
"Give further orders. The Independent Regiment must replenish its losses from this battle. The Cavalry Battalion currently has no missions, so merge it with the local security forces to fully staff both battalions."
Consumables such as bullets can be manufactured in the workshop, but the production of weapons and gunpowder is still in Pingshan. The task of defending Pingshan is extremely urgent!
In fact, since the Battle of Pingshan, Tuoba Youyou completely gave up the idea of continuing to attack this place.
After two battles, less than 50,000 of the 100,000 troops were gathered back, and most of them were seriously injured.
The Expressway Evening News reported the entire incident, severely condemning the Lu family for hiring foreigners and provoking war in Dingzhou and Weizhou.
For a time, Yan, Jingji Province, Xingyang and other places quickly became known to everyone through this newspaper.
In the palace.
The emperor still had not come to court.
The eldest prince, the second prince, the eighth prince, and the two prime ministers gathered at the grand court meeting.
"I have a report!" Guo Zixiu, the Minister of War, solemnly advised in front of the palace: "The Tuoba Xianbei have invaded Jing County in Dingzhou. There are reports that these people are from Jinzhong. Rumor has it that they are hired by the Lu family, and the Wang family of Bingzhou is also involved."
In the hall, there was one person sitting next to the dragon throne and two people standing. They looked so strange that it made people laugh.
It was the first time that everyone witnessed the three princes governing the country together.
The eldest prince sat there silently listening, trying to understand everything clearly in his mind.
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince Zhao Wei glanced at the Eighth Prince, who was standing there as obediently as a quail, smiled contemptuously, and said:
"The Wang and Li families in Bingzhou are now considered powerful clans. They have a border army of 300,000 men and a permanent garrison of 500,000. Given such a large scale, no one knows why such a huge change has occurred. It's truly puzzling."
Bingzhou is Lao Ba's fiefdom. The rumor from the Ministry of War that the Lu family hired Xianbei people was undoubtedly a veiled attack that seriously hurt Zhao Jing, and secondly, the Lu family.
Wei Rong heard Zhao Wei's words from below and gnashed his teeth in anger.
At present, the Lu family has not yet torn its face with him, and they are still on the same front. Zhao Wei's remarks in the court are undoubtedly pushing his allies away.
Although the Lu family has gradually become alienated, they still need to maintain appearances and not push things too far.
Zhao Jing knew that the criticism was directed at him, but he was not anxious because being anxious was useless.
Lu Yipeng naturally knew it all. As the Minister of Rites, he had been slapped in the face. It would be unacceptable if he did not come out to explain.
"Since he was hired by my Lu family, why didn't he go south through Zhangyuan? Wouldn't it be easier for my Lu family to control him that way? These rumors are nothing but a tactic targeting the Eighth Prince. Such sinister intentions are truly vicious!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a lot of discussion in the court, but no one made any more suggestions.
"There is no definitive evidence yet, but this is an unusual case."
Wei Rong would never come forward to mediate just for Dingzhou. It was already difficult to form an alliance with the Lu family, and he still needed to come forward to mediate.
Since this was the case, no one had direct evidence, so they chose to remain silent.
"However, the Expressway Evening News mentioned that Yuzhou was also attacked by the Xianbei. What does this mean?"
Zheng Xiangyi suddenly said this from the back of the team.
Since the emperor had not attended court for a long time, everyone was quite free in court. To put it nicely, they could speak freely, but to put it bluntly, they were like shrews gossiping, attacking each other at the slightest displeasure.
When Zhao Wei saw Wei Rong siding with Lu, even though he had a thousand words in his mind, he could only suppress his anger at this moment.
However, Zheng Xiangyi's words were quickly ignored by everyone, and this chaotic morning court ended so abruptly.
Huaishugang Royal Forest Garden.
After reading today's court records, Zhao Hengzhang threw the memorial away in anger.
"These bastards are attacking Dingzhou in an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate!"
The person who delivered the court records today was Xia Ren, the commander-in-chief of the Guard Bureau. He had been in the palace for only one year, and after he took Wu Wei as his godfather, his career was very successful.
Xia Ren was no incompetent. Firstly, he possessed exceptional Qinggong skills, and secondly, he ran incredibly fast. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe Xia Ren as someone who could fly over grass.
At this moment, the copied memorial was thrown to him by King Zhou, which frightened him so much that he trembled all over and was at a loss for what to do.
"Your Majesty, I believe it's not surprising that there are hidden secrets within the court. As long as the Dark Cavalry and the Royal Guards remain loyal, these people will be exposed sooner or later."
After hearing what Wu Wei said, Zhao Hengzhang had no choice but to signal Xia Ren, who was kneeling below, to step back.
"Otomo, honestly, have I stayed here too long? Should I return to the court?"
"Your Majesty, if you return now, Prime Minister Wei's first priority will be to depose the Crown Prince and establish a new ruler!"
After hearing what the old eunuch said, Zhao Hengzhen's face became long and he said angrily, "These two idiots don't even know how to give it a try. They are really stupid..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Wei didn't know who the "two guys" His Majesty was referring to, but he had a vague feeling that he was referring to the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince.
I thought to myself that the Lu family’s move was really clever.
When Yan Ruxiang saw the newspaper sent by the Zheng family of Xingyang in Hancheng, he did not pay attention to the records of Bingzhou at first.
"General, I heard that the Xiongnu are coming from the direction of Shizhou. The King of Qin has evacuated all the people of Shangjun to Yanqing Prefecture."
"As a general, how could I not know about such a major event?"
Yan Ruxiang usually didn't doubt Shi Yongzhi's words. He had always been skeptical about this transfer away from the center of power, especially Sima Ling, who was truly insidious and cunning.
"I also heard the news from Chang'an, and Sixth Master Deng is aware of this matter. The relocated people are very likely to be resettled in the Jingyang area."
Hearing the word "Jingyang", Yan Ruxiang's heart trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but recall the Battle of Jingyang that year.
Is history about to repeat itself?