Chapter 872: Crisis in Daliang, invasion from five countries
Princess Pingyang’s Mansion!
Although today is not the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhou Chen took the initiative to invite Mei Changsu and Lin Chen to his home for dinner.
Since arriving at the princess's mansion, Mei Changsu has picked up Xiaobao. Xiaobao is now more than half a year old and weighs more than ten kilograms.
Mei Changsu's constitution was very weak, so it was really hard to hold him up, but even so, he was reluctant to put him down, and Lin Chen tried to persuade him to no avail.
"Hey, this Changsu, when he sees your little treasure, there is no one else in his eyes. He is just a child. What fun is there? It's boring."
Lin Chen said to Zhou Chen, as if he was complaining that Mei Changsu ignored Xiaobao after seeing him, and looked very unhappy.
Zhou Chen said: "That's because you don't understand the feeling of being a father, but that's normal. After all, you don't even have a woman, let alone a child. How can you understand such a profound father-son relationship?"
"Hey, you're exciting me again, you're exciting me again, aren't you?"
Lin Chen said with disdain: "It's useless even if you provoke me, what's wrong with me just not looking for it? I'm so free and happy by myself, why would I find a woman to take care of me, let alone have children?"
It’s so troublesome, I’m scared just thinking about it.”
"Oh, you are still a person who fears marriage."
"What? People who are afraid of marriage? Am I afraid? I just don't want it to be troublesome. Okay, forget it. You don't understand even if I tell you."
Lin Chen was very dissatisfied with Zhou Chen's attitude and felt that he was playing tricks on others.
"The mansion of your family has started to be built. It should be ready for living before the year. I told you to leave a place for me during the Chinese New Year. Our old man is not here. It's too boring for me to celebrate the New Year alone. I'd better come here.
I’m here to play with you.”
Although he feels comfortable living alone, it does not mean that he does not want to reunite. It is definitely happier to spend the New Year with familiar relatives than to spend the New Year alone.
Zhou Chen said: "No problem, you can stay in my mansion as long as you want."
Both the Lin family and his son were his benefactors, not to mention that they had known each other for more than ten years, and they were junior brothers, so their relationship was not much different from that of biological brothers.
"Has there been any progress in your Pure Yang Jue recently?"
"There is no progress. I have practiced to the extreme. I can only understand it by myself, but this kind of thing is not so easy to do."
"It's good if you can figure it out. I'm really afraid that you'll get into trouble. It's best to just let things take their own course."
He knew Zhou Chen's desire for martial arts, so he was worried that in order to achieve a breakthrough, Zhou Chen would affect his emotions and practice martial arts with an impatience, which would make him more likely to make mistakes.
After a while, Mei Changsu handed the little treasure to Ziyu and participated in the chat between Zhou Chen and Lin Chen.
"Xiao Chen, I have something to tell you. Do you still remember that last year I asked Mr. Zhou to come to the capital to help me? I gave him the chapter annotations of the Four Books and Five Classics that you compiled, and said that I would take you there when I was free.
Visit his old man."
Speaking of this, Mei Changsu sighed softly: "It's a pity that there are so many things in the capital that we haven't had time for more than a year. A few days ago, Mr. Zhou sent someone to deliver it to me
I asked about this in my letter and wanted to invite us to Lingyin Temple, what do you think?"
"Mr. Zhou? That is a highly respected old gentleman." Lin Chen exclaimed.
Zhou Chen did not hesitate and nodded: "Of course I have no problem. Lingyin Temple is not far from the capital anyway. When we are free, the two of us will go there."
"That's great. I'll write a reply to the old gentleman when I get back."
Mei Changsu was very happy. He was a man who always repaid his kindness. When Mr. Zhou came to the capital to help him in the cold winter months, he always wanted to repay him.
On this day, Mei Changsu and Lin Chen stayed at Zhou Chen's place until night before returning home happily.
"Urgent report from the army, get out of the way, get out of the way!"
"Report, Dayu raised 100,000 troops, launched a cross-border raid, and Gunzhou fell!"
…………
Zhou Chen and Mei Changsu hadn't even left for their trip when suddenly border emergency reports came back to the capital one after another. The capital, which had finally been calm for a while, suddenly became chaotic.
One day later, Zhou Chen received a summons from Prince Xiao Jamyan and went to the East Palace to discuss the matter.
After all, the prince is only the prince, not the emperor, so even if Emperor Liang is now ousted, Jamel Xiao will still discuss matters in the Golden Palace only during the court meetings. Normally, matters will be discussed in the East Palace Residence.
Because this incident was too sudden and shocking, the prince quickly invited many officials to the East Palace to discuss matters.
However, there are not many officials who can participate in the discussion. Most of the civilian officials are heads of ministries, and more are the forces of the military. After all, it involves war, and in the end it is the military that has to contribute more.
Especially all the military princes, as long as they were in the capital, were all called over by Jamel Xiao.
When Zhou Chen came to the East Palace, many people had already arrived. Many civilians and military officers saw Zhou Chen. Many of them said hello, but some ignored him.
A Marquis of Wu Cheng who had been abandoned for more than ten years was suddenly re-established. In fact, many people looked down on Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen dealt with the crowd and consciously walked next to Mu Nihuang, whom he was most familiar with.
Mu Nihuang's expression was serious and she didn't say a few words after seeing Zhou Chen. She was also worried about the current situation.
Jamel Xiao, who was sitting in front of the eucalyptus, carefully read the several urgent military reports sent to him, his brows furrowed and his expression solemn.
Jamel Xiao didn't put down the letter until everyone arrived.
"The military situation is urgent. The number of troops available to the imperial court is 170,000. How are the military supplies and equipment?"
The people from the Ministry of War immediately saluted and replied: "Your Highness, there are about 20,000 troops marching in Taiwan with armor and gastric insufficiency. Now the Ministry of War has prepared them and they will be available soon."
Jamel Xiao asked again: "What about money and food?"
Shen Zhui, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, immediately replied: "Your Highness, since I received the first urgent report, I have started to raise military resources. I have already thought of several ways. As long as Your Highness agrees, I will start to implement them."
Jamel Xiao had great trust in Shen Zhui and immediately said: "No need to elaborate, just make sure it is done. Please hurry up and do it."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Now that the equipment, money and food have been secured, the next thing is the most important thing.
Jamel Xiao stood up, glanced at all the princes and military princes in the hall, and asked: "What do you think, military princes?"
Many of the military princes present were elderly people. At this time, they all looked at each other, but no one spoke. Instead, many of them sighed and shook their heads.
Jamel Xiao looked very dissatisfied, and when he was about to speak, someone came out.
"Your Highness, now that the war has begun, it is really difficult to deal with it comprehensively at this time. I still advocate peace. It is best to send someone to the front line to discuss it first."
As he said this, before Jamel Xiao said anything, Mu Nihuang, as a handsome woman, couldn't help it.
Just listen to her cold sarcastic voice: "Peace? Only civil servants have always advocated peace, and military generals have led battles. How come we in Daliang have reversed this situation? When the war just started, the military princes leading the army will advocate peace?"
The speaker explained to Mu Nihuang: "Princess, this is not because the old minister is timid, but there are only 170,000 soldiers. We have to face Da Yu, Donghai, Bei Yan, and Ye Qin at the same time. This force is really insufficient.
ah."
As for Southern Chu, although the war has not started yet, troops have been stationed outside the pass, so the 100,000 troops in the southern border must not be moved.
But Jamel Xiao interrupted coldly: "There is no shortage of troops. What is really lacking is the coach. As long as there is a coach who is worthy of the big task, this limited force can exert super strong combat power."
170,000 soldiers may not sound like much, but Jamel Xiao has calculated in his mind that both Donghai and Yeqin are just small countries. As long as both sides choose the right commanders, one side can handle up to about 30,000 soldiers. The real threats are Dayu and Bei.
Yan.
Dayu's 100,000 troops and Beiyan's 50,000 cavalry were the real threats to Daliang.
But Jamel Xiao is still confident that the 170,000 troops sent to Donghai and Ye Qin will be at least 112,000 soldiers divided into two parts. It should be barely enough, but the prerequisite is that they have sufficient capabilities.
Coach.
"Fellow military lords, now is the time for you to share the country's worries and build up your military exploits. I wonder which Qing family would like to take the initiative to ask for help?"
For a long time, no one dared to answer Jamel Xiao's words. The main reason was that most of these people had not been on the battlefield for more than ten years. They were suddenly asked to lead troops on the battlefield. They really did not have the confidence, let alone this war when they were besieged by various countries.
, it looked very dangerous at first glance, so no one dared to come forward.
As a result, these military princes avoided Jamel Xiao's eyes one after another. Jamel Xiao was angry and called his names one after another, but he was still pushed away.
Zhou Chen stood on the edge, silently watching the evasion of these military princes, feeling funny in his heart, and feeling sad for Jamel Xiao.
It might be a bit too much to say that all of them are useless, but none of them can really stand on the stage now. They are known as the strongest pillars in all countries, and these people are the only ones left in the military. It is really ridiculous and sad.
Jamel Xiao angrily rebuked, and finally proposed that he would go to the battlefield in person, which frightened all the civil and military officials and hurriedly tried to stop him.
Now the capital cannot do without Jamel Xiao, especially the officials who are thinking about Jamel Xiao and are even more unwilling to let him leave. Once Jamel Xiao leaves, His Majesty in the palace will definitely cause trouble. By then, before the external stability is stable, there will be internal chaos.
Already.
Jamel Xiao had no choice. No one was willing to accept the order, so what else could he do.
Suddenly, his eyes glanced at Zhou Chen, who had been standing on the edge without saying a word, and his eyes lit up.
"Wuchenghou."
Zhou Chen didn't expect that Jamel Xiao would call him at this time, so he immediately stepped forward.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Wu Chenghou, you are from the Red Flame Army, and you even participated in the bloody battle with Dayu. What do you think?"
Everyone's eyes fell on Zhou Chen, and several people showed disdain. They didn't think that Zhou Chen, the recently rehabilitated Marquis Wu Cheng, could achieve anything.
Zhou Chen's expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly: "Your Highness, I don't have any ideas. I only have one sentence: soldiers will stop you, and water will cover you."
"This time all the countries sent troops at the same time. They must have been well prepared and even secretly united to carve up the hinterland of our Central Plains in Daliang. This war is different from the past. It cannot be settled by ceding a few pieces of land; so it is an attempt to use the main force.
It is basically impossible to quell the war through peace, and it will only make the other party worse."
"Blindly giving in will only put Daliang into a more dangerous situation."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted dissatisfiedly: "Huangkou kid, what do you know? You only participated in one war and lost, so what qualifications do you have to make unreasonable opinions?"
Zhou Chen looked coldly at Duke Heng, the representative of the military lord, who was also the one who just said he wanted to make peace.
"Back then, our 70,000 Red Flame Army almost wiped out the 200,000 Imperial Army of Dayu. So in the eyes of Duke Heng, such a record was called a defeat? Then I wonder what record Duke Heng could achieve.
Tell it to me, a slutty kid like me?"
"You, you, Marquis Wu Cheng, would not dare to speak to me like this even if your father were alive."
Duke Heng angrily rebuked that his position as Duke was hereditary. Although he had served in the army and participated in several wars, he had no record of success at all. Naturally, there was no way to stop Zhou Chen.
Mouth.
Zhou Chen sneered and said: "Being angry will hurt your body. The war has not yet begun. Duke Heng, don't be angry and hurt your body first. If I can't participate in the war because my body is hurt because of my anger, then I will be guilty of a big sin."
"you you……"
Listening to Zhou Chen's unabashed ridicule, Mr. Heng Guo was so angry that he was speechless.
Mu Nihuang had just mocked him, and he didn't dare to refute, but Zhou Chen actually dared to mock him, which he couldn't stand.
Jamel Xiao interrupted their conversation. He was also dissatisfied with Duke Heng, but now was not the time for internal strife.
Zhou Chen did not look at Duke Heng again and continued: "My idea is of course to lead the battle. I have experience fighting Dayu, and I am among the top ten on the Langya List. If His Highness trusts me, you can send me to Bei.
I can issue a military order, and as long as I, Zhou Chen, am still alive, I will never let Dayu occupy half of Daliang's land."
Everyone present was shocked. When all the military princes were retreating, Zhou Chen not only stood up on his own, but also dared to issue a military order. If nothing else, his courage was better than that of the military commanders present.
Hou is much stronger.
Those military princes who had a sense of self-respect and honor were all stunned at this time and did not dare to raise their heads.
Although Jamel Xiao was also amazed at Zhou Chen's courage, he did not quite believe in Zhou Chen's ability. He admitted that Zhou Chen's martial arts was so powerful that he was rarely an opponent.
But battlefield combat is different from a competition of skills, especially when tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops face off against each other.
Zhou Chen had participated in the bloody battle that year, but he was not the head coach, not even the general. In addition, he did not have any outstanding record, so Jamel Xiao was naturally uneasy.
"Wuchenghou is worthy of being a military prince of Daliang, and his courage is commendable."
As soon as Jamel Xiao finished speaking, Shen Zhui immediately said: "Your Royal Highness, Marquis Wu Cheng is indeed a role model for our generation, but war is not a child's play and should be carefully considered."
Zhou Chen rolled his eyes and looked, this is a smart man, he is good at talking, much better than that Duke Heng.
"What Shen Shangshu said is true. The matter is of great importance. I really need to consider it carefully. That's it for today. Everyone goes back first. If you think of any feasible method, report it to me immediately. This war is related to our Daliang.
Life or death, I hope you will help me to escape the difficulties together."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Everyone left the East Palace. Before leaving, Duke Heng glared at Zhou Chen and snorted dissatisfied before leaving.
"Fuck, you must be sick."
Zhou Chen was speechless. How could this old man become the Duke of the country with such a small city? It was indeed a blessing from his ancestors.
Mu Nihuang walked over slowly: "Brother Lin Shu must have received the news, too. I'll go to Su Residence with you."
After saying that, she took the lead and left without waiting for Zhou Chen to reply.