Chapter 279: Rolling the bead curtain upside down, Jizhou is defeated
After scolding the two of them, Cai Jing seemed not to want to talk more about this topic, and instead talked with Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun about the government affairs of the DPRK and China.
"There has been a lot of trouble in the DPRK these days. The Ministry of Punishment..."
The topics the three of them talked about were limited to normal affairs between the DPRK and China, and did not involve anything about the Northeastern border, Jizhou, or matters related to Li Jing, Minister of the Ministry of War.
Cai You stood aside and listened quietly, with a flash of anxiety in his eyes from time to time.
Although in the past when he was present, Cai Jing didn't say much about things that were too confidential, but Cai You didn't care much at that time. It didn't matter if he knew the best, and it didn't matter if he didn't know. Anyway, those things were too far away from him to find out.
touch.
But it's different now. He has to find out information for His Majesty the Emperor, and he also has other tasks. Now that he knows more inside information, he has a higher chance of success.
"...Just let that be the case with Governor Liu, there is no need to continue to pester..."
Cai Jing waved his hand, ending the previous topic.
Then he glanced at Cai You and Cai Sui brothers who were standing aside: "It's already dark, Zichang and Dingchen haven't had their meal yet. Don't stand here anymore. Get out of here quickly."
Go and get ready to eat."
Cai Suan said hurriedly: "Yes, father." After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the door.
Cai You paused for a moment, then followed suit.
If he was the only one here, he could still get away with Cai Jing, or he could just go outside and eavesdrop.
But this time with Cai Sui around, whether it was deception or eavesdropping, it seemed impossible.
Cai You clenched his fists silently. If he couldn't find out this time, there might be another time. If he was exposed, everything would be in vain...
He can't take risks.
After the two left the study, Deng Xunwu turned to look at Cai Jing and said with a dry smile: "Master Cai, it's actually time for the two young masters to get in touch with these things..."
Gao Xun on the side moved his lips and thought to himself, why didn't you say this when they were not leaving just now?
"Still too young and too innocent." Cai Jing shook his head solemnly: "Sometimes he is too naive."
"This matter is too important. Once it is leaked, we will be in dire straits."
Cai Jing has become cautious: "There will be many opportunities for training in the future, so I am not in a hurry for this one."
Gao Xun and Deng Xunwu looked at each other and stopped trying to persuade them.
In fact, the two of them were not very willing to leak this matter. For such an important matter, even close relatives, the fewer people knew about it, the better.
"Sir, according to the news from Jizhou, Qin Hui has arrived."
Deng Xunwu looked a little weird and said: "This guy may have noticed something was wrong. He changed his route to Jizhou several times in the middle, as if he was afraid that someone would intercept him."
Cai Jing sneered: "No matter how cautious he is, it's useless. The killer move I prepared for him is not on the way at all."
"Hiding away in Tibet will only delay his arrival in Jizhou, making the situation more chaotic and more difficult to obtain."
Deng Xunwu and Gao Xun both nodded in agreement.
Cai Jing said in a deep voice: "Now that he has arrived, it's not too late for Yanping Town."
"Not only is it not too late, it is just right."
Gao Xun had a smile on his face and a hint of flattery in his tone: "Your Excellency, you launched Yanping Town's secret operation in advance, just in time for Wu Sangui to arrive in Jizhou with the defeated group of remnants and Qin Hui."
"If these remnant soldiers are allowed to charge, the troops and horses brought by Qin Hui and the left Weiwei may be overwhelmed."
Yang Jian's younger brother Yang Shuang once used a strategy called the reverse rolling bead curtain to defeat many with fewer people and defeated the Turkic troops. Later, this strategy was recorded in the art of war book.
The key is to "use the weak to block the strong, use the strong to attack the weak, drive the main attacker away, and those who stand in the way will be defeated."
It drives the enemy's broken troops to attack the enemy's main force, and spreads fear to the whole army. In the end, the defeat is like an avalanche, and like a heavy bead curtain rolled up inch by inch from bottom to top, so it got such a name.
Cai Jing's timing was perfect. If Yanping's troops had passed earlier, they would not have been able to attack the troops and left-wing guards that Qian would have brought over.
If he had attacked later, Qin Hui would have been able to lead his troops and Zuo Weiwei to gain a firm foothold, collect these remaining soldiers, and fight against the Jin soldiers.
Cai Jing smiled and accepted Gao Xun's flattery: "Qin Hui has entered the situation I set for him, and he is already a withered bone in the grave. There is no such Qin Prime Minister in the court..."
~~
At the same time, Qin Hui, who was regarded as a rotten bone by Cai Jing, also successfully arrived in Jizhou, where he was loyal.
I have even started to feel anxious.
"General Wu, why are you here?"
Qin Hui suddenly lost his composure and his eyes widened.
Even if he knew that Cai Jing would definitely have uneasy intentions, even if he knew that there would definitely be a trap waiting for him in Jizhou.
But Qin Hui was still not mentally prepared. Wu Sangui, who was supposed to lead troops to defend Yanping Town, actually appeared in Jizhou at this moment, in front of him!
A large number of people gathered outside the temporary camp. The soldiers and horses on the south side were slightly more orderly. They were all in high spirits and wore bright helmets. Apart from the dust brought by the journey for days, there was no clutter.
The troops stationed in the north were larger, but extremely scattered. There were dark black stains of dried blood on the horses, armor, and flags. Most of the soldiers' armor had knife marks and arrow holes, and even some
They were beaten all over, and most of them had wounds on their bodies. Some of the more serious cases had maggots in their wounds, and they kept wailing in a low voice.
These soldiers and generals were extremely tired. Some of them even ignored the noisy environment here and lay directly on the ground snoring. However, the soldiers and generals who were still awake on the periphery squinted their eyes and did not fall asleep completely.
Occasionally, when his eyes passed over the soldiers and horses stationed in the south, there was a flash of vigilance and preparedness in his eyes...
At this moment, in the center of the camp.
Wu Sangui is in his early forties this year. As a battlefield general, he has not yet reached the age of old age.
But it is just when you have just got rid of the impulsiveness of young generals and have rich combat experience, it is a good age to make achievements.
It's just that Wu Sangui today does not have the high-spiritedness that a forty-year-old general should have. Instead, his beard and hair are disheveled, his lips are chapped, and his face is covered with heavy dirt. It seems that he doesn't even have time to drink saliva, and he doesn't even have time to wash his face.
He looked extremely embarrassed.
Qin Hui looked at him like this with a look of surprise on his face.
On the way to Jizhou, he imagined a fight and intrigue with Wu Sangui more than once.
How to make him let down his guard and trust the court, and how to take over the military power from him step by step. How will Wu Sangui react? What possible reaction will the border troops have? How will Cai Jing stumble...
But Qin Hui never thought of the possibility that Wu Sangui would appear in front of him in this form.
No psychological preparation.
"Prime Minister Qin, Yanping Town was captured by gold thieves. We had no choice but to flee all the way here."
The embarrassed Wu Sangui could not hide the look of fatigue in his eyes: "Now the gold thief's troops are on the way to pursue him."
Yanping Town was broken...
Qin Hui took a deep breath and gradually calmed down. He knew that there must be a reason for Wu Sangui to appear here, but he didn't expect it to be such a fatal reason!
If Yanping Town is lost, we can no longer contain the Jin soldiers. They are followed by deadly pursuers!
"Since there are pursuers, please leave quickly."
Qin Hui suddenly woke up from his chaotic thoughts and stood up. Only then did he realize the danger he was facing.
There are also Jin Lu’s pursuers!
If we were really caught up, wouldn't everything be over?
Seeing his panic, Wu Sangui had a flash of astonishment in his eyes, but then he hurriedly stopped him: "Please wait, Prime Minister Qin."
"Jin Lu's pursuit has ulterior motives. If we just retreat without fighting, it will definitely lead to a big mistake!"
The anxiety in Qin Hui's eyes faded slightly, and he turned back to look at him: "Is there any hidden secret?"
Wu Sangui swallowed: "Has Prime Minister Qin ever heard of rolling a bead curtain backwards?"
Without Qin Hui's answer, he said directly: "This is the military strategy that General Yang Shuang is good at. He once defeated the Turks at the northwest border pass. Is it the great victory at Baidao during Mu Zong's reign?"
"General Yang relied on his elite troops to attack and drive the Turkic troops to attack his main formation, causing it to collapse without attacking, forming a great rout."
"Now if I just run away and are driven away by the golden thieves cavalry, I am afraid that not only will it be difficult to escape in the end, but I will also drag down the Zuoweiwei who are coming from behind!"
Qin Hui was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then said in a cold voice: "General Wu, if we don't withdraw at this time, will the troops and horses here be able to withstand the incoming Jinlu?"
"Of course..."
Wu Sangui felt a little uncomfortable with his eyes: "I can't resist it."
"If you can't resist it, you will naturally have to withdraw."
Qin Hui paused for a moment before continuing: "If you stay here, you will be overtaken by the golden captives sooner or later. Without these soldiers to fight, how can the imperial court resist these golden captives?"
"Leave camp and retreat south immediately!"
Wu Sangui's face was full of confusion. Now they were in a dilemma. If they didn't retreat, they would definitely die if they stayed here.
If we retreat blindly, we may be bitten by Jinlu's cavalry later, which may disperse the Zuowei guards later and implicate them... The bitter consequences of that may not be as simple as the annihilation of the entire army.
Seeing that he was still hesitating, Qin Hui couldn't help but glared sharply: "General Wu, you were ordered to guard Dingyong Pass, but you were negligent and led the Jinlu to attack the main pass! The imperial court was mindful of Jinlu's strange methods and had no intention of punishing him.
you."
"However, the military newspaper clearly stated that the explosives in Jinlu's hands have been exhausted, and Yanping Town is still lost in your hands. This is a crime of incompetence in combat, and it cannot be eliminated so easily!"
After Wu Sangui heard the previous words, he felt relieved. Apart from the exposure, what he was most worried about these days was the questioning from the court. If there were to be accusations later...
Now that he heard that the court was actually willing to forgive him, he felt relieved.
But what Qin Hui said after that made some small luck in his heart shattered. Just now, he thought that Prime Minister Qin must have forgotten such an important thing as the fall of Yanping Town in his shock and panic.
But now when I heard it, I realized that the other party had not forgotten it at all, but just never said it.
However, since the imperial court was willing to exempt him from the charge of losing Dingyong Pass, it was already considered a blessing. The loss of Yanping Town was nothing compared to the former.
"Prime Minister Qin..."
Faced with Qin Hui's stern expression, Wu Sangui paused for a moment and then said bravely: "The general still can't break camp rashly."
Qin Hui was furious immediately, but before he could speak, Wu Sangui continued to explain.
"It's not that the general is ignorant, but the loss of Yanping Town has already caused a big fuss. If we attack Zuoweiwei with a rout of troops and cause them to be defeated, and your majesty blames him, then the general will die."
[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo Reading recently to catch up on books, change sources, and read aloud with many sounds, and it can be used on both Android and Apple.]
Qin Hui stopped what he was about to say and looked at Wu Sangui with a frown.
Strangely enough, he couldn't accept that kind of rhetoric at first, but it was the rhetoric just now that made him gradually start to think about his current situation.
"General Wu, what do you think we should do?"
Wu Sangui paused for a moment and said hurriedly: "Why don't Prime Minister Qin first lead a group of soldiers and horses to retreat in the direction where Zuowei Wei came? Will the general lead his troops to cut off the rear for Prime Minister Qin?"
Qin Hui frowned and was about to agree, but then he changed his words: "No, is he really the kind of person who abandons his soldiers and flees from battle?"
Wu Sangui looked at Qin Hui blankly, as if he was curious whether the Qin Hui in front of him and the Qin Hui who had just run away when he heard the news about the Jin soldiers were the same person?
"Prime Minister Qin, please don't misunderstand me."
After coming back to his senses, he hurriedly explained: "This is not about running away from the battlefield, but actually moving forward bravely."
Running backward is still called moving forward bravely?
Qin Hui raised his eyebrows, I read a lot, you still want to lie to me?
"The troops and horses led by Prime Minister Qin have not been damaged and are full of energy. They can retreat to Neihuang County first and take advantage of the Weihe River to fend off the gold thieves."
Wu Sangui began to explain to him: "Although the Wei River is not a dangerous and easy-to-defend place, it is on the route of Zuo Wei Wei going north."
"When Prime Minister Qin arrives there first, he should be able to meet up with Zuo Weiwei to build fortifications and clear the country."
"By the time the general's troops and horses are chased by the gold thieves, the troops and horses led by Prime Minister Qin and the Zuo Weiwei have already established a firm foothold. As long as we coordinate with the general's subordinates, we can resolve this offensive of the gold soldiers!"
Qin Hui didn't know much about leading troops and forming formations, but he was very good at analyzing the situation and judging whether it was beneficial to him.
So after just thinking for a moment, he nodded and agreed to Wu Sangui's plan.
Wu Sangui was overjoyed when he saw this and immediately said: "In that case, please ask Prime Minister Qin not to delay any more and get out of this dangerous place as soon as possible."
Qin Hui was about to lift his legs and leave, but he couldn't help but pause after hearing what he said. He turned around and corrected him: "The truth is not to be timid, but actually to take control of Zuowei Wei as soon as possible and attack the Jinlu!"
Wu Sangui was stunned for a moment, then recovered and immediately corrected: "Yes, Prime Minister Qin!"
"Please also ask Qin Xiang not to worry about the fatigue of boats and carriages, but to rush thousands of miles to meet the golden captives!"
Qin Hui took a breath and hesitated to speak, but in the end he didn't say anything and strode out of the camp.
As the orders came out one after another, the officers and soldiers who had just rested for a while gradually began to move again...