My Cultivation Starting from Archery-Chapter 723 - 226 Beiliang King_3

Among them, the Heavenly Strategy Camp and the Yan State Guard’s troops still held Sword Gate Canyon with a small force, a place easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Before this, West Qi had suffered heavy losses for several years, and after being pushed back to Ming State by the White Robe, they completely gave up on Beiliang and turned their full force to attack the Mang Mountain Ancestor Vein.

The remaining one hundred and fifty thousand troops were all deployed outside Qilin Mountain, day and night they rushed to repair the plank roads, giving off the impression of preparing to attack Chunqiu Prefecture with all their might.

The southern conquest had officially begun!

...

Capital City.

Zhongjue Hall.

Prince Qin and the others were almost constantly dealing with battle reports from all directions.

Fortunately, the vast majority were reports of victory.

"Reports of victory from Elder Mo and Immortal Xu in the south, three thousand enemy slain, two generals cut down, the southern territories completely recovered!"

"Continued victories at Mang Mountain Ancestor Vein under the leadership of General Tong Xiaochu and Patriarch of the Ling Family, with over ten thousand enemies killed!"

"Commander Jiang Yuanbo and the Immortal Master of Shengyun Sect successfully contained Dongqing’s assault outside of Tongnan Prefecture near Lai State!"

"Excellent, excellent!"

Prince Qi was greatly pleased and repeatedly praised the current Minister of War, "Old Mu is truly worthy of being a man who stepped out alongside Sun Xiangzong. Under your deployment, you have steadied the situation in less than half a year!"

Mu Fengchun had always been known as the Poisonous Scholar.

He was most skilled at manipulating poison schemes.

After the chaos broke out in the world, he was urgently appointed as the Minister of War, using poison schemes to sow discord among people time and again. If it were not somewhat unsavory to say, he could be called a great master of the Military Family’s "poisonous" path.

"Heh heh."

Old Mu simply said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "I’m but a candle flickering in the wind, having the honor to serve the court loyally is my own fortune."

"Your Highness, there is news from Beiliang!"

After a series of relentless reports of victory, a voice with a clearly different tone than before arose.

A guard came into the hall in a fluster, "Not long ago, King Jin proclaimed to have an Abdication Decree and then crowned Chen Sansi as Beiliang’s Aliased King. Now, Chen Sansi has gathered an army of one hundred and fifty thousand in the Northern Territory, deployed at Qilin Mountain to rush repairs on the plank road, preparing to attack Chunqiu Prefecture, and advance southward into the Central Plains!"

Upon hearing this, the officials who had just breathed a sigh of relief tensed up again.

White Robe!

Chen Sansi!

One hundred and fifty thousand troops!

Everyone clearly knew what these three terms combined meant. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Absurd!"

Prince Qin thundered with rage, "When the nation was founded, Grand Ancestor made it very clear with the generals of the Qilin Army, ’Any non-Cao who claims kingship shall be condemned by all under heaven.’!

"When has the Great Sheng Dynasty ever had an aliased king?!

"This empire is the Cao Family’s empire!

"To scheme for the throne, he has gone to extremes, utterly detestable!"

Compared to his anger, Prince Qi was more worried, "Old Mu, Mr. Yan, since Chen Sansi joined the army, he has never faced a defeat. He once broke through Nan Xu’s one hundred thousand strong with three thousand Black Armor at Hu Lao Pass. Now he has one hundred and fifty thousand troops at hand. Should he truly manage to break through, what then?"

"Prince Qi, do not panic."

Fixing his gaze on the sand table, Old Mu calmed the emotions of all the officials, "I have considered many strategies from Beiliang’s perspective, such as cooperating with Dongqing, or lying low in Beiliang for ten years to gather strength. But attacking Chunqiu Prefecture is a sure path to death."

"Old Mu is correct!"

Prince Qin, himself skilled in Martial Arts and once a military commander until his military power was taken away by the former Crown Prince, now fully engaged in governance, looked at the Chunqiu Prefecture on the sand table, "I think Chen Sansi is cornered like a desperate dog. Unless he can lead the Beiliang Army to fly over from the sky, he should just wait to die at Qilin Mountain!

"As for his expertise in warfare, why would he make such a blunder this time?

"The reason is simple!

"He is afraid of my father the Emperor!

"The day my father emerges from seclusion, it will be the end for all traitors in chaos!"

Emperor Longqing, still in seclusion, became everyone’s anchor of stability.

Exactly!

The White Robe is in a panic!

When people panic, they make mistakes, or rather, he knew very well that this was a bad move, but he had no choice but to make it!

Prince Qin continued, "So it’s inevitable that he makes a foolish move. Everybody need not worry; all we need to do is ensure the supply of provisions, and then simply wait for the good news from my ninth brother!"

The officials gradually settled down.

But in the corner, Old Mu, the Minister of War who had initially remained most calm and collected, was now staring intently at the sand table with an increasingly grave expression.

A commander must avoid showing emotions imprudently.

As the former top strategist under Sun Xiangzong, how could he not understand?

In fact, Old Mu was feeling uneasy.

Could it really be as Prince Qin said, was Chen Sansi afraid?

Did he fear the Emperor emerging with the Dragon Abyss Sword in hand, personally going to Liangzhou, and was thus forced into a desperate move?

That was a possibility, a significant one.

But the numerous instances of unexpected victories forced Old Mu to take it seriously, and to consider, if he were in Chen Sansi’s shoes, how would he seize Chunqiu Prefecture, a fortress nearly impossible to break?

...

Chunqiu Prefecture!

This city was built against the mountain, practically stretching across the narrow canyon, effectively blocking Liangzhou’s passageway, and thus known as the Iron Lock of the Northern Territory, the gateway to the Central Plains.

Ling Yun, Dao Xuan, Prince Zhen Nan, Li He, along with two hundred thousand troops of the Central Plains Army, were all gathered here now.

Inside the Central Army Tent.

Prince Cao Rong looked gravely at the map before him.

"Report—"

A soldier came in to report, "The Beiliang Army of one hundred and fifty thousand strong is arrayed outside of Qilin Mountain, rushing to repair the plank road day and night, almost regardless of the cost."