Hibiscus Tent: The Prime Minister’s palm is reborn

Chapter 650: Plan before you act

After capturing Liyang, Yuwen Jue did not give Qi a chance to breathe. He ordered the use of ships to transport baggage and food, and personally led his elite troops from Qianshuiwu all the way eastward.

Passing through Yanyang, another battle took place.

Who would have thought that without waiting for the Zhou army to capture the city, the prefect of Yanyang abandoned all the soldiers and civilians in the city, packed up gold, silk, pearls and jade overnight, took his women and children, and escaped from the city through a secret passage escorted by several guards, driving a carriage straight to the south.

As the two armies faced each other, the prefect never showed up. When someone went to look for him, they discovered that the prefect's mansion was already empty.

How could it not make people feel disappointed when the governor, who was afraid of death, fled secretly? Who would still have the heart to defend the city?

As expected, Yanyang was also incorporated into the Zhou Kingdom, and the Zhou army took advantage of the situation to occupy Yuchuan and Anzhou.

At this point, the Qi army's last line of defense was shattered.

On the third day after taking Anzhou, Yuwen Jue ordered Gongxi Jin to turn his troops south and join forces with Sima Bo, Wang Shiliang and others who were heading north. After the joint flags besieged Qinzhou, they were waiting for the final battle to capture Jinye.

Emergency documents from the front line flew to the court of Jinye like snowflakes, but in just half a month, the Zhou army marched straight towards Jinye.

According to the scouts, Lord Zhou has led his army over Huling Mountain.

When I looked around at night, I saw that the whole mountain and field were filled with Zhou troops, with smoke filling the sky, and I had no idea how many troops there were.

Everyone was shocked.

In the past, we only heard that the Zhou army had brave soldiers and generals who were good at fighting. Although we could also get a glimpse of their bravery from past wars, these were not necessarily exaggerated words to create momentum.

Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I know it is not false.

However, considering that the Zhou army has been marching day and night and fighting for thousands of miles, they must be tired and short of food. Now it is winter, as long as we hold Jin Ye, delay time, hinder their morale, and cut off their food supply, we may be able to bring down the already exhausted Zhou army.

As soon as these words were spoken, the princes and nobles in Jinye City rekindled some hope.

The emperor and the empress dowager followed the advice and immediately mobilized the soldiers and even women and children in the city to strengthen the city's defenses.

Although the matter of fortifying the city had been resolved, there were other problems.

Before the Zhou army approached Jinye, they had gathered 50,000 troops and were able to fight the Zhou army head-on.

The problem was that the emperor should have led the troops himself to boost morale, but he was too young to lead the troops to fight the enemy.

The noble families have always valued literature over military affairs. They are very good at mocking the wind and singing poems about the moon, but as for military achievements, they are a mess.

Looking around the court, it was difficult to find a candidate to lead the army in place of the emperor, which made everyone very worried.

Just when he was looking worried, Xiangcheng King Gao Yu stood up.

Fortunately, the Gao royal family is martial and can still give it a try. Everyone just hopes that they can turn the tide and reverse the situation.

*

It is not cold when it snows, but it is cold when the snow melts.

It snowed heavily for two days in a row and the weather was getting colder.

The roads were slippery in the snow, making it difficult to march, so Yuwen Jue only ordered the army to camp and rest in a village at the foot of Huling Mountain, 40 miles away from Jinye City.

Liang Qian is no stranger to this village.

It was here that she met Yuwen Jue last year.

It was also after settling in the village that Yuwen Jue ordered people to open the cellars of every household.

When Mu Shan led the soldiers to move the stockpiled food and fodder into the camp, not only Gong Liangrui, Xiao Jingnan and the others were dumbfounded, but even she was shocked.

Liang Qian then realized that a large amount of food and fodder had already been stored in the cellars of every household in preparation for this final battle.

As for the farmers living here, they were simply disguised by Yuwen Jue in order to conceal their identities.

It is conceivable that he had already anticipated the current situation and had been making the necessary preparations in secret two years ago.

Forewarned is forearmed, without prejudging the waste.

I have to say that Yuwen Jue is indeed the best chess player.

Looking back on the war over the past year or so, the Zhou Kingdom sometimes fought and sometimes rested.

When there was a flood, I treated the disaster; when old injuries recurred, I recovered from them.

Not only did Yuwen Jue not blindly pursue conquering cities and territories, he was also not in a hurry to fight for a result with the State of Qi.

Every time we conquer a place, we govern it.

Every step taken was unhurried, as if there was a foregone conclusion and a plan in mind.

He has been the Grand Tutor Lu who controlled the government of Qi for so many years. How could he know more than just himself and the enemy?

If they want to seize Qi State right now, how can it not be a piece of cake?

Liang Qian looked at the room full of medicinal herbs, sighed slightly, turned around and handed the account book to the clerk next to her.

*

As soon as I got out of the warm tent, cold wind blew in from all directions.

The sky cleared up and the white snow was dazzling.

Liang Qian narrowed her eyes and looked at the white snowfield. She couldn't help but shrink under her collar. Suddenly she remembered something and turned to look at Qingzhu.

"Have the gloves and boots been distributed?"

Qingzhu nodded and said, "Don't worry, Madam. We had already distributed all of them before dinner yesterday."

After listening to Qingzhu, Liang Qian nodded silently.

After checking the newly delivered medicinal herbs, she pressed her sore neck and shoulders, dragged her tired steps, and walked into the snow, preparing to return to the big tent.

Qingzhu followed him and said, "No wonder you asked me to prepare these things when we were in Pingwu..."

Liang Qian smiled faintly, hoping that everything would go well.

"Has there been any letter from Yuzhou?"

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"Madam, don't worry. General Wang is doing fine. But from what Bai Lu said, he still wants to return to Jinye."

Liang Qian still knew what Wang Tingyue was thinking.

She thought for a moment and was about to speak when she saw someone riding a horse galloping towards them from a distance.

Qingzhu looked over in surprise and couldn't help but frowned: "It's my brother."

Liang Qian also saw it.

He's in such a hurry, I'm afraid something important must have happened.

The two looked at each other and went forward.

Before he got close, Mu Shan jumped off his horse, took a few steps forward, bowed to Liang Qian, and lowered his voice.

"Madam, I received news from Jinye City that the Meng family summoned Meng Tao to the palace. The two discussed privately for a long time. When Meng Tao returned to the mansion, he only asked people to pack up their belongings. It seemed that he was going to run away with the little emperor."

"Run away?" Qingzhu gasped.

Mu Shan nodded: "He acted very low-key and did not alarm others."

Liang Qian narrowed her eyes and said nothing.

As soon as she passed Anzhou, she ordered her men to sneak back to Jinye and keep an eye on every move in the city, for fear that something unexpected might happen again.

After all, the closer we get to the end, the less we can let our guard down.

Liang Qian narrowed her eyes. It would not be surprising if Meng Tao really planned to run away.

After all, whether it is wealth, glory, power or status, one must first preserve his life before he has the chance to enjoy them.

Mu Shan added: "Madam, don't worry. Our people have been watching from the dark. As long as they dare to run, we can catch them back."

The cold north wind brought the moisture of the snowflakes, causing Liang Qian to be silent for a moment. She said, "If he really ran away, I'm afraid it won't be enough just to catch him back."

When I returned to my residence, Yuwen Jue was not there.

The decisive battle is about to begin, and there are many things he needs to deal with.

These days, the only time they can sit together quietly and talk for a while is at night.

Liang Qian guessed that he was still discussing the matter, so after hesitating for a moment, she walked out the door.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I reached the gate of the yard, I saw Yuwen Jue coming towards me.

In the hut, the two of them sat on each side.

Liang Qian poured two cups of tea and gave one to the person who had been staring at her since she entered the room.

Yuwen Jue took it and smiled unconsciously.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Liang Qian was startled, raised her eyebrows to meet his eyes, and said embarrassedly: "I want to go back to Jinye."

Sorry for the late chapter o(╥﹏╥)o