We're all in the same boat now, so there's no need to worry too much.
"I'll go arrange the campsite for tonight."
Xu Jing sensed that Wu Shuangren and Guo Jiwang had something to say to each other, so he turned and left.
"Commander, there's no need to worry about the infantry armor. If we can save Yi Prefecture City and hold off the Mount Liang army in this battle, even if they secretly hoard armor, we can handle it."
After Xu Jing left, Guo Jiwang said to Wu Shuangren.
That wasn't what Wu Shuangren was concerned about. He looked at Guo Jiwang, "Did you foresee that Bai Jinhuan and his men would be attacked at the Yi Province docks?"
When he recounted this matter, Guo Jiwang seemed to have expected it all along.
Guo Jiwang calmly met Wu Shuangren's gaze. "The First Battalion that Bai Jinhuan led is the most elite battalion under your command besides your personal guard, isn't it?"
"Right."
"They have repeating crossbows and infantry armor on their ship, right?"
"Right."
"No matter how powerful the local forces at Yi Province Wharf are, can they be more powerful than those of Mist Hidden Temple and Mount Liang? Is Bai Jinhuan and his group in a more difficult situation than us, with less than three thousand men, going to fight the Mist Hidden Temple and Mount Liang armies?"
"... Won't."
After the question and answer session, Guo Jiwang nodded and said nothing more.
Wu Shuangren was speechless, already understanding what the other party meant—
If Bai Jinhuan and the others still get into trouble under these circumstances, then there's really no need to fight the next battle.
Guo Jiwang have arranged this as a test, but Wu Shuangren didn't like such a test.
"But I still suffered casualties. In any case, I hope that if something similar happens again in the future, you can explain it to me beforehand!"
Wu Shuangren said earnestly.
Guo Jiwang, and after a long pause, explained, "I did anticipate that Bai Jinhuan and the others might be attacked when they arrived at the Yi Province docks first, but Zhou Zhengqing must get to Yi Prefecture City as soon as possible; that's also crucial."
Wu Shuangren: "Are you asking Adviser Zhou to contact the Yi Province or the military commander of Yizhou?"
I wrote a letter and asked him to deliver it to the Yi Province.
Guo Jiwang gave his answer, chuckling self-deprecatingly, "The other party was once a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of my generation, so he has to take my words to some extent."
Wu Shuangren nodded, no longer dwelling on the dock matter.
Because the real battle only begins from this moment on!
PS: This is a long chapter of 5000 words, please vote with monthly tickets!
127. Powerful crossbows pierce armor, and the hearts of the people are unsettled.
Under the cover of night, the lights on the Yi Province Wharf stretched as far as the eye could see.
Xu Jing led his men to set up camp along the riverbank. The force of more than two thousand men was divided into ten camps, each with its own designated area. They set up stoves and cooking pots, and the smoke from the fires rose and was scattered by the night wind.
He also sent several squads of archers to patrol the perimeter of the camp, and set up sentry posts at every intersection. From setting up camp to eating, everything was well-organized.
Wu Shuangren stood by the campfire, Bai Jinhuan reported to him, "Including He Family Town, we captured a total of nine horses, eighty-seven sets of leather armor, and also found eleven powerful crossbows!"
As he spoke, Bai Jinhuan handed Wu Shuangren a crossbow.
This crossbow is longer than a repeating crossbow, and its arm is made of a composite of bamboo and wood. Wu Shuangren tried to draw the string; it felt heavy, at least 50% stronger than the repeating crossbow!
He loaded a crossbow bolt, aimed it at the wooden stake thirty paces away, pulled the trigger, the crossbow string snapped, the sound of it cutting through the air was dull and short, and the bolt shot out swiftly, embedding itself in the wooden stake, the arrowhead penetrating more than three inches deep!
"Nice one."
Wu Shuangren's eyes lit up, "With this power, even leather armor can't withstand it within thirty paces!"
Bai Jinhuan: "I've heard that the army also has a special crossbow that can penetrate iron armor within forty paces!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Shuangren's heart stirred.
Mist Hidden Temple could afford to buy infantry armor, is it possible they could also buy the Divine Arm Crossbow?
If the enemy still has a batch of crossbows, we might suffer losses even if we are wearing infantry armor, if caught off guard!
"These eleven crossbows are to be given to your First Battalion."
Wu Shuangren handed the crossbow in his hand to Bai Jinhuan.
Bai Jinhuan was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Commander!"
Wu Shuangren strode toward Guo Jiwang's tent, preparing to discuss the next course of action with him.
Inside the tent, a layer of dry grass was spread on the ground. Guo Jiwang sat cross-legged on an oilcloth, with a hand-drawn map in front of him and a half-empty pot of wine beside him. When Wu Shuangren lifted the tent flap and went in, Guo Jiwang was drinking and looking at the map.
"Gentlemen."
Wu Shuangren sat down opposite him.
Guo Jiwang put down the wine pot, looked up at him, and asked, "Have you finished counting the spoils?"
"Nine horses, eighty-seven sets of leather armor, and eleven powerful crossbows."
Wu Shuangren said directly.
Guo Jiwang nodded. "The He Family has made a contribution."
"Since the Mist Hidden Temple was able to purchase infantry armor from the army, I'm worried they might also have weapons like the Divine Arm Crossbow."
Wu Shuangren shared his guess.
Guo Jiwang his head. "Crossbows are easier to carry than iron armor, and they're not as conspicuous as infantry armor. If Mist Hidden Temple really had the Divine Arm Crossbow, you should have used it during that ambush in the forest."
Wu Shuangren immediately realized what was happening.
Yes, during that ambush in the forest, the Mist Hidden Temple even used infantrymen. If they really had the Divine Arm Crossbow, there's no reason they wouldn't have used it.
The group leader is a little flustered.
Guo Jiwang into Wu Shuangren's eyes.
Wu Shuangren paused for a moment, then nodded in admission. "Being so close to Yi Prefecture City and Mist Hidden Mountain does make me a little hesitant."
Guo Jiwang said he was gambling with thousands of lives, which sounded heroic, but the heavy burden on his shoulders was indeed making it hard for him to breathe!
Any wrong decision could cost many lives, and this was a first for Wu Shuangren.
Guo Jiwang a sip of wine and asked, "He Xingzhou send anyone to inform Mist Hidden Temple?"
Wu Shuangren: "The interrogation has been completed. He said he originally intended to wait until Bai Jinhuan and the others were captured before reporting the news."
Guo Jiwang's gaze returned to the map. "Mist Hidden Temple must have planted spies at this dock. Even if He Xingzhou didn't send anyone, the temple would still receive the news. It's over forty li from Mist Hidden Temple to Yi Province dock. We received the news yesterday; if they really wanted to take action, they should have arrived today."
He paused, then looked up at Wu Shuangren: "But Xu Jing sent scouts to explore the surrounding area for miles, and they found no trace of them."
Wu Shuangren was taken aback, then realized what was happening—
So, besides sending Zhou Zhengqing to Yi Prefecture City, Guo Jiwang's arrangement for Bai Jinhuan and others to arrive at the Yi Province dock ahead of him also part of his scheme?
Using Bai Jinhuan and his group as bait?
If Mist Hidden Temple hears the news and actually sends people to Yi Province Wharf, they might just run into the main force that is coming, thus giving Wu Shuangren the opportunity to annihilate Mist Hidden Temple's forces first!
Why didn't you say so sooner, sir?
Wu Shuangren asked.
Guo Jiwang smiled and said, "It's just a casual move. Our two thousand-plus men are traveling on the official road, which makes it difficult to conceal our presence. Mist Hidden Temple probably already knows that we've brought a large force to Yi Prefecture City, so even if they know about the situation at the docks, they don't dare to make any rash moves... It seems that the other side is truly terrified of you."
Wu Shuangren remained silent. He had previously told the other party that he hoped everything would be clarified in advance in the future.
Now that Guo Jiwang the initiative to expose his failed scheme, it can be seen as a response.
Guo Jiwang looked at the map on the ground again and pointed to a county town in Yi Province:
"The six thousand men from Mount Liang set off from Rong Province City ten days ago. They carried supplies, and even without looting along the way, their military discipline was excellent. At the earliest, they could only reach Linwen County. Linwen County is more than eighty li from Yi Prefecture City by official road. With supplies, it will take at least two days to reach the city."
His finger slid from Linwen County to Yi Prefecture City: "We have two more days than the Mount Liang forces; this time was gained through our forced march. Within two days, we will destroy the Mist Hidden Temple!"
Wu Shuangren looked up at Guo Jiwang. Although the man reeked of alcohol, he looked serious and wasn't joking.
Under the same night sky, within the Yi Prefecture City.
The governor's residence, the study was lit.
Lu Hongjian, the Yi Province, sat at his desk, dressed in his official robes.
He is fifty-four years old this year, and his temples are already gray, but he still looks very energetic. You can roughly see his youthful brilliance. He must have been a great talent!
On the table lay an opened letter, which Lu Hongjian had read many times.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Someone stopped at the threshold and whispered, "Sir, Commander Song has arrived."
Lu Hongjian picked up the letter from the table and calmly said, "Let him in."
A middle-aged man with a muscular build strode into the study, his fingers thick and calloused, exuding the air of a martial artist.
This man is Song Qi, the personal guard commander of Fan Yu, the military commander of Yi Province, and also Fan Yu's true confidant.
Song Qi walked to the center of the study, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency the Prefect."
Lu Hongjian nodded. "You came so late at night, has General Fan given you a reply?"
Song Qi maintained his slight bow. "The matter you have spoken of, sir, is of great importance to the general, who has been carefully considering it these past few days. The general believes that this matter is too risky and should not be acted upon rashly."
Anger flashed in Lu Hongjian's eyes, but he disdained to vent his anger on a mere guard. He simply said coldly, "Go back and tell your general that if Yi Prefecture City falls and Yi Province people are slaughtered, the blame will fall entirely on his 'unwise action' today!"
Upon hearing this, Song Qi suddenly looked up, her face filled with horror.
Lu Hongjian waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.
After Song Qi left, Lu Hongjian took out the letter Zhou Zhengqing had sent him again, and said with emotion, "It's been more than ten years, and you still have such a keen eye for people and things."
128. A sudden change overnight, the city's defenses changed hands.
Lu Hongjian sat in his study, holding the letter in his hand, lost in memories.
He still remembered the poetry gathering held at the Duke of Gao's mansion in the capital more than a decade ago.
That year, he went to the capital to take the imperial examination. In order to squeeze into the gate of the Duke of Gao's mansion, he spent dozens of taels of silver and pulled several strings to get a lowest-ranking invitation.
On the day of the poetry gathering, he kept his head down and shoulders hunched, blending into the crowd, being extremely cautious the whole time, afraid of accidentally offending some important person.
Then he saw a young man in his early twenties, wearing an ordinary blue robe with a cloth belt around his waist. Compared to the guests in their fine clothes, he looked like a poor scholar who had wandered into the wrong place.
Yet this very person dared to challenge others to drinking contests at poetry gatherings, behaving recklessly and dissolutely!
After drinking too much, this man started composing poems with others.
I composed a poem, drank a pot of wine, and defeated eleven people in a row!
In the end, even the Duke of Gao was alarmed and immediately took off a jade pendant from his waist and gave it to the man.
This was the scene when Lu Hongjian first met Guo Jiwang.
That year, Lu Hongjian was forty-one years old, Guo Jiwang was twenty-two.
That night, Lu Hongjian sat in a corner, watching Guo Jiwang shine brightly amidst the garden lights, like watching a wildfire burning rampantly!
At that time, he thought that such a person would become famous sooner or later, and he was far inferior to him.
Thirteen years have passed. Of the two who took the imperial examination together, one became the Yi Province, and the other became the West River County.
The difference between the two is similar to that at the poetry gathering back then, only their positions are reversed.
Even after all these years, Lu Hongjian still remembers Guo Jiwang, and he does not believe that the other party is talented but incompetent.
On the contrary, the prime minister who was angrily rebuked by Guo Jiwang was dismissed three years later. This proved that Guo Jiwang was right to criticize, but he chose the wrong method...
Now, Guo Jiwang suddenly sent a letter to Lu Hongjian, in which he mentioned that Mount Liang had sent people to Yi Province and that they had joined forces with Mist Hidden Temple to prepare to seize the city.
The letter also stated that Fan Yu, the military commander of Yi Province, certainly wouldn't dare to make the first move, and instructed Lu Hongjian to find another reliable person to ensure that the city's defenses were secured before Mist Hidden Temple took action, so that Yi Prefecture City would have a chance to survive!
Footsteps sounded again outside the door, interrupting Lu Hongjian's reverie.