Yao Xishui had anticipated that Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan could win his initial battle against the Anning Palace, but she completely hadn’t anticipated that under circumstances where Chuzhou army’s main forces were blockaded north of the Yangtze River in Yangzhou unable to cross south to reinforce, with their two families having a total of less than fifteen thousand troops in Runzhou, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan would directly lead fewer than a thousand-scale Silver Halberd Guard across the river, leading barely fifteen thousand troops with divergent minds in a united force to actively attack, advancing against Xu Zhu’s forces whose troops exceeded theirs by double.
She even more hadn’t expected that Yang Yuanyan could win this battle with such disadvantageous forces, utterly routing Xu Zhu’s forces.
They had anticipated beforehand that Chuzhou forces weren’t weak, but never imagined Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan would be strong to this degree.
When Li Chong said his father the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu was about to be unable to withstand the assault, and Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan personally led eight hundred Silver Halberd Guards to strike out, there was actually much intention to cover up for his father the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu.
Yao Xishui took the secret message. Although the information written down by the scout wasn’t extremely detailed, it clearly stated that Li Pu’s forces had already been routed first by Xu Zhu. When Xu Zhu launched his forces in full assault against Chuzhou vanguard general Rao Geng’s troops, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan struck out from the depths of the ambush ravine, directly charging into the flank of the Southern Court Imperial Guard center formation slowly advancing past the ravine.
Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan’s ambush not only disrupted the Southern Court Imperial Guard’s center formation, but also beheaded their commander—the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of All Armies’ Campaign Cavalry and Infantry Forces Xu Zhu—within the formation. In an instant the enemy forces collapsed. Over ten thousand heads were taken on the battlefield. In the end, only over ten thousand remained of this Southern Court Imperial Guard force retreating to Qiuhu Mountain.
In this battle, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan was not only incomparably valiant like a war god descended to earth—even more heart-palpitating was that he had precisely deduced beforehand the developmental momentum of the battle and seized the opportunity on the chaotic battlefield.
The entire battle situation completely used the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu’s forces as bait, enticing Xu Zhu to commit his entire army, luring Xu Zhu into urgently wanting to decisively rout the united forces assembled at Runzhou in one stroke, unknowingly causing the vulnerable center army to move forward and become completely exposed.
Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan was so formidable, using this dangerous strategy to wondrous perfection, even achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone!
Even if this strategy was devised for him by Wang Wenqian and others, that Yang Yuanyan dared employ such a dangerous strategy and could precisely seize the battle opportunity amid intricate and unpredictable warfare—his strength in governing troops and commanding forces absolutely far exceeded ordinary contemporary commanders.
After Yao Xishui read the intelligence report, she also looked toward Chun Shisanniang in utter shock, momentarily not knowing what to say. Though they had previously known Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan was skilled at governing troops and employing forces, they never imagined he would be this strong.
“We’ve already sent people to notify Chai Jian. Should you two first go wake the Imperial Concubine and find the Lady?” Li Chong asked, his head big as hemp.
He hadn’t expected that when the Yueyang situation was quite good, such a change in circumstances would occur in Jinling.
They could accept Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan defeating Xu Zhu in the first battle, but thought that after Xu Mingzhen led Shouzhou elite forces across the river, no matter how strong Yang Yuanyan was, he absolutely wouldn’t have an easy time. They absolutely couldn’t imagine Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan winning the first battle so easily, so brilliantly.
Moreover, the Dragon Sparrow Army’s nearly seven thousand elite troops in Runzhou had been used as bait by Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan in this battle, once routed, with heavy casualties among officers and soldiers.
Even if they held back their anger and didn’t tear off the facade, the remaining few defeated remnants staying in Jinling probably no longer had the ability to restrain or check and balance the Chuzhou army!
Chun Shisanniang also couldn’t worry about the Imperial Concubine having just retired for the night. She went to the sleeping hall to wake the Imperial Concubine. Yao Xishui ran to the separate courtyard on the west side to find the Lady in Black Gauze.
Besides having already sent people to request Chai Jian, they separately sent people to request Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Han Daoming, Zhang Ping, Zhou Yuan and others to come discuss how to respond to the current situation.
If the Anning Palace was so vulnerable to a single strike, the choices they would make next might be such that even they themselves couldn’t come around to accepting them for a while!
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“Prince Xin utterly routed the Southern Court Imperial Guards at Jingshan Hermitage?”
Han Daoming, upon receiving the news, hurriedly rushed by carriage to Cishou Palace. Seeing his second brother Han Daochang along with Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Zhang Ping, Chai Jian, Zhou Yuan and others had already arrived, sitting in two columns behind the long desks below the Imperial Concubine’s seat, the shock in his heart still hadn’t smoothed over.
“Isn’t that so! I thought the Marquis of Xinchang in Runzhou could become a mainstay pillar. Who knew he’d actually still be used as bait by Prince Xin—such good bargaining chips all lost completely clean.”
Wang Chan’er had played the role of virtuous aunt and good mother-in-law before Princess Qingyang for half the day. She had also done so at the strong request of the Marquis of Xinchang and the Evening Red Tower, thus aggrieving herself. Her heart was harboring sinister fire as she retired for the night. Unexpectedly at this time came news that the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu commanding troops in Runzhou had been used as bait by Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan completely without awareness, suffering heavy losses.
Wang Chan’er had received Emperor Tianyou’s favor at a young age, then lived in seclusion in the palace prohibition, lacking imagination about battlefield matters. Thus she also didn’t quite understand how shocking Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan’s battle was to everyone. She simply felt the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu was incompetent and couldn’t help mocking him first with a few remarks.
Chai Jian and Li Chong’s expressions were very ugly.
The so-called victors become kings, the defeated become bandits. Li Pu commanded elite forces in Runzhou. Although the troops assembled under his command weren’t numerous, they all fully represented Yueyang in cooperating with Chuzhou. He was also the only commander of Yueyang forces commanding troops in external campaigns. Therefore, beyond his position as Right Assistant Minister of the Provincial Administration, Li Pu was also granted titles of Bureau of Military Affairs Vice Commissioner, Governor of Military Affairs, and such.
As his son and son-in-law, Li Chong and Chai Jian carried heavy weight when speaking in Yueyang, and others found it difficult to ignore their opinions.
Now it was good—the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu had to be mocked and held responsible for the heavy losses of Runzhou forces this time. Could Li Chong and Chai Jian in Yueyang still see others giving them good faces?
Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang, as secretary female officials of Cishou Palace, at this moment stood behind the Imperial Concubine. Their expressions also didn’t look good. Part of this was because the Imperial Concubine, disregarding the occasion, mocked the Marquis, indicating that deep in her heart she also harbored some dissatisfaction toward them. Even more, they worried about the current situation.
Who could imagine Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan and the Chuzhou army would be strong to this degree?
Zheng Yu squinted his eyes slightly, noticing the two young beautiful female officials behind the Imperial Concubine. When the Imperial Concubine complained, their eyes swept over Palace Supervisor of Cishou Palace Lu Qingxia, who sat attending at the Imperial Concubine’s side.
The Zheng family had long known that Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang were disciples cultivated by the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion. When the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion conspired with Han Qian to support the Third Imperial Prince, the two women joined the Secret Bureau’s Left Division that Han Qian had established with his own hand. Borrowing the identity of Zhang Ping’s adopted daughters, they were active between court and society. Before the Jinling incident, because of their identity as Zhang Ping’s adopted daughters, they were recruited by the Imperial Concubine to Cishou Palace to serve as female officials.
These matters—Zheng Yu believed the Imperial Concubine was fully aware of them in her heart. Perhaps these things themselves were preconditions for the Imperial Concubine to obtain the full support of the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion.
Palace Supervisor Lu Qingxia was quite mysterious. She not only had a rather masculine name—as a female companion who had attended the Imperial Concubine’s side since serving as a maid when the Imperial Concubine was at the Guangling Military Commissioner’s mansion, who had multiple times helped the Imperial Concubine avoid the Anning Palace’s plots—she was also the wet nurse who had cared for the Third Imperial Prince Yang Yuanpu since childhood. At this time in the Prince’s manor she naturally had an extremely special status.
Zheng Yu noticed the subtle interactions between Yao Xishui, Li Chong and others with Lu Qingxia, as well as the Imperial Concubine’s subconscious wariness of Lu Qingxia beneath her words and actions. He thus speculated that the Anning Palace’s denunciation that the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu had colluded with the Imperial Concubine over a decade ago to bring disorder to the inner palace might be true, and Lu Qingxia, Zhang Ping and others were quite key figures in this.
Of course, though Zheng Yu guessed these things, he wasn’t greatly surprised.
With chaos in the world at present, among the tycoons living in the moment, which person didn’t rack their brains and exhaust their schemes? Which one had a clean and pure background?
At this stage, everyone undoubtedly gathered together for their respective interests. The Zheng family was qualified and had the strength to form their own faction. They only needed to note Lu Qingxia this woman’s role and that the Imperial Concubine and the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion had more tightly bound interests when cooperating with the Marquis of Xinchang and the Imperial Concubine.
Zheng Chang always possessed talent and wisdom, but at this moment his thoughts weren’t focused on pondering the subtle relationship between Palace Supervisor Lu Qingxia and Imperial Concubine Wang Chan’er. Usually decisive, at this moment he also found it difficult to decide about the current situation. He looked inquiringly toward everyone and asked:
“Should we request His Highness and Director Shen Yang and other lords to come together to Chengyun Hall to discuss this matter?”
This matter greatly affected everyone in Yueyang. They had no need to close the door to secretly conspire while excluding Prince Tan Yang Yuanpu and Shen Yang and others.
Palace Supervisor Lu Qingxia said calmly: “Today is His Highness’s joyous day. Even if we must report to His Highness, it’s better to wait until tomorrow—besides, it hasn’t reached the point where heaven collapses and earth splits, with everyone in panic and unease.”
“Let’s not disturb Pu’er tonight over this matter,” Wang Chan’er echoed.
Han Daoming exchanged glances with Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang, thinking the Palace Supervisor’s words were very true. His Highness and Princess Qingyang had just entered the bridal chamber not even an hour ago. Perhaps at this moment they were right in the midst of passionate intensity. If they sent people to disturb His Highness, it would truly spoil the mood greatly and also show they were too unsteady, too alarmed and flustered.
Moreover, the matter had already occurred. Reporting to His Highness one day earlier or later wouldn’t hinder things much. The key was—what countermeasures could they discuss sitting here?
Thinking of this, Han Daoming felt somewhat at a loss, even secretly regretting that when they initially fled Jinling, they shouldn’t have so urgently aligned themselves with the Imperial Concubine and the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu and them. However, who could have foreseen that the Second Highness would be so divinely valiant? Who could have imagined the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu would be so incompetent?
Even if he couldn’t see through Yang Yuanyan and Wang Wenqian’s scheme, as long as he led the elite forces conscripted from Taowu Military Collectorate to withstand the Southern Court Imperial Guard’s assault, they wouldn’t be so passive.
Speaking of which, when Han Qian and Li Zhigao and they held firm at Xichuan, weren’t the Dragon Sparrow Army main forces they led also mainly conscripted from Taowu Military Collectorate’s military households?
At that time, the military households of Taowu Military Collectorate had just emerged from days of hunger, displacement, and suffering. Most people were sallow and emaciated, and quite a few even had epidemic diseases.
In such circumstances, Han Qian and Li Zhigao and they assisted the Third Imperial Prince in achieving such a brilliant great victory at Xichuan. Three years later, Li Pu conscripted military recruits from Taowu Military Collectorate—their individual combat quality didn’t know how much higher it was compared to three years ago, yet he was actually routed first by Xu Zhu’s forces?
Could it be that the difference between person and person was truly this great? Or was there another reason why Li Pu in comparison was defeated so miserably?
Han Daoming’s mind wandered in wild thoughts. Zheng Chang spoke again in a heavy voice:
“Our most urgent task is to reinforce Ezhou—we cannot delay any longer!”
Zheng Chang’s self-questioning and self-answering was somewhat sudden. Han Daoming was slightly startled, then saw Zheng Yu sitting across from him—his jujube-red face gloomy like river water at night—at this moment solemnly nodding in agreement.
Han Daoming after a moment also understood why Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang advocated this, secretly perceiving they still never forgot to maintain the Zheng family’s interests in Huangzhou at all times.