Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 756 - 627

Chapter 756: 627

"This Marquis of Guanjun!" gasped the Emperor Jingtai upon receiving the message from the ’Fire-Eye Crow’. His face was pale, but he remained calm.

"What do you, Minister Yu, think of the Marquis of Guanjun’s chances of victory in this northern expedition?"

"Normally, he doesn’t even have a one in three chance." Yu Jie shook his head. "Although his all-firearm tactics have performed well in several military simulations, these simulations cannot fully display the myriad changes on the battlefield.

"Whether it’s the momentum of the Iron Cavalry charge or the barrage and line fire he speaks of, none of these can be genuinely demonstrated. So, how reliable can the results of these simulations be?"

He had high expectations for Li Xuan’s firearms unit, but the full firearm tactics were too aggressive.

After hearing this, the Emperor Jingtai slightly frowned, "So you think that we should recall the Marquis of Guanjun and appoint an experienced general as the commander of the Jizhou Garrison?"

However, Yu Jie gave a contradictory answer: "No! Changing generals on the eve of battle is a taboo for the military. The Shenji right and left camp was trained by the Marquis himself, and his trusted followers and men have infiltrated its ranks.

If we were to change the general at this juncture, it would be difficult for anyone to take over."

This was what annoyed Yu Jie most about Li Xuan. The timing he chose for his action was precisely when they were most troubled and embarrassed.

If Li Xuan’s insubordination had taken place just a few days earlier, he would not hesitate to replace him.

Clearly, the Marquis had been planning this for some time—

Emperor Jingtai fell into contemplation, his eyes revealing his uncertainty.

"Moreover, it’s too late to change things now!"

With a face as grim as iron, Yu Jie continued: "Now that the Dragon Vein of Chengde has been damaged and the Dragon Qi has been prematurely triggered, we can only wait for his battle report."

What he didn’t say was that if the court were to issue an order to replace the general, Li Xuan would surely refuse it.

Yu Jie was judging others by himself. If he were in Li Xuan’s position, he would also choose to disobey orders in this situation. Even if it meant losing his official position and being punished by the court afterward, he would persist.

However, saying something like this would only damage the trust between Emperor Jingtai and Li Xuan, leading to suspicion.

Although Yu Jie was angry with Li Xuan for taking matters into his own hands, he was not fond of stirring up trouble.

Emperor Jingtai sighed lightly, his gaze moving to his retinue of courtiers present: "There’s no other choice. Where is the Hanlin editor? Draft an imperial edict for me, a reprimand for Marquis of Guanjun’s arbitrariness and disobedience. Also, "promote Shang Hong, the left Shilang of the Ministry of War, to the position of ’Youdu Yushi’ and command him to go to Chengde as the military supervisor and the envoy of the Jizhou Garrison!"

Yu Jie gave a slight nod in approval: "Your Majesty’s decision is very wise."

It’s right for the Emperor to reprimand Li Xuan. If everyone behaved like the Marquis of Guanjun, where would the court’s authority lie?

As for the transfer order of Shang Hong, the left Shilang of the Ministry of War, it was also meant to restrain Li Xuan.

Previously, Emperor Jingtai had trusted Li Xuan too much, only appointing the left Qiandu Yushi, Wei Zhen, to supervise Li Xuan.

This was like letting a little brother watch over a big bad wolf, it would not serve any supervisory purpose at all.

But now, the court could not allow Li Xuan to act recklessly under any circumstances.

Since Emperor Taizong, the Jin Dynasty has had two systems for military supervision, one is the eunuch, and the other is the Yushi of the Inspectorate.

However, after the incident at Tumu Fort, the status of the eunuchs plummeted, and the court relied more on Yushi at all levels to supervise the military in various places.

The title of ’Youdu Yushi’ granted to Shang Hong, the left Shilang of the Ministry of War by the Emperor, is only nominal, but with this title, he can serve as a military supervisor.

In addition, the Emperor had another intention. If there were any changes in Chengde, Shang Hong, the left Shilang of the Ministry of War, could take over the military power of Jizhou Town at any time.

"Then the key lies with the Mongolian Iron Cavalry on the other side."

After issuing his commands, Emperor Jingtai looked at the other side: "We only need to repel Yexian, then even if the Marquis of Guanjun is defeated in Chengde, it will not affect the overall situation!"

Yu Jie, Shaofu, replied with a grim face: "Your Majesty sees far and wide!"

Indeed, as Emperor Jingtai said, they only need to win this decisive battle. With the return of the Jingying’s more than 100,000 elite troops, no matter what emergency arises in Chengde, they can handle it.

However, Shaofu Yu Jie still felt uneasy and displeased.

The strategy he originally formulated was to defend the east and attack the west. The Chengde and Jizhou fronts in the east should extend as long as possible, while the Datong and Taiyuan fronts in the west should resolve the enemy as soon as possible before March 27th.

But Ly Xuan’s action today has truly put them in a state of dual-line operation.

Since the Dragon Qi of Chengde has been prematurely triggered, they cannot ignore it. Who knows what those ambitious people might do with the Dragon Qi of Chengde?

The reason Yu Jie hasn’t yet become excessively upset is that he has full confidence in the upcoming decisive battle.

Because on the 18th of March, the Emperor and his Jin Army had already completed preliminary assembly near the Yanmen Pass. Including the Forbidden Army they brought, as well as the troops from Xuanfu, Datong, Taiyuan, Guyuan, Henan and other places, they had a total of 820,000 troops.

The entire army was well-equipped, well-trained, and had high morale. Half of them had even experienced the fierce battle of Xuanfu last year.

However, it seemed like the Mongols had discerned their intention to encircle and annihilate them. Using their advantage of having three horsemen per soldier, they retreated almost 120 miles within half a day, escaping the encirclement of the Jin army. In the following days, they retreated northward at a swift pace, easily shaking off the pursuit of the Jin cavalry.

What was surprising was that the eighty thousand Mongol cavalry used to cover their retreat accurately predicted every move of the Jin army. In the chase, they heavily damaged the Jin cavalry three times, killing more than three thousand of them.

It even made the Jin’s cavalry dare not to act independently from their infantry formation.

Yu Jie, being well-versed in military strategy, remained patient. With a daily marching speed of 120 miles, they cautiously advanced step by step.

He knew the story of "retreating three booths". If they were eager to chase, it would lead to the disconnection of their army, enabling the enemy to defeat them one by one. On the other hand, the pursuit would cause problems with supplies, which was taboo for an army.

In fact, he could be even more composed. However, the shift in Chengde’s Dragon Qi made him eager to settle the conflict in Datong.

Not until March 22 did the Mongolian cavalry stop their retreat near Weiyuanwei. They chose a place called Niujia Slope, backed by the Great Wall, as their battleground, and did not retreat any further.

Yu Jie knew this place. Niujia Slope was situated high in the north and low in the south, making it an excellent location for a cavalier charge. If the battle went against them, the Mongolian cavalry could cross the Great Wall at any time and withdraw into their territory along the Qingshui River near Weiyuanwei.

But Yu Jie only hesitated slightly before urging the entire army to continue their march towards Niujia Slope.

By now, it was impossible to encircle and annihilate the Mongols. All he wanted was to force them to retreat north of the Great Wall.

At the time of the Jin Army’s advancement, the wind and clouds over this area were changing.

The two armies hadn’t yet encountered each other, but the skirmish of the upcoming great battle had already begun.

The spellcasters and shamans of the two sides were fiercely fighting in the "weather".

The Mongols were trying to summon heavy rain to slow down the Jin army’s march and weaken their physical strength and morale.

The spellcasters of the Forbidden Army, following Yu Jie’s orders, did their utmost to maintain dry weather along the way.

In addition, they were trying to create a two-day-long heavy rain in the area around Weiyuanwei, making the ground softer and disabling the strength of the Mongolian Iron Cavalry to the greatest extent.

On March 26, the Emperor and Yu Jie received another message from Chengde through talisman paper.

The former Empress of Liao, Shulv Ping, had led 270,000 Iron Cavalry of the Pi Room to the vicinity of the Qianhu Office in Chengde, accompanied by more than 300,000 various types of Evil Corpses, demons, and ghosts.

This was much later than they had initially expected. Theoretically, when the Dragon Vein in Chengde was destroyed and exploded, the Empress Shulv Ping and her Iron Cavalry should have headed south.

Just because the longer the Dragon Vein was destroyed, the more Dragon Qi would leak out, and its efficacy would greatly diminish. But they delayed until March 26 before they arrived in Chengde.

Although it would greatly enhance her grudge force due to it being the Empress Shulv Ping’s memorial day tonight, the gains and losses, the increase and decrease, wouldn’t really affect the growth of her strength much.

At this point, both the Emperor and Yu Jie were no longer interested in the situation in Chengde.

Because their Forbidden Army had finally arrived at the battlefield of Niujia Slope. A great battle involving millions of people was about to erupt here.

※※※※

At the same time, inside Renshou Palace in the Forbidden City of the capital, the Primordial Spirit of the True Emperor Zhengtong, manifested in this place, was carefully watching Empress Sun.

She carefully took out a Locust Puppet, a soul banner, and twelve golden arrows from a black wooden box.

"This ’Earth Soul Banner’ was crafted from the remnants of the heavenly treasure ’Six Soul Banner’ owned by the ancient sages. It’s said that this artifact can reconstruct the world of water, earth, fire, wind, and all things in it. If properly used, it can even kill a Saint who has transcended Heavenly Dao."

Empress Sun was arranging these things on the altar before her.

Pointing at the golden arrows, she said, "This is a bit inferior, it’s made imitating Dingtou Qijianshu. In ancient times, this shamanic method could even curse a powerful Taishi of the celestial court to death. Unfortunately, these artifacts only resemble the form, otherwise it would be much easier this time."

Zhengtong Emperor looked at the words engraved on the Locust Puppet and asked: "Is this the horoscope of Yu Qiyu?"

The face and figure of this Locust Puppet were identical to those of Jingtai Emperor.

"Indeed, inside it also contains three drops of natal essence blood that Yu Qiyu brought with him when he was born."

Empress Sun nodded slightly, "The three sons and two daughters that your father had consecutively died young. Empress Zhang, who was still alive at that time, suspected me. I had no choice but to take these three drops of natal essence blood from him as a backup.

I thought I had control over his life and death. That’s why I agreed to his regency. But I didn’t expect him to be so good at concealing his abilities. He silently broke through to the heavenly level and was protected by Dragon Qi. Otherwise, I could take his life with just a thought.

But now, unless Yu Qiyu’s body is riddled with countless injuries, I still can’t do anything to him. At most, I can only trigger his injuries when he is fighting with Yexian, the Khan of the Shiwei, and can’t be distracted."

"That’s enough!"

The corners of Zhengtong Emperor’s lips rose slightly, "I was originally a little concerned about Jizhou, but the Marquis of Guanjun was foolish enough to bring more than a hundred thousand of his elite soldiers to Chengde. This is indeed heaven’s help. It shows that my mother and I are still fortunate."

His eyes were gleaming, full of anticipation as he looked into the distance, "Please start your spell, mother. I believe that by now, in Weiyuan Fort, Yu Qiyu has already started fighting with Yexian, the Khan of Vala."

Without any hesitation, Empress Sun directly inserted a golden arrow into the chest of the peach wood puppet.