Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 825 - 684: Catch Them Off Guard

Chapter 825: Chapter 684: Catch Them Off Guard

Chapter Thirty-Four 684

The city of Jiujiang, formerly known as Chaisang, is situated at the mouth of Poyang Lake and serves as a strategic location along the Yangtze River, as well as the gateway to the entire province of Jiangxi.

In the past, Chen Liang, the Prince Han, garrisoned hundreds of thousands of troops here, causing Emperor Tai of Jin to be restless day and night.

Therefore, after the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, the Court paid extra attention to this place and invested a large sum of money in fortifying its city walls, making its defenses nearly as formidable as Nanchang’s, thus becoming one of the most formidable cities along the Yangtze River.

However, at this time, Jiujiang City was peaceful, with only a dozen blood-drenched heads hanging from the city walls, indicating a battle had recently taken place here.

The army of Prince Ning had taken Jiujiang City almost without a fight.

The current Jiujiang Zhifu and the commander of Jiujiang Weisuo were both greedy and incompetent. When Prince Ning’s army of two hundred thousand and naval force of fifty thousand arrived, they hardly put up any resistance or inflicted any casualties, and this city, with walls five zhang high, had already fallen.

When Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei, ascended the ramparts of Jiujiang City, he was filled with pride and excitement beyond measure.

He looked around with the eyes of an eagle and, patting the crenellation, said, "Indeed, it is a spectacular city! Lucky for us that its commander and Zhifu were incompetent; otherwise, this battle would have cost us dearly."

This was no understatement; although he possessed an army of over two hundred thousand and had five men of heavenly level serving under him, complemented by over a hundred privately made Hongyi Cannons and several hundred flanged cannons.

Before the battle, Prince Ning still had no guarantee he could take down this strong fortress without suffering losses.

The Iron-faced Man also clasped his hands with joy, "Congratulations, Your Highness! With this city in hand, the entire region of Jiangxi is within easy reach."

The terrain of Jiangxi resembles a basin, with Nanchang and Poyang Lake at its center, a vast expanse of fertile flatland, tightly surrounded by mountains.

And Jiujiang City is located at the northern outlet of this basin, also effectively blocking the mouth of Poyang Lake.

Thus, although Jiangxi is not as isolated as Sichuan, for The Court to send an army of more than one hundred thousand to conquer Jiangxi, it must either pass through Jiujiang or take the line through Shangrao in the east.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Iron-faced Man, Prince Ning’s capture of Jiujiang City meant half of his grand campaign had already succeeded.

With Jiujiang City as a base, Prince Ning’s camp could then steadily annex and occupy various prefectures and counties within Jiangxi, eventually bringing the entire region under control.

Additionally, Jiujiang is as rich as Nanchang.

With control over this area, it could become a major source of revenue for Prince Ning’s camp. With just the right amount of careful management, this land could easily sustain an eighty thousand strong army.

However, Prince Ning’s thoughts and mood had drastically changed from before the revolt.

"Sir, Jiangxi is poor and mountainous, and cannot serve as the basis for a great enterprise. I wish to march down the Yangtze River and directly strike Anqing and Nanjing, and establish a power base in the dragon and tiger’s lair of Jinling. What do you think?"

The Iron-faced Man was taken aback upon hearing this, as Prince Ning did not say such things when he first mustered the troops.

"Your Highness, the strategy we agreed upon a month ago was to accumulate grain, fortify our walls, and bide our time before claiming kingship. If you now point your troops at Nanjing, even though Your Highness has not raised the banner of rebellion, it would be no different from plotting a revolt.

The Court will inevitably react, and may even ignore the Prince Yi. By then, if County Prince Fenyang leads hundreds of thousands of troops from the north, Prince Ning’s camp might well be crushed to dust."

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei, felt a shudder at the mention of "County Prince Fenyang."

When news arrived a month ago that Li Xuan, County Prince Fenyang, had nearly annihilated the tens of thousands of Datan Iron Cavalry in Xuanfu, he was petrified and extremely wary of him.

No general since the founding of the dynasty had repeatedly defeated stronger forces with weaker ones and achieved such astonishing military exploits as Li Xuan had.

If it was not for the news that Lei Li was about to take office as the inspector of Jiangxi, Yu Dianpei would under no circumstances have raised an army at this time.

Not only is this man of exceptional ability, but he also harbours a deep enmity towards Prince Ning’s mansion.

This man was already training troops and collecting evidence of rebellion against Prince Ning’s mansion while serving in Raozhou.

Once Lei Li took office, Prince Ning’s mansion would undoubtedly face severe blows, even the disaster of being abolished, and Yu Dianpei would never sit idly by and await his fate.

Yet Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei, still felt unsatisfied: "Jiujiang City’s military defenses are lax, scholars are complacent, and warriors are trifling, which shows that The Court indeed has no precautions against me. I believe now is the time to press on, seizing the opportunity to annihilate Duan Dong’s command of the Yangtze River naval forces and to occupy Nanjing.

If we delay, and after a few months The Court reacts by amassing a large force downstream on the Yangtze River, even if I have a million strong army, it will be difficult to covet Nanjing anymore."

The Iron-faced Man felt a headache coming on, as Prince Ning’s words were not without merit, but only if they truly had the ability to conquer Nanjing.

Shaking his head, he said, "Your Highness! The inspector of Jiangxi, Lei Li, is mobilizing troops for a war and is threatening Nanchang with tens of thousands of soldiers. That is the foundation of Your Highness’s territory, which must not be jeopardized. How can Your Highness risk military operations abroad while internal troubles have not been eliminated?"

And looking at the downstream of the Yangtze River, it’s far from being as easy to capture as Your Highness imagines. Duan Dong, the tidu of the Caojiang navy, is rigorous in his military management, and his predecessor, Earl Chengyi, Li Chengji, also left a strong foundation. This indicates that all along the Yangtze River, there are no weak naval forces. The previous battle with the Jiujiang navy exemplifies this point."

The earlier battle of Jiujiang, for instance, where the seven thousand Jiujiang naval forces were the only ones to have dealt a significant blow to them.

After sinking more than a dozen of their warships and killing over a thousand naval soldiers, these Jiujiang troops withdrew downstream to Anqing, almost unscathed.

"As for Nanjing, it has only recently gone through the turmoils of Zhenjiang and the Xiao Mausoleum in the twelfth year of Jingtai. Therefore, both the civil and military authorities in Nanjing today are diligently selected by The Court as trusted officials, and their military forces have been reorganized. I have seen it myself, the present state of both the Jingying troops and the Weisuo Institute is vastly different from before the twelfth year of Jingtai.

Your Highness, if you now march westward, you might not be able to overcome with a single battle. And should our forces halt under the city and our troops grow weary, County Prince Fenyang need only dispatch a capable general leading tens of thousands of soldiers from the south, and our army could be at risk of collapse."

The Iron-faced Man spoke at length, but nothing was as useful as the words ’County Prince Fenyang’.

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei’s expression changed unpredictably, but eventually, he gave up his wild notion of taking Jiangnan in one fell swoop.

County Prince Fenyang’s military prowess was unmatched in the world, and Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei thought, for now, it would be wise to avoid confrontation and let Prince Yi, Yu Jianshen, wear down his strength.

The Iron-faced Man was right, it would be better to wait until he had control over Jiangxi and Huguang before engaging Li Xuan in a decisive battle.

By then, he would train a grand army of over a million, with countless guns and plenty of supplies. Even if Li Xuan’s military tactics were unmatched, he would fall before his blades and soldiers.

He then pondered and said, "Well, it may not be necessary to attack Nanjing, but we must take down Anqing Government and Nankang Government. I, personally, will lead the army to Anqing Government. As for Nankang Government, I will order General Pi Yun to lead sixty thousand troops to attack it!"

"Your Highness is wise!" The Iron-faced Man immediately bowed in respect, showing an expression of admiration.

He agreed that attacking Anqing Government was the right move as it was a strategic location that they needed to capture.

Anqing Government is known as the ’throat of the middle reaches’, ’the Yangtze stretches for thousands of miles and here it dictates, the premier state that divides Wu and Chu’, being the gateway to Nanjing.

This is because at the Anqing section, the Yangtze River is relatively narrow, making it easy to block the river; and also because of the ’Jixian Pass’, a natural bottleneck, capable of blocking the northern land forces.

Since Prince Ning’s mansion had taken Jiujiang, they could not afford to overlook Anqing. With control over both locations, they could block the Yangtze and securely manage Jiangxi and Huguang.

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei, upon hearing this, was greatly pleased and stepped down from the city wall.

At this moment, all the leading figures of Jiujiang City had been forcibly gathered here before the city wall.

Most of them were the prominent local families of Jiujiang City, scholars, and some wealthy merchants, all of whom were showing uneasy and fearful expressions.

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei, laughed heartily and strode over, "My fellow townsfolk, there is no need to panic. The Jingtai Emperor was unjust, installing an infant of unknown origin to succeed the throne, confusing the imperial lineage, and allowing a princess to act as the Jianguo, breaking the ancestral laws.

That’s why I’ve raised my troops to rectify the disorder and sweep the evil from The Court. You are all discerning people; I urge you, out of audacity, to support me wholeheartedly—"

But as he approached, someone in the crowd spat out: "Rebel and traitor!"

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei’s eyes turned cold as he looked in the direction of the spit, and then he saw an infuriated scholar dressed as a scholar, glaring at him: "Ever since the previous Emperor ascended the throne, The Court has worked to strengthen itself, focusing on internal and external threats, relieving the people’s burden! It’s because of people like you with treacherous ambitions that there is never-ending chaos and unrest in the world. You have the gall to ask for our assistance?"

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei’s face turned ashen: "Guards, seize this man and decapitate him at once for all to see!"

The defiant scholar showed no fear as a group of soldiers rushed towards him, grabbing and pinning him down.

He laughed loudly, "I urge you all to think thrice, do not let this rebel deceive you! The bloodline of the Emperor has been witnessed by the entire Court, and among the eight regent ministers, which one is not a contemporary Daru, upright and capable? These allegations of confusing the imperial bloodline, from where do they arise?

Futhermore, County Prince Fenyang’s military strategy is the best in the world, having achieved a great victory in Xuanfu and capturing Totaabuqa Khan of Meng Wu. When the Court dispatches him to lead troops down south, it will take no time at all to grind your Ning prince’s forces into dust!"

As he was berated continuously, even though someone smashed out his teeth and tongue, he somehow managed to articulate his words with his spirit, resonating throughout the city, causing the many scholars and students present to change their expressions.

"Execute! Execute!"

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei’s face was livid with anger: "Flay this man, execute him by lingchi! And send a team to arrest his entire family – I want to exterminate his three clans!"

He then swept the gathered crowd with a chilling gaze: "Blasphemous and disrespectful, do the rest of you also wish to follow his example?"

Just then, a knight covered in wounds rushed in, reaching his side: "Your Highness, urgent news from Nanchang, Shenji Camp’s forty thousand army has landed at Zhaojiawei, and its spearhead is now less than thirty miles from Nanchang!"

Prince Ning, Yu Dianpei’s complexion lost all its color, turning deathly pale.

Zhaojiawei lies on the west side of Nanchang by the banks of Poyang Lake.

The Iron-faced Man, too, shuddered. Only one thought crossed his mind—why is Shenji Camp’s forty thousand army at Poyang Lake? Weren’t they already dispatched to Henan?