Jiuxi

Chapter 257 255 [Melancholy, a tree in the east column of snow]

More than thirty miles northwest of Leize Plain, there is a small town called Teng County.

When Lu Huan sent someone to send out the signal, the Jingjun cavalry, led by Bali Hai, fled in panic and fled northwest, not stopping until they entered Teng County.

Li Bingxue led the Feiyu Battalion to pursue them for more than 20 miles. They already had the advantage in strength. In addition, the morale of the Jingjun cavalry dropped to the lowest point and they had no idea of ​​turning back to fight back. Therefore, the Feiyu Battalion was unable to fight back for more than 20 miles. A lot of gains were made in the pursuit.

After nightfall, in a wealthy merchant's residence in the city that had been temporarily requisitioned by Jingjun, Balihai said with a heavy face: "Your Highness, the results of this battle have been roughly calculated."

"explain."

Qingyu Huaijin stood by the window, his armor still on and his black hair slightly messy.

Balihai bowed his head and said: "After Yawuta died in the battle, the two thousand cavalry led by him were scattered by the Southern Qi Rui Shi camp, and more than 800 cavalry took a long way to escape back to Teng County. The five thousand cavalry led by the last general were on the battlefield. More than 700 people were killed in the battle, and more than 800 people were lost in the subsequent retreat. Only more than 3,400 horses returned with all tails. In addition, the losses of war horses were more serious, and more than 4,000 horses were taken away by Feiyu Camp of Southern Qi. .”

There was silence in the room.

After a long time, Qingyu Huaijin said quietly: "Didn't any of the infantry escape?"

Balihai sighed: "There should be some people fleeing the battlefield, but we haven't seen them yet."

Qingyu Huaijin fell silent again.

Bali Hai felt an extremely depressing emotion permeating her body, and couldn't help but advise: "Your Highness, victory or defeat is a common thing for soldiers, so please don't be too upset."

"Nearly 20,000 people were killed...all of this happened because of me."

Qingyu Huaijin's tone of voice was erratic and his eyes were dull.

Bali Hai sighed: "How can we blame His Highness alone for this defeat? When we were discussing the strategy for this war, General Moulianghu, General Nu Luhuan and General Liu Ke all clearly agreed. Your Highness just proposed to increase the number of troops a few days ago. The idea of ​​sending cavalry for reinforcements. Furthermore, if His Highness had not made this decision, the general would not have led the main cavalry to come, and perhaps the infantry would have been defeated more quickly and would not have been able to cause so much damage to the Qi army."

They didn't know exactly how much the Huaizhou Army had suffered at this moment, but Balihai could roughly tell that the opponent could only win with difficulty this time. Before Lu Chen led his troops to penetrate the Jingjun infantry formation, the two sides fought fiercely for more than two hours. The Huaizhou Army also suffered a lot of casualties during this period.

Qingyu Huaijin said expressionlessly: "I understand, general, just go back."

When Bali Hai saw this, he couldn't persuade him anymore, so he could only say: "Yes, your highness, please take a rest early."

Qingyu Huaijin walked slowly to the porch outside the door, looked up at the deep and cold night, and there was gradually snow in her red eyes.

To be fair, this fiasco was not entirely her responsibility. The decisive battle with the Huaizhou Army in Leize Plain was a strategy decided upon by generals such as Mou Lianghu, Nu Lu Huan, and Liu Ke, and was not initiated or led by her. . Of course, if she objected forcefully, the generals would not insist on their opinions.

In the past two years, Yanjing's army often lost battles. She had received many similar battle reports in Heluo City, such as the battle that took place in Baotai Mountain this summer.

When Qingyu Huaijin was reading those battle reports, although she felt unhappy, she did not have that unforgettable feeling. Only today's fierce battle was completely different, because she had personally participated in the fighting on the battlefield, and watched tens of thousands of infantry fall into Desperate situation.

The feeling of powerlessness mixed with regret was enough to make her unforgettable forever, so she behaved erratically on the battlefield.

"call--"

Qingyu Huaijin exhaled a breath, which turned into a white mist in front of him.

There was a sudden noise outside the house, and soon someone strode in. Qingyu Huaijin couldn't help but frown. She thought it was Bali Hai turning back again, but after taking a closer look, her expression changed slightly.

The person who came was tall and broad-shouldered, and he walked with great momentum.

He came to Qingyu Huaijin and looked at the face of ice-muscle and jade-bone. Instead of her usual high-spirited expression, only a heavy and depressed look remained. He couldn't help but sigh softly: "Huaijin, I have heard the details of the war." Bali Hai told me that I was a little late, are you okay?"

Qingyu Huaijin's lips moved. Until now, when she retreated from the battlefield, she had been working hard to suppress her emotions, which was why she acted so indifferently in front of Bali Hai and others.

But she didn't even dare to close her eyes, because when she closed her eyes, the tragic scenes on the battlefield would appear, and the tragic drumbeat of the last moments would sound in her mind.

More than 20,000 soldiers were killed in this fierce battle. Even though no one was qualified to take the opportunity to do anything to her, she couldn't let go at all. After all, those were more than 20,000 lives.

Until this moment, the appearance of the man in front of her broke through her disguise and defense with just one sentence.

She turned her back to the man, raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, and said softly: "I'm fine, why is brother here?"

The person who came was none other than Qingyu Zhongwang, the eldest son of the Qingyu family. He looked at the light armor on the woman's body and there were still a lot of blood stains on it, so he slowed down and said, "Don't talk about it in a hurry. It's freezing outside. You stand there." What are you doing here? Let’s go in and talk.”

Qingyu Huaijin responded.

The two walked into the house. Qingyu Zhongwang looked around, then walked to the table and poured a cup of hot tea into Qingyu Huaijin's hands. "The Kingdom of Zhao has been largely pacified, but His Majesty is still worried and insists on letting my father take charge in person to avoid recurrence in the territory. After I have finished handling the matters at hand, I will go south with five thousand riders. When I arrive at Heluo City, I will Knowing that you have arrived at the battlefield, I will scold the evil tiger and lead more than a hundred riders here."

Qingyu Zhongwang briefly explained the reason for his appearance.

Qingyu Huaijin shook his head and said: "Brother, this is my own decision and has nothing to do with General Mulianghu. Don't blame him."

"No matter what, he shouldn't have put you in danger."

Qing Yu Zhongwang's expression was serious, changing his usual easy-going and gentle manner in front of her, and then said: "After receiving your military intelligence report, my father realized that this might be a conspiracy jointly woven by Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun. That’s why I was asked to lead the troops south. If we lose this battle, we have lost. Our Qingyu family is not something we cannot afford to lose, but we cannot give up on ourselves just because we lose. Huaijin, you are a smart girl and you should understand this truth."

Of course Qingyu Huaijin understands, and she also knows the meaning of being kind but not in charge of the army. Which famous general in the world is not one general who has made thousands of bones dry?

War is bound to kill people, regardless of victory or defeat.

"Brother, I understand."

She raised her head and looked at the man across the round table, with a look of determination in her eyes.

Qingyu Zhongwang frowned slightly and said, "What do you mean?"

Qingyu Huaijin said slowly but firmly: "Ever since I was a child, my father and brother have pampered me, and even Your Majesty has treated me like his own son, making me think that I can do anything well. For example, here in the Yan Kingdom In the overall situation, my father originally left it to General Mou Lianghu to decide, but I stubbornly wanted to go south and seize power, euphemistically saying that I would contribute to the Qingyu family. Another example is the war provoked by the Southern Qi Dynasty. My father clearly said that he would stick to the situation. No fight, but I am still unconvinced and I don’t want to be passively defensive.”

Qing Yu Zhongwang asked: "If you are not convinced, will you lead Qi Lu to sink?"

Qingyu Huaijin did not deny it deliberately, and nodded frankly: "Yes. I have suffered many losses at his hands in the past two years, and I wanted to defeat him head-on, so when several generals were planning the Battle of Leize, I knew there were certain risks involved but I didn't object. But the facts have proved that when it comes to leading troops to fight, not to mention compared to Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, I am indeed far inferior to Lu Chen, a half-monk."

Qing Yu Zhongwang poured himself a cup of hot tea. He did not rush to comfort her like Bali Hai did, nor did he say nonsense like "victory or defeat is a common thing for soldiers". He just looked at the woman's cold eyebrows and slowly said Said: "Everyone has his own strengths. It's not a big deal that you are not as good as him in this aspect."

"After I came back, I thought a lot. After this victory, Lu Chen will definitely ascend to a high position and become another powerful figure in the Southern Qi military after Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun. If I want to defeat him in the future, I must seize Only with more military power can I be qualified to compete with him on the battlefield, but no matter whether my father will indulge in this way, I cannot be so paranoid."

Qingyu Huaijin took a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat and continued: "This battle taught me that I did not inherit my father's military talents. No matter how much I hate Lu Chen, it will be difficult for me to fight on the battlefield in this life." Defeat him. If I continue to be stubborn, I will definitely lose more than 20,000 soldiers in the future, and may also damage the foundation of the Qingyu family and even the Dajing Dynasty."

Qing Yuzhongwang's expression was complicated, showing both pity and relief.

The most difficult thing for people to do in this world is to recognize themselves.

"Actually, you are not as bad as you think. In terms of military ability, you just lack actual combat experience. This is why your father asked you to go south to gain experience." Qing Yu Zhongwang spoke calmly and said calmly: "Southern Qi Lu Shen is here You are indeed gifted in this area, and it is not too late for you to have such a clear understanding. Huaijin, what are you going to do next?"

Qing Yugong has quite a few children, but only these two brothers and sisters are truly capable of inheriting the power. Now that Qing Yu Huaijin voluntarily gives up military power, it means that Qing Yu Zhongwang can fully take over Qing Yu Gong's legacy in the future. Therefore, he did not go into depth on this more sensitive topic.

Qingyu Huaijin was silent for a moment and then said: "I am going to continue what I did before. In addition to the manpower at home, I want to take over all the power of the Procuratorate."

"it is good."

Qing Yu Zhongwang nodded slightly and asked: "I remember you said before that there are arrangements in the capital and court of Southern Qi. I wonder how it is progressing now?"

Qingyu Huaijin thought of the secret report he received a few days ago and said softly: "Li Daoyan was not fooled. Xue Nanting is still firmly seated as the right prime minister, but I have another arrangement that will be launched soon. I originally wanted to give Lu Chen a gift After a disastrous defeat, a storm arose in the south, and the two-pronged approach completely disrupted the hearts and minds of the Southern Qi border troops, but now it’s hard to say.”

Qingyu Zhongwang muttered: "My father told me before I came here that I will still be on the defensive in the next six months. I can wait until he frees up his hands to clean up the south. Huaijin, I know that you have been good at strategizing since you were a child. I hope Don’t put too much pressure on yourself because of this loss, just do what you are good at.”

Qingyu Huaijin's face finally gained some color and said, "Thank you, brother, for the explanation. I understand what to do."

Qing Yu Zhongwang smiled and said: "There is no need to be polite between you and me, brother and sister. Get some rest early, I will have someone take you back to Heluo tomorrow, and leave the rest of the battlefield matters to me."

"Ah."

Qingyu Huaijin nodded in agreement, and suddenly a name flashed in his mind, and he reminded: "Brother, the seven-star army in Baotai Mountain in the northeast should not be underestimated."

Qing Yu Zhongwang nodded and said, "I won't ignore them, but don't worry, this seven-star army won't be able to make any waves."

Qingyu Huaijin breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the concerned eyes of her brother across from her, she finally showed a faint smile.

After sending Qing Yu Zhongwang away, she couldn't help but look up at the night, her eyes no longer filled with the previous frustration and melancholy.

There was only an icy chill.

(End of this chapter)