The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 535: Infiltrating Behind Enemy Lines (New January Monthly Ticket Request)

Inside the fourth floor of the pavilion shrouded in darkness, only the palace lanterns emitted a reassuring glow.

Zhao Duan looked at the empress's bright eyes in the firelight and was silent for a moment. He then sat cross-legged in front of the small table and organized his words:
"This goal is indeed quite difficult. Although the Beijing Camp led by Xue Shence is strong enough to defeat any single rebel army in terms of military strength, with the two princes forming an alliance to defend, it is unlikely to be effective if we only focus on attacking the eastern or western fronts."

After a brief pause, he said seriously:
"Unless, we can break up this alliance. Just like when Your Majesty and I returned to the capital from Luoshan, the reason why Prince Jing and Prince Mu failed to enter Linfeng was only partly due to the court's obstruction. The key is to check and balance each other."

Xu Zhenguan sighed softly and shook his head:
"You want to break up the alliance, but that's almost impossible. In the current situation, they are all on the same side. No matter how many problems they have, they will be suppressed."

How could Zhao Duan not know this?

He groaned for a moment and said:

"Then let's settle for the next best thing. At least when Xue Shence attacks Prince Jing, Prince Mu won't be able to spare much energy to help."

"What do you think?" Xu Zhenguan stared at him, with the tacit understanding they had developed over a long period of time added to their distance relationship.

As soon as this bastard raised his butt, she knew that he must have some bad ideas in his mind.

Zhao Duan smiled and explained:
“The Western Front does lack the ability to take the initiative, but strong fortresses are often breached from the inside. Although the Yunfu Road rebels are aggressive, they have huge internal risks.

The rebels are composed of two forces. One is the private army of Prince Mu's Mansion, which is the wealth accumulated over the years.

The other group is the border army under the command of Zhao Shixiong, the commander of the border army. As far as I know, the relationship between King Mu and Zhao Shixiong is not very close. "

Xu Zhenguan was not too surprised to hear this, and nodded:

"You are right. When the court discussed the war these days, they all believed that the Yunfu rebels were not united, so the threat was not as great as that of the Jiancheng rebels.

This should also be the reason why Xue Shence chose to attack the eastern front... Prince Jing is the biggest threat, and he cannot be given enough time to consolidate the territory he has swallowed."

Is this also the judgment of the court?
Yes, this is not difficult to judge... Zhao Duan continued:
"Therefore, I plan to sneak into the Huai River and Yongjia City controlled by Zhao Shixiong to try to understand the situation in detail. If possible, I will try to assassinate Zhao Shixiong, or take advantage of the lack of trust between Prince Mu and Zhao Shixiong to make a fuss.

Only by containing the Yunfu rebels can we regain most of the Huai River territory before winter and avoid the court falling into trouble."

The smile on Xu Zhenguan's face disappeared, and he immediately retorted:

"Give up the idea of ​​assassinating Zhao Shixiong! This man is very powerful. Not only has he trained the border troops like an iron barrel, but he himself is also a good martial artist. Although your current cultivation is not weak, no matter how strong a warrior is, once he is trapped in the military formation and surrounded by the strong men in the army, the only outcome is that he will be exhausted to death!"

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Duan was stunned. He didn't expect the empress to react so strongly.

Immediately, he seemed to realize something, and said with a strange look in his eyes:

"Your Majesty, are you worried about my safety?"

Xu Zhenguan was speechless and could not answer for a moment, but looked away.

Under the illumination of the orange palace lanterns, the empress's jade-like face no longer had the majesty and awe-inspiring look she had when she sat on the dragon throne, but instead had become much softer.

She was silent for a moment, then said with a straight face:

"In short, I forbid you to go. Do you want to disobey my order?"

Zhao Duan laughed. Ever since they returned to the capital from Fengshan and launched the counterattack, it seemed that the emperor and his subject had rarely had the opportunity to get together like this.

The identity of the empress and the severity of the situation greatly reduced the space for "love between young men and women".

When the two of them were together, it seemed that apart from discussing matters of family and country, they would at most talk about each other's spiritual practice.

They are far from being like ordinary men and women, who completely let go of their reserve and become inseparable after sleeping together once.

After all, they have too many things on their shoulders and dare not enjoy themselves for a moment, because if they fail, the only outcome will be death.

Therefore, for the two of them, this level of love talk has almost reached the limit.

"Okay, I will listen to your Majesty and will not risk my life." Zhao Duan said seriously:
“But I do plan to go to Yongjia Prefecture. Unlike Xue Shence, I am not good at leading troops in battle. On the battlefield, the role I can play is very limited.

Just like this time, it can only be done once, not twice. I can be more helpful to the situation if I go behind enemy lines."

After a pause, he joked:

"Your Majesty, please do not forget that what I am best at is dealing with 'people'."

Working behind enemy lines... this is the new position Zhao Duan has found for himself.

Xue Shence is capable of handling the front line on his own, but he is even better at fighting others, and can sneak behind enemy lines to cause the enemy to collapse from within.

Just like when he first came to this world, he toppled the big shots in the court time and time again.

How does Zhao Shixiong compare to Li Yanfu in the past? Wasn't he also defeated by him?

At this moment, he suddenly thought of Kuangfu Society and Taifu Zhuang Xiaocheng.

If Zhuang Xiaocheng was lurking in the capital and put the court into a passive position time and time again, why didn't Zhao Duan learn from his enemy?

Also set up a "Kuangfu Society" to incite the enemy's generals to rebel and destroy the enemy's base camp?

Xu Zhenguan stared at him deeply, and saw that Zhao Duan had made up his mind. She was silent for a moment, and suddenly picked up the white porcelain wine pot on the table with both hands, poured him a glass of wine, and said in a very soft voice:
"If you have made up your mind, go for it. Just be careful and put your own safety first."

At this moment, she actually had the aura of a husband about to go to the front line and a wife cheering him on.

However, this was only a moment.

After all, she is not an ordinary woman, but the banner of this dynasty.

Although it seems "easy" to sit in the capital, he has to deal with memorials from various battlefields every day and control the overall situation.

More importantly, the empress is a banner, and only with her can the situation be stable.

Zhao Duan sat cross-legged, gladly accepting the empress's service. He winked and smiled:
"Don't worry, I'm still waiting to put down the war and marry His Majesty. Last time it was only seven days, next time we will try to get fourteen days."

Well... I hope I can reach the state of heaven before the wedding, otherwise it will be so embarrassing...

Faced with his "teasing", Xu Zhenguan surprisingly did not get angry and continued to pick up food for him.

Zhao Duan said awkwardly:
"Your Majesty, please don't be like this. I can't eat it all. It feels like I'm being offered as tribute during the Qingming Festival..."

Xu Zhenguan said "Oh" and said calmly: "Then why don't you leave?"

Tsk, you're angry already? You didn't say anything... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, but he also knew that his soul had not rested well and he really couldn't stay for too long.

Otherwise, it would consume too much energy and cause permanent damage to the soul.

He stood up and prepared to leave: "I'll take my leave now..."

Anyway, it would be easy to come back later. This mural was like a portal for him, making it much easier for him to harass the empress in the future...

Therefore, there is no reluctance to leave this time.

Xu Zhenguan suddenly stopped him and said:
"Zhao Shixiong's rebellion is a bit strange. You may notice that although the late emperor ignored state affairs in his old age, he was not confused. The southwestern border army is adjacent to the southern border, and a general who is not trustworthy will not be easily deployed there.

Although Zhao Shixiong is unruly and does not obey orders, it is not something that ordinary high-ranking officials can do to make him willing to serve King Mu."

Is there any hidden reason behind Zhao Shixiong's surrender to King Mu?

Zhao Duan was a little surprised. He didn't expect Zhenbao to give this evaluation of the border army general.

"I understand." Zhao Duan nodded and stepped into the mural.

Watching him disappear, Xu Zhenguan was lost in thought. She did not have much hope for Zhao Duan's success.

How much can a few people hiding behind enemy lines influence the situation? But since Zhao Duan was going to do it, she would not say anything to spoil the fun.

However, in order to ensure his hidden safety, information about this "behind-enemy-lines operation" must be kept strictly confidential.

Even the high-ranking officials in the court are not allowed to know.

Xu Zhenguan stood up, holding the palace lantern, and walked out.

He was busy working for the State of Yu, so he shouldn't take a rest.

……

……

While Zhao Duan was chatting privately with the empress, the aftermath of the battle was still spreading.

The victims returned to the city one after another.

In a Chinese medicine shop in the county town, several young men in embroidered clothes, led by the young Kong Kong, were waiting there and were pleasantly surprised to see Nie Yurong's return.

"Sister, you're back?" Kong Kong, who was as nimble as a monkey, asked in surprise.

The other several embroidered robe envoys also saluted excitedly.

Nie Yurong said with a cold face:

“The imperial court is powerful and has captured General Su alive, killed General Lu Tong, Monk Fanlong and others. I saw that nothing could be done, so I took advantage of the chaos to leave.

The imperial army will certainly conduct a cleanup and investigation on us next. Get ready and take advantage of the chaos to find an opportunity to leave. We must report what happened here to the prince as soon as possible."

Everyone had no doubts and responded immediately.

The young man was curious: "Sister, where are we going? Yongjia City?"

"Yes." Nie Yurong nodded calmly.

Yongjia is one of the prefectures in the Huai River area, and is now commanded by Zhao Shixiong, the commander of the border army. It is the main force of the Yunfu Dao army, and the troops there are far more powerful than those in Su Dan's hands.

Nie Yurong raised her hand and released green paper cranes one by one. The cranes flew into the air and disappeared into the sky.

Not only her, but also the countless spies lurking in Linfeng were quickly reporting the results of this battle to various forces.

It is conceivable that this will cause a new round of sensation.

……

The eastern line of the Huai River.

A meeting chaired by Prince Jing Xuwen, which brought together the top leaders of Jiancheng Dao, was being held.

Suddenly, a messenger knocked on the door.

Crown Prince Xu Jinglong raised his butt, walked forward, took the latest intelligence from the palace's secret agents in his hand, and not daring to open it, handed it with both hands to Prince Jing, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had the air of a hero.

Prince Jing took it calmly, and when he saw the court defeat Su Dan and regain the lost territory, there was no surprise on his face.

This was expected.

But when he saw that Su Dan burned the city and Zhao Duan borrowed the power of gods to control the clouds and rain, affecting the climate within a radius of dozens of miles and reversing the situation of the war.

Prince Jing's pupils shrank slightly, and a look of shock and anger appeared on his face. He sneered:
"What a great guy Zhao Duan is. He can still come out to mess things up at this time."

He had regretted countless times that he had not used his full strength to kill Zhao Duan earlier.

Lu Yan'er glanced at him curiously, her expression unchanged.

Soon, after all the senior executives of Jianchengdao Group read the news, they were all shocked.

"Su Dan actually dared to implement a scorched earth strategy? Prince Mu is more daring than I thought!"

"Oh, Xue Shence was also deceived. It seems that he has been the Privy Councilor in the capital for too long. He is not as good as he used to be."

"This Zhao Duan... why is it him again?! Can he use such a method to control the clouds and rain?"

Everyone was talking about it, with different expressions.

Prince Jing snorted coldly and said indifferently:
"It must be that he used some magic tricks. The royal family's background is still there, so it's not surprising. But don't worry. If it can be used on the battlefield, why would it be raining? On the battlefield, Zhao Duan's cleverness will soon lose its effect.

Everything can be done according to the original plan. Immediately attack the eastern front to contain the power of the imperial court. This king has reached an agreement with the kings who started the rebellion. We will contain them separately and hold the blockade. By the end of the year at most, the imperial court will be running out of supplies and will collapse without any attack. "

The generals nodded happily, confident of victory.

……

"Su Dan was captured... Lu Tong died in the battle..."

"Zhao Duan!"

On a parade ground, the armored Prince Mu Xu Jingtang clutched his embroidered clothes from the front line and pointed at the latest military intelligence with a gloomy look on his face.

"Father..." A young general came over and tried to comfort him:
"That place is not defensible. As long as Yongjia Prefecture is not lost, the situation will surely be reversed in a few months..."

Prince Mu Xu Jingtang took a deep breath, feeling the gazes from all around him, and suppressed his anger, his expression returning to calmness:
"That makes sense. I have no intention of performing. I will arrange a banquet and invite Brother Huai'an and several heads of Huaishui clans to meet tonight."

Prince Mu has been getting close to the Huaishui families recently, with the aim of winning their support.

"By the way, send a letter to Zhao Shixiong and tell him..."

Xu Jingtang took a few steps and suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, and said:

"The content will be drafted by me personally later."

……

In an inconspicuous restaurant.

The second prince Xu Jianwen put down his chopsticks and looked at the latest battle report with great interest. He smiled, put down the letter, looked up and said to the two people in front of him:
"It seems that Zhao Duan has grown a lot in recent days. If he were to fight you again now, would he still have a chance of winning?"

Qi Yuchun, the former Grand Commander of the Imperial City, had a solemn expression:
“This is not good news.”

The earth magician Ren Kun who was sitting next to him glanced at him:
"It's just a matter of dogs biting each other, what's wrong with that? It's nothing more than a small victory for the imperial court... well, twice, so what? Do you really think two battles are a big deal? It's just that the powerful princes didn't send out their main forces."

Qi Yuchun ignored him and looked at the Second Prince: "Your Highness, are we really going to do nothing?"

Xu Jianwen smiled and said, "I told you not to rush. It's not time yet."

"When?"

"When the imperial court, Prince Mu, and Prince Jing really start fighting, all three will suffer."

……

In a temple.

The long-lost monk Bianji took a step and arrived at the deepest Zen temple.

His clear eyes looked respectfully at the closed door:

"Abbot, Fanlong is dead. He was killed by the priest of Tianshi Mansion. Zhao Duan won a great victory on the western front..."

He repeated the intelligence he had obtained, saying that the Shenlong Temple had a strong foundation, and even without the headquarters, the intelligence network was still powerful.

A gentle breeze blew, and the green leaves rustled.

Bian Ji waited for a long time, shook his head helplessly, turned and left, knowing that Master Xuan Yin was in a trance again.

His eyes looked a little complicated:
"Abbot, Abbot, the six hundred year foundation of Shenlong Temple is crumbling bit by bit, aren't you anxious at all?"

……

The name of Yongjia City comes from the "Yongjia River".

For thousands of years, this river that runs through the Huai River has carried countless poems. The river has many branches, which are densely packed like blood vessels, interspersed in the streets and alleys of the entire city.

At this moment, on the large flat land beside the river outside the city, the Southwestern Frontier Army was conducting daily training.

The fierce sun hung high in the sky. The shirtless border soldiers were sweating profusely as they fought against each other with their bare hands or with sticks.

Because the southwestern border troops have been defending against the Liao people for many years, the soldiers’ best skill is not marching and deploying troops, but fighting.

Each of them is good at hand-to-hand combat.

At this moment, the fight was in full swing. The soldiers on the yellow mud ground roared loudly. Some of them were sweating profusely and dived into the river to wash themselves.

When a man in his fifties, unexpectedly "short" with a thick beard, arrived with a smile, accompanied by a tall woman and several generals, the border soldiers who were fighting in pairs became excited.

His blood was boiling with excitement and his shouts rose several levels!
The general is coming!
Zhao Shixiong has excellent military management skills. The southwestern border troops have been in his command for many years and have become loyal to him.

Many border troops only have the general in their hearts, not the court. This man, who is obviously shorter than many soldiers and does not look that extraordinary, has extremely high prestige in the entire border army!

Even the lame director of the charity hall in the capital was still reminiscing about the time he served as a soldier under Zhao Shixiong when chatting with Zhao Duan several years later.

It can be seen.

"The general is here! Everyone, crawl out of the river and train hard! Whoever doesn't work hard, I'll touch his quilt at night!" A general shouted with laughter and curse.

In the river, shirtless men rushed to the shore one after another, looking excited. They showed no displeasure at being rushed, and instead, they moved closer to Zhao Shixiong.

"General, I have learned the spearmanship you taught me last time. I will show you how to use it!"

"Bullshit! What kind of marksmanship are you, Tiedan? Are you embarrassing yourself in front of the general?"

"You're still talking about me? Let's have a duel! Whoever loses will have to wash pantyhose for a month!"

"Come on! If you lose, you have to wash the whole team!"

"You wash the whole camp!"

……

Zhao Shixiong looked at the lively scene with a smile.

Suddenly a messenger came running over, and the tall woman with amazingly proportioned hips, about 34 years old and quite good-looking walked over.

After a while, he returned and whispered:

"The battle report from the front line said that Su Dan was captured, Lu Tong died in the battle, and the army was unable to withdraw. He wanted to burn the city, but Zhao Duan controlled the clouds and rain and asked the gods to stop him. This was a great defeat."

The short man, whose appearance was in stark contrast to the majestic name "Zhao Shixiong", smiled indifferently and did not read the battle report.

He just squinted his eyes and stared at the border troops training in the sun, and said softly:

"It's a small matter, to be expected."

-

I wrote a detailed outline of the next plot, and I think it's okay. I will start a new plot in the next chapter. I hope that March can return to a stable day and five.

(End of this chapter)