Xu Qi's soldiers trapped Qingyang County, which seemed to be worry-free for the time being, but as King Ning approached, Xu Qi had to worry about the city defense.

Qingyang is not a big county, and it is impossible to compare with a fortress-type city like Anqing Fucheng. There are many places in the city walls that have been disrepaired and are full of dangers.

Jiangnan has not experienced wars for more than a hundred years. The military and civilians of Qingyang County did not expect that they would be related to a war for the throne.

"Mr., your request has been sent to Anqing Prefecture City, but now Your Majesty has not replied. It seems that Your Majesty will not care about your previous gains and losses in the battle for the time being. It is likely that they will settle together after the war..."

On the city gate tower, Xu Qiu stood on the terrace on the second floor to check the enemy situation outside the city. Xu Cheng was chanting, and every word was not so impressive.

Xu Cheng was born in the aftermath of the Duke of Wei. He did not speak as respectful and submissive as his subordinates to his superiors. He was basically the truth. As the saying goes, loyal words are unpleasant, and Xu Qiu became more and more annoyed the more he listened.

Not long after, Xu Qi asked with a dark face: "What do you mean... I'm waiting to be slaughtered now?"

Xu Cheng hurriedly explained: "The prince misunderstood the meaning of the villain. The villain's original intention is to say that victory or defeat or gain or loss is nothing. Everything must be determined by the final result. Now it is still time to atone for merits and sins."

Xu Qi looked angry: "It's worth your opinion? Look at the tens of thousands of Ning Wang soldiers outside the city, how can I win? Should I take the soldiers in the city out and fight them to the end?"

Xu Cheng shook his head helplessly: "King Ning's army was at the city for a day and a night, but he has not launched an attack on the city. I thought he was waiting for some favorable opportunity..."

"However, judging by the current situation, King Ning may not have the courage to choose between Anqing Prefecture City and Qingyang County. As long as he launches an siege, we can hold on for two to three days, and the reinforcements sent by His Majesty will arrive. King Ning's siege plan will not only fail, but will also face the dilemma of being attacked from both sides, and it is very likely that the entire army will be wiped out."

"well!"

Xu Qi sighed, "That's right, but if King Ning launched an attack on the city now, how likely do you think His Majesty will send troops to rescue him?"

"I'm afraid your Majesty will not be able to learn the news in two days. As for the troops coming to help, I have to wait five days later. It's a different matter whether Your Majesty will send reinforcements!"

"If His Majesty and the generals he commanded were really wise and powerful, they would not have watched us lose in Jiuhua Valley after fighting across the river."

Xu Cheng thought for a while, finally shook his head with a wry smile and said, "The villain is just talking about the matter. As for the reality, it may be as if the prince said, all of them are useless... The most important thing now is to keep communication with Anqing Prefecture City and convey the news as soon as possible."

Xu Qi pressed his hand on the battlement and lamented: "It's better to transfer Shen Zhihou here quickly. Only he can make the battle end smoothly. I don't want to ruin Yu Xi for a lifetime..."

...

...

Zhu Houzhao's imperial edict was sent to Nanjing soon.

Zhang Yong learned the news immediately and quickly called Wang Zhuo and asked Wang Zhuo to arrange the replenishment of troops and food.

Wang Zhuo said: "Your Majesty wants to transfer Duke Shen to the battlefield?"

Because of the uncertainty of the news, Wang Zhuo did not dare to be too sure about it, so he immediately asked for verification when he saw Zhang Yonghou.

Zhang Yong shook his head: "This is the case, but for some reason, Your Majesty immediately issued a handwritten order to let Lord Shen prepare on the spot. He cannot lead his troops west for the time being... As for when he sets off, he will have to wait for His Majesty's imperial order."

Wang Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief: "In this way, there will be no such embarrassment."

Zhang Yong frowned: "Mr. Wang, why can't our family understand what you mean? Do you want Lord Shen to turn the tide, or do you don't want him to send troops?"

Wang Zhuo always felt that Zhang Yong and Chen Xi had a different relationship, but at this time he could only tell frankly: "In the opinion of the following, it is appropriate for Duke Chen to send troops to suspend the situation... Your Majesty is not in Nanjing, and the situation is still under control. If you say Duke Chen leads troops to Nanjing City, isn't the situation in the world determined by one person?"

"this……"

Zhang Yong pondered for a moment, finally understood what Wang Zhuo meant, and asked in surprise, "Are you worried that Lord Shen will rebel?"

Wang Zhuo said: "Although Your Majesty and Duke of Wei have suffered losses in this battle, the situation has stabilized. King Ning's attempt to wipe out the imperial court's troops with lightning speed was in vain. The general trend of Jianghuai has actually been decided... Now the Duke of Wei and His Majesty will not easily take risks. Just delaying for a few months can kill King Ning, right?"

Zhang Yong waved his hand: "Your Majesty has hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Is it a perfect match to fight a protracted war with King Ning?"

Wang Zhuo smiled bitterly and said, "Eunuch Zhang, we are just talking about the matter. It is best for us to control the situation in Nanjing. You hope that Duke Chen will come forward to quickly end the war. There is no problem, but for the officialdom in Jiangnan, I actually hope to slow down the war. It is best that everyone will be happy after the end. Your Majesty returns to the capital, and Duke Chen will also go back to the capital."

Zhang Yong frowned and began to seriously think about what Wang Zhuo said.

Wang Zhuo said bitterly: "The same is true for officials and gentry in Jiangnan. If the war is expanded, it will waste the people and cause money. Once Duke Shen takes action, it may bring about earth-shaking changes to the Jiangnan territory, and the officialdom may be cleaned up, so it is better to settle for the status quo."

Zhang Yong frowned: "Are you talking to our family for the Jiangnan officialdom, and I hope to stop Lord Shen from sending troops?"

Wang Zhuo sighed: "That's true... As long as the Jiangnan officialdom can survive this disaster smoothly, even if you lose some money, grain and troops, it's not a problem... I'm afraid that Duke Chen will lead his troops into Nanjing and reverse the world, and our group of people will become the sinners of the Ming Dynasty."

...

...

After Wang Zhuo left, Zhang Yongcai completely understood the other party's words and couldn't help but mutter.

"It seems that Shen Zhihou is indeed very good at masters. Not only does His Majesty suspicion, but even the ministers do not trust him. He is so young that he can hold a high position. It is also because everyone knows that as long as he takes action, he can turn the tide. No matter how difficult the situation is, it is exactly the same as Zhao Kuangyin, who established the Song Dynasty,... It is really not easy to become an official at this point."

"Eunuch Zhang, Mr. Xu sent someone to send a message. The messenger is out. Have you met?" Just as Zhang Yong was thinking about how to deal with the emperor's dispatch of Chen Xi to send troops, the servants came in to report.

Zhang Yong couldn't help but laugh: "It's such a strange thing. Now that the war on the front line is on the ground, our family, an irrelevant person in the rear, has become the target of public criticism."

Then Zhang Yong said, "The messenger disappeared. I asked someone to send the letter in. We can just read it."

After receiving the order, the servant went out and soon handed the letter written by Xu Qi to Zhang Yong.

Zhang Yong looked at it in detail and his brows slowly frowned.

"I also asked to mobilize troops. In addition to Shen Zhihou's Jiangnan land, can other people's troops be transferred? It really caused problems for our family!" Zhang Yong was very angry.

Xu Qiu felt isolated and helpless in Qingyang County, so he quickly sent someone to Zhang Yong for help.

When the emperor felt very nervous in Anqing Prefecture City, he issued an order to prepare troops everywhere in Jiangnan. Now, after Xu Qi was defeated, he has stepped up his urging.

But now Zhang Yong didn't want to wade into muddy waters at all. He immediately picked up his pen and explained the current "difficulty" in Nanjing in detail, then called his servants and waved his hand and said, "Leave it to the messenger and let him go back and report it to the Duke of Wei. Not to mention that there are no spare soldiers in Nanjing for the time being, even if there are, they will send them to Anqing Prefecture City first. He should ask for his own blessing."

...

...

Qingyang County, Anqing Prefecture City and Nanjing form a strange triangle.

Although the three parties have constant contact, there is no strategic arrangement or coordination, and it is more like shirking responsibility for each other and fighting each other.

Emperor Zhengde's imperial edict was delivered to Xincheng as quickly as possible, and the two imperial edicts were delivered to Chen Xi almost at the same time.

Yun Liu personally sent the imperial edict. The person who did not send the imperial edict was more like Zhu Houzhao's verbal communication to Chen Xi. Chen Xi held two imperial edicts, with a smile on his face, and his heart was mixed.

Yun Liu said: "Sir, the two imperial edicts were obviously not issued at the same time. It may be that Your Majesty first dispatched you to send troops. Considering that sending troops may bring about changes in the political situation in Jiangnan, you will just hurry up and prepare your troops without sending troops immediately."

Chen Xi's face was cold: "Do you think it's that simple? In my opinion, when His Majesty's first imperial edict was issued, he didn't even know whether Duke Wei was alive or dead. He felt that he was very dangerous, so he transferred me to send troops, regardless of the damage to his face;"

"But later he learned that some of the remaining troops of Old Man Xu were in Qingyang County. King Ning also fell into a strategic passiveness because the front line was too long. When he could not take back his life, he could only change the order and let me prepare first."

Yun Liu asked, "Which imperial edict is that lord obeying? Do you need to send troops immediately?"

Chen Xi shook his head: "Your Majesty has changed his mind and doesn't want me to send troops, so I will continue to wait... If I act too anxious at this time and lead the troops to Nanjing in a hurry, I may look at the world and panic, so I will pretend that these two imperial decrees... I will pretend that I haven't seen them."

Yun Liu was a little worried: "But Your Majesty lacked the forecast for the situation in Jiangnan. If there is any change in the Ning King, I am afraid that even if the imperial decree arrives, it will be too late to save the car any time."

Chen Xi shook his head and said, "You can't risk the world's ruthlessness just because you are afraid of the future development of the war situation and the court. You don't turn around. The relationship between you and Your Majesty was a little stiff. If you don't be careful in your words and actions, it may make the relationship between the monarch and the minister even worsen."

Yun Liu understood Chen Xi’s current situation and knew his mentality, so he lowered his head and said nothing.

Chen Xi's face immediately became relaxed: "No matter what, everything is within the controllable range now. In fact, my best choice is to use some methods to help Your Majesty win without having to do it yourself... This is the best way to resolve the gap between the king and the minister."

Yun Liu bowed his fists and said, "I don't know how to serve the poor job?"

Chen Xi shook his head slightly again: "What you can do is to investigate the frontline intelligence well. This war is different from the past. This is an internal dispute between the royal family. Many ministers and generals are actually watching the fire from the other side of the river. Your Majesty should not be in Jiangnan. If Your Majesty stays in the capital, this battle should be easily resolved... and there is also a key figure who is not in Jiangnan..."

Yun Liu was stunned, wondering who Chen Xi was referring to.

Chen Xi did not say anything to answer his doubts. What he thought at this time was Wang Shouren, who helped Zhu Houzhao solve the Ning King Rebellion in history.

At this time, Wang Shouren was in the capital as the Minister of War, and his status was much higher than in history.

The Ming Dynasty unknowingly walked towards the fork in the road.

...

...

After November, the temperature in the south of the Yangtze River dropped sharply, and heavy snow began to fall from all over the country.

The imperial troops stationed in Anqing Prefecture City and Qingyang County were basically from the south. When Zhu Houzhao was preparing for the war, he thought of taking Nanchang Prefecture in one go, but he did not prepare clothes for winter. Now he was attacked by ice and snow. He was caught off guard for a while, and the soldiers were trembling with coldness and their morale was sluggish.

When Xu Qi was defeated in the Jiuhua Valley, he still escorted food and grass back to the county town at all costs, but there was still a shortage of winter supplies, and Nanjing was unable to collect enough supplies needed for Anqing Prefecture and Qingyang County, which made the two Ming main battle soldiers begin to enter the most difficult days in winter.

It was the Little Ice Age, and the land in the south of the Yangtze River was frozen, and the low temperature period exceeded historical records.

The heavy snowfall for two days and two nights has made Qingyang County and Anqing Prefecture an frozen world.

Xu Qi was worried that he could not climb to the city on snowy days. When he found out that King Ning's army did not take advantage of the ice and snow to attack the city, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, at the subsequent military meeting, the generals at and below complained and asked him for clothes for winter, and he realized that the situation was not good.

However, Xu Qi did not compromise and scolded several generals in public at the meeting.

"Mr., the situation is critical. King Ning's troops do not attack the city, but just fuck us. I haven't heard of the main force of King Ning in the direction of Anqing Prefecture. What is their purpose?"

After the military meeting ended, when the generals dispersed, Xu Cheng expressed his doubts in front of Xu Qiu.

Xu Qiu was careless: "Isn't this a good thing if he doesn't come to attack the city?"

Xu Cheng said: "Mr. Prince Ning showed a good military talent in the Battle of Jiuhua Mountain. He is not in a hurry at this moment. As a villain thinks, it may be that he is going to brew a big battle, and it is very likely that he is looking for an opportunity to sneak attack on Nanjing City."

"hehe."

Xu Qi had a contemptuous smile on his face, "Who did King Ning think he was, a royal family member who was completely unmatched, and he hoped that he could win the hearts of the people, conquer Nanjing City, and then steal half of the Ming Dynasty? How could Shen Zhihou turn a blind eye to the new city?"

Xu Cheng tentatively said: "The key is Shen Zhihou..."

The smile on Xu Qi's face faded. After careful consideration, he shook his head and said, "It's impossible for now. Shen Zhihou will not take the blame for the world and jump out to rebel. However, there is no movement in Anqing Prefecture City recently, which is surprising. King Ning chose not to withdraw his troops. In fact, the best way for Your Majesty to deal with it is to send a group of troops into the territory of Jiangxi and lead King Ning's retreat."

"Um."

Xu Cheng nodded without saying much.

Xu Qi said: "I haven't heard of Huguang and what are the trends in Fujian and Guangdong recently. Logically speaking, Huguang and Fujian and Guangdong are recruiting troops and should set out to Jiangxi to seek rebellion... Is King Ning really ignoring the way out? Or is Huguang and Fujian and Guangdong already controlled them?"

Xu Cheng analyzed: "King Ning has not launched any major war recently. It is likely that he is dealing with the troops of Huguang and Fujian and Guangdong. Unfortunately, it is difficult for Jiangxi to spread information here... The roads to the west have been blocked by Ning Wang's troops, which is the most difficult problem at present."

Xu Qi waved his hand: "Don't be nervous. Even if King Ning is fighting with Huguang and Fujian and Guangdong soldiers, it has little to do with us. Don't threaten our army."

Xu Cheng said: "Master, don't forget that we have to commit crimes and make meritorious service."
Chapter completed!