Chapter 781
Zhu Chong 8: What?! My entire army of ten thousand is gone!
"what!"
When Zhu Chongba heard that Fu Youde had suffered a great defeat and that 100,000 naval troops had been fed to turtles at Wulongkou, he was completely stunned and looked incredulous. What a joke! That was 100,000 troops! 100,000 troops!
Even if it were 100,000 pigs, it would still take some time to catch them.
But how long has it been since the 100,000-strong army was wiped out?
Seeing Zhu Chongba's furious outburst, everyone around him fell silent, not daring to utter a word for a moment.
After a long pause, Zhu Chongba took a deep breath and asked, "What should we do next, everyone?"
After Zhu Chongba finished speaking, everyone in the room fell silent. Zhu Chongba suddenly looked at Liu Bowen and said, "Mr. Liu, people say that Mr. Qingtian is unparalleled in his scheming. Please teach me what to do next."
As soon as Zhu Chongba said this, everyone's eyes turned to Liu Bowen.
Liu Bowen's face was also embarrassed. Why do you always think of me at times like this? Thinking of me always brings bad luck!
Liu Bowen was quite helpless, and then said, "Now is not the time to grieve and suffer, because grief and suffering will not change the fact that Fu Youde's 100,000-strong army was wiped out. Therefore, I think we should prepare for the defense of Hongdu."
“Now that Hongdu is still in our hands, we can rely on Hongdu to maneuver around Chen Jiu, and at the same time send a eloquent person north to Dadu.”
"Go to Dadu?"
Zhu Chongba looked at Liu Bowen with a puzzled expression and asked, "What are you going to do at the university?"
Liu Bowen said, "Submit the surrender document and let Dadu send troops to help you quell the rebellion!"
"what?"
Zhu Chongba looked at Liu Bowen with a bewildered expression and said, "Mr. Liu, are you kidding me? Those remnants of the rebellious Qianlong regime in Dadu, can they really help us?"
"We exist to overthrow them, why would they lend us troops?"
Liu Bowen said, "If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. What the superior said is right, but not entirely right. There is one point that the superior did not make clear, and that is that Bao Qian and we have common interests, which is that neither of us wants Chen Jiu Si to become too powerful."
"In the battle of Hongdu, we lost the initiative and suffered a devastating loss of 100,000 troops under Fu Youde."
"At this time, it should be our best course of action to approach Bao Qian, explain the advantages and disadvantages, and unite with Qian to defeat Chen. Emperor Qian Shun probably doesn't want a powerful southern force to rise up, after all, if we are defeated by Chen Jiu Si, then Bao Qian will be the next one to be destroyed!"
Upon hearing Liu Bowen's words, everyone was taken aback. They exchanged glances, realizing that although Liu Bowen's words were harsh, they were a good idea. If they followed Liu Bowen's advice, they might actually be able to obtain troops from Bao Gan.
Zhu Chongba also fell into deep thought. There were advantages and disadvantages to doing this. The advantage was that he could get troops from Bao Gan and tie down a large number of Chen Jiu Si's troops, giving himself a chance to catch his breath.
The downside is that his reputation will be ruined. After all, he is a righteous army. How can a righteous army ally with a tyrannical ruler?
Therefore, Zhu Chongba had to make a choice between reputation and practical benefits.
The people around him fell silent. Zhu Chongba was weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a long while, he lifted his leg, glanced at Li Shanchang, and asked, "What do you think of this matter, Mr. Shanchang?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang glanced at Zhu Chongba and knew that his successor must have his own plans, but he just wanted to find someone to take the blame.
Li Shanchang then clasped his hands and said, "My lord, I am also unsure about such important military and national affairs. If you asked me to organize the grain and supplies, I would have no objection, but I really cannot make up my mind about such matters!"
Zhu Chongba glanced at Li Shanchang, cursing the old fox in his heart, then turned to Tang He and asked, "Third brother, what do you think?"
Tang He understood that this was a scapegoat job, but he also knew that as the brother in charge, if he didn't step up at this time, the consequences would be quite serious. So Tang He stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Sir, I think Mr. Bowen is absolutely right."
"We were evenly matched with Chen Jiu Si, but this battle cost us 100,000 troops, nearly a third of our strength. If we don't find a way to stop Chen Jiu Si, we'll be in danger."
"Therefore, I request that we adopt Mr. Bowen's strategy, unite with Bao Qian, and first restrain Chen Jiu Si before discussing anything else. If this results in public condemnation, I, Tang He, am willing to bear the full responsibility!"
Tang He knelt down to plead, and at this moment, Feng Sheng and other generals behind him also realized what was happening and immediately knelt down to plead as well.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Chongba's expression relaxed, and he quickly helped Tang He up from the ground, saying, "Please get up quickly, everyone. How can I, Zhu Chongba, let you bear the burden of such a matter of life and death alone? If the people of the world want to blame me, I, Zhu Chongba, will not shirk my responsibility. I am certainly guilty of this matter!"
As Zhu Chongba spoke, everyone immediately said, "Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with you!"
Zhu Chongba waved his hand and said, "No need to say more. Since things have come to this point, we have no way out. We have wives, children and elderly parents. We can't just sit here and be slaughtered. If there is any blame, let it come to me, Zhu Chongba."
"I've made up my mind: let's join forces with Bao Gan to fight against the traitor Chen!"
"The superior is wise!"
Everyone agreed. Zhu Chongba took a deep breath and said, "Bowen, this plan was devised by you. I'm afraid we'll still need you to make this trip to Dadu!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen clasped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys."
Zhu Chongba said, "Bowen, please allow me to write a letter."
"Ascend!"
Liu Bowen then stepped forward and said, "Only two things need to be written in the letter to the superior: first, that the traitor Chen is growing too powerful, and second, that if we perish, Dadu will be next."
"Secondly, the emperor wants to ask Dadu for the position of King of the First Rank. The content is that if we defeat the traitor Chen, the people of Wu can respect Dadu as the emperor, but we will have the final say on our territory. We will be given the position of King of the First Rank, pay tribute and become a vassal, but we will obey orders but not proclamations. The Mulan people will not be allowed to send a single soldier into our Wu territory!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba looked at Liu Bowen and asked, "Would they agree?"
Liu Bowen said, "Whether they agree or not is not important at all. What is important is to make them feel that we have no ambition for unification and only want to divide the land and establish fiefdoms."
Zhu Chongba said, "Would they believe that?"
Liu Bowen said, "They have no choice but to believe it. Chen's forces are now so powerful that if most of them don't react, they will be the next to die. So they must be hoping for the best. What if what we say is true?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba nodded slightly and said, "Good, Mr. Bowen is indeed very thoughtful. We will listen to Mr. Bowen's advice. I will write a letter now, Da Hu!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
A young officer stepped forward, and Zhu Chongba said, "Go and arrange a boat and carriage for the gentleman, and escort him northward without fail."
"Yes!"
Da Hu clasped his hands in a fist salute and stood aside. Soon, Zhu Chongba finished writing his letter. Zhu Chongba was also flexible and adaptable. The letter began with: "The Prince of Xia pays homage to the Emperor Emeritus!"
First of all, his attitude was very proper, like someone asking for a favor. Then, based on Liu Bowen's words, he wrote a letter and affixed the seal of the King of Wu.
Then he handed it to Liu Bowen, who said, "Then this humble subject will head north."
"I eagerly await your good news, sir."
Liu Bowen then left.
Watching Liu Bowen leave, Zhu Chongba looked at the remaining ministers and asked, "What do you think the probability of this plan succeeding is?"
After thinking for a while, Tang He said, "Since Mr. Liu brought it up, we should be at least 70% confident."
Zhu Chongba said, "Well, but we can't put all our eggs in one basket. It would be best if Mr. Liu could get Bao Qian's reinforcements. If not..."
Zhu Chongba said, "We can't just sit here and wait to die."
"Pass on my orders!"
Zhu Chongba shouted, "Order all troops stationed in various places to return to Nanjing, leaving only one-third of the garrison forces. The rest must gather in Nanjing." "Also, instruct shipyards in various places to build me as many ships as possible, regardless of the cost."
"Third Mr. Li, you just said that raising military supplies and weapons is your forte, so then raise supplies and weapons for me. I want to fight a big battle with Chen Jiu Si!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty, the traitor Chen is too powerful!"
Zhu Chongba said, "Mr. Li, it is true that Chen Jiusi is powerful, but he is developing even faster. I cannot wait until he has fully developed before fighting him. This great battle should be fought sooner rather than later. Now gather your troops. Three months from now, I will fight him to the death at Poyang Lake!"
"This battle is a fight to the death!"
As he spoke, Zhu Chongba began to issue troop deployment orders: "He ordered Zhu Wenzhong to lead 30,000 personal guards to Jinling, and Deng Yu, the vanguard of the left wing, to lead 50,000 anti-Qian troops to withdraw from Hebei and rush to Jinling. He also ordered Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng to leave 20,000 troops in Anyang to guard against Bao Qian's sudden attack."
"Furthermore, I order the generals Hua Yunlong, Wu Liang, Zhao Yong, Fei Ju, Wu Fu, Mu Ying, and others who are currently suppressing bandits and expanding their army to immediately assemble their troops and head to Hongdu as a forward position. This time, I'm going to have a big fight with Chen Jiu Si!"
Zhu Chongba's eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of exploding.
At this moment, Li Shanchang came to Zhu Chongba and said, "My lord, the troops mobilized here total about 200,000, plus Xu Da's 60,000 and Hongdu's 10,000 to 20,000, which is almost 300,000."
"Such a large force, supplies, and baggage will take time to prepare!"
Zhu Chongba asked, "How long will it take to gather them all?"
"At least five months."
"I'm giving you three months to replenish your supplies of food and provisions."
"My lord, this!"
Li Shanchang looked troubled. Zhu Chongba then said, "Mr. Li, it's not me forcing you, but Chen Jiusi forcing you. I can give you time to raise funds slowly, but Chen Jiusi may not. Chen Jiusi is a very opportunistic opponent. After this great victory, he will definitely take the opportunity to expand his gains. Fortunately, Hongdu is still in our hands, otherwise we might not even have the chance to fight Chen Jiusi."
"Three months, at most three months. Mr. Li must make sure all the grain and supplies are ready. We only have three months left."
Upon seeing this, Li Shanchang's expression hardened, and he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost."
"It's not just about going all out, it's about having to."
Zhu Chongba grabbed Li Shanchang's arm at this moment. Li Shanchang looked at Zhu Chongba's face and said, "Yes, I will definitely complete the mission!"
Upon seeing this, Zhu Chongba relaxed, then smiled and immediately bowed, saying, "I entrust everything to you, sir."
Li Shanchang quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Your subject will do his utmost!"
Having made the arrangements, Zhu Chongba looked at Tang He and said, "Tang He, you must immediately gather the troops in Jinling City and be ready to rush to the front line at any time."
"promise!"
Tang and Li should respond immediately.
Then Zhu Chongba suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Fu Youde has been captured. I can't leave right now. Go and inform Madam to take me to Fu Youde's house to comfort him and convey my message that Fu Youde is a great commander in my army. Although he has suffered misfortune, I will ensure that his family is safe."
"promise!"
After issuing a series of orders, Zhu Chongba turned around and glanced at the sand table, saying, "By the way, where is Xu Da now?"
Upon hearing this, everyone said, "They should be on their way to Hongdu."
"Hongdu, haha! It seems Hongdu was just bait. Xu Da should have scared Wang Baobao away long ago. Sigh, order Xu Da to garrison Hongdu, build up the offensive, and wait for the main army to arrive!"
"promise!"
At a single command, the messenger immediately set off.
After all the orders had been given, only Zhu Chongba remained in the conference hall. He could no longer stand and plopped down in a chair, staring at the sand table in front of him, muttering with immense resentment, "One hundred thousand troops, my one hundred thousand troops!"
Fu Youde's crushing defeat was a devastating blow to Zhu Chongba, and he was just gritting his teeth and enduring it.
"Chen Jiu Si, Chen Jiu Si, you've really got some nerve! You just wait and see, the one who laughs last is the winner!"
Zhu Chongba suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with rage.
Meanwhile, at this time, the Prince of Han's residence in Huangzhou Prefecture was also in charge of the palace.
Ah owe!
Chen Jie yawned and said, "Who's thinking of me again?"
Su Yunjin, who was standing to the side, said, "Who knows which lady you've made fall in love with this time?"
"Nonsense! Is my husband the kind of person who would philander?"
"My husband is not the type to philander, but it's hard to say that some women might not want to get involved with him."
"Now that my husband has become a king, shouldn't we select some concubines to fill the harem?"
"Nonsense, what do you mean by 'filling the harem'? I'm already blessed by heaven to have three beauties like you. I won't think about the rest."
As Chen was explaining, Chen Chun rushed in: "My lord, good news!"
Chen Chun rushed into the room excitedly, and when he saw Su Yunjin, he immediately stopped and said, "Madam."
Chen Jie glanced at Chen Chun and said, "So impulsive, what's got you so excited about?"
"My lord, good news! Great news! Just now, a message came back by carrier pigeon. Commander-in-Chief Zhang Dingbian annihilated Fu Youde's army at Wulongkou. Of the 100,000 troops, 30,000 were captured, 50,000 were killed or wounded, and 20,000 are still missing. Only a little over 1,000 escaped with Fu Youde and Lan Yu."
"But on the way, Tiger Commander captured Fu Youde alive, and Tiger Commander is currently bringing Fu Youde back!"
"Annihilate Fu Youde's 100,000-strong army!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"Hahaha...Good, Zhang Dingbian, Zhang Dingbian, you truly deserve to be called the most valued commander. Well done!"
"By my royal decree, a great reward shall be given!"
Chen Jie was overjoyed. In one battle, he had annihilated a quarter of Zhu Chongba's forces with an army of 100,000. How could he not reward him for such a great victory!
A huge reward!
After the excitement subsided, Chen Jie looked up at Chen Chun and asked, "By the way, how's Hongdu? Where did Wang Baobao retreat to?"
"This……"
Upon hearing this, Chen Chun lowered his head and remained silent. Chen Jie frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Chun said, "Our orders reached Hongdu, but General Wang Baobao did not withdraw his troops. In addition, he sent a message back to our messenger."
"So what if he's Xu Da? I'll avoid his sharp edge!" (End of Chapter)