My wife has a secret

Chapter 229 Turmoil
According to the plan set in case of emergency, the crocodile god will die in Huangling Pass, and its body will decay and pollute the surrounding land.

The body of the crocodile god is so huge that ordinary people cannot handle such a corpse.

Even if the Yang family tried their best, they could probably only ask their young and strong men to do their best and spend a month digging a pit to bury the body and eliminate the impact.

Not to mention the heavy attacks that Huangling Pass will face from the army in the past month, and the dilemma of internal and external troubles, the number of personnel that need to be mobilized and the logistical supplies alone are astronomical figures. If an epidemic breaks out again, it will be enough to destroy Huangling Pass and the Yang family.

What made Xiao Chong somewhat regretful was that facts proved that Yang Xianning made the most correct judgment. She did not stick to the natural barrier and left this mess to herself.

"Your Highness, how should we deal with the crocodile god in Huangling Pass?"

A general who knew the inside story dared to ask a question. Although he felt that Prince Xiao would not miss such an important matter, the existence of the Alligator God had become a problem for the Liao army occupying Huangling Pass.

If this thing is not cleaned up, the soldiers passing by will lose their combat effectiveness.

Xiao Chong smiled calmly, turned to the deputy general and asked, "Where are the poor laborers who were used as the vanguard?"

Saba replied: "Three thousand dead, eight thousand wounded, and twenty thousand remaining."

The deputy general Saba is efficient and never drags his feet in his actions or words. In a few words, he explained the current situation of those "meat shields".

"What we have the most is human lives. We don't need to tell them the truth. We can just put knives on their necks and order them to dig a pit and bury the Crocodile God... They must work day and night and do their best to bury it on the spot... We only give them two days."

As most people speculated, Xiao Chong had already thought about how to deal with his funeral.

Even he felt a little pained when he thought that the corpse of the Crocodile God would be buried along with tens of thousands of warriors.

"Go find 30,000 replacements from the logistics convoy to ensure that this is a foolproof operation. By the way, when you bury the bodies, push them in as well to prevent the disease from spreading outside."

"Yes!"

When Saba heard the order, he strode out the door.

The other generals were completely immersed in shock. It took a moment for someone to realize that Prince Xiao Chong intended to use countless lives to deal with the monster's body.

Should we say that His Royal Highness is decisive? Or should we say that he is cold-blooded?

"Three days later, all the troops entered the border of Qi on time. Shi Moming'an's troops served as the right vanguard and captured Jieting. Wanyan Yuanyi's troops served as the left vanguard and captured Changpo Bridge. The two armies advanced in a pincer formation, and the central troops feinted to complete the encirclement."

What Xiao Chong is talking about now is the battle plan that he wanted to explain when he summoned all the generals this time.

The army's baggage supply will reach its limit in three days, and they can only capture cities and rob the local people of Qi and the food in the city in order to maintain the stability of the army.

Therefore, all units of the Liao army had to make preparations in advance, quickly achieve a new round of encirclement, and annihilate the Qi army's effective forces.

Only in this way can he gain the upper hand in the decisive battle before the capital of Qi.

……

Qi State, capital city, imperial palace.

The glazed tiles of the palace sparkled in the sun, like bright pearls inlaid in the palace.

Inside the hall, there were carved beams and painted rafters, and walls made of jasper. The empress, who was hidden behind a pearl curtain, was sitting on the dragon throne, facing her ministers without saying a word.

What makes people feel the emperor's majesty is not the palace, but the tense atmosphere that is almost suffocating.

The battle report from the front line had just been conveyed, and the military situation, which had been stable for three days, suddenly plummeted. Not only was Huangling Pass breached, but even the Yang Family Army, which Qi was so proud of, was driven out of the border for hundreds of miles and retreated towards the capital.

I heard that there are hundreds of thousands of refugees along the way, all of whom have left their homes.

"Your Majesty, I believe that... the defeat of our Qi's elite army was due to the inaction of the Yang family at Huangling Pass."

In the palace, a minister sneered at the Yang family's move and said, "The reinforcements were about to arrive, but the Yang family's commander Yang Xianning fled the battlefield and led the Yang family army to retreat. He should be executed immediately!"

Ministers in the court rarely led troops to fight, but they were extremely concerned about the loss of Huangling Pass, because Huangling Pass was the last line of defense before the capital.

The next few cities had few flat terrains and few natural defenses, and the Liao army was brave and good at fighting, so our people had little chance.

Other ministers also echoed and accused Yang Xianning in the hall.

Everyone felt that they did not expect Yang Xianning to fight a beautiful battle and defeat the Liao army with a smaller force, but Huangling Pass was lost at this critical juncture, which could hardly prove the ability of the Yang family.

"The battle ahead is intense, and changing generals in the middle of a battle is a taboo in military strategy."

Although Yuchi Qi was also worried about the loss of Huangling Pass, the incident had already happened and it would be of no avail even if everyone killed Yang Xianning.

What's more, the Yang family army only obeys the Yang family. If the empress takes action against the Yang family at this time, the civil war in Qi will probably begin before the battle to defend the capital begins.

"I think that Xiao Chong of Liao is cunning and treacherous, and Yang Xianning is still inexperienced, so it is understandable that they are not his opponents."

"Minister Yuchi means that the defeated generals can be exempted from punishment?"

The minister who had made the suggestion earlier was aggressive and accused him, spitting saliva: "General Yang made a mistake in his first command of such a large war. If he is not removed, I am afraid that our country will repeat the mistakes of the Zhao Dynasty and once again engage in paper war."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, sneering, "And look at what's written in the battle report? Monsters several feet tall invaded the town, causing the city walls to collapse and unable to defend... Isn't this an excuse for his own incompetence?"

Yuchi Qi himself was a military general and was not good at speaking. Today, he was besieged by the ministers and his face turned red with embarrassment, but he couldn't say anything back.

He didn't understand how such an exaggerated monster could exist in the world, but the fact that this thing could be written into the battle report meant that what the Yang family said was true, and this thing was indeed assisting the Liao army in fighting.

"That's enough. How can you be so disrespectful in front of a saint?"

When Lord Lianhua spoke in such a light tone, none of the ministers in the palace dared to speak.

Here, Lianhua Jun's words represent the Empress's opinion, and no one dares to disobey or offend her.

When Lord Lianhua saw that the situation in the hall was under control, he turned around to ask the empress on the dragon throne for instructions.

Queen Mother Xu was wearing a dragon robe and sitting there with a graceful figure, like a fairy descending from heaven.

Today's dragon robes are of novel style. The long skirt reaches the chest, revealing half of the two mountains in front of the chest, which are full, graceful, white and smooth.

Just through the dress, you can see the abundance of its fruits, just like fresh pears and peaches that are juicy and full of life.

What is even more moving is the calm expression on Empress Dowager Xu's face, as if she would not show any emotion even if a great danger was approaching, which fully demonstrates the majesty of the emperor.

However, such a touching scene could only be seen by Lord Lianhua behind the curtains.

Not only were the ministers below forbidden to cross the curtain, they were not even allowed to look up at the sage. They could only look at him and speak to him with permission, and they could only see a blurry figure.

"Where's Qing'er?"

Empress Dowager Xu's voice was clear and a little tired.

The loss of Huangling Pass meant that the Liao army would soon reach the capital, so she only asked the questions that concerned her most.

Lianhua Jun naturally knew Xu Qing's whereabouts by heart, and whispered: "Marquis Guangping was injured in the battle of Huangling Pass, and is now retreating to the capital with the Yang family army. Calculating the time, he should have met up with the reinforcements sent by the court."

"Let Qing'er return to Beijing as soon as possible. We can discuss other matters tomorrow. I am exhausted."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Lord Lianhua turned around, lifted the curtain, came to the ministers and said, "The saint's dragon body is in poor condition, please go back, and you can raise anything when you go to court tomorrow." Although many people were unwilling, the Queen Mother Xu's words were the final word in the court, and no one dared to go against her wishes.

Therefore, all the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground and shouted loudly.

"Long live my emperor!"

……

When Xu Qingqing woke up, he felt a little dazed.

But soon, the violent dry cough and the burning wounds made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He felt extremely uncomfortable all over his body, as if he had been beaten up.

"Cough, cough..."

This unusual noise naturally attracted the attention of other people in the room. Yang Xianning, who was concentrating on checking the military situation, was awakened. She put down what she was doing and came to the bed where Xu Qing was lying.

This simple cottage has no extra decorations and is a very plain residence.

The beauty in front of the bed is tall, with fair skin, eyebrows like distant mountains, and a unique heroic and chivalrous spirit in her beauty.

She was wearing armor passed down from her ancestors. Her delicate face blended with the iron sheets, but there was no sense of strangeness. Instead, she looked dashing and handsome.

The most eye-catching thing is the other person's bright eyes.

"you're awake."

Yang Xianning handed over the kettle very naturally, supported Xu Qing, and helped him drink it all.

The two had made similar moves when they were fleeing in the Liao Kingdom. As time passed, they repeated these familiar actions again, as if time had gone back.

"Um……"

Xu Qing had many questions, but when the words came to his lips, he felt extremely tired and didn't know where to start.

Fortunately, Yang Xianning was familiar with his current state, and she consoled him in a gentle voice: "After the crocodile god exploded, I found you in the ruins and brought you back. We are currently withdrawing our troops and passing through Jieting."

Jieting is the name of a small border town between the capital and Huangling Pass.

It is more like a county town than a city.

Xu Qing was originally surprised that Yang Xianning abandoned Huangling Pass, but when he thought of the broken city walls and the mess inside the city, he understood her actions.

"After the crocodile god's body exploded, it emitted a foul odor and was highly corrosive. Without much thought, I ordered my soldiers to abandon Huangling Pass."

Yang Xianning seemed to know what Xu Qing was thinking and gave an explanation for giving up Huangling Pass.

But one could tell from her slightly choked voice that this seemingly strong woman was somewhat reluctant to let go of the hometown where she grew up.

After all, this abandonment may very well be a farewell forever.

"You did the right thing."

Xu Qing, who possessed advanced knowledge from his previous life, approved of Yang Xianning's approach.

Although it is not the hottest time of summer yet, once such a huge corpse rots and festers, the number of germs that will breed will be astronomical.

Letting soldiers fight in that kind of environment is no different from placing bacterial and biological weapons on one's own camp.

Yang Xianning cheered up a little after being comforted, and continued to speak to Xu Qing: "Originally, you should have been allowed to return to the capital directly, but your injuries were too severe, so you had to stay at the front line."

It was a miracle that he could survive the explosion at such a close distance.

To be honest, Xu Qing was mentally prepared to be disfigured or have his arms and legs broken.

"But the Liao army did not take any extra actions. They only sent people to the border to deal with the bodies, and the main army remained at the border."

Yang Xianning had just been comparing the Liao army's lines, estimating the enemy's troop strength and next advance plan.

No matter how you look at it, the possibility of defeating the Liao army outside the capital is slim. Only by relying on the Qinling terrain of the capital and occupying the reinforcements and logistical supplies from all over Qi can you confront the Liao army head-on.

Qi will have a greater chance of winning if it waits for the enemy to tire themselves out.

"It seems... that thing is also a problem for them."

Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and his heart was at ease.

However, he also understood at this moment why the Liao army did not attack Huangling Pass together with the Crocodile God. It seemed that the Liao army commander also understood the Crocodile God's shortcomings.

"By the way, where's Xiao Wu?"

Xu Qing seemed to remember something and asked about the figure of the young man.

"Xiao Wu..."

When Yang Xianning's voice paused, Xu Qing sensed something was wrong and froze.

"He protected you at a critical moment. When I found you... Xiao Wu's body was unrecognizable. Even his skeleton had been corroded by the blood of the Alligator God."

Xu Qing suddenly realized why he was able to survive despite the crocodile god's blood being so corrosive and the explosion being so exaggerated.

It turned out that Xiao Wu changed the direction of the two people at the critical moment and protected him behind him.

In this sense, I owe the other person a life.

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing..."

Yang Xianning saw that Xu Qing had a dazed look on his face and turned a deaf ear to her. She called his name three times in a row before he responded.

At this moment, Xu Qing just woke up from his dream and replied lightly, "I'm fine."

"Well, it's okay."

Seeing this, Yang Xianning decided not to disturb him anymore and give Xu Qing more free time. She stood up and returned to the table next to her to continue studying the military intelligence collected by scouts from all sides.

However, sometimes things just rush to happen. Before the two of them could calm down, the soldiers guarding outside the house knocked on the door and said, "General, an army has been stationed outside the city, and the general leading the army wants to meet with you directly."

"army?"

Yang Xianning frowned slightly, then immediately came back to her senses and confirmed that this troop was a reinforcement from the State of Qi.

Because of the awkward relationship between the imperial court and the Yang family army, the Yang family army has always looked down on other colleagues, believing that these people are the emperor's running dogs.

"What's the number?"

"It's part of the Zhennan Zhongwu Army."

The Zhennan Zhongwu Army was one of the most powerful troops in Qi State. Sending this army to come for support was enough to prove that although the newly enthroned empress suppressed the Yang family, she had never thought of giving up Huangling Pass.

(End of this chapter)