My wife has a secret

Chapter 234 Entering the Palace Again

"The commander of this vanguard army is actually Shi Mo Ming'an? I heard that this man's armor is extremely hard and he has great strength. He can swing a 60-jin giant axe... Even he is dead?"

Yang Qin originally wanted to fight with him on the battlefield to see who had the sharpest spear.

Now it seems that the other side's story has come to an end.

"It's all thanks to... Marquis Guangping."

Zhang Shunfei couldn't help it after all. After taking a look at Xu Qing, he didn't dare to be proud of himself and mentioned the importance of the other party.

Yang Qin didn't take this matter too seriously. In her opinion, Xu Qing should have made some contribution in the siege of Shi Mo Ming'an. Because of his status as a royal relative, he was pushed to the highest position by the soldiers of the Zhennan Zhongwu Army.

What Yang Qin didn't notice was that the eyes of several deputy generals showed a hint of awe and fear when they looked at Xu Qing.

"What's the situation over at Changpo Bridge?"

"We won, but not completely."

Yang Qin casually mentioned the battle situation of the Yang family army at Changpo Bridge, and revealed another battle that no one knew about.

In fact, when Yang Xianning first retreated to Jieting, she keenly noticed the terrain of Changpo Bridge.

Her original idea was to mobilize the most elite cavalry of the Yang family army to attack the Liao Kingdom's central military camp from here, delay Xiao Chong before the Liao army attacks the capital, and buy time for Qi to establish a defense line.

Therefore, Yang Qin was not in the city, but was assigned by her to the woods near Changpo Bridge.

However, upon hearing that the two vanguard armies of the Liao Kingdom were dispatched, Yang Xianning realized that Xiao Chong and she had the same idea and immediately responded, intending to take advantage of the situation.

They held on to Jieting and intercepted another Liao vanguard at Changpo Bridge, putting the attacking Liao army on the defensive.

After all, no one would risk being attacked from the flank by force.

But the development of the situation was still beyond everyone's expectations.

While Shi Mi Ming'an led his troops to attack Jieting, the vanguard army on the other side, led by Wanyan Yuanyi, was also on a long-distance raid.

The timing was very delicate, because Yang Xianning's Yang family army had just withdrawn from Jieting and had not yet completed its deployment at Changpo Bridge.

Coincidentally, Wanyan Yuanyi was afraid that Shi Moming'an would steal the credit, so the cavalry he led were all lightly equipped and he never imagined that there would be any enemy at Changpo Bridge.

At this point, the Yang family cavalry led by Yang Qin were able to easily intercept and kill a part of Wanyan Yuanyi's army, and after forcing a crossing of Changpo Bridge, they lifted the siege of Jieting.

"Amazing! General Yang is a prophet who can foresee such a long-term development... Even if ordinary people know the importance of Changpo Bridge, they would not have the courage and insight of General Yang to place his elite troops here and station them there."

The cavalry needs good logistical support, after all, everyone is wearing armor and well-equipped.

Allowing such troops to camp and ambush outside is enough to show how courageous Yang Xianning is.

"You guys are joking."

In response to the flattery, Yang Xianning simply said something and then mentioned the next battle plan.

"After this battle, Xiao Chong will definitely come up with a plan to deal with it... Besides, the enemy is numerous and we are few, so it is not wise to waste time in Jieting and Changpo Bridge. The Yang family army can return to the capital with you and build a defense line in the Qinling area."

The deputy generals of the Zhennan Zhongwu Army basically had no objection.

However, after the death of General Longxiang Wang Zuo, they were unable to make the decision, so they all turned their attention to Xu Qing.

"As you say."

"it is good."

Xu Qing's trust made Yang Xianning feel that she was getting twice the result with half the effort, and she experienced the help of friendly forces for the first time.

In the past on the battlefield, it was basically the Yang family army that fought alone, fighting the Liao Kingdom fiercely... Now, she was confident that she could slow down the Liao army's offensive.

……

Inside Huangling Pass, the house that originally belonged to the Yang family has now been transformed by Xiao Chong and turned into the location of the central army camp.

The scene was almost the same as usual in the marching tent. In the room covered with sand table maps, there were many staff members and generals who were responsible for waiting for Xiao Chong's orders or making plans for the army's advance.

However, the noisy environment of the past disappeared, leaving only the deathly silence.

The bad news about the vanguard army came back from the front line. Now everyone in the three armies knew that Shi Mi Ming'an and Wanyan Yuanyi were defeated and more than ten thousand troops were lost in a small border town.

The Liao army, from top to bottom, looked down upon the Qi army. For this reason, the battle report from the vanguard was like a blow to the army.

"How was this battle fought?"

When Xiao Chong received the military intelligence, he could hardly believe that his own troops, whom he had placed high hopes on, would suffer such a devastating defeat.

Not only did they lose the battle, but they also failed to complete the combat mission they had assigned.

Even if the central army were to rest and start marching today, the three cities of Jieting would become stumbling blocks, delaying the army's progress for a day.

If this continues, the Qi army will have enough time to set up a defense line.

In the camp, almost no one dared to disturb Xiao Chong when he was in a daze and deep thought, but the unfavorable situation on the front line had become a reality.

At this point, a young general stood up, clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to lead my troops to attack Jieting or Changpo Bridge again."

After being shocked, Xiao Chong was not as angry as his subordinates imagined. He responded indifferently, "Yang Xianning is a smart person. She took risks for the battle of the capital. Now that our army's vanguard has suffered a setback, she will definitely not set up defenses in Jieting and other places."

The significance of Jieting was not very great, and the emergence of Changpo Bridge made Jieting the place where both the attacker and the defender were most likely to be attacked.

Yang Xianning is not a fool, she will definitely not store troops here.

However, to be on the safe side and to ensure the time and order of the army's advance, Xiao Chong had to advance the plan of the central army's advance by one day, so that the army could advance slowly and steadily.

……

The joyous atmosphere of the Jieting victory did not last long. Xu Qing followed the Zhennan Zhongwu Army and the Yang Family Army to retreat eastward to the Qinling Mountains. According to Yang Xianning's idea, he built defensive fortifications in the mountains near the capital.

Only this time, he did not sleep outdoors or camp in the wilderness. Instead, he received an imperial edict to come to Beijing and was forced to take up his post in the main hall.

After taking care of the necessary matters, Xu Qing followed the young eunuch from the palace and got on the carriage going down the mountain. They bumped and swayed all the way and entered the capital.

It took Jieting one day to retreat to Qinling Mountains, and another day to prepare and deploy the defense line.

When it was Xu Qing's turn to go to Beijing, it was already dark outside.

What he didn't expect was that the capital city, which should have been sparsely populated and facing the fear of war, was no less lively and prosperous than before.

The streets and alleys of the capital were bustling with people, the sounds of business calls from various neighborhoods could be heard one after another, and the entire Suzaku Street was bustling with people coming and going, and cars passing by, and there was no sign of tension at all.

Are the people in the capital too lax?

This idea was quickly overturned by what Xu Qing saw with his own eyes. When his carriage entered the imperial city, he found that the imperial guards on both sides were standing everywhere, fully dressed in armor.

It looked like the Imperial Guards were ready to meet the enemy. "My Lord, we're here."

The carriage stopped, and Xu Qing followed the eunuch out of the car and walked towards the familiar yet unfamiliar palace hall.

With a powerful enemy at the doorstep, a battle to defend the capital was very likely to break out, causing the ministers to be on edge. In addition to the daily morning court sessions, there was also an evening party.

Xu Qing stepped over the jade steps of the stone platform. A grand court meeting was being held in the palace, with all the officials gathered together in a solemn and majestic manner.

When they saw Xu Qing's face, all the ministers held their breath, and only the green smoke from the incense burner in the hall slowly diffused in the air.

"Long live the emperor! I, the guilty minister Xu Qing, pay my respects to His Majesty!"

Xu Qing entered the hall, knelt down, kowtowed three times and bowed nine times.

There seemed to be no problem in terms of etiquette, but the self-introduction in the last two sentences made the ministers and officials confused and looked at each other awkwardly.

Didn't Marquis Guangping just win a battle? Wasn't it to give him a promotion and a pay raise by asking him to report to the capital this time? Why did he call himself a guilty minister?

Behind the curtain, Lotus Lord beside the imperial platform also found Xu Qing's statement interesting. He opened his mouth slightly and asked in a playful tone, "What does Guangping Hou mean by this? What crimes have you committed?"

Xu Qing was not in a hurry to get the reply. He straightened up half of his body and replied: "I have committed too many crimes. Which one is the emperor referring to?"

Lianhua Jun opened his eyes slightly and rebuked with a hint of anger: "Don't keep us in suspense in front of the saint."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing naturally answered honestly and told him everything he had done wrong before.

"Your Majesty, the first thing is that I was in charge of the security work of the enthronement ceremony and served in the Five Cities Military Department... Because I discovered traces of the White Lotus Sect, I left my post and investigated and followed up in the imperial mausoleum."

The corners of Lianhua Jun's pretty face curled up slightly, and she secretly praised Xu Qing for being smart and knowing how to use this great achievement to avoid disaster for herself.

His Majesty attached great importance to the coronation ceremony, but Xu Qing made a mistake at the critical moment, which made him very angry.

But it’s been so long since the incident happened that even Lianhua Jun almost forgot about it.

Queen Mother Xu, who was sitting on the dragon throne, did not speak a word, nor did she make any expression or movement, but she was gently turning the rosary in her hand.

"The second thing is that the battle of Jieting and the victory of the encirclement of Changpo Bridge were actually all done by Yang Xianning, the commander of the Yang family army. This minister has nothing to do with me. But for the sake of the beauty of the military intelligence report, I specially ordered someone to write a close-up of me in capital letters to praise how brave I am."

If the previous dereliction of duty could still be accepted by the public, the subsequent act of greedily taking credit for one's own achievements would be despised by everyone.

But what Xu Qing said was not wrong. From the initial planning to the end of that battle, he had basically nothing to do with it.

His only contribution was to take advantage of Shi Mo Ming'an's carelessness and shoot him dead.

Even if this incident had not happened, the arrival of Yang's cavalry would still have been able to resolve the predicament in the city.

"Ahem... I have something to say."

Everyone in the hall turned their eyes to a middle-aged man with graying temples and discovered that he was the Minister of War Yuchi Qi.

I don't know when this old guy stood out from the line of officials and was saluting the emperor respectfully, his eyes fixed on the steps under the imperial platform.

"The victory report of the Jieting Battle is actually also the responsibility of the Ministry of War. It was the Ministry of War that was not rigorous in its work."

This scene left all the officials confused, as if they were listening to a foreign language.

However, the old fox Liao Yue on the side closed his eyes and took in everything that was happening in the hall.

It is true that today is the day for rewarding people for their merits, but Xu Qing had some crooked ideas and wanted to bring up old matters again and settle the account of his previous dereliction of duty.

Of course, this was not Marquis Guangping’s main purpose. The second thing he raised was actually to illustrate the importance of the Yang family and the Yang family army.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that although the Yang family lost Huangling Pass, the Yang family army did not suffer many casualties when breaking the pass. On the contrary... the Yang family army still maintained a fairly strong combat effectiveness.

Because of the previous conflict between the Yang family and the imperial court, the existence of the Yang sisters was hardly mentioned in this military intelligence. Instead, the whole thing was praising Marquis Guangping for his military prowess and invincibility.

Is it really invincible?

Shit!

Everyone knows that the Liao army, led by the famous general Xiao Chong, is marching towards the capital in a mighty manner.

The victory in the Battle of Jieting was simply because Qi State had no military achievements at the time and could only use this victory to boost morale and inspire the confidence of the people.

Xu Qing naturally knew who issued the military orders and tactics on the front line, so he wanted to use this method to remind the emperor and make him pay attention to the Yang family.

Yuchi Qi was a bit unlucky. There was a problem with the information from the Ministry of War, so naturally he, as the person in charge, had to take responsibility.

However, Yuchi Qi had a good personal relationship with the Yang family, and he recommended Yang Xianning to be the commander of the army, so he was willing to bear the hardship of being a mute.

"Since it is the military's fault, then General Yuchi, the Minister of War, will be fined for half a year."

When Lord Lianhua said this, he didn't even ask what His Majesty behind him thought.

As a servant who had been by Empress Dowager Xu's side for many years, Lord Lianhua was well aware of Empress Dowager Xu's habits and methods... Therefore, this mild punishment could cover up the matter.

"But you, Marquis Guangping..."

As for Xu Qing, Lianhua Jun did not dare to jump to conclusions.

Perhaps only Empress Dowager Xu, who was close to her, knew best how much she loved her nephew.

If someone else had committed a crime and dared to jump around in front of the saint, he would certainly be subjected to the most severe torture and dragged to the street to be executed by slow slicing.

But Xu Qingke is different from others.

Empress Dowager Xu's slender jade fingers, which were turning the Buddhist beads, paused slightly. Her beautiful eyes, which were slightly closed, slowly opened at this moment and looked at Xu Qing who was right below her.

Behind the beaded screen, this beautiful lady in her thirties, even though she was wearing an imperial robe, still had a graceful figure, like a colorful painting that made people intoxicated.

The little bit of skin exposed outside the sleeves is like a jade carving carefully carved by the wind, exquisitely delicate and translucent, which is amazing.

"The merits and demerits offset each other."

Just when Xu Qing felt relieved, he heard a disembodied female voice coming from the dragon throne again.

"Yuchi Qi, when you go to the palace tomorrow, please draft a list of the garrison troops."

"Yes."

Yuchi Qi's mind moved slightly, knowing that this was the result of the emperor's compromise with the Yang family, and he was secretly happy.

If the Imperial Guards or someone else serves as the commander-in-chief, there is no need for me to recommend them. Whoever the Saint calls can go.

Wanting to select through recommendations from ministers and military ministers means that they want to employ the Yang family, which is also justifiable in terms of face.

(End of this chapter)