From the Red Mansion, you can travel through the world of martial arts

Chapter 417 Commanding the Three Armies and Acting in a Convenient Manner

The Battle of Xiaoyaojin, the first major battle led by Emperor Xuanwu himself, was basically over by the next day.

With Jia Wei charging into the battle line and cutting off the flag, the imperial army defeated the main force of the rebels head-on in just one morning. However, it took even more time to pursue the defeated army eastward, accept the surrender and gather the remnants.

The great victory in the first battle was undoubtedly exciting for the anti-rebel army, but the generals gathered in the main camp had no joy on their faces, and all looked gloomy.

The reason was simple. Emperor Xuanwu, who had just recovered from a serious illness and was full of confidence heading south to lead the army, was unexpectedly hit by arrows on the battlefield and was seriously injured and bedridden...

This had a huge impact on both the anti-rebelion army and the Chen Han court.

Inside the tent, Jia Wei and the loyal and brave Bo Niu Ji Zong stood outside the curtain. Behind the curtain was a soft couch. The Emperor Xuanwu, who was sitting on the couch, had a sallow complexion and seemed to be dying.

The arrow wound was on the right rib, and the wound worsened and began to ooze pus, which was a shocking sight. Dai Quan, who was standing by, frowned as he saw it.

"Your Majesty, we have killed 30,000 enemies in this battle and collected 20,000 surrendered soldiers. The two battalions of Fenwu and Xianwu have reached Ruxukou, and the four battalions of Yaowu, Lianwu, Liwei and Yangwei have reached Jiangxinzhou. We are waiting for your Majesty's order to force a crossing of the Yangtze River."

After Niu Jizong finished his report, there was silence behind the curtain for a while, and then a cough was heard again.

"Mr. Jia, what do you think?"

Emperor Xuanwu's voice was breathless and very weak, which made Niu Jizong feel even more depressed.

If the emperor died midway, many people thought that there would be no need to fight against the rebellion, and they could just welcome Prince Zhongshun to the capital and ascend the throne...

However, although Prince Zhongshun had power over the government and the country, he did not deal well with the founding military heroes of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, and there had always been conflicts between them.

Niu Jizong was the grandson of Niu Qing, the Duke of Zhenguo. He first inherited the title of the first-class Earl of Loyalty and Bravery. He was the backbone of the lineage of the four kings and eight dukes. Naturally, he did not want Prince Zhongshun to take power.

Jia Wei stepped out and said, "We won a great victory at Xiaoyaojin, and the rebels must be in a state of panic. As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. In my humble opinion, we should force a crossing of the Yangtze River immediately, march our army directly to the outskirts of Nanjing, and besiege the fake dynasty."

From a practical point of view, Jia Wei believed that blitzkrieg would be very effective, and he knew in his heart that Emperor Xuanwu had been shot by an arrow, and with his overdrawn body, he might die one day...

Prince Zhongshun must be eliminated before Emperor Xuanwu passes away, otherwise there will be too many variables.

After Jia Wei finished speaking, there was no sound from behind the curtain, so he continued: "The first attack is strong, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted. Now our army is in high spirits. As long as we can cross the river again, we will be invincible."

"The rebels were badly defeated, and the Ding army is unstable. With the strength of one side and the other side weakening, we will surely be able to conquer Nanjing. Moreover, Nanjing has no strategic location to defend, and the rebel king has committed atrocities. The pseudo-dynasty is unpopular and cannot mobilize the people in the city to defend the city. With the remaining troops of the pseudo-dynasty, we can surely conquer the city as long as we besiege it for a few days."

Before Emperor Xuanwu expressed his opinion, Niu Jizong quickly agreed, "Marquis Yong'an is absolutely right!"

Emperor Xuanwu coughed for a while behind the curtain, then slowly said: "Jia Qing is very talented, I am very pleased... Yesterday in the Xiaoyaojin battle, Jia Qing was the first to defeat the enemy cavalry, and then broke through the enemy's formation and cut off the flag. He is truly the first meritorious service. After the false dynasty is wiped out, he will be rewarded according to his merits."

Jia Wei bowed quickly and said, "I have failed in my duty and put Your Majesty in a dangerous situation. This is a serious crime."

"This is my fault..." Emperor Xuanwu sighed.

Although Jia Wei's mission was to protect the emperor, Emperor Xuanwu sent him to charge into the battle. When he saw the enemy army was defeated, he couldn't help but rush in to fight, and was hit by arrows.

Emperor Xuanwu was not thick-skinned enough to put the blame on Jia Wei...

"Although I am personally leading the army, I am no longer able to command the three armies. Yong'an Hou is unparalleled in bravery and strategy, and is truly a talented general..."

Emperor Xuanwu said intermittently: "Draft an edict to appoint Yong'an Hou as the general, with full authority to command the army to suppress the rebellion, and grant him the power to 'act at his own discretion'..." "The eunuch Dai Quan who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department will supervise the army, and the loyal and brave Niu Jizong will be the left deputy general, and the powerful general Chen Ruiwen will be the right deputy general to assist him..."

Jia Wei and Niu Jizong said in unison: "Your humble servants obey your orders!"

Emperor Xuanwu then gave some instructions, and the two men left the tent. The generals of the anti-rebel army had already expected this when they heard the decree.

The position of commander-in-chief of the three armies is extremely important. It is necessary to have ability, but what is more important is to be trusted by Emperor Xuanwu.

As a direct descendant of Emperor Xuanwu, Jia Wei protected the emperor and quelled rebellions twice. He was simply Emperor Xuanwu's number one henchman. At such a critical moment, Emperor Xuanwu would of course choose him.

Although the generals had some complaints about this, no one dared to show it.

Jia Wei’s only problem is that he is too young and lacks experience.

But despite his young age, he was awarded the title of first-class marquis and turned the tide in critical situations several times. His ability is unquestionable.

Besides, Jia Wei was born in Ningguo Mansion, and the army to suppress the rebellion was mainly composed of the Beijing Camp. One should know that the generals of the Beijing Camp were all students and former officials of the two Lords Rong and Ning.

Its military governors Jia Daihua and Wang Ziteng are both from the Jia family. The current military governor of the Beijing camp, Li Duolong, is an old friend of Jia Wei. With these connections, Jia Wei can certainly control the situation.

After taking control of the command of the anti-rebel army, Jia Wei began to make intensive preparations.

The first priority was to send Emperor Xuanwu back to Hefei City to recuperate. The surrounding defense forces were strengthened with the Dragon Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards as the main force and the soldiers of the Beijing Camp as the auxiliary force. It was like an iron barrel.

Firstly, the palace in Hefei City was more suitable for recuperation than the battlefield. Secondly, it was far away from the main army, so Emperor Xuanwu could not give Jia Wei any instructions.

Jia Wei also has the power to "act at his own discretion", so no one can hinder him. He can let go and effectively prevent his teammates from holding him back.

Afterwards, Jia Wei immediately rushed to the Jiangxinzhou ferry to make preparations. After careful deployment, in the early morning of the next day, the anti-rebel army forced its way across the river at two locations at the same time.

Jiangxinzhou has the main force of the four battalions of the Beijing camp, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers drawn from other provinces. The main force of the pseudo-dynasty is also here to confront and guard against it.

Jia Wei knew that a frontal crossing was too difficult, so he led Niu Jizong and four battalions to cross the river, and he rushed to Ruxukou, where the defense of the pseudo-dynasty was weak, and personally led the Fenwu and Xianwu battalions to force a crossing.

After a fierce battle, the river water turned red. It was not until noon that they successfully crossed the river. Then Jia Wei did not stay for a moment, and rushed to Jiangxin Island with two battalions of soldiers. Together with Niu Jizong's main force, they attacked from the front and back. The 400,000-strong army successfully crossed the river, defeated the pseudo-dynasty, and stationed troops at the foot of Niu Shou Mountain.

Just as Jia Wei was planning to besiege Nanjing, Shen Lian, who was staying in Hefei, sent an urgent message that Prince Zhongshun secretly sent an envoy to Hefei to meet Emperor Xuanwu...

Jia Wei was shocked and realized that Prince Zhongshun wanted to expose his identity as the son of Prince Yi Zhong.

Without much thought, Jia Wei responded immediately.

He then led a large army to besiege Nanjing, divided his troops into groups to block the city gates, and stationed his main force at Fengtai Gate, surrounding the city without attacking.

A thousand-household team was dispatched to each of the remaining city gates in order to control the flow of people in and out of Jinling City and cut off the flow of baggage and intelligence.

After arranging everything, Jia Wei took only his personal soldiers and rushed back to Feicheng at night to meet Emperor Xuanwu...

(End of this chapter)