Empire

North of Qingyang City, there is the camp of the Dynasty Army.

The haggard Fourth Prince lazily leaned on his seat with his eyes closed and dozed off, while several beautiful maids were gently massaging his shoulders and back.

He led an army of 100,000 to fight against the Qinghe Uprising Army, and he was facing internal constraints everywhere. From the time he set out to fight until now, the Fourth Prince did not dare to slack off for a moment, fearing that he would capsize in the gutter.

Now, with great effort, he has finally cleared up the internal situation and has complete control over the military power.

However, the war was not going well, and the Fourth Prince was exhausted and looked a little listless.

There were footsteps outside the tent, and a heroic and extraordinary captain of the guards lifted the curtain and stepped into the tent, bowing to the Fourth Prince.

""Your Highness, the generals have arrived." The captain of the guards reported.

The fourth prince opened his eyes and waved to the maids on his left and right. The maids bowed and left.

"Let them in"

""Yes."

Soon, more than 30 young generals in bright armor filed in, saluted and stood on both sides.

The fourth prince spent a lot of effort to purge a group of redundant veterans and vigorously promoted young generals. At this moment, the military tent was filled with his newly promoted generals, who were loyal to him.

"Where is General Zhang?"

The fourth prince stood up, looked around at everyone, and saw the empty chair under his left hand, and couldn't help frowning.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Deputy Marshal Zhang has been ill for a long time and his condition has become more serious recently. He just took medicine and went to bed."The captain of the guards bowed and replied. The

Fourth Prince couldn't help but sighed and said,"Old General Zhang has fought for the court all his life and has made great achievements. He should be enjoying the happiness of family at such an old age, but he still takes the trouble to come to the army to serve the country. He is worthy of being a role model for our generation."

Hearing the Fourth Prince praising Deputy Marshal Zhang Yihai, the generals agreed on the surface, but they disagreed in their hearts.

If Deputy Marshal Zhang Yihai had not fallen ill, with him protecting those redundant old generals, these young generals would not have the opportunity to take office.

They have long been dissatisfied with Zhang Yihai, an old general who is old but still does not want to give up power. They wish he would stay in bed forever.

"Please tell General Zhang that he doesn't need to worry about the war in the army and can rest assured. I will visit him in person in the evening."

""Yes!"

Although the Fourth Prince knew that Zhang Yihai's illness had a lot to do with him, as the commander-in-chief, at least his work on the surface was flawless and no one could find any flaws.

Zhang Yihai had actually been placed under house arrest by the Fourth Prince. Zhang Yihai had always wanted to resign from the position of deputy commander-in-chief and return to the capital to recuperate.

But the Fourth Prince never agreed, because he knew very well that his brother the Crown Prince was not a pushover.

If Zhang Yihai returned to the capital to recuperate, the court would definitely send an additional deputy commander-in-chief to restrain him, which would be another trouble.

Rather than facing a shrewd and capable deputy commander-in-chief to share power, it would be better to keep Zhang Yihai, who was terminally ill, in this position.

After all, Zhang Yihai was also an important minister and elder of the court. Without a legitimate reason, the court would not easily remove his position as deputy commander-in-chief.

After a hypocritical gesture, the Fourth Prince quickly brought the topic back to the current war.

"Everyone, when will you be able to conquer Qingyang Prefecture?"

The fourth prince looked around at the generals with serious faces and asked.

After hearing the fourth prince's question, everyone lowered their proud heads in shame.

They were all young generals who claimed to be proficient in both civil and military strategies, and they always looked down on those redundant old generals who stole high positions.

But now the fourth prince has promoted them to various important positions, but they have not made any achievements, which really makes them feel ashamed.

Now tens of thousands of Qinghe troops have been surrounded by their heavy troops in the city of Qingyang Prefecture. They have been attacking for several days, not to mention the heavy losses, but not a single soldier has climbed the city wall.

"General Wang, tell me, why can't we take Qingyang Prefecture?"

Seeing that the generals were silent, the fourth prince had to start calling out names.

"Your Highness, the enemy troops in the city are all elite. They are brave and fierce. More than half of my soldiers were killed or wounded......."A young general explained with a grievance

"The walls of Qingyang City are high and thick, and our army lacks siege equipment."

"Your Highness, our Imperial Guards have not fought for a long time, and their fighting power is indeed not as good as that of the enemy army."......

The generals failed in their attack on Qingyang Prefecture and were in disgrace. In fact, they were full of grievances.

The troops they went on this expedition were all from the Imperial Guards and Black Cavalry under the Central Army system, known as the elite in the world.

The Black Cavalry was composed of light cavalry. Although the light cavalry of the Black Cavalry was stationed near the capital all year round, they had strong mobility and were often transferred to various places to quell rebellions.

Moreover, the supplements of these Black Cavalry cavalry were also selected from the border troops, so their combat effectiveness was naturally not weak.

However, although the Imperial Guards, which also belonged to the Central Army system, were also known as elite, their combat effectiveness was actually weak.

The Imperial Guards were all light infantry troops. They were stationed in the capital province all year round to protect the capital.

At the beginning, the supplements of these Imperial Guards were also drawn from the border troops, but as time went on, this situation changed.

Because the Imperial Guards did not have to be frequently transferred to fight like the Black Cavalry with strong mobility, and their treatment was high.

Moreover, they were stationed in the capital region, which had a high safety factor. They might even be able to guard the palace and gain the emperor's favor. Therefore, the Imperial Guard gradually became a place for the children of dignitaries to gild themselves. The Imperial Guard had a high status, and naturally, the quota became a scarce resource to be fought for. Those who could become soldiers of the Imperial Guard were the children of rich and noble families in the capital region.

Many aristocratic families had many children, and only the eldest son could inherit the family business. The rest of the heirs had to be arranged to serve in the Imperial Guard and some court departments through various relationships.

The children of the great nobles served as officers in the Imperial Guard, while the children of the small nobles and the rich served as ordinary soldiers in the Imperial Guard.

Over time, the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Guard, known as an elite force, has been declining, and now it is no longer able to withstand a battle.

The fourth prince led an army of 100,000 to go to war, and all the infantry belonged to the Imperial Guard.

These soldiers of the Imperial Guard, who came from a wealthy family, had no concept of war. They thought that by traveling around, they could make their resumes more beautiful and go back for promotions and salary increases.

Moreover, the Black Cavalry led the way all the way, and the Imperial Guards had no chance to play at all, which made them even more optimistic. They ate and drank until they arrived at Qingyang Prefecture.

But who knew that they would encounter a brutal battle in Qingyang Prefecture, and these optimistic Imperial Guards were completely dumbfounded.

Facing the ferocious Qinghe Army soldiers, the Imperial Guards were beaten to a pulp at the first sight, which was really shocking.

In several battles between the Qinghe Army and the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Guards were completely defeated. If they were not so numerous, they would have been defeated long ago.

Although they are still surrounding Qingyang Prefecture, the Imperial Guards are so powerful that they can't defeat the Qinghe Army that is trapped in the siege.

The two sides have been fighting for so many days, and Qingyang Prefecture is still as solid as a rock, which makes the fourth prince very angry.