The sun is setting.
On the Canglong River, the gunpowder smoke cleared, and several abandoned fighting ships could be vaguely seen drifting downstream along the surging river water.
"This is the end of today's probing by the Jin invaders."
Fang Chao, who was standing at the bow of the ship, put his long sword back into its sheath, wiped the blood on his face, and ordered to the lieutenant beside him:
"After we reach the shore, you can take the people to count the casualties and prisoners. I will go to the big tent to see the general manager."
"Yes, General. But this Jin invader is really capable. If you hadn't made the immediate decision to send troops to support, General, I'm afraid we would be the losers today."
Thinking of the fierce battle just now, the lieutenant still had a look of lingering fear on his face.
"The one who commands the Jin invaders is Lu Linyuan, that old fox. If we are careless, we will fall into his trap. But when it comes to water battles, we are the grandfathers of the Jin invaders. This has always been about grandfathers beating their grandsons. , have you ever seen a grandson dare to fight back?"
As soon as Fang Chao said these words, the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter.
Isn't that right? Although our Chu army is weaker on land, on the water, those turtles and grandsons want to call us grandpa!
That's it, we still have to consider whether to accept his cheap grandson!
Seeing that the morale of the soldiers had improved, Fang Chao breathed a sigh of relief and quietly concealed the worry in his eyes.
As the deputy general manager, he knew all about his own affairs.
Today's battle proved the hidden worries in his heart.
In the past few years, the fighting power on the water in the north has almost caught up with their Chu country without realizing it.
Thinking of the undercurrent in the court again, Fang Chao felt a dull pain in his temples.
Internal and external troubles...
"Fang Chao, I've met the manager!"
Stepping into the tent, Fang Chao cupped his fists and saluted the old man sitting in the tent.
"General Fang is here?"
Huang Jingming took his eyes back from the military book in his hand and looked at the middle-aged general in front of him.
"Fortunately, the general has lived up to his command and has repelled the enemy invaders."
Huang Jingming nodded slightly and said:
"General, thank you for your hard work. However, this battle is just a test of each other. Even if you win, it doesn't mean anything. General, what did you find during this fight with the enemy?"
"What the manager said is true." Fang Chao showed a look of agreement on his face, and then said, "We will fight against the Jin invaders at the end of today, and we have indeed found some doubts."
As he spoke, he expressed all the doubts in his heart.
After hearing this, Huang Jingming frowned, and after a long time he sighed:
"Lu Linyuan is worthy of being a famous general in the world, and I am not as good as him! He has been lying dormant for six years, and now he is trying his sword. This is using my great Chu navy to train them!"
Since the death of Dezong and the passing of Emperor Daxing, there have been few wars between Jin and Chu in the past six years, and the occasional border frictions have been quickly quelled.
Who in the Chu State would have thought that this was actually a delaying strategy of the Jin court.
Now that the edge of the army is forged, all that remains is to sharpen it.
And the naval army that Jin is proud of is the best whetstone in the eyes of the old fox.
"This...General Manager, is there a way to resolve this?"
Fang Chao's expression changed drastically and he asked hurriedly.
Huang Jingming shook his head slightly, showing a bitter smile.
"This is an upright conspiracy of the Jin invaders. It is suppressed by the overwhelming force. It is difficult to crack it. The only way to plan now is to block it with soldiers and take advantage of it. This matter should only be kept between you and me. Do not let it be spread outside. , causing turmoil in the court."
Fang Chao nodded quickly.
"This matter is important, and Fang Chao saves it. However, the general is wondering, when will the Jin invaders actually send troops and invade in a large scale?"
Huang Jingming pondered for a long time and then said:
"Now I, the young master of the Chu Kingdom, are suspicious that the other party's sending troops at this time is not just a test. If I can stop Lu Linyuan, the old fox will go with the flow and control the scale of this battle to the minimum, just to train his subordinates. But. If I can't stop him, then he will really dare to cross the Yangtze River and march south to attack Shenjing. As for the real war, I'm afraid it will break out when our great Chu court has just stabilized."
In the end, although Huang Jingming's words were a bit vague, Fang Chao understood them clearly.
The only thing that has just stabilized is that your Majesty truly takes control of the Chu State, or that the prince succeeds in usurping the throne.
If His Majesty defeats the prince in the court and truly gains power, those generals promoted by the prince like himself will be a big problem. If the court does not handle it well, it will trigger a mutiny.
How could that old fox Lu Linyuan turn a blind eye to this opportunity?
The Zhao family has been in the Chu Kingdom for seven generations, and its prestige has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Once the prince usurps the throne, even if he succeeds, it will shake the hearts of the people. By that time, the Jin invaders may look for the Zhao family clan, support them as the king of Chu in the north of the Yangtze River, and then move south in large numbers under the banner of "killing traitors and evil spirits".
Thinking of this, Fang Chao couldn't help but shudder.
Is this what a general should think about?
Slip away!
After Fang Chao left in a hurry, a middle-aged man with a long beard came out from behind the screen behind Huang Jingming.
"General Fang seems to have guessed something."
The man, Shi Shiran, sat down under Huang Jingming and said softly.
"General Fang has a quick mind, so it's normal for him to guess."
Huang Jingming didn't care at all.
"It's just that I didn't expect the situation to be so serious, which really surprised Wan Sheng."
"If Lu Linyuan, that old fox, had been easier to deal with, the old lieutenant wouldn't have been dragged to death by him by the river."
Huang Jingming sighed.
"Forget it, I originally wanted to take it slow, but now I can only speed up. Du Ruo, draft a victory document for me, so that I can win the hearts of the people."
The Du Ruo in Huang Jingming's mouth is the middle-aged man in front of him, Wang Du Ruo.
Like Wu Yizhi, he was Huang Jingming's trusted adviser, but Wang Duruo liked to keep a low profile and was not as public as Wu Yizhi, so he was not known to many people.
Huang Jingming's attitude towards Wu Yizhi was more like that of a junior, while towards Wang Duruo, it was completely like an equal.
If we compare the two, Wu Yizhi is better at military strategy, while Wang Duruo is more outstanding at political strategy.
After Wang Duruo responded, he said again:
"Your Majesty can ask the generals for their merits and rewards in the memorial."
Huang Jingming was stunned for a moment and then laughed.
"Forget it, according to Du Ruo's idea, I will also test the bottom line of the one on the dragon throne!"
Not long after, dozens of people on fast horses rushed out of the camp. Behind the horse riders was a small flag as high as one person, with the big word "Jie" written on it, and they headed towards Shenjing.
Lu Bu reports victory!
Obviously, for the invasion of Jin invaders, the entire Chu State needed a victory to boost the morale of the army and the people.
As the messengers went all the way north, the news that the Chu State defeated the vanguard of the Jin invaders, killed 500 enemies, captured 1,000 people, and burned dozens of Jin invaders' ships was spread from Linjiang Prefecture to Kyoto Prefecture, and then spread to all directions. Come.
