The next day, a large number of people stood on the tower of Zhenjun City, looking into the distance.
Today is the day of triumph for Xie Cang, Liu Zhen, and Chen Dao. Fan Wenzhong led these princes to wait at the gate tower.
The results of this war support were basically predictable, but the only thing that was unpredictable was that Xie Cang was able to passively defend, launch a surprise attack, and win a small victory.
Although it was not a great achievement, when Darong invaded Ningzhou, this small victory served to boost his popularity.
After a while, vast smoke and dust rose from the end of the plain. After a while, Xie Cang and his three men returned with their cavalry troops.
The city gate opened, and the mighty cavalry entered the city one after another. Their momentum remained the same, and their bodies were filled with a strong smell of blood.
This only comes after a fierce battle. It seems that this small victory is not as easy as what the military newspaper said.
When the cavalry troops entered the city, those who responded to them were prepared early for them to repair.
Xie Cang, Liu Zhen, and Chen Dao, without taking off their armor, went straight up the steps and onto the tower.
Seeing Fan Wenzhong, Xie Cang clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Fan, I am lucky to have fulfilled my mission with this support."
"Well, okay, just come back. You have made a contribution to this support, and I will report it to you."
Liu Zhen and Chen Dao, who looked tired, looked happy when they heard this. They worked so hard this time just to gain military merit.
This support mission was led by Xie Cang, with the two of them as assistants. Although the cavalry under his command was not as powerful as Xie Cang's Shanshan Army, they still showed their strength.
In this small victory, Da Rong's army suffered 3,000 casualties, but they also suffered more than 1,000 casualties.
Most of them are from the cavalry of these two men.
The cost of training cavalry is very high. There were more than a thousand casualties, and the two of them were still very distressed.
Fortunately, this time Xie Cang knew what was going on and just made a surprise attack, forcing the Da Rong cavalry to return to defense until the point was reached.
If this was done on the head, the casualties would probably be even greater. Once the casualties were too great, Liu Zhen and Chen Dao would definitely refuse.
They don't have absolute control over their armies, but they can still command them, if they really can't defeat them.
The imperial court may abolish the designation, and then the two of them will become mere commanders, which will not be worth the gain.
Although Darong invaded Ningzhou and the situation was critical, at this time, these princes were worried about their little ones.
Fan Wenzhong knew this, but there was nothing he could do about it, so in order to silence these young men, comfort was the first priority.
Fan Wenzhong said a few more words and sent Liu Zhen and Chen Dao away, leaving Xie Cang behind to discuss important matters.
This time, Zhao Ang, Zhou Yan and other young masters, who had always been outspoken, did not interrupt, and were taken away by Zheng Liang with great discernment.
As for Su Qi'an, in order to avoid suspicion, he also turned around and left, leaving only Fan Wenzhong and Xie Cang talking in the lobby.
The two discussed for a long time this time, almost an hour, at this time, opposite Zhenjun City.
It was at least three hundred miles away, on a plain.
At a glance, densely packed huge tents were rising from the ground. At a rough glance, there were at least hundreds of them.
On the outside of the tent, there were countless cavalry patrolling the perimeter. In front of the tent, there were countless soldiers in armor, in order, like legions, distributed in various locations.
At this time, there was one in the middle, the largest white tent.
Figures flickered, and from time to time, figures came in and out of the tent.
Inside the tent, there was a blanket on the ground, and there were several long tables on both sides. Directly in front, on a small high platform, was a burly, bald man wearing animal skins.
His left shoulder and arm were exposed, and he was looking behind him with a frown, a military map.
Although this person has a rough appearance, he exudes the aura of a superior person. He must have an unusual status.
The bald man looked at the map for a long time and then asked, "Where is Mr. Liu now?"
"Reporting to the Second Prince, Mr. Liu arrived in Ningzhou three days ago. According to the estimated time, he should have arrived by now."
The rough-faced second prince was obviously dissatisfied with his subordinate's answer, just when he was about to lose his temper.
Suddenly, outside the big tent, an announcement voice sounded, "Report, Mr. Liu has arrived, requesting His Highness the Second Prince to meet him."
The second prince's brows softened and he said, "Let him come in."
Outside the big tent, a man in his early forties, wearing a blue gown and a scarf who looked like a Confucian scholar, walked in.
This man looks like a Confucian scholar, but if you look closely, you can see that he is somewhat different. He has a mustache.
There was a smile on his face, but that smile looked a bit vulgar, and his eyes revealed a bit of darkness, which made people feel uncomfortable.
The second prince looked at Mr. Liu who appeared, and suddenly said in a deep voice, "Mr. Liu, as early as half a month ago, I sent an order for you to return quickly, but not only did you not come back early, you also stayed in many places along the way."
"It seems that Mr. Liu is a little reluctant to leave in the Liang Kingdom. Tell me how Mr. Liu plans to explain it to me."
In the tent, the atmosphere instantly turned cold. The guards beside him had their hands on the handles of their knives, as if they were ready to take Liu Shengming's life at any time.
But for the scene in front of him, Liu Shengming, who was smiling, seemed not to notice it, and actually found a seat and sat down.
Pouring yourself wine with one hand and eating the delicious food on the table with the other hand, it feels so comfortable.
The guards around the second prince couldn't stand this scene anymore, just when they were about to draw their swords and kill this man.
Liu Shengming's long voice sounded, "The second prince is right. What did Liu say? His ancestors are also from the Great Liang. This time I was able to sneak into the Great Liang. It is rare to return to my hometown, so naturally I am a little reluctant to leave."
"But this will not delay Liu's schedule. Even if Liu returns soon, I believe that the second prince's raid on Zhenyuan City a few days ago will still fail."
"And I think the second prince has been mentally prepared for this defeat. Since he can't change the result, it has nothing to do with whether I return early or late."
After hearing this, the second prince looked deeply at Liu Shengming below.
He waved his hand and signaled the guards to retreat. When there were only two people left in the tent, the second prince's hearty laughter rang out.
"Hahaha, you are indeed a talent that the king values. Mr. Liu is indeed extraordinary. Since Mr. Liu has long seen my plan, will Mr. Liu have any ideas next?"
This time, Liu Shengming did not sit and taste the wine and food. He stood up directly and walked to the military map.
Pointing to a certain location on the military map, which was Zhenjun City, Liu Shengming said.
"The preliminary test has achieved its purpose. There is no need to hide anything next. Let's use this city to open the way. After all, if we want to break through Ningzhou, the military city is the key."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Shengming turned around and left. Passing by the table just now, he picked up a bottle of wine and started drinking. His appearance seemed to be back to the dandy he had been before.
The second prince Ku Shu didn't care about Liu Shengming's unruly attitude.
He laughed at Liu Shengming's back and said, "Mr. Liu is right. Let's do what he said. He has been working hard on his return this time. I have specially prepared a few good-looking female slaves for your rest tent. Have a good rest, sir."
Looking at Liu Shengming's retreating back, Ku Shu turned around and looked at the military map, his face full of pride.
The reason why Ku Shu dared to lead his army south to invade Ningzhou was because Liu Shengming was one of the trump cards he relied on.
Liu Shengming was from Qingzhou. Under Da Rong's rule, such Liang people had a low status. If nothing unexpected happened, they would basically not be able to stand out in their entire lives and could only become humble slaves of Rong people.
But the second prince, Kuk Shu, had a sharp eye and could see the extraordinary qualities of this humble servant at a glance.
He is a highly intelligent and resourceful person, with the help of Liu Shengming.
As a concubine prince, Ku Shu not only defeated the fourth and sixth princes who were in the ascendant, but he was also able to compete with the eldest prince in the Royal Court of Darong.
If the eldest prince was the legitimate son, Ku Shu would probably never have a chance in his life, but God gave him this opportunity and made him qualified to win the title.
Da Rong has been a country for a hundred years. Due to the war with Daliang and the large number of people in Liang in Qing and Youzhou, the power system has been affected to some extent.
The eldest son inheritance system of the Su Liang royal family was learned.
This time going south, winning Ningzhou is an important bargaining chip for Cook to reach the top.
Ningzhou was captured, and by then the three states of Qing, You, and Ning would be connected together. With the aid of the Darong Iron Cavalry, it would be almost easy to capture the Great Liang Kyoto in one fell swoop.
It was the dream of all the emperors of Darong to destroy the Great Liang and take control of the Central Plains. If this dream was realized by Ku Shu, no one could stop him from becoming the crown prince of Darong!
Therefore, Ningzhou must be won no matter what.
If you want to capture Ningzhou, you cannot do without the assistance of resourceful counselors like Liu Shengming.
As for counselors, if they have great talents, they will naturally be unruly and rebellious. Like Liu Shengming, he has outstanding intelligence, but has an arrogant personality and is also a womanizer.
These Cooking techniques can be tolerated, as long as they can help him achieve great things, these are small things.
Men, in the words of Daliang, are food and sex, human nature, every time they fight, there are not many female slaves, just pick two at random, which is not a problem for the Cooking Technique.
And in order to conquer Ningzhou this time, Cook Shu had made preparations for a long time.
Ningzhou is only the first step, but it is also an important step. Everything depends on the progress of the next war.
…
While talking, more than an hour passed. Xie Cang, who was talking secretly with Fan Wenzhong in the lobby, finally came out.
At a corner under the city tower, Su Qi'an did not go back, but waited for a long time.
This was not something Su Qi'an did intentionally, but Xie Cang asked Su Qi'an to wait here before the secret conversation.
However, the conversation did take a long time. By the time Xie Cang came out, it was almost noon.
Xie Cang appeared, the two looked at each other, and said nothing in a tacit understanding. They walked straight to a small vendor, ordered two bowls of noodles, and started eating.
During this period, the two of them did not speak, and ate noodles quietly, feeling the lively shouts coming and going.
I don't know since when, Su Qi'an and Xie Cang didn't seem to say much, except for important matters, other things that should be said and shouldn't be said, as if they knew it tacitly.
