Chapter Thirty-Five: Branches and Messengers

  Looking at the face of Prince Li Xuancheng, his expression gradually darkened, and Zhe Muhe's face turned pale as death. He was all too familiar with the temperament of this prince, who appeared to be gentle on the surface but had never taken responsibility for his subordinates' mistakes. As someone who had been in the officialdom for a long time, he knew that he had indeed offended many people, especially the generals from the river region. Since things had already come to a head, this matter was no longer something that Prince Li Xuancheng could decide on his own; it would inevitably be brought before the Emperor. Given the prince's usual way of handling things, Zhe Muhe's own future prospects were now extremely bleak.

  With a thud, he knelt down on the ground, and even the strength to defend himself seemed to have disappeared. He didn't look at the people around him, but only said in a low voice: "Your Highness, considering that I, an old minister, have been loyal and assisted you for many years without any personal motives or distractions, please beg for mercy on my behalf before the Emperor, saying that I have failed to repay the imperial grace and have not managed the army well... I am now old and useless, unable to bear the burden of office, and wish to resign and return home. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this..." He actually admitted his mistake right away.

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  The Crown Prince arrived in Pingliang, and the generals discussed who should be the commander of the left and right wing guards. Zhe Muhe, the general manager of the army in Jingxi Road, was lazy about military affairs. The Crown Prince Li Xuan was in a dilemma, and no one present could make a decision on this matter. Moreover, three generals accused each other on the spot, according to the Western Qin military rules, this soldier cannot be brought. Li Xuan had no choice but to report to the imperial court with an urgent memorial of 800 miles. He was not familiar with military affairs, and among the generals, there was no one who could command the respect of the others. The Pingliang relief army was now leaderless, how could they still launch a rescue operation for Qingyang?

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  Pingliang is a mess, but Qingyang has also undergone changes on the small hills hundreds of miles away.

  "Report: twenty li outside, two grain teams were discovered, and there are also people from Pingliang who have a letter of instruction from the General Commander of the Western Capital Road Army, waiting outside the account..."

  "Tell him to wait, and immediately summon the generals for a meeting." Li Jinhua's eyes were clearly marked with the dark circles of a sleepless night, her expression slightly tired as she gave the order. As the commander of the army for many days, she had increasingly taken on the air and authority of a military leader. When it came to convening a meeting of the generals, she seemed quite confident, but beside her, Zhao Shi's lips curled up in a sneer, his mind thinking otherwise. A group of traveling officials and military officers, what generals? There wasn't even one real general among them, and only two could barely be called military officers - one was the captain standing before him, and the other was probably Du Shantiger from yesterday. Who knew if Captain Li had thought things through... However, upon hearing that there were two grain transport teams stationed twenty miles away, Zhao Shi's eyes flashed with a hint of movement in his mind.

  It wasn't long before everyone who was supposed to arrive had arrived. The messenger from Pingliang looked disheveled, clearly having traveled a great distance, but no one paid attention to these details, instead staring fixedly at Li Jinhua, who held the military order.

  "General Dai ordered us to stay put and wait for reinforcements to arrive." Li Jinhua said slowly, looking at everyone.

  "When did Generalissimo issue the order?"

  "Does the general know that we are in a precarious situation? Where is the reinforcement now?"

  "Are all the grain-transporting troops staying put? What if the Western Xia army charges over? Won't that be handing them our grain and military supplies on a silver platter?"

  This sentence alone has raised doubts among the people present, and the questions in the big account are immediately chaotic.

  These issues are not something that a messenger can answer, Li Jinhua waved her hand to let someone take this person down to rest. After that, she pressed her hands and let the crowd calm down. She pondered for a moment before speaking: "The general is in Pingliang, I don't know if our situation is also unavoidable. However, I think the Western Xia people still don't know our true situation. At most, they will send some scouts to investigate, and it's more likely that their army has already withdrawn back to the vicinity of Qingyang." Seeing that everyone was staring at her, a sense of being in control suddenly arose. She turned her head to look at Zhao Shi beside her, who had a red face. After all, she had been leading the army for only a short time and was still not used to taking credit for her subordinates' judgments. However, the two had already agreed that it would be better for her to say these words as the commander-in-chief. Therefore, she continued to explain to everyone, and after listening, they all felt that it made sense. A few quick-witted people immediately praised her, saying "The general is wise!" The others who still had some doubts also didn't speak up, and the atmosphere in the tent suddenly relaxed a bit.

  At this time, Li Jinhua's face turned serious and she shouted in a low voice: "Du Shantiger, listen to the order."

  Nadushan Hu rested for a night, and in the morning, he washed up again, had a big breakfast, and his spirit was already much better than yesterday. After listening to Li Jinhua's analysis of the military situation, he nodded secretly in his heart. Although she was a woman, her ability to lead the army and fight was not something he could match. No wonder she had become a Guoyi school lieutenant at such a young age. When he heard his name being called, he was taken aback for a moment. He didn't belong to Li Jinhua's grain protection army, so in theory, she shouldn't be able to command him. However, at this time, he admired her in his heart and immediately tidied up his clothes, kneeled down on the ground, and said loudly: "Your subordinate is here." His attitude was even more respectful than when facing his own commander.

  "I order you to lead 200 men to meet up with Xianfeng's remaining troops and at the same time scout out the enemy situation, are you willing?"

  Du Shanyutong was overjoyed when he heard this, and he felt extremely grateful to the school lieutenant who had just met him. He had not expected that the Hu Lianjun would send someone to meet him in advance, and he had planned to rest for a day here, regardless of whether the other party was willing or not, he must return. At this time, hearing these words, he felt more grateful than the remaining soldiers of the Xianfeng Army who were reborn with kindness. Compared to those old comrades who saw the Xianfeng Army fighting fiercely with the Western Xia army under the city, but did not send a single soldier to support them, it was like heaven and earth. It is easy to add flowers to brocade, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow. The Hu Lianjun's move was even more difficult than sending charcoal in the snow. His eyes turned red, and he almost shed tears, his voice choked with sobs: "Thank you, sir, for your great kindness. If there is one person left in the Xianfeng Army, we will surely repay your kindness someday... I accept the order."

  A look of pride flashed across Li Jinhua's face, but he said in a low voice: "General Du doesn't have to be like this. Xianfeng Army fought bloody battles under the city of Qingyang, and was loyal to the imperial court with all their heart. My Huilang Army only made some slight contributions, how dare I accept such thanks...

  "Also, I have to trouble General Du to scout out the enemy situation. The general is a seasoned veteran, and I shouldn't be saying anything more, but this trip is perilous, so I still want to say a couple of things: if we encounter a large enemy force, the general must quickly dispatch someone to report back, and unless absolutely necessary, do not engage in battle with the enemy. Does General Du agree or disagree?"

  "I will obey orders."

  Li Jinhua looked back at Zhao Shi with a glance, originally Zhao Shi was supposed to follow Du Shantiger, he was a special forces soldier, and his reconnaissance skills were unparalleled, but Li Jinhua had not agreed, saying that she needed him by her side to make decisions, or else if something happened, she wouldn't know what to do. In fact, she also had some private thoughts in mind, as it was indeed extremely dangerous this time, and if there was any mistake, how could they get out of it? Thinking about the possibility of the young man returning as a cold corpse made Li Jinhua feel a chill in her heart, although this thought was very unlucky, she couldn't help but think about it, and the more she thought, the more afraid she became, naturally, she strongly disagreed with the young man going on an adventure.

  At this time, however, he had a sudden idea and after sending Du Shantiger away, he assigned a task to Zhao Shi. He went to the back and deceived the two grain teams into coming over. The front and back were only about 20 miles apart, and everyone was more at ease when they gathered together. There was no danger, and when the time came, whether it was advancing or retreating, they would have enough energy.

  Watching Zhao Shi leave with a cold face, leading his remaining twenty or so men away, Li Jinhua's face revealed a hint of pride and secretly praised herself for her excellent command, even managing to get such a formidable guy to move.