Chapter 90 of 100

Chapter 90

15 min read3,872 words

Chapter 89

"Your humble servant, Pei Zhan, the magistrate of Yanling County, pays respects to His Highness Prince Su!"

After carefully examining Zhao Hongrun's documents and confirming their accuracy, Pei Zhan finally took the initiative to bow to Zhao Hongrun.

After all, before this, they could not confirm Zhao Hongrun's identity, so they did not bow to him. Now that his status as a prince was confirmed, they naturally had to make up for the courtesy.

During this time, Yanling's military officer Chen Shi, as well as the magistrates and military officers of the already fallen Linying and Xihua counties, also paid their respects to Zhao Hongrun.

Pei Zhan, the magistrate of Yanling County, and Chen Shi, the military officer; Zhao Zhun, the magistrate of Linying County, and Wang Shu, the military officer; Xu Youzhi, the magistrate of Xihua County, and Ma Zhang, the military officer...

Zhao Hongrun sat in the main seat, his eyes scanning over these officials one by one. After a while, he asked, "How many cities have we lost so far?"

"Your Highness, six," Pei Zhan replied with his head bowed. "Changping, Chenling, Xuxian, Shangshui, Xihua, and Linying... a total of six cities, large and small."

Six...

Although Zhao Hongrun did not show it on his face, he was indeed shocked.

In the messages sent to Daliang, only Changping, Chenling, and Xuxian were mentioned, so he thought that only three cities had been lost. He did not expect that six counties had already fallen to the enemy.

"Bring the map of Ying River Prefecture," Zhao Hongrun ordered.

Pei Zhan quickly instructed someone to bring the map of Ying River Prefecture and lay it out on the table. Zhao Hongrun stood up and walked to the table, his eyes scanning the map.

It was like this: first Changping and Shangshui, then Chenling and Xuxian, and finally Xihua and Linying...

By comparing the map of Ying River Prefecture, Zhao Hongrun realized that the Chu army had launched three waves of attacks, capturing six counties of Daliang. Yanling was clearly the target of the Chu army's fourth wave of attacks.

"What about the magistrates and military officers of the other four cities?"

Zhao Hongrun turned to look at the assembled civil and military officials, especially those from Linying and Xihua.

The officials exchanged glances and lowered their heads, their faces showing a mix of sorrow and shame.

After a long pause, Pei Zhan said softly, "Your Highness, the civilians and soldiers of Changping, Chenling, Xuxian, and Shangshui counties did not escape the Chu army's interception... The officials only managed to send the news of the Chu army's invasion to the rear..."

"I see." Zhao Hongrun nodded solemnly, then turned to Zongwei Lü Mu and said, "Lü Mu, remember to record the names of the six counties: Changping, Chenling, Xuxian, and Shangshui. All the brave soldiers who resisted the Chu army and sacrificed their lives should be reported to Daliang, and the court should grant them commendations and compensation. Check carefully and try not to miss anyone; they are all brave warriors of our Daliang!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Lü Mu bowed in acknowledgment.

This Prince Su...

Chen Shi, the military officer of Yanling, looked at Zhao Hongrun with some surprise. He did not expect that this young Prince Su knew how to win people's hearts.

At this moment, Zhao Hongrun turned to the assembled civil and military officials and said in a solemn voice, "Gentlemen, hide your grief for now. The most pressing matter is how to repel the Chu army and prevent Yanling from falling. Who is responsible for the defense of Yanling?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room looked at Chen Shi, the military officer of Yanling.

Seeing this, Chen Shi stepped forward and bowed, "Your Highness, the defense of Yanling is currently under my responsibility."

"Tell me the current situation."

"Yes, Your Highness." Chen Shi bowed and said solemnly, "Currently, Yanling has incorporated the garrisons of Linying and Xihua, and also recruited many soldiers who fled from the front lines. We have a total of 11,000 soldiers. As for the civilians in the city..."

He turned to look at Pei Zhan, the magistrate of Yanling.

Seeing this, Pei Zhan quickly said, "Your Highness, Yanling currently has over 100,000 civilians, of which 70% are refugees from the other six counties."

"Have they been properly settled?"

Pei Zhan smiled bitterly and said, "There are many refugees, and the settlement is still ongoing."

"Speed up the process. The weather is getting colder. These people have barely escaped from the Chu army; we must not let them freeze to death in Yanling. Also, regarding food supplies, the Ministry of Revenue has already prepared the supplies when I left Daliang. They will transport them via the Cai River and then by land to Yanling. They should arrive in about 20 days. You can distribute the food with confidence."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Upon hearing that the supplies were already on the way, Pei Zhan felt much more at ease.

"What about the Chu army?" Zhao Hongrun continued to ask Chen Shi and the other military officers.

Chen Shi bowed and said seriously, "The Chu army on the south bank of the Yan River is estimated to be about 60,000 strong, led by Xiong Hu, the vanguard of Chu's Pingyu County."

"What about Xiong Tuo, the Lord of Chu Yangcheng?"

Chen Shi bowed and replied, "Xiong Tuo leads 100,000 troops, and he is likely... suppressing Changping, Chenling, Xuxian, and Shangshui counties..."

Suppressing... which means plundering the wealth of the four counties, right?

Zhao Hongrun tapped his forehead and let out a long sigh, pretending to be deep in thought.

Perhaps because Chen Shi saw him as young, he spoke very subtly, but Zhao Hongrun was very clear: in a feudal state like Chu, where the Xiong clan holds power, to get a local lord like Xiong Tuo to send troops, the Chu king must offer them benefits, such as the right to plunder the wealth of the captured cities.

Without a doubt, Xiong Tuo was likely plundering the wealth of the captured Daliang cities and even massacring the local Daliang civilians. After all, in a country that values bloodline, the status of Chu's commoners was very low, let alone the civilians of Daliang.

Xiong Tuo, Lord of Chu Yangcheng... I will remember this. I will eventually attack your Yangcheng!

The flash of killing intent in Zhao Hongrun's eyes made Chen Shi, who was staring at him, feel a chill.

At this moment, Wang Shu, the military officer of Linying, could not help but ask, "Your Highness, when will the reinforcements from Junshui Camp and General Baili Ba arrive in Yanling?"

"Regarding that..." Zhao Hongrun's face lightened, and he smiled. "General Baili Ba and the Junshui Camp have already set out from Daliang. They should arrive in Yanling around the end of October."

"End of October?" The magistrates and military officers, including Chen Shi, all showed signs of concern.

"From Daliang to Yanling, does it really take that long?... That's about 40 days, right?" Chen Shi could not help but ask.

Indeed, from Daliang to Yanling, it does not take that long. For example, Zhao Hongrun himself took only about seven to eight days to travel from Daliang to Yanling, traveling day and night.

Even if the Junshui Camp has 25,000 soldiers, if they march quickly, they should be able to reach Yanling in about 15 days, which would be around early October. However, Zhao Hongrun said that the Junshui Camp would not arrive until the end of October, a difference of about 20 days.

With the Chu army's strong momentum in crossing the Yan River, who could guarantee that Yanling would not have problems in these 20 days?

Zhao Hongrun did not elaborate on this, pretending not to hear Chen Shi's question.

In fact, he was clear about it. He had ordered Baili Ba to lead the Junshui Camp to the confluence of the Cai River and the Wei River to build a dam to store water, and then come to Yanling. It would take about until the end of October to complete this task.

However, Zhao Hongrun would not explain this to the officials of Yanling, as they would likely be very upset.

"This... without the reinforcements from the Junshui Camp, how can Yanling be defended?"

The civil and military officials in the room could not help but feel anxious.

Zhao Hongrun found this somewhat amusing and said, "Before the reinforcements from the Junshui Camp arrived, didn't you defend Yanling for more than half a month?"

Chen Shi shook his head and said, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. We were able to defend Yanling because the Chu army's attacks were not intense. However, in recent days, the Chu army has begun to cross the Yan River... I fear that something might go wrong. Could Your Highness send someone to urge General Baili Ba?"

In fact, Chen Shi was probably the person in the room who most hoped that General Baili Ba and the Junshui Camp would arrive in Yanling soon. After all, as the military officer of Yanling, he was now commanding over 10,000 soldiers, which was against the regulations.

Therefore, he hoped that the court would send a person of sufficient importance to take over the command.

Although Zhao Hongrun, as a prince, was qualified to take command of the 10,000 soldiers in Yanling, the problem was that he was too young. Chen Shi did not believe that Zhao Hongrun could shoulder the responsibility of protecting over 100,000 civilians and soldiers in Yanling.

Therefore, after much thought, Chen Shi did not mention the transfer of command.

After all, compared to this prince who was not yet 15 years old, he trusted General Baili Ba of the Junshui Camp more. At least, he was a general who had participated in many battles, a true general.

"Does Military Officer Chen not trust this prince?"

As if seeing through Chen Shi's thoughts, Zhao Hongrun suddenly asked.

The people in the room fell silent, all turning to look at Chen Shi, who replied calmly, "Your Highness, you are overthinking it. How could I not trust Your Highness?"

Zhao Hongrun smiled and said, "Really? But I have not heard you propose to transfer the command to me."

Chen Shi lowered his head and did not speak, and the others in the room exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

In fact, they all knew that the first thing to do was to transfer the command to this prince, as he was the highest-ranking person in Yanling. However, not only Chen Shi, but none of the others mentioned it.

This was because the prince was too young, so young that they found it hard to trust him.

As the atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense, Zhao Hongrun suddenly chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Never mind, I was just joking with Military Officer Chen. In fact, Chen has done a good job these days... Since that's the case, I will appoint Chen to be responsible for the war against Chu."

...

The people in the room looked at Zhao Hongrun in surprise.

Although they knew that this prince did not have the authority to appoint officials, his status as a prince gave his words some weight.

Now that Zhao Hongrun personally recognized Chen Shi, Chen Shi was officially in charge.

After the people in the room left, Zongwei Shen Yu could not help but ask, "Why didn't Your Highness take back the command? If you insisted, these people would not dare to refuse."

"There's no need," Zhao Hongrun shook his head and said calmly. "Chen Shi has indeed done well. Letting him be in charge of Yanling's defense should not give the Chu army any opportunity..."

"But if Yanling does not cooperate, won't Your Highness's plan be difficult to implement?" Zongwei Wei Jiao asked with a frown.

"What's the rush?... The Junshui Camp will not arrive until the end of October. My plan will start around late October... Before that, let Chen Shi take care of it."

"But what if Chen Shi does not listen?"

"Does not listen?"

Zhao Hongrun took out a golden token from his pocket and tossed it in his hand.

"Then give him a golden token!"

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