The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 1778

Chapter 1778: 868 Father and Son Connected (Chapter 1)

Xuanping Marquis was about to order the military officers to rest and continue the siege tomorrow morning, but then he received orders from the rear.

He frowned, "Finish it tonight? So urgent?"

The best way to severely damage the Liang army was to march straight into their capital, Bianjing. Of course, that was impossible due to the constraints of manpower and supplies.

But at the very least, they needed to capture several border cities to seriously weaken the Liang army.

Tonight, after a little rest, tomorrow he’d storm into Li County and collect a few more heads of the Liang dogs.

The guard presented a letter with both hands, saying, "This is a letter from the Princess for you. Please take a look."

Xuanping Marquis nonchalantly took it, "If there’s a message, just pass it on verbally, why write a letter..."

The letter contained no extra words, just six characters — Qingqing is trapped in Pu City.

Xuanping Marquis’s expression instantly turned cold.

For convenience in leading his troops, Shangguan Yun fabricated an identity for him as an old retainer of the Xuanyuan Family. He had been operating secretly for years and was temporarily given the title of General Dingyuan.

Although people were unfamiliar with him, the fact that he beheaded Chu Feipeng was indisputable. Plus, he and three others repelled the thousands of Liang troops, so his prestige and strength were unquestionable.

Moreover, people assumed that the Princess was taking the opportunity to support her own faction, so they were not too surprised by his sudden rise.

This time, he fought the Liang army alongside General Zhao Guoping of the Dayan court.

"Did General Zhao also receive the letter?" Xuanping Marquis asked.

"Ah... it seems... no." The guard replied with trepidation.

Xuanping Marquis remained as calm as always, though there was a cold, intimidating aura about him, "I understand, you go reply to the Princess and tell her, not tomorrow morning, but at midnight, I will take Li County."

The guard’s mouth fell open.

Midnight?

Isn’t there only one 2-hour left?

Can it really be captured?

Shangguan Yun paced back and forth in the barracks. She vaguely felt she’d overlooked something, but couldn’t immediately recall what it was.

Her mind was filled with the news of her son being surrounded at Ghost Mountain, and she struggled to believe it was true.

Her son, perfectly fine, how did he end up at the border pass?

And fall into the hands of the Jin army?

What on earth is going on?

The letter was limited in length, and Gu Jiao only highlighted the key points. Everything else would have to be discussed face-to-face.

Huanhuan wanted to remind her but swallowed the words upon seeing how anxious she looked.

When something happens to Your Highness Changsun, the first person you thought of was Xuanping Marquis. Did you forget about General Zhao?

Even if she forgot, Xuanping Marquis would handle things clearly.

At midnight, Xuanping Marquis flattened Li County’s camp, killing six Liang Country commanders. The Liang army was retreating piece by piece; when they tried to flee, they encountered a strong blockade from the Yan army.

Eventually, the Liang army, represented by King Pingyang, submitted a humiliating letter of surrender.

With the surrender in hand, King Pingyang was taken hostage by Xuanping Marquis.

The task over on Wang Man’s side was much lighter. The New City wasn’t as fortified as Quyang City, and all of the Nangong Family’s forces had been left in Quyang by Chang Wei, leaving fewer than ten thousand local soldiers in the city. Wang Man’s tens of thousands of troops attacked, sealing the Nangong Family’s defeat.

As dawn approached, the four sons of the Nangong Family were killed in battle, and the rest were captured alive.

...

In the command barracks of the Hei Feng Camp in Quyang City.

Master Hu walked over holding a translated booklet, "My lord! Please take a look!"

Gu Jiao lifted her gaze from the sandbox and raised her hand to take the booklet.

Liao Chen was also in her tent.

The two carefully examined the intelligence on the Jin army.

Gu Jiao said, "It’s not just 200,000 troops. Excluding logistics, the combat-ready forces amount to 160,000."

In this era’s war conditions, logistics generally accounted for about one-third of total forces, and the Jin army was no exception.

Gu Jiao continued, "Our available forces are roughly the same, but the Jin army also has to account for the Han Family’s 30,000 troops."

The main cause of this situation was Yan Country being attacked by five nations, diverting much of its forces elsewhere. The only one confirmed to withdraw troops was Zhan Country at Chishui Pass.

But Chishui Pass was primarily a naval force, not suited for land combat, so it would be useless to bring them here.

The distances to Chen Country and Zhao Country were farther, and no exact information was available yet.

Having read through all the intelligence in the booklet, Liao Chen said, "Gongsun Yu has deployed significant forces at the North City Gate and East City Gate, which are precisely the gates nearest to us. The South City Gate is guarded by the Han Family troops, with a total of 30,000 cavalry, along with 20,000 Han infantry, but it’s unclear which gate they will be dispatched to during the eventual battle. The West City Gate is the weakest in defense, but unfortunately, it’s too far from us."

Gu Jiao said, "The time is almost up. Let’s head to the pass to meet the Princess."

Due to time constraints, Shangguan Yun and the court’s main forces would not enter Quyang City to rest.

After defeating the Liang army, they would rest in place for a few hours before marching to Pu City.

Gu Jiao donned her red battle attire, her mysterious iron armor, and went out to equip Hei Fengqi with helmets and armor.

When she turned back, Liao Chen was also dressed in his battle armor.

Gu Jiao paused slightly.

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