Chapter 83 The army sets out!

Chapter 83 The army sets out!

Chapter 83 The army sets out!
Five days later, Gyeongju,

The wind swept through the dark clouds, and the sky was gray.
But without the familiar falling snow, the snow on the ground began to melt.

The general guarding the city looked around on the city wall with sharp eyes.
Suddenly his eyes fixed and he looked into the distance.

I saw a slightly hazy black dot appear at the end of my sight.

Then it gradually expanded and finally became a cavalry team of more than a hundred people.

The general defending the city had a serious look in his eyes. He waved his hand lightly, and the soldiers' longbows were ready to fire with sharp eyes.

It was not until the hundred-plus cavalrymen came close that the commander guarding the city breathed a sigh of relief.

The person in front of him was wearing black armor, a red helmet, holding a long sword in his hand, and carrying a bow, crossbow and spear on his back. He looked like one of our own.

"Open the city gates! I am Guo Quan, the scout of the front army. Here are our seals!"

Soon, the city gates opened.

The vanguard scouts led by Guo Quan headed straight for the camp without any hesitation.

The generals defending the city looked puzzled. The army was about to set out on an expedition.
The scouts of the front army would send out soldiers every day, and every day there would be soldiers returning.

But no team was in such a hurry without even saying hello.

In the northeast corner of Gyeongju City, the military camp that originally occupied part of the city became larger and larger.

It almost covered the entire east wall of Gyeongju.
As the day of the expedition drew closer, more and more soldiers came from the interior, with at least thousands of them entering Gyeongju almost every day.

As a result, the South Gate of Gyeongju is now open all day long to welcome soldiers and all kinds of food and supplies.

When Guo Quan and his companions entered the camp, they immediately felt refreshed.
The military tent was still the same as before, but the faces were much more unfamiliar.
The camp also seemed a bit crowded!
But no matter they were new or old, seeing the armor they wore and the unique markings of the former scouts,

The soldiers still consciously made way for them to pass.

Guo Quan clasped his right hand tightly against his chest and looked around vigilantly.

When he arrived at the camp, instead of feeling relieved, he became even more nervous!
If the Northern Yuan spies were stationed in Gyeongju, they must be in the army.
This is the last step to success and requires extreme caution.

Finally, after many twists and turns,

He came to the central military tent and met his acquaintance Shi Zhengyu!
Only then did he let out a long sigh, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

He stepped forward quickly and whispered, "General Shi, Lord Lu has sent a letter."

Shi Zhengyu was slightly startled, but reacted in an instant.
His expression became solemn as well. He took a step forward, protected him behind him, and said in a low voice:
"Go in first."

Guo Quan looked solemn. He nodded and stepped into the camp.

Shi Zhengyu slowly stepped back and waved his hand gently.
A team of royal guards immediately stepped forward and blocked the entrance to the general's tent tightly.

Inside the military tent, General Lan Yu, the Marquis of Yongchang, was furious.

At the top, he paced back and forth, with his hands on his hips,

His panting appearance made the atmosphere in the military tent gradually freeze.

And below,

The generals who came to Gyeongzhou, including Wang Bi, Marquis of Dingyuan, Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, Deng Zhen, Duke of Shen, Yu Tongyuan, General of the Cavalry, Zhao Yong, Marquis of Nanxiong, Hu Hai, Marquis of Dongchuan, Zhang Yi, Marquis of Heqing, Zhou Wu, Marquis of Xiongwu, and Cao Xing, Marquis of Huaiyuan, looked at each other in bewilderment.

According to the appointed date, the remaining 20% ​​of the food and fodder should be delivered within three days.

However, the road from Peking to Gyeongju was blocked because the ice and snow melted and the roads became muddy.

The food and fodder that was supposed to arrive today may be delayed for three days.

Now the army is about to go out, and the outpost will set out today.

The army arrived at the designated sheltered locations to store food and fodder so that it could advance at full speed.

Since the food and supplies were not in place at this time, everyone present was upset.

General Lan Yu turned around abruptly, looked at Changxing Marquis Geng Bingwen with lightning eyes, and asked:

"How long will it take to delay for three days and three days? When can the vanguard army set out?"

Geng Bingwen looked bitter and sighed softly:

"If we want to set out, we can do so tonight, but if we don't have enough food and fodder, it may affect the subsequent advance of the army.

We set up 110 places to store food and fodder on the way to Buir Lake.
With the current food and grass supplies, if we march hastily, we can only place 90.
And it is not only the ice and snow in the territory that are melting. According to the news brought back by the scouts of the front army in the past few days,
The ice and snow on the grasslands melt faster, and the roads become muddier.”

"How many outposts can we set up?!" Lan Yu was furious, his eyes widened, making everyone present shrink their necks.

Geng Bingwen sighed:
"At most we can arrange 90, maybe less than 85. We have to eat and gnaw along the way, and the road is difficult to travel. This is already the limit of food and fodder."

At this time, the vanguard commander of the front army, Dingyuan Hou Wang Bi, looked solemn and said in a deep voice:

"General, if there are only eighty-five grain storage outposts, the army will not be able to reach Buir Lake.

They would have to eat the food that the soldiers brought with them.

If we can't find Yuan Ting for a while, I'm afraid we will have to retreat early."

Duke Deng Zhen of Shen had a serious expression on his face. He was the youngest person present.
Although he holds a very high official position, he is a junior and his words do not carry much weight.

Now, he felt he should say something.

After thinking carefully, Deng Zhen spoke in a deep voice:
"General, according to the information sent by the scouts,

The Yuan court spies who had arrived at Bui'erhai had been mostly wiped out by them.

We don't need to be so anxious. We can wait another ten days.
Wait until all the food and grass are gathered before setting out, so that you can be sure of safety.
We don’t need to surrender food to the enemy.”

It is only the beginning of March now, and only 60% of the army's food and fodder has arrived.
But the nobles in the army had already decided to go out, and the food and fodder they carried was only for a one-way trip.

The purpose was to rush to Buir Lake as quickly as possible and fight against the Yuan court.
Once the Yuan court is defeated, we can naturally eat its food, and this will be a great victory.

Moreover, the Northern Expedition also used grain storage outposts for the first time.
All the food was allowed to enter the grassland in advance and placed by the vanguard troops at each outpost all the way to Buyuer Lake.

Now, we can avoid getting lost, and we can move as fast as possible without being hindered by food and fodder.

This was also due to the fact that the scouts of the front army had discovered the royal court in Bui'er Sea early on.

Only after clearing out the spies along the way can we act boldly.

The military tent was extremely quiet, and the atmosphere became depressing.
Lan Yu slowly turned around, taking in everyone's expressions, the veins on his forehead throbbing!

As he expected, both food and soldiers were in short supply.
Something would always go wrong, turning his originally perfect plan into a mess.

Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, spoke again:
"General, originally according to our plan,
The army was supposed to set out in mid-March, but now it has been moved up to early March. The time is too tight."

"The Yuan court is in Bui'erhai. We have known this news for more than a month.

I have given you many warnings, even in the New Year.

Don't stop the transportation of food and military supplies just to save time.
The sooner we set out, the fewer variables there will be in this battle. Why are you guys dragging your feet? What went wrong?

Are the garrisons and cities along the way as corrupt and rotten as the Qingzhou Garrison?

Are the generals in various places incompetent, or are the officials in various places incompetent? Do you want to give the imperial court a warning? "

Lan Yu's eyes were grim, her voice was cold, and she was filled with extremely suppressed anger.

The people present were all high-ranking officials in the court, and they knew the whole story.

But I couldn't say it clearly, I could only sigh slightly and lower my head..
At this moment, the sound of light footsteps was heard.
The figures of Shi Zhengyu and Guo Quan appeared little by little, making the people present look strange and their expressions suddenly became solemn.

"What's the matter?" Lan Yu's voice came.

Seeing Guo Quan's strange expression, he glanced at the gentlemen and said in a cold voice:
"Speak quickly."

Guo Quan then bowed slightly and stepped forward quickly.

He took out a neatly folded letter from his pocket and placed it on the table, while keeping his voice as low as possible:

"General, this is a letter from Lord Lu." Lan Yu's eyes narrowed, a gleam of light flashing in his pupils. He quickly walked to the desk, picked up the letter, and opened it to check.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Changxing Hou, who was most familiar with Guo Quan, couldn't help but feel strange.

Isn’t this guy my personal soldier? Why is he hiding this from me?

Before he could ask, Duke of Shen, Deng Zhen, spoke up:
"Guo boy, is this news about Lu Yunyi?"

Guo Quan stared at this familiar brother with wide eyes, not knowing whether to say anything or not.

"Tell me quickly, there are no outsiders here." Deng Zhen was so angry at his appearance that he laughed and scolded.

But Guo Quan still stared with his eyes wide open, without saying a word, but his eyes dodged and kept looking at the Marquis of Changxing and the general.

Geng Bingwen felt much more comfortable and nodded with a smile:

"Tell me about it."

At this point, Guo Quan nodded heavily:

"Five days ago, I met Lord Lu in Lianfeng Valley.

He asked me to bring this letter back and hand it to the general personally."

At this moment, Lan Yu, who was checking the letter, suddenly became alert and shouted:
"it is good!!"

The group of people looked over there, puzzled.

Marquis Changxing narrowed his eyes and found that there were words on the back of the letter, so he quietly stepped forward and tilted his head to check.

"I heard that the Northern Yuan Dynasty was the orthodox dynasty of the Yuan Dynasty and inherited the etiquette of Chinese learning."

Suddenly, Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changxing, felt the letter in front of him turn over.

When he raised his head slightly, he met the eyes of General Lan Yu and asked impatiently:

"General, what's the good news?"

Lan Yu's previous anger seemed to have disappeared, with a smile on his face:

"The location of the royal court, the soldiers and horses, the generals' habits, the soldiers' combat effectiveness, and some of the royal court's conditions are all explained in the letter."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was excited. They were all generals who led troops into battle and knew the importance of intelligence information.

"Great!" Dingyuan Marquis Wang Bi's face was flushed, and he smashed his hands hard.
The front scouts belong to the vanguard army and are under his command.
Now that Lu Yunyi has gone to Beiyuan and obtained key information, he, as the superior, is proud.

"General, when he comes back, you must ask for a reward for him."

Wang Bi spoke in a muffled voice, glancing lightly at the people present with an arrogant look on his face, which made many generals present feel unhappy.

No matter how this northern expedition goes, the vanguard army has taken the lead ahead of time!

At this time, Lan Yu's voice came over:

"I'm afraid he won't be back anytime soon. Let's take a look at the letters."

Lan Yu handed the letter over, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

With such sufficient information, if he cannot win this battle, then he will have fought for twenty years in vain.

Soon, the letters were circulated to each other, and many princes and dukes present read the messages in them and looked at each other in surprise.

The information recorded in the letter is not too little, but too much.
So many people thought that Lu Yunyi was originally from the grassland and was colluding with foreign countries.

What surprised them even more was that Yuan Ting’s current situation had become so bad.

The princes fighting for the throne, the people starving, the soldiers cowardly, internal and external troubles, and powerful officials in power are all signs of the country's demise!

They even wondered in their hearts, if the army did not reach Gyeongju,
If the Yuan court is allowed to continue to linger like this, it will sooner or later fall apart.

The arrival of the army was even a relief for the Yuan court.

At this time, Wang Bi, Marquis of Dingyuan, expressed his feelings:

"I never thought that this guy would become the confidant of the land guard slave, and he is a traitor inside and outside.
I think the two princes of Yuan Ting will come to blows sooner or later."

Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, relaxed all over, not as tense as before, and his mood also eased a little. He smiled and said:

"This Usar Khan wants to use the dispute between the two princes to balance the court.

Now it seems that he is doing well, but he cannot stop the decline of the royal court. "

"Yes, it seems that our speculation is correct. As long as we find the location of Yuan Ting, we will definitely win." Mayor Deng, the Duke of Shen, breathed a sigh of relief.

He has always been the one observing the combat effectiveness of the soldiers on both sides and predicting the development of the war.
Previously, he only guessed that the Yuan court's soldiers were weak, but he had no evidence.

Now that this letter has arrived, it has relieved one of his worries.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his head abruptly, looked at General Lan Yu with burning eyes, and spoke in a resounding voice:
"General, since we already know the situation in the royal court,

I don't think we need to wait for the follow-up food.
The vanguard army quickly set out with the food and fodder and quickly arrived near Buyuer Lake!
The army followed, carrying some food and fodder.
As long as we can hold out until Bui'er Lake, the war will be settled.

With the fighting power that Wang Ting has shown now, we can break through Yuan Ting in less than two days!"

"Yes, now that we know the exact location of Yuan Ting,

We don't have to worry about anything, and we don't even have to waste time searching. We just have to keep going."

Dingyuan Hou Wang Bi's face was dark and he exuded murderous intent.

At this time, Lan Yu, who was standing at the head, looked thoughtful and shook his head slightly:

"We only have so much food and fodder, so we must take it all with us.
Since there is not enough food and grass, then bring fewer soldiers.
Originally there were 150,000 soldiers, but now there are only 120,000. Is that enough food and grass?" Lan Yu looked at Deng Zhen, Duke of Shen.

Deng Zhen frowned slightly and quickly began to calculate in his mind. After a while, he raised his head:
"If you only bring 120,000 soldiers, with enough food and fodder,

However, the food and fodder on the return trip could only support half of the journey.
If we catch nothing in the fishing sea, it will be a huge loss.”

Lan Yu waved his hand gently: "Don't worry about this matter. The Tatars have already made unusual moves in Xuanfu and Datong.
I think they will invade the border in the near future. Combined with Lu Yunyi's letter, Yuan Ting will not act rashly at least for now.
As long as we can capture the Yuan court, we will have enough food and grass. The only thing we need to consider is the melting of ice and snow and the problem of water sources."

At this time, Wang Bi, Marquis of Dingyuan, smiled lightly, looked at Guo Quan, and winked at him.

Guo Quan suddenly understood, bowed slightly, and said quickly:

"Reporting to the general, Lord Lu left behind the locations of 67 water sources when he left.
In recent days, we have continued to explore the Bui Er Lake and discovered more than 20 water sources.

Twenty of the eighty-seven water sources are mountain springs, which flow for years, and after the fusion of ice and snow, the water source becomes more abundant. "

Not only Lan Yu looked strange after hearing this, but Geng Bingwen, Deng Zhen and others on the side also felt the same.

Dingyuan Marquis Wang Bi suddenly straightened up, his face full of pride, and he spoke triumphantly:
"As a subordinate, I always like to plan ahead.

He also recorded 210 jackal haunts, 630 gerbil nests, and 1,300 gathering places for various livestock.
Even if we run out of food and grass, we can still survive for a while just by hunting.
The map is in the front military camp, you haven’t seen it, it’s a large and densely packed map.”

Wang Bi, Marquis of Dingyuan, used his hands and feet, with an exaggerated expression and a constant smile on his face.

Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, looked strange and said jokingly:

"Your son isn't that excited, either."

"Don't talk about that good-for-nothing." Wang Bi, Marquis of Dingyuan, suddenly felt that his old friend had disappointed him and waved his hands repeatedly.

This caused everyone present to burst into laughter.

Lan Yu, who was always stern, smiled, sat down slowly, and said with emotion:

"Lu Yunyi is a capable man. He helped us a lot.
If it weren't for his selfless dedication, the army's deployment would probably have been delayed until April.

In daily life, we may talk a lot and make a lot of plans, but in the end, success or failure depends on the battle formation. Only by fighting can we win.
Make arrangements quickly. The vanguard will leave the city tonight, and the main army will set out in three days!"

"Yes!" The people present looked serious, filled with fighting spirit, and bowed their hands together.

(End of this chapter)