Only a small number of rebels were stationed in various cities in Nanguo County to prevent the imperial court from infiltrating. The defense force mainly relied on the Central and North Route Army. This was the result of Shaodian Yong's negotiation with his country.
Jing Xuan only left 10,000 troops to defend the county in order to save his home base. They could deal with small-scale attacks, but they could not withstand a large army attack, especially one with more than five times the strength.
"Did the enemy troops gather in Nanguo County just to wait for me to leave?" He was confused, "But where did the mixed army that attacked Ji'an County and Beibei County come from? Is it really Ding Kui? He took the initiative regardless of the safety of his home base.
Provoke our country?”
Now we can go back and save the southern counties and cities, that is, in the country...
No matter! My mission is to guard Nanguo County. Let the people in the country take care of domestic affairs. If there is a problem, I can't be blamed.
He finally decided to turn around and return to Nanguo County.
The whereabouts of our own army were under the surveillance of Shaodian Army scouts, and Jin Man received the news a few hours later.
"Haha, Jingxuan also has a side that shirks his responsibilities." Jin Man was confident, "Notify Commander Feng De to withdraw from the county area and rush to the border. Well, let's set off too and give Jingxuan a little surprise. Let me
Also be a 'Flying General' for once."
Tens of thousands of cavalry surrounded Jin Man's commanding flag and rushed out of the Dongjin County camp, heading towards the junction of Nanguo County and Ji'an County.
This team brings together the elite cavalry of the 13th, 21st and 22nd legions, each equipped with two horses, and is currently the most mobile unit in the Zhongwangzhou Theater.
The commander-in-chief of the Northern Route Army was not idle. Although Ding Kui's reply had not yet arrived, the military situation in Ji'an County was reported three times a day, so he could not wait any longer.
The Northern 1st, Northern 2nd, and Northern 3rd Army Corps were dispatched urgently and drove towards Bei County along the shortest path.
As a result, a large-scale military conflict broke out between Shaodian State and Jiguo again, with the total number of troops invested by both sides at the junction of the two countries reaching one million.
"What? Ding Kui has invaded our own country!" Shaodianshi didn't believe this news.
"It's true! Our country's envoy formally lodged a protest, condemning the consort Martin Kui for leading his troops to invade the country, occupying the northern county, killing countless people, and demanding that our country immediately recall Ding Kui and severely punish him."
This time Zipi and Shaodian Huang came together, and Zipi personally received the envoy from his country.
Shaodian took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to express his opinion, and asked: "What do the two chiefs think of this matter?" After ruling for more than a year, he gradually found a little bit of the feeling of being a prince, and knew how to hide himself in front of the courtiers.
Attitude.
Zipi made a gesture of invitation to Shaodian Huang.
Shao Dianhuang nodded and said: "Our country has troops in our country, helping the rebels to resist the imperial troops. They are obviously our enemies. How can they have the face to accuse Ding Kui of invading? Your Highness, you can ask your country's envoy, where are your troops?
When will you leave our territory?”
These words were a bit evasive and did not say how the court should deal with Ding Kui.
The Commander-in-Chief's Office received relevant information, and the Zhongwangzhou Theater planned an operation to eliminate our own troops within the territory. A total of three legions were mobilized, and the main battlefield was in our own country's Ji'an County. As for how Ding Kui invaded our country, the specific situation is still unclear.
The Prince Regent was not satisfied with Shaodian Huang's answer and turned his attention to the chief of the Government Affairs Council.
"It is a good thing that Ding Kui is fighting with our country! Although our country is bound by Meng, its overall strength should not be underestimated. It is more than enough to deal with him. At least he will not be able to continue to attack Nanzhao Prefecture, and may lose a large number of troops and horses, which will be a threat to the imperial court.
There's no harm in that.
It is best to watch the fight between the two families without any reaction. When Ding Kui is deeply trapped in his own country, he will send a general to lead his troops to Nanma Prefecture, and ask the king of Nanma County to help him to defeat the rebel forces in one fell swoop."
Zipi advocated sitting on a mountain and watching the tiger fight.
"Can't we eradicate the rebellious Shaodian Luan, Ding Kui and others now?"
After the scandal between Shaodianji's son and Princess Nangong broke out, Shaodianshi always felt like something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't take the initiative to explain anything. He hated Shaodianluan and his brother Ding Kui even more. Without them, there would be no need to pay attention to the propaganda of the rebels.
Shaodianfeng could not be killed, but Ding Kui and his wife, who openly rebelled against the court, could be killed. The Prince Regent wanted to kill them immediately.
"No! Ding Kui dares to send troops to his own country, which means that his troops are strong and the commander-in-chief cannot send troops to fight against him for the time being.
It is best to wait until he is defeated by his soldiers and horses, and we will drive the rebels out of Zhuangwang State, and then we can easily solve the problem in Nanzhao State."
Shaodianhuang knew that Ding Kui was difficult to deal with now. The imperial court did not have enough troops to transfer to Nanzhao Prefecture, and the best time to solve the problem had not yet come.
"Shaodianluan and his wife are suffering from scabies. They offended the nobles of Lu State some time ago, and now they have offended our own country. There are many people who want to deal with them, but not now. Please wait patiently, Your Highness." Zipi hoped that he could
Kill with a borrowed knife.
Both the military and political ministers disagreed, so Shaodian had no choice but to put aside his obsession with dealing with Ding Kui.
But his distant relatives are ready to take action.
"Ding Kui led his troops to his own country. Now is a great opportunity to conquer the lost territory."
Shao Dianxi issued urgent orders to recall Gongsun Mi, who had gone south to clear the country.
"Xiaguan sent scouts to investigate Zhushan County. Their camp has the flag of the Eighth Army and the flag of the Twelfth Army. Both main army groups are there. Will Ding Kui go to our country to tempt us to take the initiative to attack?"
Gongsun Mi did not dare to act rashly.
Seeing the banner of the Eighth Army, he felt guilty. The army he had cobbled together did not have much combat effectiveness and was simply unable to fight against Ding Kui's troops.
"How will you know if you don't give it a try? Don't miss this opportunity no matter what. If it doesn't work, you can return it. I won't blame you if you lose."
Shaodian Xi was so anxious that he always wanted to take back the territory that originally belonged to him.
It is not easy to support hundreds of thousands of troops. Even if the weapons and equipment are provided by the military depots of each county, food, drink, and supplies are a huge expense. If the city defense army is changed to a local army, the military pay will be increased. Otherwise, why would they?
Work hard for your state pastor.
With half of the state's tax revenue missing, Nanma Prefecture's finances are already stretched thin, and the current situation cannot be maintained for long.
"Then I'll do my best!"
After Zhou Mu said this, Gongsun Mi had no choice but to agree.
Although he is not afraid of losing the battle, losing the battle will hurt his morale. It is unwise to fight even though he knows he can't win. It is a terrible thing to direct such a battle.
…
In late autumn, Lu State has an annual food festival, which is a festival to celebrate the harvest. Every household hangs up colorful lanterns like the Chinese New Year and carefully cooks a dish they think is the most delicious, which means that their family will have a good meal this year.
The income can end a year's work early.
According to custom, the king is going to be a guest at the Lu Chamber of Commerce General Assembly to congratulate the chamber of commerce on its prosperity and so on. Naturally, the chamber of commerce will have a big banquet to entertain the king.
"Your Majesty, can you lend me a moment to speak?" President Lu Tong sent an invitation to King Lu Jue for a confidential discussion.
The king must give the president a face. Not only that the Lu Chamber of Commerce is the financial backbone of the Lu State, but that Lu Tong is the elder of the clan and can be regarded as Lu Jue's elder. No matter how busy Lu Jue is, he still has to find time to talk to Lu Tong.
"You seem to have never talked to a lone person, right?" The king dismissed his personal guards. There could be no danger here in the General Assembly.
Lu's Chamber of Commerce is the property of the clan, and all the senior officials stationed in the association are members of the clan, and the king also holds the title of honorary president.
"I don't dare to waste Your Majesty's time unless something happens." Lu Tong's eyes were sunken, his cheeks were protruding and his face was thin. His face was old but he was in good spirits.
"Aiqing is not an outsider. If you have something to say, just say it directly." Lu Jue's tone was very relaxed but his heart was tight. It was definitely not a trivial matter that even Lu Tong could not solve.
The president of Lu's Chamber of Commerce controls wealth that is unimaginable to ordinary people. Things that can be solved with money are not a problem in front of him. You can imagine how troublesome the problems he encounters are.
"Has your Majesty ever heard of Ding Kui?"
"Yes." Lu Jue nodded, "I heard a little bit that he is Ji Chan's adopted brother." In his eyes, this was the most noteworthy point about Ding Kui.
"The Demon Prince of Nanping will become a wealthy man in the Gu Yuan Empire because of this adopted brother." Lu Tong secretly observed the king's expression.
"Oh?" Lu Tong said that the wealth was worthy of Lu Jue's taste, "Gu Gu has underestimated his ability."
"Veteran, I heard that the king intends to change an important purpose of the Chamber of Commerce. He requires the Chamber of Commerce to intervene in other countries' civil strife and favor one party while blocking the other." Lu Tong straightened his back.
Lu Jue understood that this matter was secretly promoted by Lu Chao. He did not express any objection because of Zhu Bi's face. The most important thing was that he believed that Ding Kui could not get on the stage and could be sacrificed at will.
He explained: "Can Ding Kui be considered a party? I think he is just a bigger bandit. How can he affect the political situation of Shaodian country?"
"Has your Majesty seen the two lanterns outside the entrance of the General Assembly?" Lu Tong suddenly changed the subject.
"It's very beautiful, indeed unique." Lu Jue was happy not to talk about Ding Kui.
"Those two lamps used a special fuel. This fuel was invented by Ding Kui. Not only that, I heard that he has recently been studying magic lamps and magic clocks, and has produced mass-produced samples. I thought Ding Kui
He is a person who can change the world."
Lu Tong's tone was calm, but his eyes became brighter, revealing a little excitement in his heart.
Lu Jue was surprised, not because of Lu Tong's words, but because of Lu Tong's attitude towards Ding Kui. A person who can make the president of Lu's Chamber of Commerce look at him differently should not be someone who can be sacrificed at will.
"Can you bring Ding Kui to Lu State?" He became interested in Ding Kui.
"Your Majesty, I think Ding Kui has a chance to win the Shaodian Kingdom, and he should be a partner." Lu Tong felt that the king still underestimated Ding Kui.
The king was finally moved. The person who could aspire to the Shaodian Kingdom was on an equal footing with him, and was not someone he could control.
"Well, President Zhu is quite dissatisfied with Lu Chao's humiliation. Even a few people cannot ignore their feelings. If Ding Kui can really aspire to be the leader of Shaodian Kingdom, of course the Chamber of Commerce cannot completely block him, but it must also give President Zhu
An explanation. Do you understand what Gu means?" Lu Jue was shaken from his original idea.
"I understand, I will handle this matter properly." Lu Tong smiled knowingly.