In Ancheng, the entire city was on alert, and a no-war sign was hung on the city. Below the city, thousands of Nanyao troops were waiting in formation.
"Look, the crown prince of Dongyue Kingdom doesn't dare to leave the city now, and is huddled in the city." A Nanyao general pointed at the soldiers on the city and shouted.
"Yeah, I guess you're afraid of being beaten by us. We've been hanging the no-war card for several days..."
"Haha..." There was a burst of laughter.
In the Ancheng government office, all the soldiers in the hall had solemn expressions and their heads buried, but the anger on their faces could not be concealed.
In the hall, Mu Jingnan was wearing armor, looking at the map in his hand, his brows furrowed. There was a faint black air on his face, and he coughed in a low voice from time to time.
"Your Highness, the Nan Yao army has been clamoring for several days. Let us send troops." A general below suddenly stood up and said.
As soon as these words came out, many generals followed suit and said, "Your Highness, let us send troops. If this continues, it will be detrimental to the morale of our army."
Chen Songyang also looked at Mu Jingnan above, as if waiting for his decision.
Seeing that all the generals had spoken, Mu Jingnan put down the map in his hand and looked at the people below. He raised his voice and said: "Since we fought against Nanyao's army, except for the great victories in the first and second battles, our army has won consecutive victories.
We were defeated and our vitality was severely damaged. Now Ancheng is in devastation and it is not a place to stay for a long time. Yesterday, our palace arranged for people to escape from Ancheng."
"Your Highness, what do you mean, we have to retreat?!" A soldier immediately stood up and said, "How is this possible? Nan Yao's army will definitely think that we are afraid of them."
"That's right, Your Highness, let us go out of the city to fight. Even if we die in battle, it is better than retreating like this." Another soldier said.
Chen Songyang frowned slightly, looked at Mu Jingnan, and couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, do we really want to retreat?"
Mu Jingnan frowned and said in a deep voice: "We must retreat. All generals, please go down and prepare. We will gather in the city in an hour!"
"Your Highness..." All the generals stood up one after another, "You cannot retreat!"
"Bang!" With a sound, Mu Jingnan slapped his hand heavily on the table. A sharp light flashed in his narrow red eyes, "Execute the military order!"
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers below shook their heads helplessly and went out.
"Hey, I originally thought he had some abilities, but now he has become a coward."
"We have never been so cowardly in all our years of fighting..."
"Let's go, let's go, this country will be his if it is lost..."
…
Looking at the generals leaving, Chen Songyang looked at Mu Jingnan above and was about to speak.
"Ahem..." Suddenly, Mu Jingnan coughed violently
"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" Chen Songyang was startled, stood up quickly, and walked forward.
Mu Jingnan shook his head, put his hand down, and frowned as he looked at the black blood on his hand.
"Your Highness, you are coughing up blood..." Looking at the black blood on Mu Jingnan's hand, he exclaimed in shock, "Are you poisoned?! I will send you a doctor immediately."
After hearing this, Mu Jingnan waved his hand, wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked outside with cold eyes, "Don't make any noise, and quickly arrange for the soldiers to retreat to avoid casualties."
"Your Highness, we are very careful about everything you eat and drink. Who on earth did this to you?! I must find him out," Chen Songyang said angrily.
Mu Jingnan stared forward and said coldly: "They did not poison the food, but they added poison to the candlesticks in the room of the palace. Once inhaled, you will be poisoned and make your whole body weak."
No wonder the prince has not led troops into battle since the second victory. Recently, his face has been dull and dull, and he has never even been to the government office. Thinking about it carefully, who is most beneficial to the poisoning of His Highness?
People are self-explanatory.
"Your Highness, does this poison really not matter?" Chen Songyang asked with concern.
Mu Jingnan shook his head and said in a low voice: "I will use my internal power to suppress the poison for the time being. There is no danger to my life."
After hearing this, Chen Songyang felt relieved and said respectfully: "Your Highness, you should always put your body first. Don't care about the words of the people below. I will act in accordance with your will. I believe in your decision."
Nodding, Mu Jingnan said calmly: "In this case, the retreat depends on General Chen."
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I will take care of it. Your Highness, please prepare for this. I will take my leave first." Chen Songyang saluted, Mu Jingnan nodded, and he left directly.
Not long after Chen Songyang left, Guyao City came in.
"How are you? How do you feel now?" As soon as he came in, Guyao Cheng said to Mu Jingnan. His expression was solemn. Originally, they were on guard against Yan Lingxiao's conspiracy, so they were particularly careful about their diet, but after all, it was a trap.
Forget it, I didn't expect that he poisoned the wick. But no one came or went in Ancheng at all, so how did he poison it? This can only mean that there is a traitor.
"Ahem..." Mu Jingnan coughed in a low voice. He calmed down a little and said calmly, "It doesn't matter, have all the people in the city evacuated?"
Guyao City nodded, "We have already evacuated, and now only the soldiers are left to make the final retreat."
After hearing these words, Mu Jingnan looked ahead, a trace of gloom flashed in his narrow Danfeng eyes, "It seems it's time for us to take action."
Nanyao Military Camp
In the king's tent, Yan Lingxiao looked at the topographic map on the table, his handsome face full of relaxation and indifference, and listened to the conversation of the generals below.
"I see, the Dongyue Crown Prince is at the end of his rope this time. He has always suffered defeats before, and now he is too frightened to leave the city to fight." A general laughed and said.
"That's right, today we called for formation, and he still showed the no-war card. It seems that the capture of East Vietnam is just around the corner." Another general said in response.
"A dandy prince still wants to win against our elite soldiers. What a fool's dream -"
…
For a time, everyone in the camp was laughing at the incompetence of Mu Jingnan and the Dongyue soldiers.
Only one person looked gloomy, as if he was thinking about something.
"Why has the Marshal been so silent from just now? Did he think of something?" Yan Lingxiao looked at the people below, and his eyes suddenly fell on Wei Changming.
Wei Changming suddenly came to his senses. He looked at Yan Lingxiao with a hint of worry on his old face, "To report to the emperor, I think this matter is fishy? I'm afraid that the Crown Prince of Dongyue is not as simple as we all thought.
.”
"Oh? What does the Marshal mean by this?" Yan Lingxiao raised his eyebrows and said lightly.
Wei Changming glanced at the topographic map on the table, frowned and said, "According to my observation during the two previous confrontations with him, this Mu Jingnan should be an extremely stable person, and he has a sense of arrogance in his bones.
He is the kind of person who would rather die in battle than desert. However, for some reason, he has not been seen on the battlefield since the second battle. The old minister felt that there might be something inside, and maybe they were plotting something.
.”
Yan Lingxiao looked at Wei Changming and smiled deeply, "I heard that the old marshal rarely praises others, so it seems that the old marshal has a very high opinion of the Dongyue Crown Prince."
After hearing this, Wei Changming did not deny it, "In terms of qualifications, this is probably the first time Mu Jingnan has sent troops, but his skill in using troops is as good as that of a veteran who has been on the battlefield for many years. In addition, his martial arts are superb.
He is extremely insightful and must be considered a rare commander in the world. Not to mention the first time he led troops to a surprise attack, let’s talk about the second battle. He took us by surprise and used formations skillfully, causing our army to suffer heavy losses."
"Report..." Suddenly a soldier's voice came from outside, and the room instantly became quiet.
A soldier broke in from outside the camp, knelt on the ground, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have the latest news from the spies. The East Vietnamese Army has abandoned the city and fled. General Pioneer, please tell me whether your subordinates will take advantage of the victory and pursue it?"
Abandoning the city and fleeing?! Wei Changming looked at the soldiers on the ground in surprise, "Are you sure you are abandoning the city and fleeing, and not an empty city plan?"
"Marshal Qi, the soldiers guarding An City have also retreated. Now our army has successfully captured An City. According to the news, all the young and old in the city have evacuated. They fled to Fengyang City ten miles away."
The soldier said as he was told.
Hearing this, Wei Changming frowned slightly, with a slightly puzzled look on his face.
"It seems that the old marshal was disappointed this time..." Yan Lingxiao narrowed his eyes, glanced at Wei Changming, and looked at the people below, "Now our army has defeated the East Vietnamese Army and fled.
Generals, if you have any ideas, please feel free to mention them."
"Now we should naturally pursue the victory and catch the East Vietnamese Army by surprise." A soldier immediately responded and said.
Yan Lingxiao nodded, "I also have this intention. Come and pass on my order to attack with all your strength to hunt down the East Vietnamese Army."
"I obey your orders."
Wei Changming glanced at Yan Lingxiao and frowned deeply. Next to him, Song Qing looked at him and shook his head. He sighed and remained silent.
In Ancheng, there was chaos everywhere, and the city was already empty of people. Yan Lingxiao glanced around, raised his eyebrows and said: "The soldiers guarding the city should not have been gone for long, hurry up and chase them!"
Outside the city, most of the East Vietnamese troops had gone away, leaving only three thousand people standing behind. Among these three thousand people was Mu Jingnan.
"Your Highness, you are not feeling well, so it is best to act first. Let me leave this matter to you." Chen Songyang said worriedly as he looked at the Nanyao army chasing after him.
Mu Jingnan shook his head slightly and said in a low voice: "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me. If I leave first, it may affect morale. General Chen will go ahead and go to Fengyang City to arrange the city defense. I will arrive later."
"But Your Highness..." Chen Songyang wanted to say something else, but looking at Mu Jingnan's eyes that were shielded by armor, and the indescribable calmness in those eyes, he finally nodded, "I obey your order!" After finishing his words,
He rode away with the others.
As soon as Chen Songyang left, Mu Jingnan suddenly coughed violently. It took him a long time to suppress it. He glanced behind him and saw that Nan Yao's army had already caught up with them. He immediately turned his horse around and looked at Nan Yao who was coming from behind.
Yao Jun, looking at the bright yellow in the crowd, a hint of coldness flashed in his deep eyes.
ps: I went on a long trip and didn’t ask for leave from everyone. Sorry, I’ll try my best to make up for it tomorrow.