Chapter 261 The Pursuit!

Changing generals in the midst of battle is a major taboo, let alone changing them at such a critical time; the blow to military morale and spirit was immense.

Inside the barracks where Jiang Huaizhen Jiang Huaizhen resided, his subordinates watched him pack his belongings piece by piece, their hearts filled with grief.

"What is this? The Great General only suffered one defeat and was immediately stripped of everything."

Everyone had guessed that The Emperor might replace Jiang Huaizhen, but they never expected Zhao Ji to be so ruthless, completely removing him from his position as General of the Left Martial Guard and reassigning him as the Governor of Haizhou.

The problem was that Haizhou was currently under Chang Xingrong's control, meaning Jiang Huaizhen had been given a sinecure, instantly becoming the laziest of idle men.

"Exactly, they say you kill the donkey once it's done grinding the millstone, but they're killing the donkey before the grinding is even finished! The court is so unfair!"

"Right! I heard that mediocre Ma Song is already commanding independently in Southern Yue, yet our Great General is relegated to an idle post. It's truly a brilliant pearl covered in dust!"

"Enough, stop talking! Be careful of eavesdroppers!"

Seeing his subordinates getting carried away, Jiang Huaizhen quickly spoke up to stop them, but it could be discerned from his words that he was merely worried about someone overhearing their conversation.

After finishing packing his luggage, Jiang Huaizhen walked up to his few subordinates and patted their shoulders.

"Although I am leaving, I hope you all remember that you are generals of the Great Qian. You consume The Emperor's provisions, and you must never forget your roots."

The men were deeply impressed by Jiang Huaizhen's character and bowed in unison, cupping their hands.

"We strictly follow the Great General's teachings."

Thus, the famous general of Great Qian, the former General of the Left Martial Guard, Jiang Huaizhen, left the front lines in dejection.

However, since it was an idle post, he didn't plan to return to Lin'an immediately. Instead, he intended to stay in Chengdu for a while, considering it a vacation for himself.

Perhaps the tactic of changing generals truly had an effect, because over the next period, the Northern Liang Army's offensive actually weakened somewhat. This caused some people's opinions of Zhou Kang to improve slightly.

On the tenth day of the twelfth month in the fifth year of Shaoxing, the Northern Liang Army's siege attacks that day seemed like a mere pretense; hardly any ladders were successfully set up.

Seeing the low morale and lax discipline of the Northern Liang Army, along with the gradually diminishing cooking smoke in their main camp, Zhou Kang's lips curved into a smile that few could match.

"Hahaha, it seems the Northern Liang people are about to flee. What Great Qian Flying Tiger? All empty fame, hmph!"

A nearby Eunuch quickly chimed in.

"This is all thanks to General Zhou's brilliant command."

"Supervisor Guo flatters me."

Guo Tong looked around, leaned close to Zhou Kang's ear, and said,

"General Zhou, just defending Jiameng Pass alone doesn't count as much of an achievement!"

Zhou Kang understood Guo Tong's meaning, but he feigned ignorance and asked,

"What do you mean, Supervisor Guo?"

"Now that our troops are strong and well-supplied, if we can repel the Northern Liang people and take advantage of the situation to recover Hanzhong, I imagine achieving noble rank and high office will be within reach."

"This... the main force of the Northern Liang Army is intact. If we attack rashly, the outcome is unpredictable. If we lose..."

"Is the Great General being overly cautious? We have the Left Martial Guard and the Right Valiant Guard, two great armies. With the Great General's divine use of troops, even if we cannot achieve a great victory, we surely won't be defeated."

Seeing Zhou Kang's conflicted expression, Guo Tong upped the ante again.

"Great General, think of Song Ren. In terms of ability and seniority, he is far inferior to you, yet he is already the Duke of Xiao..."

Mentioning this instantly ignited a flame in Zhou Kang's heart. Back then, when Song Ren was just a Qianniu Guard, Zhou Kang was already a Zhonglang General under the Left Gate Guard.

Now, the other man had become a noble of the court, while he himself was still just a General of the Left Gate Guard, and he even had to show deference when meeting Song Ren.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Zhou Kang decisively made up his mind.

"Fine, then I will take a gamble."

Seeing that Zhou Kang had agreed, Guo Tong was inwardly overjoyed.

Rumor has it that Chief Eunuch Wu She is gravely ill and near death. Many people coveted the position of The Emperor's Chief Eunuch. If he could facilitate a great victory, The Emperor would surely look upon him favorably.

In the Northern Liang Army's main camp, inside Gao Hu's commanders tent, a group of deputy generals stood waiting for their commander's orders.

"I imagine you all have been bottling up quite a bit of frustration these past few days of putting on a show, haven't you?"

The others remained silent, only nodding their heads while continuing to look at Gao Hu.

"It's good that this frustration hasn't been vented. Pass down the order: attack the city tomorrow morning, retreat in the afternoon. Remember to abandon some flags and supplies, and the army should not march too quickly."

This time, everyone was even more surprised. They initially wanted to dissuade him, but seeing Gao Hu's resolute expression, they said no more.

The next morning, the Northern Liang Army's attack was perfunctory, just like usual. In the afternoon, Zhou Kang received a report from his subordinates.

"Great General, Great General! The Northern Liang people are retreating! The Northern Liang people are retreating!"

"Really? Soldiers don't joke about military matters."

"Alas, the Great General will know once he looks from the city wall."

Zhou Kang rushed to the city wall and indeed saw a contingent of troops withdrawing northward from the Northern Liang main camp.

Looking at their orderly manner, it was clear they had long been prepared to retreat; it was not an impulsive decision at all.

Zhou Kang excitedly slapped the parapet of the city wall.

"Hahaha, good, very good! Pass down the order, the entire army prepare to follow me out of the city! This lord is going to give the Northern Liang Army a good kick in the rear!"

Upon hearing that Zhou Kang intended to attack proactively, someone beside him quickly tried to dissuade him.

"The situation outside the city is uncertain. If we attack rashly and encounter an ambush, what then? Please reconsider, Great General."

By this time, Zhou Kang's mind was filled with thoughts of earning merit and becoming a noble; he completely ignored the dissuasion from his subordinates.

"Hmph, don't bully me for being poorly educated. The classics say: Ji Wenzhi thought thrice before acting. The Master heard this and said: Twice is enough. Even the Sages say not to hesitate when facing matters. No wonder you all couldn't win battles following Jiang Huaizhen!"

Guo Tong also chimed in with his reedy voice, agreeing.

"That's right! His Majesty spends so much money and grain raising you all, does he just want to see you cowering in the city all day long?"

No matter how much others wished to object, facing the insistence of both the Great General and the Supervisor, they were powerless and reluctantly went to execute the order.

An hour later, the gates of Jiameng Pass were thrown wide open. The Right Valiant Guard led the charge, with the Left Martial Guard following behind, charging toward the Northern Liang Army's main camp.

To everyone's surprise, the Northern Liang Army offered no resistance whatsoever, nor were there any ambushes. They fled, abandoning a large amount of provisions and supplies.

Seeing the Northern Liang Army fleeing in such disarray, Zhou Kang couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Hahaha, this Northern Liang Army is nothing special after all. Pass down the order, the army will continue the pursuit! I want to recover Hanzhong in one go!"

A small victory could not dispel everyone's apprehension, but the following few days went so smoothly it seemed unreal.

It was unclear whether it was due to the long siege wearing down morale or other reasons, but the fierce Northern Liang Army suddenly became as weak as sheep, retreating all the way.

The Right Valiant Guard followed behind the Northern Liang Army and secured a considerable victory almost every day. In just five or six days, they annihilated over two thousand enemy troops and captured a large quantity of materiel.

This caused some dissatisfaction among the soldiers of the Left Martial Guard following behind. They were the ones who had worn down the Northern Liang Army, yet now the Right Valiant Guard was reaping the rewards.

Every soldier desires military achievements to secure titles for themselves and their descendants. Seeing the Right Valiant Guard enjoying the spoils, they grew anxious, and their pace gradually quickened, soon catching up to the Right Valiant Guard in front.

The two guards' armies quickly mingled together. On the narrow and rugged mountain road, tens of thousands of troops advancing this way looked particularly spectacular.

Soon, the Northern Liang Army retreated to Guangyuan City, a fortress on the Jinnui Road.

What Zhou Kang hadn't expected was that the Northern Liang Army had no desire to defend the city at all; they abandoned the empty city and continued their retreat.