151: Han Xin requests to be crowned King of Qi! Northern Qi loses 100,000 soldiers!

Chapter 150: Han Xin Requests to be Titled King of Qi! Northern Qi Loses 100,000 Troops! (23)

If it weren't for Li Chang'an's prior arrangements in Western Qin, Ye Wan's plan would have had a success rate of about 60%.

However, a thousand-li surprise attack, especially deep behind enemy lines, was indeed a risky maneuver.

But battlefield opportunities are fleeting; seize them and you'll be famous for eternity, miss them and your army will collapse like a mountain.

Ye Zhong, Gong Dian, and Qin Yi were all correct; they dared not bear the risk of an army collapsing like a mountain, so they chose a more conservative approach.

In fact, Western Qin was Li Chang'an's layout of many years, so the effect of this battle would be much better than Ye Wan anticipated.

Li Chang'an issued the military order, and even Ye Wan was somewhat worried, "This subordinate is willing to fight to the death, why must Your Highness take such a risk?"

Other generals also advised against it, hoping Li Chang'an would not be so reckless.

Especially Ye Zhong, his heart was burning with anxiety; it was bad enough that his son was reckless, but his son-in-law was also a madman!

Although Li Chang'an was on the battlefield for the first time, he acted completely like an old general, decisive and resolute.

Poor daughter, Ye Ling'er, she had only been married for a little over two months; she mustn't become a widow.

Moreover, among the 50,000 cavalry, 30,000 were the Ye Family's accumulated assets over many years; if they were all lost, Ye Zhong would rather die.

Li Chang'an ignored them and strictly ordered the generals to act according to the military order.

Half a day later, all deployments were in place.

Ye Wan patted Ye Zhong's shoulder and said, "Father, you don't need to worry. With Your Highness's Shadow Guard fighting in this battle, I am 70% confident of a great victory against Northern Qi!"

Ye Zhong said with a bitter face, "Son, if you lose, and these 30,000 elite cavalry are gone, my Ye Family will plummet!"

Ye Wan countered, "If we win, my Ye Family will firmly suppress the Qin Family, and the Chief Administrator of the Privy Council will certainly be Father's."

"In the future, Father can even sit and doze off during court sessions!"

At this moment, Ye Zhong suddenly felt old, completely lacking the drive that Ye Wan had.

"Alas, alas, with my son and son-in-law together, let's leave it to fate."

...Three days later, in the evening.

Northern Qi's 100,000-strong army had already encamped outside Langya City.

In the central army tent, the commanding general was listening to intelligence from various sources.

"General, Gao Yao has replied. Tomorrow morning, the Emperor of Western Qin will surrender as a meat shield, and 60,000 Western Qin troops will surrender to Great Qi!"

The commanding general nodded and said, "Very good. With his 60,000 elite soldiers, this general wouldn't dare to rashly enter the city tonight."

"Tomorrow, we will first accept their surrender, and then take over the Western Qin forces. That will be more reassuring."

"Are there any movements from Southern Qing's border army?"

A general replied, "Li Chang'an and Ye Wan left Yang Pass three days ago, then split into several routes heading north."

"Judging by their direction, they should be seizing several cities in the south of Western Qin. It's too late for us to rescue them."

The commanding general waved his hand and said, "No matter. Taking Langya City and the 60,000 Western Qin elite soldiers is paramount."

"In the past two years, Great Qi's soldiers and generals have suffered heavy losses. A few cities are nothing; restoring our military strength is the proper course."

"Everyone, rest well tonight. Tomorrow, we will enter Langya City. By then, have Gao Yao hand over all their weapon workshops."

"Thus, my Great Qi's military strength will surpass its past!"

Late at night.

The Northern Qi general was suddenly awakened by a signal arrow, followed immediately by shouts of battle reaching the sky.

"Reporting, General! The gates of Langya City are wide open, and tens of thousands of troops are charging towards the main camp!"

The commanding general cursed as he donned his armor, "Is Gao Yao an idiot?!"

"Can his 60,000 men really devour my 100,000?! He's truly courting death!"

Although he spoke dismissively, he could hear the shouts of battle outside the camp clearly.

When he emerged from his tent with his saber, he found that the military camp was already ablaze in many places, and in an instant, flames shot to the sky, and the camp was in chaos.

The army had just arrived today, and they were there to accept a surrender, so the palisades and moats were not fully prepared.

Western Qin soldiers who had broken into the camp were everywhere. These Western Qin soldiers were still as formidable as ever, capable of severing a Northern Qi soldier's weapon or armor with a single strike.

"Gao Yao's raid won't involve too many men. Hold your ground, don't panic!"

He had just shouted when suddenly, a barrage of arrows rained down from the sky, covering the ground!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

The Western Qin army's arrow rain was extremely sharp, capable of piercing a flagpole or severing an arm with a single arrow!

"General, it's no good! The Western Qin troops came too suddenly; our army was caught off guard!"

Western Qin's 60,000 elite soldiers had weapons and armor far superior to Northern Qi soldiers.

Moreover, during more than a year of war, they had already established a psychological advantage over the Northern Qi army, never having lost.

Furthermore, the Western Qin army's raid was organized and planned; all 60,000 men were deployed.

What Northern Qi thought was a night raid for harassment was actually a decisive battle launched by the Western Qin army.

On a hillside a li away, Li Chang'an and Ye Wan were observing the situation in front of Langya City.

Ye Wan, seeing the camp ablaze and hearing the shouts of battle from a li away, was already impatient.

The 50,000 Southern Qing cavalry had rested for two hours and were now just waiting to charge and kill the enemy.

"Your Highness, Gao Yao has indeed sent out troops as agreed!"

"The Northern Qi army is in disarray, this subordinate requests to charge!"

Li Chang'an looked at the battle formation and said, "No hurry. We will only charge when the Northern Qi army collapses."

Li Chang'an said this, firstly, because he believed in the fighting power of the Western Qin soldiers, who would surely overwhelm the 100,000 Northern Qi army.

Secondly, the Southern Qing cavalry were strong at charging infantry; if they charged into the camp, their advantage would not be great. It would be better to wait until the enemy could no longer hold and retreated before launching a pursuit.

An hour later, the Northern Qi army began to slowly retreat, abandoning all their camp supplies below the city.

For Northern Qi, preserving their strength and leaving Western Qin alive was the most important thing.

In the previous battle, Northern Qi had suffered casualties and surrenders totaling over 30,000 men.

The remaining 60,000-plus men had scattered and fled, fighting individually.

The Western Qin soldiers, due to concerns about city defenses, did not pursue them.

The Northern Qi commanding general, on horseback, felt a great sense of relief when he saw that the Western Qin soldiers were not pursuing.

"Fortunately, they don't have many troops; we can still retreat."

"Gao Yao's treachery is immense. If Han Xin and Shang Shanhu cleanse the court in the future, don't blame Great Qi for not saving you!"

"Order all units to retreat in an orderly fashion. We are safe!"

However, just as the Northern Qi army had run less than a li, they suddenly heard the sound of hooves from the road ahead!

The earth-shattering sound of hooves indicated a large number of cavalry. Under the moonlight, they appeared as a vast, dark mass, surging forward like a tide.

"Kill!"

"Kill the Qi dogs!"

"Leave none alive!"

Under the moonlight, the battle sabers of the Southern Qing cavalry reflected flashes of cold light!

Soon, these cold lights scattered across the bodies of the Northern Qi soldiers!

The long sabers in the hands of the high-speed charging cavalry easily tore through the bodies of the Northern Qi soldiers.

Northern Qi soldiers were cut in half or sent flying by the warhorses!

Along a front more than a li long, cavalry were charging and slaughtering everywhere.

Infantry before elite cavalry were like lambs preyed upon by hungry wolves.

Hearing the familiar Southern Qing accent in the dark night, the Northern Qi soldiers completely broke down.

"How can there be Southern Qing people?"

"Southern Qing people actually dare to come north!"

"What on earth is going on?!"

The generals of the Northern Qi army were even more terrified!

For decades, north of Qianlong Bay, Southern Qing troops had never been seen!

"Three days! Southern Qing cavalry arrived in three days! How is this possible!"

"Could it be that they conspired with Gao Yao!"

"Did the Southern Qing people fly here?!"

The brutal slaughter continued, and large numbers of soldiers simply threw down their weapons and surrendered, covering their heads.

In the dark night, infantry facing rampaging cavalry had no resistance whatsoever.

Several high-ranking generals were also precisely captured by the Shadow Guard.

As the battlefield spread, within a radius of several li, there were corpses and captives everywhere.

As dawn gradually broke, the Southern Qing army had already begun to clear the battlefield.

Li Chang'an, accompanied by the Shadow Guard, walked towards Langya City.

At the city gate, Western Qin's elite soldiers were lined up.

Many of the mid-level military officers among them were core members of the Net.

Zhao Gao, with the young emperor of Western Qin, knelt at the city gate.

"This old servant, Gao Yao, respectfully welcomes Prince Yong into the city!"

"Western Qin, from the Emperor down, surrenders to Your Highness!"

Zhao Gao's acting was truly good, just like the real thing.

As a secret organization, the Net occupied most official positions in Western Qin.

However, there were still many people who were not Net members, not to mention the Southern Qing soldiers and generals around, so the act still had to be thorough.

"Rise. From now on, Western Qin will be a vassal state of my Great Qing, just like Nan Zhao."

"In this great defeat of Northern Qi, Eunuch Gao's achievement is indispensable; this Prince will not treat you unfairly."

An hour later, Li Chang'an sat on the imperial throne of Western Qin.

"What are the results of this battle?"

Ye Wan stepped forward and replied, "Grand Commander, of the 100,000 Northern Qi troops, 40,000 were killed, over 10,000 were wounded, 40,000 were captured, and several thousand escaped."

After all, it was at night, and fewer than 10,000 managed to escape in the chaos, which was already quite good.

Ye Wan continued, "The Ding Zhou Army cavalry suffered only about 3,000 casualties and over 10,000 minor injuries. This battle was a great victory!"

Zhao Gao also reported on the Western Qin side's situation, "Your Highness, the Western Qin army suffered 5,000 fatalities, and captured most of Northern Qi's grain and supplies."

Calculating this, Li Chang'an now had a full 100,000 combat-ready troops, all of whom were elites.

There was no shortage of grain and supplies to begin with, and now there were also the captured Northern Qi supplies.

Next, he would have to reorganize these troops, and replace the 5,000 Qing Kingdom cavalry with his own men.

"Gao Yao, please invite the several Northern Qi generals up."

Soon, the Northern Qi generals who had led the troops to Western Qin arrived in the main hall of the Western Qin Imperial Palace.

The generals knew that falling into the hands of the Southern Qing people likely meant a grim fate.

But Li Chang'an truly had no intention of killing them, because they were utterly irrelevant; what was important was the 100,000 troops Northern Qi had already lost.

"You all go back and deliver a message to Empress Dowager Wei and the young emperor, tell them that this Prince misses them greatly."

"We are all one family to begin with, and you can't defeat this Prince anyway.

It's better to submit to this Prince early, and we will still be one family."

Upon hearing that they could save their lives, the generals immediately kowtowed in gratitude, all expressing that they would surely deliver the message.

After the Northern Qi generals left, Li Chang'an said to the civil and military officials in the hall, "Since Western Qin has surrendered, no one shall speak of them as outsiders anymore."

"Whether it's the Western Qin army or the Ding Zhou Army, they are all troops under this Prince's command, all our own people."

"Ye Wan, quickly send a report of victory to the capital, and have the capital continue to allocate grain and supplies. This Prince will march north on an auspicious day to subdue Han Xin and Shang Shanhu!"

"Gao Yao is responsible for the rest and reorganization of the two armies, and for preparing grain and supplies. Send a letter to Han Xin, telling him to surrender as soon as possible!"

Northern Qi, Shangjing City.

Northern Qi's defeat again, and Southern Qing's capture of Western Qin's capital, shocked the court!

In the Imperial Study, Empress Dowager Wei trembled with rage, and the young emperor gnashed her teeth.

They had both heard the message from Li Chang'an.

Because neither knew of the other's relationship with Li Chang'an, they each had their own thoughts.

But regardless, Li Chang'an's deep penetration, a thousand-li surprise attack, greatly shocked both Empress Dowager Wei and the young emperor.

To fight all the way to the north—this was something even Emperor Qing hadn't accomplished!

Empress Dowager Wei and the young emperor both felt somewhat resentful; this Li Chang'an truly showed no mercy!

According to his words, he not only wanted to sleep with your people, but also to destroy your country!

Too outrageous!

"Mother, having lost these 100,000 troops, we probably can no longer interfere with Western Qin's affairs."

"If we casually deploy troops again, Southern Qing's border army in Cangzhou will likely make a big move."

Empress Dowager Wei said with a cold face, "The court officials misled me!

Every single one of them said the Qing people couldn't go north, yet Li Chang'an marched a thousand li in three days!"

"Have the Brocade-Clad Guards thoroughly investigate whether these high-ranking officials are secretly colluding with Southern Qing. Your uncle must also be thoroughly investigated!"

Neither of them had expected that Ku He killing Shi Fei, in just a few short months, would instead bring such great benefits to Southern Qing.

"Mother, given the current situation, we may need to conscript soldiers."

"We must prepare for the worst. Once Li Chang'an takes Han Xin, drives away the Northern Barbarians, he'll turn around and attack Shangjing City!"

Empress Dowager Wei said angrily, "This scoundrel, does he truly intend to humiliate us, orphans and widows, like this?"

Southern Qing, Capital City.

"Great victory in Ding Province!"

"Prince Yong launched a thousand-li surprise attack, capturing the capital of Western Qin!"

"A single battle utterly defeated Northern Qi's 100,000-strong army, a great victory unprecedented in twenty years! A great victory!"

The messenger cavalry rode without rest, galloping towards the Imperial Palace after entering the city gate!

On this day, the Capital City plunged into revelry because of Li Chang'an's great victory!

In the Imperial Palace.

Emperor Qing's mood at this moment was very complex; he was anxiously awaiting news from the front lines.

Gong Dian and Qin Yi had both sent secret reports: Li Chang'an adopted Ye Wan's suggestion, penetrating a thousand li deep behind enemy lines, heading straight for the capital of Western Qin.

He repeatedly examined the map of Western Qin, analyzed the current battle situation, and reached a conclusion almost identical to Ye Wan's.

"That Ye Family boy, he has some ability!"

"Li Chang'an also has courage, daring to attempt such a surprise attack on his first time on the battlefield!"

"Such daring and courage, it truly reminds me of that time when I was young."

"However, Ye Wan is right, the current Northern Qi doesn't have Zhan Qingfeng."

Then, thinking that the Great Qing cavalry could cross Qianlong Bay and enter the north, Emperor Qing felt a faint sense of anticipation.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The military report has arrived, it's a victory report!"

Eunuch Hou scurried along, holding the latest battle report.

Emperor Qing opened the battle report, and although his mood was complex, the corners of his mouth gradually couldn't be held back.

"Good! Another 100,000 Northern Qi troops lost!"

"Northern Qi, Northern Qi, your end is near!"

Emperor Qing saw the last sentence in the victory report, and couldn't help but frown.

"Western Qin's Grand General Han Xin respectfully requests His Majesty the Emperor of Qing Kingdom, if he is willing to title him King of Qi, he will conquer Northern Qi for Qing Kingdom!"

Emperor Qing gasped, "King of Qi?"

"This is asking me to bestow the territory of Northern Qi upon him!"

"What audacity!"