mynovelonline Chapter 492 Letter
Chapter 492 Letter
In the imperial palace in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was already midnight, and Zhou Zhixiong was still reading the news from various parties, frowning and saying nothing.
This war was the biggest one Zhou Zhixiong had launched since he came to power. If he could win the war, he would not only be able to realize his ambitions, but also bring glory to his family and go down in history.
Now the Great Zhou is fighting on three fronts and the pressure is unprecedentedly great. Zhou Zhixiong now regrets that he acted too hastily. If he could endure for another two or three years, the Great Zhou would be much more relaxed.
What Zhou Zhixiong is most worried about now is the war in Chu. Once Sun Erleng's progress is slowed down by Qi Hong, the pressure on the other two fronts of the Great Zhou will double, especially on the Yue side.
Zhou Zhixiong rubbed his nose, and the eunuch Zhao Quan behind him whispered to remind him: "Your Majesty, it's already midnight, and you have to attend the court tomorrow..."
Zhou Zhixiong waved his hand and asked, "Is there any secret report from Da Chu?"
Zhao Quan whispered back, "There is no secret report from the Great Chu spies..." Seeing that the emperor looked troubled, Zhao Quan hurriedly continued, "I will go and ask, Your Majesty..."
Zhou Zhixiong interrupted, "No need, they should know that no matter what time it is, they must deliver it to me as soon as possible."
Zhao Quan had already instructed that any letters from there must be handed over to him as soon as possible. The people under him knew the severity of the matter and would never dare to be lazy.
Zhou Zhixiong stood up and prepared to rest. The eunuch at the door ran in hurriedly, holding a secret letter in his hand. He said anxiously: "Your Majesty, this is a secret report sent by the spies of the State of Chu!"
Zhou Zhixiong read ten lines at a glance, then sat down again with some excitement, picked up the brush and started writing.
Chu Guoying fell into the city, and Sun Erleng took over as the temporary commander.
Sun Erleng was in a daze. It had been a year since he sent troops to attack the State of Chu. Sun Erleng led the 500,000-man vanguard army and marched forward triumphantly, capturing 36 cities of the State of Chu in succession. The speed could only be described as lightning fast.
Now they were facing Yingfeng Pass, the most important pass in the south of Chu. If this pass was breached, there would be no more defenses in the south of Chu, and the army of Zhou would be able to march straight to the capital of Chu, Anling.
However, many things will not go smoothly for you. Although Sun Erleng is extremely powerful and a master of strategy, he can only sigh at the wall of this magnificent pass.
Let’s not talk about anything else, just the height of the city wall. Not only are all the ladders Sun Erleng had built before useless, but the city wall is also covered with sharp barbs.
It seems that Qi Hong has suffered enough from the physical cultivators, so he has specifically reinforced the city walls.
Sun Erleng was in a daze when a personal soldier came running in and reported, "General, the scouts are back." Sun Erleng perked up and said, "Hurry and let them all in!"
After a while, several scout team leaders came to Sun Erleng and pretended to kneel down. Sun Erleng said impatiently: "Kneel for nothing! Tell me quickly, what happened?"
The scout leader reported with some shame: "We have penetrated 30 miles into the enemy territory, and have not found the terrain or river that the commander-in-chief mentioned that can be used..."
Sun Erleng waved his hands in disappointment. He thought he could use some favorable terrain or river channels to assist, but now the only option left is to attack by force.
During this year, Qi Hong, who was short of troops, money and food, led a million-strong army and fought and retreated. He lost more than twenty cities in a year, and finally waited for the reinforcements from the Great Chu to arrive.
But the troops have arrived, but the money and food have not arrived. Without money and food, these five million troops are in a more desperate situation than if they had no food at all!
As a last resort, Qi Hong led six million troops to retreat to Yingfeng Pass, which was the last pass in the south of Da Chu. Only this pass had enough food to feed millions of troops for several months.
Qi Hong is now completely disappointed with the imperial court. If his family were not still in Anling City, he would have been unwilling to work for this corrupt dynasty.
Sun Erleng was having a headache, and Qi Hong had an even bigger headache. Many people in the court had already impeached him for "holding troops for his own benefit and selling out the country for personal gain", and he had lost dozens of cities in a row.
Even Ji Guozhu couldn't suppress these voices. It was no wonder. In the past, Qi Hong would have been arrested and taken back to the capital to be punished.
There has been no movement so far, it’s just that no one is willing to take on this hot potato.
Many people find it strange that when the country is about to be destroyed, those ministers and their families are still fighting among themselves and don’t care about the life and death of the country at all.
Under the intervention of the sect, the four major families of Da Chu have assembled troops and weapons and sent them to the front line, but they are still withholding your money and food. You cultivators are playing politics with us, but as long as we don't use force, we can make you cry in minutes.
To put it bluntly, the country belongs to the Emperor of Chu. If the Great Zhou really destroys the Great Chu, these court officials will just be "loyalty" to someone else.
Don't even dream of asking them to sacrifice their lives for the country. Not opening the city to surrender has already done you the best you can.
Qi Hong looked at the map. He had seen it thousands of times, but he couldn't understand anything. He felt very depressed during this period. The impeachment of court officials, the perfunctory attitude of his subordinates, and the relentless pressure from the Great Zhou made him feel that the collapse of this dynasty was imminent.
It was late at night and Qi Hong couldn't sleep. He was thinking about how to defeat the enemy, his family in the capital, and what to do in the future.
After he married Ji Guozhu's daughter, he had a son and a daughter, and his parents moved from the county to the capital. He knew very well that this was the "rule" that any general who led an army to war must leave his family in the capital.
The more Qi Hong thought about it, the more he felt that he had no way out except to defend Yingfeng Pass. When he was tossing and turning in sleep, the guards outside suddenly knocked on his door.
"Dong, dong, dong." Qi Hong quickly stood up and asked hurriedly, "Did the Great Zhou attack the city?" The personal soldier hurriedly replied, "No, Marshal, it's a letter from you."
"Letter?" Qi Hong felt strange. The letters from home and Ji Guozhu were both received today. Who else would write to him at this time?
Qi Hong casually put on a piece of clothing and opened the door. The personal soldier handed the letter to Qi Hong and left.
Qi Hong glanced at the letter in his hand. There was no signature. He already had some guesses in his mind because it was not the first time. In recent years, he often received letters from Da Zhou, most of which were persuading surrender. Qi Hong ignored them all, so when he received another letter today, he didn't think it was strange.
Generals leading troops between two countries often receive letters from each other. Whether you read them or not, accept them or not, there is no loss to the other party. Instead, you have to be cautious for fear of being found out.
Qi Hong originally intended to read it, but when he saw that the letter was sealed with wax, he felt strange.
"I can't sleep anyway, so it doesn't hurt to take a look." Qi Hong opened the letter with such a mood. The first sentence shocked Qi Hong so much that he almost dropped the letter on the ground, because the first sentence was 'I, Zhou Zhixiong, the Emperor of the Great Zhou'!