From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 292

"Report! Report to Your Majesty!"

A female guard quickly climbed up the tower and shouted: "The supervisor of the Inner Court Department sent a pigeon to report that the Fifth Army Camp rushed a hundred miles and attacked Qiu Huan's right wing army. With 1,800 people, they defeated 3,000 people and retreated with a great victory."

"According to the statistics of both the Inner Court Department and the Jinyiwei, Qiu Huan's right wing vanguard lost 1,400 people and injured 800 people, leaving 800 combat forces."

"The Fifth Army Camp lost 17 people and injured 41 people, with a total loss of 58 combat forces."

Many ministers were shocked when they heard this. They didn't expect Zhou Yuan to dare to launch a surprise attack!

Empress Zhaojing said with a smile: "Everyone, it seems that the combat effectiveness of the Fifth Army Camp has recovered well. It is rare to defeat 3,000 people with 1,800 people, and it is a long-distance raid."

Yang Guozhong said: "Your Majesty, before the Lantern Festival, Zhou Yuan had taken in 6,000 refugees in the suburbs of Beijing. These people have good physical fitness, and perhaps it has played a miraculous effect."

Empress Zhaojing nodded and said: "No matter where the soldiers come from, they are from the Fifth Army Camp after all. However, Qiu Huan has prepared cavalry. Can the Fifth Army Camp withdraw?"

Deng Bochi smiled and said: "Please ask the Duke of Zhenguo to solve our doubts!"

Song Shanao was silent for a moment, then sighed: " Ladies and Gentlemen, running a hundred miles and defeating a large force with a small force is quite an amazing achievement. Zhou Yuan has trained the five military camps for only one month, and he has achieved such outstanding results. He is really talented. "

"But since the bet has taken effect, I will not say anything more. I will just say that in this military exercise, the long-distance raid and the battle, the physical strength of the five military camps is almost exhausted. Qiu Huan's cavalry will easily catch up with them and drag them into the battle."

"The other batches of troops will quickly surround them. Optimistically speaking, Zhou Yuan can still hold on for two days. Pessimistically speaking, tonight is the time when Zhou Yuan will be defeated."

After hearing this, Queen Zhao Jing was really not happy.

She looked at the dusk and said slowly, "I am tired. Please wait for the news. I will rest first."

Many ministers stood up and bowed, saying, "Farewell, Your Majesty."

Empress Zhaojing glanced at Princess Qinshui and said, "Are you still here?"

Princess Qinshui lowered her head and said, "Sister, I... I am not sleepy."

"It's up to you!"

She answered casually and walked down the tower slowly.

After getting on the carriage, Empress Zhao Jing gritted her teeth and said, "Xiao Zhuang, do you think Zhou Yuan still has a chance of winning?"

Xiao Zhuang said softly, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo is a veteran, and his words are more convincing."

Empress Zhao Jing said, "I know this, but... Junior Brother has finally reached this position, but he has to start all over again. I can't accept it for a while!"

"Is it really worth it to hurt yourself like this for a sense of pride, for the so-called anger and justice?"

Xiao Zhuang thought for a while, and then whispered, "Your Majesty, everyone has shortcomings, even saints make mistakes, and even if it happens again, Zhou Yuan may still kill."

"Yes..."

Empress Zhao Jing said with emotion: "When I see evil, I can't be happy unless I kill it. At that moment, there was no so-called overall situation and interests, only the word "kill the evil."

"Junior brother, junior brother, I really love and hate you, and it's a headache."

She shook her head, slowly leaned against the wall of the car, and murmured: "I don't know if he still has a chance to win this time. He vowed to fight ten times the enemy, so he shouldn't be defeated so quickly, right?"

Xiao Zhuang said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will send you the news as soon as possible."

...

"It's really a brave man!"

Qiu Huan looked at the mess on the ground, not frustrated or angry, but a little happy.

He pointed to the front and said slowly: "Everyone, Zhou Yuan has traveled hundreds of miles and experienced a great battle. He is already exhausted. With my cavalry chasing him, he has no way to escape."

"Send an order immediately, and the two armies on the left wing will also come from the northwest and southwest to block Zhou Yuan on the plain."

A deputy general laughed and said: "It is still Qiu Hou who has a brilliant plan. This cavalry arrangement is very effective. Zhou Yuan's pants must have been scared off."

An old man said in a deep voice: "Twenty thousand against two thousand, and cavalry is still arranged. Even if you win, it will be embarrassing!"

Qiu Huan said seriously: "This is wrong. The battlefield changes rapidly. Such an arrangement does not violate the rules. Your Majesty has nothing to say. What's embarrassing?"

"For war, there is no so-called face, only the real victory or defeat."

"Winning is glorious, and losing is shameful!"

As soon as the voice fell, cavalry rushed quickly in front.

The spy jumped off his horse, half-knelt and clasped his fists, and shouted: "Reporting to the commander, Zhou Yuan's five military camps and other troops took advantage of the darkness and fled into the reed marsh."

"Our cavalry didn't dare to enter the reed marsh and lost them."

Qiu Huan's face changed and he couldn't help staring."What! Is Zhou Yuan crazy?"

There are indeed reed marshes on both sides of the Chaobai River. Although they are only three or four miles wide, they extend for twenty or thirty miles.

But they are full of stagnant water and hidden pits, and swamps are everywhere. Going in at night is a way to death!

"What a vicious heart!"

Qiu Huan said in a serious tone: "This Zhou Yuan is willing to kill two thousand men just to survive a few more days. He is really shameless."

The exercise is not a real killing. No matter how much trouble there is, no one will die. Even if someone is killed by mistake, it is only a minority.

But if people are brought into the reed marshes at night, I don't know how many people will be swallowed by the swamps and hidden pits!

Zhou Yuan, Zhou Yuan, you really don't treat the soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp as human beings.

Thinking of this, Qiu Huan shouted: "Gather the team and surround the twenty-mile reed marshes. After dawn, we will naturally be able to see their position."

Although the reeds are high, two thousand people gathered in them, and if they move a little, they will be seen clearly.

At most, we can send more people to stand on high ground and observe carefully.

Qiu Huan said: "Fu Xing! Send 500 people to find the villagers on both sides of Chaobai River and borrow hundreds of small boats. We will take the boats to go in and surround and kill Zhou Yuan!"

Fu Xing was stunned for a moment and couldn't help saying: "General Jie, borrow hundreds of boats? Do you have so many?"

Qiu Huan sneered: "The villagers on both sides of Chaobai River have been fishing for generations. How can they be short of boats? Go quickly!"

"Yes!"

Fu Xing took hundreds of people and hurried to find the villagers.

This search took a whole night, and he didn't run back angrily until the next morning.

"General Jie! Those stubborn people are so hateful! If it weren't for the Jinyiwei and the Nei Tingsi watching, I really want to kill a few of them to vent my anger!"

Fu Xing gritted his teeth when he spoke.

Qiu Huan glanced at him and frowned, "Where's the boat?"

"I didn't borrow it!"

Fu Xing shouted, "That group of unruly people actually said that they would borrow ten taels of silver for a boat. Isn't this robbery? A two-meter-long boat can only carry a dozen people at most. They asked us to borrow ten taels of silver. Shameless!"

Qiu Huan's face darkened, and he suddenly said coldly, "What did they say? Just asking for money?"

Fu Xing said, "They said that borrowing a boat is ten taels of silver. This is the rule set yesterday!"

"Oh no!"

Qiu Huan was so angry that he shouted, "Zhou Yuan, you bastard! He borrowed the boat in advance!"

"Ah?"

Fu Xing was stunned immediately.

Qiu Huan said, "I was wondering how the 2,000 men became 1,800. It turned out that the remaining 200 men went to borrow boats. In order to prevent us from borrowing boats, he even prepared silver in advance, 10 taels per boat!"

Fu Xing said quickly, "Then we will pay too!"

"Bullshit!"

Qiu Huan said angrily, "We didn't bring any money! It's impossible to go back to get it. Once the exercise starts, we can't add resources in the middle. It's our fault for not being fully prepared."

Fu Xing said, "What should we do now? This group of people are hiding in the reed marsh, and it's not easy for us to find them!"

Qiu Huan looked at the reed marsh, took a deep breath, squinted and said, "Difficult to find? Ha! Can having a boat improve combat power? Standing on the boat, I'm most afraid of bows and arrows!"

"We prepared thousands of bows this time!"