gnovel Chapter 22 Ambush
Chapter 22 Ambush
"Kongming, is the information from your Prime Minister's residence reliable?"
Based on these two pieces of intelligence, Li Yan was certain that Liu Shan had taken action against Yong Kai.
But their ideas were too naive, and their methods too immature.
Yong Kai was a powerful local figure, but with only 800 guards, he would hardly be able to accomplish anything.
As for Zhao Tong going to Yongchang County to request troops, he only had the troops of one county. How could that possibly be enough to defeat the three counties in Nanzhong?
"Why is Protector Li starting to doubt my intelligence agency?" Zhuge Liang asked with a smile.
"Then how can you still laugh? Things have gotten out of hand."
The battle-hardened Li Yan immediately realized that something was wrong.
"Yongchang is located on the western border of Yizhou. Relying on its strong city walls to guard the frontier, its military strength is ordinary. How could it be a match for those fierce tribes in the south?"
"Moreover, Prefect Lü Kai of Yongchang lacks the ability to command troops; how can he possibly resist such a fierce and ruthless army?"
"If the rebels launch a surprise attack on Yongchang and cause its fall, then half of Yizhou's territory will fall into the hands of the rebels. Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?"
"No, I must go see His Majesty right now."
Li Yan turned to rush into the palace, but was stopped by Zhuge Liang.
"For the affirmative, don't act impulsively."
"How could I not act impulsively? This concerns the very fate of the Han Dynasty! Kongming, why didn't you advise me against it?"
"Please don't be angry, this is the palace, it's not convenient to talk here. Come, let's go to my residence."
Zhuge Liang took Li Yan's hand and was about to walk out of the palace gate when he turned to look at Qiao Zhou on the other side.
"Yunnan, come along too."
Upon arriving at the Prime Minister's residence, Li Yan, before even having tea served, immediately asked, "Kongming, stop beating around the bush, what exactly is going on?"
Zhuge Liang smiled but did not answer. After the servant brought tea, he raised his cup and said, "Please don't be in a hurry, gentlemen. Have a cup of tea to moisten your throats first."
Li Yan had no interest in drinking tea. Qiao Zhou, who was standing next to him, quickly took a sip and said, "I've finished my tea, Kongming. Let's get down to business."
Seeing their impatient expressions, Zhuge Liang slowly took a sip of tea and said, "Gentlemen, since the late Emperor summoned us to Yong'an, how has His Majesty been governing the country?"
Qiao Zhou thought for a moment, then said with great admiration, "To pacify the people and establish new policies to strengthen the nation, you truly possess the qualities of a dragon."
Although Li Yan was dissatisfied, he also agreed with Qiao Zhou's words.
"I underestimated Your Majesty before. The late Emperor entrusted us with assisting in governing, but I'm afraid it won't be more than two years before Your Majesty is able to rule in your own right."
Zhuge Liang said, "Since you two acknowledge His Majesty's abilities, what is there to worry about?"
Li Yan said, "Although His Majesty has some ability, he is still too young and acts impulsively. In my opinion, his handling of the recent rebellion in the south was the work of a brute."
Qiao Zhou also agreed with Li Yan's view.
"Although Your Majesty wishes to pacify the South quickly, you are unclear about the complex situation there. If you rashly send troops, you will only make things worse."
"Kongming, His Majesty probably didn't discuss this with you, otherwise you would definitely not have agreed."
Zhuge Liang said, "His Majesty spoke with me about this matter before and told me not to get involved."
"Oh dear, Kongming, you're being foolish! His Majesty is still young and inexperienced in military affairs. How can we let him act recklessly?"
"The late emperor appointed you as his regent and gave you the authority to establish your own government. How can you be so lenient with His Majesty?"
"If Yizhou is embroiled in endless civil war as a result, how can you face the late emperor's entrustment of the young emperor?"
"The entire population of Yizhou will be engulfed in war, and your illustrious reputation, Kongming, will be ruined in an instant."
The two men sharply questioned Zhuge Liang, believing that he was biased or even derelict in his duties as prime minister.
"Alright, you two, you've had your fill of cursing. Can you listen to me for a second?"
After talking with Qiao Zhou for a while, Li Yan felt his mouth was dry and picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
"What you two are worried about is that the 800 elite guards of the Imperial Guard are no match for Yong Kai. If it is a head-on confrontation, the Imperial Guard may not be able to capture Yong Kai alive."
"But what if we don't confront them head-on?"
Instead of facing the enemy head-on?
Li Yan was somewhat confused.
"Kongming, what do you mean by this? Weren't these eight hundred elite troops supposed to capture Yong Kai?"
Yes and no.
"Although Yong Kai's private army is not as elite as the Imperial Guard, he has deep roots, making it very difficult to capture him alive. Moreover, he has already joined forces with Zhu Bao, the governor of Zangke, and Gao Ding, the king of Yuexi. Even if I personally lead the troops, I will not be able to defeat him in a short time."
"That's why I said that the eight hundred elite guards, although ostensibly there to capture Yong Kai, actually launched a surprise attack to achieve victory through unconventional means."
When it came to military strategy, Li Yan immediately understood the meaning behind Zhuge Liang's words.
"Kongming, do you mean that these eight hundred elite troops are secretly infiltrating, and Zhang Yi is just bait?"
"As expected of a seasoned veteran, Zheng Fang immediately grasped His Majesty's profound meaning."
Qiao Zhou, standing to the side, was merely a scholar and knew nothing of military strategy.
"What do you mean? The more I listen, the more confused I get!"
Li Yan didn't want to explain yet, and hurriedly asked, "Then why did Zhao Tong go to Yongchang?"
"Of course, it's to bring in reinforcements to intimidate Zhu Bao, the governor of Zangke."
"And what about Gao Ding, the King of Yuexi?"
"We can't fathom Liang's intentions yet. But since His Majesty can secretly plot against Yong Kai and Zhu Bao, Gao Ding is naturally no exception. His Majesty's mind is unfathomable; we can only wait for good news."
Outside the city of Yizhou, a carriage was speeding towards the city.
"My lord, we'll be arriving in Yizhou soon."
The curtain on the carriage window was lifted, revealing Zhang Yi, who looked travel-worn and with a hint of weariness in his eyes.
After accepting the assignment, he set off for Yizhou County the next day to take up his post, accompanied only by two teams of men.
"Okay, everyone, thank you for your hard work."
Zhang Yi looked at the city walls not far away, his brows furrowed without the slightest relaxation.
Yong Kai, a local tyrant, was unruly and unruly, and it was unclear whether the author could appease him.
The reason for heading straight to the prefecture was to quickly take over the city defenses and military power of Yizhou Prefecture, so that they would have the leverage to negotiate with Yong Kai.
hiss~~
A long whistle pierced the air, and the cavalryman leading the way suddenly stumbled forward and crashed heavily to the ground.
The coachman immediately realized the danger and quickly pulled the carriage to a stop.
"There's danger! Protect the adults!"
The two groups of people following behind immediately stepped forward and formed a circle to protect the carriage in the center.
"What's going on?"
Zhang Yi lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, just as an arrow struck the roof of the carriage.
"Sir, this place is dangerous, quickly get into the car."
Zhang Yi knew he had fallen into an ambush, but he was not afraid. Instead, he said loudly, "I am Zhang Yi, the Prefect of Yizhou Commandery. Who are you, bandits? Show yourselves!"
Before long, many people dressed in soft armor and holding long halberds emerged from all directions.
"Right under the emperor's nose, how dare you besiege an official of the imperial court? Do you have a death wish?"
Faced with Zhang Yi's righteous and awe-inspiring questioning, a burly man wearing soft armor stepped forward.
"Today there are not two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in the country. There are three calendars in the world, and the people in the deep mountains do not know which power to submit to."
Zhang Yi felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
He knew full well that these were no ordinary bandits.
Because ordinary bandits wouldn't say such things.
Furthermore, the weapons they wielded and the soft armor they wore—how could ordinary bandits possibly possess such strength?
"Who exactly are you?" Zhang Yi asked sternly.
The burly man chuckled and said, "Yong Kai, the Prefect of Yongchang, respectfully awaits the arrival of Zhang Yi, Zhang Junsi."