Chapter 415: The Aristocratic Family Strikes Back, a Head-on Battle
"Your Highness, the Fuxing Army's naval fleet has been advancing westward along the Daqing River. They have recently captured Lijin and Putai, and seem to be heading straight for Jiyang and Jinan!"
Yan Jizu, the then governor of Shandong, reported to Zhu Youshu, the Prince of De, who was sitting at the head, with a panicked look on his face, "Shandong General Liu Zeqing has not returned yet, and we in Jinan Prefecture only have 30,000 elite soldiers under Deputy General Ni Chong. How can we fight against such a powerful enemy?"
He was able to take over this year by impeaching the incumbent governor Li Maofang.
I thought that promotion and wealth were assured, but I never expected to receive such bad news before I could even get comfortable in the office!
Yan Jizu himself had no talent, but because of his distinguished family background, his career was smooth.
The Yan family has a long history, which can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Its reputation over tens of thousands of years is not much inferior to that of the Kong family.
During the Tang Dynasty, the Yan family's prestige reached its peak, and they even became the leading family of literati at the time, becoming extremely prominent.
Although the Yan family is no longer as prosperous as it used to be, it is still considered one of the top families.
The land of Qi and Lu is the base camp of the Yan family and the Kong family.
The difference is that the Kong family's base is in Yanzhou, while the Yan family's base is in Jinan Prefecture.
At a time when the survival of his family is at stake, Yan Jizu, who had previously not taken the Fuxing Army seriously, is now completely panicked.
He had learned that the entire Qingzhou Prefecture had fallen, and that the western army of the Fuxing Army, led by Commander Liang Liping, had an army of 200,000 soldiers advancing both by land and sea, and was rushing directly westward along the Daqing River that led directly to the city of Jinan. So he came to see Prince De Zhu Youshu as soon as possible to discuss countermeasures.
"Father!"
At this time, a figure flashed out from outside the palace hall, holding a secret letter in his hand, and said hurriedly, "Something big has happened!"
The person who came was Zhu Ciyin, the prince of Prince De.
Zhu Ciyun was a man of both civil and military talents, and was highly regarded by his father, so he was in charge of all affairs of the outer government.
"Wang Er, why are you so panicked?"
The plump Prince of De, Zhu Youshu, frowned slightly and shouted, "Didn't you see that there are guests here?"
Although he was extremely greedy and afraid of death, he was very particular about appearances. He was somewhat unhappy to see his son lose his composure in public.
One thousand seven hundred years have passed since the lineage of Prince De moved to Jinan Prefecture during the Chenghua period.
Since the current Prince De Zhu Youshu came to power, he has amassed countless wealth through robbery and plunder, and has increased the wealth of the Prince De's Palace to its peak, making it rich enough to rival a country.
"Father, our secret guards in Qufu, Yanzhou, just sent back news that the Kong family in Qufu City has been wiped out and killed by the bandit leader Li Dingguo himself. No one in the Kong family survived!"
"The sky has fallen for all the scholars in the world now!"
Zhu Ciyun didn't care about losing his composure at all and went straight to report to his father, his voice full of panic.
"what!"
"Is Li Dingguo so bold? He even dared to destroy the Kong family in Qufu?"
"Is Li Dingguo going to be an enemy of all scholars in the world? Not to mention that there is no certainty about whether he will raise the flag of rebellion. Even if he succeeds in counterattacking in the future, won't he need scholars to do anything?"...
Half a month ago, the extermination of the lineage of Prince Heng of Qingzhou had frightened the entire Prince De's Mansion to the point of panic. Now, hearing that even the Kong family of Qufu had been exterminated by Li Dingguo was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone at the scene!
Both Prince De Zhu Youshu and Shandong Governor Yan Jizu were stunned.
Yan Jizu, in particular, had a dark face and was shaking all over from fear.
Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Yan family and the Kong family have dominated the literary world for tens of thousands of years.
No matter how dynasties change, the Yan and Kong families have always been among the top families.
Now, the traitor Li Dingguo led the Fuxing Army and dared to defy the world and brazenly destroy the Kong family in Qufu. This is absolutely devastating news, and its impact may even be greater than the collapse of an imperial dynasty!
"Your Majesty, the Kong family has been destroyed, and the western army of the Fuxing Army is heading straight for Jinan City along the Daqing River. How should we respond?"
After Yan Jizu came to his senses, he shuddered all over and hurriedly asked Prince De Zhu Youshu.
He was really scared.
It turned out that he thought that because the Yan family's prestige was comparable to that of the Kong family, Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army would not dare to touch the Yan family.
Now even the Kong family has been destroyed, so why shouldn’t the Yan family be afraid?
"Our ancestors have ordered that one must not leave the fiefdom without permission. What else can I do?"
Zhu Youshu could no longer sit still, and suddenly stood up and said angrily, "I need to ask you, the governor, how to ensure the safety of our palace!"
"What are you still doing here? Why don't you send a letter via spirit pigeon immediately to inform His Majesty and ask him to send reinforcements to save Jinan Prefecture?"
Zhu Youshu must have been frightened to the point of being dizzy, and he tried every possible means to cure his illness, and started to roar hysterically.
He didn't even think about how fast the Fusion Army's fleet was moving westward.
It will not take ten days for the enemy's army to reach Jinan City. Even if we report to the court as quickly as possible, it will be too late.
Even if the court was furious when it learned of this, it would be of no avail.
Even if the most elite Liaodong border troops were dispatched southward, it would take at least more than a month to reach the Qi and Lu areas.
By that time, all these kings, princes, officials and gentry would have been dead long ago.
"Father, it's too late!"
Upon seeing this, Crown Prince Zhu Ciyin hurriedly advised, "The Fuxing Army is coming with such force that it will reach Jinan City in less than ten days. Now we can only save ourselves!"
"Taiwan Governor Yan, if you don't want the Yan family to follow in the footsteps of the Kong family, you must immediately mobilize all the noble families in Jinan Prefecture and coordinate with the strength that your Yan family has been hiding. You must defend this prefecture city so that it can be spared!"
"Otherwise, you will understand the consequences even if I don't tell you."
Looking at the miserable state of the two decision-makers of Jinan Prefecture in front of him, Zhu Ciyun felt helpless and could only do his best.
As for whether he could save the lives of his family members, it all depended on God's will.
He knew his father's character well. He was well-known for valuing money more than his life. He would definitely not be willing to abandon a huge amount of family wealth and run away to save his life.
"Yep!"
After being scolded by his son, Prince De Zhu Youshu finally regained a bit of composure and quickly said to the pale-faced Yan Jizu, "Futai Yan, your Yan family has unfathomable heritage and strong appeal. Once you put all your efforts into it, you can gather at least a million warriors!"
"Your Yan family is truly a wealthy family, much more powerful than our Prince De's Mansion. Moreover, you can't move so much wealth in a short period of time. If you don't immediately think of a way to fight back against the Fuxing Army, do you want to wait for death?"
He was well aware of how powerful the Yan family, which was deeply rooted in Jinan Prefecture, was, and how strong their hidden strength was. It was simply not comparable to his own Prince De's Palace.
It can be said that when the Yan family bursts out with all their strength, their foundation is no less than that of the Kong family.
"Hey!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Jizu's face turned green and red for a while, and he said helplessly, "Well, I'll take my leave first."
"However, your Dewang Mansion is a large and powerful family. This time, we need to show some sincerity in our alliance to fight against the Restoration Army."
"Li Dingguo's Restoration Army is completely different from all the previous rebels. They are determined to kill all of us."
"If Jinan City cannot be defended, no one will survive!"
Since Prince De said so, Yan Jizu was no pushover and would not give him face. Even the emperors of previous dynasties did not dare to show any disrespect to the Yan family, so what could a mere Prince De's Mansion do? Even if they fell out, there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Humph!"
"It's easy to leave without seeing him off!"
"Tai Yan, I will let Wang'er cooperate with your governor's office to carry out the defense of Jinan City!"
Zhu Youshu, who was humiliated for the first time, became furious when he heard the words. He cursed and left.
"Tai Yan, your father is just worried about the safety of Jinan City. If this is disrespectful, please don't take it personally."
Seeing this, Zhu Ciyun gave a helpless smile and bowed to Yan Jizu.
In fact, what Zhu Youshu just said was correct. With the Yan family's tens of thousands of years of heritage, since they had known in advance that the Fuxing Army was coming, they were capable of defending this city with full preparations.
In the entire land of Qi and Lu, no aristocratic family, wealthy merchant or tycoon dared not give face to the Yan family.
Even their Prince De's Mansion is just that in the eyes of top families like the Yan family.
Even emperors of past dynasties did not dare to disrespect the Yan and Kong families. Prince De was in a state of panic and it was unwise for him to offend the Yan family.
"Well, my lord, I'll take my leave."
Yan Jizu suppressed the anger in his heart, bowed to Zhu Ciyun, turned around and left.
No matter what, for the sake of their lives and property, the Yan family must do their best this time to ensure that the city of Jinan does not fall.
The previous strategy of keeping a low profile was of no use at all before the Fuxing Army.
Even if the Tartars of the Later Jin Dynasty came, they would not dare to touch the Yan family. Even if the city of Jinan was captured by the Tartar army, it would not hurt the foundation of the Yan family. This is the confidence of the Yan family.
However, they happened to encounter the Fuxing Army, which regarded the world's noble families as their mortal enemies. If they did not want to die and their family to be exterminated, they had to rise up in resistance.
……
In the territory of Qi and Lu, on the Daqing River, the largest river besides the Yellow River, a large fleet consisting of more than one hundred treasure ships is sailing rapidly upstream against the wind and waves towards the west.
“Chirp!”…
At this time, two eagle cries were heard in the sky, and two golden lights streaked across the sky. In an instant, they reached the sky above the large fleet, and then landed directly on the deck of the flagship, the top-grade treasure ship.
"I've met the commander-in-chief!"
"Meet Commander Wan'er!"
Seeing Li Dingguo and Wan'er coming, Liang Liping hurriedly led all the Qi Refining Realm generals to come forward to pay their respects.
"Everyone, you guys are moving fast!"
Li Dingguo nodded and smiled, "After our Central Army captured Qufu City after a long raid, we handed the aftermath to Xiao Shitou and He Lijing, the commander of the Eastern Army, who just arrived with his troops, and then set off north to meet up with you."
"The remaining offensive operations in Yanzhou will be led by Xiao Shitou and He Lijing, who will lead two armies to continue the attack."
"After the Kong family of Qufu was destroyed, the remaining military forces in Yanzhou could not stop our two armies from attacking together."
He was right. Although Yanzhou was the richest place in Qi and Lu and was connected to the Huaibei Plain, the power of the Kong family in Qufu occupied more than half of it.
Without the Kong family getting in the way, the remaining local forces in Yanzhou were no match for the two armies of the Fuxing Army, and it would take less than three months to capture them all.
"Sister Liang Liping!"
Wan'er ran to Liang Liping happily, hugged her arm and said, "Brother is right, the next Jinan Prefecture operation is the top priority."
"Jinan Prefecture is where aristocratic families headed by the Yan family gather. The Yan family, with a long heritage that is not inferior to the Kong family, should not be underestimated."
"So after my elder brother and I finished the Kong family's affairs, we immediately came to meet you to deal with any possible changes."
To be honest, the Yan family should be slightly weaker than the Kong family, and logically speaking, they cannot withstand the attack of the Fuxing Army.
But unlike the previous attack on the Kong family in Qufu, after learning that the Kong family had been destroyed, the Yan family would certainly make full preparations to deal with the attack of the Fuxing Army.
With the Yan family's appeal, it is very normal to gather a million warriors in the city of Jinan.
Considering the Yan family’s accumulated strength over tens of thousands of years, we cannot be too optimistic about the upcoming battle.
"The Commander-in-Chief."
Liang Liping was a little worried at first, but now she was relieved when she saw Li Dingguo and Wan'er coming to join the army in time. She reported, "Commander Mo Xiaoyong of the Intelligence Department has personally led an elite team to sneak into Jinan City in advance, and sent back the news in time yesterday."
"The various aristocratic families, wealthy merchants and tycoons in Jinan Prefecture, headed by the Yan family, have already learned about the annihilation of the Kong family in Qufu City, Yanzhou."
"Now, all the large and medium-sized families in Jinan Prefecture are gathering in Jinan City, following the call of the Yan family. They want to fight to the death with us and defend Jinan City to the death."
"As of yesterday, the enemy had already gathered an army of about million warriors, most of whom were made up of family guards and assassins."
"At the critical moment of life and death, they gathered a large amount of military supplies and turned the entire Jinan City into a hedgehog. The defensive strength is the strongest city our Renaissance Army has ever encountered!"
"The Yan family has used all their resources, inviting nine fifth-level Qi Refining Realm masters from the family, and even using a mysterious treasure to set up an unknown protective formation within the city defense formation."
"If you hadn't arrived in time, I really don't know how I would have been able to capture this now fortified city with super strong defenses."
There was some surprise in her words, and she felt deeply wary of the Yan family, a top family that had been passed down for tens of thousands of years.
"Humph!"
"so what?"
Wan'er snorted coldly and interrupted, "Even with a double city defense formation, can it withstand the continuous concentrated fire attacks of our fleet's hundreds of psychic cannons and thousands of psychic crossbow carts?"
"As long as we break their tortoise shells, my elder brother and I will each lead 100,000 soldiers to form a military killing formation and march straight in. I don't believe they can stop us!"
"No matter how powerful the Yan family is, can they compare to Huang Taiji's million-strong army?"
As long as Li Dingguo is by her side, Wan'er is not afraid of anyone now.
When the two brothers and sisters join forces to lead the army to attack, they are definitely the strongest combination among all human forces in the world today, and they are not something that some aristocratic families can contend with.
"Not bad!"
Li Dingguo also nodded and said, "Wan'er is right. Since I am here in person this time, even if the enemy has a large number of people, they are just a mob and cannot withstand the attack of our army."
"I want to see what kind of trump card the Yan family has that makes them confident enough to fight us head-on."
After saying this, he looked towards the west, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
(End of this chapter)
