novelSusiti Chapter 411 Temporary Royal Court!
Chapter 411 Temporary Royal Court!
Fusu was taken aback: "Go to the front lines? Didn't Commander Meng tell us to stay in the rear?"
"This plan is too psychologically manipulative and could easily lead to unforeseen circumstances. I must personally arrange it to ensure its success."
Zhang Fan strode out of the military tent. "Besides," he said, "I also want to see the breached Xiongnu royal court!"
"Okay!" Fusu immediately followed.
The two mounted their horses and, escorted by hundreds of Xuan Niao Guards, left the Yinshan camp, galloping through the snow towards the northern Xiongnu royal court.
The wind and snow were howling in my ears.
Zhang Fan stared straight ahead.
Touman Chanyu, do you think you can cut off your tail and survive by using the old, weak, women and children?
In this cold winter, what can truly kill you is not the swords of the Qin Dynasty, but the people you have abandoned!
……
One day later.
The Great Qin Dynasty, Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace.
The atmosphere in the main hall was oppressive during the morning court assembly.
Several days have passed since the 300,000-strong army swore an oath to set off for the expedition.
The city of Xianyang had also heard about the blizzard in the north.
All the officials knew that launching a northern expedition at this time of year was a huge gamble, and now they were facing a once-in-a-century white disaster. The situation on the front lines was completely unknown.
Ying Zheng sat upright on the dragon throne, expressionless, but his hands, which were resting on the armrests, unconsciously tightened slightly, and his palms were sweaty.
The lives of 300,000 soldiers, the depletion of the national treasury, and the prestige of the Qin Dynasty all rested on this one battle.
Just as the hall was deathly silent, a loud shout suddenly came from outside.
"Report!"
"Urgent news! Victory in the Northern Frontier! Urgent news!"
A courier with a red feather adorning his body staggered into the main hall.
He was covered in dust, his lips were chapped, and as soon as he entered the hall, his knees buckled and he knelt heavily on the ground, raising a scroll of bamboo slips high in his hands.
Upon hearing the words "good news," all the civil and military officials in the Zhangtai Palace perked up simultaneously.
Ying Zheng suddenly stood up, his voice tinged with urgency:
"Bring it here!"
Eunuch Li strode down the jade steps, took the bamboo slip from the postman, and jogged to present it to Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng took a deep breath, unfolded the bamboo slip, and quickly scanned the writing on it.
Inside the main hall, the courtiers held their breath, nervously observing the First Emperor's changing expression.
As Ying Zheng's gaze moved, his previously tense face gradually relaxed.
A few breaths later, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Excellent! Meng Tian has not disappointed me! Zhang Fan, even more so, has not let me down!"
Ying Zheng slammed the bamboo slips heavily onto the imperial desk, the sound echoing throughout the hall, "A great victory at the front! Our Qin army of 300,000 has conquered the Xiongnu royal court!"
These words caused an instant uproar in Zhangtai Palace.
"Your Majesty, is this...is this true?"
Right Chancellor Feng Quji stepped forward with an incredulous expression. "With the mountains blocked by heavy snow, how did our army manage to cross the Yinshan Mountains and strike the royal court in just a few days?"
Ying Zheng, beaming with pride, picked up the bamboo slips and handed them to Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li loudly read aloud the contents of the military report:
"Heavy snow blocked the mountains and cut off the roads. However, the Imperial Advisor Zhang Fan created two miraculous devices: sleds and snowboards, allowing the 300,000-strong army to remove their wheels and glide across the snow, doubling their speed!"
"The Imperial Advisor, with divine intervention, bestowed upon us a top-secret map of Yinshan. Our army bypassed the heavily fortified Baidao Gorge, and instead descended from the heavens via a hidden path, striking directly at the enemy's flank!"
"In the first battle, Wang Li led 50,000 vanguard troops and used a new type of bayonet to annihilate 50,000 of the Xiongnu's most elite archers! The right flank army destroyed the enemy's supply camp."
The central army's iron cavalry swept through the enemy lines, capturing the Xiongnu's royal court! They seized countless cattle, sheep, and warhorses, and the main force of the Xiongnu was routed!
As Ying Zheng read the announcement, the courtiers in the hall gasped in surprise, their joy overflowing.
"Long live the Qin Dynasty! Long live Your Majesty!"
Among the military generals, veterans like Wang Jian were so excited that their faces flushed red, and they all knelt down and shouted.
Left Chancellor Li Si strode forward, holding his imperial tablet, and proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty! This great victory, turning a natural barrier into a thoroughfare, is largely thanks to the Imperial Advisor Zhang Fan!"
Li Si surveyed the officials and said in a loud voice, "Without the Immortal Master's sled and map, our army would probably have been trapped at the foot of Yinshan Mountain long ago, or even be in danger of being completely wiped out."
The immortal master not only possesses the knowledge of investigating things to benefit the people, but also has the ability to stabilize the world in matters of military and national importance!
"I propose that, based on this unparalleled achievement, he should be promoted to the rank of Immortal Master!"
Meanwhile, vanguard general Wang Li also made a great contribution by killing 50,000 enemies!
Your Majesty, I humbly request that you appoint Zhang Fan as Left General and Wang Li as Right General, so as to demonstrate the Qin Dynasty's principle of clear rewards and punishments!
As Li Si finished speaking, voices of agreement rang out throughout the hall.
At the back of the civil officials' line, Zong Yu's face was extremely gloomy.
He originally intended to use the matter of Mi Yueyao to make a big fuss after Zhang Fan left the capital, thereby weakening Zhang Fan's influence in the court.
But he never dreamed that Zhang Fan would achieve such military merits after only a few days at the front lines.
Meng Tian was always strict in his military discipline, and it was impossible for him to praise Zhang Fan in the military report.
In other words, all those miraculous methods described in the military newspapers are true.
Now Zhang Fan is not only a Celestial Master, but also controls the Imperial Household Department and the Academy of Natural Sciences. He is even directly intervening in military power and has been appointed as the Left General!
Zong Yu gritted his teeth, but dared not utter a single word of "no".
To refute at this time would be to go against the entire Qin military and to anger the emperor.
Ying Zheng looked at the reactions of his ministers below, his face dignified, and nodded in satisfaction.
"What the Prime Minister says is exactly what I thought."
Ying Zheng loudly issued the decree: "Draft an edict! Appoint Zhang Fan as the Left General of Great Qin, and grant him the title of Grand Chancellor! Appoint Wang Li as the Right General! Issue a general order throughout the land to reward the three armies!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" the courtiers shouted in unison.
The jubilation and excitement in the Qin court, along with this imperial decree, will soon spread throughout the entire world.
……
at the same time.
North of the Yin Mountains lies the former site of the Xiongnu royal court, which was conquered by the Qin Dynasty.
The wind and snow have stopped, and a winter sun hangs in the sky, illuminating the snow-covered plains with dazzling light.
Zhang Fan and Fusu rode their horses, surrounded by hundreds of Xuan Niao Guards, and slowly entered the camp that had just experienced the ravages of war.
The air still smelled of blood, and dead warhorses and weapons were scattered everywhere on the snow.
Zhang Fan sat upright on his horse, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
What came into view was a large area of burnt-out, dilapidated camps.
Even the tents that were not affected by the fire were very rough, mostly supported by a few wooden sticks and haphazardly covered with a layer of fur.
There are no city walls, no palaces, not even a decent road.
Looking at this extremely rudimentary scene, Zhang Fan couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"Is this the Xiongnu royal court that dared to demand grain and women from the Qin Dynasty and clamored to flatten the Central Plains?" Zhang Fan pointed to the slightly larger domed tent in front of him, which was only made up of a few more wolf skins, and said speechlessly.