Chapter 119: Battle (5)
"I am just doing my job." Qian Bingcheng said.
"I intend to assign you to Shan Zhen's rank. What do you think?"
It was obvious that Zhou Cheng had thought this through long time ago. He asked Qian Bingcheng for his opinion, but in fact he just wanted to know something from Qian Bingcheng.
As expected, Qian Bingcheng could not hide a trace of shock and excitement in his tone, and tried to restrain himself: "How can I be worthy of being General Shan's subordinate?"
Zhou Cheng was not at all surprised by Qian Bingcheng's answer, perhaps because it was very common, but he could also see through it what he wanted to know, he knew very well why Qian Bingcheng had such a reaction; as a soldier of the Great Zhou, Zhou Cheng believed that no one would not know Shan Zhen. Shan Zhen was very young, but he was a martial god on the battlefield. In his short life on the battlefield, he won unparalleled achievements. Before he was thirty, he had become a well-known general in the Great Zhou; everyone knew that Shan Zhen had many brave generals under his command, and there was also a troop trained by Shan Zhen himself, which was known as the most valiant troop in the Great Zhou. They had an outstanding record and had never been defeated so far. Therefore, Shan Zhen's command was the place that every soldier of the Great Zhou yearned for.
"You are more familiar with this place than he is, so in the next battle, I hope you can assist him and achieve victory in the shortest possible time."
"Your Majesty means——"
Qian Bingcheng was shocked. No matter how useless he was as a warrior, he understood the meaning of Zhou Cheng's words. He could no longer hide his excitement and passion. As a soldier, he was eager to fight for his country. As an ordinary soldier, he felt honored to be the youngest and bravest general of the Zhou Kingdom and to assist him.
Everyone loves talents, but using talents requires carefulness. Can Zhou Cheng's decision add a little hope of victory in a one-sided battle? Of course, this is a later story, which is optional. What is important is how the person who uses talents uses the useful people. Zhou Cheng never doubted Shan Zhen about this.
"emperor!!!"
A soldier ran towards Zhou Cheng with an urgent voice.
"What's up?"
Zhou Cheng asked, and at the same time raised his hand casually, as if he just remembered that Qian Bingcheng was kneeling.
"The spies reported that [Jiangcheng] has turned into a sea of fire." The soldier said anxiously.
"Very good, send an order to retreat to [Fucheng] immediately."
"yes!"
After receiving the order, the soldiers hurriedly turned back to carry out the arrangements, and Zhou Cheng also stood up from the rock.
Five days later, the Han army's vanguard of 100,000 troops was defeated by Shan Zhen in Fucheng.
Half a month later, Zhou Cheng personally led the army, with Shan Zhen as the vanguard, and recaptured three cities along the way.
A month later, the Zhou army met the main force of the Han army's vanguard, and a war was about to break out.
The night before the battle with the Han army, Prime Minister Zhou received a piece of good news and a piece of news that was neither good nor bad; the good news was that Zhou Yan's army had withstood the offensive of Wu and the lost cities were being recovered; however, the piece of news that was neither good nor bad was that the Xia army had gathered at the border of Zhou without any indication.
"The prince is much faster than expected." Shan Zhen said bluntly.
Zhou Cheng remained silent. Although he had guessed that Zhou Yan might take action, he couldn't figure out why. Of course, even if Zhou Yan remained silent, he might understand Zhou Yan's thoughts better. In comparison, the two thoughts were somewhat contradictory.
"However, Xia Guo's actions are more worrying." Xue Han said.
Compared with Zhou Yan on his side, Xue Han would naturally care more about the actions of Xia State, whose friend or foe it was not known. Although he thought so, Xue Han and his men had already known that Xia State had become the enemy of Zhou State, and a strong enemy at that; however, this strong enemy remained silent at this moment, knowing that no matter what actions Xia State took, it would have a great impact on the situation of the battle, so they had to face it with caution.
The war is imminent, but it is a battle that is insignificant to this campaign. This is true for the enemy, but it is completely different for the Zhou State. This battle will be the first large-scale direct confrontation between the Zhou State and the enemy since the invasion. Although it is only the enemy's vanguard force, it is also the first outpost battle of the Zhou State. No matter what the purpose is, the Zhou State has reasons not to lose. However, for this outpost battle, Zhou Cheng personally led the army to boost the morale of the army, and with Shan Zhen in charge, it can be said that it is a battle that the Zhou State's soldiers are determined to win.
"Although they sent envoys to express their intention to send troops to support , and initially they only made some moves when mobilizing troops, but now there is no movement. It is not surprising that they support either side, but what is their intention in not taking any action?"
Xue Han continued to talk to himself, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was making a statement.
Xue Han was not the only one who said this. Shan Zhen and Zhou Cheng were equally puzzled. No matter which side Xia joined, there would be earth-shaking changes and it would be of great importance, and even the outcome would be difficult to predict. However, once Xia joined, Zhou would definitely pay an unimaginable and unpredictable price, and it would not be surprising even if it was destroyed. Therefore, Xia's silence at this moment was really hard to predict, and perhaps Xia's actions would be the key to this battle.
"No matter what the reason, we must not let down our guard against them. Regardless of whether they are enemies or friends now, we cannot act rashly. If we take the initiative to act, not only do we not have the spare power for the time being, but the main reason is that they do not know their purpose. If we act rashly, it is very likely that our Great Zhou will fall into an irreparable situation."
As a general, Shan Zhen expressed his opinions cautiously and carefully, clearly pointed out the key points, and also took careful precautions.
