Chapter 522: Military Order
Chapter 522: Military Order
2017-09-25
Zhang Yan only stayed with Lu HaiKong for half a day before leaving. Regarding her request, Lu HaiKong neither agreed nor refused, only giving Zhang Yan an ambiguous answer.
In fact, as soon as Zhang Yan mentioned the Book of Heavenly Peace, Lu HaiKong immediately became intensely interested in it.
However, no matter how Lu HaiKong asked or indirectly tried to understand the effect of the Book of Heavenly Peace, Zhang Yan remained tight-lipped.
In this situation, it was difficult for the two to continue their conversation.
Of course, Lu HaiKong was largely to blame for this. His interest in the Book of Heavenly Peace was clearly greater than his desire to help Zhang Yan, which directly led to their near-breakdown in communication.
There was nothing he could do about it. When Zhang Yan mentioned the Book of Heavenly Peace being worshipped, Lu HaiKong's heart couldn't help but stir.
He suddenly remembered that the Book of Heavenly Peace mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms seemed to be bestowed by an immortal. Lu HaiKong's mind wandered, wondering what kind of existence this Book of Heavenly Peace, bestowed by an immortal, truly was. More importantly, could it save Xi Zhaitai's life?
Lu HaiKong wanted to confirm this, but Zhang Yan's answer to his persistent questioning was also ambiguous.
This situation made Lu HaiKong even more curious, wanting to verify the effect of this item. If this item could truly extend Xi Zhaitai's life, Lu HaiKong would never hand it over to Zhang Yan, which was why he gave her an ambiguous response.
Interestingly, although Lu HaiKong didn't receive a definite answer, and their conversation was a little awkward, Zhang Yan wasn't angry at all. She merely said to Lu HaiKong that she would come to disturb them when they were about to engage in a decisive battle with Zhang Jiao, and then she left.
After Zhang Yan left, Lu HaiKong was about to take action, planning to send the Phantom Guard to investigate Julu, when someone else arrived at his military camp.
"Why is it so lively today? Let him in!"
At Lu HaiKong's command, a young general strode into Lu HaiKong's camp with an air of arrogance.
"This subordinate has met the Governor."
The young general simply gave Lu HaiKong a quick salute before lowering his hand, his casual attitude going too far. He showed not a hint of the respect that a governor like Lu HaiKong should receive.
Seeing this, Lu HaiKong's eyes narrowed: "Who are you?"
"This subordinate is Zhang Yun, under the command of the Left Commander of the Imperial Guard!" The young general declared with pride.
Lu HaiKong wasn't familiar with the Han military system, so he didn't know that the 'under the command' position was the lowest-ranking official in Huangfu Song's personal forces, essentially a trusted subordinate of Huangfu Song. Naturally, he also didn't know the reason for this young man's arrogance.
However, Lu HaiKong did know that the Left Commander of the Imperial Guard was Huangfu Song. He just didn't understand why Huangfu Song would suddenly send such a subordinate here.
"What did General Huangfu send you here for?"
"General Huangfu ordered this subordinate to bring a military order. The General is about to dispatch troops to Weizhou, and he requests that the Governor's army must attack Liang Qi within four days!"
As soon as the arrogant young general finished speaking, a powerful aura suddenly surged into the sky. Although the young general had experienced the battlefield, he had never encountered such a terrifying aura before. He felt like he was being stared down by a fierce tiger, his heart tightened, and he broke into a cold sweat.
After a long while, Lu HaiKong's aura subsided, and he said coldly, "So General Huangfu is giving me a military order? I don't recall him having the qualifications to issue me orders."
That arrogant young general dared not act foolishly at this moment. He carefully replied, "His Majesty issued an edict the other day, ordering my family's general to take overall command of the battle in Jiuzhou. Additionally, this is the military order from my general!"
As the young general spoke, he trembled slightly and stepped forward, handing a military order to Lu HaiKong.
Lu HaiKong's eyebrows furrowed, and he took the order with a solemn expression.
Upon opening it, he found that the content matched what the young general had said, but the wording was much more polite, and the language subtly conveyed a sense of respect for Lu HaiKong.
However, Lu HaiKong was more concerned about the authenticity of the order than its content.
Unfortunately, the order was genuine, which was not a favorable situation for Lu HaiKong.
Lu HaiKong had not anticipated that the court would appoint Huangfu Song as the overall commander for this battle.
Of course, this situation was not entirely unexpected. After all, there were currently four or five armies in Jiuzhou, and it was only natural that they would not be allowed to fight independently. Among the five armies in Jiuzhou, only Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun had the qualifications to lead them. It was only logical and correct to appoint Huangfu Song to take charge of the battle.
Compared to having four or five dispersed forces, it was undoubtedly more effective to have a centralized and unified command to maximize their strength.
While this was the correct approach for the battle, it might not be the same for Lu HaiKong. With this arrangement, Lu HaiKong's situation became less favorable.
War was always cruel, and this one was no exception. Given the current state of the Yellow Turban Army and the Han Legion, it was entirely normal for both sides to suffer tens of thousands of casualties in such a war.
In the 1619th chapter, the book was correct!
In a large-scale war like this, sacrifices were inevitable, but they could be redirected.
If Huangfu Song was willing, he could shift the majority of the casualties in this campaign to Lu HaiKong's army.
On this point, Lu HaiKong had no doubts. Hadn't he received the first military order even before seeing the person?
The order demanded an attack on Liangqi within four days!
Geographically, Handan was only a few dozen li away from Liangqi, so it made the most sense for Lu HaiKong to lead the assault on Liangqi.
Previously, Liangqi had served as the Yellow Turbans' logistics transit point in Weixian. Capturing Liangqi would significantly ease their path to Ye City. This military order was both reasonable and justified.
However, this 'reasonable and justified' order only increased Lu HaiKong's dissatisfaction. It was too reasonable, leaving him without even a pretext to resist. Lu HaiKong felt as if his fate were being manipulated by others.
If it were merely a feeling, it might have been manageable, but the issue went beyond just a sensation. More importantly, it was a critical matter.
But what could Lu HaiKong do? Unless he intended to rebel, he had no choice but to comply.
Seeing Lu HaiKong's reluctant expression, he could only grit his teeth and agree. A fleeting look of satisfaction crossed the young general's face.
Lu HaiKong's cold gaze swept over him, causing the young general to lower his head in haste.
"Return and deliver the message. I have accepted this order."
(End of Chapter)
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