Qiu Yizi hurriedly helped him up and said, "General Wu, why should you be so polite? You are a fifth-rank inspector and I am a seventh-rank county magistrate. I should be the one to salute you."
Wu Changxi hurriedly said, "How dare I? How dare I? Lord Qiu is my lifesaver. If I bow to him, wouldn't people say I'm ungrateful and an ungrateful villain?"
It turns out that Wu Changxi was a garrison commander of Mingzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, and he had a close relationship with Qiu Yizi. When the Japanese pirates were in chaos, almost the entire city of Mingzhou was destroyed. Qiu Yizi fought side by side with Wu Changxi and saved his life several times, so he was called his "savior."
Qiu Yizhi was very happy to hear Wu Changxi speak so politely, so he asked again: "General Wu, I remember that Mingzhou City seems to have been taken by the Prince of Lingnan. I wonder why you came to me?"
At this point, Wu Changxi immediately put away his happy expression, and sighed, "Alas! It would have been a good thing if it fell into the hands of the Prince of Lingnan, but it's a pity that it fell into the hands of Yin Tai. Oh, Your Excellency may not know, Yin Tai's father, the former Jiangnan Jiedushi Yin Chengliang, is not dead yet, and is alive again..."
Qiu Yizhi had known about this for a long time, and he sighed and cursed: "This old immortal actually knows how to revive by borrowing a corpse! I have met him once, but unfortunately I was too busy protecting myself at that time, otherwise I would have killed this thief with my own hands."
Wu Changxi also said bitterly: "After Yin Tai and Yin Chengliang captured Mingzhou, they brought in the Japanese pirates to cause chaos and demanded that the former Jiedu Army be loyal to them. Many of my comrades, some under pressure and some without backbone, have already succumbed to them. I was unwilling to do so. I heard that Lord Qiu was recruiting soldiers in Shanyin County, so I came to join him."
Qiu Yizhi was even happier when he heard that Wu Changxi was coming to surrender. When he worked side by side with Wu Changxi in Mingzhou to fight against the Japanese pirates, he saw that although Wu Changxi's soldiers were not capable of fighting, he was quite impressive in both command and battle, and he was also an upright person. Having a helper like him would undoubtedly make him even more powerful.
Therefore, Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "I couldn't ask for more. It's not a question of whether to surrender or not. Now that the King of Lingnan is in turmoil, we are just going through the national crisis together."
He turned his head to look at the soldiers led by Wu Changxi, and saw that although they had come from far away, they were still in good spirits. Although there was a hint of hunger on their faces, they did not look listless.
Qiu Yizhi then praised: "General Wu is indeed a good leader. Although his soldiers have suffered a small setback, their morale is quite strong. After a short rest in Shanyin County, they will be a fierce army again."
Wu Changxi was quite proud when he heard this: "This is all thanks to Master Qiu's advice that day!"
Qiu Yizi was stunned when he heard this, and then he remembered that when they were fighting against the Japanese pirates, the soldiers under Wu Changxi fought poorly and were besieged by the Japanese pirates who were far fewer in number than themselves. He almost couldn't break out, so Qiu Yizi gave him a lecture and asked him to train the army well.
Seeing that Wu Changxi really took his words to heart today, Qiu Yizi became even happier and praised him repeatedly: "Okay, okay, okay. This is not the place to talk. We still have a lot to say. Let's go back and talk first."
He turned around and instructed Zhao Chengxiao, "Brother Zhao, General Wu is one of us. You should call back your troops and return to the city."
Upon hearing the order, Zhao Chengxiao immediately ordered someone to ring the gong. Nearly 10,000 troops lying in ambush on both sides stood up and lined up in an orderly manner as they went down the mountain.
Wu Changxi was sweating when he saw this scene. He swallowed and said, "Fortunately, General Zhao recognized me. Otherwise, if it was a little later, Lord Qiu would have given the order and we would have been crushed into powder by the ambush troops here."
So Qiu Yizi and Wu Changxi rode side by side and chatted along the way.
Only then did they know that Wu Changxi had listened to Qiu Yi's teachings and was determined to reorganize his army, but he was troubled by the fact that the military pay could not be paid enough at the moment, so he simply dismissed more than half of his soldiers, leaving only more than 500 elite soldiers, who drilled day and night to achieve today's momentum. Later, when the Lingnan Army attacked Mingzhou City, other Jiedu troops were either easily defeated or simply surrendered, but Wu Changxi broke through with the help of these 500 men.
Qiu Yizhi asked again: "General Wu said that Yin Tai and Yin Chengliang took over the defense of Mingzhou. I met with them before, and they said that they had gathered a large number of Japanese pirates and many ships. But didn't the court have already made an agreement with the Japanese Shogun to be careful to restrain his men and not to invade the Han territory. Didn't the Japanese pirates stop after that?"
Wu Changxi frowned and replied, "I don't know much about this. I only know that Japan is not peaceful at all. The Shogun cannot command the whole country to obey. There are many opposing forces in the country. Therefore, it is not surprising that Yin Tai and Yin Chengliang gathered the ships of other Japanese pirates."
Wu Changxi whispered in Qiu Yizhi's ear: "In fact, neither the Lingnan Army nor the Japanese pirates have enough troops to maintain the security of Mingzhou. They still rely on the surrendered Jiangnan Jiedu Army. However, in my opinion, among these people, except for a few who are deliberately traitors, the vast majority are not sincere in surrendering. As long as you lead the army and call for help, the city will surely be restored to order, and Mingzhou will be recovered in one fell swoop."
Qiu Yizhi's eyes lit up when he heard this - Wu Changxi brought a very important piece of news. If it was true as Wu Changxi said, then Mingzhou City could be taken at a very low cost. Mingzhou was also a very important port for communication between China and foreign countries. It could raise a large amount of military pay and lay an excellent foundation for quelling the rebellion of the King of Lingnan.
However, Mingzhou is still far away from Yuezhou where Qiu Yizi is. If you want to get there, you have to pass through Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places. The risks are too great, so you have to think carefully over and over again.
So Qiu Yizi frowned and said, "This matter is too big, and there are many difficulties and variables. I am afraid that it will be difficult for you and me to make a decision while we are on the move. Let's go back to the city first and discuss it later."
Originally, Wu Changxi could have camped in the city, considering his friendship with Qiu Yizhi and the strict discipline of his soldiers. But now Shanyin County was overcrowded, and there was no place for these 500 people to stay, so they had to camp outside the city.
Wu Changxi went into the city to discuss the matter with Qiu Yizi, Lin Shuhan and Zhao Chengxiao. He felt that although Mingzhou was not difficult to capture, it was thousands of miles away. The movement of a large army would inevitably be blocked by the enemy. The light cavalry could not bring many troops by stealth, so it would be difficult to capture the city.
After much deliberation, they still believed that the imperial court still had the upper hand and it was not worth taking such a big risk to make a long-distance attack. It would be better to slowly expel the King of Lingnan's troops in the south of the Yangtze River, thereby depleting their strength, gradually recovering the lost territory, and at the same time reducing the pressure on the front lines in Huguang, Shanxi and Shaanxi.
So, everyone discussed and decided to choose Yuezhou City, which was not far from Shanyin County. They thought that if they could break through this place, it would be great. If they couldn't, they would at least strike a blow to the defenders and test their own military strength.
Therefore, Qiu Yizi and others chose a sunny day, and to keep it secret, they only said that they were going out of the city for a training march. However, they personally led more than 200 of their trusted men, and Zhao Chengxiao, in command of the troops under Zhang Qi and Wu Changxi, marched all the way northwest to Yuezhou City.
Qiu Yizhi had been to Yuezhou City once before. Although he was not familiar with the roads, he knew them. He felt the tense atmosphere as soon as he entered Yuezhou. He had dealt with the King of Lingnan several times and knew that this man used troops in unexpected ways and attached great importance to monitoring the enemy's situation. If he was not careful, he would fall into the trap.
So Qiu Yizhi discussed with Lin Shuhan, Zhao Chengxiao and others, and ordered "Iron Head Jiao" and other 18 personal soldiers to rush forward along the official road. If they encountered enemy outposts, post stations, and military stations, they would immediately break through them and dig out the eyes of the Lingnan Army who were watching them. The large group of troops quickened their pace and followed closely behind, without looking for secluded paths, but marched quickly along the wide and straight official road of Jiangnan Road, using the strategy of speed, and rushing to the city before the Lingnan Army could react.
After Qiu Yizi suffered several defeats in a row, his plan today finally paid off. When he led his army to the city of Yuezhou, the Lingnan army still had the city gates wide open, without any sign of defense.
Seeing that his opponent had revealed a huge flaw, Qiu Yizhi quickly called over "Iron Head Jiao" and others and ordered, "Quick, rush through the gate and kill the gatekeepers. I will give you the first credit!"
"Iron-headed Dragon" agreed, and then took his brothers and rushed towards the unguarded city gate.
However, the Lingnan Army was experienced in many battles after all. When the soldiers on guard on the city walls saw the enemy coming to attack the city, they reacted extremely quickly. They immediately sent people to slowly close the city gates. Countless soldiers stood on the city walls with bows and arrows drawn, waiting for the cavalry to approach and then shoot.
Normally, if you encounter such a strong city, you can take the initiative in attacking the city at the cost of only seven or eight cavalrymen, which is already a very profitable deal.
However, at this moment Qiu Yizi had selfish thoughts in his mind, knowing that these 18 personal soldiers and 200 militiamen under his command were the only elite troops that completely obeyed his orders. They were the guarantee of his survival, and not a single one of them could be easily lost.
Therefore, when he saw that the other side was already on guard, he quickly rang the gong, asking the personal soldiers who were charging in the front to retreat quickly.
When the "Iron Head Dragon" heard the order, although they were somewhat unwilling, they had no choice but to retreat.
So Qiu Yizhi ordered Zhao Chengxiao to settle the army, led his personal guards, and circled the city from a distance, carefully inspecting the city defense situation, trying to find any flaws. It turned out that Yuezhou City was in the hinterland of Jiangnan Road and had never been attacked by war for hundreds of years. Therefore, the city wall had been in disrepair for many years and was only about ten feet high. The moat outside the city had long been dry and the riverbed was very shallow, so one person could climb up and down with one step.
Therefore, when Qiu Yizhi returned to the army, seeing that it was still early, he asked Zhao Chengxiao to simply prepare the siege equipment and form an attack formation. He also did not respond to the support forces of the Lingnan Army, hoping to capture the city in one go.
Everything was ready. Qiu Yizhi was about to order an attack on the city, but Lin Shuhan quietly walked up to him and said, "Sir, didn't you say that the Lingnan Army listened to the advice of Tianzun Sect Leader Wen Honghui and used the underground tunnel method to attack the city? I think it's still early now, why don't we look for the entrance to the underground tunnel outside the city?"
Lin Shuhan's words reminded Qiu Yizi that if they could make use of the existing tunnels, attack from the center and attack from both inside and outside, they would definitely get twice the result with half the effort.
Qiu Yizhi thought again: Haven't these 18 cavalrymen under his command learned the techniques of digging tunnels and identifying locations to dig holes from Shi Dajian, a master of digging sand and digging holes in the Tianzun Sect? So he quickly called them over and asked them to immediately look for the existing tunnel entrance outside the city.