Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 431 - 251: Lifting the Siege of Taiyuan_2

Chapter 431: Chapter 251: Lifting the Siege of Taiyuan_2

Of course, they knew, but at this time, they didn’t have many good options. Because at this point, the court had almost no room left for those in favor of war.

The Jin soldiers from two routes were unstoppable, and the Qi Dynasty’s army was repeatedly defeated, even their raids on the enemy camps had failed.

These defeats led the Emperor to place all the blame on the pro-war faction, beginning a relentless suppression and exclusion of them. Even a capable official like Li Boxi was repeatedly suppressed, relying on the surging public opinion in the capital to retain his position. What more of the rest of the pro-war faction?

Thus, for the pro-war faction to survive in this court that had turned into a vast whirlpool, they needed a significant victory.

They hoped to swiftly recapture Taiyuan and prove themselves with a significant victory.

Zhong Pingyuan, compelled by various wills, finally gambled desperately with a sense of despair. He passed through Pingding County, took the route through Yuci and Shouchun, which was exactly where Fan Cun, Zhao Haiping, and other players impersonating soldiers were stationed in that small military town.

In the end, due to Zhong Pingyuan’s rash advance, the baggage train failed to keep up, and the Western Army he led effectively folded without experiencing a fierce battle, ending in a frustrating manner.

There was more than just fodder in the baggage train; there were also rewards and various treasures intended for the gratification of the troops.

These elite Western Army soldiers endured hunger, and the treasures meant to reward them disappeared without trace, hence, "without rewards, all were resentful and disbanded." The reinforcements that had been arranged to support them failed to enter their planned attack positions in time due to their great fear of the enemy, leading to Zhong Pingyuan’s defeat by the Jin, fighting bravely to his death.

And from then on, Taiyuan City eventually fell.

Therefore, after a series of disastrous decisions, the Qi Dynasty achieved the worst outcome: The Emperor signed an edict ratifying the cession of the three towns of Taiyuan. However, he then went back on his word and sent out troops, giving the Jin an excuse to raise an army once again to demand justice, ultimately not only failing to hold Taiyuan but also resulting in the complete annihilation of Zhong Pingyuan and his elite Western Army.

It can be said that they made every possible wrong choice, which led to this dire situation.

...

At this moment, Zhong Pingyuan was on his way to Taiyuan City.

At this time, he might not have had a very clear understanding of his future fate, but he was already feeling that this journey would likely be fraught with more danger than hope.

But what of it?

In this court, there were many things one simply couldn’t control.

Shouyang, Yuci.

In the previous first instance, the commander that Fan Cun had impersonated had repeatedly scouted this line and had made significant contributions.

And now, the Western Army led by Zhong Pingyuan had finally arrived here.

The distance from here to Taiyuan City was no more than a hundred miles, but this stretch of a hundred miles now seemed so unattainable.

The Jin soldiers had begun launching continuous raids, and the Western Army had come out with five victories in eight battles.

This undoubtedly showed that the combat strength of the Western Army was indeed formidable, far superior to the easily routed Xiang Army. However, such a record also foreshadowed a great threat.

The Jin may have been beaten three times, but each retreat was tactical without causing significant damage to their forces. In contrast, the Western Army was not only exhausted but also running low on provisions and supplies, depriving them even of the ability to reward their brave soldiers, leading to a rising tide of complaints among the troops.

Zhong Pingyuan was acutely aware that he had yet to complete his mission to relieve Taiyuan City. If he stopped now, it meant all was lost.

Yet he had to press on, continuing towards Taiyuan City...

But how much longer could such persistence last?

Finally, the Jin soldiers attacked once again.

But this time, it was not a probing force but one of the Jin’s main armies. Leading them was the rising star among Jin Country’s commanders, who later would be ennobled as a Duke for his military achievements, and his first claim to fame against the Qi Dynasty was to be Zhong Pingyuan.

Just like the true historical figure, General Liu Fa, who died at the hands of Cha Ge, Zhong Pingyuan’s fate was supposed to be like Liu Fa’s, not losing due to lack of military command skills but due to a variety of other factors.

However, right when mutiny was imminent within the army, someone excitedly shouted, "Reinforcements have arrived!"

Zhong Pingyuan was both surprised and incredulous. He looked toward the Jin army’s formation and saw it erupt into chaos.

After that, the Jin elite who had been preparing to launch a final assault on Zhong Pingyuan instead retreated haphazardly following the battle.

Zhong Pingyuan was somewhat taken aback. Could it be, the agreed-upon reinforcements had arrived on time?

But upon further consideration, this seemed improbable.

He was acutely aware of the nature of the Qi Dynasty’s forces; the Yao Gu Army, designated to support him, was mediocre in combat strength. For them to arrive at the designated location on time or even to take the initiative in attacking the Jin seemed utterly fantastical.

Zhong Pingyuan’s guess was correct; the reinforcements were not the originally dispatched Qi Dynasty forces.

In actual history, the Yao Gu Army that was supposed to support him never arrived at the designated position in time. After the Jin crushed Zhong Pingyuan’s forces, they pursued and decimated the Yao Gu in a subsequent battle.

And in this slice of altered history, the Yao Gu Army similarly failed to arrive. Instead, it was Prince Yun’s elite Western Army that had come!

During the years stationed in Xingqing Prefecture, Fan Cun had little to do except for the sole task of having Liu Fa properly discipline the Western Army.

Perhaps this Western Army was currently the most capable force within the Qi Dynasty, but in Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s eyes, they were still woefully inadequate.

How could such a force confront the wolf-like Jin?