Chapter 1338: Ride at Full Speed

young men of their generation were outstanding. Not to mention the prodigious Donggong (Prince of East Palace), even Prince Zhao Li Yinhu and the newly emerged Prince Wen, both surpassed his son in t...Chapter 1338: Ride as fast as you can

Qian Hu's answer made Li Chen nod.

Everything seemed normal, so Li Chen didn't linger on this matter too long.

Keep a close eye on their every move. Report anything and everything about them daily, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

After giving the order, Li Chen put down the message from Beijing and took out another report.

This report comes from the front lines at Yuelüaguan.

There are two copies of the report. One is delivered directly to Li Chen, while the other is first submitted to the Marshal's Mansion for military assessment and discussion. After Su Zhenti writes his opinion on the matter, it is then given to Li Chen.

In terms of military expertise, Li Chen knows his limitations. He can tinker with firearms and grenades, but when it comes to large-scale, organized battles from the cold weapon era, he wouldn't even qualify as a novice. It's best not to meddle in military command. He should just understand what the generals under him are doing and planning.

Open the report, the content is simple.

All it states is that the situation at Yuezhaya Pass is extremely critical, and at most, they can hold out for another ten days.

And as the Liao army's offensive intensified, casualties at Yueya Pass began to surge.

Nearly all officers and soldiers were on the battlefield, working in shifts around the clock, but even then, they couldn't stop the increasingly fierce Liao army offensive.

There is simply a vast disparity in the troop strength between the two armies.

Beneath the harrowing casualty figures, Wu Qingcang made two straightforward requests.

Increase military support, but the shortage of city defense supplies is even greater than that of military personnel.

This section has been devastated, with the Yueyaguan fortress tearing down almost all the buildings that could be demolished. The military and civilians have been forced to live in tents within the barracks.

Following closely behind the report was Su Zhen'ting's annotation, which came after gathering the opinions of all high-ranking officers in Beijing from the three government departments: the military headquarters, the staff department, and the logistics department.

"Yuetangguan originally had a garrison of over 86,000 soldiers. After receiving reinforcements from the Liaodong army, its total force reached 100,000. Although the court did everything it could to provide support, facing the 600,000 iron cavalry of the Liao army, it was still stretched thin."

“Although support from Gansu and Shaanxi provinces has arrived in stages, it has been sporadic and there are suspicions of shirking responsibilities. Cheng Fuzhao, the governor of Gansu and Shaanxi, frankly stated that Gansu and Shaanxi were impoverished and had already made every effort to provide assistance. However, due to their own poverty and hardship, they were unable to continue. He requested the court to reduce its support for Yueya Guan. If not reduced, Gansu and Shaanxi would exhaust their last reserves to aid Yueya Guan, but the timeliness could not be guaranteed...”

"In my humble opinion, the current crisis at Moonlit Pass is no longer a localized conflict but a situation that should be elevated to a national war, involving the entire populace. I respectfully request Your Highness to send letters to all provinces in the northwest, emphasizing that the paramount concern must be the greater good and the safety of the nation."

Li Chen's face was impassive. After closing the report, he slapped it heavily.

With a deafening bang, the Jinyiwei thousand households immediately knelt down in fright.

"Governor-General of Gansu and Shaanxi, Cheng Fuzhao!"

Li Chen let out a cold snort and asked the Qianhu, "How many days' journey is it from here to Chang'an in Shaanxi province"

Then Qian Hu did not hesitate and immediately replied, "If it is one person on horseback, riding day and night at full speed, it can be reached in five days. If it is a caravan traveling non-stop, it will take at least seven days."

"Seven days."

Li Chen narrowed his eyes and asked again, "How many days will it take to go from Gaojing to King Ning's Jin City"

"Ride as fast as you can, it's a day's journey away." Su Jinpa swept his sleeves and left.As Su Jinpa left, the other maidservants, eunuchs, and guards attending to him also departed.Obviously, this was Su Jinpa intentionally leaving time and space for...