Chapter 293 - Collapse of the Frontline
Ye Fan still went to the opera every day, timing his visits precisely just to catch a glimpse of Miss Mei, but Su Yi didn't have the leisure of watching Ye Fan's courtship.
An urgent dispatch from eight hundred miles away was delivered to the capital and stirred an uproar in the court.
In the Su residence study, Su Yi and Yue Dou sat across the table from each other, poring over the war report lying between them.
Su Yi rubbed his aching forehead and said, "This was three days ago. The Five Tiger Mountain pass has fallen, and the Northern Qiang army has poured in. As for the previously impregnable Jibei and Ningye frontlines built by Qi Zongbi... they are likely to completely collapse."
Yue Dou was no expert military strategy, so he asked, "In your opinion, what should be done next?"
Su Yi looked weary after staying up all night. He blinked tiredly and groaned, "At this point, there’s no good solution. The only option is to retreat, shrink the frontlines, and consolidate the defenses. However..."
"However, what?"
Su Yi sighed. "Losing territory is inevitable. The question is how much of Ningye and Jibei will we lose this time. If Qi Zongbi acts quickly, as long as he can hold onto the critical majority, there might still be room to maneuver in Ningye and Jibei..."
Eunuch Yue’s eyes shifted as he asked, "And if he can’t hold onto the majority, what then?"
Su Yi raised his eyes to look at Yue Dou and shook his head. "If too much of Ningye and Jibei is lost, Qi Zongbi won’t be able to extend his defensive line, and it will naturally become indefensible... At that point, Ningye and Jibei might as well be part of Northern Qiang."
Yue Dou opened his mouth and murmured, "If we lose Jibei and Ningye, it would truly expose the center of our Ruen Dynasty to the curved blades of Northern Qiang..."