Otherwise, deciding who to send to attack Hangzhou City at this time was truly a difficult choice for Zhao Zhen.
After all, this could basically be considered his first major battle heading south. It would be fine if he won, but if he lost, where would his dignity as the Grand Commissioner of the Six Southeastern Circuits go?
"I say, Brother Han, if anything like this happens again in the future, you absolutely must not get involved. Otherwise, what if someone catches on to you..."
As they reached the doorway, Zong Ying suddenly turned back, looking at Han Mo with a wry smile.
"Don't worry, am I that impulsive?"
Regardless of anything else, Han Mo still acknowledged Zong Ying as a friend.
"If you weren't impulsive, you wouldn't have done this yesterday!"
Zong Ying rolled his eyes at him before pushing the door open and walking out.
Although he also felt that Han Mo's actions were a bit like seeking personal revenge, he had to admit that this was indeed the best way for them to resolve their current predicament.
After all, Xin Xingzong was a trusted confidant of Tong Guan, and it was Tong Guan himself who sent him here.
Under these circumstances, Zhao Zhen was giving him an opportunity to display his talents. Even if he lost, it would have nothing to do with Zhao Zhen.
Such a suitable scapegoat was simply a gift from heaven.
"Instead of living peaceful days, you have to stir up trouble. Xin Xingzong, Xin Xingzong, don't blame me when you're dead. This is all your own doing!"
With a cold laugh, Han Mo slowly returned to his bedroom.
Yesterday's hangover was truly unbearable, and his head still felt a dull ache.
With Han Mo's attention, Zhao Zhen now had the perfect excuse to go along with it.
That very afternoon, Xin Xingzong received the military order from Zhao Zhen.
"Order me to lead my troops to attack Hangzhou City?"
Upon receiving this order, Xin Xingzong was completely bewildered.
This was too hasty, and the speed of the change was too rapid.
Just moments ago, he had been kicked out onto the street to patrol, and now he was being assigned such an important task.
The stark contrast between the two extremes made him a little uncomfortable.
"What? General Xin, do you have a problem?"
Seeing Xin Xingzong's surprised expression, Zong Ying asked with a cold smile.
"There's no problem, but my troops have traveled a long distance and did not bring any siege equipment..."
In just a few short days, Zhao Zhen had gone from showing immense favor to treating him with disdain. Even if Xin Xingzong were an idiot, he would realize by now that something was not quite right.
However, trying to figure out what was going on was not something that could be done hastily. Therefore, he could only find a way to delay the task for now.
"You don't need to worry about that. I've already prepared everything before coming here. You just need to send people to receive it. The matter of Hangzhou cannot be delayed any longer. The Prince wishes for you to depart immediately tomorrow morning!"
Zong Ying had made thorough preparations before coming here, so of course, he wasn't going to let this guy off easily.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Zong Ying directly cut him off.
"Departing tomorrow morning, isn't that a bit too hasty?"
The more prepared he was, the more suspicious Xin Xingzong felt.
"General Zong, you must think carefully. This is a rare opportunity to earn merit. This is the Prince's first battle heading south. If you dare not accept the challenge, I think you should take your brothers and return to Hebei as soon as possible!"
Zong Ying had no good impression of this guy and didn't hesitate to utter a harsh threat.
"No, no, your subordinate did not mean that!"
Tong Guan sent him here precisely to snatch merits. If he was kicked back like this now, Tong Guan would probably kill him.
"Since you don't mean that, then I won't bother the general. His Highness has already made arrangements with the subordinates. The grain, military supplies, and siege equipment that the general needs will naturally be prepared by someone!"
"What about the troops? I can't just rely on my own men, can I?"
"You can choose freely from the Xiang Army within the city. His Highness Prince Xin has promised the general a quota of 30,000 men. Someone will come to coordinate with you later!"
"Xiang Army?"
Hearing this, Xin Xingzong immediately became displeased.
What a joke!
The Xiang Army of the Six Southeastern Circuits had not seen any real combat for almost a hundred years.
Sending these pampered soldiers to fight was equivalent to sending them to their deaths.
"What? Is there something wrong? The Prince would also like to assign some elite troops to you, but the problem is, you should know the situation of the troops at the Prince's disposal. The Western Army elites that the Prince has combined are only about 50,000 men. Distributed among the Six Southeastern Circuits, each circuit receives less than ten thousand men!"
This statement was somewhat unreasonable, but unfortunately, Xin Xingzong really had no way to counter it at this moment.
He could see that Zhao Zhen was clearly trying to force his hand. However, at this moment, Zhao Zhen was the Grand Commissioner of the Six Southeastern Circuits.
If they continued to cause trouble while working under Zhao Zhen, Zhao Zhen could directly charge them with insubordination and have them executed on the spot.
"Your subordinate understands!"
Although he was extremely unwilling, Xin Xingzong had no choice but to accept the order and plan his next move once they reached Hangzhou City.
"Since that's the case, I will return to report to the Prince and prepare a celebratory feast for the general!"
After Zong Ying finished speaking, he turned and left.
As soon as Zong Ying left, Xin Xingzong slumped onto a chair.
With the small number of men he had, plus 30,000 Xiang Army soldiers, attacking Hangzhou City was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Hangzhou City had high walls and a deep moat, and it was an important gateway for the imperial army's southward advance.
If Fang La was not out of his mind, he would definitely have stationed a large number of troops in Hangzhou City.
Under these circumstances, breaking through the city would be extremely difficult.
"General, he is clearly making things difficult for us. With our current number of men and those Xiang Army soldiers, how can we possibly capture Hangzhou City? Isn't this clearly an act of retaliation?"
After seeing Zong Ying leave, Xin Xingzong's deputy generals all gathered around.
"All of you, shut up! Don't you know we are in Suzhou City? If you have that much energy, you might as well think about how to break through the city!"
Xin Xingzong was truly exasperated with his incompetent subordinates. They were in Suzhou City!
If their shouting and clamoring were overheard, they might be taken by Zhao Zhen to be sacrificed before they even left the city gates.