Chapter 700: A field commander must make his own decisions, even contradicting the emperor's decree! |
Upon reading the letter, Gao Jian Cheng calmed down. In the letter, Niu You Dao sought his advice—whether to kill the 600,000 prisoners or not. His immediate thought was to persuade Niu You Dao to abandon this intention, for the imperial court had already made preparations for negotiations. But if anything were to happen, a vast number of people in the capital, including the Gao family, would be slaughtered.
Just as he was about to write a reply to Niu You Dao, he suddenly hesitated. He rose and began pacing back and forth in the study, while Fang Zhong followed him with his gaze.
He pondered, for Niu You Dao had asked for his personal opinion, not that of the imperial court. Setting aside his selfish thoughts and considering everything once more, Gao Jian Cheng decided to reply. He asked Fang Zhong to bring the Four Treasures of the Study.
"600,000 prisoners?" Luo Zhao asked in surprise. He was riding on horseback.
Previously, cultivators had helped him recover, so now he was back on his horse and feeling well.
But now news arrived from Qian Lian Sheng, the Song Kingdom's envoy. He wanted to ascertain the veracity of the news.
Also, before attacking the capital, the Song Kingdom's forces needed to ascertain the situation within the capital. And of course, they learned everything through Qian Lian Sheng.
Qian Lian Sheng had first inquired about everything from Luo Zhao, as he was the closest to the capital. Secondly, Luo Zhao was the Dudu, the commander-in-chief, and thus well-versed in the military situation.
As an envoy between kingdoms, Qian Lian Sheng needed to be aware of all developments to dictate terms. Of course, Qian Lian Sheng had also sent letters to the Song Kingdom's capital. He needed to learn the current situation and how to proceed.
However, one thing was certain: there must have been prisoners. After all, it was impossible to annihilate two million soldiers in such a short time. Precisely how many prisoners they had taken, however, was difficult to say.
When the Song Kingdom's forces were at Loshan Mountain, it would have been difficult for Meng Shan Min to capture prisoners after suppressing them. How much time would it have taken to capture prisoners at Loshan Mountain?
It was inconvenient to discuss such an important matter while on horseback, so Luo Zhao rode out from the ranks, stopped on the plain beside the road, dismounted, and began to ponder. Wen You and the others followed him.
Everyone dismounted, and Su Yuan Bai asked:
"600,000? Could the Yan Kingdom's forces truly have captured so many prisoners? Is this perhaps a deception?"
Luo Zhao shook his head, "Unlikely to be a deception. It's 90% true." Su Yuan Bai was surprised. "How do you know this?"
Luo Zhao replied, "If there are to be negotiations, we will, of course, verify everything. Therefore, they have no need to lie. A simple commander would find it difficult to capture so many prisoners. But Meng Shan Min is no simple commander. He drowned our army with water. After such a blow, our men's fighting spirit and morale would be utterly shattered. Thus, the probability of taking so many prisoners is high."
This was the difference between a person who understood military affairs and one who did not. Some cannot determine probabilities, while others can speak with certainty.
However, as soon as he spoke, everyone's expressions darkened. They hadn't expected him to be so stubborn.
Dong Ying Lai said, "Dudu, with 600,000 prisoners in the hands of the Yan Kingdom's forces... I fear we cannot attack the Yan Kingdom's capital for now."
Just then, a report was delivered: "Dudu, an imperial decree has arrived."
The so-called imperial decree was a letter. During campaigns, it was inconvenient for eunuchs to fly, so at such times, formalities were usually forgone, and letters were sent instead.
Luo Zhao took the letter, read it, then silently handed it to the others.
Several people then realized that Luo Zhao had spoken truly. The imperial court had ordered them to retreat and stop Meng Shan Min.
Chang Fei said, "Our message is likely still en route." Everyone understood that the imperial message had reached them first.
Luo Zhao narrowed his eyes. "Qian Lian Sheng's message is likely also on its way."
Su Yuan Bai said, "Dudu, if the Yan Kingdom's forces hold 600,000 prisoners, we cannot simply stand by idly. We must not advance further into the Yan Kingdom. It would be better to retreat and avoid gaining the reputation of state criminals!"
Luo Zhao tightened his jaw and stated clearly:
"A field commander on campaign has the right not to obey the emperor's order!"
Several people exchanged glances, and Dong Ying Lai began to dissuade him:
"Dudu, why be stubborn? You know yourself that there are malicious tongues in the imperial court. It's best not to give them cause for gossip now. Why resist the order further? We are speaking for your own good."
Luo Zhao replied once more:
"Everything has already gone awry. I didn't put in all this effort for nothing, so I will bear all the consequences myself. Let them judge me later! I am no mere official, and I won't wag my tongue like them. I am a general. Does a warrior on the battlefield quarrel? Therefore, they will never understand my way of thinking, nor that of others like me who have been on the battlefield. Retreat? How can we retreat now? The Yan Kingdom's forces now hold the advantageous position, so why would the Yan Kingdom negotiate with us? Is it merely because we are at their capital that they would be forced to negotiate?"
"If we withdraw our troops now, we will, on the contrary, invite disaster upon ourselves! If the danger to the Yan Kingdom's capital disappears, do you think they will continue to negotiate with us?"
As soon as he said this, everyone fell into contemplation and perplexity.
"What is the probability of favorable negotiations? Who wouldn't relish the chance to crush three million enemy soldiers? What general wouldn't desire that? If I were Meng Shan Min, as soon as the danger to the capital disappeared, I would disregard the capital's orders and not allow our Song Kingdom's forces to cross the Dong Yu River. I would also exhaust all our resources.
Shang Chao Zong, with his hundred thousand cavalry, is like the wind. He watches us like a wolf. And why? Because he awaits an opportune moment. He and Meng Shan Min are preparing our doom.
They have 600,000 prisoners. We have no leverage. So how can we negotiate with them? On what basis? If the Yan Kingdom's capital is safe, why would they release us then? And if an opportunity arises to annihilate us, even if Meng Shan Min breaks his word and disobeys his capital's decree, will their capital simply turn a blind eye? People can forget everything instantly. And will we have enough provisions to return to their capital again?
Therefore, we cannot retreat! Only by taking the capital will we have the opportunity to negotiate! It seems our imperial court is not yet aware of the 600,000 prisoners. Qian Lian Sheng's dispatch is also still en route to the imperial court. This means they are unaware as well. Is it truly worth withdrawing troops like this? Which of you will tell me now—should we withdraw troops or not?"
Luo Zhao said this because he still needed the support of the three sects.
Yan Kingdom's capital, residence of Song Kingdom's envoy, Qian Lian Sheng.
It seemed he had also received an order from the imperial court. The Song Kingdom's capital had ordered him to conduct peace negotiations with the Yan Kingdom. They wished to agree on the withdrawal of the Yan Kingdom's troops from within the Song Kingdom's borders, and in return, the Song Kingdom would also withdraw its forces from the Yan Kingdom, without attacking the Yan Kingdom's capital.
In truth, the Song Kingdom did not wish to become like the Yan Kingdom, where ruin and fragmentation reigned. They could not turn a blind eye as Meng Shan Min did as he pleased within their territory. Even less could they allow themselves to fall into the same state the Yan Kingdom was currently in.
The purpose of the negotiations was to allow Luo Zhao to return with his army.
However, the order made no mention of the 600,000 prisoners. Qian Lian Sheng wondered, was the imperial court talking nonsense, or were they unaware of the 600,000 prisoners? From his own experience, he understood that the Yan Kingdom would hardly agree to peace so easily.
Fortunately, Luo Zhao was nearby, so he awaited Luo Zhao's reply.
Luo Zhao's reply was rather complex. He stated that it was difficult to immediately confirm the Yan Kingdom held 600,000 prisoners. But based on his experience, it was quite possible they did. With this, Luo Zhao clearly indicated that he was not yet prepared to execute the order to recall the troops. Therefore, he wanted Qian Lian Sheng to, under the pretext of clarifying information, ask the Yan Kingdom for assistance in this matter.
Indeed, the Dudu now needed to verify the information and also tightly encircle the capital, in case the rumors proved true. Then, no one would dare execute the 600,000 prisoners, and they would gain a trump card in negotiations!
Luo Zhao had no intention of obeying the imperial court's order, so Qian Lian Sheng was compelled to disobey as well. However, as an envoy, he clearly understood the importance of leverage in negotiations. Especially if the opponent truly held 600,000 prisoners, he needed to cooperate with Luo Zhao.
Qian Lian Sheng immediately went to the palace to see the advisor for public works. He met with Tong Mo and began negotiations. The Emperor had delegated to Tong Mo the authority to conduct the negotiations.
The Song Kingdom's imperial court, having received the negotiation terms from Qian Lian Sheng, was alarmed. They also learned about the 600,000 prisoners and immediately dispatched cultivators to verify this information. Simultaneously, they ordered Qian Lian Sheng to somehow appease the Yan Kingdom. Loshan Mountains.
After their victorious triumph over the enemy, the Yan Kingdom's forces rested for a day. As soon as the ground had somewhat dried, the troops officially began preparing to withdraw.
Having received news from Meng Xuan, Gong Ling Ze entered the commander-in-chief's tent. Seeing Meng Shan Min explaining the plan to the commanders, he waited on the side for a moment.
Once everything had been discussed, Gong Ling Ze presented the capital's plan. He stated that the 600,000 prisoners were ordered to be kept for the capital, for the sake of negotiations.
Upon hearing this, all the commanders immediately began to express their dissatisfaction and indignation. They were difficult to appease, and in the end, Meng Shan Min led them outside.
When only a few people remained, Su Qi Tong said with displeasure:
"Elder Gong," Su Qi Tong began, "we are currently in an advantageous position. Our Yan Kingdom is now utterly battered. What do we have to fear now? The Song Kingdom is now defenseless before us. They are the ones who should be afraid! To release 600,000 prisoners for the sake of saving the capital is like giving meat to a tiger and keeping only the bones for ourselves. We must seize this opportunity and punish them!"
Zhang Hu said with indignation:
"The Song Kingdom's forces will attack and take the capital hostage. Do they not have legs? Do they not know they should flee? Now is not the time to support them. They are always the first to hold us back! How many of our brothers have perished here! And how difficult it was for us to turn the tide in our favor. Now, the Song Kingdom is before us like a defenseless lamb. Can we possibly let such an opportunity slip away? No! As for withdrawing troops and releasing prisoners, I am the first to object!"
All those gathered here had never truly been aligned with the imperial court, and the fate of the capital meant nothing to them. It would be utter folly if they were to choose the tiny Yan Kingdom's capital over attacking the Song Kingdom. It would simply be foolish!