Chapter 410
Chapter 410
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! You must immediately send the main army back to the western front to pursue Bian Wu. Any delay will bring unimaginable consequences. Your Majesty, please issue the royal decree to withdraw our forces!”
“Your Majesty, you must negotiate with the King of Yue at once.”
“Your Majesty, you must negotiate to make Bian Wu withdraw from the State of Wu.”
Several high-ranking ministers within the barracks knelt in unison, kowtowing. Their wails made them look like generals who had lost their country. The young King of Wu pretended not to hear a thing. He thought Ning Yuanxian's situation must be similar. Whenever a crisis befell the nation, there were always those who cried out as if the country were about to collapse at any moment. The most deplorable thing was that among those who wailed and made a fuss, some were secretly gloating, delighting in the king's misfortune. They beat their chests and feigned sorrow, but inwardly, they were secretly laughing.
*'Look at this. Your Majesty refused to listen to this old man, and now you've suffered a great loss, haven't you? Do you see your mistake now? You are young and inexperienced! Did you think ruling a country would be as easy as you imagined?'*
When Su Nan stormed out of the capital, it was like a fierce slap across the King of Yue's face. The ministers of Yue must have felt much the same way. A monarch and his subjects are partners, yet they are also eternal adversaries. That must be why Ning Yuanxian killed his ministers like chickens whenever he got the chance.
After a long while, the King of Wu finally spoke.
“Bian Wu has only about ten thousand troops, and they are all light cavalry. Can they even attack a fortified city?”
That would likely be impossible. The King of Wu continued.
“Bian Wu's army moves swiftly, and he is familiar with the geography of Wu. Since he has struck deep into our heartland, how large an army would it take to stop him?”
In a bygone era, even Chiang Kai-shek mobilized an army of nearly a million men but failed to stop the Red Army, which numbered only in the tens of thousands. The King of Wu rose and walked to the map.
“Several villages and towns have been burned. What's burned is burned. The grain that has been stolen is stolen. As for the people who have died…”
He could not bring himself to say the rest—that the dead were simply dead. Though it was what he truly felt, it was a malicious sentiment that a king dared not utter aloud. The young King of Wu pointed to the Leizhou Archipelago on the map and declared loudly.
“The solution to this crisis lies not with us, but with the State of Yue! The battle for Raging Tide City has already begun, which means the day we take the Leizhou Archipelago is near. That will be a great victory for our State of Wu, one that can offset the losses Bian Wu has inflicted upon us. In fact, it is far more significant than just making up for our losses. It is a strategic victory.”
Many of the ministers had never paid much attention to the sea. But after the King of Wu had repeatedly preached the importance of the sea, they now had a basic understanding. Seizing the Leizhou Archipelago would bring in hundreds of thousands of gold coins in revenue each year. It was an enormous gain.
The King of Wu spoke again.
“Ning Yuanxian is a mad gambler. I admit I was deceived by him. Who would have imagined he would send Bian Wu to raid our state? But… so what? If he thinks that will give him the strategic upper hand, he is gravely mistaken. Gamblers like Ning Yuanxian who bet so big will end up with nothing.
Yes, Bian Wu's raid on our state has utterly humiliated me. He has won victory after victory, slaughtering tens of thousands, perhaps even over a hundred thousand of our people, a military achievement that will surely shock the world. But has Ning Yuanxian solved the crisis at his doorstep? No! The crisis in Yue continues. I speak of the dire situation in Tianxi Province, caused by Su Nan's rebellion!
Zhang Chong is a formidable man, but even if he fights with all his might, White Night Commandery City will eventually fall. Su Nan's army will then sweep through the south of Tianxi Province, and when the Su Clan and the State of Jiang unite, they will muster an army of nearly one hundred thousand. If that army marches east, it can attack the capital of Yue. If it marches north, it can launch a pincer attack on the Zhong Clan's army with the State of Chu. Or, it can march south to launch a pincer attack on the main forces of Geng Qun and Zhu Lin. Bian Wu's raid on our state is indeed painful and frightening! But the eye of the current storm is not in our State of Wu, but in White Night Commandery City in Tianxi Province!
Ning Yuanxian misjudged his man. Count Pingsi of Yue, Zheng Tuo, is stingy with his troops and has no intention of fighting with all his strength. Because of him, Zhang Chong's army is on the verge of annihilation, and a fatal disaster looms over the State of Yue. Once White Night Commandery City and the south of Tianxi Province fall, and the armies of Su and Jiang join forces, what do you think will happen? The State of Yue will suffer the disaster of being torn asunder and will walk the path to ruin!
Why did Ning Yuanxian order Bian Wu's army to raid our state? It wasn't to conquer cities or seize territory, but a tactic to intimidate us and the State of Chu. He intends to strike terror into our hearts, forcing us to voluntarily negotiate and withdraw our troops. That way, his army can focus solely on quelling Su Nan's rebellion in Tianxi Province. He started this war to avoid fighting multiple nations at once.
Before he can quell Su Nan's rebellion, Ning Yuanxian must bluff, pretending that the State of Yue's national power is intact—a tiger's roar, so to speak. To think he could frighten me with such a display is nothing but a fantasy! Did he think that by letting Bian Wu run rampant and slaughter our people, I would submit to him? What a foolish dream!”
The King of Wu drew his sword and shouted.
“We have not been defeated! On the contrary, we are on the verge of a great victory! The more crazed Ning Yuanxian's actions become, the more it reveals his lack of confidence. Relay my orders: all cities in the country are to seal their gates. No one is to enter or leave. Defend the walls resolutely. Give Bian Wu no opportunities to exploit. The main army will continue to encircle and pursue Bian Wu. However, until our armies have converged to surround him, no single unit is to engage him in battle or attack him. Bian Wu is an exceptional general; currently, there is no commander in Wu who can match him.
The thirty thousand western troops currently on the move must not return to the western front. They are to continue their march without stopping and join our barracks. Then, our barracks will command a grand army of one hundred and fifty thousand, and Ning Yuanxian will be intimidated by our strength. I will never voluntarily negotiate with Ning Yuanxian. When White Night Commandery City falls, when Tianxi Province falls, a fatal crisis will befall the State of Yue. At that time, Ning Yuanxian will come to me, begging for negotiations.
When that time comes, not only will Bian Wu have to withdraw his troops, but he will also have to pay reparations. Furthermore, the State of Yue will have to recognize our State of Wu's right to rule the Leizhou Archipelago and cede at least two commanderies to us. Our State of Wu will not be defeated; on the contrary, we are about to seize an unprecedented victory. And yet, Ning Yuanxian tries to threaten me with a reckless, desperate gamble? In his dreams!”
The King of Wu drew his sword, intending to slice the table before him in two, but seeing his favorite Go board on it, he struck the corner of the table with all his might instead.
“From this day forward, if anyone dares suggest that I voluntarily submit and negotiate with the King of Yue, my sword will be aimed at them!”
Upon hearing this, the ministers fell silent, like cicadas in late autumn.
***
Inside Ning Yuanxian's barracks.
The king felt a frantic joy and a gnawing anxiety at the same time. The report in his left hand thrilled him, while the one in his right enraged him.
Bian Wu had raided the State of Wu, achieving remarkable results. He had burned countless cities and towns and torched vast fields of unharvested crops. The hundred-thousand-strong army of Wu had failed to stop him; instead, they had lost twenty to thirty thousand troops to Bian Wu's surprise attacks.
*'My martial brother hasn't fought in years, yet when he takes the field, he is invincible.'*
The number of people Bian Wu killed in this raid reached the tens of thousands. The heads of the Wu people he had cut down were piled as high as mountains; the mere rumor of it would surely send the court into a panic. But the report in his right hand was, quite literally, a pile of shit. It was news about Count Pingsi, Zheng Tuo.
*'I bestowed such great favor upon you, and this is how you repay me? You have twenty thousand troops under your command. Even if you couldn't defeat Su Nan by fighting with all your strength, couldn't you have at least joined forces with Zhang Chong to hold him back? It would have been entirely possible to tie up Su Nan's rebel army in White Night Commandery for a month or two. While that was happening, Bian Wu would have invaded the territory of Wu, slaughtering their people until their courage failed, and the King of Wu would have had no choice but to negotiate with me. Then, I could have gathered my forces again to annihilate Su Nan.'*
But what was the result now? Zhang Chong had displayed one hundred percent of his combat prowess, far exceeding the king's expectations, so much so that it made Ning Yuanxian tremble in astonishment. He couldn't even imagine how Zhang Chong was holding on. A civil official, yet he had performed a martial officer's duty to its absolute limit. Truly a capable minister and a descendant of a fierce general. In contrast, Zheng Tuo hadn't even exerted thirty percent of his strength. And he called himself a military commander who leads from the front, braving arrows and stones until he is covered in wounds?
*'Do you take me for a fool? What about your twenty thousand troops? Why did you only dispatch eight thousand of them? Why did you leave the rest at White Night Pass, claiming it was crucial and must not be lost? Su Nan would have to be insane to attack White Night Pass and provoke Zhong Yao's army. Zheng Tuo, did you think I wouldn't know you were colluding with the Su Clan, putting on a play? The human heart is so treacherous; it's truly difficult to fathom its true intentions!*
*Zheng Tuo, you villain, you're not just watching Zhang Chong die; you're watching White Night Commandery City and Tianxi Province fall. When that results in the disaster of Yue's collapse, do you think your army will be able to carve out a share for itself? Don't forget, the army under your command is mine, not yours, Zheng Tuo. This bastard deserves to die! He must be killed!'*
Enraged, Ning Yuanxian felt his head spin. The current situation was far more complex and perilous than he had anticipated. The grand eunuch, Lü Zhun, picked up a damp towel and placed it on the king's forehead.
“What is the situation with Wu?”
The grand eunuch Lü Zhun replied.
“I have just received a report from our spies in the north. The thirty-thousand-strong army from the western front of Wu had halted and was preparing to turn back to the western front to encircle Duke Bian Wu. However, they are no longer turning back. Instead, they are continuing their march east to join the King of Wu's main barracks.”