Chapter 865 Please, Gentlemen, Die for Me!

Silence fell within the command tent.

When requesting this audience, Li Xundao had specifically asked for everyone else to be dismissed. Therefore, at this moment, there were only six people inside the tent.

One was Li Xundao, and the other was Yao Zizhan.

The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, with Baili Jian and Baili Xianglan standing on either side of him.

In addition, there was one other person, unseen, but certainly present.

What a pity,

If the Prince of Pingxi were here at this moment, he would probably puff out his chest and say to those around him:

Look, I'm not the one most afraid of death!

Originally, the other ministers who had accompanied the Emperor, as well as the other generals of this Imperial Army, were not here.

"Heh... hehe..."

The Emperor, who had been lost in thought for a long time, laughed.

He was laughing, but none of the others present dared to laugh.

Shangjing might be lost;

But the Emperor himself was still here.

"Xundao, what do you think we should do next?"

The Emperor had no intention of punishing Li Xundao, although this plan had been drafted by Li Xundao, the one who made the decision was still the Emperor of the Great Qian.

Perhaps this Emperor was indeed lacking in military affairs, but in other aspects, he was already extremely outstanding. He was willing to face reality, and could quickly accept it, not wasting emotions on hysterics, nor burying his head in the sand in a fit of rage.

"Your Majesty, the Yan barbarians have few soldiers. Even if they take Shangjing, as invaders, they cannot hold it. At this time, it is only right that the Imperial Army withdraws to Shangjing and recovers the capital."

Li Xundao answered calmly.

Since ancient times, the capital city has never been easy to defend. The larger the city, the more difficult it is to achieve military security.

Therefore, after the expansion of Fengxin City in Jidong, where the Prince of Pingxi's manor was located, its four sides were deliberately left blank, empty enough to play golf. The population was also deliberately controlled, not blindly filled in. To this day, there is only a Gourd Temple outside the city. The purpose of doing so is to maximize the possibility of ensuring that the city's military defense attributes are not weakened.

Similarly,

Even if the Yan people take Shangjing City, with the existing forces, it would be very difficult, even nearly impossible, to defend it.

The Emperor blinked,

His eyes filled with contemplation.

As the ruler of a country, he knew better than anyone the importance of the capital to a nation.

This was different from the last time when the Jingnan Prince burned Yingdu of Chu. On that occasion, the Chu Emperor had a sense of using a borrowed knife to kill, and had transferred his selected officials, troops, treasury, and so on in advance.

But Shangjing City was left there in its original state.

However,

The Emperor did not immediately order a return,

But asked:

"If the Imperial Army I am with withdraws to Shangjing, can that banner surrounded by my four armies be taken down?"

Li Xundao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Army must either not retreat, or retreat completely. Only in this way can we ensure that our army can steadily retake Shangjing City. Sending only a portion back may lead to problems.

Once the Imperial Army withdraws, the Northern Qiang cavalry on the other three sides are already undisciplined and cannot be truly restrained. Han Sui has long been as immovable as a mountain, and the Zu family's 30,000 new troops will be dragged down by the Xiang soldiers around them;

Therefore, a four-sided encirclement, if transformed into a three-sided encirclement, will inevitably have many loopholes, and that banner can calmly find an opportunity to slip out of this pocket."

The Emperor nodded,

Then,

He placed his palm on the imperial desk in front of him,

And said:

"If Shangjing is already lost, it doesn't matter whether it is recovered sooner or later. The face that should be lost has already been lost, and the people who should die have already died."

As soon as these words came out,

The expressions of everyone present changed. It was hard to imagine that these words would come from the Emperor's mouth.

"Back then, when the Prince of Pingxi was still a young general, he pointed at my nose and said that I didn't understand military affairs; at that time, I could have easily ordered someone to crush him.

Even, Xianglan's sword once brushed past his neck, just a hair's breadth away.

But I didn't do that;

Do I regret it now?

I regret it,

I regret it very much!

I believe that the one from Chu also regrets it. He once rode in the same carriage with that man, and even composed poems together, hahaha.

As a result, he snatched his sister and repeatedly humiliated his Chu kingdom.

Xundao,

You are the last disciple of Master Zang,

Tell me,

Is there really a kind of person in this world who is a hidden dragon in the depths, who is destined to be good, who can dance and soar, and transform into a dragon?"

"Your Majesty, I have already entered officialdom. Since I have come down from the mountain, I will no longer speak of matters on the mountain."

"Yes, it is I who have embarrassed you."

As a prime minister in the court, how could he still be like before, calculating fates and speaking of destiny.

Even if the style of Qi cultivation is prevalent in Qian, the officials in the court still want face, not to the point of being so absurd.

"Bang!"

The Emperor's fist slammed on the imperial desk.

"But I just feel that the Prince of Pingxi, that Zheng Fan, is the kind of person who has this kind of luck, this kind of person who can even change the fate of a nation!

I missed it once,

This time,

I don't want to miss it again!

I know,

I understand,

I can even imagine myself a year from now, two years from now, five years from now,

Recalling today, if I only focused on recovering the capital and let him run away, I would still regret today's choice!"

The Emperor's voice became lower and lower, but his words became clearer and clearer:

"I didn't understand before, but now, I understand. He is using himself as bait to attract my army over, to give his main force the opportunity to outflank us from the rear, is that right, Xundao?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

"I am not wise, I am very unwise. If I had understood his purpose earlier, I would have prioritized protecting Shangjing, the place where I was born, the most beautiful place in the entire Great Qian, the entire Xia civilization.

But now,

Since things have come to this,

You, Li Xundao, said that Shangjing is likely indefensible, then the太子(taizi, crown prince) of Shangjing, the Queen of Shangjing, and the people of Shangjing are probably going to suffer a calamity.

But I suddenly feel that it is worth it.

It's not that I'm saying nice things, nor am I deliberately trying to find a way out for myself. An emperor losing his capital is a great humiliation!

But I really think...

No,

He miscalculated one thing,

He miscalculated his own position in my heart!

In my heart,

He is more important than Shangjing!

If the capital is lost, it can be rebuilt!

If the people's hearts are scattered, they can be reunited!

If the national strength is exhausted, it can be replenished!

Great Qian can still recover, I'll bet on it, I'll believe it, I'll believe that this deal will be worth it for me!

He, Zheng Fan,

Is worth this choice for me!

Li Xundao, receive the decree!"

"Your subject is here!"

"I order you to send out scouts to intercept all news coming from Shangjing City. I will not allow the fall of Shangjing to disturb the morale of the army.

Also,

I order you to command the four armies,

At all costs,

For me,

Smother him here!

I want to take his banner, take his head,

To offer as a sacrifice to the people of Shangjing!

I,

Want him to die!"

……

In the next two days, the contact between the two armies reached an extremely close distance. If compared to two people, it was like standing face to face, even the eyelashes could be clearly counted.

"Do you think Chen Yang has reached Shangjing City?" the Sword Saint asked.

"I'm afraid they've already taken it," Zheng Fan replied.

"Then do you think the Qian people have come to their senses?"

"The strengths and weaknesses of both sides are already clear. The Qian people should have understood in the past two days that my banner is here, but my main force is not here, nor is it nearby trying to attack one of his Qian armies. The only place they can go is the only one left."

"The Qian people know, but they haven't retreated, why?"

The Sword Saint laughed before Zheng Fan could answer, "That Emperor of the Qian, he is willing to risk not returning to recover the capital in order to eat you."

"He's crazy."

Zheng Fan said.

"I don't think he's crazy." The Sword Saint shook his head. "Maybe my mind is narrow, and I'm only suitable for wielding a sword in this life. So I think that at all costs, solving you first is actually a worthwhile move for them."

"You're crazy too."

"Maybe, but think about it, their Shangjing is lost, it's lost. If they lose Shangjing and then lose you, wouldn't they lose everything? It's better to grab something solid in their hands.

This is the only time. According to your temperament, it will be difficult, even almost impossible, for the Qian to seize the opportunity again if you put yourself in danger again."

"Old Yu, I'm very flustered right now, can we change the way we talk?"

"Okay, what do you decide to do? I'm afraid the Qian army will attack tomorrow."

"Break through, I don't want to die." Zheng Fan said very bluntly, "I haven't lived enough, my two children are still in their mother's womb, they haven't even seen the world yet."

"Can you break through?"

"It's difficult, but we can't just be trapped here, if we're trapped, then death is certain.

However, there is one thing that is gratifying. The Qian army did not turn back, which means that after Chen Yang's unit takes Shangjing according to plan, there is a chance to circle back.

Originally, it would have been difficult for them to turn back."

"So, Chen Yang's unit was originally a pawn you intended to sacrifice?"

Attracting the Qian army's main force back to Shangjing, letting Chen Yang entangle the Qian army's forces, so that he could take the opportunity to withdraw from the battle, all the way north or northeast, in short, to escape.

"Do you know the role and significance of Shangjing?"

"I know."

"Paying such a price in exchange for their capital is very worthwhile. This knife is enough for the Qian to bleed a lot of blood, and it will bleed for a very, very long time.

At least, it can make the Qian incapable of organizing a large army to cause trouble in the north for five years.

Five years,

My Jidong will be even stronger,

Five years,

Ji Laoliu can let the Yan kingdom recover.

This is the most difficult hurdle to overcome. The entire Yan has been walking a tightrope all these years. A little carelessness will lead to a complete defeat.

At least,

I have managed to hold this situation together.

When the Yan and Jin lands have recovered, it will be the moment when the Great Yan declares war on Qian and Chu at the same time."

The Sword Saint nodded and said, "But you still haven't said how you plan to break through."

"Let the army around me provide cover for me and create an opportunity for me to break through."

"Is it, that simple?"

"Simple?"

"Is this directly planning to abandon the tail to survive?"

"Yes."

"They're not your soldiers, so you don't feel sorry for them?"

"Even if they were my Jidong soldiers, I would do the same. Li Fusheng is a general, he can die in battle with his subordinates. When he dies, he may still be thinking about letting me avenge him.

I am a commander, and my person is tied to the stability of Jidong.

If I die, who will avenge me?

Who can inherit this cause?"

"These words are very high-sounding."

"Do you think I'm hypocritical?"

"I don't know, but I thank you for your frankness to me."

"My frankness is not just to you."

"Oh?"

Zheng Fan got up,

And walked out of the command tent, the Sword Saint followed behind.

Outside the command tent,

A deep pit had been dug.

It was dug by Chen Xianba under orders.

Seeing that the Prince had come out, Chen Xianba walked into the command tent, carried out a chair, and let the Prince sit on the edge of the deep pit.

"Let's begin."

"Yes!"

Teams of Yan soldiers walked towards here, passing in front of the Prince, walked to the deep pit, and threw their identity waist tags into the pit.

Many people, when passing by, actually looked at the Prince.

The Prince just sat there quietly, like a statue.

Gradually,

The waist tags in the pit began to increase.

Zheng Fan sat for about an hour.

The last one to come and throw the waist tag was Chen Yuan.

"Your Highness, except for the scouts and sentries who have been sent out, everyone else has thrown their waist tags in."

"Good."

The Prince nodded, stood up, and moved his slightly stiff limbs.

Then,

He walked onto a small high platform in front.

Below the high platform,

A group of soldiers holding torches were neatly arranged. When the Prince stood on it, everyone's eyes were cast up.

At this moment,

Zheng Fan suddenly thought of a sentence that Gou Moli had said, he said that his real skill was to be able to fool a large group of barbarian warriors into willingly going to their deaths.

This sentence, in Zheng Fan's mind at this moment, seemed to have a new meaning.

"Soldiers, the Earl of Yishan, following my orders, is leading our main force and has already entered Shangjing City. The Qian people's capital is being ravaged by us!

I think you already know about this."

In the past two days, Zheng Fan had already ordered people to tell the following soldiers about the war plan.

"The Qian people outside, their Emperor, that is, their Emperor, actually knows that his lair has been taken by us!!!

I'm afraid their Queen has been caught by the Earl of Yishan, washed clean and waiting for me to favor her!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!"

As soon as they heard "caught the Queen", the soldiers below immediately became extremely excited.

"But they clearly know that their old home has been taken by us. That Emperor clearly knows that his wife and children are probably in our hands now.

But he, but the Qian people,

Did not withdraw their troops to save their capital,

In these few days, they are still pressing us step by step to compress our military camp,

Why is this?

The reason is very simple,

He, the Qian people,

Want to get back at us!

He, the Qian people, believe that,

A capital city, a Shangjing City, is not as valuable as my head!

They are throwing caution to the wind, they are now frantically trying to take my banner and my head to sacrifice!

We,

Have already earned it,

We have earned a lot,

This deal,

We have earned a lot of money, there is nothing in this world more valuable than this!

But they now want my life, they want me to die!

I don't want to die!

I can't die yet!

I don't want to let the Qian people recover even a little bit of their capital here!

But the surrounding Qian army has more than 200,000 people, and we only have 10,000 here!

Therefore, I want to break through, I want to rush out!

I need you to open up the Qian people's blockade for me, open up the Qian people's military formation, so that I can escape alive!

Yes,

I'm going to escape!

After taking such a big advantage, not escaping would be stupid!

But if I want to escape alive, you have to die for me, the more resolutely you die, the more chance I will have to escape!

Since I put on my armor, I have never abandoned the soldiers around me, but this time, I have to do this.

I need you to cover my back, to pave the way for me, to use your blood and flesh to create life for me!

In principle,

I shouldn't make this so clear, I should shout that I will live and die with you, I should deceive you that I will always be with you!

But this is a losing business, I don't want to do it!

Your waist tags have just been thrown into this pit in front of me.

The pit will be filled in later.

In the future,

I will lead 100,000, 200,000, 300,000, 400,000 more, my Great Yan iron cavalry, to come back here and dig this pit open!

The brothers who died in battle, the brothers who died for me, I will erect a monument for each and every one of them!

I,

Will avenge you,

One day,

I will surely destroy this Qian kingdom to repay everyone's kindness in saving my life today!

I will take the head of that Qian Emperor, I will take the Qian kingdom's territory,

For you,

To be buried with you!"

Shouting to this point,

Zheng Fan paused,

Cupped his hands,

And roared:

"Please, gentlemen, die for me!"

The scene,

Suddenly became quiet, leaving only the evening wind, blowing over and over again.

This silence was terrifying.

The Sword Saint reached out and pressed down on his hair, which was blown up by the wind.

This was the first time he had seen a commander so directly tell his soldiers that he hoped to use their lives to exchange for his own survival.

Since ancient times, even when covering the rear, soldiers often did not know that they were performing the task of covering the rear, because once they were told, the morale of the troops below might directly collapse.

The Sword Saint subconsciously looked at his son,

He saw that his son's face was full of solemnity and determination.

The Sword Saint withdrew his gaze, his fingertips lightly tapping the sword sheath, wanting to slightly dispel the suffocating oppressive atmosphere before the storm.

The Prince on the stage,

Was still cupping his hands,

Immobile.

Suddenly,

The soldiers below almost all knelt down on one knee,

And slammed their right fists on the armor on their chests,

Making a heart-pounding tapping sound,

Followed by,

A near-mountain-roar-sea-wave-like shout:

"We are willing to die for the Prince!"