On the contrary, it is absolutely undesirable to just be a coward and place all your hopes on the mercy of your opponent. The result will be that you are destined to be eliminated. The only difference is sooner or later.
If you don't want to be eliminated by others, you have to show your strong strength so that they can't be eliminated and can't take a bite. Only then will your opponent hesitate and give you enough time to develop.
The temporary statement suppressed the opposition below. Tang Ao knew more clearly that he did not convince everyone with reason, but just used his identity as King Ji to convince everyone. He wanted everyone to accept his point of view,
Then we must win this battle, not only defeat the Guzhou Army, but also achieve a great victory. At least after this battle, we must ensure that for a long period of time, the Guzhou Army will not dare to cause trouble for itself.
Okay. Only in this way can we truly win and achieve our goal.
Now it seems that the goal has been achieved. The 40,000 Guzhou Army lost 30,000 people in the first battle, which can be said to be severely damaged. At this time, negotiations with the other party will be particularly smooth.
All the generals went down to prepare for military affairs, and Han Ce was left behind in the main tent. After Tang Ao's eyes caught sight of him, he said politely: "Mr. Han, I'm going to have to work hard for you this time."
"What are you talking about, your highness? This is your duty. But has your highness really thought about it? We now have a huge advantage. Even if we work hard, it is not impossible to conquer the entire ancient state.
If we let Sang Beidou go now, I don't know how long it will take to get such a good opportunity next time." Han Ce used words to confuse Tang Ao.
According to what was previously discussed, after the war is won, the next step is to use political means to resolve the remaining issues. For example, taking advantage of the victory to negotiate with Sang Doubei, with the absolute advantage, as long as Tang Ao
The request was not too excessive, and Sang Doubei would never dare to refuse.
But now, with such a great victory, even Han Ce couldn't help but want to go one step further, that is, take the opportunity to occupy the entire ancient state to expand King Ji's influence and territory.
"I have already thought about it, and everything will be completed according to the planned plan." Tang Ao said unmoved, as if he didn't understand the deep meaning of Han Ce's words.
"Okay, that's it. I'll leave without further ado." Seeing that Tang Ao had made up his mind, Han Ce quickly expressed his attitude instead of saying anything.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Let's have dinner and rest for a day before leaving." Tang Ao said with concern.
"You can eat on the way, but things should be settled early. The envoy from Beidi must have set off for Jicheng. We still have a lot of things to do." Han Ce chuckled, expressing his determination to set off immediately.
"That's alright." Tang Ao did not stop him, but said to Shi Lei beside him: "Inform Feng Xun and arrange for five hundred Shanshan Guards to protect Mr. Han's safety. There must be no mistakes."
Han Ce walked away, and Shi Lei also went to pass on the order. Only Xue Fei was left in the tent. When there were no other people around, she was no longer silent. She asked with a puzzled look on her face, "I really don't want to fight for such a good opportunity."
Do you want to leave Guzhou in the hands of Sang Doubei?"
It's no wonder that Xue Fei has such doubts. If the same opportunity is presented to Emperor Qianwen and others, I am afraid they will choose to swallow it up without hesitation. They will never use gentle means of negotiation to give their opponents a chance.
A breather.
"Yes." Tang Ao nodded seriously. Although he wanted to swallow the fat in his mouth, he couldn't do it for the sake of the overall situation.
It is easy to say that it is easy to swallow Guzhou. The Jizhou Army, which has just won a great victory, is very strong in terms of military spirit, will and morale. It is not a problem to defeat the remnant army Sang Dou in the north. Even if he wants to, he does not need to send troops. No matter what kind of reinforcements, the final victory can be achieved with more than 20,000 troops under his command. Over the years, after Sang Doubei became a feudal official, he became so complacent that he lost his fighting spirit. The entire Guzhou was affected by economic and social problems. The military has not been developed. The emergence of the Jizhou Army is still a kind of liberation for the local people. I am afraid that some people will welcome it with both hands. It is still a dream for the people.
But even so, Tang Ao couldn't swallow Guzhou now. If he did, neither King Zhong nor Emperor Qianwen would allow it.
Emperor Qianwen might be able to say more, after all, Sang Doubei had just rebelled against him, and Emperor Qianwen should feel good watching him die. But for this capricious emperor, who knows what he will do next? For example, whether he will The council issued an imperial edict requiring him to hand over Guzhou. If so, would he hand it over or not?
Although Tang Ao resisted the decree not once or twice, but in most cases, even if he resisted the decree, it was against an insignificant decree. In the final analysis, it did not touch Emperor Qianwen's bottom line. This was the reason why he dared to resist the decree.
But if Emperor Qianwen resists the decree on the matter of a state's sovereignty, Tang Ao has no idea whether Emperor Qianwen will allow it or not. Once he turns against this advantageous father now, it will not do anything for the future development of Jizhou. Good thing.
This is one of them. The other is the attitude of being loyal to the king.
Although Sang Beidou did not become King Zhong's confidant, on the surface, Guzhou was under the jurisdiction of King Zhong. At this time, he occupied this place. Was that a slap in King Zhong's face? He had to deal with it just to save his face. He would have sent his own troops. Once King Zhong was determined to become an enemy of Jizhou, Tang Ao would have a huge headache. The Liaozhou Army was not as easy to deal with as the Guzhou Army, and there was a considerable gap in terms of strength alone.
Once the Liaozhou Army is dispatched, the Beidi Army is looking for an opportunity. If there is a north-south pincer attack, the current strength of the Jizhou Army will be absolutely unable to withstand it. If it is not done well, it will be swallowed up. In that case, Jizhou will be better. The situation that was easily created will also come to nothing, which Tang Ao cannot bear.
Not to mention, now that Guzhou is occupied, Tang Ao does not have that many talents to manage it. Even so, it is better not to occupy it first and continue to let Sang Doubei manage it. Maintain a balanced situation , no one will force him. With time, Jizhou will be able to breathe and develop, right?
This is the real reason why Tang Ao didn't swallow Guzhou. In front of outsiders, he wouldn't explain it so clearly, but in front of Xue Fei, a woman who is dedicated to herself, he told her everything. Xue Fei just said After a while, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Okay, okay, I don't understand military matters, but I just believe in the young master's decision."
Since Tang Ao's identity was exposed, Xuefei no longer calls Tang Ao Young Master, but Young Master. This is the title she should really give her. Not only her, but Ao Wu and others have also changed their words now. Called the young master.
"Haha." Sensing Xuefei's support, Tang Ao looked happy. "Don't worry, Fei'er, Guzhou will be ours sooner or later. If you don't eat it now, it doesn't mean you won't eat it in the future. We just wait for the right time."
...
Lin County.
One of the major counties in Guzhou.
After the defeat in front of Fengcheng, Sang Doubei fled here with more than 10,000 defeated troops. He ordered the city gate to be closed tightly, with the intention of fighting again with the Jizhou Army here.
But only Sang Doubei knew that the Guzhou Army, which had experienced a major defeat, could no longer be the opponent of the Jizhou Army. Unless he was given time to develop and recruit troops again, the question was, would King Ji give him this time?
At least if it were him, he would never give his opponent a chance to breathe. So on the surface he looked like he was going to fight the Jizhou Army here, but in fact he was ready to retreat at any time.
And prepare to send people to ask for reinforcements from King Zhong.
"Master General, Master General." Just as Sang Doubei was writing a rescue letter to King Zhong in the study, two generals, Hua An and Lu Feng, arrived outside the door and shouted anxiously.
As a last resort, Sang Doubei put down his pen and pushed open the study door and walked out with a look of displeasure on his face, "Why are you so nervous? Could it be that the Jizhou Army is calling?"
"The Commander-in-Chief has a clever plan. It is the Jizhou Army who is here." Lu Feng thought that Sang Doubei already knew about this, so he quickly flattered him.
Unexpectedly, Sang Doubei's expression changed because of this, "What? The Jizhou Army is really here, how could it be so fast? We just arrived in Lincheng in the afternoon."
After Sang Doubei lost the battle, he didn't waste a moment. He led thousands of defeated troops in a hurry. He had just arrived at Lincheng, and he didn't expect that the pursuers of the Jizhou Army were coming. How could they be so fast? Could it be that they were so fast?
Don't they know that sufficient food and grass are needed to ensure the advance of the army? At such a fast speed, is it possible to have a sufficient supply of food and grass?
Just when Sang Doubei was still puzzled, another general Hua An gave him the answer. "Master General, the Jizhou Army is here, but there are only 500 cavalry. They are under the city at this time. They said
Want to talk to an adult?"
"Let's talk?" Sang Doubei was even more surprised after hearing this. At this time, the strength of the two sides was not equal, and he really couldn't understand what else there was to talk about. Could it be that he wanted to use the opportunity of negotiation to delay, and then wait
The main force of the Jizhou Army rushed to Lincheng to surround him, couldn't he?
At this moment, not only Sang Doubei was thinking like this, but Hua An was also thinking like this. "Sir, since they are here, we might as well have a talk. But we still have to prepare to retreat privately.
Prepare. Although Lincheng is not small, it has not prepared enough food and fodder for the army before, so it is not a place for a decisive battle."
"Yes, that's right. We don't store food and grass here, and we can't choose to fight here. In this way, Hua'an, be prepared to retreat at any time. Lu Feng will go with my commander to meet the people of the Jizhou Army to see what they have to say.
.”
Send the scheming Hua An to mobilize the army, so that he can retreat at any time. He keeps Lu Feng by his side because this man is very brave, and his presence is enough to ensure his safety.