The cold wind is like a knife, and the world is desolate.
The General's Mansion in Liaoyang City was also filled with a cold and murderous atmosphere.
In the meeting hall of the General's Mansion, all the Liaodong generals lowered their heads and looked solemn. Although there was tea on the tables at hand, no one dared to pick up the tea cup.
For many years, the military meetings of the Liaodong Army have been very relaxed.
We drank tea and snacks, and then discussed the matter while talking and laughing.
Even after every military meeting, the General's Mansion would entertain military generals who came from all over the country, drinking and drinking together without stopping.
But now the situation in Northeast China is becoming more and more serious for the Liaodong Army.
The direct confrontation between the Liaodong Army and the Long Rui Army resulted in three defeats in three battles.
If the loss and defeat in the first two battles did not make General Wang Xingchao feel distressed, then the recent misfortune caused by Huangfu Yunzhao's design caused the loss of the general's direct lineage, which naturally made the general very angry.
The three thousand elite members of the general's direct lineage were either killed or captured. Almost the entire army was wiped out, and less than two hundred of them came back alive.
Such a huge defeat and the loss of elites must always be held accountable.
Huangfu Yunzhao led his troops to join the Long Rui Army. Sima Tu Moting, who was highly regarded by the general, secretly met with Huangfu Yunzhao and lobbied Huangfu Yunzhao to return to the Liaodong Army. However, Huangfu Yunzhao was actually successfully persuaded by Tu Moting and even made a plan.
, I want to give the Liaodong Army a generous gift of return.
This matter is inherently secretive. Even within the Liaodong Army, not many people know about it. Moreover, those who know about Huangfu Yunzhao's plan feel that the plan is too risky. Once Huangfu Yunzhao has different intentions, it is very likely that
On the contrary, the Liaodong Army fell into the enemy's trap.
However, Tu Moting was not interested in this
The matter was extremely persistent, and he even persuaded the general to cooperate with Huangfu Yunzhao in implementing the plan with his sharp tongue and the general's trust in him.
The general and Tu Sima both insisted on taking a gamble, but the actual result was a disastrous defeat for the Liaodong Army.
Although the decision to carry out this military operation was made by the general, the general was certainly not at fault, and someone had to be found to take the blame.
And Sima Tu Moting, who played a driving role in this plan, was naturally the best candidate.
Fortunately, Tu Moting managed to save his life from the battlefield, but after returning to Liaoyang City, he was immediately detained and sent to prison.
The generals also knew that Tu Moting must have known that he would inevitably die if he returned to Liaodong, but he insisted on running back just to save his family.
He took the initiative to plead guilty and was taken to the execution ground as the scapegoat of the general. Perhaps the general could spare the lives of his family because he took the blame for himself.
Tu Moting not only came back to take the blame for the general, but even brought back a message from Huangfu Yunzhao.
In this battle, the Liaodong Army suffered heavy casualties, and many soldiers became prisoners.
Huangfu Yunzhao's idea was very simple, he could exchange the prisoners of the Liaodong Army for hostages.
Although the family members of Huangfu Yunzhao were rescued by Qin Xiao and sent to Yingping, the family members of many generals who had joined Long Rui's army were still used as hostages in Liaodong.
Huangfu Yunzhao wanted to exchange prisoners for hostages from the Liaodong Army.
When the general heard the news, he was furious and was even ready to order all the family members of the generals to be taken to the execution ground to be executed. However, after calming down, he finally sent someone to negotiate with Huangfu Yunzhao.
These
One day, a great epidemic spread in Modong. All the ministries were dealing with the epidemic, while the Liaodong Army and Yingping were busy exchanging prisoners and hostages.
Just two days ago, according to the list provided by Huangfu Yunzhao, the Liaodong Army sent more than 300 hostages, and Huangfu Yunzhao indeed released more than 300 Liaodong Army prisoners in exchange for one as promised.
one.
In fact, the Liaodong generals also knew in their hearts that when the general finally agreed to the exchange, he must have thought carefully and considered the reality.
If the family members of those generals were really killed, they would definitely be known as butchers, which would in turn make the people of Liaodong even more angry, and make the generals who had joined Long Rui's army hate the general so much that the gains outweighed the losses.
The most important thing is that those captured are all elite members of the general's direct lineage.
Those elite soldiers are all trained and capable warriors. The fault of this defeat is not those soldiers, they are still usable soldiers.
An important trump card of the General in command of the Liaodong Army is the elite direct lineage under his command. From a practical point of view, if the strength of the General is less, the deterrence of the General in the Liaodong Army will be smaller.
Therefore, it would be more beneficial for the general to exchange a group of old and weak soldiers for elite soldiers from his direct lineage.
Last night, more than 300 elite soldiers who were exchanged had returned to Liaoyang City, and early this morning, the general summoned the generals from various ministries to discuss matters.
There was not even a stove in the meeting hall. The door was open, and the wind blew in from outside the door, and the cold wind was as cold as a knife.
After all the generals arrived, they sat for a long time, not daring to say a word. Although they felt cold, no one dared to touch the hot tea on the table.
Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps, and everyone saw a suit of armor
Anton's General Wang Xingchao walked in from the side door. The generals stood up at the same time and faced the general's chair. After Wang Xingchao sat down, they knelt down on one knee and said in unison: "See you, General!"
"Everyone, get up!" Wang Xingchao's voice was extremely cold and cold. After the generals stood up, they did not dare to sit down, and Wang Xingchao did not let everyone sit down.
"Bring it with you!"
Wang Xingchao was sitting on the general's chair, his body upright and his expression stern.
Soon, two soldiers escorted one person in from the outside. The generals on both sides looked over and immediately recognized that it was General Sima Tu Moting, so they all took a step back.
Tu Moting knelt on the ground, but immediately kowtowed: "My subordinate Tu Moting, pay your respects to the general!"
"Tu Moting, do you know your guilt?" Wang Xingchao said coldly.
Tu Moting immediately said: "I am aware of my guilt. I was deceived by Huangfu Yunzhao, led the troops and fell into his trap. I lost my troops and generals. I deserve death!"
When Wang Xingchao heard Tu Moting admitting his guilt, his voice softened slightly and he said: "Although victory or defeat is a common thing for military officers, you did not check the enemy's evil intentions, fell into the deduction trap, and damaged many soldiers of our Liaodong Army. It is really an unpardonable crime.
." After a slight pause, he said, "Do you have anything else to explain?"
"I know that I have committed a crime, but I will not be able to forgive my sin even if I die." Tu Moting raised his head and said, "I have only one request. I ask the general to forgive my family members!"
Wang Xingchao said calmly: "You don't have to worry about that. The crime is not as serious as your family. After you are rectified, your family will take care of you, so you don't have to worry."
"The General has a kind heart. With the General taking care of him, his subordinates will feel at ease." Tu Moting kowtowed again and said, "Thanks to the General for so many years, I
The general takes care of and supports me, and my subordinates are deeply grateful. I cannot repay you in this life, I can only repay you in the next life!"
All the generals bowed their heads and remained silent, knowing in their hearts that if it had been the same in the past, they would have come forward to intercede anyway.
But this time it's different.
Tu Moting obviously wanted to take the blame for Wang Xingchao. If Tu Moting did not die, Wang Xingchao would not be able to explain to the entire army, so Tu Moting would definitely die this time.
If he had to come forward to request at this time, it would mess up Wang Xingchao's plan, so although there were more than a dozen generals in the meeting hall, no one dared to come forward.
"You can go in peace!" Wang Xingchao thought for a moment, then said calmly.
Tu Moting then stood up, looked around, and said: "Generals, in view of our long-term friendship, I would like to ask you to take more care of your family in the future. Tu Moting would like to thank you!" Both sides bowed respectfully.
, all the generals returned the courtesy, and no one said a word.
Tu Moting then turned around and was escorted by two soldiers to the execution place that had been prepared long ago.
After Tu Moting left, Wang Xingchao was silent for a long time before raising his hand to signal everyone to sit down.
"The purpose of killing Tu Moting was just to give an explanation to the people and soldiers." Wang Xingchao said slowly: "Although he was wrong, my mistake was deeper. If I hadn't mistakenly trusted Tu Moting and Huangfu Yunzhao,
Even if we ordered the troops to be dispatched, there would not have been such a disastrous defeat. I know that you are all giving me face, but I know very well that after making such a big mistake this time, I, Wang Xingchao, really have no shame to continue in this position."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.
But Wang Xingchao slowly stood up, walked to the side, pointed to the general chair, and said with emotion: "Sit on this chair, even if you want to protect your family and the country, you must also bring it with you."
Let the brothers live a good life. I have been sitting on this chair for twenty years, which can be regarded as keeping the four northeastern counties safe, and the surrounding people dare not invade. In addition, the brothers also have food and clothing, and their families are safe."
Everyone immediately said: "The general led us to defend our country and we are worthy of the Tang Dynasty!"
"But Qin Xiao relied on the favor of the saint and came to the northeast. He was arrogant and domineering." Wang Xingchao said coldly: "This man is ambitious, expands his strength, cuts off business routes, accumulates wealth, builds up a naval army, and even fights with the grassland
The collusion of various tribes all shows that this person wants to separate his country and stand on his own. We understand this person's ambition and want to clear out the rebels for the court. However, I did not command properly and suffered consecutive defeats. I really feel ashamed of the soldiers and even more of the court.
." Pointing to the general's chair, he said: "I am no longer qualified to sit on this chair. I have called you here today to discuss a suitable candidate to lead the Liaodong Army out of this predicament."
When the generals heard this, they looked even more horrified and looked at each other in astonishment.
Wang Xingchao has been in charge of the Northeast for more than 20 years, and he is very skillful. This general's chair can be said to be as stable as Mount Tai.
Among the six surnames of the Liaodong Army, Huangfu Yunzhao and Tang Kaijia were both very powerful people, but they were still suppressed by Wang Xingchao for many years. Even these two people did not dare to challenge Wang Xingchao's authority, and the others even
Follow this great general honestly.
The three giants of the Liaodong Army, Huangfu Yunzhao, had surrendered to the enemy, and Tang Kaijia was killed in the battle. Without these two men, the Liaodong Army was even more despised by Wang Xingchao.
At this time, Wang Xingchao claimed that he would give up the position of the general, but among the generals present, who dared to actually run up and sit on that chair?
superior.
"Zhao Fu, you are skilled in bow and horse and have always had prestige in the army." Wang Xingchao looked at the first general among the generals and said in a calm voice: "You are the Zhonglang General, so it is better for you to succeed me and lead everyone.
Out of the woods?"
When Zhao Fu heard this, he was startled. He had already stood up and knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "General, my subordinates will not dare to die!"