These conspiracy theories wronged Yang Tao. He wasn't a despicable person, and he wouldn't risk the war for the sake of personal revenge.
The arrival of the reinforcements was normal, but the timing of Dafang's surrender was abnormal.
"Pfft —"
Yang Si was drinking tea to quench his thirst when he suddenly heard that Xia County Magistrate had secretly sent someone over to negotiate. He spat out a mouthful of tea, drenching Feng Zhen's sleeve.
Feng Zhen almost jumped up from where he stood. His face was not only angry, but also full of disdain.
Fu Wang saw that the two were about to start fighting again, so he smiled and stepped forward to separate them.
"Military foresight is amazing. That Dafang County Magistrate is indeed a cowardly, selfish person."
Fu Wang smiled and flattered Feng Zhen, calming his anger at Yang Si's saliva on his sleeve. But Yang Si wasn't easy to deal with either.
"They sent someone over to negotiate. They might not be surrendering. Perhaps they're just pretending to surrender."
Feng Zhen laughed coldly. "If they had that kind of courage and unyielding character, Yang Jian wouldn't have died so tragically back then."
The powers in Zhangzhou were far more complicated than outsiders could imagine. Landowning families stood in great numbers, and powerful people rose up together. Their interests had already reached a delicate balance. Who would've thought that Yang Jian would appear out of nowhere and break the balance? Some people were convinced by his heroism, but more people didn't like him. At the root of it all, it was because Yang Jian's unyielding attitude had affected the interests of Zhangzhou's landowning families.
Rather than saying that Yang Jian had been poisoned by Zhao Shao, it was more accurate to say that he had died because of the landowning families' indifference.
Yang Jian was dead. The hothead who had been eyeing their cake and destroying their interests was gone. Who knew how they would celebrate in secret?
Yang Tao's personality wasn't as unyielding as Yang Jian's, and his methods weren't as forceful. That was why the backlash wasn't as severe.
If Yang Tao's personality was the same as his father's, Yang Tao would've been plotted against a long time ago.
This group of people was born to pursue benefits. They were willing to follow whoever could bring them a prosperous future and allow their families to continue to prosper. This rule didn't just apply to the landowning families of Zhangzhou. It applied to other people as well. When Yang Tao could bring them benefits, Yang Tao was their lord. When Yang Tao could not even protect himself, this group of people began to plan for themselves.
Loyalty?
What was that?
Those who were truly proud and unyielding were often the ones who died the earliest and most tragic deaths.
Those landowning households had lived longer than a thousand-year-old tortoise. Which one of them wasn't an expert at seeking benefits and avoiding harm?
In the face of the threat and pressure of the 80,000 troops, the County Magistrate of Dangfang County had long been scared out of his wits. It was expected that he would surrender.
Backbone?
Hehe, how much is that thing worth?
Just as Feng Zhen had expected, the Dang Fang County magistrate had sent people over to surrender, and the messenger had been extremely flattering.
Seeing this, Yang Si could not be bothered to argue anymore. Otherwise, he would be slapped in the face by Feng Zhen again. Zhangzhou was Feng Zhen's hometown, his home ground.
"It would be great if the people we meet along the way were all so tactful."
Although Fu Wang loved to fight, he also knew that people would die in battle. His old brothers had died one by one, and now, when he found someone to drink with, it was always a new face. It would be the best if they could conquer Zhangzhou without shedding any blood. Unfortunately, this was just a daydream.
Yang Si smiled and said, "General Fu, this isn't a good thing."
Fu Wang asked him in surprise, "Why do you say that? Isn't it good for the enemy to surrender? "
Yang Si said, "There are many people who have surrendered. Can you tell which ones are sincere and which ones are pretending to surrender and are waiting for a good opportunity?"
If the road was filled with people who had surrendered, Yang Si would be so scared that he wouldn't be able to sleep.
Fu Wang said, "What the military counselor said makes sense."
County Magistrate Xia opened the city gates and surrendered without another word. He was very guilty, and so were the landowning households in the city. No one actually went to inform Yang Tao.
When Yang Tao's reinforcements arrived nearby, he realized that something was wrong. He sent a few scouts disguised as refugees to scout for news.
Not long after, the scouts returned. They told the general that there were no signs of a siege at the city gates, but the flag on the city walls had been changed to a flag with the surname "Liu." The general who led the troops knew what had happened. He was furious and cut a withered tree at the side with his sword.
"These despicable people … Are they trying to kill us and then wag their tails at the new master to claim credit?"
The general was so angry that his chest rose and fell violently, but he couldn't care less about his anger now. He could only immediately turn around and leave with his troops.
80,000 elites were stationed in Dafang, and the level of land warfare of the soldiers under Jiang Pengji's command was well-known. The general didn't want to fight against the elites with an exhausted army after a long journey. However, he was still a step too late. Fu Wang led the troops to cut off their retreat. The two armies had a scuffle in the suburbs outside Dafang City. After a fierce battle, the crows circling in the sky refused to leave for a long time. Broken limbs and wreckage were everywhere. The reinforcements sent by Yang Tao suffered heavy casualties. However, Fu Wang didn't manage to keep all of them. Nearly half of the remaining troops broke through the encirclement.
It didn't take long for the news to reach Yang Tao's ears. When he understood the whole story, he was so angry that he smashed the table.
"I've never seen such a group of spineless cowards."
The generals under his command were also furious. They wanted to rush to the county magistrate of Dafang and cut him into pieces.
Yang Tao's eyes were bloodshot. He was so angry that his teeth were trembling. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of heartache.
When he received the emergency report from Dafang, he immediately sent his elite troops to rush there day and night. Dafang City's walls were high and thick, so it wouldn't be a problem to defend for a day or two. Who would have thought that the county magistrate wouldn't even fart and would surrender without a word? Not only was this bastard afraid of death, but he also let countless good men die because of him. If he had no intention to fight and surrendered so easily, why did he have to call for help?
The two armies hadn't even officially started fighting, but he was already siding with the enemy. How awesome!
Yan Lin said, "Please calm down, my lord. There's no need to get angry over such despicable people."
Yang Tao panted heavily. "I'm not doing it for these fickle people. I'm doing it for the soldiers who died for nothing."
Yan Lin sighed in his heart. "The county magistrate of Dafang is only siding with Liu Xi on the surface. I don't know how many people are secretly trying to get on her good side."
The more anxious he was, the more disadvantageous it would be.
Yan Lin said, "Have you heard of fence-sitters? Wherever the wind blows, the person will fall to the same side. What really determines their stand is not the scenery inside or outside the walls, but the wind. They surrendered to Liu Xi for the sake of their own interests and self-preservation. Naturally, they will show their loyalty to us for the same reason. My lord, why don't you play along and let Liu Xi have a taste of his own medicine? Once she's had a taste, she'll know that not all filthy and smelly trash can be put into her mouth. Some trash can taste bad at best, but some can choke to death. "
Yang Tao said, "Shaoyang, you mean to send people to pretend to surrender?"
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