"Protector-General, there's no need to blame yourself. It's not the soldiers' fault that they couldn't win. Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan colluded with each other and mobilized all their forces, totaling more than five hundred thousand soldiers. If you include the peasants and laborers that Mengshe Zhao used in this battle, it's no less than eight or nine hundred thousand. The 180,000 elites of the Annan Protectorate would not be able to hold the fort by themselves, much less hold them off. It's not just the Protector-General. Anyone else would be the same. "
Wang Yan immediately came over and comforted him.
Wang Yan had been leading troops for no less time than Xianyu Zhongtong, and in some aspects, he had even been leading troops for a little longer. But unlike other people, Wang Yan did not take any stance against Xianyu Zhongtong, nor did he have any prejudices against him. Although Xianyu Zhongtong could not escape the blame for the Battle of Erhai and the Annam Protectorate's defeat, it was also an indisputable fact.
But the 'strength' of Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan was also an indisputable fact.
The empire's southwest had been peaceful for several decades, and everyone had lived in harmony. No one had expected that Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan would be so daring as to completely break off all pretense of cordiality with the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, they had mobilized the entire strength of the empire from the very start of the war, leaving no room for maneuver.
Let alone Xianyu Zhongtong, anyone else would have probably suffered defeat in the face of Gelofeng's breakthrough and large-scale assault.
Perhaps some other commander in the army might have had the talent to defeat a foreign army of five hundred thousand, but Xianyu Zhongtong clearly did not possess this sort of talent. And it was unrealistic to demand this of all the commanders in the army.
This was why Wang Yan did not have any prejudices against Xianyu Zhongtong.
"General, there's no need to console me. How could I not know what sort of mistakes and responsibilities I have shouldered in this battle? Xianyu cannot escape the blame for the one hundred thousand soldiers. Once this battle is over, if I am fortunate enough to survive, Xianyu will go to the holy capital and ask for forgiveness from the Son of Heaven! "
Xianyu Zhongtong bitterly smiled.
Before anyone else could react, Wang Chong's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but glance in surprise at Xianyu Zhongtong.
In his last life, without his participation, the 180,000 soldiers of the Annam Protectorate had been completely wiped out, leaving only Xianyu Zhongtong to survive. For Xianyu Zhongtong to try to gloss over his wrongs after such a major event, he did his best to exaggerate his role in the war to to be.
Wang Chong had heard this sort of thing many times, so his impression of Xianyu Zhongtong naturally wasn't very good.
But the words Xianyu Zhongtong had spoken in front of King Wu of Han's Opening Yunnan Stele had come from the bottom of his heart. Wang Chong could tell that this was no pretense. Compared to Xianyu Zhongtong's performance in the past, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. This was the true style of a responsible general.
"Was it my intervention that changed the course of events, or did something else happen in the war back then that I don't understand?"
Wang Chong glanced at Xianyu Zhongtong, his heart in turmoil.
Back then, Xianyu Zhongtong was reviled by thousands of people. If he was really as responsible and manly as he was today, he wouldn't have ended up like this. Wang Chong's mind was in turmoil, and suddenly, Wang Chong thought of Zhangchou Jianqiong in the distant capital. In a flash of inspiration, Wang Chong seemed to understand something.
"Looks like the problem lies with Zhangchou Jianqiong!"
Wang Chong suddenly sighed in his heart. He had already understood the crux of the problem.
"It's easy to change mountains and rivers, but it's hard to change one's nature. Given Xianyu Zhongtong's personality, there was no way he would have changed so much. But if Zhangchou Jianqiong intervened, everything would be completely different. Xianyu Zhongtong had a good personality, and Zhangchou Jianqiong wasn't much worse. But Zhangchou Jianqiong's desire for power was far greater than anyone else's. With such a major incident in the southwest, Zhangchou Jianqiong couldn't escape the blame, and he couldn't possibly sit still. Even if Xianyu Zhongtong wanted to admit his guilt, Zhangchou Jianqiong would never allow it. If he interfered, Xianyu Zhongtong wouldn't dare to resist, and it would only take a day for him to change his mind. "
In truth, Wang Chong had only met Zhangchou Jianqiong a few times. Even in his last life, a Great General like this was not someone someone of Wang Chong's level could easily interact with. The vast majority of the time, Wang Chong could only learn about this' Tiger of the Empire 'of the southwest through the mouths of others.
But in just a few meetings, this former Annan Protector-General had left an unprecedentedly deep impression on Wang Chong.
No one had ever been able to do this before.
Whether it was when he had helped Yang Zhao enter the capital and contacted Consort Tai Zhen, or when the old Minister of War was retiring, he had stubbornly entered the capital and sought a way to replace the old Minister of War's position, or when he had met Wang Chong and spoken to him, he had unhesitatingly given him his personal token …
This' Tiger of the Empire 'of the southwest', who had reached the age of 'Mandate of Heaven', had always had a thirst for power.
The decisiveness and daring that he had derived from this was enough to make anyone sigh in admiration.
In the war of the southwest, many people focused their attention on Xianyu Zhongtong and the 180,000 elites of the Protectorate, neglecting the distant Zhangchou Jianqiong in the capital. Xianyu Zhongtong was Zhangchou Jianqiong's subordinate and the one who had been groomed by him. If Zhangchou Jianqiong made a request, he would have found it impossible to refuse.
Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
"And … everything has indeed changed!"
The 180,000 soldiers had been wiped out, and as the commander-in-chief, Xianyu Zhongtong could not escape the blame. The only path left for him was death. Thus, he had wanted to whitewash his mistakes and shift the blame, because not shifting the blame meant death. But now, the 180,000 soldiers of the Annam Protectorate still had 80,000 left. Although Xianyu Zhongtong could not escape the blame, it had not reached the point where death was certain.
As long as that was not the case, Xianyu Zhongtong was still the commander-in-chief that Wang Chong knew.
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The times really make men!
Wang Chong sighed. It was hard to tell whether he was feeling joy or sorrow, or perhaps some other emotion.
Xianyu Zhongtong was a man with a straight back, and he was also a general of the Tang dynasty. As long as there was a sliver of hope, Wang Chong did not wish for this soldier of the empire to turn into the traitor that everyone cursed in his previous life.
"Hyah!"
Taking a deep breath, Wang Chong urged his steed forward and leaped from the side of the stele, heading toward the foot of the mountain. There, Wang Chong could already see a few familiar faces waiting for him.
"Hahaha, gongzi, you're finally here!"
Before Wang Chong could say anything, an azure-robed old man of fifty-some years suddenly strode forward, his eyes bright. Spreading out his withered hands, he happily and excitedly welcomed Wang Chong. "Wang Chong!
"I just knew that you would succeed, that you would definitely succeed!"
The old man was all smiles, the excitement in his heart evident in his words.
"Hahaha, Zhang Shouzhi, Sir Zhang, you truly did not disappoint me this time … I've kept you waiting!"
Wang Chong dismounted from the White-hoofed Shadow and tightly grasped Zhang Shouzhi's hands.
This skinny old man with graying temples was naturally the master craftsman of the Bureau of Works, the true architect of Lion City, and the greatest contributor to this southwestern war, Zhang Shouzhi. Although the Annam Protectorate's breakout had only begun during the torrential rain yesterday, Zhang Shouzhi's forces had actually broken out much earlier.
"Haha, I was truly worried for a long time about the southwest defeat. Later, when I heard that Young Master was heading south, I immediately knew that the empire's southwest would be fine. Young Master, it's truly wonderful to see you again! "
Zhang Shouzhi excitedly said as he gripped Wang Chong's hands. It was as if he had placed all his hopes on Wang Chong.
Wang Chong said nothing, only spread open his arms and gave him a passionate and grateful hug.
In more than a year, this old man was clearly much thinner than when he had seen him in the capital, and his entire body seemed much more haggard. In more than a year, he had gone from nothing to a magnificent city of steel that could hold more than one hundred thousand people and withstand the assault of an army of more than five hundred thousand …
If not for this old man, no one else would have been able to accomplish such a magnificent feat.
Wang Chong felt a heartfelt respect for this old man who was nearing his forties. Zhang Shouzhi had played a major role in the survival of eighty thousand of the Annam Protectorate's 180,000 soldiers. No one could deny this!
"You've worked hard!"
Wang Chong sighed.
"Young Master speaks too seriously. In truth, the one they should be thanking is you!"
Zhang Shouzhi raised his head and looked at the young man in front of him.
From the contempt he felt when they first met, to the shock he felt when he built the city, to the admiration he felt now … only Zhang Shouzhi understood what he had experienced. In Lion City, he had enjoyed the adoration and vigilance of the heroes of the Annam Protectorate, but only Zhang Shouzhi understood that Wang Chong was the true hero behind the curtain.
While he was still hesitating over the construction of the city and could only see the art of engineering, what Wang Chong saw was the fate of the southwest, the 180,000 soldiers of the empire, and the lives of nearly one million civilians. In the end, everything proved that Wang Chong's foresight had been correct.
Even Zhang Shouzhi only truly understood what he was doing at the very last moment, when the hundred thousand soldiers of the Annam Protectorate swarmed into the city!
Those who lived high in the imperial court worried about the ruler, those who lived far away from the jianghu worried about the people!
Zhang Shouzhi sensed the purest patriotism of the world from this young man, who still had the slightest hint of immaturity in his eyes and brows. To the Central Plains, to the Tang dynasty, this youth seemed to have a most intense and burning passion … a passion that Zhang Shouzhi had never felt from anyone else.
"Haha, Elder Zhang, there's no need to say more. All of this was forged by the two of us together! Without you, I would never have been able to accomplish all of this. "
Wang Chong said.
The two looked at each other and smiled, saying no more. There were some things that the two were well aware of, so there was no need to say more.
The appearance of Lion City was a miracle. Its appearance had changed the fate of the southwest. This was something that no one could deny, whether it was now or in the future. More importantly, in this crisis, it had also firmly linked the two of them together.
An invisible bond had linked Wang Chong and Zhang Shouzhi together.
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