A joyous occasion refreshed one's spirits, and the group welcomed King Song into the tent on the summit.
"Wang Chong, after you enter the capital, you must be careful."
Inside the tent, The King of Song, Wang Yan, Xianyu Zhongtong, Wang Chong, Wang Fu, and Sun Liuyue sat cross-legged across from each other. The King of Song's smile faded, and his expression gradually turned solemn.
"You've rendered an enormous service this time. King Qi's side is about to explode from anger. Although he can't easily make a move against you, he definitely won't give up so easily. I've heard some news in the capital that he'll probably join forces with the Chamberlain of Dependencies to make a fuss about etiquette.
"You've rendered an enormous service this time, so the Holy Emperor will definitely reward you. However, if there's a problem with the etiquette when you're presenting your reward, the imperial censors will use it against you and use it against you.
"Those imperial censors, from the prime minister to the imperial concubines in the palace, will even dare to impeach you. Although there are many people in the court who like you, there are also many who want to see you make a fool of yourself and make a fuss about you.
"You're still young. If you leave others with the impression that you're too young and frivolous, it will greatly affect your future career. It's even possible that your reward will be revoked. You absolutely must not be careless. "
The King of Song spoke earnestly.
The situation in the court was treacherous and treacherous. It was different from the flashes of swords and blades on the battlefield. If one was not careful, they could be consigned to eternal damnation. No matter how great a service one rendered, it would be useless.
Back then, the old The King of Song, a member of the imperial family and an imperial prince of the Tang dynasty, had been thrown into prison, let alone others. Wang Chong was still young. Moreover, he represented the greatest hope of the King of Song and the younger generation of the two clans.
As an elder, The King of Song didn't want to see Wang Chong being plotted against over such a small matter. This was also the reason why he had come looking for him before Wang Chong returned to the capital.
"I've already had Grand Scholar Lu find an old servant from the Chamberlain of Dependencies. He's learned and knows a lot. After you return to the capital, you can look for him to study, so as to avoid any problems."
"Thank you, The King of Song."
Wang Chong bowed respectfully.
Having lived two lives, Wang Chong actually knew much more than The King of Song. He also did not think that the Chamberlain of Dependencies could really plot against him. However, the King of Song's sincere concern for him still moved him greatly.
"Hahaha, there's nothing else. Oh, that's right, Wang Chong, this time, the Emperor has instructed me to stabilize the situation in the southwest. On Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao's side, Duan Gequan is still there, and Huoshu Huizang is unscathed. If these two join forces and try to do something, I'm afraid that the southwest will once again fall into chaos. "
As he spoke, The King of Song revealed a worried expression, and his expression became much heavier.
Duan Gequan and Huoshu Huizang were both famed generals of the present age. In terms of martial prowess, The King of Song did not fear them, but the art of war and battle formations were not his forte. This was also why he had specifically asked Wang Chong for help.
"Haha, Your Highness, be at ease. They won't be able to join forces, and they won't be able to achieve anything. Even if they have the intention, I definitely won't give them this opportunity. "
Wang Chong looked at The King of Song and smiled.
"Oh?"
The King of Song's eyes brightened as he immediately turned to Wang Chong.
In the tent, everyone else also turned to Wang Chong. There were many things waiting to be done on the southwest border, and Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao would always be a threat. If Wang Chong could resolve this problem, he would be able to resolve everyone's worries.
This would be yet another merit.
"Chong-er, are you serious?"
Wang Yan also spoke with a serious expression.
"Haha, it naturally wouldn't have been possible in the past, but now that we have The King of Song's seventy thousand soldiers, everything is completely different."
Wang Chong smiled and nodded, a confident look on his face.
"The greatest threat to Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao is not their soldiers, but their alliance. In the past, I really might not have been able to do anything. But now, Gelofeng is heavily injured and unconscious, Mengshe Zhao has no one to oversee the situation, and the court is in chaos. This is the best time for us to exert pressure on them.
"The King of Song's seventy thousand soldiers and the Annam Protectorate's forty thousand are a total of one hundred and ten thousand soldiers. The Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army was still unable to do anything to us when it had five hundred thousand soldiers, and now that their strength has been greatly reduced, less than a quarter of their original strength, they are even less of a match for us.
"As long as we place these one hundred and ten thousand soldiers on the shores of the Erhai, where the Tang Dynasty and Mengshe Zhao meet, what choice does Your Highness think that Mengshe Zhao will make in the face of internal and external troubles? Ceding land and paying reparations and submitting to the Tang Dynasty will be their only choice. "
Wang Chong confidently said.
"Ceding land and paying reparations?"
In the tent, everyone turned to look at Zhang Xuan in astonishment. Wang Chong's proposal was far beyond their expectations, and they had never even heard of ceding land and paying reparations.
Wang Chong chuckled, not at all surprised by their reactions. Although the Tang Dynasty was an era where martial prowess reigned supreme and had a certain degree of military strategy, in certain aspects, it was still at an extremely primitive level.
A war would take a long time and result in many casualties, a great deal of provisions, equipment, and warhorses being consumed. But in the end, the victor would only obtain a victory in reputation, while the loser would only be forced to retreat.
After a period of time, the loser would accumulate enough strength to stage a comeback, and then another war would ensue …
This sort of pattern repeated over and over again. To Wang Chong, this was extremely inconsistent with the nature of war, and it was not in the interests of the victor.
War was for the sake of politics, but it was also for the sake of the empire. If a war consumed a great deal of resources but could not obtain a great deal of benefit from the enemy, then the war was a failure.
Since Gelofeng dared to rope in Ouzan and challenge the Tang Dynasty, then as the loser, he had to be prepared to pay the price for his failure. Ceding land and paying reparations was the best outcome for him.
On one hand, it would let Mengshe Zhao remember this lesson forever. On the other hand, the Tang Dynasty would also be able to make up for the huge losses it had incurred, and even obtain benefits that far exceeded what it had paid.
"But what if Dalun Ruozan leads the Ouzan cavalry and appears at this time? We're no match for them on the plains. "
Not far away, Sun Liuyue, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up.
"Uncle Sun, you're worrying too much. Even if Huoshu Huizang and Dalun Ruozan lead more than ten thousand cavalry and charge down from the plateau, I'm confident that I can stop them. Moreover, the current Ouzan cavalry is no longer the cavalry of the past. If Dalun Ruozan attacks now, he'll be courting death. "
Wang Chong smiled slowly.
The plague was spreading on the Ouzan plateau, and there were no cows or sheep that could be eaten. Moreover, the people of Ouzan had been eating Mengshe Zhao rice for a few days and were all unaccustomed to the climate. They were suffering from severe diarrhea. In a situation where their bodies were weak and their combat ability was greatly reduced, if Dalun Ruozan still dared to attack the Tang Dynasty, then he would truly be an idiot.
In fact, Wang Chong could not wait for him to attack the Tang Dynasty at this time.
"Hahaha …"
Hearing Wang Chong's words, everyone in the tent burst into laughter. In this decisive battle, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang had been wiped out by Wang Chong's Li Siye, forcing them to use Mengshe Zhao's rations. As a result, the majority of the soldiers suffered from indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, and diarrhea. This was a fact that everyone knew.
In this campaign, in terms of strategy, Dalun Ruozan had completely lost to Wang Chong.
"Haha, Dalun Ruozan probably doesn't have the guts to appear before Young Master Chong."
Xianyu Zhongtong smiled as he stroked his beard.
Everyone in the tent also smiled. As a famed general of the southwest, Dalun Ruozan had used all his methods, but he had still lost to Wang Chong. This had also thoroughly cemented Wang Chong's reputation.
It was not at all excessive to say that Wang Chong was now the number one general of the southwest.
"In addition, the reason why the Ouzan army dared to invade the east and enter the interior of the Tang Dynasty was because they relied on Mengshe Zhao's army. Without Mengshe Zhao acting as a spy for them, they would never have dared to invade the east.
"Thus, as long as we can pressure Mengshe Zhao and force them to submit, we can break the alliance between Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang. As long as the alliance is broken, no matter how bold Dalun Ruozan is, he won't dare to recklessly invade the southwest. "
As he spoke, Wang Chong's eyes shone with a penetrating light.
The eyes of everyone in the tent grew brighter and brighter. Even Wang Chong's father, Wang Yan, couldn't help but nod his head.
"Hahaha, good! Wang Yan, you truly did have a good son. Let's do it this way! Speed is of the essence in war. Today, I will arrange for seventy thousand soldiers to be stationed at the Erhai. Let's see if Mengshe Zhao will submit or not. "
The King of Song roared with laughter, slapping the table in praise.
When he had first arrived, he had been worried about how to pacify the southwest, but after hearing Wang Chong's words, the King of Song felt his entire body relax. This originally arduous mission had become incomparably easy under Wang Chong's explanation.
Rumble! With a single order from the King of Song, the seventy thousand soldiers and the forty thousand Annam Protectorate soldiers began to march toward the Erhai in the south like a massive war machine.
Mengshe Zhao's reaction was even faster than expected. Gelofeng was unconscious, and when the 110,000 Tang dynasty soldiers appeared on the shores of the Erhai, Mengshe Zhao swiftly submitted.
The war of the southwest had consumed several decades of Mengshe Zhao's savings, and Mengshe Zhao no longer had the strength to fight. Not even Duan Gequan could reverse this situation.
As for ceding territory and paying reparations, that was another matter altogether. By this time, Wang Chong had already begun his journey back to the capital.
… …
"Wang Chong, the capital is up ahead!"
On the official road, Bai Siling rode a white horse and stood next to Wang Chong with Zhao Yatong on his left and right. Next to them were Su Hanshan, Fang Xuanying, and the other students of the Kunwu Training Camp.
After more than half a month, they had finally arrived at the capital from the southwest.
"Hahaha, look! The entire capital knows that we're coming back. Lanterns and streamers are hanging everywhere."
Not too far away, Sun Zhiming, dressed in his military uniform, suddenly raised a finger and pointed at the distant city gates excitedly.
Everyone followed Sun Zhiming's finger and saw that the gates of the capital were decorated with red lanterns, a rare sight even during the day.
Through the gate, red light could be seen seeping out of the city. One could easily imagine how many lanterns there were in the city for them to emit such intense red light.
"Haha, Young Master made such a great contribution in the south. Now that he's returning in triumph, half the capital has probably learned of his return. It's only right that he's been decorated with lanterns and streamers to celebrate. "
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