Su Qitong didn't understand before, but now he did. He asked hesitantly, "What does Elder Shi mean?"
Shi Sheng said, "If Shang Chaozong orders your Haozhou troops to be the vanguard, will you really disregard the lives of your brothers and charge to the front? Let's not talk about you. Will the other four feudal vassals listen to Shang Chaozong's orders? If others don't listen, will you risk your life? Have you thought about how many of your brothers have families? How many of them are looking forward to the safe return of their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers? As the commander-in-chief, you should be responsible for everyone. You can't be swayed by your emotions! "
These words were reasonable and sincere. Su Qitong confirmed his meaning, but some reasons couldn't be said like this. He still said hesitantly, "Elder Shi, Shang Chaozong went to war with his father when he was young. He isn't just for show. Meng Shanming is a man who carries out military orders like a mountain. He has always been strict with the army. Those who dare to disobey his orders won't have a good time! "
"Strict with the army?" Shi Sheng chuckled as if he had heard a joke. "Is Haozhou's army his army? Is it his turn to govern? If he's going to punish someone, he's going to punish his own army. Just you wait and see who will listen to him. "
Su Qitong frowned. "If that's the case, why did the court give him the military power to command the feudal vassals?"
Shi Sheng patted his chest and smiled. "Qitong, do you really think the court is willing to give him this military power? They have no choice. Nanzhou is fighting for it. In order to force him to send troops, they have no choice but to give it to him. "
Su Qitong was suspicious. "Without communicating with the three major sects and confirming the feudal vassals' cooperation, he sent troops just to fight for a gimmick?"
Shi Sheng waved his hand. "It's not a gimmick. Who would do something without any benefits? He wants the title of Grand General of Quelling the Rebellion to take the credit. According to the Palace Lord, Shang Chaozong wants to take back his lost title of Imperial Prince. This is a condition from Nanzhou. The Palace Lord has already agreed to have the court strip him of his Imperial Prince title after this. "
"There are some things that might as well be said. The reason we preserved our strength before was to force the Southern Province to send troops. Qitong, I'm doing this for your own good. Otherwise, if you risk your life and kill all your men and horses, you will lose your military power and Haozhou. At that time, those poor soldiers who died on the battlefield will have to watch others take advantage of them. They won't die in peace! "
"As the saying goes, one can be strong without desires. We don't want any credit, nor do we want any rewards. Besides, the imperial court won't really give us any rewards. Will Shang Jianxiong give you another province? Since the Southern Province has a request, then let the Southern Province charge and break through the enemy lines. When the situation is more or less settled, the five feudal vassals will rush forward to clean up the mess. It won't take much effort. Yan Yan will be safe, and the interests of the Haozhou soldiers will also be safe. Everyone will return triumphantly and happily reunite with their families. Nothing is better than that. Do you understand what I mean? "
Su Qitong wanted to say something but hesitated. "I understand Elder Shi's meaning, but …"
Shi Sheng narrowed his eyes, "But what?"
Su Qitong sighed, "Ming of Yan Mountain, Qi Wuhen, his reputation is not undeserved! I served under Meng Shanming for many years. I can't say I understand him very well, but I know what kind of person he is. A famed general deserves his reputation. He doesn't act, but when he does, it's like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds. Pacifying a rebellion for a false reputation isn't his style. If he really wanted to pacify a rebellion, he wouldn't care about a false reputation. I have a feeling that Southern Province's Pacifying Grand General's authority isn't that simple. "
Shi Sheng sneered, "Ming of Yan Mountain, Qi Wuhen, humph, what a great reputation. Who besides the Nine Supremes dares to speak such arrogant words? You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. What a joke! How could the rumors of the marketplace be taken seriously when it was spread by a child? Qitong, you're thinking too much. Let the winds and waves rise. You just need to be yourself, understand? "
Su Qitong lamented in his heart. Who does Wu Gongling think he is? How could he bear the reputation of being defeated by Wu Gongling?
But reality made him helpless. He could only submit, "Yes, I understand Elder Shi's meaning. With Elder Shi personally overseeing things, there won't be any mistakes!"
What he meant was, you're here, overseeing things. What's there to worry about?
Shi Sheng smiled and nodded, patting him on the shoulder with a gratified expression. He then walked forward with his hands behind his back, "Qitong, when things are settled and we return to Hao Province, take in a few more concubines and raise more children. See if you can produce a suitable heir for cultivation. When the time comes, I will personally invite them into Carefree Palace to be nurtured."
"Many thanks for Elder Shi's care!"
… …
"Your Majesty!"
Within the State of Zhao's Imperial Palace, Hai Wuji stood quietly by the side of a small bridge. Governor Pang Teng came to greet him.
Hai Wuji grunted, his expression indifferent, "The State of Nan is going to send troops to quell the rebellion. Will our State of Zhao's plan to watch them exhaust themselves be foiled?"
Pang Teng said, "It depends on the situation. Wu Gongling has gathered two hundred men. The five feudal vassals are not willing to help. Relying on the State of Nan alone is a strenuous task. The Han and Song may send troops at any time."
Hai Wuji turned his head, "I'm not too sure about Shang Chaozong. Does General Pang dare to look down on Meng Shanming? "
Pang Teng lowered his eyes and said in a muffled voice, "My elder brother died in his hands. How can I look down on him? Even if he can successfully quell the rebellion and make the Han and Song not dare to easily offend Yan, Yan's exhaustion will be like adding hail to snow. Their vitality will be greatly damaged. Everywhere the war has swept through, businesses will wither and people will be displaced. It won't be easy to recover in a short period of time. This is a victory. Zhao has made a fortune and obtained these resources for free. This is another victory. The elites of the State of Nan have been transferred away to quell the rebellion. It will be difficult for them to return in a short period of time. The State of Jinzhou will have one less to rely on. The Han and Yan will be in a stalemate. Your Majesty can use the resources that were given to you for free to subdue Jinzhou. This is another victory. With these three victories, even if we can't force the other states to continue exhausting themselves, Zhao will not be at a disadvantage! "
Hai Wuji sighed. If there is a chance to eat a bigger piece of meat, he naturally does not want to miss it. But if there is no chance, he can only make do. "The old general is right. Since the old general already knows what to do, go and prepare to recover the Gold Province. I will deal with those gossiping people in the court."
Pang Teng did not obey the order. Instead, he advised, "Your Majesty, we can't act rashly now. Once the troops are gathered, it will cause Han and Song to be suspicious. I am afraid that we will force them to give up. Until the end, we must make them think that we are afraid of Qi Wei's warning and only dare to take advantage of them. If the situation is really bad, it is not too late to make a move on Jinzhou. The resources sent by the three Western countries are ready-made. There is no need to spend time gathering them. When the time is right, we can let the resources go first and the army can gather and rush over. We cannot alert the enemy now. "
"Yes!" Hai Wuji nodded. "That makes sense!"
…
The sky cleared up after the snow. The short winter had passed and the weather had warmed up. The melted snow under the eaves of the pavilion was dripping.
Inside the pavilion, Shao Pingbo was silent for a long time. He was thinking about the news from the State of Nan. It was not entirely because of this news. He was thinking about what Niu Youdao would do. Would he really fight the rebels at all costs to protect Yan?
From Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming's point of view, he felt that it was possible. However, he was not sure if Niu Youdao would act for such a righteous cause.
The Niu Youdao that he knew seemed to be somewhere between good and evil. He was neither good nor evil. He could be said to be impossible, but he could also be said to be possible.
The situation was getting bigger and more complicated. It was not like when he fought with Niu Youdao in the past. It was simpler and easier to sort out.
After a while, when Shao Sansheng served a cup of hot tea, Shao Pingbo asked casually, "After the news of the State of Nan's expedition, did anything strange happen to the troops of the State of Zhao?"
Shao Sansheng replied, "At present, there is no news from the Black Water Group. There should be no movement. Otherwise, under Your Majesty's strict order, the Black Water Group would not pretend to obey but secretly disobey. They would definitely deliver the news in time."
A smile appeared at the corner of Shao Pingbo's mouth. "Failed to poison his sister. Jinzhou has become a sore point for Hai Wuji. With this opportunity, it is normal for the Zhao troops to act. It would be abnormal if they did not. They are so calm. It seems that my judgment is correct. Their appetite is not small. "
Finishing, he dipped his brush in ink and wrote a report. He wrote down his prediction and then handed it to Shao Sansheng. He asked the people from the Black Water Group to pass it to Tai-shu Xiong so that Tai-shu Xiong would know what was going on.
It was not good for him to keep coming back and forth to the palace. Tai-shu Xiong also had many things to deal with and could not see him all the time. If it was not something important that needed to be discussed face to face, he usually passed on his opinions like this.
…
There was a guest at Thatched Cottage Villa. Great Zen Mountain Huang Lie had rushed over. When he heard that the State of Nan was going to send troops, he was shocked. He first went to the Provincial Governor's Mansion to verify and then quickly came here.
In the waterside pavilion, Niu Youdao invited him to have tea.
Huang Lie did not have the mood and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He pushed the teacup to the side so it would not be an eyesore. He asked directly, "Old Brother, Nan Zhou is going out to battle and quelling the rebellion is fake. You should have other plans?"
He had always thought that Niu Youdao was cunning and was sure that Niu Youdao had other plans. Otherwise, he would not be so calm in such a chaotic situation.
Having known Niu Youdao for so long, he knew that Niu Youdao was not someone to be trifled with. He even suspected that Niu Youdao was prepared to be an opportunist and could defect to the Han Song's side at any time. If Yan collapsed, Great Zen Mountain would naturally have to find a way out. This was why Great Zen Mountain did not hesitate to lie to the three major sects.
Who would have thought that Niu Youdao would do something like this and go against the trend to send troops? Was this a joke? Previously, he went against the Imperial Court and even stole the Imperial Court's military rations. Was this a joke? You can't play people like this. You are fine, but Great Zen Mountain offended the three major sects. How are we going to deal with people in the future? Great Zen Mountain was huge, and they couldn't be so shameless like you and slip away just like that.
Now that things had reached such a stage, Great Zen Mountain finally couldn't hold it in anymore. They finally stopped hiding at the side and pretending to be dead. They couldn't pretend anymore. How could Great Zen Mountain miss out on the battle?
You can fight for Great Yan until you lose everything, but I can't let Great Zen Mountain keep you company at all times!
They had no choice but to revive and come to find them.
Niu Youdao was puzzled. "What plans? How can we play such a big matter like going to war? "
Huang Lie was stunned. The elders at the side all stared at Niu Youdao and didn't move. They seemed to want to see flowers on Niu Youdao's face.
Everyone was cursing in their hearts. Such a big matter and you didn't tell Great Zen Mountain from start to finish. At least let us be mentally prepared?
Nothing happened before, but now you suddenly tell us that we are going to risk our lives on the battlefield. Isn't this a big joke? You can't play like this!
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