No one had expected that Meng Shanming would cause such a drastic change in the battle before he even did anything.
The people in the court still did not know that Meng Shanming was the cause of the change in the battle. If they knew that Meng Shanming had such influence that the Song army directly targeted them in the capital, they would probably regret sending Meng Shanming into battle.
In their minds, it was natural that the people below them would only be able to threaten them if all of them were killed.
With the danger pressing in, the Grand Council of the Yan Capital ordered the army to stop the Song army!
At this time, the nobles of Yan Capital naturally placed protecting themselves as their top priority. They didn't care about how the battle below them would be fought. If they couldn't even protect the Imperial Court, what was the point of fighting?
In order not to disrupt Meng Shanming's rhythm, Shang Chaozong withstood the pressure and gave Meng Shanming enough time to organize his army.
Meng Shanming already knew the situation, and Shang Chaozong believed that Meng Shanming knew what to do and also that Meng Shanming understood the urgency of the matter.
The two of them had already come to an agreement. Meng Shanming's first task on the front lines was to firmly control Yan's army. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to eliminate the interference from his superiors. To put it bluntly, he was fighting for military power with the Imperial Court!
Military power wasn't something that could be achieved with just one decree. If one decree could be given, then another could be taken away. Thus, the decree from the superiors couldn't be relied on. One had to fight for it with their own hands. He had no other choice. He couldn't command the army, and in the face of all the interference, he couldn't fight a war.
It wasn't that Shang Chaozong was greedy for military power, but that Yan had already reached this point. If he wanted to protect Yan, he had to do this. Only by winning could they decide how the war should be fought!
If not for this, why would Meng Shanming immediately form an army of five armies? It was such a large group of military officers, made up of Meng Shan Ming's former subordinates. Naturally, the hidden intention would be revealed in the future.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Shang Chaozong was resisting the pressure and wrangling with the Imperial Court.
The imperial court wanted to send a large army to intercept the Song army, but Shang Chaozong used the excuse that he had not reorganized his troops properly and that he would lose the battle as an excuse to delay.
The Imperial Court wanted Nanzhou, Gongzhou, Tuzhou, Haozhou, Fuzhou and Changzhou to mobilize the troops of the feudal vassals left behind to participate in the battle, but Shang Chaozong would not agree no matter what.
The reason was simple. That was the lair of the feudal vassal states' soldiers. The wives and children of the feudal vassal states' soldiers were all at home. With those people guarding the home, the Song army would not easily attack. If something happened, they could cover their retreat. If those troops were really transferred away, who would protect the families of the soldiers? Should he count on the imperial court? He couldn't be counted on! If the vassals and soldiers who were not of one mind with the imperial court could not fight with peace of mind, how could they fight this war?
If these people who were not loyal to the imperial court were forced into a corner, they might communicate with the enemy at any time in order to protect themselves.
He would not easily transfer his men from the South Province, as he had to guard against the Zhao Kingdom for Great Yan. Once the Zhao Kingdom sent out their army, he could not allow the army to march straight into their territory. At least, he had to delay them for a while, so that he could buy some time for the war on the other side.
Moreover, the war was not something that could be resolved by increasing the number of troops. If the troops on the front lines could not win, it would be useless no matter how many troops were transferred. They would only become a burden that could be crushed by the rations alone.
There was no way to explain this logic to those people in the Imperial Court. The Imperial Court would only urge them to send troops to defend the capital where nobles and nobles gathered!
Shang Chaozong firmly resisted, using the reason that it would force the feudal vassals to rebel.
On the other side, Shang Chaozong wanted to let the feudal vassals know that only he could resist the pressure of the imperial court and protect their final path of retreat.
At the same time, the one hundred thousand cavalry would select advantageous positions. If any of the feudal vassals showed any abnormalities on the front lines, his army would immediately attack the headquarters of that feudal vassal.
The grain transport team that Lan Ruoting had gathered in Nanzhou had also set off to ensure the supply of rations for these one hundred thousand cavalry.
It was already very difficult to gather rations from other places, so Shang Chaozong could only think of a way from Nanzhou.
At this point, there was truly no other way. Meng Shanming had to drag his old and crippled body to the front lines alone. He did not have a single soldier to command those proud and valiant generals. There were some matters where Meng Shanming alone could easily lead to unforeseen events. Thus, Shang Chaozong needed to work on both sides, using both carrot and stick. He needed to stabilize the morale of the five feudal vassals and firmly control this faction.
In order to save the Great Yan Kingdom that was in a precarious situation, they could no longer care about their reputation. The Shang Imperial Sect and Meng Shanming were working together to prop up the Great Yan Kingdom that was about to collapse. The Shang Imperial Sect was fighting against the internal forces, while Meng Shanming was fighting against the external forces.
After going through all this, Shang Chaozong himself was growing rapidly.
There was also Lan Ruoting who was working hard in Nanzhou, trying his best to accumulate resources to deal with any possible mishaps.
As for Niu Youdao, he was hiding behind the scenes and observing silently. He let Shang Chaozong and the others handle the matters outside. There were some things that he might not be able to do well even if he intervened. He could only pay close attention to the surroundings and wait for the time when he was needed. He would try his best to ensure the safety of Shang Chaozong and the others.
Just like what Huang Lie had said, Niu Youdao was hiding behind the scenes like a poisonous snake that could come out and bite people at any time.
… …
"I'm afraid the plan to assassinate Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming has failed."
In the Great Jin Imperial Palace, TaiShu Xiong summoned Shao Pingbo for a talk and told him a piece of bad news.
Shao Pingbo, who had just bowed in front of the table, raised his head and asked confusedly, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Slowly, TaiShu Xiong said, "Meng Shanming ordered all the cultivators of Great Jin to be transferred away and assigned another task. Can you guess what it is?"
Shao Pingbo cupped his hands and asked, "This humble subject is slow-witted. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
TaiShu Xiong shook his head and sneered, "Meng Shanming actually sent my Great Jin cultivators to assassinate Song Governor Luo Zhao. Isn't this a joke? Luo Zhao is protected by thousands of soldiers. No one can get close to him. Moreover, he has a large number of Song cultivators with him. How can they succeed?"
Shao Pingbo frowned. His eyes flashed and he suddenly said, "Niu Youdao has made his move!"
TaiShu Xiong replied, "Why do you say so?"
Shao Pingbo deliberated over how to answer. He did not know how to answer. This was the intuition of an old rival. When Meng Shanming suddenly made this move, he immediately realized that Niu Youdao was behind this. He was not surprised that Niu Youdao would be wary of the cultivators of Great Jin.
He knew very well that Niu Youdao was actually wary of him!
…
As the five feudal lords returned to their respective regions to find out the situation of their troops, Meng Shanming's military order shocked everyone in the Yan Court!
Meng Shanming ordered the five feudal lords to enforce the law. At the same time, he redistributed the troops gathered by the Yan court into five groups. He ordered the feudal lords to keep an eye on one group. If the five groups dared to disobey, the feudal lords' troops would be immediately annihilated!
This was not giving the people of the court a chance to live. The court was forcing them to fight the Song army with their lives and the feudal lords' troops were eyeing them from the back.
What was worse was that Meng Shanming actually ordered all the troops chasing after the Song army to retreat. He ordered the feudal lords' troops to supervise the retreat and those who disobeyed would be annihilated!
He actually gave up on chasing after the Song army. This was no different from letting the Song army go straight to the capital of the Yan court. How could the Yan Court not be shocked? Was he purposely trying to kill all the officials in the court?
Shang Chaozong also ordered the troops of the court to stay behind in the various prefectures. He told them that it was time for them to show their loyalty to the court and gather to stop the Song army.
Once this order was issued, the troops of the court cursed his ancestors. It was equivalent to scolding Shang Jianxiong as well. Even the armies of the various prefectures could not stop the Song army. Asking them to go? What kind of joke was this?
"Your Majesty, Shang Chaozong has ill intentions. His one hundred thousand cavalrymen have stopped and have no intention of participating in the battle. Now, he wants the various prefectures to stop chasing after the Song army and ask them to retreat. He is purposely sending the capital to its death!"
In the imperial study, Shang Yongzhong angrily criticized Shang Jianxiong, who was sitting behind the table.
Shang Yongzhong had returned. After handing over the authority to Shang Chaozong, Shang Yongzhong immediately ran back from the frontlines. Now, he was also trembling with fear. It was difficult for him to wash away all the blame. After such a major incident, it was impossible for no one to bite him. After all, there were still people who wanted to take his position as commander-in-chief.
At this moment, he naturally wanted to trample on Shang Chaozong. He wanted to prove that Shang Chaozong had purposely allowed Wu Gongling to escape and that Shang Chaozong had gone to take over. If he did not take this opportunity to push the blame onto Shang Chaozong, who else could he push the blame onto?
Shang Jianxiong's expression was very unsightly. He was the one who ordered the arrest of Shang Chaozong. He was also the one who ordered the exoneration of Shang Chaozong and the reinstatement of Shang Chaozong. Was he going to order the removal of Shang Chaozong from his position as commander-in-chief again? If Shang Jianxiong went back on his words, what would the imperial court's decree amount to?
Tong Mo and Gao Jiancheng, who were standing below, also had unsightly expressions. The two of them were very clear that once the Song army conquered the capital, even if they could escape, only a portion of them could. Most of the court officials and their families would not be spared.
Once they abandoned these people, not only would they lose their prestige, but these people were also the foundation of their authority. If they abandoned these people, they would lose most of their authority in the Yan Dynasty.
Even if they dragged their families and fled, the speed of the Song army was unimaginable. If reinforcements did not arrive, would they be able to escape the pursuit of the Song army?
Hence, to the officials like them, the capital could not be lost. In the end, they still needed to stop the Song army!
Tong Mo said gravely, "Your Majesty, the capital cannot be lost. If we cannot even protect the head of the Yan Dynasty, how can we protect the Yan Dynasty?"
Shang Jianxiong took a deep breath and said with a dark expression, "Pass down the edict. Shang Chaozong will not obey the edict. Order the troops of the various prefectures to stop the Song army at all costs."
Shang Yongzhong said sorrowfully, "Your Majesty, it is too late. Meng Shanming controlled the troops of the five prefectures and used them as the commander-in-chief. He forced the troops of the various prefectures to obey his orders and kill those who disobeyed! To put it bluntly, although the troops of the various prefectures outnumbered the prefectures, they were not a match for the prefectures. Chen Jiu of Bohai Province and Wu Kangan of Qi Province were the first to carry out Meng Shanming's orders. Does Your Majesty still not understand? These are King Ning's former subordinates. From the start, Your Majesty should not have given Shang Chaozong the authority. You should not have given him the opportunity to seize power. Now that he has seized control of the military, how can he let go so easily? "
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