Chapter 356 To No avail
Before long, five or six military officers came into the tent, and Wei Shao was also helped into the tent by a chair.
After bowing to the person, Wei Shao was helped to sit down in a chair.
Once everyone had arrived, Commander Zhang got down to business. After telling them about the raid on the west that night, he said seriously, "Tonight's attack must have been well-prepared. The troops in the west just arrived today and are exhausted from the long march, which allowed the rebels to succeed. Now that a breach has been made in the west, the people in Xincheng should have been evacuated. I've already sent people to scout ahead. I called you all here to discuss whether we should pursue them."
One of the commanders, being cautious, hesitated, looking at his superior: "But if we go west that way, there's a valley, a good place to ambush. If we pursue rashly..."
Another commander chimed in: "I also think that rashly pursuing them might lead to falling into the enemy's trap."
Commander Zhang was silent for a moment before looking at Wei Shao: "When you ran back today, was there anything unusual about you?"
Wei Shao shook his head: "Reporting to the command, there's nothing special about it. There were about a few hundred people chasing after us, but luckily my warhorse is fast, so I managed to shake them off and escape back."
One of the commanders looked at Wei Shao with some suspicion: "You mean hundreds of people were chasing you, and you actually managed to escape back?"
Wei Shao smiled bitterly: "They chased me for a few miles and then stopped. If I had run any slower today, I'm afraid I would have died there."
He sighed as he spoke, inadvertently revealing the knife wound on his clothes.
The commander's gaze fell on Wei Shao's wounds, and he shut his mouth and stopped talking. He really thought it was a ruse; if they were going to escape, how could only one person escape?
However, seeing the numerous tears and rips on Wei Shao's clothes, it was clear that he had returned from a fierce battle, so it was difficult to say anything at the moment.
Another commander glanced at Wei Shao a few times and suddenly asked, "Is your father Wei Chang?"
Wei Shao looked up at the commander who was speaking, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: "My father is Wei Chang, the commander of the Yingzhou Guard."
The commander nodded and explained to the strange looks from those around him, "Then that's it. Wei Chang is an excellent marksman. If he were his son, it wouldn't be particularly surprising for him to fight his way out of a hundred men. Do you remember that commander from Yingzhou who killed three Tartar nobles with a gun a few years ago? That man was his father."
The others looked on with a hint of understanding, and when they turned to look at Wei Shao, much of their doubt dissipated.
The fact that Wei Shao escaped alone to report the news was indeed somewhat suspicious.
After a moment of thought, one of the commanders suddenly said, "Commander, is it possible that these people don't want to chase Xiao Wei, but that they can't chase him anymore?"
Commander Zhang asked thoughtfully, "You mean?"
One of the commanders answered quickly: "If the army is in a hurry to retreat, then it is indeed impossible to pursue them for a long distance."
Commander Zhang nodded: "Wait a little longer, the scouts I sent out should be back soon. If the new city is empty, it means these people have fled to other places. We should then pursue them directly and not let the bottom-ranked military merits get away."
After speaking, he sat down in the main seat. One of the commanders still insisted on his opinion: "But Commander, if we set up an ambush in the valley, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to rashly pursue them?"
Commander Zhang turned to look at the commander who had spoken: "Then what's your plan?"
Qianhu remained silent, as he indeed had no good solution. If the other side had set up an ambush in the valley, their rash pursuit would inevitably lead to an ambush.
However, if they did not set up an ambush in the valley but proceeded directly without passing through it, they would have to take a detour, and there was no guarantee that they could catch up with those who had fled in advance.
For a moment, the commander was also caught in a dilemma.
"If we chase them, we might fall into an ambush, but if we take a detour, it will be difficult to catch up with them since they have escaped."
Wei Shao remained outwardly calm, but his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but think that Lin Qianshi was cunning. If he had pretended to surrender but actually informed them of the ambush, they would not have been able to catch the fleeing traitors by taking a detour outside the valley.
If we release false information as we are now, we will inevitably fall into an ambush.
Whether you provide true or false information, the other party will always have a way out.
Thinking of this, Wei Shao sighed: "But they always need to rest. The weather is hot now, and the valley will always be a good place to rest."
Commander Zhang nodded: "Yes, no matter how powerful the rebels are, they are still just mortals. They have already fought a battle today, and they definitely need to rest for the next two days, otherwise their bodies will not be able to take it."
The other commanders nodded in agreement.
Commander Zhang then said, "Go down and reorganize now. At daybreak tomorrow, we will head towards the valley. We cannot let them get away!"
Commander Zhang brought his troops here for military merit; if he lets the man go, he will surely be demoted when he returns.
Therefore, he must lead his men to capture this group of traitors.
After the others left one after another, Wei Shao followed. The commander who had just left saw that Wei Shao was walking unsteadily, smiled at him, and went forward to help him.
"Xiao Wei, let's go. I'll take you to the army doctor to rest. We'll most likely be traveling during the day tomorrow, so get some rest tonight."
Wei Shao nodded and waved to the person: "Thank you for your consideration, Commander. I can walk by myself."
The commander smiled and said, "My surname is Zhao. You can call me Uncle Zhao. I used to stay in Yingzhou for a while, and I'm an old acquaintance of your father. We fought the Tartars together before. Where is your father?"
Wei Shao sighed, a hint of sadness on his face: "Last year, the Tartars came down to steal grain, and the court and the rebels started fighting again. Yingzhou was short of grain. My father was wounded in the battle with the Tartars, and then caught a cold in the spring. He held on for a few months, but he didn't make it..."
Commander Zhao also looked somewhat saddened: "Well, Xiao Wei, please accept my condolences. Are your mother and younger siblings alright?"
Wei Shao nodded: "My mother's health isn't very good either, but my younger brother and sister are doing well."
Commander Zhao escorted the man to the entrance of the military doctor's tent, helped him inside, instructed him to take good care of Wei Shao, and then sat on the bed and talked with him for a while before leaving.
When Wei Shao saw the man leave the tent, a struggle appeared in his eyes. He could tell that Commander Zhao in front of him genuinely cared about him, but now that he had already pledged allegiance to the King of Chu, there was no turning back.
Even if we go there now and tell them that the news is false and that the traitors have set up an ambush in the valley, it won't do any good.
Wei Shao lay on his bed in the tent, sighed helplessly, and closed his eyes.
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