Chapter 795 Running away
Xiahou Ling's initiative to give in, and even his willingness to share part of the power to lead the troops with the other two deputy generals, not only eased the smoke of the dispute in the hall, but also made Hu Yanmin and other elders from various departments, who were originally nervous, relax.
What they feared was that the Imperial Master's Office would monopolize power and they wouldn't even be able to get a share of the soup.
He was also afraid that Xiahou Ling would not devote his full attention to the war because of the previous incident in Southern Qi. If he had two deputy generals to hold him back, he would not have to be afraid.
Ji Rongqing watched Xiahou Ling easily turn the situation around, and saw that the elders of various tribes who had been "united against the same enemy" with the Princess' Mansion and wanted to crush the National Master's Mansion two days ago all gave in, and Huyan Min even directly agreed to let Xiahou Ling continue to lead the troops.
He felt a chill in his heart, clinging tightly to Wu Ya, who was almost unable to bear it any longer.
"First seize the position of deputy commander."
Ji Rongqing stood beside Wu Ya. While the other tribes ahead were discussing the selection of their deputy general, he lowered his voice and quickly whispered into Wu Ya's ear, "We'll talk about the rest later."
Wu Ya's expression kept changing. Although she had a violent temper, she wasn't really stupid to have come this far.
Now that the situation was hopeless, the things they could control were not only incapable of dealing with Xiahou Ling, but had become shackles for the Princess's Mansion. It was no longer possible to suppress Xiahou Ling, and the previous events in Southern Qi had made her lose her prestige among the various tribes.
The Southern Qi was in danger and the Wei Dynasty was victorious. If Beiling did not send troops in time, the interests of the entire tribe would be damaged. If she wanted to seize the power of the commander-in-chief at this time and let the troops go at a disadvantage, she would probably become the target of public criticism.
Instead of doing this, it would be better to give in and seize the power of deputy commander first.
No matter what, at least one of the deputy commander positions must fall into the hands of Zong Yu's troops!
…
After Xiahou Ling regained the power of commander-in-chief, he stepped aside, and the two deputy commander-in-chief positions he proposed became the object of everyone's competition.
In the hall, the elders and generals from various departments were arguing with each other, with the sounds of discussion and fighting coming one after another. When the discussion became intense, they even cursed at each other, and no one was willing to give in.
Huyan Min, by virtue of his status as Khan, forcibly reserved the position of one of the deputy generals for a general from the Zongyan tribe. The remaining position was disputed for several hours until late at night, and finally fell to Sang Qina from the Zongyu tribe.
Although the Zong Yu tribe gained benefits, Wu Ya and the elders of the Zong Yu tribe did not look very happy.
After the matter was settled, Sang Qina stayed in the palace to discuss the dispatch of troops with Xiahou Ling and others, while the others dispersed.
As Wu Ya and Ji Rongqing sat in the carriage on their way back to the mansion, they couldn't help but curse out loud: "That blind bastard Xiahou Ling, he's simply going too far!"
While speaking, he couldn't help but look at Ji Rongqing:
"How could you agree to those conditions? Zong Yu's tribe had already emptied its storage for the military expedition. The cattle, sheep, and food supplies for the tribe were already scarce. Now, if we agree to give them away for military rations, and even give away half the ironware and horses, how will the tribe survive for the remaining months?!"
Ji Rongqing listened to Wu Ya's angry whisper and said, "What if you don't agree? Are you really going to give the position of deputy general to someone from the Wanhu tribe, or someone from another scattered tribe?"
"I……"
Wu Ya was speechless for a moment, and punched the person beside her hard.
Ji Rongqing looked at her angry expression and said in a hoarse voice, "This time it's my fault. I was too careless and trusted Song Jinxiu too easily. I also didn't expect that the Emperor of Wei would use all kinds of tricks in Beiling just to delay the dispatch of troops. If I had been more cautious, I wouldn't have let the princess lose the initiative."
Wu Ya was originally extremely angry, but when she saw the person next to her with drooping eyes and a gloomy expression, her rage subsided unconsciously.
"It's not your fault."
Wu Ya took a deep breath. "You warned me a long time ago that Song Jinxiu was problematic. You also guessed that he might have been instructed to deal with Xiahou Ling. Everyone thought their actions were intended to suppress Xiahou Ling and stir up civil unrest in Beiling. Who could have imagined that the Emperor of Wei would be so treacherous?"
He gave up such a good chess piece, spent a lot of effort, repeatedly targeted Xiahou Ling, and used Song Jinxiu to instigate people from the Princess's Mansion and various tribes.
Who would have thought that his real purpose was just to delay the dispatch of troops.
Such a cautious person actually dared to take the risk and attack Southern Qi directly. Not to mention that they could not imagine it, even the spy planted by Xiahou Ling in the Wei Dynasty knew nothing about it. I am afraid that there are only a few people in the entire Wei Dynasty who know about this. How can Ji Rongqing be blamed?
Wu Ya reached out and placed her hand on the back of Ji Rongqing's hand that had fallen on his knees. "Don't blame yourself. This has nothing to do with you. It's all because of that bastard Song Jinxiu. Once I catch him, I'll tear him into pieces!"
Ji Rongqing sighed softly, raised his eyes and whispered, "We have already lost the initiative this time. The Southern Qi incident has also caused the princess to lose the trust of the tribes. If we don't offer enough benefits to appease them, how can they agree to give the position of deputy general to Sang Qina?"
"The princess and Zong Yu's tribe have already sacrificed too much for this campaign. If you don't get the right to lead the troops, then all the other plans will be..."
Ji Rongqing paused for a moment before continuing:
"Even though Xiahou Ling is the commander-in-chief, who can truly explain what happened on the battlefield?"
"When we go out to fight, I will accompany Sanqina and serve as his deputy commander and military advisor. Princess, trust me. I will definitely return a hundredfold what Zong Yu's tribe paid today, and let you get what you wish for."
Wu Ya felt relieved upon hearing this. She believed Ji Rongqing. After all, nothing Ji Rongqing said was impossible since they met. And just as he said, who could predict what would happen on the battlefield? Xiahou Ling was a blind man with no power at all. If something happened...
Wu Ya leaned on Ji Rongqing's shoulder, a hint of ruthlessness flashing across her eyes.
"Of course I believe you."
She put her arm around Ji Rongqing's waist and said, "Just be careful."
Ji Rongqing let her lean on him, and said "hmm" tenderly, with a cold expression on his face.
…
Song Jinxiu ran away.
Huyan Min ordered the imperial city to be sealed off and sent people to search house to house, but he could not find any trace of Song Jinxiu. Only a bunch of servants sent by the Imperial Master's Mansion were left in the Song family, and Song Jinxiu seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
The people sent to the Zhang family also found that the Zhang family mansion, which was once bustling with people, was already deserted. Zhang Bin had left the imperial city two days ago on the pretext of doing business with the Thirteen Scattered Tribes, and even the guards who usually followed him left with him.
All those left in and outside the Zhang family were Beiling criminal slaves who had signed death contracts and knew nothing about anything.
Not only that, the Zhang family's shop was also emptied overnight. The shops and items that could not be moved were either sold cheaply to Beiling merchants, or "half-sold and half-given away" as favors to those Beiling dignitaries who had had interests with the Zhang family.
With the help of these favors, Zhang Bin took away not only several carts of gold, but also countless precious furs and medicinal herbs. Moreover, due to the recent chaos in Beiling, when the Zhang family caravan left the city, several powerful people sent people to see it off. They did not leave until they were far away from the imperial city, and they left in a dignified and swaggering manner.
After the news was passed back to the Princess's Mansion and the Imperial Master's Mansion, both Wu Ya and Xia Hou Ling were so angry that they vomited blood.
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