Dawei has broken camp and withdrawn their troops, this news exploded in front of everyone.
Su Rong abruptly stood up, "Yuan Zhao actually withdrew his troops?"
She walked to the doorway and asked the messenger, "Is it true?"
The messenger nodded, "Only after Young Master Ning confirmed it thrice, did he send me back to report to you."
"Why did he withdraw troops?" Zhou Gu followed out and asked.
The messenger shook his head, "Just now, the torches at Dawei’s military camp were moving frequently. Young Master Ning was also surprised."
Su Rong didn’t bother saying much, she stepped out of the threshold and said to Zhou Gu, "Let’s go, go and see."
Zhou Gu nodded.
Thus, Su Rong, Zhou Gu, Xie Yuan, Cui Xingzhi, Zhang Yun and others, anyone whose wound had healed enough to move, quickly left the residence, heading towards the city gate.
Ye Guixue, who still couldn’t move from his bed, had to remain behind, waiting for news.
The group quickly arrived at the city gate, ascended the city tower, and Ning Ze immediately handed a telescope to Su Rong, "Princess, look. Dawei is withdrawing troops, and we don’t know why? It’s so sudden."
Su Rong took the telescope, and indeed saw the torches at Dawei’s military camp moving frequently. She could faintly see that they were indeed breaking camp to withdraw troops.
She passed the telescope to Zhou Gu, who looked for a while and passed it on to Xie Yuan, who then passed it to Zhang Yun and Cui Xingzhi.
"First, observe for a while, then send someone to follow and investigate whether Dawei is just putting on a show or really withdrawing troops," Su Rong estimated the time, feeling that she had not yet received a reply from the Crown Prince of Daliang, Yan Huisheng. Even if Daliang had done something to Dawei, it should be something Yan Huisheng did after receiving her hawk message, and then he would send her the result. It shouldn’t be so fast. Therefore, by the same logic, Dawei’s Crown Prince Yuan Zhao should not have received the news that Dawei would face interference from Daliang. So, his sudden withdrawal is very puzzling.
Xie Yuan nodded, "Um, we should observe for a while before reaching a conclusion."
Zhang Yun speculated, "Could it be that Yuan Zhao realized that he cannot take Heiya Pass, so he gave up?"
"Is it possible? Is Yuan Zhao someone who would give up?" Ning Ze was very skeptical. Everyone here had experienced Yuan Zhao’s ruthlessness, tens of thousands of Daliang soldiers had died by his hand. Even the guards her mother gave him when he left the Marquis Nanping Residence were almost all dead. The only reason he was alive was because he stayed in the rear and did not go to the battlefield. Those who survived the battlefield were just lucky.
"It’s possible." Zhou Gu said, "Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei never makes a losing deal. If he realizes he can’t conquer Heiya Pass and dragging on is detrimental to him, withdrawing troops and returning to Dawei would be something he could do."
Su Rong recalled the files about Crown Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei that she had in the Eastern Palace, and it seemed also very possible. She looked at Xie Yuan.
Xie Yuan said: "Considering the current situation, it will only help us wait for reinforcements if we keep fighting, which is indeed not beneficial for Dawei. At this time, if Yuan Zhao’s withdrawal is really because he can see the situation clearly, then he is truly a decisive person." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
After listening to everyone’s words, Ning Ze raised a question, "What should we do if Dawei really withdraws? Do we still fight back?"
He had heard that the princess wanted to counterattack.
Su Rong sighed, "If Dawei withdraws their troops now, how can we attack? During this time, we’ve lost nearly 50,000 soldiers due to Dawei’s attack, and we have left 450,000 soldiers. Dawei also lost about the same number, but they originally had 800,000 soldiers, and now they still have 750,000 left, which is a difference of 300,000. It’s suicide to chase after them now."
"But if we don’t chase them, we won’t catch up when reinforcements arrive in two days. Do we wait until they return to Dawei, and then chase them to Dawei to fight?" Ning Ze asked.
"The supply of food and military salaries is not enough, which is now being collected for use. Once we leave Nanchu for a long journey and go to Dawei to fight. Without half a year of preparation in advance, salaries will be a big issue," Zhou Gu answered, "At most, it’s enough to chase to the border of Dawei and fight a couple of battles, but it’s definitely not enough for the consumption of conquering the whole Dawei. Once there is a problem with the dispatching in the rear, then tens of thousands of soldiers will be lost, and that would be a real loss."
Ning Ze took a breath, "Brother Zhou Gu, your ambition is too great, do you actually want to conquer the whole Dawei? I mean, we’ve been beaten for so long, we can’t let Dawei bully us for nothing, can we just chase after them for two battles?"
Even he couldn’t bear it, after all, two hundred thousand reinforcements would arrive soon. The difference would be one hundred thousand soldiers, and if they counterattacked, they might be able to win.
"Nanchu has been in turmoil for so long, many public affairs and people’s livelihoods have been neglected. If Yuan Zhao does not withdraw his troops, then we must fight, fight till we exhaust Nanchu. It’s worth it even if we fight to the last extent. But now that Dawei has withdrawn troops, it’s rather difficult for us," Su Rong sighed, "If Dawei really withdraws their troops, it’s a good thing, but it’s not a good thing either, it’s a bit difficult for us to advance or retreat."
If we continue to chase and fight, the backup supply is insufficient. If we don’t chase and fight, it really hurts to bear the pain after being attacked for so long.
Xie Yuan said, "Let’s wait and see for now! Send someone to follow and investigate, and then wait for the Crown Prince of Daliang’s hawk letter. In the meantime, don’t put down the collection of food and military salaries, continue to work on it, we hold our troops for now, once we have the result, we will make a conclusion."
Su Rong nodded, Zhou Gu and the others also felt that this was the only way, and everyone fell silent.
Everyone watched for an hour, and it turned out that Dawei broke camp and the army withdrew.
Zhou Gu ordered, "Zhi Bai, you take people to follow, but not too closely. Check if Dawei’s soldiers are really going to withdraw?"
Zhi Bai agreed and took the men with him.
"Let’s go, let’s go back!" Xie Yuan said, "At most by dawn tomorrow, we will have the result."
Everyone nodded and descended from the tower together.
Overall, the withdrawal of Dawei eased the tightly strained hearts of all the soldiers and civilians in Heiya Pass.
After Su Rong descended from the city wall, she strictly ordered, "Secure the city gate well. If there are any abnormalities, report to me quickly."
Ning Ze immediately responded, "Princess, rest assured, Brother Zhang Mao and I will not leave. We will continue to guard in rotation tonight. What if the cunning Crown Prince of Dawei returns? We should be cautious."
Su Rong nodded, "Yes, that’s my point. I’ve troubled you guys."
Ning Ze didn’t feel it was a bother, and neither did Zhang Mao, and the two stayed behind.
Back at the Commanding General Residence, everyone returned to Ye Guixue’s place. They entered the room and told Ye Guixue about the news that Dawei seemed to be withdrawing, and then they sat down to continue discussing, except the topic of discussion had changed.
When Ye Guixue heard the messenger saying that Dawei was withdrawing, he had been mulling over this ever since everyone left. Now after hearing everybody’s words, he said: "Since we are in Heiya Pass, which is closer to the border of Dawei, I suggest that once the two young masters of the Duke Residence bring two hundred thousand reinforcement troops, we still follow the princess’s early plan and attack Dawei."
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