Chapter 596 He wants the head of the God of War, Li Rong.
"The Minister of Rites is making baseless accusations!"
General Wan's eyes widened in anger: "Do you know that the soldiers on the front lines are fighting a bloody battle? We soldiers are soldiers of the Great Jing, and we have never fought for any one person! How can you make such a conjecture about the soldiers' hearts in protecting our territory? The three cities of Ducheng, Yuguan, and Jiangyan have fallen one after another, and Generals Zhao Poqiong and Huo Lin have both died for their country. Generals Zhao and Huo were once under the command of the God of War Li Rong. Did they ever retreat?"
"General Wan's words are true." Suddenly, an aged voice came from behind. The former Tiger General, now leaning on a cane, laboriously moved to the front. A mask covered half of his face, but his wrinkled face showed his approval of General Wan: "Soldiers never fight for one person, but for the Emperor, for the Great Jing, and for the people. Now, the only one who can lead the soldiers to avoid unnecessary sacrifices and break this deadlock is probably the former War God Li Rong."
"Why isn't the God of War, Li Rong, here? In my desolate Great Jing, is there no one else capable of being a commander?"
General Huwei merely glanced indifferently at the Minister of Rites who had spoken: "Lord Wang's words are surprising. To be fair, the current commanders' tactics are all derived from Li Rong's military strategy. Military officers are also tested on this. Whether we acknowledge it or not, no one in the world can surpass Li Rong in military strategy. Even my Yang family, which has been generals for generations, cannot surpass him."
After he finished speaking, the surrounding area finally fell silent.
Indeed, everyone knows that General Huwei was telling the truth.
Even Yelü Wuji, with 100,000 elite troops, died at the hands of Li Rong. Or rather, Li Rong seemed to be born for the battlefield.
General Huwei's voice was firm and resounding: "Li Rong has been fighting the Northern Tartars for more than ten years. If he were to collude with the Northern Tartars, the Northern Tartar cavalry would have already set foot in the Central Plains long ago."
Silence fell once again.
General Wan continued, “Ministers, since our Great Jing has given birth to a war god, is there no reason not to use him? Are we really going to send those scholars who only know how to dabble in literature to the battlefield? I’m afraid they’ll only serve as sacrifices for Yelü Qi!”
After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent once again.
After holding back for a long time, Lord Zhang pursed his lips and said, "Anyway, no matter who it is, it can't possibly be Li Rong. This is like putting my Great Jing Dynasty on a fire to roast."
“That makes sense. Treason cannot be tolerated in the slightest. It is better to kill ten thousand innocent people than to let one guilty person go free.”
"Bullshit!" Chi Heng was furious. "Now that the border general has been killed and the army's morale is collapsing, who can lead the troops to completely reverse the current decline? Are you all brainless when you say this?"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding ministers began to murmur amongst themselves again.
"Report! Urgent report from the border!"
Suddenly, a loud announcement was heard from outside the hall.
The moment that urgent sound rang out, the surrounding noise immediately subsided.
At this moment, Xiao Yuanshan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked sharply toward the entrance of the hall.
The Emperor was clearly not surprised by this, and calculating the time, he knew that the news should indeed be arriving by now.
"pass!"
"Your Majesty, an urgent message arrives from the border: Yelü Qi's army decisively defeated Tongguan three days ago and is now burning, killing, and looting within the city. The temporarily appointed general, Gao Yigong, has been captured alive. Yelü Qi has even declared that he will speak out against us."
"What are you saying? Report it immediately!" Eunuch Li sneered.
The soldier relaying the message below now wore a look of shame and indignation: "Yelü Qi said that he wants the head of the God of War Li Rong within ten days. If he hasn't seen it by the deadline, he will burn Tongguan down."
After the soldier replied, he handed over the scroll he was holding.
Eunuch Li quickly took it and jogged to deliver it to the Emperor.
The emperor at the head of the table pursed his lips and finished reading, then, in a fit of anger, threw the scroll away with a bang.
The letter rolled a few times on the ground, startling Eunuch Li, who hurriedly picked it up: "Your Majesty."
The emperor's face was ashen, and after a long while he took a deep breath: "Take a look, all of you."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, all the officials immediately stepped forward to convey them.
At this moment, Xiao Yuanshan suddenly stood up, took the letter, read it, and then passed it on with an inscrutable expression.
The ministers, in small groups, finished reading in no time. Each of them was ashen-faced.
"How dare Yelü Qi, such a despicable person, spout such arrogant words! Does he really think my Great Jing is made of clay, something he can mold and shape at will?" The Vice Minister of Revenue said, his teeth itching with hatred.
"This matter requires careful consideration," the Minister of Rites said, his brow furrowed. "If necessary, taking Li Rong's head to mislead his people might be a viable option."
"Bullshit!" Chi Heng jumped up and down immediately: "Minister of Rites, your brain isn't water, it's shit! Yelü Qi has captured three cities in less than ten days, and now Tongguan has also fallen. He's worried about reinstating Li Rong, that's his treacherous scheme, can't you see it? If we really send the head of the God of War Li Rong there, our Great Jing will perish!"
"Chi Heng!" The Minister of Rites was so angry that his face turned red. "Don't you dare to act so recklessly in the court! Li Rong was a criminal, but he saved the lives of all the people in Tongguan with his own body. That can be considered as him dying for the Great Jing and atoning for his sins."
Chi Heng was momentarily amused by the Minister of Rites' words, yet surprisingly, other ministers around him agreed. Quite a few echoed his sentiments, including many younger officials.
However, the old ministers who had been arguing fiercely just moments before remained silent. Clearly, everyone knew that Chi Heng's words, though rough, were not without merit.
Even though Le Rong now bears the title of a disgraced official, his prestige as a war god remains undiminished. In fact, when he was accused of treason, no one believed him when the proclamation was made to the world. Even when the entire Le family was wiped out, tens of thousands of commoners submitted petitions pleading with the court to pardon Le Rong.
This is why, even in the case of treason, no one could kill Le Rong.
If Li Rong's head were truly handed over, then the Great Jing Dynasty would undoubtedly be defeated.
Where in the world can we find another Li Rong?
"Alright!" Xiao Yuanshan gave the Minister of Rites a disgusted look: "Lord Zhou is so stupid, yet he can still sit in the position of Minister of Rites. It's truly a sign that our Great Jing has no one left to rely on."
The Minister of Rites was stunned by the scolding. Just as he was getting angry, he vaguely saw that it was the Regent. For a moment, he just pursed his lips and remained silent, like a quail, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.
Xiao Yuanshan glanced at the Emperor at the head of the table: "Your Majesty, we need to expedite the formulation of a plan."
With Tongguan fallen, the garrison in Lucheng and Fengdu is now sparse, and the soldiers who retreated from the front are disoriented and demoralized. If Yelü Qi were to advance south again, our army fears we wouldn't be able to hold him off. Next, Yelü Qi will undoubtedly set his sights on Jiaguan. Jiaguan is a fortress; if it falls, things will truly be difficult.”
As Xiao Yuanshan spoke, his gaze swept across the faces of the assembled officials. He paused for a moment before continuing, "The reason he wants Li Rong's head now is probably because he's worried that his rear will be lost as he conquers cities and territories. His actions this time also show that the cities of Tongguan and Yuguan are not as easy to conquer as he thought. That's why he's so eager to get Li Rong's head."
(End of this chapter)
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