Shanheji 306. The Emperor of Chu marched south without bloodshed

Half a month later, the regent of the Chu Kingdom, Mo Jingli, accompanied the queen mother, the new emperor who had been waiting for a long time, and most of the officials in the court to the south of the Yangtze River. Those who stayed in the capital were the old officials of the court headed by the Duke of Hua and some clean officials. When the soldiers on the front line heard the news, their morale was immediately broken. The war, which was not optimistic to begin with, was even more defeated. The front line of the Northern Rong army kept moving southward. Ten days later, the Zijing Pass, which had been held for several months, was finally breached. A large number of soldiers from the northern border poured into the pass.

Meanwhile, when Mo Xiuyao, who was far away in Xiling, received the news, the Mohist Army had already arrived at the Xiling Imperial City. The previous battle of Fengcheng had taught them lessons and tempered them in Biancheng, and Chen Yun and other young generals performed quite well. Although Lei Tengfeng was rescued by the Golden Guards who arrived in the end, the merits outweighed the flaws. The Mohist Army pushed forward all the way, and the continuous fighting for several months also made this originally inexperienced army become the real elite troops of the Mohist Army. By the time the Mohist Army arrived at the Xiling Imperial City, it was already September.

After besieging Xiling Imperial City, Mo Xiuyao did not immediately order an attack on the city. He simply surrounded it without attacking, and took the opportunity to let the soldiers, who had been exhausted for several months, take a break.

At this time, in the Xiling Palace, the Xiling Emperor was looking at the young man in white with a frown in front of him. Below the Xiling Emperor, Xu Qingbai, who was dressed in white and gentle, also looked at the Xiling Emperor with a smile. The Xiling Emperor was only in his early fifties this year, but compared with the Zhennan King who was still majestic even after losing an arm, he looked too shabby. Perhaps it was because of the singing and dancing for many years that made him look extremely thin, with a sallow complexion and cloudy eyes. Even his eyelids were drooping. He was not old, but he made people feel lifeless.

Xu Qingbai looked at the Xiling Palace guards who were staring at him covetously not far away. In fact, he had arrived in Xiling for quite a while, but the Xiling Emperor did not intend to see him at first. Perhaps the Xiling Emperor did not expect that his Xiling Army would be so vulnerable in front of the Mohist Army. It was not until the Mohist Army broke through Biancheng and Fengcheng in less than half a month that he became really nervous. However, this negotiation, which was related to the fate of the country, was not so easy to resolve. In addition, the Xiling Emperor still had a little extravagant hope in his heart, so his attitude was always wavering. But now that the Mohist army was at the gates of the city and there was no news from the Zhennan Palace, he could no longer hesitate.

For several years in the northwest, Xu Qingbai had been involved in farming in extremely poor areas. However, this did not erase the innate scholarly aura in him. In fact, a few years had tempered the young man who was still a little green at the time into a more gentle and peaceful one. Compared with the Xu family members with different personalities, Xu Qingbai was the most like the heir of the Xu family's century-old scholarly aura, and he truly showed his talent. Xu Qingchen was too detached from him, Xu Qingze was too cold, Xu Qingfeng was more like a warrior, and Xu Qingyan was too jumpy. Only Xu Qingbai had a gentle expression and a calm smile, a true gentleman as upright as jade, and no one could feel disgusted with him.

"What does the Emperor of Xiling think?" After a long while, Xu Qingbai spoke calmly.

The Xiling Emperor did not relax because of Xu Qingbai's gentle attitude, and still frowned and looked embarrassed. Xu Qingbai said leisurely: "In fact, why should the Xiling Emperor be so embarrassed? The Dingwang Mansion did not mean to embarrass the Xiling Emperor. It was really forced to do so."

Everyone present, including the Qilins standing at the door and watching the guards in the palace, were speechless. They had already come to the capital and they still didn't want to embarrass them, so what would be considered embarrassment?

Facing the disbelieving look on the face of Xiling Emperor, Xu Qingbai smiled and said, "If it weren't for the ambition of Zhennan King to send troops to attack Da Chu, our prince would not have resorted to such a bad idea to embarrass Xiling Emperor." Xiling Emperor frowned and said, "As far as I know, the Mohist Army has severed its relationship with Dong Chu. Fourth Master Xu, please don't fool me with such words." Even if he is a puppet, he is still an emperor. Xu Qingbai fooled him with such words, which was simply a mockery of his IQ. Xu Qingbai didn't care. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Although our prince has no intention of interfering in the affairs of Da Chu, Xiling Emperor should also know that the northwest is small and poor. If Zhennan King takes Da Chu, given Zhennan King's ambition, won't he come to embarrass Ding Wangfu?"

The Xiling Emperor was silent. Xu Qingbai's words convinced him. In fact, he also understood that Xu Qingbai's words were mostly sophistry, but in this situation, people were much more receptive to such sophistry than usual. So the Xiling Emperor couldn't help but wonder, if the King of Zhennan hadn't attacked Da Chu, would Mo Xiuyao have attacked Xiling? The most important thing was that Lei Zhenting attacked Da Chu, but he actually took away Xiling's most elite troops and didn't even consider coming back to rescue Xiling when Xiling was in danger, but continued to attack Da Chu. This incident made the Xiling Emperor very upset.

Seeing the Xiling Emperor remain silent, Xu Qingbai continued, "The Xiling Emperor must also understand that with the current military strength of Xiling... the imperial city cannot be defended. Moreover, even if my Ding Palace withdraws its troops now, can the Xiling Emperor resist the military strength of the Western Regions? As far as I know, the small countries in the Western Regions have formed a 15-nation coalition, leading an army of 600,000 to the border, hoping to avenge the blood debt that the Xiling army owed in the Western Regions in the past..."

Hearing this, the Emperor of Xiling could not help but shudder. How many people Longyang had killed in the Western Regions in those days? I am afraid that they could not count them. In the past few hundred years, many countries in the Western Regions had been living under the tyranny of Xiling. It can be said that the hatred between them and Xiling was as deep as the sea. However, Xiling's military force has always been strong, and these small countries can only swallow their anger. But forbearance does not mean that they are willing to surrender. Look, Xiling was just defeated by the Mohist Army, and these small countries are already ready to move.

The Xiling Emperor knew that he could never defeat Mo Xiuyao, nor could he deal with the Western Regions countries that hated Xiling. Just like he had always known that he could never defeat his younger brother, the King of Zhennan, he was always very aware of the current situation. After a long while, the Xiling Emperor finally spoke: "What does the Fourth Master Xu want to say?"

Xu Qingbai raised his eyebrows slightly, knowing that the Xiling Emperor was relieved, and smiled faintly: "As long as the Xiling Emperor gives up the Xiling Imperial City, the cities previously captured by the Mohist Army will return to the northwest. The Mohist Army will withdraw immediately. Wouldn't it be great if you and I could coexist peacefully?"

The Xiling Emperor nearly spat out blood. Peaceful coexistence?! The Mohist Army occupied one-third of Xiling's territory and then came to talk about peaceful coexistence with him?

The Emperor of Xiling shook his head and said, "The Imperial City is not an option. As long as Prince Ding withdraws his troops immediately, the land previously occupied by the Mohist army can be handed over to Prince Ding's mansion. In addition, I can also give Qingyang Prefecture. Qingyang Prefecture borders Da Chu and is twice the size of Anping Prefecture where the Imperial City is located." The Imperial City is the capital and foundation of Xiling. If he loses even the Imperial City, how can he, the Emperor, continue to be so shameless? Is he going to learn from the Emperor of Da Chu and be unable to escape?

In fact, Xiling and Dachu are from the same source. They fought against the previous dynasty at about the same time and established their own country in a short time. After that, Xiling became strong and Dachu became strong, and Dachu became chaotic and Xiling became chaotic. For one or two hundred years, no one could gain any advantage over the other. Now, the new emperor of Dachu cannot escape, and the imperial city of Xiling has been besieged by soldiers.

Xu Qingbai waved his folding fan and shook his head, saying, "Emperor Xiling, does the Xiling Imperial City really mean anything to you? The so-called Imperial City... is where the emperor lives. As long as the emperor is still there, the Imperial City can be built anywhere? In the current situation, even if the Imperial City is really saved... can you really live there with peace of mind?"

The Xiling Emperor was silent, and at the same time, he could not help but blame his ancestors for choosing the wrong location for the imperial city. The distance between the Xiling Imperial City and the borders of the Western Regions was only less than 600 to 700 miles. When Xiling was strong in the past, it was easy to ask for rare tributes, peerless beauties, and rare horses from the small countries in the Western Regions. But once Xiling fell, the cavalry of the Western Regions could even attack the imperial city in a few days. What's more, he would have to live next to the Mohist Army in the future. The Xiling Emperor felt like sitting on pins and needles just thinking about it.

After being reminded by Xu Qingbai, the Emperor of Xiling suddenly felt that the Imperial City was a bit hot. He didn't want to face the powerful Mohist army in front and the Western Regions countries with blood feuds and covetous eyes in the back. But the Emperor of Xiling couldn't bring himself to give the Imperial City away so easily.

How could Xu Qingbai not understand his thoughts? He was not in a hurry and smiled lightly, saying, "That's fine. Why don't the Emperor of Xiling think about it carefully for a few days? Of course, if our two armies can resolve the issue peacefully, the Prince Ding's Mansion will not take the Emperor of Xiling's city for nothing." Such a clear hint made the Emperor of Xiling moved, and he looked at Xu Qingbai with doubt. Xu Qingbai smiled slightly and said lightly, "The orthodox Xiling royal family... has always been suppressed by the King of Zhennan. If the King of Zhennan had not excluded dissidents, how could the three famous generals of Xiling have died like this? If Xiling and the Prince Ding's Mansion coexist in harmony, they are naturally friends. It is common sense for friends to support each other, isn't it?"

The eyes of the Xiling Emperor lit up. No matter how capable he was, he was still an emperor and a man. If a man who was an emperor didn't have the slightest desire to hold power, he wouldn't be sitting in this position. The price offered by Xu Qingbai was undoubtedly very attractive. If the Dingwang Mansion helped him suppress Lei Zhenting, he would be able to control the government and become the emperor of Xiling in the true sense. Even if Xiling only had two-thirds of its territory, what would it matter? Didn't he have no power at all now? He was even less free than an ordinary prince.

Xu Qingbai understood the principle of "too much is better than too little", so he stopped talking and said goodbye to Emperor Xiling leisurely, leaving him time to think on his own.

Before leaving, he did not forget to say, "Your Majesty, it is not your fault that Xiling has come to this point..."

Watching Xu Qingbai leave calmly, Xiling Emperor couldn't help but feel a little absent-minded and jealous. Even though the other party was just a young man who didn't even have a formal official title. But the demeanor and leisure he showed in front of himself, the king of a country, made him jealous. At the same time, Xu Qingbai's last words also deeply imprinted in his mind. That's right... It's not his fault, it's really Lei Zhenting's fault!

"Your Majesty?" The eunuch beside him came forward and offered hot tea, speaking cautiously.

After lowering his head and taking a sip of the tribute tea he was used to drinking, Emperor Xiling let out a long sigh of relief and asked nonchalantly, "You said... can the imperial city be defended?"

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and Xiling will last forever. We can certainly protect it." The eunuch said respectfully, even though he himself did not believe what he said. Fortunately, the Emperor of Xiling did not intend to investigate the truth of his words. He nodded silently and said, "Well, let's wait and see." The eunuch served silently on the side. He was the one who served the Emperor of Xiling for many years. Just by looking at his expression, you can guess what the Emperor of Xiling is thinking. This time is no exception. However, he is just a small eunuch, and it is not his turn to say much about national affairs.

In the tent of the Mohist Army outside the imperial city, all the generals of the Mohist Army gathered and discussed. The Mohist Army had attacked the Xiling Imperial City with overwhelming force, but the prince ordered them to only surround it and not attack, which puzzled many generals. Shouldn't they take advantage of the army's momentum to capture the imperial city in one fell swoop?

"Feng San, what do the prince and princess think?" Although he was not allowed to ask, Zhang Qilan did not hesitate to ask this question and directly asked Feng Zhiyao, who had been with Mo Xiuyao the longest. Feng Zhiyao looked up at the big tent and rolled his eyes and said, "How can I know what the prince thinks? I am not a worm in the prince's stomach."

A deputy general hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is the prince planning to withdraw his troops?"

After this, no one else spoke. They all knew about the news that the Emperor of Great Chu was heading south. Although they were unwilling to have anything to do with the royal family of Great Chu, they were not without feelings for the people of Great Chu. Although they had not seen the current situation of Great Chu with their own eyes, they could still guess a little. So it was inevitable that they would guess whether the prince was planning to withdraw his troops.

"Actually... withdrawing troops is nothing. If the prince wants to reinforce Da Chu?" Someone asked hesitantly. After all, they and the people of Da Chu are of the same origin, and most of the people in the Mohist Army even have relatives and friends in Da Chu. If the prince really intends to send troops to Da Chu, there will be no objection. No matter how much the Mohist Army hates the royal family of Da Chu, it has nothing to do with ordinary people. After all, people are made of flesh and blood.

"Moreover, Beirong and the Mohist Army have a great feud. If the prince really intends to do so, we will naturally not object." In the past, there was the former king Mo Xiuwen, and the tens of thousands of Mohist Army soldiers who died in vain. Together with those who died in the battle that year, at least nearly 200,000 Mohist Army soldiers died at the hands of the Beirong people.

"What are you talking about?" Ye Li's elegant voice came from outside the tent, and everyone stood up and saluted. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li came hand in hand, with a hint of warmth between their brows, obviously in a good mood.

"I have met the prince and princess."

Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li to the main seat and sat down. He raised his eyebrows and smiled at the generals, "Princess, what are you talking about?" Yun Ting was pushed out unexpectedly. He looked helplessly at his colleagues who were all watching his nose and thinking, and said, "Your Highness, we are trying to guess when you plan to attack the city."

Seeing Yun Ting's serious expression, Ye Li couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't be nervous, Your Majesty and I are just asking casually. Sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Princess!" Yun Ting finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly returned to sit next to Chen Yun.

Mo Xiuyao looked at the generals below with a half-smile and asked, "Do you all want to know when we will attack the city?"

All the generals nodded, they were looking forward to it. They were about to capture the Xiling Imperial City, which was a great feat that the Mohist Army had not achieved in nearly two hundred years.

Mo Xiuyao looked at them with a smile and said, "I have no intention of attacking the imperial city."

Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Although they had guessed it, they were still a little surprised when they heard the prince say this. Moreover, if they didn't plan to attack the city, there was no need for them to come here. They could just go home. Would the Xiling defenders, who were scared by them all the way, dare to chase them?

"Prince... why don't you fight?" Yun Ting couldn't help but raised his hand and asked. Everyone's eyes immediately stared at Mo Xiu Yao.

Mo Xiuyao asked calmly, "How many soldiers did the Mo family army lose in the attack on Biancheng?"

Everyone was silent. Although the Mohist army had a rare success along the way, Biancheng still lost a lot of troops. According to preliminary calculations, the battle of Biancheng lost nearly 80,000 to 90,000 troops. This was almost the sum of the losses before and after. The reason why there were still 300,000 troops at the gate of Xiling Imperial City was that Lu Songxian sent more than 100,000 elite soldiers to replenish them. These losses were the most elite troops of the Mohist army.

Mo Xiuyao said: "Although the history of Xiling Imperial City is not as long as that of Biancheng, its defense capability is definitely better than that of Biancheng. In addition... the last of my three famous generals, General Shuntian Feng Ao, is currently in the Imperial City. The Mo family army can indeed capture Xiling Imperial City, but I don't want to pay such a heavy loss. In addition... I don't want to destroy the defense of this city."

This imperial city is not that old, only about 150 years ago. It took Xiling Kingdom more than ten years to build the city. When Xiling was first established, the Western Regions were restless. The two founding emperors of Xiling dared to choose this place near the border as the imperial city, which must be said to be very courageous. Or perhaps it was also meant to make future generations vigilant at all times. Once the Mohist Army seizes the entire northern territory of Xiling, the former Xiling border will become the border of the Mohist Army. And this former imperial city will become the strongest and last gate to defend the Western Regions.

"Then...what is your Highness going to do? We can't just wait like this or not fight at all, right?" Zhang Qilan asked.

Mo Xiuyao smiled but did not answer. Everyone looked at Ye Li eagerly.

Ye Li lowered her eyebrows and smiled, "The Art of War says: The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities... To defeat the enemy without fighting is the best strategy."

Everyone admired her: the princess is truly a heavenly being.

Feng Zhiyao touched his nose and thought silently in his heart: Which military book says this?

Yun Ting was full of admiration: The princess is well-read, but I have been studying military books for three whole months and still haven't seen it!

"Ahem..." Feng Zhiyao coughed lightly and asked respectfully, "Princess, do you mean to defeat the enemy without fighting? This... I'm afraid it's not that easy, right?" Even if the Xiling Emperor was really an idiot, the officials of the Xiling court would not agree to give the imperial city to them. That is the imperial city, the capital of a country, not a piece of potato!

Ye Li smiled and said, "Will we know if it works if we wait and see?"

Zhang Qilan frowned and asked, "If we don't attack the city, then...what should we do if there is a rescue army?" Mo Xiuyao glanced at him calmly and said, "How should we deal with them? Of course, we should kill them! The Imperial City doesn't need to worry about them. During this period, any Xiling army that comes to support us will be killed by me!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they still had to fight. However, they were definitely more advantageous in a field battle than in a siege.

"As you command!" Everyone responded in unison. Feng Zhiyao seemed to be thinking about something. Actually... this could also be considered a way of attacking one's heart, right?

"Your Highness and Princess, there is someone outside the camp coming out from the Xiling Imperial City asking to see you." The guard at the door came in and reported.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who?"

The guard said, "It is said that he is the fourth son of the Xu family, but he does not have the token of the Dingwang Mansion, so..." Xu Qingbai is different from Xu Qingchen and Xu Qingze who often stay in Licheng, and also different from Xu Qingfeng who hangs out in the military camp. Not many people in the Mohist Army know him. Especially the ordinary soldiers at the lower level know him less, so according to the rules, they still have to come in and report before letting people into the camp.

Ye Li was delighted when she heard this, "Fourth brother is here?"

Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li up and said with a smile: "In that case, let's go out and meet the fourth young master. I think he will bring us good news." Everyone was also curious. Why is the fourth young master of the Xu family in Xiling Imperial City? More importantly, what kind of good news will he bring to them?

When the group walked outside the camp, someone had already come out to greet Xu Qingbai. It was Xu Qingfeng who happened to meet him when he was out for a walk. He was shocked to see his fourth brother, who should have been growing potatoes in the northwest, suddenly appear in Xiling, and even came out of the imperial city. He took Xu Qingbai and looked at him for a long time, and after making sure that he was not injured at all, he asked, "Fourth brother, why are you here? Does your aunt know?"

Facing the relationship that Third Brother did not conceal, Xu Qingbai shook his head in a good mood and smiled: "Third Brother, it seems that you are doing well?"

Xu Qingfeng's eyebrows were full of energy, and he smiled and said, "Of course, your third brother has made a lot of contributions this time. Qin Feng said that he would promote me to the deputy commander of Qilin when he returned." Although Xu Qingfeng also understood that there was some favor from his cousin. After all, he was not the only commander of the team who made contributions, but he also knew that Qin Feng was definitely not a person who did not distinguish between public and private affairs. This at least showed that Qin Feng recognized his ability.

"Then congratulations, Third Brother." Xu Qingbai said with a smile. Xu Qingfeng's smile faded and he said, "You haven't told me why you are here yet? If the eldest aunt knew you came here, she would be scared to death!"

Xu Qingbai smiled helplessly and said, "Father and eldest brother both know that when I am done here, I will write back to wish you peace. Third brother, I have something to see Li'er and Prince Ding."

"Third brother..." Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao had already walked out as he was speaking, followed by a large group of people, which made Xu Qingbai feel a little flattered.

"How?" Mo Xiuyao asked calmly.

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission." Xu Qingbai smiled faintly.

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Having written this far, I actually discovered that it is not an absolute good thing for a country to have a powerful official like the King of Zhennan or a loyal official like the Ding Palace. The power of the King of Zhennan obliterated the dignity and blood of the Xiling Emperor as an emperor. If it were Mo Jingqi, I think even if he knew nothing and was crazy, he would rather die for his country than give up the imperial city. The Ding Palace protected the peace of Da Chu for two hundred years, but it also invisibly obliterated the capabilities of other armies in Da Chu and the development of generals. Once the Mohist Army and Da Chu were alienated, the consequences can be imagined. The worst thing is that the way the royal family of Da Chu was jealous of the Mohist Army was not to cultivate other generals to compete with him, but to suppress the Ding Palace while being afraid of the emergence of another Ding Palace. This also led to the fact that apart from Prince Ding's Mansion and a few veteran generals, there were no other famous generals in the Great Chu.