Chapter 225 Picking Up Soldiers
Not long after the sixth prince of Lanyu Kingdom set off with his troops, Wen Zhiming's military camp received intelligence.
Cao Ran couldn't help but sneer after hearing this.
"Is this sixth prince a tiger? His troops were originally on par with the Crimson Profound Army, but his soldiers had traveled several miles, while the Crimson Profound Army had rested and recuperated in the camp. Wouldn't it be suicide for him to lead 100,000 soldiers to their doorstep?"
"General Cao only knows one side of the story. My men in the Blue Feather Kingdom have learned that this Sixth Prince is quite skilled in battle formations. In my opinion, it's still uncertain who will win this battle," said General Liu.
His spies have already infiltrated the Blue Feather Kingdom and are quite familiar with the situation of several of its generals. This sixth prince may seem impulsive, but he is actually quite capable.
Otherwise, the other generals of the Blue Feather Kingdom would not have listened to him so readily.
After General Liu relayed the information gathered by his scouts to the others, he said meaningfully, "In any case, today's battle at Dongjun Ridge is bound to be fierce. Even if one side manages to win by chance, the losses will be heavy. Of course, if our army intervenes, the situation will be different..."
Everyone understood his meaning. The other two armies were evenly matched in their battle, but as long as the Tiger Soaring Army of the Northern Frontier King intervened, the situation could be reversed instantly.
In other words, the side that Tiger Soars Army helps will win.
Ren Yang said, "Your Highness previously said to observe first and not act rashly. Now that a fierce battle is imminent, should we ignore it or take advantage of the situation after the battle? I urge Your Highness to make a decision soon."
General Liu said, "In my opinion, we should wait until the two sides have fought to a standstill before leading our troops there. Even if we cannot annihilate the other two armies in one fell swoop, we can still severely weaken them and make them no longer a match for the Tiger Soaring Army."
Cao Ran's expression had been rather grim ever since General Liu mentioned that the sixth prince of the Blue Feather Kingdom was quite skilled in formations, and the young generals also looked somber.
Wen Zhiming, sitting in the main seat of the council hall, couldn't help but ask upon seeing this situation, "Why aren't General Cao and the other young generals speaking? Do they have different opinions?"
The group exchanged glances, some hesitant to speak.
Cao Ran coughed and mustered his courage to say, "Most of the soldiers in the Crimson Profound Army are former soldiers of the Prince of Anshun. Like the Tiger Soaring Army, they are heroes who protect their country. Some of the generals are even brothers who have shared life and death with me. I don't want anything to happen to them."
Several young soldiers chimed in, "Yes, many in the Tiger Soaring Army are relatives or friends of the Crimson Profound Army. It's already painful enough that the Tiger Soaring Army soldiers don't help their loved ones when they see them being bullied by the Blue Feather Kingdom. If we take action while the Crimson Profound Army is in trouble, they will inevitably..."
"The army camp has been in a state of panic these past two days. The brothers both want the Tiger Soaring Army to win and don't want the Crimson Profound Army to suffer too many casualties..."
Yesterday, when discussing how to deal with the other two armies, everyone was in high spirits and offered suggestions. But when the day actually came, they felt uneasy when they remembered that the other army consisted of soldiers from their own country, and that the soldiers of the Crimson Profound Army were more or less related to the soldiers of the Blue Feather Kingdom.
But now the two armies are each serving their own masters, which is something that must be faced.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Wen Zhiming didn't seem angry at all. Instead, he calmly looked at the others and said, "Do you have any good ideas? The method I'm going to use is to reduce the casualties of the Crimson Profound Army and enable the Tiger Soaring Army to achieve the greatest victory and not be suppressed by the other two armies."
General Liu said, "Then there is only one way. We will help the Crimson Profound Army to deal with the Blue Feather Kingdom. However, the Crimson Profound Army obeys the Emperor. After the Blue Feather Kingdom's predicament is resolved, they will still be our enemies. At that time, the situation of fratricide will still remain unchanged."
Ren Yang frowned and said, "In a battle, each army fights for its own master. The one who achieves final victory is the hero! If you're always indecisive and timid, what kind of battle is that? Just admit defeat!"
Ren Yang's words were a bit harsh.
But it's not entirely without reason.
Wen Zhiming noticed the generals' varied expressions and troubled faces. He couldn't help but turn to look at Meng Lingge.
"Does Miss Du have any insightful suggestions?"
Meng Lingge is the younger sister of merchant Du Yuanhua in the military camp, and outsiders call her Miss Du.
Meng Lingge didn't expect to be asked this question suddenly. She had been listening for so long and did have some thoughts in mind, but she was afraid of saying something wrong and being laughed at. She planned to talk to Wen Zhiming alone later.
Now that she's been asked, she wants to hear these people's opinions, so she responded frankly.
"Commander Ren's view that others' reluctance to attack the Crimson Army is due to indecisiveness and cowardice is something I disagree with. While it is true that one should be decisive in dealing with the enemy on the battlefield, the Crimson Army was once an ally of the Tiger Soaring Army, and most of the soldiers in both armies are related by blood. If, during the battle, Commander Ren discovered that there were your best brothers or your own relatives among the Crimson Army, could you still kill them without hesitation?"
Ren Yang's family members were well protected, but he did have brothers with whom he got along well in both armies. Hearing this, he blushed and could not refute it.
“It seems you can’t,” Meng Lingge continued. “The current commander of the Crimson Profound Army is General Leng Tieyi. The Tiger Soaring Army has been here for nearly a month, but the Crimson Profound Army has not launched a war against us. From this point of view, this old general does not want to be our enemy either. However, he cannot disobey the emperor’s orders, so he has no way to shake hands with us and make peace.”
The generals in the tent listened intently to Meng Lingge's analysis. Meng Lingge was greatly encouraged, took a sip of water, and continued boldly.
“Originally, the three armies were in a stalemate, and our opposition to the Crimson Profound Army was unchangeable. But now the situation is different. The Crimson Profound Army of the Blue Feather Kingdom has already fought a major battle, and both armies are at a disadvantage after the battle. Our Tiger Soaring Army is at an advantage. If we help the Crimson Profound Army at this time, it would be an intention to win them over. If we ignore them or take advantage of their weakness, it would be too cold-blooded and ruthless.”
"In my opinion, we should simply recruit soldiers on the battlefield and openly recruit them. We will appear where the Crimson Army is in danger and persuade them to join us. Once they join us, they will be part of the Tiger Soaring Army and will receive our protection. Whether they choose to serve another lord or face death immediately, I believe many will know how to choose."
Everyone was very surprised after hearing this. They had seen many people recruit soldiers, but they had never seen anyone pick them up directly on the battlefield.
But thinking about it carefully, it seems like a solution.
This would both strengthen their own forces and aid the Crimson Profound Army. The more troops they rescued, the greater the Tiger Soaring Army's power would become, and the remaining Crimson Profound Army would no longer be able to contend with them.
General Liu was the first to raise a question.
"But will General Leng stop us? Will we fight over this?"
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