Chapter 342 Xiao Mo is so foolish and stubborn, how could he possibly surrender? (4000 words)
"What did you say?"
Guo Xin looked at the soldier relaying the order and wondered if he had misheard.
Xiao Mo actually surrendered?
"Yes, General, the envoy from the Northern Wilderness is already outside the tent, waiting to see you," the soldier said.
"Please invite the envoy from the Northern Wilderness in."
Guo Xin was silent for a while, then thought for a moment and said.
Whether it's true or not, I still have to meet the envoy from the Northern Wilderness and see what Xiao Mo is up to.
"It is the general."
The soldiers quickly retreated, and not long after, Li Jing, the envoy from the Northern Wilderness, entered the camp.
"Li Jing of the Northern Wilderness Army pays his respects to the General."
Li Jing clasped his hands in a respectful salute to Guo Xin and said...
"So it's General Li."
Guo Xin looked at Li Jing with a smile.
"General Li has been in the Northern Wilderness Army for seventy years now."
I've heard that the Prince of Zhenbei always takes General Li with him on his campaigns.
However, as a result, Fang Weiming, Huang Long, Zhang Kui and other generals of the Northern Wilderness Army were all granted the title of king, and many more were granted the title of marquis.
But General Li has yet to receive a title, and even I, the general, can't stand it anymore.
Li Jing shook his head:
"General Fang once personally led his army to destroy the Langya Kingdom and was enfeoffed as the King of Langya, with the fief of Langya."
General Huang also led his army to destroy the Chang Kingdom and was enfeoffed as the King of Chang. All the territories of the Chang Kingdom were granted to General Huang.
General Zhang, needless to say, followed two Princes of Zhenbei in their campaigns, once single-handedly standing at the Broken Soul Bridge, shouting and repelling an army of 100,000 men by four steps, killing countless generals and capturing flags, and even destroying half of the Song Kingdom, becoming the King of Song and enfeoffing his territory in Song.
In the game "Treading Snow Dragon Riders," many generals were granted titles of king or marquis. Some remained in the Northern Wilderness, some were transferred to other armies, and others guarded their fiefdoms.
But they all earned their titles through military merit, so Li naturally had nothing to say about it.
The major battles I fought were too smooth, without any hard fighting. Everything was thanks to the other generals. I was merely in charge of logistics and supplies, and was even called the army's mascot. What merit could I possibly have?"
"Hahaha," Guo Xin's lips curled into a smile, "General Li's defense of Yanmen Pass this time is a great achievement. If he holds it, it's not impossible for him to be made a king or a marquis!"
Li Jing shook his head: "The premise is that you have to be able to hold it. If you can't hold it, you'll lose your life. What's the use then?"
"So your Northern Wilderness Army wants to surrender?" Guo Xin looked at Li Jing, his eyes narrowing.
"Exactly."
Li Jing nodded and said frankly.
“Now our city’s food supplies are running low, and the stalemate between the Prince of Zhenbei and the eleven cities in the southern border is not going to end any longer. If this continues, the people in the city and most of the soldiers in the army will surely mutini.”
Our general pondered for several days and decided that it would be better to surrender to the State of Wei than to die.”
"Hehehe," Guo Xin looked coldly at Li Jing, his eyes filled with daggers, "A few days ago, Xiao Mo didn't say that, and when he raided my camp at night, he looked full of energy!"
"At that time, food and supplies were plentiful, so naturally we had to resist. Why would we surrender from the start? Besides, if we surrendered, wouldn't our worth be reduced even further?"
Li Jing answered calmly.
"And now, the general must have witnessed the steadfastness of our Northern Wilderness Army."
The stalemate at Yanmen Pass is unresolved. If the general does not accept our surrender, we will hold out to the death. At that point, the Wei army will suffer even greater casualties.
But if the general is willing to accept our surrender, then we will open the gates of Yanmen Pass and march back to Qin together!
Everything depends on the general.
"."
Inside the tent, Guo Xin fell silent.
After thinking for a long time, Guo Xin raised his head and looked at Li Jing again: "What are your conditions?"
"Not long ago, General Xiahou of Biyue City sent a letter to persuade our general to surrender. He said that as long as our general surrenders to Wei, the rank of the king he is granted will be no less than the current rank, and Wei will also marry a princess to our general."
But General Xiahou is just a general after all. How can our general know whether he can represent the will of the King of Wei?
Therefore, we need the official edict from the ruler of Wei!
After Yanmen Pass surrendered, General Xiao demanded the position of Grand Pillar of State and a fief of no less than three prefectures, not including the Qin territory that would be conquered in the future.
As for the princess of Wei, my general will also marry her.
Moreover, we generals have all been ennobled!
"Hehehe, General Xiao really has a big appetite for money!" Guo Xin sneered.
"Whether our appetite is big or not depends on the value of Yanmen Pass and ourselves," Li Jing said slowly. "General Guo can write to the King of Wei, or he can refuse. At worst, our two armies will fight to the death."
"."
Guo Xin clenched his fists and stared into Li Jing's eyes.
"I need to think about this matter further." After considering it, Guo Xin did not immediately agree. "Someone, escort General Li out of the camp first!"
"In that case, we'll just have to wait for General Guo's news."
Li Jing clasped his hands in a salute, bid farewell, and left.
What do you think?
After Li Jing left, Guo Xin looked at the generals around him.
General Yu You frowned and said, "Xiao Mo is a master of military strategy and full of tricks. We must be wary of him!"
The Right General shook his head: "I think it's believable. After all, Xiao Mo has amazing martial arts talent, and he's young with a bright future. Naturally, he wouldn't want to die at Yanmen Pass like this. Perhaps he really wants to surrender!"
"I agree. General Xiahou may have indeed tried to persuade Xiao Mo to surrender, but we were unable to make any promises. It is only natural that the other side wanted an imperial edict to be issued and made public in Wei."
"If we don't accept surrender and fight Xiao Mo to the death, our casualties will likely be even more severe!"
"Moreover, by cutting off their escape route to surrender, their will to resist will likely become even stronger."
"Your subordinate suggests accepting the surrender of Yanmen Pass. General, you should write a letter to His Majesty immediately!"
“That’s true. We’ve completely lost contact with the eleven cities, including Biyue City, and we don’t know what the situation is like. The pressure there is considerable. What if we don’t accept Xiao Mo’s surrender and he defends the city to the death? What if something happens to Biyue City? How will we explain this to His Majesty?”
"General, Xiao Mo was indeed arrogant before, and I wish I could tear him to pieces, but we must not act rashly at this time. We must prioritize the greater good."
Listening to the generals chatting amongst themselves in the tent, Guo Xin lowered his head, looked at the sand table, and fell into deep thought.
Finally, Guo Xin shook his head: "Write a letter to Yanmen Pass and we will accept their surrender. In addition, I will immediately send a message to His Majesty by flying sword. However, during this time, the entire army must not slacken its efforts and must be vigilant against Xiao Mo's attack on the camp."
"Yes!" all the generals replied, clasping their hands in salute.
Two days later, outside Biyue City, in the camp of the Northern Wilderness army, Xiao Shi was discussing the strategy for attacking the city with his generals.
For the past seventeen days, the Northern Wilderness army has been relentlessly attacking the city day and night, regardless of the cost of their lives.
Although Xiahou Nan is still determined to fight to the death, the situation in Biyue City is extremely dire, and the other ten cities are also struggling to defend themselves.
What Xiao Shi hopes for most now is that Xiao Mo can hold on!
Just as he had predicted, as long as Xiao Mo could hold out for thirty days, he would surely take over the eleven cities of the Southern Territory!
"Your Highness! A letter has arrived from the capital of Wei!"
Suddenly, a soldier ran into the tent, clasped his hands in front of him, and knelt down on one knee.
Xiao Shi frowned.
The capital of Wei had many spies from Qin.
If anything significant happens, they will immediately send a message to the Qin state!
Xiao Shi took the envelope, opened it, and read it.
As he watched, Xiao Shi's expression grew increasingly strange.
"Your Highness, what has happened in the capital?" Fang Weiming asked.
Xiao Shi handed the envelope to Fang Weiming and slowly said, "Yanmen Pass has surrendered to the Wei Kingdom."
"What?"
General Huang and his entourage were all shocked, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Upon hearing Xiao Mo's surrender, a flicker of joy flashed in Xiao Yishe's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, his face filled with righteous indignation:
"That Xiao Mo! How could Father have trusted him so much! We've been besieging the city day and night, suffering such heavy casualties! Now that he's surrendered, what will become of the fallen men of the Northern Wilderness? Shameless traitor! He deserves to die!"
After Xiao Yishe finished scolding Xiao Mo, Xiao Shi simply turned his head slowly and glanced at Xiao Yishe indifferently.
Xiao Yishe broke out in a cold sweat and even his hair stood on end just from a glance from his father, and he quickly shut his mouth.
"The breach in Horseshoe City was opened by Xiao Mo's strategy. After capturing Horseshoe City, Xiao Mo captured four more cities in succession and broke through Yanmen Pass. It was also Xiao Mo's ability! Without Xiao Mo, there would be no hope of breaking through the city now. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Xiao Shi said coldly to his second son.
"Child, I understand."
"Also, there are no fathers and sons in the military camp. What should you call me? And what should you call yourself?" Xiao Shi asked.
"This humble general knows his mistake and begs Your Highness for punishment!" Xiao Yishe quickly clasped his hands in apology.
But at this moment, Xiao Shili didn't want to pay any attention to Xiao Yishe.
He looked away and continued to stare at the envelope in his hand.
"Your Highness, could this be false news coming from the capital?" The composed Liu Xing stepped forward and asked.
Xiao Shi shook his head: "Those people we Qin planted in Wei couldn't possibly be unaware of false information. This matter is extremely likely true."
"We can't contact Yanmen Pass at all, not even with flying swords!" Zhang Kui slammed his fist on the table in anger.
Everyone was speechless for a moment.
If we could get in touch with Xiao Mo, we could find out his true thoughts.
If Xiao Mo really wants to surrender, the Northern Wilderness Army can persuade him to hold on a little longer.
But now, not even a fly can fly to Yanmen Pass.
"Your Highness, if Xiao Mo really surrenders, Yanmen Pass will surely fall. Should we continue our attack on Biyue City?" Xiao Yishe asked cautiously, appearing very concerned.
As Xiao Yishe finished speaking, the other generals also looked at Xiao Shi.
Although none of them took this second young master of the Xiao family seriously, he did raise the most crucial question at the moment—should he continue fighting?
If Yanmen Pass were to surrender, and supplies were to arrive, continuing the assault would only increase casualties.
Xiao Shi stared intently at the eleven cities in the southern border of Wei and Yanmen Pass on the sand table.
After a short while, Xiao Shi raised his head and said to the generals, "Continue the attack on the city! Also, anyone who spreads the news of Yanmen Pass's surrender will have to answer to me with their head. Do you all understand?"
"Understood, sir!" Fang Weiming and the others shouted in unison.
The capital of the Qin state.
In the residence of the eldest prince, Prince Yun, Qin Jingsu, a young girl happily walks through the courtyard carrying a food box.
During this time, Qin Siyao would often visit the Xiao residence to accompany Zhou Ruoxi, and then ask Aunt Zhou to teach her how to cook the dishes that Xiao Mo liked.
After finishing, Qin Siyao would take turns delivering it to her eldest and second eldest brothers so they could "test the poison."
He's my own brother, so if I don't use him now, when will I?
Once my cooking skills are perfected, I'll cook for Xiao Mo.
"Big brother! Your little sister has brought you lunch again."
Qin Siyao happily walked into her older brother's study, only to find it empty.
"Didn't my brother say yesterday that he had nothing to do today? Where is he? Could it be that he thinks my cooking is bad and is deliberately avoiding me?"
Qin Siyao pouted and muttered.
"Hmph, I don't care! You have to eat it even if it tastes bad! If you don't eat it, how can my cooking skills improve? If my cooking skills don't improve, how can I cook the dishes that Xiao Mo likes?"
Qin Siyao placed the food box on the table, intending to wait for her older brother to return.
Bored, Qin Siyao flipped through the documents her elder brother had placed on the table, wondering what official duties her father had recently assigned to him.
As Qin Siyao looked around, her eyes widened when she saw a bundle of documents, and she wondered if she was seeing things.
This document is a battle report sent from the front lines of the Northern Wilderness Army.
The battle report roughly stated that Xiao Mo was defending Yanmen Pass of Wei, surrounded by enemies on all sides. The city's food supplies were running low, and the enemy's forces outnumbered Xiao Mo's tenfold. Three days ago, the King of Wei received Xiao Mo's letter of surrender. The King of Wei issued an edict to Xiao Mo, accepting Xiao Mo's surrender, granting Xiao Mo the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households with real power, granting him three states in Wei, and bestowing a marriage between Xiao Mo and the eldest princess.
"Xiao Mo."
Qin Siyao read it over and over again.
The girl's eyes flickered, her face grew paler and paler, and the fingers that were tightly gripping the document were already turning red.
Lifting her skirt, Qin Siyao grabbed the documents and ran out of the Yun Prince's Mansion.
Upon returning to the princess's residence, Qin Siyao hurriedly ran back to the backyard.
In the backyard, peanuts are being shelled one by one.
"Sister Peanut!"
Qin Siyao ran to Peanut and held her hand tightly.
"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Peanut Sister looked at the princess with a puzzled expression.
In Peanut's memory, this was the first time His Highness the Princess had ever been so anxious.
"Sister Peanut, will you take me to the front line in the Northern Wilderness?" Qin Siyao's eyes were misty, as if she was about to cry at any moment.
"The front lines? What would Your Highness be doing at the front lines? That's not a place for women like us." Peanut was even more puzzled.
Although Her Highness was pampered from a young age, she knew how to behave appropriately.
No matter how much she missed Xiao Mo, she would never go to the front lines to disturb him.
"Sister Peanut, look at this."
Qin Siyao hurriedly handed the document to Sister Peanut.
After reading it, Peanut was also shocked: "Young Master Xiao has surrendered to the State of Wei?"
"If only Xiao Mo had surrendered to Wei!"
Qin Siyao gripped her sleeves tightly, her eyes red-rimmed, and glistening tears slid down her cheeks.
"But Xiao Mo is so foolish and stubborn, how could he possibly surrender!"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com