Outside Yongzhou City, at the main camp of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army.
Inside the central command tent, the valiant General Pang Xianchu, dressed in civilian clothes, was summoning his two lieutenants, Fan Wuji and Tang Ziyi, for a meeting.
At this time, it is the season when the autumn heat is raging, and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions are scorching hot and dry.
Half of the 100,000-strong army under Pang Xianchu's command was the newly rebuilt Polu Army, based on the original Longcheng Polu Army. From the commander to the soldiers, they were all native Northwesterners.
The other half consisted of the Tiger Warriors, who had surrendered, and most of the soldiers came from the northern Yan and Zhao regions.
When they first arrived in the southern region to fight, they experienced some discomfort due to the change in environment.
During the march towards the Southern Yue Kingdom, soldiers frequently suffered from heatstroke, and non-combat casualties were not uncommon.
Lieutenant Fan Wuji grumbled and cursed, "This awful weather in the Southern Yue Kingdom is so irritating! One minute it's sunny, the next it's raining. It's like being steamed in a sauna here!"
Lieutenant General Tang Ziyi echoed, "General Fan is absolutely right. The weather in the Southern Yue region is unbearably hot and dry. I just finished a patrol of the camp and found it to be quite hot."
"The soldiers in the camp who weren't on duty were all lying shirtless in their tents, while the soldiers on patrol outside were wearing heavy armor, and their clothes underneath were soaked with sweat!"
"If a war breaks out, especially a feint attack to scale the city walls that consumes a lot of resources, I'm worried about whether the soldiers can withstand the scorching sun!"
Fan Wuji also said sullenly, "Who would have thought that the biggest enemy of our Longcheng army in its southern expedition against the Nanyue Kingdom would not be the Nanyue wolf soldiers in Yongzhou City, but the scorching sun hanging high overhead! Sigh!"
"alright!"
At this moment, the valiant General Pang Xianchu finally stepped forward, interrupting his two deputies' dejecting remarks, saying, "General Fan, General Tang, such morale-damaging complaints are only fit to be uttered in front of me."
"We absolutely mustn't let my soldiers hear this!"
Pang Xianchu continued, "By the way, the letter of surrender that I wrote to Emperor Tiande of Nanyue Kingdom in accordance with the Emperor's decree should have been delivered to Nanyue Kingdom several days ago, right?"
Fan Wuji said, "General Pang, five days have passed. By now, Li Zongmin should have given us a reply!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ziyi interjected, "General Pang, could it be that Emperor Tiande doesn't intend to accept the Emperor's offer of surrender, but instead plans to fight our Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army to the bitter end?"
Um!
Pang Xianchu nodded thoughtfully and said, "That's possible!"
He then analyzed, "According to intelligence, the Southern Yue Kingdom possesses an army of 200,000 and enjoys a unique geographical advantage. If I were Emperor Tiande, I probably wouldn't choose to surrender without resistance."
"To be honest, I don't take the 200,000 wolf soldiers of the Southern Yue Kingdom seriously at all. The only difficulty we need to overcome is this damn weather."
"If we launch a strong attack on Yongzhou City at this time and take Yangcheng County directly, it will be a huge challenge for our army!"
"but--"
Then, Pang Xianchu changed the subject and said sternly, "The Emperor has already announced to the world that he will ascend the throne in the first month of the lunar calendar. We can't wait until the weather gets cold before we take over the Nanyue Kingdom by force, can we?"
"If we delay His Majesty's enthronement ceremony, not only will we be ashamed to face His Majesty, but we will also be ashamed to face the late Emperor in the afterlife!"
After a pause, Pang Xianchu suddenly slammed his hand on the table in front of him, making a sharp cracking sound that startled both Fan Wuji and Tang Ziyi.
Pang Xianchu's expression was solemn, and he said firmly, "No, this general must make the Southern Yue Kingdom suffer in Yongzhou City, forcing them to obediently accept the Emperor's surrender and end this chaotic and divided situation as soon as possible."
"Deputy General Fan Wuji, Tang Ziyi, listen to my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
The two of them stood up in unison to accept the order.
Just as Pang Xianchu was about to give the order for the two to begin preparations for attacking the city, the voice of a messenger suddenly came from outside the central command tent.
"Report—"
"Reporting to the General, an envoy from the Southern Yue Kingdom requests an audience!"
Um?
Upon hearing this news, Pang Xianchu raised an eyebrow, and the two deputy generals beside him also looked surprised, exchanging glances.
Could it be that Emperor Tiande of the Southern Yue Kingdom has made the decision to surrender to the Emperor?
After a moment's hesitation, Pang Xianchu ordered in a booming voice, "Have the envoy from the Southern Yue Kingdom wait outside the camp. I will summon him after I have finished dealing with military affairs!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Outside the main tent, the messenger hurriedly left.
Then, Pang Xianchu immediately instructed Fan Wuji and Tang Ziyi: "Generals, you have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After you have donned your armor and drawn your swords, come to my tent and meet the envoy from the Southern Yue Kingdom!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Soon, Fan Wuji and Tang Ziyi each donned their armor and went off.
Pang Xianchu also ordered, "Men, put on my armor!"
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the valiant General Pang Xianchu, dressed in gleaming armor and wearing a ring-pommel sword at his waist, finally ordered the summons of the envoy from the Nanyue Kingdom, who had been waiting outside the camp for a long time.
The envoy, dressed in a long official robe, almost suffered heatstroke from the autumn sun.
After finally being summoned by Pang Xianchu, he entered the central command tent and saw three armored generals with swords glaring at him menacingly.
Especially the one in the middle, whose murderous aura was impossible to conceal and whose sharp eyes made the envoy tremble with fear.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the initiative to greet them, saying, "I wonder which of you here is General Pang, the valiant general of the Dragon City army?"
Pang Xianchu shouted sharply, "I am the general!"
The envoy said, "General Pang, I am here on the imperial edict of Emperor Tiande to pay my respects to you, General Pang, and to invite you to Yongzhou City to take over the city's defenses and to discuss the matter of the Southern Yue Kingdom's surrender to the new emperor!"
With that, the envoy presented the imperial edict in his hand to Pang Xianchu and said, "General Pang, this is the surrender edict of Emperor Tiande of the Southern Yue Kingdom. Please take a look!"
"In addition, the Nanyue Kingdom's garrison in Yongzhou City has already opened the city gates and is ready to welcome the Longcheng army into the city. Once the general leads his troops into the city and completes the handover of the city's defenses, the Yongzhou garrison's troop deployment tally will be presented to the general!"
Um!
Pang Xianchu nodded and gave a signal, and his personal guards took the Emperor Tiande's edict of surrender from the envoy.
He glanced at it casually; the contents of the surrender edict and the seal seemed to be in order.
In fact, Pang Xianchu also lacked the ability to distinguish between the edicts and seals of the Nanyue Kingdom.
However, the envoy from the Southern Yue Kingdom had already explained everything, so Pang Xianchu had no doubts about any deception.
After exchanging glances with his two deputy generals, Fan Wuji and Tang Ziyi, he waved his hand and said, "Lead the way. I will now order the three armies to assemble and enter Yongzhou City!"
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