knife

Chapter 256 Conquering the enemy without fighting

Jebe got himself completely drunk.

Everything is over.

If he were merely surrounded, he would still have the courage to fight to the death.

Even if I were to die under the enemy's swords and spears, I would have no fear.

The countless scars on his body have long proven that he is a fearless and valiant hero.

However, Yingzhuo's death and the sudden outbreak of civil war in the Yuan Dynasty deprived him of the courage and motivation to fight one last time.

What's the point?
Even if he manages to break through the encirclement after a single battle, how many men will he have left?
Without the strength, what good is escaping?
They returned in a sorry state, like a dog.

Do you want to make a fool of yourself in front of those people?
The Yuan Dynasty valued and cherished heroes.
They would also look down on defeated generals who lost their army and disgraced their country.

For someone like me, without any power, death is all that awaits me.

Neither the Tiele nor Akdun were kind-hearted people.

Moreover, this has always been the tradition of the Yuan Dynasty.

Rather than die at the hands of our own people, I'd rather die here.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Qin Gong desperately pushed and shoved Zhebie, who was sleeping like a log.

Jebe rolled over, looking at Qin Gong with a dazed expression: "Has the Qin launched a full-scale attack? Go to war, go to war! Fight if you want, flee if you want, surrender if you want, it doesn't matter!"

Qin Gong looked at the utterly dejected Zhebie with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He truly hadn't expected that Zhebie, who always seemed so stubborn and indifferent, would become so reckless and self-destructive after falling into despair.

Seeing that Zhebie had turned over and seemed to be falling asleep again, Qin Gong became anxious, jumped up, picked up a large bowl of cold tea from the table, and splashed it all over Zhebie's head and face.

It's late October. In previous years, it would have already started snowing by this time. Although it hasn't snowed yet, the weather is already cold enough. Floating ice has begun to appear on the Qingshui River and the Juma River. In a few more days, these two rivers will freeze over.

If Jebe had enough food to hold out for ten days or half a month, and the two rivers froze over, the Yuan army would not have been without hope.

Unfortunately, Jebe only had two or three days' worth of food left, and he couldn't wait for the river to freeze over.

Moreover, given the meticulousness of Xiao Changche and Li Dachui of the Anxi Protectorate, they must have made corresponding preparations. Even if the land is frozen, the possibility of the main force escaping will be very small.

Startled by the cold water, Jebe leaped to his feet, and in a fit of rage, grabbed Qin Gong by the throat, dragged him over, and roared, "Now that I'm at my wit's end, even you want to humiliate me?"

Qin Gong was unfamiliar with martial arts, and when he was pinned down like a chick by a master like Zhebie, he immediately had difficulty breathing, his face turned purple, and he desperately tried to pry Zhebie's hands off, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Fortunately, Jebe hadn't completely lost his mind. Seeing that Qin Gong was about to faint, he finally let go of his hand.

Qin Gong collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat as he hoarsely said, "Your Majesty, Li Dachui from the Anxi Protectorate has sent a letter inviting Your Majesty to a gathering at the Qingshui River. He says that if Your Majesty does not wish to be defeated and die, this is the last chance he is giving Your Majesty!"

"Who invited me to meet?" Zhebie asked in surprise.

“Li Dachui, the Deputy Protector-General of Anxi!” Qin Gong said, “He released one of our captured captains and had him bring this letter. The captain didn’t dare to come to see the King, so he went to me.”

"Why does he want to see me?" Jebe, now mostly sober, couldn't understand the reason behind it. "Does he also want to humiliate me?"

With his hand on the hilt of his sword, Jebe said hatefully, "I'll just die anyway, how could I, the king, suffer the humiliation of such a petty man!"

"Your Majesty, Li Dachui's status is different; he has no need to do such pointless things." Qin Gong shook his head and said, "I'm afraid he has other plans!"

"Seeing that I have nowhere to turn, you want to persuade me to surrender?" Jebe sneered. "He's overthinking it. Jebe would rather die than surrender."

"Your Majesty, we are now in dire straits, and we are doomed to die anyway. What harm is there in seeing each other?" Qin Gong replied, "Perhaps the turning point lies here."

"No!" Ankara's voice came from outside the tent. Stepping into the tent, Ankara said, "Your Majesty, this is probably a trap set by Li Dachui. His real purpose is probably to surround and kill you or capture you alive!"

"Impossible!" Qin Gong said, "Your Majesty, Li Dachui has no need to go to such lengths. If he just surrounds us for a few days, we will run out of food. An army without food will inevitably fall into chaos. Moreover, half of our more than 20,000 troops here are barbarians!"

"So what do you think Li Dachui means?" Zhebie asked.

"Your Majesty," Qin Gong said thoughtfully, "I believe Li Dachui's request to meet with you must be related to the affairs of Yandu." "Perhaps Your Majesty can use this opportunity to escape!"

"Do you think he'll let us go?" Ankara sneered.

"There's always a chance!" Qin Gong lowered his voice. "So we need to talk to him and see if there's an opportunity, and what price we'll have to pay. I reckon Li Dachui wants to use his status as the King to stir up the mess in the Great Yuan Kingdom even more, so he can profit from it!"

"what for?"

"The Third Prince has now ascended the throne in Yandu, and the Second Prince has ascended the throne in Zhengding. The civil war in the Great Yuan is a foregone conclusion. I suspect that Li Dachui wants to use the King to make the situation in the Great Yuan even more chaotic!"

Ankara was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this: "So, it seems that Your Majesty might indeed be leaving?"

"Yes!" Qin Gong said with certainty. "Your Majesty, if that's really the case, then even if it's risky, we must see him!" Ankara said excitedly, "No matter how many people we can take from here, as long as Your Highness returns to Yandu, tens of thousands of troops in the Western Camp can still be assembled. Even if there is no foothold for us outside Yandu, we can still retreat to the north, which is Your Highness's base of operations."

On the banks of the Qingshui River, a warship drifts leisurely downstream.

On the shore, by a backwater, several bonfires were burning brightly, with wisps of smoke rising. Around the bonfires, more than a hundred knights surrounded Jebe.

A moment later, the warship slowly approached the shore.

A gangplank was placed on the shore, and Ankara and Qin Gong boarded the boat first.

Inside the cabin, Li Dachui sat cross-legged beside a table, on which were four or five dishes and a jar of old wine.

"What? Are you afraid I'll ambush and kill Zhebie? Is that necessary?" Li Dachui pointed at the two men peeking into the cabin and laughed and cursed.

Sitting to the side, Li Kaixin smiled and poured wine for Li Dachui, "Young master, barbarians are barbarians, they don't know what etiquette is, there's no need to be angry!"

Ankara was furious and about to lash out, but Qin Gong grabbed him and bowed, saying, "I am Qin Gong. I have long admired Vice Protector Li's name. However, given the current situation, we really cannot understand Vice Protector Li's intentions. It is only natural to be cautious!"

"Are you relieved now?" Li Dachui laughed. "Zhebie can come if he wants, or not if he doesn't. But if we can't reach an agreement today, my army will have to surround us from all sides tomorrow!"

Qin Gong bowed and withdrew. A moment later, Jebe entered the cabin.

He sat down directly opposite Li Dachui, looked at the empty wine glass in front of him, and glanced at Li Kaixin.

The fat man smiled and filled his glass. Zhebie raised his glass and gestured to Li Dachui. The two of them drank it all in one gulp.

Li Kaixin refilled their glasses.

“You look familiar!” Jebe frowned. “Especially those eyes. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before, but we two should never have met!”

Li Dachui found it amusing.

Of course I have.

Right there in your Great Yuan's imperial palace, you and I exchanged blows, and you almost went to see the King of Hell. Even after the poison was cured, your right hand was still numb and itchy for several days before it finally stopped.

However, Li Dachui would certainly not admit it.

"There are indeed heroes who cherish each other, and who feel like old friends even though they haven't met in person!"

"A hero at the end of his rope? Are you mocking me?" Jebe said.

Li Dachui shook his head: "Heroes are not judged by success or failure. Moreover, this time your failure is not in military matters, but in politics. In Yandu, you have already lost miserably, and today's defeat is just a continuation of that defeat."

"So, my defeat was indeed because someone from our Great Yuan betrayed military intelligence to you?"

Li Dachui said frankly, "Of course, it's not just the Tiele people, but also the Akdun people. They're afraid you won't be defeated, and they're worried you won't die!"

Jebe shook his head and smiled bitterly.

“Qin Gong told me that you invited me here today because you want to spare my life!” Zhebie said.

"You certainly have a good strategist!" Li Dachui laughed and said, "Indeed, I can let you go, but you will have to pay a price!"

"tell me the story!"

"First of all, of the 20,000 troops here, you have to leave me 5,000!" Li Dachui said. "We have surrounded them with several armies, and we have to give everyone an explanation, don't you think? Of your 20,000 troops, half of them are barbarians, and I need 5,000 prisoners to explain to the people outside the pass!"

"Is that all?"

"Of course not, His Highness the Great Yuan's status is far more than that!" Li Dachui laughed, "I also want Bronze Gorge and Wild Boar Ridge!"

"Are both of these places in Lenger's hands now?"

"Once you go back, you'll naturally be in control!" Li Dachui laughed. "I'll give you the evidence that Lengge and the others betrayed you. After you go back, you can rightfully deal with him. Besides, if you don't deal with him, will you have enough money and supplies to return to Yandu? If you don't deal with him, will he let you go back and cause trouble for the Tiele?"

"You've got some clever planning. You've taken back the two strategic locations of Qingtongxia and Yezhuling without shedding a drop of blood or losing a single soldier!" Zhebie said.

"Where is this called fighting without losing a single soldier?" Li Dachui said, "Isn't this competition all for this? Your Highness, now that we've both gotten what we wanted, there's no need for a bloodbath, don't you think? Battles on the battlefield are always just a continuation of politics. Now that we have a better way to reach our initial goal, we should naturally choose the simplest one!"

After a moment of silence, Zhebie snatched the wine jar from Li Kaixin's hand, filled Li Dachui's cup, poured himself a cup, raised his cup, stood up, and said, "I agree to this!"

Li Dachui and Li Kaixin stood on the deck of the warship, watching Zhebie lead his men away into the distance.

“Young master, this time we left behind 5,000 barbarians. After we return, Jebe will not have many barbarians left to rely on, and An Xuan’s status will definitely rise greatly.”

"If Zhebie and his men ultimately have no choice but to retreat to the north, An Xuan's status will be further elevated!" Li Dachui said with a smile, "Let's see how this pawn performs later!"

(End of this chapter)