knife

Chapter 341 The Will of the Army

(I forgot to mention, tomorrow is July 1st, the Party's birthday, so I need to take leave, and this can't be considered an overdue payment! Hehehe!)

"I object!"

The new sound wasn't loud, but it echoed in the hall like thunderclaps.

The first half hour of the meeting was a one-man show by Tang Xiaofeng.

Dressed in mourning clothes and with tears streaming down his face, he recounted the history of Sichuan over the past few hundred years, leading up to the current situation. His words were deeply moving and well-reasoned.

The final conclusion was that if they led their troops back to Chengdu from Jianmen Pass to fight the enemy, they would be without food or reinforcements and would inevitably be defeated by the enemy who had the upper hand.

However, staying at Jianmen Pass would also lead to the depletion of resources, and once the food supplies ran out, the entire army would collapse.

Therefore, in order to ensure the survival of the entire army and preserve the hope and spark of revenge, the army had only one path: to fight its way out.

They marched out of Jinniu Road, seized Hanzhong, and led their troops to Chang'an, where they joined forces with the Linghu clan's army, which was attacking Chang'an.

As the saying goes, "To attack the enemy, one must defend the area that is defended," or "To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao," in short, since we have lost our old stronghold in Shu, we will also destroy the old stronghold of the Wei family in Chang'an.

The captains and generals sitting in the hall understood what this meant.

No matter how righteous or grand Tang Xiaofeng's words were, one fact remained unchanged: Sichuan was gone, they could not return, and from then on, they would have to wander.

An army without its own territory, a guest army dependent on others—everyone who thought about it felt its future was bleak.

Leaving is easy, but coming back will likely be difficult.

A murmur arose in the hall. Some people looked puzzled and remained silent, while others whispered among themselves. Some sat upright with angry expressions and clenched fists, while others looked around anxiously.

Amidst the cacophony of noise and chaos, Tang Xiaofeng turned his attention to the new place.

He explained the general idea of ​​this issue to Quanxin a couple of days ago, and Quanxin did not object at the time.

In Tang Xiaofeng's view, that meant he agreed.

If he raised the matter and Xin Quan seconded it, then the decision would be unanimously made by the two generals of Jianmen Pass, and the remaining people would have no room for objection.

Quanxin slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over all the generals in the hall.

The murmurs ceased.

All eyes were fixed on the brand new one.

Compared to Tang Xiaofeng, who only arrived last year, Quanxin, who has been stationed at Jianmen Pass for half his life, naturally has more prestige. Most of the dozens of generals in the hall have some prior acquaintance with Quanxin.

"I object!"

Those three simple words stunned Tang Xiaofeng and made the hall so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Tang Xiaofeng could hardly believe his ears.

He suddenly stood up and stared at the brand new figure.

"What did you say?" he snapped.

"I object!" Quanxin said, enunciating each word clearly: "The Jianmen Pass garrison has more than 20,000 combat soldiers and more than 30,000 auxiliary soldiers and other personnel. If we want to get out of Jinniu Road and seize Hanzhong, the first thing we have to do is get past Wu De at Jiguanyan. General Tang, tell me, what price will we have to pay to get through there?"

Tang Xiaofeng glared at the other party fiercely. He never expected that it would be Quanxin who opposed him.

"Even if we manage to get through here by sheer luck, once we exit Jinniu Road, we'll face another full-scale attack from the imperial army. Linghu Ye hasn't captured Hanzhong yet; it's still under imperial control. Even if we win again and take that place, how many men will be left in our army?" Quanxin glared at Tang Xiaofeng. "General Tang, by then, how many chances will we have to fight our way back to Shu? And if we do that, it will inevitably anger the imperial guards who have already occupied Chengdu. They will definitely launch a retaliatory attack in Shu. The families and relatives of these tens of thousands of soldiers are all in Shu! Even among those of you here now, only a very small number have families in Jianmen Pass, right?"

"Then what do you think we can do? Just sit here and wait to die, and do nothing?" Tang Xiaofeng roared.

Quanxin shook his head: "Of course not, we can have a good talk with Wu De."

A loud bang erupted again in the quiet hall.

Quanxin put it very tactfully, but everyone could understand the underlying meaning.

The so-called talks are nothing more than surrender.

Tang Xiaofeng's eyes slowly turned red.

“Newcomer, you’re asking us to surrender to the enemy who slaughtered our loved ones?”

Looking at the other person calmly, Quanxin said, "As far as I know, the Imperial Guards did not kill indiscriminately when they entered Chengdu. They only arrested members of the Ji Prince's Mansion and the Tang Clan. For most people, they did not commit any serious offenses. General Tang, I know you are heartbroken by the death of Lord Tang and the destruction of your clan, but the Tang Clan cannot represent the entire Shu region. In this hall, all the officers and soldiers have families, and outside, tens of thousands of soldiers are also the pillars of their families. This departure is basically a permanent farewell. Can you really bear to see them separated from their wives and children, and their families destroyed?"

Tang Xiaofeng took a deep breath: "So you've already surrendered to them, is that right?"

"No!" Quan Xin denied outright: "I was only thinking about the future of tens of thousands of soldiers at Jianmen Pass. I also asked General Tang to consider the bigger picture. If General Tang is willing to negotiate peace with the other side, these tens of thousands of soldiers here will surely be grateful for General Tang's kindness in protecting them."

Tang Xiaofeng shifted his gaze from Quanxin's face to the people in the hall, and said in a hoarse voice, "Do you all think so too?" "We swear to fight the traitors to the death and never surrender!" Several angry shouts rang out in the hall.

However, there were only a handful of people, making it rather small, and those who were shouting were mostly surnamed Tang.

The other officers either looked at Tang Xiaofeng blankly, then at Quanxin, or lowered their heads, tugging at their clothes or tearing at the calluses on their hands.

"General Tang, the people's hearts are with you!" Quanxin took a step forward and said, "We have known each other for decades. As long as you agree to this, I will guarantee your life. You can even go wherever you want without anyone making things difficult for you!"

After all, they had known each other for many years, and at the last moment, Quanxin still wanted to do everything he could to save Tang Xiaofeng's life.

If Tang Xiaofeng is willing to take a step back and leave alone.

"Save my life, huh? What a boastful tone!" Tang Xiaofeng sneered.

Before he finished speaking, Tang Xiaofeng had already moved.

Before anyone could move, the whistling sound arrived, and several dark figures rushed towards the newcomer. Behind these figures, Tang Xiaofeng drew his sword with a bang, becoming one with the sword. In everyone's eyes, all they could see was Tang Xiaofeng's afterimage.

As soon as Tang Xiaofeng made his move, the Tang family members and confidants in the hall immediately followed suit, pulling out all sorts of weapons from their boots and sleeves. Some rushed towards Quanxin, while others rushed towards Quanrui behind Quanxin.

Everyone's opinions were highly unified.

Only by seizing the opportunity at the first moment, with lightning speed, before anyone else has made a decision, can we secure the new opportunity.

Otherwise, given Quanxin's prestige in this area and the people's reluctance to leave their homeland, I'm afraid most of the officers in this hall would support Quanxin.

Quanxin sighed.

A heart full of true feelings, ultimately misplaced.

At the last moment, he chose to abandon Tang Xiaofeng.

In the final moments, Tang Xiaofeng did not hesitate at all before killing himself.

A soft sound rang out in the hall.

Then, everyone stared in disbelief as those who had lunged forward were all sent flying backward in various ways. Some shot straight into the air, their heads slamming into the roof, landing with their skulls cracked open, barely breathing and likely beyond saving. Others crashed through windows, and crucially, those windows overlooked sheer cliffs; the piercing screams emanating from mid-air sent chills down the spines of everyone else.

What shocked everyone even more was that it was Quan Rui who made the move.

Everyone knows what level All-Round is at.

But how did someone with only the skills of a seventh-grade Xuan Yuan become so formidable in the blink of an eye?

Even General Tang Xiaofeng was sent flying backwards, crashing heavily into the painting of a roaring tiger, before slowly sliding to the ground.

Before Tang Xiaofeng could make any further moves, Quan Rui had already appeared in front of him, lifting the limp Tang Xiaofeng up with one hand, placing one foot on the large table, surveying the entire room, and sternly asking, "Who else?"

Nobody!
Because Tang Xiaofeng and his confidants had already made their move, they were now either lying on the ground, flying off the cliff, or being taken prisoner.

A few who were a little slower to help were now being held down by the new old subordinates. Fortunately, they didn't break free and at least survived. Looking at the people holding them down, their eyes were full of gratitude.

If they rush out like that, they'll surely die!

It wasn't Quanrui who took action, of course.
This is clearly the work of a master from the innate level.

Quanxin walked up to the tiger-shaped table, turned to look at all the officers and soldiers in the hall, and slowly asked, "Gentlemen, from now on, I will assume command and be in charge of all matters concerning Jianmen Pass. Does anyone have any opinions?"

"I will obey the General's orders!"

Several veterans stepped forward first, bowing respectfully; they were themselves newly appointed former subordinates.

With someone taking the lead, everyone bowed and accepted the order.

On everyone's face, there was a look of relief, even joy.

Their lives were saved, their families were saved, and they no longer had to be displaced and forced to work as slaves for others in distant lands.

This is always a good thing.

Who you serve in the military for doesn't matter who you serve in the military for?
Even if you don't join the army, you can still go home and farm.

Linghu Zhishu drank several cups of wine, and the alcohol made his face flushed. He faintly heard several loud rumbling sounds outside, followed by screams.

It's probably Tang Xiaofeng cleaning up those disobedient guys!

He poured himself another drink, let out a burp, and then saw a person walking towards him with a big smile on his face.

Linghu Zhishu blinked, then raised his hand and rubbed it hard.
Am I seeing things?

(End of this chapter)