knife

Chapter 631 I Plead Guilty and Accept Punishment

"What kind of logic is this? You're putting the General in a deadly predicament!"

Xiong Yi slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, sweeping all the cups and saucers off the table. The new emperor, Xiong Duan, who had been sitting at the head of the table and was initially silent, was so frightened that he stood up abruptly, his eyes darting back and forth between Xiong Yi and Na Wei.

"The Prime Minister has quite a temper!" Na Wei, however, remained calm and composed, a rare occurrence for him.

With tens of thousands of troops entering the capital, Danyang was now entirely under his control, so there was no need for him to be angry.

Anyway, no matter how much you dislike someone like Xiong Yi, you have to let him live, and it would be best if you could even get him to do things for you. So as long as this old man doesn't pull a knife on himself, all the other jokes and curses are just fluff, and there's nothing to be angry about.

This is the calm and collected demeanor of someone who has everything under control.

"You could have intensified your offensive, drawing the enemy's troops away and allowing the General to escape!" Xiong Yi said angrily.

Na Wei chuckled: "The Grand Secretary is ignorant of military affairs. He really makes it sound so easy! My tens of thousands of troops set out at the same time as General Xiang's army. We fought through many dangerous battles and have already reached the walls of Ruyin City. But General Xiang hesitated in Tong'an County and was eventually ambushed at Andu Bridge, cutting off his retreat and trapping us. If the navy hadn't failed, I could indeed have tied down some of the enemy's forces. But the navy suffered a crushing defeat. If I don't leave now, and the enemy also cuts off my retreat, then I won't be able to return!"

Hearing this, Zhou Zheng couldn't help but purse his lips. He knew exactly how many soldiers were in Ruyin and Yong'an. After their naval victory, they could only choose one of the two places to surround and annihilate.

Clearly, the enemy had already planned ahead of the battle, and their chosen target was General Xiang Ying.

Ruyin is just an empty shell!

If Na Wei really fights, he will indeed pay a heavy price, but he can definitely win.

However, in Na Wei's view, the gains from conquering Ruyin were far less than the gains from returning to Danyang City.

Everyone knows this in their hearts, but when it comes to putting it out in the open, no one is willing to admit it.

Zhou Zheng even felt that,

Na Wei must have had direct contact with Jiang Qian or Li Dachui, otherwise how could he have made the retreat so smooth and seamless?

According to the intelligence that followed, Na Wei did not take any preventative measures against the enemy's pursuit.

He was absolutely certain the other side wouldn't pursue him!

But at that time, there were still tens of thousands of elite troops led by Kang Zhen in Ruyin City!
"Prime Minister, I was only thinking of the bigger picture!" Na Wei said righteously, "I was extremely anxious when the General was besieged, but I was even more worried about the safety of the Great Chu. If I were to fail like the General, the rebels would be able to advance unimpeded. Without control of the waterways, the enemy could bring their navy to the gates of Danyang in just a few days. I was worried about the safety of you, Prime Minister, so I disregarded everything and traveled a hundred miles a day, enduring hunger and thirst, all the way back to protect the capital. Yet you think I am abandoning you and harboring malicious intentions. This truly chills my heart!"

At this point, he glanced at the emperor sitting above, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Then I will go home and reflect on my mistakes behind closed doors, awaiting Your Majesty's decree. Whatever punishment I am to be given, I will plead guilty and accept the consequences!"

The emperor looked at Na Wei with some helplessness.

Xiong Yi was so angry that his hands and feet turned ice cold.

That's blatant blackmail from Na Wei!
Now that the Southwest Wolf Army has completely controlled all parts of Danyang City, if Wei Zhen goes back to his home, closes the door, and ignores all outside affairs, then the Southwest Wolf Army will dare to act lawlessly in Danyang!
“The Grand Secretary, Father-in-law!” Zhou Zheng, who had remained silent until now, saw that the situation had become tense and stood up. He grabbed Na Wei, who was pretending to leave, and said loudly, “The affairs of state are of utmost importance! The Grand Secretary has been unable to sleep or eat these past few days, worrying about the war. It’s inevitable that he’s a little confused and speaking against his will. Don’t take the Grand Secretary’s words to heart. Your Majesty, why don’t you persuade the Father-in-law? Right now, there are many important matters of state that are pressing. How can we let a pillar of the nation like the Father-in-law enjoy leisure and rest? He receives the Emperor’s salary and should share the Emperor’s burdens!” Reminded by Zhou Zheng, the Emperor at the head of the table finally reacted. He immediately jogged a few steps down the steps and, imitating Zhou Zheng, grabbed Na Wei’s other sleeve, saying, “Father-in-law, please wait! Father-in-law, please wait!”

Xiong Yi, suppressing his anger, put on a smiling face and cupped his hands, saying, "Then, General, I am old and senile. I spoke nonsense in a moment of panic. Please don't take it to heart."

Seeing that the other party had given in, Na Wei decided to stop while he was ahead.

"You flatter me, Grand Secretary. It's just that I'm deeply indignant and confused because I've been misunderstood despite my loyalty to the country. I spoke rashly, please forgive me!"

"But right now, the war is intense. Our most urgent task is to organize reinforcements to rescue Tong'an County. Otherwise, if the enemy concentrates their forces to attack, General Xiang will be in danger!" Zhou Zheng said.

"That's right. I wonder if the strategist has any brilliant plan?" Once Xiong Yi regained his composure, his intelligence naturally returned, and he passed the buck to Na Wei.

Aren't you worried about national affairs?

Aren't you loyal to the emperor and patriotic?

Okay, you think of a solution!
"Of course we must immediately summon troops from all over the land to come to the aid of the king!" Na Wei said without hesitation. "The Great Chu has thirty-six prefectures. Even if each prefecture only sends five thousand men, that would still be tens of thousands of troops. To be honest with the chief minister and Prefect Zhou, I had already considered the troubles we face today when we were withdrawing our troops. So I have already sent people back to the southwest. No matter what, we must summon another fifty thousand wolf soldiers to go north and quell the rebellion!"

Xiong Wei and Zhou Zheng exchanged a glance, both shocked. If another 50,000 were to come, it would be hard to say whether the person sitting on the throne would be surnamed Xiong or Na!

When Nawei feels unhappy with his role as the emperor's father-in-law, he might want to change his title!
"No need!" Xiong Yi waved his hand repeatedly: "The southwest is a long way away. It would be like sending water from afar to quench a fire nearby. In our opinion, if the strategist were to send out half of his current troops to attack from both inside and outside with General Xiang, the crisis in Tong'an could be resolved!"

Na Wei sighed, "I would like to do that! But has the Prime Minister considered this? Now that the navy has failed, the enemy has unimpeded access to the Yangtze River. If I send my troops away, what if the enemy navy launches a full-scale invasion of Danyang? I heard that the navy's defeat was due to Jiang Qian's assistance in the battle, which led to the navy's lack of fighting spirit. What if Jiang Qian returns with her navy, lands in Danyang, and raises her voice? Can Danyang be defended?"

Xiong Wei and Zhou Zheng exchanged a glance, both showing a helpless expression.

Believe it or not, this possibility does exist.

Jiang Qian's influence and prestige are indeed considerable.

Only barbarians like the Southwest Wolf Soldiers wouldn't have any respect for Jiang Qian. As for the military officers in Danyang, it's hard to say who they would follow if they actually saw Jiang Qian!
"The strategist is absolutely right. Even if the wolf soldiers are currently unable to move, we can still transfer troops from the surrounding areas, so we don't need to come all the way from the southwest!"

“If it’s useful, I naturally wouldn’t want my fellow countrymen to leave their hometown!” Na Wei looked at the two of them with a half-smile.

When Zhou Zheng stepped out of the palace, the army was being redeployed inside. The original imperial guards were marching out in squads, and they were being replaced by the Southwest Wolf Soldiers who wore straw sandals and headscarves.

He couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

The flags of kings change hands frequently, and it's truly hard to say where the Great Chu will go next.

(End of this chapter)