Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 602 A Difficult Decision to Make: Advance or Retreat

At the same time that Licheng was captured, in Dong'e City, which is only 160 li southwest of Licheng, the main generals of the Taiping Army had a fierce argument.

"Two or three groups of people have already arrived in Pingyin County, and our cavalry has gone there four or five times. Why can't we move in?!"

"Why? Dong'e and Pingyin are separated by the Beiqing River. Why do you think that is? Aren't you afraid that the Jin invaders will attack while the river is crossing?"

"Pingyin County is currently in our hands, surrounded by mountains to the south. How could the Jin invaders attack us while we are crossing the river? Are they planning to fly over?"

"You can't say that..."

"Just wait a few more days, and reinforcements will arrive... Liu Dalang..."

After a noisy argument, the generals gradually fell silent and turned their attention to Geng Jing, who was sitting in the head seat.

Geng Jing covered his forehead and remained silent, seemingly still suffering from a splitting headache, as if the cold he had caught a few days ago had not gotten better.

Xin Qiji had no choice but to continue speaking to his generals: "Since Liu Dalang has made a promise, he will definitely come to our aid in a few days. Our army must remain calm."

Zhang Anguo said anxiously, "The men's families are all in Xucheng. Now, they can go directly to Xucheng by crossing the river from Pingyin and heading south through those ten miles of hills. How can the men bear this?"

Xin Qiji frowned and said, "The Jin invaders have 20,000 troops in Xucheng. Our strategist is old and our soldiers are exhausted. How can we possibly win?"

"Aren't the Jin invaders exhausted and worn out?" Zhang Anguo pointed to the man standing in the center of the command tent. "Didn't Master Kong already send an envoy to explain things to us? The Jin invaders seem to have run out of supplies and have been suffering defeats at the city walls for a long time. We are also returning from a campaign. How can we not fight them?"

Xin Qiji glanced at the military envoy who had crossed the river from Pingyin, and then dropped the pretense: "I'm worried that things aren't going well in Xucheng."

Zhang Anguo was taken aback upon hearing this, then sneered: "You should go and say that to my men and see if you can persuade them."

Xin Qiji, gripping his sword, shouted sternly, "Zhang Qi, are there no members of my Xin family in Xucheng? Am I not anxious? But this is a matter of war! How can you allow personal feelings to interfere?!"

Zhang Anguo's face was grim. He instinctively felt fear in the face of the enraged Great Blue Rhinoceros, but then he remembered that this was a military meeting and immediately wanted to refute it.

However, before he could speak, Geng Jing, who was sitting at the head of the table, raised his head, opened his bloodshot eyes, and slowly said, "Does Wu Lang mean that Mr. Kong, Shao Jin, and all the officials of Dongping Prefecture, like Wang Youzhi, have betrayed me?"

Upon hearing this, Xin Qiji, Li Tieqiang, and Jia Rui were taken aback, while Ye Shichan's expression changed drastically. He cupped his hands to Geng Jing and said, "Governor, please be careful with your words. General Wang was blocking the pursuing Jin troops in Liaocheng. How could he have betrayed our army?"

Geng Jing covered his forehead and said, "It doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, this guy is only on orders now. He says he's blocking the Jin invaders in Liaocheng, but who knows how he actually does it?"

Xin Qiji realized what was happening and immediately said, "Commander, these matters are judged by actions, not intentions! How can loyalty and treachery be determined by a single word?!"

Geng Jing's tone was somewhat weak, but he still firmly pointed the finger at Xin Qiji: "Fifth Brother, now you know to judge by actions, not intentions? Why did you only make empty promises when you were questioning Master Kong?"

Xin Qiji took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Commander, those Jingnan Army envoys who came from Dongping Prefecture have already made it clear that the brothers who went into the city to deliver the message never returned. And after Mr. Kong contacted us, he never mentioned that Liu Dalang was coming to our aid. Isn't that strange?"

Moreover, Xucheng has held out for so long, and the Jin invaders haven't sent any more troops. Why are they so eager to request reinforcements now, unable to wait even a few days? There must be something fishy going on!

Geng Jing coughed heavily a few times, then looked up at Xin Qiji again: "Fifth Brother, are you saying that you only believe the one-sided story of Liu Dalang's soldiers, but don't trust our comrades-in-arms in the Tianping Army? If that's the case, why don't you go and find Liu Dalang?"

These words shocked all the generals.

Even Zhang Anguo immediately stepped forward, wanting to refute this.

After all, Zhang Anguo and Xin Qiji were only in a dispute over military strategy, not in a life-or-death enemy relationship. How could a general be driven away just because he raised questions in a military meeting?

Amidst the clamor of opposition, Xin Qiji stared in astonishment at Geng Jing, appearing somewhat shaky.

Li Tieqiang said angrily, "Brother! What's wrong with you?! You might as well just kick me out too! When we started our uprising together in Jinan, we promised to be loyal to each other and share life and death. Now that you've become a military governor, are you going to distance yourself from me because of what we said in the military council?"

Geng Jing simply watched this scene quietly, but suddenly thought of Wang Youzhi.

This former military governor, while serving under my protection, was exceptionally subservient. But given the opportunity, didn't he quickly break free and establish his own army in Liaocheng?

Liu Huai will definitely bring reinforcements. Although Geng Jing is somewhat hostile to Liu Huai, he still believes in the other party's integrity, believes that the other party never betrays anyone, and believes that the other party's stance is unwavering.

But Liu Huai hadn't arrived yet, and Li Tieqiang, an old comrade, dared to publicly refute him, while Ye Shichan, a trusted general, dared to make him retract his order on the spot.

If Liu Huai were to arrive, would the Taiping Army be thrown into chaos? Shouldn't Geng Jing, this incompetent military governor, abdicate and hand over the reins to a more capable person?

At this point, no one can be relied upon.

Thinking of this, Geng Jing hesitated for a moment.

If people like Xin Qiji are unreliable, then what about people like Kong Duanqi and Shao Jin?

Is it really perfectly appropriate?
At this point, Geng Jing also realized that there was something wrong with his mindset.

Surely the vast Taiping Army couldn't possibly be without a single loyal subject? If there were no loyal subjects, what would be the point of the Taiping Army?! It would have collapsed long ago!

Geng Jing wanted to think it over carefully, but he didn't know if it was because of the cold or because he had been thinking too much lately. Just thinking about the current situation made his head ache. After a while, only one thought remained in his mind.

We must do something before Liu Huai arrives with reinforcements. Even a small victory can quickly boost morale and allow Geng Jing to see clearly who is contributing and who is cowering, thus distinguishing between the loyal and the treacherous.

Thinking this, Geng Jing looked at the person who was still standing in the center of the military tent.

This man was originally a servant in a wealthy household. As his master became an official, his status rose accordingly, and he became a minor official in Xucheng.

This time, he went through many hardships to finally bring out the situation in Xucheng.

"You heard it all. Some people say that Xucheng is no longer a suitable place, and that your request for help is just a ploy to lure the enemy. Do you have anything to say about that?"

The clerk was pale, whether from exhaustion or from listening to the raucous words in the military council from beginning to end, his breathing was a little rapid: "Xucheng is indeed still holding out, the Jin invaders are still besieging the city, there is no doubt about that. I don't know what the Grand Commandant and the others are doubting. Could it be... could it be that we can follow the Jin invaders to attack the Jiedushi?"

Geng Jing continued, "What about the military commander of the Jingnan Army?"

The clerk shook his head and said, "I am just a clerk. I was only chosen to break through the encirclement and deliver the message because I am good at riding horses and have a quick tongue. I don't know so many things."

Xin Qiji's cheek twitched slightly, then he asked, "Did you know beforehand that the Jingnan army was about to come to our aid? If the military envoy had met with Mr. Kong, Mr. Kong would definitely not have let this opportunity to boost morale pass by."

The clerk shook his head again: "No."

Seeing the grim expressions on the faces of the generals in the tent, the minor official bowed deeply to Geng Jing and said, "Commander, I am just a lowly official and know nothing. If the Grand Commandants ask me questions and I cannot answer them, the doubts will only grow larger and larger, and in the end, even if I had a hundred mouths, I would not be able to explain myself."

"What you said does make some sense..."

“But, Commander!” The clerk’s lips trembled as he interrupted Geng Jing, disregarding rank and status: “I have another way to prove my innocence, and to prove Xucheng’s innocence.”

Having said that, the minor official pulled a dagger from his sleeve and plunged it into his own chest. To the astonishment of the Taiping generals, he twisted his body violently, then collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before going completely still. Only blood oozed from beneath him.

The command tent was eerily quiet for a moment; you could hear a pin drop.

Geng Jing covered his forehead again, his tone seemingly both sorrowful and indignant: "I never expected that I would be forced to kill a righteous man today."

"Wulang, is there anything else you want to say?" Geng Jing looked at Xin Qiji: "Do you still want me to sit here and wait for Liu Dalang?"

Xin Qiji was speechless at this point, and could only cup his hands and say, "If the governor wants to cross the river to Pingyin, I am willing to be the vanguard."

Geng Jing did not agree, but instead looked at Liang Atai: "Atai, tomorrow you will lead your troops across the river to Pingyin to set up camp."

Liang Atai bowed and agreed.

"Then I request to cover the rear of the army," Xin Qiji volunteered again.

Geng Jing remained oblivious, and ordered Ye Shichan: "Ye Erlang, you will be the rearguard of the army, to guard against the Jin bandits from Daming Prefecture attacking."

Ye Shichan glanced at Xin Qiji, hesitated, and finally could only sigh softly: "I will obey your orders."

In a somewhat strange atmosphere, the discordant military meeting finally came to an end, but the people did not leave immediately. Instead, they looked at the corpse of the minor official and fell silent.

(End of this chapter)