Chapter 699: The Prisoners—I Will Not Release Them!

Gong Lince's expression gradually darkened.

What sounded like a barrage of complaints had made him personally understand what proud troops and headstrong generals truly looked like.

These men actually dared, right in front of him, to show such contempt for the imperial court supported by the three major sects. To some extent, did that not also mean they held the three major sects themselves in contempt?

"You win a few battles and suddenly no one else exists in your eyes?"

Gong Lince's cold remark instantly silenced the discontent inside the tent.

The central command tent became so quiet a pin could have dropped.

Su Qitong and Zhang Hu looked at each other, then both stole glances toward Meng Shanming in his wheelchair.

"You two may leave," Meng Shanming suddenly said with a wave of his hand.

Zhang Hu and Su Qitong cupped their hands together and withdrew.

Luo Da'an and Lu Zheng stood to either side behind the wheelchair.

Meng Shanming met Gong Lince's gaze without yielding.

In the end, Gong Lince broke the silence.

"Marshal Meng, I understand how everyone feels. The imperial court's decision is selfish, but it also benefits all of you. If what you wanted was to vent your anger, then at a single order from Marshal Meng, six hundred thousand prisoners had one ear cut off. Even if those men are released, every one of them will return missing an ear. They will be a humiliation to Song. One could say that score has already been settled."

"Zhang Hu and the others were once your subordinates, and they serve under you now. They will listen to you. I ask Marshal Meng to make them understand the greater situation."

Meng Shanming's expression did not change.

He spoke one word at a time.

"The prisoners—I will not release them!"

Gong Lince's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Marshal Meng, you must consider the greater situation. If we keep fighting like this, Yan will gain little from it. We will only wound each other together with Song, and that will do Nanzhou no good either. If peace can be negotiated, that is a good thing."

"It is not yet time to negotiate," Meng Shanming said.

"Oh?" Gong Lince disagreed, but his tone remained courteous. "Then I would like to hear Marshal Meng's judgment."

"Negotiate now?" Meng Shanming replied. "Let Luo Zhao's three million main troops withdraw safely back into Song? Then return those six hundred thousand elites to Song as well? Has Sect Leader Gong considered what the consequences would be?"

The question seemed to awaken something faintly in Gong Lince's mind.

His brows drew together.

Meng Shanming continued.

"If we return those six hundred thousand elite troops and also let the three million main army withdraw safely, then Song's actual loss of strength will not be particularly great. It will merely have suffered a major defeat in one part of the war."

"I have spent my entire life in the army and crossed hands with Zhao, Han, and Song. I know very well how important national strength is to warfare. Song's national strength remains intact after this campaign and is still far greater than Great Yan's. At any time it can accumulate the supplies needed for another war."

"If we also allow Song to preserve enough veteran troops, then from the standpoint of a Yan soldier, they will remain an enormous threat to Great Yan. That is something I cannot tolerate."

"Sect Leader Gong, Song came charging into this war with tremendous momentum, only to lift a rock and drop it on its own foot. Do you think they will let the matter end here? Especially if they preserve both their national strength and their military strength, do you truly think they will swallow this humiliation and let the matter go?"

"In my judgment, if they agree to the imperial court's terms and withdraw, it will only be because the present circumstances leave them no choice. They will be making a temporary strategic retreat to recover from an unfavorable situation."

"Their national strength and military strength will not have suffered much, and they will still be far stronger than Great Yan. Do you truly believe they will bow their heads to a weaker Yan, admit defeat, and swallow this grievance?"

"Once they complete that strategic withdrawal and steady themselves again, they will inevitably attack Yan once more. This is not wild speculation. Great Yan's present condition is there for anyone to see. Song has already battered us into this state."

"We are too weak. Too easy to bully. Like a three-year-old child."

"Yan's forces can barely raise the basic grain and fodder needed to wage war even within our own territory. If Song does not attack us while we are like this, whom should it attack?"

"If Song returns in force, trying to cross the Dongyu River again will be far more difficult. Does Sect Leader Gong think we will still get an opportunity like this one? We will not."

"By then, we may not even be able to organize the army again. It will not matter who commands it. Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Great Yan will be doomed to destruction."

"And there is Han."

"If Song withdraws after Yan has already been weakened this badly, then next it will be Han's turn to attack Great Yan. Once Han attacks, even if Song does not immediately join in, it will wait until Han has fought us down far enough and then send troops into Yan again."

"Song has already paid such a high price. It will never sit aside and let Han alone collect the spoils."

Gong Lince listened with growing alarm.

After a period of silence, he asked, "If we continue fighting, can that prevent Han from attacking?"

"Divert the calamity eastward," Meng Shanming said.

"I have fought Jin Jue, Han's Grand Marshal, before. I know this man well. He is good at enduring and good at waiting for the best moment to attack. If he lacks confidence, he will not lightly make a move."

"That is why Han's troops have still not attacked Great Yan."

"Shao Dengyun knows how to fight. With him holding Beizhou, Jin Jue has reason for caution. I suspect Jin Jue will avoid a head-on clash with the heavy forces concentrated in Beizhou unless he has no other choice."

"He is waiting."

"He has massed troops on the border because he is waiting for the most favorable opportunity."

"He is watching us like a tiger watches its prey."

"We cannot let him keep staring at Great Yan. We have to draw his eyes toward Song."

"The present situation is an extraordinary opportunity. Luo Zhao is young, aggressive, and greedy for great achievements and quick results. He has handed Great Yan a major strategic opening. We absolutely cannot waste it. We must seize it firmly."

"So long as our army seals Luo Zhao's three million troops on the far side of the Dongyu River and prevents them from returning, while we throw Song's interior into chaos, Jin Jue will see prey lying almost within reach. He will inevitably send his army crashing into Song."

Gong Lince understood.

He gave an unconscious, slight nod.

But then he hesitated.

"At present, Yan does not have the strength to annex Song. If we pay such a tremendous price only to make a bridal gown for Han, and Han ultimately annexes Song, I doubt they will feel any gratitude toward us. A Han grown that powerful would be dangerous to Great Yan."

"Which is why that will be the true time to negotiate with Song," Meng Shanming replied. "Negotiating now would be seeking death."

"Only after Song has been beaten crippled, only when Song is desperate to preserve itself and has nowhere left to retreat, will it sincerely carry out the terms of an agreement."

"If you cannot defeat someone on the battlefield and make him submit, expecting to make him submit through verbal skill at the negotiating table is unrealistic."

As he spoke, Meng Shanming gestured.

Luo Da'an immediately turned the wheelchair and pushed him before the map.

Gong Lince followed.

Luo Da'an handed Meng Shanming the pointer.

Meng Shanming touched it to the map.

"Once both states have been weakened, and the negotiations succeed, neither Yan nor Song will want to see the other fall beneath Han's butcher's blade and leave itself as the next victim."

"Only then will both sides have reason to resist a common enemy together."

"After peace is reached, Yan and Song will both gain breathing room. Their armies can cease fighting one another and mass in the north. Both states can concentrate their greatest strength against Han."

"At that point, only cooperation between Yan and Song will be enough to make Han hesitate."

"If Song is beaten into submission, then the threat on Great Yan's eastern flank is removed."

"In the north, once Song has been settled, the troops currently fighting Song can be redeployed at leisure to strengthen Yan's northern defense. Working together with Song, we can keep the north secure."

"To the south lies the vast sea. Warfare across the sea demands enormous investment. The likelihood of a major danger arising from the south is low."

"To the west, Nanzhou is willing to serve as Great Yan's shield. Master Dao has sufficient influence over Jinzhou in Zhao. If Zhao attacks, there will be no need for the imperial court to issue instructions. Nanzhou will naturally join hands with Jinzhou and resist together."

"This is the grand strategy this crippled old man has laid out for Great Yan."

"The three major sects may follow it."

"For the time being, it can relieve Great Yan's danger."

"So long as this strategic objective is achieved, the arrangement may be somewhat fragile, but something is better than nothing. It can buy Great Yan time to breathe, recover, and accumulate national strength."

"When Great Yan's troops are strong, its horses sturdy, and its national strength abundant again, who will dare invade us?"

Gong Lince stared at the map, turning Meng Shanming's words over in his mind.

Only after a long time did he slowly exhale.

In all these years, no one had ever stood before him and, from the perspective of war, laid out such a broad and comprehensive military strategy for him.

He was faintly shaken.

Many matters that had previously been handled only in haste under the pressure of events suddenly fell into order.

A clear direction had appeared in his mind.

Even while deeply moved, however, he sighed.

"If Marshal Meng refuses to spare those prisoners, Yanjing may truly be in danger."

The aggressive edge that had suddenly appeared in his tone earlier was gone.

"So long as my army's spear points into Song's interior, the pressure will become unbearable," Meng Shanming said. "Luo Zhao will not be able to persist in attacking Yanjing for long. He will have to withdraw."

"It will not take much time. Seven or eight days will be enough."

"The capital has high walls, broad defenses, and is easy to hold but difficult to attack. If two hundred thousand troops cannot defend it for even seven or eight days, then I truly do not know what use there is in keeping that crowd of useless men in the capital."

"If Yanjing is lost, then let it be lost. Better that than losing Great Yan."

Gong Lince said, "It seems Marshal Meng is determined to proceed this way."

"You may remove me from the post of Grand General of the Eastern Campaign," Meng Shanming replied. "Or you may kill me and replace me with another commander."

The corner of Gong Lince's mouth tightened.

At present, he truly did not dare touch Meng Shanming.

Especially not after hearing what the old marshal had just said and seeing the attitudes of Zhang Hu and the others.

He said nothing more.

Turning, he left to communicate with Meng Xuan again.

After Luo Da'an pushed Meng Shanming back to the seat of honor, he began gathering their things.

The army would be moving soon.

Lu Zheng, who had listened silently for a long time, was shaken to the core.

Meng Shanming's words had opened his eyes to an entirely different world.

Unable to restrain himself, he walked to the old marshal's side and tried asking, "Marshal Meng, if those six hundred thousand prisoners truly are killed, I fear your reputation will suffer enormously."

"How many years do I have left to live?" Meng Shanming said. "I am alone in this world. So long as Yan wins this war, what use have I for reputation?"

"Lu Zheng, remember this. Under circumstances like these, killing prisoners is not merely directed against Song. It is also a strategic and tactical choice directed at our own side."

"Our army is fighting inside Song. We lack grain and fodder and have no reliable supply line. That has a severe effect on morale. Nor do we know what difficulties we may still meet ahead."

"Yan has reached this point with nowhere left to retreat. Officers and soldiers must be united from top to bottom and stake their lives completely if we are to reverse the situation."

"Killing the prisoners will create a blood feud. Our men will fear Song's revenge. The soldiers who have invaded Song will no longer dare surrender, and that will force them to fight to the death."

"The forces at home fighting Song will not dare surrender either."

[End of Chapter 699]