bookcurios Chapter 221: With the imperial edict in hand, you are traitors if you take action!
Chapter 221: With the imperial edict in hand, you are traitors if you take action!
the other side.
In the central region of Japan, the two armies are facing off.
Chu Yang, wearing armor and riding a tall horse, stood proudly in front of the army of 600,000.
On the opposite side was the main force of the eldest prince Chu Zhenzhou's army, a dark mass with no end in sight.
"Brother, I'm sorry. Now that my father has given up his throne to me, what do you have to say?"
Chu Yang's voice was like a huge bell, resounding throughout the battlefield.
Upon hearing this, Chu Zhenzhou's face turned pale. He never thought that his father would choose to abdicate at this time and pass the throne to Chu Yang!
But he would never admit it even if he was beaten to death!
"Bullshit! Just because you are a brat, you are qualified to be the emperor?"
Chu Zhenzhou roared, "Do you think you can scare me with a fake imperial edict?"
"Brother, you said this is fake, then you should take a closer look!"
Chu Yang sneered, took out a golden scroll from his arms and held it high.
"Here is the imperial decree. Are you planning to kill the king?"
In Chu Zhenzhou's army, many generals' faces changed immediately when they saw the golden scroll.
This imperial edict is no joke. If they rush forward now, they will become traitors if they really are true!
For a while.
Many generals reined in their horses, not knowing what to do.
"Hahaha, Chu Yang, stop playing tricks here!"
Chu Zhenzhou's heart sank when he saw this, and he shouted, "This imperial edict must be fake. How could my father pass the throne to a useless person like you?"
"Brothers, don't listen to his nonsense, kill him! Whoever kills Chu Yang will be crowned a king of a different surname and command 100,000 troops!"
When these words were spoken, some generals became excited. After all, the king of a different surname was their highest target.
So he pressed his legs against the horse's belly and was ready to charge forward.
at this time.
Wang Meng, who was standing behind Chu Yang, suddenly rode out on his horse and shouted, "Commendants, please look carefully. This imperial edict is signed by Emperor Yongning himself."
"And it's stamped with the imperial seal! How dare you disobey my order? Do you want to punish your entire clan?"
Wang Meng's voice was like a thunder, exploding in everyone's ears.
Upon hearing this, Chu Zhenzhou's army became agitated again.
Some are eager for quick success and hope to make their family take off through their own efforts.
They thought that war was just a personal matter, and life and death were left to fate. If they won, the family would prosper, and if they lost, they would just die. But now, if they lose, everyone will be implicated!
The other part didn't want to fight against the Great Zhou people in the first place.
For a moment, the entire army was in chaos and had no will to fight.
"this..."
Chu Zhenzhou's face also turned ugly.
Although he was reckless, he also knew the importance of the imperial seal and was hesitant for a moment.
at this time.
Liu Ji, the military advisor beside Chu Zhenzhou, suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Your Highness, regardless of whether this edict is true or false, this battle cannot be fought!"
Chu Zhenzhou was stunned and asked in confusion: "Why do you say that, sir?"
"Your Highness, look!"
Liu Ji pointed at the army behind Chu Yang and said in a deep voice, "They are all in high spirits, and they are obviously well prepared. On our side, the morale of the army is unstable. If we rashly start a war, I'm afraid we will suffer a great loss!"
Chu Zhenzhou followed Liu Ji's gaze and saw that the soldiers behind Chu Yang were full of fighting spirit and murderous intent.
However, many soldiers in his army showed hesitation, obviously affected by Chu Yang's imperial edict.
"Sir, do you mean that this edict is real?"
Chu Zhenzhou said with a grim expression.
Liu Ji shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. We've fallen into a trap! Your Highness, now is not the time to worry about whether it's true or not. The most urgent thing is to find a way to get out of this!"
"Then sir, what do you think we should do?" Chu Zhenzhou asked anxiously.
Liu Ji pondered for a moment, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, and said: "Your Highness, we will retreat to the Xiongnu territory now, and say that we will capture the remnants of the Japanese and Xiongnu!"
"This way, even if the imperial edict is true, we will have a legitimate reason to do so and won't be criticized."
"At the same time, we can also hold military power. Even if only a part of the people go, it will be hundreds of thousands of troops!"
"What a plan!"
Chu Zhenzhou's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Sir, you are really my savior!"
"There is no time to lose, let's retreat immediately!"
As Liu Ji spoke, he urged Chu Zhenzhou to order a retreat.
Chu Zhenzhou did not dare to delay and immediately ordered the troops to retreat.
"withdraw!"
Upon hearing the order to retreat, Chu Zhenzhou's army immediately breathed a sigh of relief and turned their horses around and retreated.
at the same time.
The retreating figures of Chu Zhenzhou's army looked particularly miserable in the wind and sand.
Chu Yang just couldn't let go of the anger in his heart.
He clenched his fists, his eyes burning with anger, and he wished he could immediately order a pursuit and cut Chu Zhenzhou into pieces.
"Mr. Xun, are you going to chase him?"
Hearing this, Xun Yu rode his horse and stood beside Chu Yang, his face as calm as water.
"Your Highness, you are now the emperor. There is no need to pursue us recklessly."
"Chu Zhenzhou's retreat will surely weaken the morale of his troops. We can easily get half of his troops, so why rush?"
Chu Yang took a deep breath and tried hard to suppress the anger surging in his heart.
He knew that Xun Yu was right and that he should not act on impulse.
If this battle breaks out, both sides will be the armies of the Great Zhou, and it will be the troops of the Great Zhou that will suffer the final losses.
There are hundreds of thousands of lives involved, he cannot disregard their lives just for his own momentary pleasure.
"withdraw!"
Chu Yang finally chose to follow Xun Yu's advice and ordered the troops to withdraw.
the other side.
Chu Zhenzhou's army retreated all the way northward, with low morale and panic among the people along the way.
"Hey, have you heard? His Highness the Seventh Prince Chu Yang is now the emperor!"
"Is this true? Then why are we fighting? We are originally the army of the Great Zhou Dynasty. We should now join the new emperor!"
"But the prince's military token is still in Chu Zhenzhou's hands. Who should we listen to now?"
Similar discussions spread like wildfire in the army, spreading rapidly like a plague, and the entire army was shrouded in anxiety and panic.
Liu Ji rode his horse at the front of the team, his brows furrowed and his face gloomy.
He had expected this to happen, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly or so violently.
"Sir, what should we do now? Rumors are spreading in the army, and the soldiers have no intention of fighting. If this continues, we will be thrown into disarray without Chu Yang taking action!"
Chu Zhenzhou rode his horse to Liu Ji's side, his tone anxious and his face full of panic.
"Your Highness, don't panic. Send the order immediately and tell them that we are heading north to pursue the remnants of the Japanese and Xiongnu and to maintain peace on the border of the Great Zhou! Anyone who dares to spread rumors and disrupt the morale of the army will be killed without mercy!"
There was a flash of cold light in Liu Ji's eyes, and his tone was so cold that it made people shudder.
Chu Zhenzhou was shocked by Liu Ji's aura and was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.
"Okay, I'll go and pass on the message right away."
At this moment, Liu Ji looked at Chu Zhenzhou's departing back, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.
He knew that this was only a temporary measure, and if he wanted to truly calm the storm, he would have to take a long-term view.