bookcurios Chapter 238 Surrender
Chapter 238 Surrender
After Yuan Shan left the Shige tent, he called together a few of his close associates and said, "If we're not careful today, we might lose our lives here. What are your plans?"
"General, this is not a place for us to stay for long. We can't rely on anyone. Only fists can make the difference."
"Yes, General, we think so too."
"How about this? Twenty miles to the southeast, there's a fort where Luancheng's troops are stationed. We have 30,000 men now, so why not go there?"
After hearing this, Yuan Shan thought it made sense, so he said, "Let's do it this way. Instead of living in fear here, why not go and find a reason to go there?"
Shi Ge and others felt uneasy after Yuan Shan left, so they went to find Mu Hui.
"Send someone to keep an eye on Yuan Shan and see what they'll do."
Yuan Shan has nearly 30,000 people, almost half of the current team. Most of them returned to Pingyang County. He wanted to delay Yuan Shan and make him loyal to him.
The next day, spies reported that Yuan Shan seemed to be sending more than 10,000 people to the south.
"To the south is Shizhu Mountain. We just evacuated here. There's a larger market town called Zanxu Town. We've been there several times. It's practically no man's land. What can they do there?"
Yu Shaoqin said indifferently.
"They know you're going to collect money, so if you go south, what's their intention?"
Shi Ge looked at the map thoughtfully and couldn't help asking several people in the big tent.
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Yuan Shan sent his deputy general Lai He to defend Luancheng.
The fort twenty miles to the south was soon reached. The garrison was led by Cao Yibao's troops from the Second Regiment. This place was originally home to a wealthy family named Yuan, but they moved away due to the war.
"Captain, look, there are ten thousand cavalrymen heading towards us."
A scout pointed to the dusty area ahead and said.
"Ten thousand people, and cavalry at that?" Xu Gang frowned and asked nervously.
"Yes, judging by the number of people, there should be 10,000 cavalrymen."
Ten thousand cavalrymen galloped across the vast land like a torrent, the sound of their hooves roaring and shaking every inch of the ground.
Behind them, dust rose up into the sky, like the gray-yellow mist swirling at dusk, covering the sky and the sun, adding a sense of vastness and solemnity to this magnificent scene.
"Everyone, get ready for battle!" In this situation, Xu Gang had no choice but to shout loudly, ready to fight~
Just as everyone was nervously preparing for battle, the troops in front suddenly stopped and a cavalryman rode over.
"We are from the Yuanshi Xianbei tribe and would like to see your general." The cavalry shouted towards the fort.
"Let them come over." Xu Gang waved to his men and said to them.
Two soldiers from the fort also rode out, unarmed, and approached the other soldiers, saying, "Those of you who can talk, please come into the fort and talk."
Seeing this, Lai He came over with two guards, looked at the soldiers of the other side with a slightly arrogant expression.
"Why are you sending a soldier like you to negotiate with us?"
"We are just delivering a message. The general asked me to call those of you who have the final say into the fort."
"Oh?~" Lai He obviously didn't expect this to happen. In the past, negotiations before the battle would always start immediately, and he would not go directly into the opponent's tent like this.
Encountering such a situation in front of the two lines, Lai He felt it was difficult to get off his horse, so he had to follow the soldiers into the city.
Seeing Lai He approaching, Xu Gang came over from the fortifications, clasped his fists, and said, "Xu Gang from the Second Regiment of the First Special Division, may I ask who you are?"
"I, Lai He, the Xianbei deputy general of the Yuan clan, have come with a message from General Yuan Shan, intending to surrender to the Prince of Dingzhou."
"Oh?" Xu Gang had never expected that the people who came today were here to surrender. Unsure whether this was true or not, he asked, "General Lai, this matter is of great importance. I wonder why General Yuan Shan suddenly made this decision?"
Lai He sighed and said, "General Xu, to be honest, our army is facing internal and external troubles, food and fodder shortages, and low morale. General Yuan Shan knows that continued resistance is futile. For the sake of his men's lives, he has decided to surrender."
Xu Gang frowned and asked, "What are General Yuan Shan's specific conditions?"
Lai He hurriedly said, "General Yuan Shan hopes that the prince can protect the lives of all the soldiers and retain the official positions of General Yuan Shan and the other generals so that the soldiers can have a place to stay."
Xu Gang snorted coldly, "General Lai, this is not a simple offer. The matter of retaining your official position must be decided by the prince, I cannot make the decision. But in order to save the lives of all the soldiers, the prerequisite is that you must surrender sincerely and not have any second thoughts."
Lai He said anxiously, "General Xu, this is already General Yuan's biggest concession. If we don't agree to these conditions, I'm afraid General Yuan Shan will hesitate."
Xu Gang pondered for a moment and said, "General Lai, this matter is of great importance. I must report it to the Prince immediately. Please wait patiently here. But let me be frank: if this is a false surrender, the consequences will be unbearable."
Lai He looked anxious: "General Xu, we surrender sincerely, without any falsehood. I hope General Xu can speak well of us in front of the prince."
Xu Gang nodded, turned around and left in a hurry.
Luan Cheng met the son-in-law Zhao Sheng and informed him in detail about Lai He's surrender and the conditions he proposed.
After hearing this, Zhao Sheng thought for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance. We need to invite the Prince of Dingzhou to discuss it."
Soon, Li Xin, the Prince of Dingzhou, was invited in. Zhao Sheng explained the situation to Li Xin.
Li Xin sat in the tent, tapping his fingers lightly on the tabletop. He said firmly, "It's absolutely impossible for them to retain their official positions. Since they were defeated and surrendered, they shouldn't have such extravagant hopes anymore."
Zhao Sheng frowned slightly and said, "Your Highness, I have an idea. The situation is complicated right now. If we don't give Yuan Shan some benefits, I'm afraid it will be difficult to truly stabilize them. I want to give Yuan Shan a fortress as a gift, so that he can have something to rely on and can also be used by us."
Upon hearing this, Li Xin slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Mr. Zhao, what do you mean by this? Giving away the fort so easily will only give them the capital to make a comeback in the future."
Zhao Sheng quickly clasped his fists and explained, "Your Highness, please calm down. This is not my intention. Yuan Shan has surrendered because he has nowhere else to turn. If we are too harsh, he might become disloyal again."
Giving them the fort may seem like a benefit, but it actually creates internal conflict. Yuan Shan's possession of the fort will inevitably lead to jealousy among his subordinates, leading to constant internal strife and the inability to unite against us.
We can take advantage of this and achieve the effect of a quarrel between the snipe and the clam."
Li Xin was silent for a moment, his expression softening slightly as he said, "Mr. Zhao, your idea may make some sense, but you still need to consider this matter carefully. If you end up making things worse, it will be very troublesome."
Zhao Sheng continued to persuade him, "Your Highness, I am willing to sign a military order. If this fails, I will accept the punishment."
Li Xin stood up, paced back and forth, and finally said, "Well, I'll do as you say. But you must be careful and don't give Yuan Shan any opportunity to take advantage of you."
Zhao Sheng was overjoyed: "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will definitely fulfill my mission."