bookcurios Chapter 237 Yuan Shan's Forbearance
Chapter 237 Yuan Shan's Forbearance
In Zhao Sheng’s heart, it was like the sea surface swept by a strong wind, with turbulent waves that were difficult to calm down.
Chen Da's betrayal made him angry and disappointed, and the upcoming surrender operation made him full of worry and expectation.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still, and the air was filled with an indescribable tension and anticipation.
Zhao Sheng's thoughts were racing, and countless countermeasures flashed through his mind. However, each idea seemed to be restrained by an invisible force and was difficult to put into practice.
He was well aware of the heavy responsibility he shouldered and that every decision he made could affect the fate of countless people. This pressure made him feel heavy and uneasy.
During this period, Luancheng expanded its military frantically, and this matter obviously could not be concealed from Zhao Hengzhen, who was on the throne.
Especially when he learned that Zhao Sheng was still alive, he couldn't help but think:
What exactly is Zhao Sheng trying to do? Why did Li Xin accept his own son as his consort? There must be a conspiracy!
Indeed, Zhao Hengzhen guessed right, especially the recruitment of soldiers in Luancheng and the expansion of Dingzhou County. All of this was Zhao Sheng's idea. Dingzhou County, which had been silent for many years, was about to have a major action.
Shan Ning received an order to expand his one division into two divisions and asked him to find a division commander.
Wei Wu never expected that one day his regiment would suddenly receive an order to reorganize his regiment and incorporate Qi Tai's Special Second Battalion to form the New Army's Third Division.
Wei Wu was appointed commander of the new 3rd Division, and Qi Tai was appointed deputy commander.
The newly recruited personnel were reorganized into the new Third Division, guarding Jing County and stationed in the Pingshan mining area.
Cheng Ziyun's army was transferred to Lu County, Luancheng for garrison.
This transfer made Shi Ge, who was still outside Luancheng, a little alert, but in front of Zhao Sheng's powerful military force, his only choice was to wait for the situation to develop.
Yuan Shan has been feeling uneasy recently, like a lost dog. In the Tuoba Xianbei tribe, the Yuan clan is not that big, and this time he led a group of people to the Central Plains, hoping to have room for development.
Faced with the powerful Central Plains dynasty, he began to feel timid.
Although they repelled Guo Yaoshi's army last time, they also suffered heavy losses themselves, and they were entrenched in other people's territory, so replenishing their troops became a tricky problem.
The reason why Shi Ge wanted to station near Luancheng was that he hoped to gain population and replenish his troops.
For foreigners, not everyone is wanted. Men under 40 and over 7 or 8 are the most preferred group, followed by women of fertile age.
The most pitiful person here is the little girl. Even if she was caught, the tragedy that would happen to her can be imagined.
"Chief, we can't continue this, openly eating human flesh in the barracks."
Yuan Shan, on behalf of their tribe, went to Shi Ge to protest openly.
"General Yuan, this has been a long-standing tradition of our tribe. Wars are fought for food. Anything can be rations. Even if we die, we will become their rations."
"No, we won't do that. You'll cause panic among our people."
Shi Ge looked at Yu Shaoqin beside him and smiled. He had had the same feeling when he was in the tribe.
The opponent's actions made Yuan Shan alert. He looked at his generals behind him and inadvertently tightened the hilt of his sword.
"I have already restrained them very much, but as you can see, we are trapped here now and it is difficult to replenish food. They are able to get edible food outside, so it is inevitable that they will disobey my orders."
Shi Ge acted innocent, but his appearance struck Yuan Shan's people as ridiculous. They felt that no one else could be so shameless and calm.
"We should retreat or purchase some food from our surrounding areas. Otherwise, our army will not be able to stay here any longer."
Upon hearing Yuan Shan's words, Shi Ge's face darkened. He said, "General Yuan, given the current situation, retreating is not easy. Purchasing food from the surrounding areas? How easy is that? You are too naive."
Yuan Shan glared at him and retorted loudly, "Captain, what do you mean by this? I'm thinking about the whole army. Am I supposed to just sit there and wait for death?"
Shi Ge sneered, "Humph, for the sake of the entire army? I think you're a coward and want to escape from the battlefield!"
Yuan Shan was so angry that he was shaking all over. He drew the knife from his waist, pointed at Shi Ge and shouted:
"Don't slander me! I, Yuan Shan, have fought for many years, never once having the intention of retreating? But you, on the other hand, allowed your men to commit such unscrupulous acts, and now you still refuse to repent!"
Yu Shaoqin couldn't help but step forward and shouted, "General Yuan, you can't say that. We won't tolerate your criticism of our tribe's actions!"
Upon seeing this, Yuan Shan's generals drew their swords and shouted, "How dare you be so disrespectful to the general!"
Shi Ge's men were not willing to be outdone. The two sides were on the verge of a fight and the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Shi Ge shouted, "Yuan Shan, if you dare to attack me today, don't blame me for being rude!"
Yuan Shan gritted his teeth and said, "Shi Ge, don't be ungrateful. If you can't handle today's matter properly, we will have to go our separate ways!"
Shi Ge's eyes widened in anger as he retorted, "Part ways? Yuan Shan, that's easy for you to say! We're in such a predicament now, do you want to just walk away and leave this mess to me?"
Yuan Shan snorted coldly, "You're the one who caused this mess! You allowed your men to run amok, leading to this situation. Do you really want me to suffer with you?"
Yu Shaoqin shouted from the side, "General Yuan, you're kicking me when I'm down! Our brothers from the tribe have followed General Shi through thick and thin. How have we ever wronged you?"
Yuan Shan's generals all echoed: "That's right, this is your own problem, don't try to drag us into it!"
Shi Ge's face turned blue with anger: "Alright, if that's the case, then let's go our separate ways! But remember, don't regret this breakup later!"
Yuan Shan refused to give in. "Regret? Humph, only if I'm with you will I regret it! We'll see!"
Shi Ge was already intent on killing, and Yuan Shan was well aware of this. After saying this, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He took a step back, gathered his composure, and said, "Chief, quarreling will only cause us to disintegrate internally. We should resolve this issue first."
Yuan Shan's sudden surrender calmed Shi Ge's fury. He watched Yuan Shan's actions, as if he was apologizing to him, and his tone softened as he asked, "What do you have in mind?"
"There are mountains behind us. Even if there are food and people inside, they are very few. The surrounding cities and villages may become our granaries for soldiers. First, you must restrain your own people and do not plunder wantonly. And do not ignore the new soldiers and start in front of them..."
Yuan Shan couldn't bring himself to say something, feeling a surge of acid in his stomach. However, he managed to hold it in and said, "The overall situation is the most important thing!"
Shi Ge was a man of great ambition, and he naturally understood the truth of Yuan Shan's words. However, once liberated, how could the enslaved people of the Ō clan and the other slaves living here control their wild natures?