Chapter 406: Critical Situation
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
After the middle-aged man stopped moving, synchronized footsteps could be heard as hundreds of armored figures stood solemnly in the dark.
They were clearly a squad of guards.
Furthermore, their armor showed that they were from the Great Xia.
"The Minister of Rites is here with a decree from the Emperor! Open the gates!" A voice pierced through the night sky.
"Minister of Rites?! Why will the Minister of Rites come here?" A head popped out from the city walls and looked down at the squad doubtfully.
"The Emperor"s Decree is here! Open the gates!"
"It really is an Emperor"s Decree. Report to Xing Hou immediately!"
...
Even though the soldiers of the Great Xia had managed to emerge victorious in the battle at the Icy Monkey Settlement, they were still trapped.
The Stable Mountain Gate had been breached and tens of thousands have been held prisoner. Furthermore, the Crown Prince was surrounded, leaving this army to fend for themselves.
The Great Xia would be unable to reinforce them in the near future.
As such...
The surviving 40,000 soldiers only had two choices. They could either wait for reinforcements here, or they could follow the initial plan and strike at the heart of the Southern Regions.
Prima facie...
The first option was not bad at all. They could prevent further losses and the rations in the Icy Monkey Settlement could last a long time.
However, no smart man would choose this option.
What was the Icy monkey Settlement?
This was one of the six great settlements apart from the Sagely Mountain City!
This was foreign territory. To put it even more plainly, threats to their lives were everywhere.
Even though they had control over the Icy Monkey Settlement, that was about all they had. It would be virtually impossible for them to hold this position.
The citizens here would never cooperate with the Great Xia. To make matters worse, they may even cause disruptions during the defence.
Furthermore...
Season and weather were a concern.
Winter was coming, and the soldiers of the Great Xia weren"t prepared for it. If the battle dragged on, they would all freeze to death.
Rob?
This was not a bad idea. However, if they really did that, Xing Yuanguo would immediately execute the culprits.
They were effectively left with one choice.
The would stab straight at the Sagely Mountain City.
40,000 soldiers was not an extremely powerful force. However, with the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army, they had a decent chance.
Of course...
They needed the element of surprise.
In other words, they had to be quick. They needed to strike before news of the Southern Region Defeat reached the Sagely Mountain City.
They had to strike before defences could be set up.
They would attack the city and seal the victory for the Great Xia Dynasty.
In actual fact, this was the Emperor"s plan from the start. Of course, the number of soldiers was insufficient, but for the Great Xia to send millions of soldiers...
That would be impossible.
Without even considering the losses and the costs, the terrain itself was the biggest unknown. It would be like throwing thousands of lions into a forest.
The sheer numbers who would get lost were enough.
They were unfamiliar with the terrain. Coupled with the ferocious beasts that roamed the ground, this battle would likely be a long one.
The Southern Regions could afford it.
But the Great Xia couldn"t. No matter how full the coffers were, they could not possibly spend it all on this one war.
As such, this could never be a full-fledged war.
According to the original plan, the final meeting point would be the Icy Monkey Settlement. The Crown Prince would command the army here and a force 100,000 strong would gather at the Icy Monkey Settlement.
Whilst everyone"s attention was focused on the combat examination in the Icy Monkey Settlement, they would strike at the Sagely Mountain City!
No reinforcements?
That was the plan from the start!
In order to account for any surprises, the Emperor had given the elite Dragon Protection Squad to Nangong Hao and hidden the Mountain Breaking Army amongst the ranks. It was all for the final strike.
However...
It was not to be. Fang Zhengzhi had commanded his 50,000 strong army to the Icy Monkey Settlement, breaking through Feng Su and Nangong Hao"s preparations.
In the end, Nangong Hao had to show himself...
And the rest was history.
A simple act like that seemed to have thrown a spanner in the works. However, it had also created a golden opportunity.
To the Southern Region leaders.h.i.+p, it was impossible for them to lose the battle at the Icy Monkey Settlement. As such, if they set out during the night...
They could strike the Sagely Mountain City before they even knew what had hit them!
They would seal the victory!
"No, we have already emerged victorious here. This is the perfect time to negotiate. We have been on good terms with the Southern Region for centuries. We cannot destroy it like that. We have to try diplomacy first. How can you not know this?" The Minister of Rites dismissed any idea of an attack.
Then, in order not to embarra.s.s Xing Yuanguo, the Minister added another sentence, "These are the Emperor"s wishes. Xing Hou, you must respect them!"
Silence.
Other than the flickering flames inside the stone house, there was no other sound. No one expected the Minister of Rites to appear here.
Least of all with a decree from the Emperor.
"Minster, if the Southern Regions really wanted to negotiate, they would not have taken the Stable Mountain Gate and surrounded the Crown Prince. They even ambushed us..." Xing Qingsui spoke up.
"Qingsui, you are still young. You cannot just take everything at face value. Even though the Southern Region has taken over the Stable Mountain Gate, they haven"t killed a single soldier. Furthermore, they have surrounded the Crown Prince but have chosen not to attack."
The Minister of Rites shook his head and continued, "I think that the Southern Region is sending us a message. By surrounding us and not attacking, they are asking for a sincere negotiation. After all, all they care about is benefits."
"How does the Minister of Rites plan to negotiate?" Xing Yuanguo frowned slightly and shook his head at Xing Qingsui.
"The Southern Region is after freedom. We can try to agree to their terms and join forces to drive the Demons out. Then, we can improve our relations.h.i.+p with them. There are many ways to do this. We can have a bond through marriage. We could marry a princess off to the Southern Region. This way, the relations.h.i.+p will be more stable!" The Minister of Rites immediately expressed his opinion contentedly.
"Father, this is a golden opportunity for us to strike. If we miss this, we may not have a similar opportunity in the future. Once the Southern Region has had time to set up their defences, we are bound to be defeated!" Xing Qingsui urged.
"Qingsui, you are the heir to the Stabilization Constabulary. It is natural that you have your own views, but, how can you be so sure that the Sagely Mountain City is defenceless? If you strike now and end up being ambushed, how would you emerge victorious?" The Minister of Rites interrupted.
"Erm..." Xing Qingsui"s expression changed. The Minister was right, no one could be sure that the Sagely Mountain City was defenceless.
That being said, who could predict what would happen?
In a war...
Even a 50% chance was worth a shot. After all, the battlefield was constantly changing and one had to fight tooth and nail.
"The Minister of Rites makes sense. However, in war, we prize timing and opportunity. We only listen to the general. Even though you have the Emperor"s Decree, I am sure you have faced delays along the way. Things could have changed. I am sure you understand that the General has the final say in the field?" At this point, another voice rang out.
This voice came from behind Nangong Hao, but it wasn"t from Nangong Hao. It came from a middle-aged man behind Nangong Hao.
He was the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad!
His name, Yan Qing!
Even though he followed the orders of the Emperor, he was arrogant in his own right. After all, he was a disciple of the 13 Constabularies and had a keen eye for battle.
The Minister of Rites"s expression changed instantly. He looked at Yan Qing, the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad. Normally, he would not want to antagonize him, even as the Minister of Rites.
But this time was different.
He had been ordered by the Emperor to head to the Southern Region. He was tasked to save the citizens and end this pointless war.
As such, even though Yan Qing was the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad, the Minister was not too bothered about antagonizing him.
"Official Yan, even though you are the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad, are you prepared to commit a crime and defy the orders of the Emperor?" The Minister of Rites flashed the Emperor"s decree.