Chapter 427: Collapse (Continued)

On the third day of the second month of the tenth year of the Jianyan era, at Huolu, within a single day, the Song and Jin sides committed a total of over three hundred thousand troops to a local battlefield spanning several hundred square kilometers, and through an unprecedentedly fierce frontal engagement, decided the outcome.

The result was a great victory for the Song army and a great defeat for the Jin army.

Although it was difficult to tally the specific results in a short time, according to later rough figures... the Jin army's direct deaths, those killed in pursuit after collapse, and those trampled in flight, totaled at least thirty thousand dead, likely more, because in that gradually solidifying ditch, the corpses could not be dragged clean; and the captured, including a large number of wounded, approached fifty thousand.

Considering that the sixteen Jin army wanhu units were not at full strength, likely only one hundred thirty to one hundred forty thousand troops, then the captured and dead had already reached nearly two-thirds of the Jin army's total strength.

As for the remaining fifty to sixty thousand, only the wanhu unit of Wanyan Eluguan, the sixth son of Aguda, maintained its complete formation; the rest were scattered in a state of collapse across the vast plains south of the Hutuo River, and even the routed troops who made it back to Zhending City could be ignored, because the Song army had timely captured the pontoon bridge at Hekou.

At the same time, the Song army's casualties were also severe: no fewer than eight thousand dead or missing, no fewer than five thousand severely wounded, and other losses from wounds and illness directly exceeded ten thousand.

To be fair, this casualty figure would normally have caused the entire army's morale to collapse, but with such a great victory at hand and such a stark contrast in outcomes, morale was instead boosted.

In fact, early the next morning, the Song army continued its major advance.

Among them, Wu Jie took overall charge of matters on the opposite bank of the Taiping River and south of the Hutuo River. He commanded with composure, dividing his forces into three: one part remained at the former Jin army camp at Huolu to clean the battlefield and rest—after all, the Jin armor and weapons left on the battlefield were likely the most valuable treasure of this era; another part, mainly infantry, advanced in an orderly manner to nearby prefectures and towns for necessary strategic control; the last part, mainly cavalry, with Liu Qi commanding the Imperial Guard Cavalry Corps' armored cavalry, advanced eastward, attempting to cross the Qinshui River to take Gaocheng and cut off the Jin army's escape routes, while Khitan, Xi, Mongol, and Tangut light cavalry, in units of a thousand, fanned out in all directions, generally eastward, freely hunting down and killing scattered Jin troops.

In addition, the Imperial Guard Left Army, under Han Shizhong's overall command, used the captured pontoon bridge to cross the river in force, pressing close to Zhending City, and indeed, as per the Zhao Emperor's previous decree, transported the wounded and corpses—the Jin wounded and corpses, roughly stripped of their armor, were delivered in an almost unending stream, including many mutilated bodies, and then neatly laid out side by side outside the city on all sides, with the wounded and corpses mixed together.

In this situation, if Wanyan Eluguan and the Zhending garrison troops had previously only had a superficial understanding of the so-called "disastrous defeat," a shock that left their minds blank, then now they were shaken to the core, as if their livers and gallbladders had been lost.

That wasn't all. As evening fell, the Song army voluntarily stopped the transport and withdrew to their camp... perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of terror that the city would not accept them, perhaps simply unable to bear the pain of their wounds, the wounded outside the city suddenly lost control and wailed, and it instantly swept through the entire formation of wounded outside the city. The sound of lamentation and weeping resounded around Zhending.

Not only that, when the city's garrison came out to receive them, they were so terrified that they joined in the weeping. As the wounded entered the city crying, then the families of city officers, unable to find their kin, also wailed without cease. Finally, the crying inside and outside the city merged into one, and even high-ranking officials and generals, unable to bear the pressure, joined the entire city in weeping.

The sound was so loud that it could be clearly heard in the newly established Song army camp several li away. The Imperial Guard Left Army and the units of Dong Xian and Shao Yun had to eat their dinner accompanied by the weeping, and amid much discussion, some even felt compassion.

"What did the Zhao Song Emperor say?"

Leaving aside the city's weeping, as the lightly wounded Jin troops were allowed into the city, an unexpected person was summoned directly by Eluguan and, in the main hall filled with Jin high-ranking officials, was publicly questioned by Hong Ya, the temporary overseer of Zhending affairs and Vice Minister of War in the Grand Council of the Great Jin.

This person was none other than Taishinu, who, not knowing where Wushu was, had been simply released back to Zhending City. As the envoy who had previously gone to see the Zhao Emperor, his successful return made it natural for him to be summoned for questioning.

"To inform Vice Minister Hong, since yesterday I have not seen the Zhao Song Emperor again." Taishinu bowed his head in shame, clearly humiliated and angry. "Even when I saw the Zhao Song Emperor yesterday and said many things, he probably paid no attention or heed, let alone gave any relevant instructions... I managed to return whole only because of my status as an envoy, and because that Emperor killed so many people yesterday that he couldn't be bothered to kill more, so I was lucky to survive."

Hong Ya felt somewhat disappointed in his heart. He turned directly to look at Wanyan Eluguan, who was sitting in the center, but saw Eluguan's face stiff, as if he wasn't listening at all. He then looked at the expressions of the others in the hall. As he expected, most of the civil and military officials showed disappointment, with only a few appearing slightly relieved.

Having roughly noted these few people, Hong Ya nodded directly to Taishinu: "Since you've returned, it's fate. Don't dwell on it. Settle down and wait for news from the Prince of Wei!"

Taishinu, having not seen Wushu since entering, roughly guessed that his master was not here. But at this moment, the superiors were clearly discussing matters of state, and with the Fourth Prince absent, he, a mere guard commander, no matter how esteemed he usually was, had no right to interrupt. So he bowed directly to Eluguan and Hong Ya in turn, expressed his thanks, then went back to rest, planning to privately seek out Hong Ya later to inquire about Wushu's situation.

As soon as Taishinu left, the hall became noisy again... Clearly, as mentioned before, the wounded and dead that almost blocked the four gates had made everyone in Zhending City fully recognize reality. Now the entire city was weeping, and the garrison troops, from top to bottom, had completely lost morale... Even with a full wanhu and countless stores, they had to discuss a way out.

But in this situation of utter collapse, how easy was it to find a way out?

"Can we withdraw with the army under cover of night?"

"Withdraw to where?"

"Wuji to the east, Xinle to the north are both possible... Of course, just as a temporary stop. My meaning is, since yesterday's defeat was so tragic, this wanhu in the city becomes even more crucial. If we can bring it back to Yanjing, it will be a reliable support."

"Even if there's a place to withdraw, how do we do it? A whole wanhu in the city, half infantry, half cavalry, how do we withdraw right under Han Shizhong's nose? Doesn't the Song army's so-called Imperial Guard Left Army have cavalry? It's the spring flood season. If we encounter a small river or path, a slight delay, and we're caught—what then? You and I both know this wanhu is the last support. How could the Song not know? As for Yanjing... Taiyuan... don't even mention it!"

"You ask me these questions, but who do I ask? But if we don't withdraw now, what then? The whole city is wailing, morale is shattered, no one dares to fight. As for Taiyuan, of course I know, but the more so, the more it shows that Zhending cannot be held!"

"What are you all talking about? Even if it can't be held, we must hold to the death! Because once we leave the city, it's certain death. Staying in the city, we can at least hold out a few more days..."

"Holding out those few days will just get everyone in this hall caught in one net! But if we flee by night, even if we lose, each of us can gamble on fate!"

"Have you considered, if we leave, the Song army will drive straight in from the north bank of the Hutuo River. Then they won't even need to chase us. The Fourth Prince and the tens of thousands of routed troops on the opposite bank won't be able to return north even on horseback!"

"Is the Fourth Prince's life a life, but the Sixth Prince's life not a life?"

"Everyone, stop... Don't you care about the corpses and wounded outside the city? They are all our own men! Especially the wounded... aren't their lives lives?"

"Well..."

"And the storehouses... The Zhending Prefecture's granaries are the military supply depot built with the entire nation's resources, where the Third Prince and Fourth Prince regularly inspected and stationed themselves. The city has countless armor, grain, arrows, swords, leather, gold, silver, copper, and iron ingots... Are we going to leave them to the Song?"

"..."

"..."

Hong Ya, watching coldly from the sidelines, had already seen clearly... These people were all discussing, but it boiled down to the situation being too bad: they couldn't hold, and they couldn't flee well, so they were caught in a dilemma, practically backed into a corner. This was natural. Yesterday's battle had decided the fate of the realm. Whether the Great Jin could even survive depended on heaven's timing, earth's advantages, and human harmony. A mere Zhending Prefecture couldn't have a grand, open path.

However, if they insisted on leaving, taking some extreme, narrow path to survival was still possible.

For example, the entire city, starting from the Sixth Prince Eluguan, along with the countless civil and military officials who had retreated here, a whole wanhu, and the countless storehouses, could simply surrender—this was what Hong Ya most wanted to see. At this point, he desperately needed this Zhending City to gain merit and a path to survival before that Emperor. At the same time, a collective surrender could effectively protect his family in Yanjing.

Of course, this was too idealistic. For now, Hong Ya only thought about it in his heart, without much hope of immediate implementation... At the moment, no one in the hall dared to actually say the word "surrender"... He needed to observe and seize the right opportunity.

Besides that, there was another path: abandon the wounded now, leave the corpses, burn the storehouses, and at the same time abandon Wushu and the scattered army south of the Hutuo River. Then, using the city's wanhu main force as bait and cover, flee in different directions. The high officials in the hall might then have a decent chance of escaping with their lives.

But this was even more extreme... How did that saying go?

The Great Jin had its own national character. Although utterly defeated, it still needed face. Hadn't Gao Qingyi known to walk into the river and then come ashore only after he had left? So no one in this hall could probably grit their teeth and say such words.

"In my opinion, why can't we abandon those corpses and wounded, burn the city's storehouses, then use the entire wanhu as bait and cover to head for Wuji, while we concentrate our personal guards and elites to escort the Sixth Prince to Xinle?" Just then, a Han general suddenly stepped forward and said something that left the entire hall stunned, even Hong Ya froze there.

While everyone was still dazed, suddenly someone, face flushed red, stepped forward and publicly rebuked him. It was another Han civil official in a red robe:

"Liu E! You are shameless and unworthy to be a descendant of the Prince of Liu! If you carry out this plan, you must kill me first!"

"If we don't do this, what then?" The Han general called Liu E, seeing who had jumped out, also became furious. "Cheng Cai, you tell me, what should we do now?"

"We should hold Zhending to the death. Every day we hold is a gain. If the city falls, we should set fire to the city and die to uphold our duty as ministers!" The civil official called Cheng Cai answered without hesitation, but his opinion was almost the opposite extreme of Liu E's.

"What nonsense are you talking?" Liu E completely lost his composure upon hearing this.

"What nonsense are you talking?" Cheng Cai gave no ground. "How can there be a principle of abandoning the army to save one's own skin?! I say again, if you want to do such a thing, you must kill me first!"

"Do you think I dare not kill you?" Liu E grew even angrier and simply stepped forward, hand on his sword.

"I am an imperial envoy. Is it I who kills you, or you who kills me?" Cheng Cai was fearless and also put his hand on his sword.

The two, at odds over a single word, directly started shouting about killing each other. The surrounding civil and military officials, seeing this, neither went to mediate nor rebuked them, but only watched coldly.

As it happened, Zhending Prefecture, as the actual forward headquarters of the Jin state, had gathered many important Jin figures due to the war. Not only princes, wanhu, meng'an, and mouke, but also many other types of people... For example, Hong Ya was an envoy from Yanjing; another was Liu E, the former Defense Commissioner of Enzhou, who had retreated all the way to Zhending after Enzhou was captured early by Tian Shizhong; and this Cheng Cai was a Hanlin Academician of the Great Jin, who had been sent as a labor-encouragement envoy from Yanjing half a month ago, before they knew Taiyuan had fallen, making him Hong Ya's predecessor.

But these were not the main point.

The main point was that Liu E's identity was somewhat special. He was the youngest of the three current leading direct-line brothers of the Liu clan, a great family from Yanyun.

The so-called Liu clan were descendants of Liu Peng, the Lulong Military Governor of the late Tang. Their family had served as chancellors for generations under Liao. Liu E's father, Liu Yanzong, had received great favor after surrendering to Jin and was even once entrusted with the governance of Yanyun. However, this family had too strong a presence in Yanyun, so they were always secretly feared by the Jin high-level. Additionally, after Aguda's death, Liu Yanzong attached himself to Nianhan, arousing suspicion of switching allegiances, which led to unanimous rejection from the top. So he was long ago elevated to a high but powerless position and died in frustration. The Liu clan's status among the Jin high-level and its leading position among the Yanyun great families had long been replaced by the Han clan, which the Jin high-level deliberately cultivated.

But regardless, this family's pedigree and foundation were there. So in the previous enfeoffment of princes, Liu E's father, Liu Yanzong, still became the only Han Chinese posthumously granted a princely title in the Great Jin. The Liu clan's influence and Liu E himself could not be ignored in the current situation.

But the interesting thing was this—Cheng Cai was also a representative figure of a great Han family from Yanyun.

Cheng Cai's grandfather, just like the father of the famous Song minister Lin Jingmo, had a domineering nickname. Lin Jingmo's father was called Lin Jiumu, while Cheng Cai's grandfather was called Cheng Yiju. Lin Jingmo had eight brothers, and Cheng Cai's father had five brothers. Including their respective fathers, all were jinshi, except one side was Song and the other was Liao.

Besides that, just as among Lin Jingmo's brothers there were two who stood out, called Elder Academician Lin and Younger Academician Lin... Cheng Cai's father, Cheng Mu, was already a Military Governor when he surrendered to Jin, and he had served as Military Governor ever since, now overseeing the defenses of Jingzhou. When Cheng Cai rose to power, father and son served at court together, and were always called Old Military Governor Cheng and Young Academician Cheng.

Who would dare to ignore such a family?

Yet, after the Jin army had smashed almost all military forces south of Yanshan in one battle, and before the Jurchens themselves had even started to stir, two sons of prominent Yanyun families erupted into such an almost irreconcilable dispute, which seemed especially intriguing.

Enough of this digression. When a dispute reached this point, it was doomed to be impossible to resolve through discussion. So everyone's gaze gradually converged on one person in the hall—the Sixth Prince, Eluguan.

Wanyan Eluguan was the sixth son of the founding emperor Aguda. He was already of noble status, and had previously served as the Grand Coordinator of Datong, overseeing that region. The Wanhu currently in this city was also brought back from Datong by Eluguan. Moreover, with the Third Prince having died of a sudden illness, the Fourth Prince utterly defeated with his fate unknown, and the Second and Fifth Princes (the current monarch's biological father) long dead, this man was a figure of importance not just in Zhending City, but probably throughout the entire Great Jin.

Therefore, as long as this Sixth Prince spoke, no one in Zhending City could oppose him.

However, under everyone's gaze, Eluguan was only dazed and confused, utterly at a loss, unable to make any decision at all. He seemed to be affected by the tragic scene outside the city... This was not surprising. The Fourth Prince, Wushu, was the youngest imperial clansman to have fully participated in the founding wars of Jin. For the younger Eluguan, this was a clear dividing line. By the time Eluguan became involved in military activities, the Great Jin was already established, and he mostly fought battles with the wind at his back, lacking much military experience and combat exposure.

With no other choice, everyone then looked at Hong Ya. This man was the newly arrived Imperial Envoy from Yanjing, and he had been entrusted with military affairs by the Fourth Prince, Wushu. Even the Fourth Prince's own golden tablet was in this man's hands. If he spoke up and offered a plan now, perhaps the majority below would support it, and the Sixth Prince, Eluguan, above would also go along with the flow.

However, Hong Ya, the Vice Minister Hong, who was always known for his competence and shrewdness, swept his gaze across the hall. Although he was inwardly calm, his face instead showed great difficulty. Then he spread his hands: "Gentlemen, although I am the Imperial Envoy and have been entrusted with military affairs by the Fourth Prince on the battlefield, in this current situation, how dare I make a decision lightly?"

These words were spoken quite sincerely, and everyone was helpless. So, after another brief argument, they eventually dispersed in disarray.

However, many capable people among them knew that the situation had reached a point of life and death, and were unwilling to delay at all... That very evening, a steady stream of people privately sought out the Sixth Prince, Eluguan, and the Chief Commissioner of the Privy Council, Hong Ya. It was so busy that Taishinu could only meet with Vice Minister Hong after the second watch.

"The Fourth Prince is in this condition..."

Under the lamplight, accompanied by faint, still-audible weeping, Hong Ya somewhat helplessly explained the situation. "In short, the Song army only sent the Left Army of the Imperial Guard and two units of the Central Army of the Imperial Guard to the north of the Hutuo River. On the south bank, they will probably pursue relentlessly. We can only leave it to fate."

"If that's the case, I will set out tomorrow and risk crossing the river to find the Fourth Prince..." Taishinu became solemn for a moment.

"You cannot." Hong Ya also became solemn immediately. "In the current state of Zhending City, no one can easily leave and retreat alone, or else it will lead to a scene of everyone scattering... Everyone has a reason to leave!"

Taishinu was slightly stunned and found himself unable to refute this. So he instead asked seriously, "Then what exactly is to be done here in Zhending?"

"What else can be done?" Hong Ya spread his hands in response. "For now, we cannot fight. If we cannot fight, then we defend. If we cannot defend, then we leave. If we cannot leave, then it's either surrender or die... What else can be done?"

"Defend..."

"Defending is actually impossible too; it's just bitter endurance... I understand your meaning... Leaving is also something for a very few, a gamble on luck." Hong Ya took over and replied. "The overall situation is like this. The real path for the entire city lies in surrender or death."

Under the lamplight, Taishinu was silent for a moment before asking again: "Between these two paths, Vice Minister Hong, what do you think should be done?"

"It's not what I think should be done. What plan can I, a temporary scapegoat of a Vice Minister, come up with? It mainly depends on the will of the people in the city..." At this point, Hong Ya paused before continuing. "Those who want to surrender are still in the majority, especially among the lower-ranking officers and soldiers. There are also quite a few among the higher-ups. 'Through the ages, the hardest thing is to die,' as they say... But among the higher-ups here, many can't swallow their pride, and there are a few who, for various reasons, firmly refuse to surrender and have made grand statements. That's why it's deadlocked."

"You must have some opinion on the pros and cons of surrender versus death, Vice Minister Hong?" Taishinu hesitated slightly before continuing to ask. "Just speak in terms of the pros and cons for the Great Jin."

"For the Great Jin, there are no pros or cons to speak of." Hong Ya sighed in response. "Fighting to the death, with total annihilation, is of course good. At the very least, it would make that His Majesty on the other side of the river open his eyes a bit and see us, know that the Great Jin still has loyal ministers and righteous men. In the future, when things move forward, he won't underestimate the Great Jin too much... But can the entire city truly be united in a willingness to die? When the time comes for the city to be breached or stormed, I'm afraid nine out of ten will still surrender."

Upon hearing this, Taishinu smiled bitterly.

"But if we surrender, and show our sincerity, letting someone of the Sixth Prince's status speak face-to-face with His Majesty Zhao, perhaps we can retain a bit more leeway in the peace negotiations. If peace can truly be negotiated, then that bit of leeway could mean a world of difference!" When Hong Ya reached this point, he couldn't help but fix his gaze on the other's expression. "But still, there are always one or two bastards who have never seen the power of yesterday's battle array, who still think they can go against the tide, and thus ruin everything for nothing!"

"Correct." Seeing the other party implicitly reveal his stance, Taishinu finally sighed as well. "To put it a thousand ways, anyone who experienced yesterday's battle understands what it means for the tide to have turned. At this point, matters of life and death, surrender and peace, Zhending and Yanjing, are all just leftovers from that His Majesty Zhao's sweeping victory yesterday. They don't mean much. The key is to find a path to survival—for you and me, and also for the Fourth Prince and the Great Jin."

"Exactly!" Hong Ya finally looked up, closed his eyes, and sighed. "Just listen to the weeping throughout the city, and you'll know what it means for a great mansion to collapse. Yesterday, after you left, the Fourth Prince and I stood on the battlefield and watched. We saw an iron curtain slowly sweeping towards us, and felt utterly despondent, wishing we could call you back and put that feigned surrender into action... Let me speak a blunt truth today: after yesterday's battle, forget about the land south of Yanshan! Any further struggle is futile. It's better to abandon Yanyun early and retreat back beyond the frontier."

These words struck a chord with Taishinu... But this man was extremely clever; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to maneuver so smoothly among Yelu Yudu, Yelu Ma Wu, Wanyan Balisu, and Wanyan Wushu. So, after a brief moment of emotion, he suddenly came to his senses:

"Vice Minister Hong means... for me to go again, to plead for surrender on behalf of the Sixth Prince, and then to facilitate the plea for peace?"

"Correct." Hong Ya replied bluntly.

The response to Hong Ya was a long silence.

However, Hong Ya was also very patient.

Sure enough, after waiting for a long time, Taishinu finally spoke with difficulty: "Didn't Vice Minister Hong just say that there are some bastards in the city obstructing this matter?"

"A few second-generation scions from prominent Yanyun families are, of course, the most afraid of that His Majesty coming over... But a mere few second-generation scions, going against the will of the majority, what kind of threat can they really pose? I can wipe them out with a wave of my hand." As he spoke, Hong Ya really did wave his hand.

"The Sixth Prince...?"

"The Sixth Prince has already lost his composure. It seems he has long harbored thoughts of surrender, but his status prevents him... Once we take care of the matter and give him a push, he will naturally nod his head."

"But Vice Minister Hong, aren't you yourself a surrendered man? Aren't you afraid...?"

"Precisely because I am a surrendered man, I need to hide within this overall situation... I cannot act alone, or else I would be walking to my death."

"..."

"..."

"In that case... I have one last question." After several exchanges, Taishinu couldn't help but feel his mouth go dry. "If we surrender now, will it harm the Fourth Prince? He is still on the other side of the river, his whereabouts unknown."

"What harm could it do?" Hong Ya smiled bitterly for a moment. "In words, losing Zhending would allow the Song army to drive straight in. But in reality, if the Song army wants to attack any place now, why would they need to worry about Zhending? Besides, even if this goes smoothly, we won't be able to finalize it until we see His Majesty Zhao Song tomorrow, and it won't be completed until at least the day after... As for the Fourth Prince, he will reach the banks of the Qinshui River by tomorrow at the latest. His life or death is no longer connected to ours."

Taishinu became even more dejected.

"However." Knowing he had spoken too much, Hong Ya quickly added. "If the Fourth Prince does manage to return, he would probably also agree to peace negotiations... It's truly impossible to continue fighting... Peace negotiations are the general trend!"

Taishinu nodded, finally giving his assent: "In that case, I will await Vice Minister Hong's instructions tomorrow."

Hong Ya nodded: "No need to wait until tomorrow. Go back and wait for developments. Watch for my signal."

And so, Taishinu said no more and took his leave directly. Hong Ya did not move at all, but simply called for an attendant and asked him to invite two more people... In a short while, Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu arrived together.

With these two, Hong Ya didn't even bother with probing... because they had been on the battlefield yesterday, and their memories would surely be more vivid than his own.

"Surrender the entire city, and then we take the opportunity to escape and return to Yanjing?"

Jiagu Wulibu frowned in response.

"Yes." Hong Ya replied frankly. "After yesterday's battle, the overall situation has collapsed. South of Yanshan, only Yanjing has a few tens of thousands of new troops. Coupled with the lessons of Taiyuan City and Yuancheng, I'm afraid they won't be able to stop the Song army after they finish mopping up and reorganizing, their spearhead driving straight to the foot of Yanshan... The problem now is that someone needs to get back quickly, meet with the Great Prince and the monarch, inform them of the critical situation at the front, help gather the scattered troops as much as possible, and also hold back those new troops from rushing south to their deaths, in order to preserve our capital... No one is more suitable for this task than the two of you."

"And then Zhending here will surrender directly?" Jiagu Wulibu frowned slightly. "Are you really preparing to negotiate peace?"

"Forget it!" Elubu suddenly interjected. "At this point, can we still have any military hopes? Even if we did, it wouldn't be here in Zhending. The Sixth Prince and Vice Minister Hong have their own paths. It's good enough that the two of us can get back... Vice Minister Hong, just tell us what you want us to do!"

Jiagu Wulibu also shook his head and sighed, saying no more.

"Kill Liu E and Cheng Cai." Hong Ya was even more blunt.

Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu exchanged a glance, showing no doubt at all... They had been in the hall today too; how could they not understand?

"Killing these two is easy. Even if it weren't for returning to Yanjing ourselves, just for the sake of our shared journey with Vice Minister Hong yesterday, we would kill them anyway... But Vice Minister Hong, you must understand. After this battle, the strength of the Yanyun families has become apparent. And since there are no natural barriers south of Yanshan, they are bound to act aggressively. After killing these two, how should we prevent the news from reaching their clansmen?" Elubu pressed on.

"How could I let the two of you bear this responsibility?" Under the lamplight, Hong Ya began to show some impatience. "As long as the two of you agree, I will immediately send Gao Qingyi to inform on Cheng Cai, saying that Liu E has gathered his private soldiers and assembled some cowards who fear death, planning to first burn the treasury, then take the opportunity to kidnap the Sixth Prince and flee... When the two sides clash, the two of you can send troops to help deal with it. Then it will naturally look like they killed each other in a factional fight! And once Zhending City is stabilized inside and out, we can surrender or leave as we please... I will go with the Sixth Prince to negotiate peace, and the two of you will return to Yanjing to be the pillars of the state. Wouldn't that be perfect for both sides?!"

Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu exchanged another glance, still showing no sign of objection.

Hong Ya didn't hesitate at all. He got up directly, went out to summon a trusted attendant, and had him call Gao Qingyi back again... If at first he had been cautiously probing when dealing with Taishinu, after this wave, this Vice Minister Hong had long since seen that anyone who had experienced yesterday's bloody battle was utterly despairing of the situation.

What the hell was Zhending, what the hell was the Sixth Prince, what the hell were the great clans of Yanyun... in the face of yesterday's battle, what did any of them amount to?

At the very least, there was a consensus: south of Yanshan, it would be very hard to hold anything, alright? The Great Jin was about to fall, alright?!

Under these circumstances, why couldn't they run? Why couldn't they kill two bastards who were ruining things? Why couldn't they save the country by a roundabout path?!

Of course, there might still be many high ministers of the Great Jin with backbone who wanted to hold on, but those people were definitely not the likes of Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu, who had abandoned Shiyi, lost their subordinates, and fled here lightly.

At midnight, chaos suddenly erupted in the city.

"Vice Minister Hong, what is this?"

The Sixth Prince of Jin, Eluguan, hadn't been asleep anyway, and was now startled for a time. When he hastily donned his armor and led his personal guards out of the main hall of the Zhending Prefectural Office, he happened to meet Hong Ya leading a group of the city's high officials on the steps. He immediately asked.

"Sixth Prince, there's no need to worry too much." Hong Ya quickly led the group forward and earnestly informed him. "Your subordinate has just sent someone to inquire. It is said that Liu E, the Defense Commissioner of Enzhou, was preparing to burn the treasury and abduct the Sixth Prince to flee. As a result, Academician Cheng Cai got wind of it and led his troops to stop him... Reinforcements have already been sent."

Eluguan was stunned for a moment. He first recalled the evening's events and nodded slightly, but then quickly sensed that something seemed off.

And as this disturbance quickly ended, with news arriving that both parties involved had been killed in the chaos, this feeling of wrongness grew increasingly intense.

"Vice Minister Hong?" In the darkness, Eluguan couldn't help but discuss it further with the highest-ranking person beside him. "Isn't there something questionable about this... Which unit were the reinforcements? Weren't they supposed to rescue Academician Cheng? Why did both of them die so easily?"

"Sixth Prince." Hong Ya turned back to look at the many civil and military officials whose expressions were shifting uncertainly under the torchlight, then turned back to look at Eluguan, speaking frankly before everyone. "I believe there is no need to inquire so clearly into this matter."

"What do you mean?" Eluguan's hair stood on end for a moment.

"The matter itself is obvious... Yesterday's great defeat has unsettled everyone's hearts. They can neither fight nor defend. Fleeing is a near-certain death, and dying is an eternally difficult thing... At a time like this, it is only natural for people's hearts to turn toward surrender and survival." Hong Ya spread his hands helplessly in explanation. "Liu E and Cheng Cai may have fought over official business, or perhaps it was a private quarrel. But regardless, the fact that both died together is undoubtedly just the work of those in the city who want to surrender, going with the flow! If we pursue this now, wouldn't we be forcing the entire city into rebellion?"

Eluguan was stunned on the spot. Then he couldn't help but want to find others to verify this claim. But as he looked around, beside the flickering torchlight, accompanied by the still faintly audible sounds of sobbing, almost everyone stood silent, just staring blankly at him. He became utterly terrified. In the end, not only did he dare not point at anyone to ask, but he couldn't hold back and tears seeped from his eyes in front of everyone.

After looking around with tears for a long time, this Sixth Prince of Jin, left to guard Zhending, finally walked down the steps. Then, as if coming back to his senses, he looked at Hong Ya again and clasped his hands: "Vice Minister Hong... please teach me. With such a situation, such a state of mind, what can be done?!"

Hearing this, Hong Ya looked up and sighed, remaining completely silent.

But Taishinu, seeing this, finally stepped forward and bowed his head: "Sixth Prince! I was originally the Fourth Prince's personal man, so I am also the Sixth Prince's personal man... I beg the Sixth Prince to trust me... I am willing to enter the Song camp again. First, to request surrender, so that the Zhao Song Emperor will surely promise to spare the lives of the entire city. Second, to negotiate peace, so that the Zhao Song Emperor will surely treat the Sixth Prince with courtesy and arrange talks between the two states! But I also beg the Sixth Prince to surely carry on the Fourth Prince's previous strategy and strive to facilitate peace talks between the two states!"

Eluguan was stunned for a long time. Seeing that no one around stepped forward and no one objected, he finally forced himself to nod: "Since peace talks were the Fourth Brother's original intention, Eluguan naturally obeys the order. If surrender is the common request of the entire city, why would Eluguan begrudge the honor or disgrace of one man? I trouble you, sir."

Taishinu was about to speak again when Hong Ya turned around, bowed to Eluguan, then raised his head to console him: "Sixth Prince, there is no need to worry about reputation... If peace talks can be achieved, it is itself a matter of saving the country by a roundabout path. Why speak of honor or disgrace?"

Many of the civil and military officials around the city, especially those who had been in the camp across the river yesterday, seemed to wake up only now. They stepped forward one after another to echo, as neatly as when they had fled back with Hong Ya yesterday.

The remaining officials, after a moment's hesitation, also stepped forward.

Of course, there were also a few who did not move.

A silent night passed.

The next day, the fifth day of the second month, in the morning, Taishinu rode out of the city alone again. The entire city waited until the afternoon, and sure enough, they saw the dragon banner of the Zhao Song Emperor appear outside Zhending. Yan Prefecture's Liu Yan, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, rode up to inquire.

At this moment, Eluguan hesitated no longer. As agreed, he removed his armor and robe, opened the city gates, and went out in only a single garment to pay homage to the Zhao Song Emperor... completely unaware that after last night's chaos, up to this moment, a total of seventeen civil and military officials of various ranks had chosen to die with the city.

Of course, even if he knew, it wouldn't matter.

Because a mere seventeen people were not even one-thousandth of the casualties from the day before yesterday.

Ps: Thanks to Boss An (female) for the peaches... The house number was written wrong... Zhichun Road was also written as Zhiqing Road... Ah, I forgot to wish everyone a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival!