Chapter 1210: Inviting the Thief into the City

Surrender, of course, is in quotation marks...

Once a real surrender happens, then Jinghua is finished.

The entire Longyan will be in chaos.

Yu Qian is not that stupid.

Jinghua is not large.

The two hundred thousand strong army of Youzhou is enough to throw Jinghua into chaos.

At that time.

What about the other Feudatory Kings?

What will they think?

The world will be in great chaos!

They will certainly also take advantage of the chaotic times to bring disaster to Longyan under various pretexts. Under the pretext of supporting the King, under the pretext of striking the Youzhou Rebel Army... By that time, this prosperous age of Longyan created by Chief Minister Liu will truly be finished.

But...

If we don't surrender, what else can we do?

Just a moment ago, Yu Qian suddenly thought of a Method. To capture the bandits, first capture their leader!

As long as Xie Chao, this "chief culprit," can be dealt with, then the two hundred thousand strong army under the city walls will not be a threat.

Why say it like that?

After all, Longyan has always held imperial power as supreme.

Therefore, the existence of Jinghua is, to the common people, a supreme existence!

This is the glory of Longyan.

This is the dignity of Longyan.

Therefore.

Even if the Prince of Zhao wants to rebel, what about the soldiers below?

Yu Qian believes they do not necessarily want to rebel with Xie Chao from the heart. It is just that the situation has reached this point, and they can only obey military orders.

Therefore...

If Xie Chao dies, this two hundred thousand strong army will surely scatter like birds and beasts!

This is the advantage of their Jinghua!

Their advantage in legitimacy!

Of course, one must use some despicable Methods, but at this time, one cannot care about so much.

"Someone come, prepare a white flag to replace the military flag on the city wall. Gentlemen, follow me down the city wall," Yu Qian said loudly after thinking of this.

"My Lord, you are..."

Hearing these words from Yu Qian, the city guard soldiers were all stunned.

"What, do you not understand my words?"

Yu Qian asked with a cold smile.

"My Lord, you, you are going to surrender?"

The City Guard Official's face changed drastically.

If we surrender, then we are finished!

"It is not a surrender, but peace talks. Looking at their state, I fear they are about to attack the city. I must go to stabilize them. You all leave the city first, and I will arrive shortly after."

Yu Qian explained.

Peace talks?

Then these peace talks, aren't they just a surrender?

Although the soldiers were still somewhat confused, after all, Yu Qian had just led them to win a battle, and they did not doubt Yu Qian's ability. At this time, they could only obey Yu Qian.

After the soldiers went out, Yu Qian did not go down immediately, but called over Zhao Yan, who was to the side.

"General Zhao, this time, I must wrong you for a moment..."

Yu Qian said indifferently.

Zhao Yan was dumbfounded: "What does Lord Yu mean by this?"

Yu Qian did not waste words and shouted directly. Several guards beside him went over and tied Zhao Yan up.

Seeing this posture, Zhao Yan's face changed drastically: "What do you want to do, Lord Yu!"

"Release our General!"

"Lord Yu!"

"Are you trying to rebel?"

The people nearby also glared with fury.

Yu Qian said indifferently: "Without General Zhao, the Prince of Zhao will not be deceived. I can only use you to lure him in! If there is any discourtesy, please allow Yu Qian to apologize later!"

After saying this, he made a long bow.

Zhao Yan was stunned, then immediately laughed loudly: "Good, good, good! A fine 'luring the guest into the urn'! Lord Yu has great talent! Someone, give me a few lashes!"

"This..."

"General!"

Zhao Yan shouted: "Do not fear, go ahead!"

Yu Qian watched as his eyes slowly closed.

This is a general of Longyan!

This is what a soldier of Longyan is!

This is what a man of Longyan is!

Crack!

Crack, crack!

The whip lashed fiercely against Zhao Yan's body; soon, his skin was torn and his flesh was mangled.

However...

He did not let out a single sound!

Seeing this, tears streamed down the faces of the crowd.

"In a moment, I will lure King Zhao into the city. One team will be responsible for surrendering with me, and one team will be responsible for the ambush. As soon as their men enter the city, seize them immediately!"

Yu Qian instructed carefully.

"Yes!"

Zhao Hui led the soldiers in Jinghua City and began to set the ambush.

Just like that, Yu Qian took a few guards and walked out while escorting the prisoner.

At this moment, King Zhao Xie Chao looked at the Jinghua City before him with a look of astonishment.

He had just been thinking about attacking, who would have thought they would hang out a white flag directly.

"Military Advisor, what do they mean by this?"

Xie Chao tilted his head and asked.

"I don't know, let's wait and see."

Meng Zan also frowned and shook his head.

"Look!"

At this time, someone nearby exclaimed.

They saw a civil official actually escorting a military general who was covered in blood, bruised and swollen, and looked like he was about to die, as they walked out.

"This is..."

Xie Chao's eyes lit up.

Meng Zan's eyes also narrowed slightly.

At this time, Yu Qian had already walked to the front of the soldiers, and then, he began to shout loudly.

"May I ask King Zhao to come forward?"

After Yu Qian finished speaking, Xie Chao glanced at Meng Zan, and after receiving Meng Zan's nod, Xie Chao rode his horse forward.

In fact, unless it was an absolute last resort, they would not want to attack the city. Once they attacked the city, the label of "rebellious subjects and traitors" would be set in stone, and they also hoped for a better Method.

"Who are you?"

Xie Chao arrived at a safe distance and asked coldly.

"Reporting to His Highness, I am the City Guard Official of this Jinghua."

Yu Qian bowed with cupped hands.

"A civil official."

Xie Chao looked Yu Qian up and down; it was truly rare for a civil official to guard a city.

"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every man; in resisting the Mongol Tartars, our generation should be duty-bound."

Yu Qian said.

"Well said. Then, what is the meaning of the white flag on the city wall?" Xie Chao asked with a smile.

"I hope you will not attack the city." Yu Qian was straightforward.

Yu Qian was so sudden that it really caught Xie Chao off guard. Attacking the city was an act of rebellion, and when asked about it, he really didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"What does the official mean by this? Our Youzhou Army has come to assist the throne; how can you say we are attacking the city?"

"Your Highness, we saw your Scaling Ladder and Battering Ram from far away. Please don't tell me these are used for assisting the throne." Yu Qian laughed.

"This..."

"Your Highness, this Junior Official will speak plainly. At present, Jinghua City is already an empty city with no defensive capabilities whatsoever; any army with combat power could easily break through the city. Your Highness has an army of two hundred thousand and the heart to dominate the world, so you surely would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Rather than fighting to the death, it is better to abandon resistance and let Your Highness enter the city. Firstly, it reduces many casualties, and secondly, it can leave Your Highness with a good reputation."

"I tied up this defending general precisely to surrender to the Prince!"

Yu Qian pointed at Zhao Yan beside him and said loudly.

"Oh?"

Yu Qian's words were quite tempting to Xie Chao.

Right now, the problem he worried about most was the need to forcibly break through the city; taking up arms against the Capital would make him a confirmed rebel!

But if he could enter the city peacefully, he could emulate Caocao of the past, holding the Emperor hostage to command the nobles, and the great cause of unification would be much easier.

Just as he was thinking this, Yu Qian had brought the pro-war defending general over tied up?

Good things came too suddenly, so Xie Chao was naturally a bit suspicious, and then he began to look Yu Qian up and down.

He smiled coldly: "Why does this Mandarin feel that things are not that simple?"

"To tell you the truth, I, Yu Qian, come from a civil official background and pride myself on having exceptional ability, yet I have been a lowly Junior Official for twelve years. I am not reconciled to this. Alas, Yu Qian only hopes that one day when Your Majesty dons the yellow robe, Your Highness will remember this subject's merit today."

Yu Qian said with a sincere face.

After saying this, he knelt down directly.

Your Majesty?

Xie Chao was very excited to hear this.

"Civil official background..."

Xie Chao began to ponder. Judging from the official uniform, this Yu Qian was indeed a lowly Junior Official, yet it was such a small official who was actually standing in front of a group of military generals.

Xie Chao suddenly had a thought: Could this Jinghua Defense War have been fought by the scholar before him?

If that were truly the case, then this man was indeed a talent!

"Audacious! I have come here only to lead my army to rescue the Emperor! Don the yellow robe? If you speak such treasonous words again, do not blame me for being heartless!"

But Xie Chao still refused to admit that he had come to wreak havoc on Jinghua, and he shouted coldly.

"This subordinate spoke out of turn, this subordinate spoke out of turn. Your Highness, because the Mongolian Army is attacking the city, Jinghua City is already in chaos. I beg Your Highness to enter the city and take charge of the overall situation!"

Yu Qian said in fear and trepidation, then raised the Tiger Tally of the City Defense Army with both hands.

Seeing the Tiger Tally, Xie Chao's eyes lit up.

The Tiger Tally—this was a symbol of military power; with this thing, the City Defense Army of Jinghua would be his to command!

It seemed this Yu Qian had truly submitted!

"What is your name?" Xie Chao took the Tiger Tally and asked with a loud laugh.

"This subordinate is Yu Qian."

"Good, I have remembered this name. You are a man of talent and must not be buried like this. Once I enter the capital to meet the Emperor, I will recommend you to the Emperor to be the Minister of the Ministry of War! Whether you can be enfeoffed as a Marquis or appointed as a Chancellor in the future will depend on your own abilities." Xie Chao patted Yu Qian on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I, Qian, could not repay Your Highness's kindness in recognizing my talent even with ten thousand deaths!"

Xie Chao responded and had a messenger notify Meng Zan for the main army to enter the city, but he was stopped by Yu Qian.

"Your Highness, the common people in the city are now like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. Sending a large army into the city at this time will inevitably give others a handle against you. In this subordinate's view, Your Highness only needs to bring the necessary personal guards. Without a large army entering the city, the soldiers will be at ease, and they will be more submissive to you."

Yu Qian suggested.

"Not bring the main army?"

Xie Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, and anger appeared on his face.

Could it be that this was truly a trap?

But he looked at that dying garrison commander...

He looked at Yu Qian.

He turned his head to look at Meng Zan.

"What is the Military Advisor's opinion?"

In fact, from the moment Yu Qian appeared, Meng Zan had been observing him. Observing his every move, observing his words and actions.

He did not see any flaws.

This garrison commander had also truly and certainly been wounded...

And he had been beaten very severely!

"Prince, Lord Yu's words are reasonable. Jinghua is the capital of Longyan; if the main army enters rashly, it will certainly affect Your Highness's reputation. With the Tiger Tally in hand, there should be no problems in the city. Your Highness only needs to take one hundred personal guards. I will lead the main army to remain in control outside the city. If any situation arises, I can also lead the army into the city to provide support."

Meng Zan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

It could be seen that Yu Qian was indeed a talent whose abilities had gone unrecognized, and a "change of dynasty" was a good thing for him.

The previous dynasty had not given him any favors, but the new dynasty could allow him to become the Minister of the Ministry of War, a First-Rank Official!

Whether for himself or for the common people of the world, the latter was undoubtedly his better choice...

He could not think of any reason for Yu Qian not to comply. Pop-ups are severe recently, you can click to download to avoid pop-ups.