Chapter 1005: First Volume_Chapter 1005: Saving the Country by a Detour

First Volume_Chapter 1005: Saving the Country by a Detour

As a member of the Jing Imperial Clan, Jing Peng still represents the legitimate line; Chen Si and Wu Kang only need to enthrone Jing Peng and stand as equals against Jing Qianying.

As for the King of Northern Di, no matter how talented and visionary he may be, no matter how great a overlord he is, in the current situation, he can only be abandoned.

Right now, the only thing that prevents Chen Si from making up his mind is the word "loyal minister."

Jing Peng naturally understood Chen Si's concerns and hurriedly advised: "Grand General, we are not committing traitorous talk, but saving the country by a detour, preserving our living strength, and continuing to fight against the Wild Emperor Party represented by Qin Feng and Jing Yushu."

"His Majesty's eyes have now been blinded. In order to consolidate his imperial power, he has made countless foolish moves. The once mighty and saintly ruler has now become an indecisive mediocrity."

"Back then, he clearly knew that capturing Qin Feng by taking Changshui County would end this war, so he should have attacked Changshui County with all his might at any cost."

"But what happened? Seeing that Qin Feng had fortified Changshui County into an impregnable stronghold, he immediately lost the will to mount a military siege, fearing heavy casualties that would cause morale to collapse."

"Even if he gave up on Changshui County and fought a decisive battle against the enemy army's main force at Ezhou, he should have left part of the troops to besiege Changshui County, then devoted all his strength to engaging the enemy army."

"But up to now, even the logistical supply cannot be transported forward. His Majesty, in his concern for so-called popular sentiment, has even forgotten the principle that in chaotic times one must use heavy laws."

"If I were in his position, I would surely make the entire Jingji and all regions spare no effort in supporting the front line battle. No matter how much is consumed, there is no need to care, for this war will completely decide the future of our Great Di."

"Now, our army has already fallen into a desperate situation, yet His Majesty still refuses to allow us to retreat, still clinging to a sliver of illusion. The final result will be nothing less than the total annihilation of our forces, the gates thrown wide open, and the entire realm falling."

Saying this, Jing Peng stood up directly, cupped his fist and saluted Chen Si: "Grand General, His Majesty can no longer be relied upon. Now, the method to save the country lies with the three of us. Only with the Grand General's support can we start anew and continue the battle."

Wu Kang also rose and tried his utmost to win him over: "Rather than dying without clarity, let us rally our forces and fight again when spring comes next year. Please consider carefully, Grand General!"

Facing the requests of Jing Peng and Wu Kang, Chen Si's stance had already begun to waver.

But Chen Si's concerns in his heart ran deep. The reason was simple: whether Jing Peng or Wu Kang, they were both military generals, not civil officials, and had no idea how difficult it would be to start anew.

Perhaps in their view, all they needed was to seize a wealthy land and defend a city to their death, and they could weather the crisis.

What they did not realize was that once Jingji was lost and Jing Qianying inherited the Imperial Throne, Chen Si and the others would be isolated and cut off, able only to guard their One Mu Three Fen Land and struggle to survive.

And as the fighting slowed and the common people began to farm when spring came next year, if war were to be reignited, it would surely breed resentment among the people. Having lost their hearts, how could they grow and strengthen themselves?

Wu Kang and Jing Peng did not understand Qin Feng.

But Chen Si understood clearly in his heart: Qin Feng's greatest strength lay not in commanding troops and fighting battles, but in internal governance and administration.

This Winter War did not mobilize the National Strength of Liang Kingdom, but relied solely on the support of Beixi County. Moreover, there were Three Great Generals stationed in the Northern Border of Qi Guo, with vast reserves of troops under their command.

To put it bluntly, this war was one region fighting against an entire country, and it held an absolute advantage.

Once Qin Feng captured Great Di and began to govern and restore People's Livelihood, the People's Will would be with him. Meanwhile, Chen Si and the others would lack Internal Affairs Officials around them, and combined with Bo Bing Du Wu, they would be utterly unable to develop People's Livelihood. At that time, without Qin Feng sending troops to attack, the generals around them and the people under their rule would rebel on their own and actively defect to Qin Feng.

These considerations of personal gain and loss had never crossed Wu Kang and Jing Peng's minds at all!

But Chen Si saw through it without pointing it out. After all, he now had no other choice and could only follow Wu Kang and Jing Peng down this one road to the end.

"The two of you, I can indeed travel together with you, but I have one condition."

Hearing these words, the eyes of the two men suddenly lit up.

Jing Peng asked impatiently: "Please make it clear, Grand General."

Chen Si took out a map and spread it open, saying in a deep voice: "Once we retreat, Sangzhou, Zhuozhou, Ezhou, and Yu Zhou to the east—a total of four zhou of land—will all fall into Qin Feng's hands. The only place we can retreat to defend is Bozhou to the west."

"Bozhou is far from wealthy, but it has the largest area, and there are vast stretches of Wuren District, which for us is no different than a natural barrier."

"However, once we enter Bozhou, we will face a Flank Attack from Qin Feng and Gaoshan Country. At the same time, Qin Feng has very close relations with Gaoshan Country, so he can fully send troops into Gaoshan Country, borrowing their path to launch an attack from our rear."

"Therefore, we can only defend to the death a few important fortress towns in Bozhou. But with just a few of us, we cannot hold out for long. We still need the support of civil officials in the court."

"I can only win over the Ye Xiao Zhusi, Li Yu."

"As for the Officials of the Six Ministries, I'm afraid they will not take orders from me. Even if Jingji falls, Qin Feng will not make things difficult for them, after all, this country still needs a large number of officials to govern."

"I wonder how many officials skilled in internal governance the two of you can win over?"

Hearing these words, Wu Kang and Jing Peng looked at each other. They had not thought so far ahead, but since Chen Si had brought it up, they naturally had to do their utmost to cooperate.

After much thought, Jing Peng spoke first: "In the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, I have a few close friends who are extremely reliable."

Chen Si nodded, then looked at Wu Kang: "And you?"

Wu Kang shook his head quite cleanly: "Shu Xi has been campaigning everywhere, always acting solely under His Majesty's orders. I have no private connections or factions in the court, so I'm afraid I cannot help with this matter."

Chen Si sighed silently in his heart. With so few people, wanting to manage Bozhou well was no different than an idiot's daydream.

They could only recruit talent on the spot after arriving in Bozhou.

Nevertheless, Chen Si still held a pessimistic attitude toward the matter of starting anew, feeling that this move would only delay death and would not bring about any substantive reversal.

The next morning, under the Military Order of the three of them, Chen Si, the great army began to retreat in batches.

Due to a lack of Grain and Forage, Jing Peng proposed to directly requisition supplies on the spot.

The so-called "requisitioning on the spot," to put it plainly, was to plunder along the way—tricking the citys along the route into opening their gates, going in, and conducting a massive sweep.

Anyway, the future repair work of these citys would all be handled by Qin Feng and Jing Qianying. Leaving them with a mess could also buy time for Jing Peng and the others' Great Plan.

Chen Si strongly opposed this plan, but having no good way to supplement Grain and Forage, in the end he could only go against his conscience, endure the heartache, and tacitly approve it.

Chen Si never dreamed in his wildest dreams that one day, he would become... a traitor to the country!

Perhaps, this is what they mean by man's calculations are no match for heaven's.