Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5335 The Enemy is at the Gates (Continued)

Of course, some people disagree with this cowardly statement.

"Our Zhenla stands proudly in this land, our king is a peerless hero, and countless people eagerly await our victory, hoping to crush the enemy and uphold our national prestige. You lowly people are only good at flattery and sycophancy, surrendering before even fighting at this time of national crisis. You all deserve to die!"

"Your Majesty is a hero of our time. You should be able to bend and stretch. It would be foolish to fight to the death against a powerful enemy. A wise man should avoid their sharp edge and wait for the right moment!"

"With the capital fallen and the king begging for surrender, his prestige has plummeted. Who will still follow him and wait for the future? You should know that countless people and laborers still yearn for Funan to this day!"

"Outrageous! The Kingdom of Funan has been perverse and its oppressive policies are more ferocious than a tiger. The people of the world have suffered unbearably. It was the King who stepped forward, cleared the world, and restored order! The people of Zhenla despise Funan. How could anyone still have any feelings for the former dynasty?"

……

The main hall was filled with noise.

Jayavarman's face was ashen. He grabbed a white porcelain teacup from the Tang Dynasty and smashed it on the ground, shouting angrily, "Shut up, all of you!"

Finally, it quieted down.

Many ministers who advocated surrender were trembling with fear, lest they have said something inappropriate during their heated debate that might have angered the king and resulted in punishment...

Jayavarman, however, paid no heed to this. His face darkened as he stared at the group of ministers, uttering words of veiled malice: "I have heard that the Tang army has already captured Brahmaputra, and that traitor Fuli has surrendered and departed for Chang'an. As for the rest of you, until the Emperor of Tang's orders arrive, you will continue to assist the Tang people in governing the country as before... Therefore, you need not worry. In truth, the fall of this country will only result in the king and the royal family suffering extreme punishment. You ministers only need to obediently follow the Emperor of Tang's orders, and you will still be promoted, wealthy, and honored."

"Ah? What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?!"

The ministers were terrified and immediately knelt down on the ground.

Jayavarman was cold-blooded and ruthless, showing no mercy to his family. When his emotions ran high, he became extremely violent, often beating and killing his subjects.

What if someone thinks that someone wants to surrender the city?
"We are loyal to our king, and we will never waver!"

"I am willing to serve my country faithfully, and die without regret!"

Hearing the voices of loyalty from the hall, Jayavarman smiled and clapped his hands, saying, "Good, good, good! You are indeed my loyal ministers and generals! Since you are so loyal to me, then when the city falls, I ask you all to charge into battle with me. We, ruler and subject, are one, and we will die together under the swords of the Tang army! This will be enough to make us famous in history!"

"Ah? This..."

"The king's health is of utmost importance; we must not take any risks!"

"Our deaths are nothing to regret, but Your Majesty must not do this!"

Jayavarman smiled knowingly: "If this city of Thachhu truly falls and the kingdom is destroyed, you may all offer my fine head to the Tang army in exchange for wealth and glory!"

Before the ministers could even shout, he waved his hand impatiently, too lazy to continue teasing this bunch of scoundrels: "Send men to keep a close eye on Shawan Naji City. The Tang army is about to besiege it now, and it's unlikely that we can stop them. But it's good to be able to assess the strength of the Tang army. Once Shawan Naji City falls, we can decide whether to fight or surrender, advance or retreat in Taqu City."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"That's exactly right. The enemy is still a hundred miles away. How can we afford to lose our composure?"

"Perhaps the city of Shawannaji can hold off the Tang army!"

"If that's the case, we can mobilize a large army to circle around behind the Tang army and unexpectedly cut off their rear!"

"No one in the world has ever been known to be able to defeat the Tang army. If we can annihilate the invading Tang army, Zhenla will be able to dominate the world!"

Jayavarman's expression was stern and indifferent.

He lacked confidence in defeating the Tang army, but he was also unwilling to abandon his capital and flee to the deep mountains to the north. So he decided to wait and see. If the Tang army advanced rapidly and captured Shawan Naji City, then he would have to abandon the capital, take his money and troops, and avoid their advance. However, if the Tang army's offensive at Shawan Naji City was thwarted, it would mean that the Tang army was not as invincible as rumored. In that case, he could organize a defense, advance step by step, and then contact the tribes in the deep mountains with promises of great rewards to help them. He might be able to defeat the Tang army.

At the very least, it could force the Tang army to start negotiations; at worst, they could cede all of Shuizhenla to the Tang in exchange for the Tang army withdrawing its troops...

Don't the ministers think the same way?

Zhenla was separated from the Tang Dynasty by thousands of miles. The reason why it launched a long expedition under the banner of "avenging the Funan Kingdom and maintaining the legitimate dynasty" was nothing more than a show of force. If Zhenla was willing to submit, cede territory and pay reparations, why would the Tang Dynasty have to destroy Zhenla?
"Report——"

Just as Jayavarman was about to announce the end of the court session, a messenger's voice suddenly came from afar and approached, arriving outside the palace in an instant.

A member of the Imperial Guard rushed in: "Your Majesty, a battle report has arrived from the front!"

"Xuan!"

"Yes!"

A moment later, a soldier rushed in, knelt before the throne, and said urgently, "Your Majesty, the Tang army has split into three routes and bypassed Shawan Naji City, heading straight for the capital!"

"what?"

"how is this possible?"

"Has the Tang army gone mad? They're even abandoning their escape route?"

"Such carelessness and hasty advances are a cardinal sin in military strategy!"

The ministers were utterly astonished.

Jayavarman waved his hand to silence everyone, then stared at the soldiers and asked, "Tell me in detail!"

"The three Tang armies converged at Shawan Naji City and launched an offensive this morning. However, the two land armies did not participate in the siege but instead bypassed the city from the east and west. After the Tang navy defeated our warships, they deployed their troops on the river and bombarded the city with cannons. The defenders of Shawan Naji City dared not engage in direct combat and retreated. Then, the Tang navy, pulled by boatmen, went upstream and abandoned Shawan Naji City, heading straight for the capital!"

Upon hearing this, Jayavarman flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the table in front of him: "The Tang people are so arrogant and have gone too far!"

By crossing Shawan and taking Ji without attacking, the Tang people were completely unconcerned about creating a thorn in their side. Their only intention was to disregard Qucheng and not believe that it could pose any difficulty to the Tang army.

Inside the main hall, the crowd was filled with indignation.

Zhenla was merely a nation that evolved from a tribe. It had neither its own language nor its own script, and its culture was almost entirely blank. The nation as a whole resembled a loose tribal alliance, so it did not have any "civil officials" in the true sense. The so-called ministers were all nobles from various tribes.

These people had been fighting since childhood; they were brave and skilled in battle, proficient in archery and horsemanship, and naturally had some knowledge of military affairs.

Upon hearing that the Tang army had committed such a cardinal sin in military strategy, they were all immediately agitated.

If the Tang army's offensive can be withstood and forced into a fierce battle, then the city of Shawan Naji behind them can cut off their retreat. The disruption of their logistics and supplies will cause the Tang army's morale to collapse. With the cities of Taqu and Shawan Naji attacking from both sides, the Tang army can be defeated.

Such a feat is enough to shine in this era and resonate through the ages!
"Your Majesty, this old minister is willing to lead the army out of the city and deliver a crushing blow to the Tang army!"

"Let me go. You're too old for that kind of work!"

"The Tang people are vicious and cruel, invading our land and slaughtering our people. I should be the first to fight them!"

The ministers all spoke up to request permission to fight, and not a single word of their previous surrender was heard.

After all, who would want to watch such a chance to become famous and leave a lasting legacy slip away?
Jayavarman was also unwilling.

Therefore, he rejected the requests of his ministers to fight: "I will personally lead the 'Divine Lord' to resist foreign aggression and defeat the Tang army outside the city of Taqu!"

The term "Shenjun" is the respectful name given to elephants by the Zhenla people. They believe that elephants are the mounts of gods, loyal and invulnerable to weapons, and are "guardian beasts of the country." Therefore, Zhenla has an elephant army consisting of a thousand elephants.

If he could control the "Divine Lord" to defeat the Tang army, and then take advantage of the situation to conquer cities and territories to the south and recover Shuizhenla, he would become the world-renowned King of Zhenla, and his prestige would reach its peak.

The ministers were speechless, but how could they refuse such an opportunity as their king?

However, some people still expressed their concerns: "Many years ago, we fought against the Tang army. Although the invincible 'Divine Lord' was not afraid of the Tang people's powerful bows and crossbows, he was terrified of their firearms. Their firearms sounded like thunder and their flames were like divine fire. The 'Divine Lord' hesitated and dared not go forward."

Jayavarman, however, remained unperturbed: "Times have changed, my dear ministers. Rest assured, I have already made preparations. Please wait patiently in the city for good news!"

At that moment, the emperor, accompanied by his most favored concubine, dressed in armor and led a thousand imperial guards in a royal carriage to the "Elephant Garden" in the east of the city. The emperor brought out the elephants, and the guards climbed ladders onto the elephants' backs, tied themselves to saddle-like seats with ropes, and held spears over ten feet long, making a grand and imposing spectacle.

The ministers found it strange, because these "gods" seemed somewhat dull and agitated. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the "gods" had been blinded and deafened, but because they had been trained since childhood, even though they could not see or hear, they could still be controlled to move forward, backward, and turn by the ropes tied to their ears.

Everyone was astonished and showered him with compliments.

Seeing that the wounds of these "divine beings" had healed, it was clear that the king had long been prepared for this battle, but the news was kept secret and no one knew about it...

Jayavarman sat majestically on the back of the "God King," looking quite pleased with himself. He was truly a strategic genius; otherwise, how could he have come up with such a brilliant plan?

The "Divine Lord" cannot see, so he is naturally not afraid of the light of firearms; he cannot hear, so he is not disturbed by the roar of firearms. He only needs to charge forward without hesitation when facing the enemy. His huge size, great strength and strong defense are enough to destroy any army in the world.

No matter how strong the Tang army was, its soldiers were still just flesh and blood. How could they possibly contend with the "divine ruler"?
"Let's go! I will lead the 'Divine Lord' to form ranks south of the city and await the Tang army in a decisive battle!"

May Your Majesty achieve a great victory!

"Defeat the Tang army and be invincible!"

May the gods protect the king!

"Uuuuuu——"

Amidst the sound of bugles, a thousand elephant cavalrymen joined together with over ten thousand elite troops and marched in a mighty procession to the plains south of the city, where they arrayed themselves in battle formation and awaited the return of the Tang army.

In an instant, bugles sounded, banners fluttered, and a surging fighting spirit filled the air.