Xie Ming

Three thousand cavalrymen rushed to Shilipo, north of Hangzhou, and devised a plan to break through the city.

Yuan's meaning is to be straightforward and forceful, and to fight head-on.

However, Xiao was concerned about the losses and could not bear to suffer too many casualties. So he hesitated and decided to use a trick to deceive the city.

After a few rounds of back and forth, the generals, in their hurried conversation, managed to change Yuan Ping's mind again.

Seeing the situation, Xiao was impatient and harbored many complaints.

"Hey, Brother Yuan, I'm just worried that we'll end up in a war of attrition."

"No matter how much we explain, it's really not a good idea to start a major conflict."

"If this drags on for too long, it won't sound good if word gets out."

"Furthermore, if we follow the master's message, we cannot guarantee that the Fujian navy will not approach the mouth of the Qiantang River in the near future."

"If such an army were to come and cause trouble, the situation would become even more complicated."

"If the Imperial Guards hold out against the enemy and fail to capture Hangzhou in the short term, then..."

"I'm truly afraid this matter might cause some other trouble, who knows?" Xiao Lang said with many concerns.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ping remained nonchalant and didn't seem to care.

And because of his reckless nature, he even wanted to drag his most trusted ministers into it.

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?"

"At worst, if we can't break through tonight, you can just issue the order tomorrow morning to bring over Hu Chen's tens of thousands of men as well."

“I don’t believe it. Even with a broken tooth, I can’t get into Hangzhou?” Yuan said, still speechless.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan was taken aback and fell silent, unsure of what to say to him. He simply stared intently at him.

Seeing Xiao Chuan's reaction, Jin Yuanping finally realized that he had said something wrong.

Why is this pass so important?
It should be noted that the reason why Xiao Lang hastily marched to Hangzhou and mobilized his troops was that, apart from Yuan Ping, who was determined to rebel against the Ming Dynasty, he had only sent a portion of Xu Jizu's troops.

However, he is hindering the struggle for power and has already revealed his rebellious intentions. As for whether the old troops are loyal or not, Xiao Lang is not sure for the time being.

At such a critical juncture of life and death, those who are truly committed to following you and sharing the same goals are few and far between.

Therefore, titles like Hu Chen, He Zhou, Li Hongsheng, and Zhao Yingyuan are not so easy to use.

This is why we have this problem, and why it's causing us so much trouble.

One wrong move could very well backfire.

If either of them changes their mind and goes against Xiao Lai, it will lead to disaster.

Therefore, Xiao Fang was speechless when Yuan Ping brought up the very thing he didn't want to talk about.

An awkward silence ensued.

At the same time, the generals were hesitant and uneasy because of Yuan's words.

As this was being carved, Master Liu, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up again.

"Uh, well, everyone."

He broke the deadlock with his words, and the surrounding generals breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes all turning to Liu Chu again.

"Hmm, how about this?"

"The governor just said that, even if Brother Yuan disagrees, I'm actually thinking it's unlikely to work out."

"Instead of that, we might as well turn the tables on them." Master Liu suddenly took the lead, changing the subject and starting a conversation himself.

Upon hearing this, Xiao raised an eyebrow and gave a soft "Oh".

"Oh?"

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Second Master Liu stared at Xiao Jingchuan and continued speaking to himself.

"Oh, you've forgotten?"

"We rushed south all the way, and when we passed through Huzhou, we took the opportunity to block the imperial edict post horses heading north."

"Hehe, in my opinion, why bother with disguises? Let's just go and try to pass the test as the Duke of Jingguo."

"To be honest, the imperial edict was intercepted in Huzhou on the way, and the troops that were originally dispatched just happened to run into it."

"I took a small squad of cavalry and came here specifically to report on my duties as ordered by imperial decree." Master Liu's words were always surprising.

Upon hearing this, Xiao looked astonished.

But a quick thought immediately sparked a brilliant idea in his mind.

He then nodded hastily to confirm.

"Yes, you mean... to turn the tables on them." As he spoke, Xiao made further deductions.

Turning to the other side, Master Liu quickly explained.

"Oh, right."

"In this way, even if the city guards become suspicious, it won't matter much."

"After all, whether the imperial edict is real or not, it is to send you south to Hangzhou." "Now that you have broken through the pass and arrived here, the general guarding the northern pass will certainly not dare to refuse to open the city gate on his own."

"If we let you in, he won't die if something happens."

“But even with the imperial edict in place, and you already at the city gate, he still refuses to let you in.”

"Then he, the garrison commander, need not live any longer."

"Given this kind of relationship, no matter how much he weighs the pros and cons, at the very least, the door must be opened."

"In this way, we will have a way to break into Hangzhou!" Master Liu's plan was cunning and ruthless.

Listening to Xiao and Liu talking back and forth, it wasn't until this time that Changting on the other side finally understood.

He couldn't predict whether the plan was good or bad, but what he said here—that the general should go and try to pass the pass himself—was absolutely out of the question.

So, despite his lack of foresight, Changting readily agreed and stepped forward to replace Xiao in the game.

"Oh, yes!"

"General, I think that's not wrong."

"I go."

"Usually, Hu Chen and Ming Lu always mention that my appearance and build are similar to yours."

"Given the current lighting conditions at night, all I need to do is put on your armor and helmet and mount the white horse later."

"It must be enough to intimidate those Imperial Guards."

"Uh, well, also, in my opinion, it's not advisable to bring too many people later."

"I'll just lead about ten of our own garrison soldiers, that'll be enough."

"As soon as the city gate opens, a dozen or so of us will take the opportunity to block the gate and control the inside and outside of the gate."

"At that time, we will use fire as a signal."

"General, once you and Brother Yuan see that I have succeeded, quickly lead your troops to charge." Changting was decisive and willing to risk his life, and gave the order in one sentence.

But, hearing his words, how could Xiao possibly let Gu Changting die in his place?
"kindness?!"

"No, no."

"If anyone's going, it'll be me."

"However, if things were to change in this way, then..."

Having reached this point, Xiao Jingchuan was also aware of the danger, so he hesitated and pondered, not realizing that this plan had to be carried out.

However, seeing Xiao's ambiguous and hesitant attitude, Liu Erye suddenly burst out laughing.

"Alright, you absolutely must not go."

"Uh, and also, Changting, you're such a quick opportunist."

"This job can get you out of trouble, but going in alone means you're almost guaranteed to die."

"Going is easy, but the fear is that it may never come back."

"So, since I dare to say this method, no one should try to take it from me."

"I'll go and risk this for the warlord!"

Master Liu spoke with absolute certainty, as if he had already decided to do it himself as soon as he uttered the plan.

"no!"

"This idea is too dangerous; no one should go."

"The city's defenses are not so easily controlled."

“Once he stops speaking and closes himself off, he will definitely be exposed.”

"Being caught in this situation, there's no way to advance or retreat," Xiao Li interrupted, cutting off his words.

However, it is clear that Liu Feichangting is even more stubborn.

"Ha." Unexpectedly, the next word from Master Liu was a sarcastic retort.

"General, tell me, throughout history, where has there ever been a war without deaths?"

"After a tough battle, tens of thousands of people were left dead outside the city walls, their heads taken away."

“Commander Xiao, we have been following you since we left the capital.”

"Five hundred brothers fought in the south of the capital, defended Shandong, broke through Jiujiang, and guarded Nanjing."

"As things stand now, do you know exactly how many are left?"

As the saying goes, "The success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand."

"You are a general, you cannot die."

"If you die, wouldn't those who followed you out and died in a foreign land have died in vain? Huh?!"

(End of this chapter)