Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Although Ma Chao was still unwilling to accept Han Xing's calm and impeccable reply, feeling that he had missed a good opportunity to fight for the interests of the court and himself, he also knew that what Han Xing said made sense.

This matter is indeed of utmost importance. If we act on it without authorization and it goes against the Emperor's will, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Han Xing was a wise and experienced ruler who always prioritized the imperial decrees. His loyalty and prudence left Han Xing with no room for argument.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the slight agitation in his heart, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying:

"This humble general... understands. I will follow General Han's advice and go to reply to the Tang envoy."

Han Xing nodded and instructed, "Your tone must be neither humble nor arrogant. You must make it clear that we cannot make the decision, but you must also give them hope so that they will not take any risks."

"Everything is subject to His Majesty's decree."

"Yes," Ma Chao replied, then turned and strode away.

Upon arriving at the tent where the Tang envoys were being housed, Ma Chao relayed Han Xing's message verbatim to the anxious Tang army captain.

Upon hearing this, the captain could not hide his disappointment, but he knew that this was not a matter that a frontline commander could decide immediately, so he could only cup his hands and say:

"In that case, I will report back to my commander and General Guo as such. I hope your army will treat General Yuchi well and await good news."

“General Yuchi is a brave general of our time. Our army knows what to do. Please leave.” Ma Chao waved his hand.

Left with no other choice, the Tang envoy left the Chu army camp under the "escort" of Chu soldiers, disappearing once again into the cold night, and returned to report to Li Jing and Guo Ziyi.

Ma Chao stood at the camp gate, gazing in the direction the messenger had departed, then looked back at the light emanating from Han Xing's tent in the central army, and thought to himself:

What will His Majesty's decree be?

Is it an opportunity to ruthlessly exploit the Tang Kingdom and demonstrate the might of the victor?

Or is there a more far-reaching plan?

He suddenly realized that although he was the bravest warrior in the army, he was indeed not as insightful or far-sighted as Han Xing in the face of such a grand game involving the court and the world.

All we can do now is wait.

The north wind howled, and the night was as dark as ink.

The retreating Tang army resembled a long snake struggling to move through the cold night. The torchlight formed a broken, flickering band of light in the darkness, illuminating tired and bewildered faces.

In the middle of the procession, Li Jing, wrapped in a heavy fur cloak, sat in a carriage with thick cushions, bouncing along.

Guo Ziyi rode alongside him, his face grim, his eyes scanning the dark surroundings as if Chu soldiers might burst forth from the darkness at any moment.

The messenger sent to the Chu camp finally caught up with the marching group, carrying with him a chill and barely concealed disappointment.

Led by his personal guards, he arrived before Li Jing and Guo Ziyi.

"Well? What was the Chu army's response?"

Before the messenger could fully dismount and stand still, Guo Ziyi asked impatiently in a deep voice, his eyes filled with a barely perceptible expectation.

The messenger knelt on one knee, not daring to raise his head, and reported in a dry voice:

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, General Guo, this humble general has met with General Ma Chao of Chu."

"According to him, General Yuchi is currently safe and sound in the Chu camp, and they are treating him with courtesy. However..."

"What? Speak quickly!" Guo Ziyi's heart tightened.

“However, Ma Chao said that how to deal with General Yuchi was a matter of great importance and could not be decided by border generals like them.”

"They have already sent a messenger to report this matter to their Emperor Chu Ning, requesting his judgment. A decision can only be made after Chu Ning's decree arrives."

"Until then, please wait for news and do not say anything more."

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, Guo Ziyi's face turned ashen!

He pulled hard on the reins, and his horse let out an uneasy neigh.

"That's unreasonable!"

Guo Ziyi's suppressed anger finally erupted, his voice sounding particularly chilling in the cold night: "You scoundrel Ma Chao, how dare you do this!"

"General Yuchi is a general of our Great Tang Dynasty. Now that he has captured us, whether or not to exchange him is a matter for the generals of both sides to discuss!"

"How dare he delay and make excuses, saying he has to wait for Chu Ning's decree? It's clearly just a pretense, a ploy to sell himself, or even an attempt to humiliate our Great Tang!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his heart filled with resentment: "If I had known this would happen, I should have risked my life to rescue General Yuchi during the day!"

"Now we're at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board. We don't even have the right to negotiate unless we're beholden to someone else! Ma Chao! You've gone too far!"

Guo Ziyi's angry rebuke echoed through the silent marching column, and the guards and generals around him all looked somber, their hearts filled with the same sense of humiliation.

For a defeated general, even the act of redeeming his comrades requires such humble waiting; this feeling is far more unbearable than being struck by swords on the battlefield.

However, unlike Guo Ziyi's furious outburst, Li Jing, sitting in the carriage, did not show much surprise or anger after hearing the messenger's report.

He simply closed his eyes slowly, as if processing the information, or perhaps he had already anticipated this outcome.

After a long while, he let out a soft sigh, which was almost inaudible in the wind, yet it carried a sense of weariness and understanding of the ways of the world.

"Ziyi, calm down."

Li Jing opened his eyes and calmly looked at the furious Guo Ziyi:

"Although Ma Chao is brave, this matter is not something he can decide on his own."

"With Han Xing by his side, any decision Ma Chao made would first have to be approved by Han Xing, or even be authorized by Han Xing."

His voice was low and clear, carrying the calm analysis of a defeated commander in the final moments:

"Han Xing is a mature and prudent man, and also loyal and cautious."

"He knew that Yuchi Bo's identity was special, and if he was not handled properly, it would at least affect the assessment of the battle results, and at worst it could interfere with Chu Ning's subsequent strategy."

"Therefore, he would never allow Ma Chao to trade with us without authorization."

"Letting Chu Ning decide this matter is in accordance with the rules and will also silence us."

"On the other hand, it is also to buy time for Chu Ning to weigh the pros and cons and determine the strategy that is most beneficial to Chu. This is Han Xing's consistent style and is expected."

As Guo Ziyi listened to Li Jing's analysis, the anger in his heart was gradually replaced by a cold helplessness.

He had to admit that Li Jing saw things more clearly.

Han Xing's move of "requesting a higher court for a ruling" may seem like a way of shirking responsibility, but it was actually a brilliant move. It elevated a potential frontline transaction to the level of negotiations between the two countries, thus completely seizing the initiative.

"So we're just going to wait here like this?"

Guo Ziyi clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white: "Every day General Yuchi stays in the enemy camp, he suffers another day of humiliation and risk!"

"Wait."

Li Jing's answer was only one word, but it carried an unquestionable determination: "Since they want to wait for Chu Ning's decree, then we will wait."

"Being hasty at this time will only lead to a poor performance, causing the Chu people to look down on you and potentially raise the price."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the endless darkness of the northeast, the direction of Chang'an, his voice carrying a hint of desolation and relief:

"Judging by the time, the news of the defeat at Zhennan Pass should have reached His Majesty's ears by now."

"My memorial of apology and resignation have presumably been presented to the Emperor."