Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

"What General Peng said is quite fair."

"We have just finished the war against the rebels, and everyone has lost a lot of troops."

"At this point, facing a formidable enemy like the Youzhou army, who doesn't play by the rules at all, we can only avoid their sharp edge..."

"Yes! Although we don't know how the Youzhou army suddenly went from being a 'beggar army' to a wealthy one, the reality is already in front of us."

"Unless we receive outside help, we have no way to fight against the Youzhou army."

"I also support Lao Peng's suggestion: let's talk if we can..."

With Peng Dahai taking the lead, the others also expressed their opinions.

Moreover, everyone's opinion was surprisingly consistent.

The main point is to be pragmatic—there isn't a single pro-war advocate...

It is likely that Zhuo Yongwang had already anticipated this outcome.

Therefore, Zhuo Yongwang's emotions did not show any fluctuation.

Instead, it gives people a sense of calm and relief.

"Since no one wants to offend the Youzhou army, there's no need to waste any more time on this meeting today."

Zhuo Yongwang glanced around at everyone and said calmly, "We're all in agreement—we won't fight!"

"Then things are simple—we don't need to stay in the capital anymore; Shen Moshen can come whenever he wants."

"Wasn't he coming to protect the emperor?"

"Then let him come!"

"Let's all go back to our own homes and find our own mothers."

"I will lead my troops back to Liaozhou first thing tomorrow morning."

"Then shall we not talk to the Youzhou army?" someone asked casually.

"What are you talking about? How to be incorporated into the Youzhou army?" Zhuo Yongwang said disdainfully, "Do you think that after Shen Moshen takes Jinzhou, Songshan, Gaohe, and Tongmu, he will still let Fang Borong and the others go back to be the military governors?"

As Zhuo Yongwang posed this question, everyone's attention turned to the four vacant positions—the military governors of Jinzhou, Songshan, Gaohe, and Tongmu were still on their way back and had not been able to attend the meeting in time.

"Alright, everyone hurry back! It'll be more reassuring to be back on your own turf!"

"Isn't Shen Moshen's reason for attacking me just to come to the aid of the emperor and to accuse me, Zhuo, of colluding with the Shaluo and Yi Kingdoms to commit treason?"

"To ensure everyone can return to their base safely."

Zhuo Yongwang looked at the crowd with their varied expressions again and said, "Then I will voluntarily withdraw from the capital, publicly announce the abrogation of all cooperation with the Salo people and the Yi people, and personally express my apology!"

"Now, the guy surnamed Shen has no reason to continue using violence, right?"

"At least he no longer has a legitimate reason to stop us from returning to our base!"

"Gentlemen, let's part ways amicably! The Anti-Rebel Army is hereby disbanded from this day forward."

"All I can do for you is to try to give you a chance to turn back safely."

"There's no time to lose, those who need to leave should hurry up and go."

"The capital city is no longer a good place to stay!"

After saying that, Zhuo Yongwang left the bewildered crowd behind and walked away...

This turned the war against the rebels, which lasted for nearly a year and involved a million troops, into a complete farce.

Zhuo Yongwang had finally made it through, but unexpectedly, he had to flee in disgrace less than a month after entering the capital.

In the end, this costly war against the rebels came to nothing.

The two sides fought to the death, but Shen Moshen, who suddenly appeared, gained a huge advantage...

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In fact, Zhuo Yongwang had already made plans before this emergency meeting was convened.

Zhuo Yongwang was not at all surprised by the reactions of the other warlords in the anti-rebel army camp.

He knew long ago that, faced with the formidable military power displayed by the Youzhou army, no one would be willing to follow him into a head-on confrontation with them.

Therefore, Zhuo Yongwang had made arrangements long ago—to take the initiative to withdraw from the capital, admit his mistakes first, and apologize first!

Let's wait until he leads his team back to his own territory before making any decisions!

Zhuo Yongwang had also privately informed the Saluo people and the Yi people about his arrangements in advance.

The announcement of the abolition of all cooperation with the Shaluo and Yi states was merely a stopgap measure to appease the Youzhou army.

Once he returns to Jizhou, he will give Shaluo and Yi Kingdom a satisfactory explanation!

Zhuo Yongwang believed that as long as he could return to Jizhou safely, he would have leverage to negotiate with Shen Moshen.

After all, he had painstakingly built up his business in the five provinces of Jizhou for so many years.

Even though Shen Moshen had over 100,000 elite troops comparable to the armies of the great powers, it would not be easy for him to invade the five provinces of Jizhou that he had painstakingly built up.

Moreover, Zhuo Yongwang also planned to bring in Shaluo and Yiguo to help him jointly retain the territory of the five provinces of Jizhou.

Even if he was driven back from the capital, as long as he did not leave Jizhou, he would still be the Grand Governor of the Five Provinces of the Great Qian Empire.

At worst, we'll just continue to be known as the "perennial runner-up."

The only difference is that—before, he was suppressed by Xie Kangnian; now, he's suppressed by Shen Moshen........................