stonecrandall Chapter 780: Is Wu Can ready to fight to the death?
Chapter 780: Is Wu Can ready to fight to the death?
Gao Yao's eyes fixed, he took the secret report and quickly opened the wax. His eyes swept over the brief but shocking words on it, his face instantly became gloomy as water, and a fierce murderous aura spread uncontrollably.
The secret report said: "Wu Can sent an envoy to secretly contact the commander of Yingchuan. Now Yingchuan has begun to forcibly conscript farmers. Nanjun has also strengthened its city defenses and forcibly conscripted civilians. It has a huge stockpile of rolling logs and rocks, and it seems that it is determined to defend to the death!"
"Good! What a great Wu Can!" Gao Yao laughed in anger, his voice icy and piercing, "A trapped beast still fights, do you still want to defend Nanjun to the death?" He slammed the secret report on the table, causing the brush on the pen holder to jump.
Now it seems that Wu Can, this trapped beast, is determined to hold on at all costs. Gao Yao originally thought that Wu Can's ability was not enough to support the overall situation, but his character is really stubborn enough, and he just doesn't intend to surrender! And the movement of Nanjun has cut off the fantasy of "quick victory". The other party clearly wants to rely on the strong city to consume his troops and drag down his logistics!
There is no time to hesitate! All plans must be adjusted! The enemy did not give him the opportunity to slowly attack or advance steadily!
Gao Yao turned around abruptly, his eyes no longer showing any hesitation or fatigue, only desperate determination and cold murderous intent. He strode towards the door and gave a stern order to the waiting guards: "Send an order! Summon Zhang Liang, Han Xin, and Xiao He immediately, and have them come to the study! The rest of you, stay where you are, and postpone the banquet!"
He needed the most core think tank to immediately formulate a thundering plan that could crush all of Wu Can's plots! Yingchuan County... Perhaps Han Xin was right. We must fight, and we must fight hard, fight fast, and fight for everyone to see! But the goal may not only be to deter Nanjun.
Gao Yao stood at the door of the study, looking towards the meeting room in the front yard, where the voices of the generals' discussion could still be heard faintly. He took a deep breath, and the cool evening breeze blew on his face. The road to becoming a king is never a smooth one, but a thorny road paved with blood and fire. The mysterious Yi Xiaochuan, Wei Bao, Xiang Yu... and the stubborn Wu Can in front of him... Come on! Since there is no way to avoid it, let's see who can stand to the end on the pile of corpses!
He gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. The Chixiao sword, which had been strengthened by the system and drank countless blood, seemed to emit a low hum in the sheath, eager to fight. I'm afraid that tonight's banquet will become a pre-war oath. There is only one goal: to crush the last obstacle south of the Yellow River with overwhelming force!
The flickering candlelight illuminated the solemn atmosphere in Gao Yao's study. Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin hurried into this room that symbolized the core of power almost one after the other.
As soon as they entered the room, they keenly caught the lingering gloom on Prime Minister Gao Yao's face - his brows were furrowed, his lips were pursed, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife, nailing on the newly arrived military report on the desk. Needless to say, the three of them were already clear in their hearts: the news coming from the front was definitely not good news.
"Are they all here?" Gao Yao's voice was filled with a subtle hint of repression. He did not raise his eyes, but tapped the dusty silk with his knuckles. "Take a look. This is the news that just came back."
His action was quick and decisive, and with a hint of anxiety, he directly pushed the secret report to Xiao He. This matter was of great importance and could not be decided by one person alone. He needed to rely on the brains of these think tanks. The original plan was to make Wu Can, that useless guy, open the city and surrender obediently. Now it seemed that this chess game was going to be more complicated.
Xiao He calmly took it and quickly read it. Han Xin and Zhang Liang also gathered around him. After a while, the only sound in the study was the rustling of papers and heavier breathing. After reading it, Xiao He was the first to break the silence. He stroked his beard, his eyes flashing with a thoughtful light:
"Prime Minister, after reading this military report, I feel that... you may be relieved." Facing Gao Yao's sharp gaze that was suddenly and obviously confused, he analyzed slowly, "It is true that on the surface, Wu Can's move does seem to be ignorant of the current situation and he is trying to fight a desperate battle. However, if you think about it from another angle, this matter may have another deeper meaning."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Gao Yao leaned forward slightly, obviously interested in Xiao He's hidden meaning.
"Prime Minister, please understand." Xiao He did not keep the secret and went straight to the point. "Surrender also depends on capital and timing. If Wu Can surrenders now, he will be like a loser. In the eyes of the Prime Minister, how much value will he have? I'm afraid he will not be reused. On the contrary..."
He paused and emphasized his tone, "If he can demonstrate strength or some irreplaceable value that is enough to make our army pay a price before surrendering, his status and gains will be completely different. This is not just Wu Can's idea, I'm afraid it is also the tacit consensus of the remaining forces of Wu Rui's former subordinates. They are watching and trying to gain bargaining chips for themselves."
As soon as Xiao He finished speaking, the heroic Han Xin on the side joined in with a deep voice, with undisguised contempt for Wu Can in his words: "Master Xiao He is right! I second the motion. Wu Rui had an army of 100,000, but was easily defeated by our army. Now his commander Wu Rui himself has fallen into the hands of the Prime Minister and has become a prisoner. The morale of the remnants of Wu Can's army will surely collapse like an avalanche. Even if Wu Rui is not used as a hostage, with the might of our army alone, crushing them is as easy as taking something from a bag. In this situation, even if Wu Can is really a complete good-for-nothing, he should not be so stupid that he cannot even understand the most basic trend of strength and weakness!"
Han Xin took a step forward and pointed his finger at the air, as if pointing at the invisible battle map: "What Wu Shen did is simply chilling! His father is still in the hands of the Prime Minister. As a son, my top priority should be to do my best to mediate with the Prime Minister, even if it means ceding some cities and lands, in exchange for Wu Rui's life."
"This is human nature, and it is also the foundation for maintaining military morale! Those generals followed Wu Rui, not Wu Can, a young boy. The son follows his father's business? That will have to wait until Wu Rui passes away! Now that his father is still at the enemy's hands, he is so eager to act like the new leader, and he doesn't even care about his father's life or death... The generals under his command dare not say anything openly, but how can they not be suspicious and fearful in secret? If he can abandon even his own father, wouldn't he be able to 'discard the donkey after it has done its work' at any time for these 'outsiders'?" Han Xin's analysis went straight to the heart of the matter and revealed the internal trust crisis that might be caused by Wu Can's behavior.
At this time, Zhang Liang, who had been listening attentively, also spoke slowly. His eyes were deep, as if he could penetrate the fog in front of him: "Prime Minister, based on information from all sides, Wu Shen's rebellious behavior has two purposes."