amaotonovel Chapter 273: Just in Time to Close the Door and Punish the Downtrodden Dog
Chapter 273: Just in Time to Close the Door and Punish the Downtrodden Dog
The news that the capital had sent reinforcements to support Xi'an was soon known to Qi Minsong and others.
This news was revealed by the Eighth Prince to the spies they had planted in the capital, and the spies delivered it via carrier pigeon.
After learning the news, Qi Minsong immediately summoned all the generals to a meeting in the tent.
Qi Jianshu is also included.
Some people disliked him and ignored him on purpose.
The others were not familiar with Qi Jianshu and didn't know what to say.
As a result, the area around Qi Jianshu became exceptionally quiet, and almost no one dared to sit in front, behind, or around him.
Qi Jianshu understood the obvious isolation, but because he understood it too well, he said nothing and just stayed quietly in the corner.
Qi Minsong noticed that the generals under his command had opinions about Qi Jianshu, but he did not intervene in the matter.
Regardless of whether Qi Jianshu needs his help, just looking at the current situation, the defeat of Nanmen is an undeniable fact and is indisputable.
Whether the failure of Nanmen was caused by external or internal reasons...
People only look at the final result, no one cares about the details.
The more he spoke up for Qi Jianshu, the more he would be pushed into a dilemma and become the target of public criticism.
What Qi Jianshu needs now is not a chance to defend himself, but an opportunity to prove his strength.
Whether as a vanguard, personally leading people to fight and kill the enemy and capture the South Gate, or leading a team to block the reinforcements from the Great Zhou.
In short, as long as he can perform beautifully and convincingly, the gossips of others will naturally disappear gradually.
Qi Minsong did not speak for Qi Jianshu, nor did he give him a back door or speak. Such an attitude would naturally make others more fearless.
"According to the report from the spies in the capital, the Great Zhou has dispatched 100,000 reinforcements to support Xi'an City."
"It will take a while for the South Gate to be captured. If we allow the 100,000-strong army to reach Xi'an safely, the situation will immediately turn around and it will be disadvantageous to us!"
"General Qi, it's not that we doubt you, but the authenticity of this news still needs to be verified. Aren't we being too cautious?" An old general couldn't help but raise an objection.
The most taboo thing when marching and fighting is to be timid and see enemies everywhere.
Morale is of primary importance.
After the defeat at the South Gate, the morale of the Western Chu army was affected, but fortunately the impact was not significant.
But if Xi'an City cannot be captured for a long time, the reinforcements of the Great Zhou may have already set out as General Qi said.
Then, they may return empty-handed this time.
This news is not good news.
Originally, they all volunteered to fight in this battle with great confidence.
After all, whether judging from the formulated plan, or the Great Zhou's initiative to seek their support from both inside and outside, or the flood in Xi'an City, the chances of winning this battle were at least 80%.
The right time, the right place and the right people are all in place.
Only the defenders of Xi'an city were left.
Even in such a good situation, they still... have no confidence of winning!
"Yes, General Qi, this is your first time leading troops into battle. Sometimes fighting depends on not fearing death. If you retreat in fear at the slightest sign of trouble, then we don't need to fight any further."
This statement is more unpleasant than the previous one, and the implicit sarcasm is already obvious.
Qi Minsong could swallow this anger, but his confidants could not.
Just as they were about to speak, Qi Minsong glanced over and they all shut up.
"I know what you are worried about. This news is at least 90% credible. Moreover, regardless of whether the news is true or false, the defeat at the North Gate means that Xianyang City will sooner or later return to the hands of the Great Zhou people."
"By then, we will be the ones who are passive!"
"How could it be?" The general who had previously mocked Qi Minsong was half-believing and half-doubting, but still insisted on his own opinion.
"Aren't there still 80,000 people at the east and west gates? With them, what will happen even if reinforcements really arrive?"
"Don't forget, they are the Great Zhou army, not ours!" Qi Minsong reminded, "If the situation is not right, they will retreat immediately. Do you still expect them to really unite with us?"
"After all, they are just cooperating with us. Their roots are always in the Great Zhou. Whether for their own reputation or for their family, they will not always stand with us."
The fact that the Eighth Prince betrayed the city of Xi'an and committed treason does not mean that all his subordinates are willing to do so.
The general was speechless when asked, "......"
It's not that he didn't know this truth, but... he was unwilling to let Qi Minsong, a young man with no brilliant achievements, ride on his head.
Give some pointers here.
He refuted again and again, just to prove that Qi Minsong was only good at talking but had no real talent or knowledge.
As a result, Qi Minsong's words really stumped him.
The defeat at the North Gate represented more than just a simple failure. The plan to fight covertly, capture the city of Xi'an in one fell swoop, and advance straight into the city was also aborted.
Yesterday, with the help of reinforcements, the North Gate recaptured the city gate. This day was enough for them to make arrangements. The news of the siege of Xi'an was estimated to have been passed back to the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Qi Minsong tapped the table with his fingers a few times, pointed at the topographic map around Xi'an City drawn by the scout, and spoke earnestly.
"It took us nearly seven days to capture Xi'an alone. With the support of the Great Zhou, 130,000 troops and our Western Chu army of 80,000, if we still can't capture Xi'an, we don't have to go back to see His Majesty."
It doesn’t matter whether the news is true or not. What matters is that reinforcements will arrive sooner or later.
If they did not make arrangements in advance, this battle would be the most ridiculous defeat in their military career.
They crossed the river, and it seemed that the flooding of the river helped them. Once the reinforcements really arrived, the Zhou army at the east and west gates would withdraw or even rebel.
If they were to surround these 80,000 people together, they would all be dead no matter how brave and good at fighting they were.
The river cut off their retreat, and now their only option was to move forward.
"General, that's right." An old general was more and more frightened the more he listened. He couldn't help but sigh and asked sincerely, "Then may I ask what are your plans next, General?"
"This is the main reason why I invited everyone to this meeting. We cannot just sit there and wait for the reinforcements from the Great Zhou to arrive. I wonder if you have any good ideas?"
Qi Minsong spoke with reason and logic, and his wording was low-key and elegant. Those who didn't know him would think he was a civil official.
"Why not split the troops into two groups and intercept the reinforcements from the Great Zhou!" a general suggested.
The veteran general shook his head, "Not appropriate. We should split our troops into two groups. If we try to stop them on one group, let alone how to get through under the noses of the people of Da Zhou, we can intercept the reinforcements without leaving any traces... It is simply a fantasy to want to stop the reinforcements with only 40,000 people, unless the reinforcements of Da Zhou are all old, weak and sick!"
It's ridiculous to go deep behind enemy lines and still hope to stop them.
I’m afraid that in the eyes of the people of the Great Zhou, they are just fat meat delivered to their doorstep, and they just want to kill the fallen dog when the door is closed.