Chapter 10 Chapter Forty-Two

Tsushima Mountain and Pingfeng Mountain are two very similar peaks.In the middle reaches of the river, these two mountains are not famous mountains, and most people don't know that there are these two mountains.These two mountains are located next to the main traffic road in the middle reaches of the river, and the terrain is dangerous. Because the falling star in the middle is only connected at one end, it is a dead place, so it is a taboo for military strategists.It's just that this place is very remote, and few people know about it. If I hadn't had a battle with Lu Jingyu here, I wouldn't have known there was such a place.

Back then, Cao Wendao was trapped in the Falling Star Plain by Lu Jingyu, but this time, it was Ding Henry's turn. Several people are looking at the map.Most of us participated in the Battle of Falling Stars, and revisiting the old place now, we must have thought of the scene at that time.At that time, our military strength was superior, and our war equipment was far superior to that of Lu Jingyu, but at the beginning, we were led by the nose by Lu Jingyu.If Lu Jingyu hadn't always held hope in Cao Wendao's old department and was unwilling to kill him, then we would probably have been defeated by him one by one.

Cao Wendao looked at the map with an ugly expression on his face, he must have remembered what happened back then.The little prince was silent and just tapped his fingers on the table.Ever since he assassinated Master Wu Zhao in the battle to kill Wenhou, the little prince seemed to have changed suddenly. He became more and more taciturn, and he also seemed to be a lot older. He studied military books when he was free, and now he is a powerful arm of mine. , but also more and more general demeanor. Yang Yi suddenly said: "Chu Shuai, as usual, the Republican Army has nowhere to escape this time, it's just..."

Yang Yi didn't speak any more, Cao Wendao said from the side: "It's just that this man uses troops miraculously, which is always unpredictable, right? That time in Wuyang City, he should have wiped them all out." I sighed secretly.Yang Yi said that, although he is a bit imposing to others, but I really have this concern.Henry Ding, the blond man with blue eyes, seems to have a strange magic power when he uses soldiers, but he can't be caught.Now it's the second time I've cornered him, but I still don't know if he'll make another trick to escape this time.

That time in Wuyang City, he ordered people to tell me that he would surrender.I naturally don't believe that Henry Ding will surrender, but he said so, and I can't attack regardless.In my heart, I also sincerely hope that the Republican Army can surrender, but I know clearly that Henry Ding is definitely not this kind of person. That time, I was fooled by Henry Ding.He guessed that I would not believe his surrender, but he still had to perfunctory his begging for surrender, so he secretly divided the soldiers into pieces, while the battalion remained as it was, and he bargained with me, desperately demanding the treatment after surrender, Made me think he was going to fight back.By the time I found out his real purpose, more than half of the Republican soldiers trapped in the city had left the city among the fleeing citizens.I am also very familiar with the truth of the deceitfulness of soldiers, but that time Henry Ding used the truth that I know well to set me up. I introduced a trap, or set another trap for me.After discussing for a while, we decided to wait and see what happens so far.At least the main force of the Republican Army has been blocked by us in the Falling Star Field, and they won't have too many troops available.Even if they desperately fight and escape, they will have to pay a huge price.We just need to wait for work with ease, and take precautions against Henry Ding's unreasonable tricks.

After the discussion, the generals of the Wude Camp went to prepare separately.In order to lure Ding Henry to the Falling Star Plain, we have lost a lot. It is impossible to have the same chance in the future. We are like a gambler who has reached a dead end. This time is the only chance to make money. When they were all gone, the little prince suddenly stood up and said, "Shuai Chu..." He seemed hesitant to speak.I said, "Your Highness, what's the matter?" The little prince hesitated and said: "Father is not in good health now." An Le Wang has been in poor health recently.He is old and has always been obese, and now he suffers from many diseases.The little prince is quite filial, and he usually goes to accompany his father when he returns to the imperial capital. As the nominal son-in-law, I also go to accompany him from time to time.In the past, King Anle was always an incompetent person in my eyes, but after getting to know him a lot, I also felt that although King Anle was incompetent, he was essentially a kind old man.The children of the clan have always been domineering and arrogant, but the people in Anle Palace are quite different from others.Looking at An Le Wang who was sick and lying in bed, I seemed to see my long-dead father again.Hearing what the little prince said, I said: "Your Highness, you should go back first, we are here."

The little prince shook his head and sighed: "Loyalty and filial piety can't be both, I'm talking about you. Father always hoped that you would spend more time with him. Seeing you is like seeing his sister." My heart was stabbed, and I said: "Okay, when this battle is over, I will talk to the prince more." The little prince stood up.He has grown in recent years and is half a head taller than me.He said, "Chu Shuai, what do you think Henry Ding can do to escape this time?" I said: "It looks very difficult, but Henry Ding is resourceful, and now I really can't guess what method he will come up with."

The little prince looked around and whispered: "But, Chu Shuai, is it the best way to get rid of the Republican Army?" For a moment, I didn't know what the little prince meant when he said this, so I looked at him and said, "Your Highness, what other good ways do you have?" "I think that the foundation of the republic has been established among the people. I have secretly asked many people along the way. On the surface, they said that the empire is good, but in private, everyone said that the republic is much better, because the republic has no emperor, no Clan, everyone is equal. Even though the empire has now lifted the ban on civil and military schools, in the eyes of the people, if the ban is to be lifted, there must still be a ban first, so the empire still regards the people as inferior. The Republican Army declares that everyone is equal, and the land They are all owned by themselves, and they will no longer pay taxes. In short, in the eyes of the common people, a republic is what it should be. Shuai Chu, I think we are going against the sky."

I sighed, and said softly: "Your Highness, I have never noticed this. The local army has a good reputation among the people. At the beginning, every time they left the army, the local people would spontaneously come to serve as troops, but now there are fewer and fewer cases of serving as troops. It is true that years of wars have made the people poorer and poorer, but they may have complaints against us in their hearts. Anyway, they have already regarded us as the culprit of the war, even if they don’t say it out loud Think. But what can we do? Surrender to the Republican Army?" The little prince said nothing more.There is really no way to answer this question. If we really talk about it, the only way left is to surrender to the Republican Army.He licked his lips and said, "But, Shuai Chu, even if you kill Henry Ding, you still won't be able to destroy the Republican Army. They will revive again in a short time, and it will be even more difficult then."

The little prince was right.Now that the republic has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, Mr. Nanwu has been disappearing again and again. I have not known his real whereabouts for these years.Although the largest armed force of the Republican Army is trapped by me, Henry Ding is only the weapon of the Republican Army, and Mr. Nanwu is the heart of the Republican Army.Nan Wu is not dead, and in a few years, he will definitely recruit troops and raise the flag again.I have tried to capture Mr. Nanwu many times, but until now I have not even encountered Mr. Nanwu's real body once.What's more, even if Mr. Nanwu is caught, the hearts of the people are already on the side of the republic. Without Mr. Nanwu, there will be people who will stand up with the banner of the republic.

It's just that these are no longer considered.Even if I go the wrong way, I have no choice but to go on.I patted the little prince on the shoulder and said, "Don't think too much about it, let's deal with Henry Ding now." At this time, Feng Qi's voice suddenly sounded at the door: "Shuai Chu, the Republican Army has an envoy coming out." Falling Star had only one exit. I sealed the exit with three armored vehicles, and bombarded it from a blind spot with artillery fire from the army.Although the power of our artillery fire is far less than that of the Republican Army, given the advantage of occupying the terrain, even if the Republican Army has firearms several times more powerful than ours, it will not help.And Henry Ding will not have much supplies around him, we only need to seal him off for half a month, enough to starve his whole army to death, unless they also start eating people.However, I know that Henry Ding is absolutely impossible to implement this strategy.So as soon as they were sealed off, I immediately sent an envoy to submit a letter of persuasion.Now, probably Henry Ding's answer. I walked to the door and said, "How many people are there?" "One." Feng Qi's voice hesitated, "It seems...it seems to be Henry Ding." I was taken aback and said, "It's Henry Ding himself?" It is common to send envoys to negotiate during wartime, but very few coaches act as envoys.Even if Henry Ding decided that I would not take the opportunity to attack him, and came to negotiate by himself, he would be too courageous.Feng Qi nodded and said: "It should be. He claimed to be Ding Henry of the Republican Army and asked to meet Chu Shuai." I glanced at the little prince, who was also a little shocked, and asked, "Has he come out now?" "General Yang doesn't dare to make a decision on his own, please ask Commander Chu and Lord Supervisor to make a decision." I said, "Let's go and have a look." The little prince said: "Chu Shuai, don't forget about Raxutuo." There was a precedent in the history of war.When the emperor raised his troops, he was besieged by the famous general Raxutuo of the previous dynasty and could not escape.Luo Xutuo and the emperor were good friends and cherished the emperor's talents, so he asked him to come and surrender.As a result, the emperor sent a stand-in to negotiate. Taking advantage of Raxutuo's self-confessed friendship with the emperor, the stand-in assassinated Raxutuo, and the emperor led his army to rush out.Although this battle was successful, it would damage the reputation of the emperor, so it was only recorded in the unofficial history as the ultimate deception.However, those generals in the empire who have certain qualifications generally know this battle example, so there was an unwritten rule later that the envoys would send insignificant people. If it was important, it would make the opponent suspicious.Ding Henry is Lu Jingyu's apprentice in Wuyang City, he must have heard about it, so the little prince came to remind me. I smiled and said, "Ding Henry is such a person. Your Highness, let's go." I straightened my clothes and led Feng Qi and the others forward.Although I didn't believe that Henry Ding would act as an assassin, I didn't dare to be too careless. When I arrived at the Taniguchi of Falling Stars, I ordered Feng Qi to stay by my side, and the guards were also ready.Ding Henry is very good at spears, and he is not easy to deal with when he is really desperate. He must take precautions first, so the prepared position for Ding Henry is placed more than ten years away.At this distance, protected by Feng Qi's slingshot, Ding Henry can restrain him with a slight movement. After the arrangement was made, I nodded to Yang Yi. Yang Yi understood, and went down and said, "Let the Republican Army envoy come over." A messenger got the order and rode to Taniguchi on horseback.The valley entrance of Zhuixingyuan is not like the long Fengdao Gorge at the entrance of Fuxi Valley. It is just a gap between two mountains. After a while, I saw the messenger come back on horseback, followed by a man carrying a white flag. people.Even though he couldn't see clearly from a distance, the man's golden hair under the helmet was still very dazzling.Ding Henry has a vision, and he may not be able to find a substitute if he wants to find a substitute. This person is probably Ding Henry's real body.I stood up and said, "General Henry Ding, please come over." When we got close, my personal soldiers dismounted Henry Ding and searched him before letting him come.When he arrived at the chair I prepared for him, he planted the white flag in his hand on the ground, raised his head and said, "Brother Chu, don't come here without any problems." Although surrounded by soldiers of the Land Legion holding dangling knives and guns, Henry Ding's attitude was still calm.I admired secretly, and said, "Brother Ding, how are you doing these days?" Henry Ding looked in front of him, smiled slightly, and said, "I have known Brother Chu for a long time, but it seems that this is the first time we have met like this." I hadn't seen him since the war with the IRA.It was indeed the first time that he faced him among the soldiers who were staring at him now.I said: "Everything in the world, today I don't know tomorrow. Brother Ding, when we had a drink and chatted happily, today we meet with swords and soldiers, it's just unexpected." Henry Ding still had a faint smile on his lips, and said: "Then, brother Chu, Henry came here today, and you didn't even prepare a glass of water and wine, which is a lack of hospitality." I didn't expect Henry Ding to ask for a drink, so I couldn't help but startled, Feng Qi shouted: "Bold!" I stopped his scolding, and said: "Pour Brother Ding a glass of wine." The wine was poured.Henry Ding raised his cup and took a sip, then said slowly: "Brother Chu, you think you have the chance to win, and I'm already in the grip of a fish, don't you?" I said, "Brother Ding, don't you think so?" Ding Henry sighed, and said: "When I first met Brother Chu, I thought it would be best not to be your enemy. Unexpectedly, we are still mortal enemies. The matter has come to this point, do you think it was possible to avoid it at the beginning?" I don't know what Henry Ding would do if he didn't talk about the real thing, but talk about the nonsense.I said: "It was then, now is now. There may be a chance to avoid it at the beginning, but it's a done deal. Brother Ding, do you think there is any other way?" Ding Henry put down the cup and said: "Although everything in the world is not as expected, we can change something after all. Brother Chu, if it weren't for the hard work of you and Master Nangong back then, there would have been no discussion of constitutional law at that time." Hearing him talk about Nangong Wenli, I felt a pain in my heart, and sighed: "The constitution still failed in the end." Henry Ding smiled lightly and said: "It can't be said to be a failure. It is through the constitution that the people of the empire know the benefits of the republic. Isn't it? In the eyes of the empire, we were full of monsters and ghosts. It was after the constitution that they I began to understand that the republic does not mean killing people, it does not mean killing people without blinking an eye." I snorted and said, "Actually, this is already in your plan, isn't it?" The smile on the corner of Henry Ding's mouth disappeared.He took another sip of his wine and sighed: "Although this plan is very effective, I have always held back. Brother Chu, even though the soldiers are doing tricks, such actions are actually taking advantage of the hearts of the people." My heart skipped a beat.Ding Henry's views are almost the same as mine, but I have no reservations. There is a saying in the art of war: "Siege the city is the bottom, and attack the heart is the top."Those who win the hearts of the people win the world, and losing the hearts of the people will of course lose the qualifications to govern. Marquis Wen said at the beginning that the hearts of the people are actually the hardest thing in the world to use, the easiest to use, the most powerful, and the least powerful.In my opinion, the Republican Army's ability to influence public opinion is nothing more than gaining the upper hand on a battlefield where there was no killing, and there is nothing wrong with it.I said: "What is the popular opinion? It is only at the mercy of others. You can win the popular opinion, but you can't always keep the popular opinion." Henry Ding smiled wryly, and said, "Brother Chu, do you really think it's okay to regard people's hearts as something you can manipulate at will? This is not a tall building, a city wall, and if it collapses, you can build a taller one. The big one. Using the hearts of the people as a weapon, what you get in return is the glory of one person, but the price you pay is the lives of countless people." I am silent.What Henry Ding said was actually what I thought in my heart.It's just that, as Marquis Wen said, people's hearts are the most easily manipulated thing. Maybe they are being sent to death in a steady stream, and they just feel that it is worthwhile to do so.Even if I think that everything I do is for the country and the people, it may be worthless in their eyes. I suddenly felt irritated and said, "Brother Ding, you came here today to tell me these things?" Henry Ding poured another glass of wine and said, "Almost. Brother Chu, I just want to tell you that even though I have reservations about actions that influence the hearts of the people, it is self-evident that the hearts of the people are against each other. Brother Chu today, even if Killing me will only make the people's hearts fall to the side of the Republican Army. The empire is gone, and even you are powerless." I was at a loss for words.Henry Ding was right. Today, the hearts of the people are all on the side of the Republican Army.Regardless of whether this is the propaganda of the Republican Army or other reasons, the Empire has lost the support of the people, and the most direct consequence is that it is becoming more and more difficult for the Imperial Army to recruit troops.The land army has the best reputation among the armies. When people talk about the land army, they have the reputation of "starving to death without disturbing the people".But even the local legion can't recruit new recruits now, and it has been unable to fully fill up.If this continues, the good reputation established by the Land Legion for a long time will definitely be worn away slowly. Henry Ding looked at me and said slowly: "Brother Chu, I know you won't show mercy to me, but I still want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I want to tell you another story." I was even more unhappy, and said: "Brother Ding, what the hell are you doing? I also know that you are definitely not willing to surrender, so please go back, this time I will indeed not show mercy." Ding Henry didn't seem to hear me, took a sip of wine and said: "On a big tree in summer, the branches are lush, and a cicada is singing. It's just that the cicada didn't expect that there was a praying mantis hiding behind it. Behind, ready to catch it at any time." Henry Ding actually told the story!But the story seemed to have a deep meaning, I didn't say anything, just listened to him.Henry Ding filled the glass again, took a sip, and said, "The mantis only thought that it was about to get a good meal, but it also didn't expect that a little bird saw the bug and stopped right behind it, and was about to eat it." Peck it up. And this little bird's mind is all on the mantis, it is like a mantis, it didn't see a child holding a slingshot, and it was already aiming at it." As he spoke, he put down his wine glass and said with a smile on his face, "Praying mantises and birds are already about to catch prey, but they don't know that they are also prey. Isn't this story amazing? Haha." My heart skipped a beat and I said, "Brother Ding told this story, but is there any deep meaning?" Henry Ding raised his head, looked at me and said, "Brother Chu, the world is not as simple as winning or losing. To the cicada, the mantis is the winner, but in the eyes of the little bird, it is the prey." If someone else said it, I would definitely think it was just bluntness.Dante Henry's tone was very sincere, and my heart suddenly felt empty, and I couldn't help asking: "Could it be that Brother Ding laid down an ambush?" Ding Henry said: "If I say no, Brother Chu will not believe it. If I say there is, Brother Chu will not believe it either. It's funny to say, although there is an ambush, I don't even know if it will be successful. However, I can tell Brother Chu that this ambush should be launched from the day I am cornered." I suddenly stood up and shouted: "Brother Ding, I regard you as a sincere friend, so I have heard you say so much. If you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for being ruthless. I just ask you, Ding Brother, will you surrender or not?" Henry Ding was surrounded by 70,000 troops in the Falling Star Plain.With the strength of the Republican Army, there are at most 10,000 to 20,000 troops.Even if there is emergency conscription, I am afraid there will not be too many.Before the decisive battle with Henry Ding, I received a reliable tip that all those troops were stalemate with the empire in Dongping City, and it was impossible to rush here.By the time they arrived, Ding Henry's team would have been starved to death. Henry Ding looked at me and said, "Brother Chu, if I really surrender, do you think you can turn the tide and the empire will no longer collapse?" I said: "I don't know. All I know is that I am now a minister of the empire, and I can only be loyal to this country." Henry Ding's eyes sharpened, and he said, "Don't you know this is foolish loyalty?" I sighed to myself, but my face was still rigid, and I said: "It doesn't matter if you say I am stupid and loyal, I have already represented the empire. I chose this country at the beginning, and there is everything I love in this country. Give everything to protect this country." Ding Henry's eyes became sharper and sharper. With his hands on the table, it seemed that he would jump up at any moment.I stared at him without moving away.After a while, he shook his head and sighed: "Foolish, stupid, unstoppable. Brother Chu, you have always insisted on eliminating wars, but doing so will only make wars protracted and uncontrollable." I said: "Brother Ding, you didn't expect that in this world, if I don't fight, I don't know how many people will become emperors, how many people will become kings, the flames of war will continue, and the common people will suffer even more. Just like you , even if you are willing to surrender, are those under your command willing to surrender? Ambitious people are everywhere, you have no ambition, you can only be the sacrifice of others. When the great emperor won the country, if he was not the one who won the country, someone else would come up and say The war may last longer." This time it was Henry Ding's turn to remain silent.He must have thought that even if he surrendered, there must be a large number of these 60,000 to 70,000 people who would not surrender to the imperial army and would demand to fight to the last.Back then when we were trapped in Gaojiu City, we didn't know that Cang Yuegong and Marquis Wu joined forces for ulterior motives. On the surface, the two sides joined forces, and the chances of victory were much greater, but Luan Peng did not hesitate to remonstrate, and also demanded to break with the Republican Army and kill them all .It's the same now, the Republican Army is trapped by me, if they surrender without a fight, some people will definitely demand to fight to the end.If Henry Ding hadn't restrained himself from it, once this unruly force erupted, it would cause a great turmoil.The same is true for the Imperial Army. Once I give up, even the most disciplined army will probably become a chaotic army that burns, kills, and loots.In my decisive battle with Ding Henry, I just suppressed the flames of war to a minimum, which can be said to be a kind of luck. After a while, Henry Ding poured another glass of wine and said, "Brother Chu, I think you are right. What is wrong is that we shouldn't be born in this painful age." I also sighed, and said: "I was born in a troubled world, so I have no choice. No matter who wins or loses in this war, the world will be peaceful in the future. We must build more schools and open up the wisdom of the people as the top priority. Only when the hearts of the people cease to be the weapon of politicians will there be no wars." Henry Ding nodded, and said, "Brother Chu, I'm afraid this new era can only be conceived in the baptism of blood and fire." He picked up the glass, and suddenly spilled the wine in the glass on the ground, with a slightly He said sadly: "The teacher was defeated by you here. Brother Chu, maybe my blood and the teacher's blood will flow together." He talked about Lu Jingyu again, and I felt a little uncomfortable.Lu Jingyu was also my art of war teacher, but he can be said to have died at my hands.I said, "Maybe, it will be my blood." Henry Ding didn't say anything else, turned around and jumped on the horse, and walked away without looking back. Brother Ding, have a good journey.Looking at his back, I murmured in my heart.Before I knew it, his eyes were moist again. Will this new era really have to go through the baptism of blood and fire to be conceived?Up to now, enough blood has been shed, isn't it enough?I can't help but be at a loss.Using people's hearts as a weapon, although I absolutely cannot agree with this approach, but before I knew it, I also embarked on the road of using people's hearts as a weapon.No, to be more precise, I was pushed to the fore by public opinion, and even though I did not voluntarily, I became a person who could influence people's hearts. Yang Yi came over at this moment and said, "Chu Shuai, did Henry Ding say anything in the end?" He was by my side just now, and he could hear what he said before, but in the end Henry Ding and I were almost whispering, and he also listened. Not true. I shook my head and said: "He doesn't want to surrender, it seems that there is only one battle." Yang Yi sighed and said nothing.Although Yang Yi and Ding Henry are not familiar, but Ding Henry's sassy and heroic spirit is very heart-wrenching. Seeing Ding Henry go to the end, Yang Yi can't bear it. I sneered and said, "Brother Yang, don't be careless. Don't confuse his behavior with using soldiers. Brother Ding Henry is a good person, but he is full of tricks when using soldiers. Be careful that he will come to steal the camp tonight." Yang Yi nodded, and said: "The general understands it. But," he pondered for a moment, said, "The general thinks that he should be dealt with quickly and can't be delayed any longer." I said: "What are you in a hurry for? After another three or four days, they won't be able to stand it any longer. Then the attack will be more effective with half the effort." The enemy army is short of food, relatively speaking, our army has more food and grass, and has the advantage of terrain, so it is the best policy to encircle but not attack.Waiting for Ding Henry's army to lose combat effectiveness due to hunger before launching an attack can avoid too many casualties.But Yang Yi had a worried look on his face, and said in a low voice: "Shuai Chu, I'm afraid... I'm afraid there will be changes in the court." I was surprised: "Chaozhong? What do you mean?" Yang Yidao: "It's not that the last general sees anything, it's just that Chu Shuai thinks, why did Henry Ding tell such a story?" My heart skipped a beat, and I said, "Could it be that the Republican Army will take down the imperial capital in one fell swoop?" After thinking for a while, I shook my head and said, "Dongping has Zhong Yugu guarding the city, and Dongyang has two generals, Water and Fire. Together, these three will be the land Even the Legion can’t take it down, so it can be said that it is impregnable.” Yang Yidao: "It is indeed difficult to attack from the outside, but what if it changes from the inside?" My heart fluttered again, but Yang Yi's words were too sensational. Zhong Yugu and Deng Canglan were both loyal and brave men. Although Bi Wei may not be very loyal, he has fought for the empire for many years, and now the Republican Army has never taken the absolute Advantage, not to mention the news that Henry Ding's main force is surrounded by me, he must also hear the news, there will be no change at this time.I said: "Don't worry too much, there will be nothing wrong." The worry on Yang Yi's face was not resolved at all, he whispered: "Chu Shuai, in order to lure the Republican Army into ambush, we have not communicated with the outside world, and the general feels that we should send a spy as soon as possible to find out the reality of the second city of Dongping and Dongyang. For good." Henry Ding told the story, and Yang Yi must have heard it by the side.I smiled and said, "Even if the Republican Army diverted from Dongping, it would take more than ten days to arrive. Brother Yang, do you think Ding Henry can last for more than ten days?" In fact, there is Zhong Yugu in Dongping City Guarding, as well as assists from the Water Corps.The water army has snail boats to cast mines, which can be said to be invincible. Even if the Republican Army can break through Dongping City, they will not be able to cross the river. Yang Yi still said worriedly: "It seems that Henry Ding has nothing to worry about. What is he relying on? Shuai Chu, with long nights and many dreams, the general still thinks it is the best policy to attack early." I pondered for a moment and said, "What do the other commanders mean?" "They are similar to what I thought. Commander Chu, sacrifice is inevitable. It is impossible for you not to fight against the enemy. Right now, the best way to avoid greater casualties is to deter the enemy with thunder. .” Now the empire is not what it used to be, the territory it actually controls is getting smaller and smaller, and the treasury is becoming more and more empty due to years of wars.Now, I no longer have a huge force behind me, so I can only rely on the strength of the ground army itself to deter the enemy.Yang Yi is right about this point, but in this way, the damage is getting bigger and bigger, and our own casualties are also getting bigger and bigger.The more I think about it, the more I am at a loss. Now this situation is farther away from my belief.I have always firmly believed that the purpose of the existence of the army is not to kill, but to eliminate war.But what I am doing now is not eliminating wars, but instigating wars. Perhaps, as Ding Henry said, I really need to know the current affairs and become a hero, and join the Republican Army in order to realize my ideal.But I can't bring myself to believe that this is not acting on the wind.Although what the Republican Army said was closer to my beliefs, the hypocrisy of the Republican Army also chilled me.The princess told me at the beginning that it is not only a republic that can put people first and people first.Although the emperor is not an ideal Mingjun, he is at least working hard on this road. Now the actual control area of ​​the empire near the imperial capital has done quite well.When the empire is at peace again, given time, I firmly believe that the empire will look like a new one. I tapped the armrest of the chair and said, "Okay, starve them for three days. After three days, launch a general attack, don't show mercy." The soldiers of the Republican Army who were sealed in the Falling Star Plain had only one death, but their death could be exchanged for peace, and their death was worth it.I thought so in my heart, but it was still painful.Although the 70,000 Republican Army was besieged by Jedi, the price we paid for completely defeating them was not small.The majesty established by killing will eventually be lost in killing.The original Marquis Wu probably didn't realize this truth until he was dying, but even though I knew it a long time ago, I still followed Marquis Wu's footsteps step by step. Although I said a general attack in three days, Henry Ding really launched a breakout that night.It's just that the terrain he is in is too unfavorable. Although they have more powerful firearms than us, the imperial army is all in a blind spot, and they can't hit us from the inside.And once they protruded out of the valley between Tsushima Mountain and Pingfeng Mountain, they were immediately hit head-on by the Wude Camp.Our artillery is certainly not as powerful as theirs, but after occupying a favorable terrain, the actual power it exerts is far greater than theirs.The battle that started in the middle of the night ended when the dawn dawned. The Republican Army left two to three thousand dead bodies at Taniguchi, and blood flowed everywhere. The little prince has always stood by my side.Looking at the corpses everywhere, his face was extremely ugly.When the Republican Army finally gave up breaking through and retreated back to Falling Star Field, he suddenly turned his face away and vomited profusely. The little prince has been in the army for a long time, and he has seen many dead people. He has seen many bloodier scenes than this, but this time he couldn't help it.I walked up to him, patted his back and said, "Your Highness, what's wrong?" The little prince wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Chu Shuai, I...I really can't stand it anymore." I sighed and said, "I don't want to kill them either. But once they break out, Henry Ding will not show mercy to us. Who calls this a war." The little prince said nothing.In the twilight, his face was pale and his eyes were vain.I sighed secretly, knowing that this young man was on the verge of collapse.When the little prince hadn't grown up, in his mind, going into battle to kill the enemy was something to be excited about. At that time, he also looked forward to being able to charge forward.But after a lot of experience, especially in the battle to kill Wenhou, after he personally picked up Mr. Wu Zhao who followed Wenhou, the little prince seemed to be a different person all of a sudden, and he never went forward bravely every time he went to battle. From time to time, he showed his disgust for war, so that he became more and more alienated from the generals of Wudeying. Even Cao Wendao, who used to have the best relationship with him, now complains about him, saying that he is cowardly, cowardly and incompetent. In fact, I don't have the idea of ​​the little prince. Everyone who has experienced the battle will have it.It's just that some people can survive this period and become more and more fierce in the subsequent battles, while some people can't bear the pressure and collapse.The little prince has been pampered since he was a child, and he has not experienced any setbacks. He is not as tolerant as I am.By now, I'm afraid he has reached his limit, so he just tried to escape as much as possible. I didn't push him.It might not be a bad thing that the little prince can't be the famous general he dreamed of.What are the so-called famous generals?Wuhou was a famous general, and Wenhou was also a famous general, but they either died or were ruined.And what will happen to me?I can't guess, I'm afraid it won't be any better.For the little prince to spend the rest of his life in peace, Weishi is not lucky. I was about to say a few more words of comfort to him, when Feng Qi suddenly said, "Shuai Chu, someone is here!" In the twilight, a rider came flying from the camp that had been set up.I was taken aback and said, "Who is it?" Feng Qi said: "He came from Lianzi Camp." He reached out and took out the slingshot from his waist, took off the bullet and buckled it.No matter who the visitor was, if it came like this, if there was an accident, he would naturally have to make preparations first. The riding horse came very fast, and it was already close at once.Originally, I was supposed to get off the horse twenty paces away, but that rider rushed so fast that I rolled the saddle and got off the horse when I was about ten paces away from me.He rushed too close, and the guards on the left and right were in an uproar. They all stepped forward with guns, and Feng Qi also pointed his slingshot at him.But I have already seen the person coming through the dawn, it is Lian Baice, I quickly stopped him and said: "Don't do anything, help General Lian come up." Lian Baice was resourceful and always calm, but now he was panicked like this.My heart suddenly lifted, and I looked around.However, there is no abnormality around, and there is no sign of being ambushed by others.I gathered myself together, went forward and said, "Brother Lian, what happened?" Lian Baice was out of breath, turned his head to look behind him, and said, "Chu...Chu Shuai, something serious happened, let's find a place to talk about it." The camp set up by Lian Ziying is very close to here, but Lian Baice seems to have driven hundreds of miles away, and his face is completely pale.My heart moved, and I said, "Do you want to call the commanders over?" Lian Baice said: "I have sent someone to notify, they will come right away. Shuai Chu, go in and talk." He spoke in a panic, not at all calm as usual.Now that the Wude Battalion is facing the enemy, Henry Ding does not know when he will charge again, so he really shouldn't call out all the five commanders.But Lian Baice was so panicked, and presumptuously summoned the commander of the Wude Battalion, I'm afraid something really big happened.I was also a little frightened, and said to Feng Qi: "Feng Qi, General Fu Lian has entered my tent." As soon as I entered the camp, I sent everyone out, leaving only me and the little prince.I said, "Brother Lian, what happened?" 廉百策看着我，又看着小王子，似乎鼓足勇气，这才道：“楚帅，帝国覆灭了。” “什么！”我和小王子都失声叫了出来。我一把抓住他的肩头，道：“到底出了什么事？你在做梦不成？” 廉百策摇了摇头，道：“楚帅，你知道，我与张太师还有联系。” 小王子惊道：“廉将军，你怎么和太师有联系？” 廉百策原是张龙友安插在五德营的耳目，但他最终背弃了张龙友，把张龙友吩咐的一切全部都先禀报过我。这件事只有我和五德营五统领知道，连小王子都不知道。这也是这些年我与张龙友一直能够和睦相处的原因，张龙友通过廉百策得到的情报，所了解到的都是我如何不折不扣地执行帝君的命令，从来不自行其事，包括他要求我屠杀跟随共和军的村落的命令。我顾不得与小王子解释，道：“到底发生了什么事？” 廉百策咽了口唾沫，突然放慢了语速，也更低地道：“东平东阳两城同时被共和军策反。共和军与水火两军团联合，昨日突入帝都，解除禁军武装，帝君与太师以下百官全部成为阶下囚，帝国已亡。” 这个消息像是个晴天霹雳，我被震得耳中似乎“嗡嗡”直响，半晌都说不出话来。小王子急道：“那我父王呢？” 廉百策道：“小殿下，真是报歉，我收到的羽书密报中没提到安乐王爷的事。”他顿了顿，又道：“楚帅，使臣已发，大约明天便能赶到此地，命令我等就地向共和军投降。” “王八蛋！降个屁！老子不降！” 曹闻道一下蹦了起来。他在我面前一直很收敛，但这回再也不收敛了，帝君和张龙友也被他骂得狗血喷头。他大声道：“岂有此理，这伙王八蛋连一天都守不住。邓沧澜和毕炜这两个王八蛋也真是王八蛋，三姓家奴！” 毕炜会投降共和军，虽然意外，但总还可以想像，毕竟他曾经被帝君策反过一次，背叛了文侯。可是邓沧澜和钟禺谷也被策反，简直无法理解了。而廉百策得来的消息更让我震惊，这一次竟然是邓沧澜裹胁毕炜反叛，毕炜将错就错才降了共和军。我止住了曹闻道的破口大骂，道：“曹将军，稍安务躁，我们还不知内情，先不要骂人了。诸位，明日使臣便到，要命令我们就地投降，你们以为五德营该如何行事？” 曹闻道忽地又站起来，向我一躬身，道：“楚帅，兵法有云：乱命有所不从。这是条不折不扣的乱命，绝不能听。末将以为，如今当行杨将军那日的建议。” 杨易那天建议我废了帝君，自立为帝，结果被我驳回。我心中恼怒，刚要骂他，陈忠忽然站起来道：“末将见识浅薄，不过那日楚帅你说帝君尚在，臣下自立是开了一个以武力夺权的坏头。现在帝君已废，那么自立为帝便不是以武力夺权。” 陈忠话不多，但这话说出来很有份量。钱文义和廉百策登时站了起来，道：“末将等愿奉楚帅为帝。” 他们的声音不高，但十分坚决。五德营的五统领，有四个同意我自立为帝，而杨易更是那天提出这建议来的人，他的立场不言而喻。我心头一乱，还没说话，小王子忽然“哇”一声骂了起来，道：“可是，父王……父王他……” 他们没有再说话。帝君现在在共和军手里，正如当初我希望以何从景为人质逼迫共和军投降一样。假如五德营现在举旗自立，他们也就失去了人质的效用，只怕会被灭口。五统领里只有陈忠的女儿平时都跟在营中，其余诸人的家室都在帝都，一旦我们起事，他们的家眷肯定难逃罪责。只是他们毫不犹豫就站了起来，小王子却做不到这一点。安乐王是帝国宗室领袖，目标很大，小王子被定为叛逆的话，安乐王定然难逃一劫。小王子虽然已在军中拼杀多年，可他到底只是个虚龄刚到二十五的青年，心头一乱，也哭出声来。 我的心里也乱成一团，道：“大家都不要再说了。此事至今尚无确切消息，全军严阵以待，静候消息。” 杨易忽然道：“若是共和军再要突围呢？” 我道：“共和军现在突围，仍然依前例攻击。”我看了他一眼，忽然从袖中拔出无形刀来，一刀斩在案角，喝道：“另外，杨将军，任何人不得自行攻击共和军，违者视若叛逆，当场格杀，有如此案！” 百辟刀在征讨文侯一役我与叶飞鹄的对刀中碎裂了，现在这把刀是简仲岚用的无形刀，这把刀虽然较百辟刀小一点，锋利却大有过之。一刀斩下，案角立时斩落，缺口光滑无比。杨易浑身一震，看向我，眼神却带着震惊和悲哀。 严令之下，他们凛然起立，道：“末将遵命。” 我生怕杨易还要自行其是，把曹闻道调到杨易营中，陈忠调到了钱文义营中。仁字营和义字营原本各距对马山和屏风山一边，呈犄角之势牢牢钳住丁亨利突围的必经之路，现在多了两个军团，实力更强。但我的意思并非是要加强实力，而是看好杨易和钱文义两人。曹闻道说得虽响，但他对我的命令向来不折不扣地执行，绝无违背，陈忠也一样。钱文义曾经背叛过我一次，现在虽然可以信赖，仍然不得不防。最要担心的，倒是杨易。杨易是个帅才，即使他统御地军团，我相信也能胜任，因此我总有些不放心。 分派已定，让五德营自行调度，我坐在高处看着地形。从这里看不清坠星原的情景，但我也猜得到那里严密的阵形。不准杨易出击，固然是怕他违背我的意思，逼我自立，另一方面也害怕丁亨利。丁亨利尽管已入绝地，但爪牙犹在，假如杨易以仁字营单方出击，纵然得地形之利，肯定也讨不了好。现在最好的办法，就是静观其变吧，看谁能掌握这个变局。 “楚帅，谢谢你。” 小王子的声音在背后响了起来。我转过头，道：“小殿下，坐吧，别哭了，我不会让王爷落到险地的。” 小王子抹了下眼泪，道：“不是为了这个。楚帅，帝国真的气数已尽吧，你能够拯救这世界的话，还是把帝国抛在一边为好。” 我苦笑了一下，道：“拯救这世界？小殿下，假如你听得某个人这样说，他是为了拯救国家，解民倒悬而起兵，那我可以告诉你，他只是个野心家，为的仅仅是一己私利。这个世界根本不需要人去拯救，我们只消顺应变化，那就够了。” 小王子怔了怔，道：“包括大帝？” “包括大帝。有哪个人，成功后会功成身退，真正履行他'拯救国家，解民倒悬'的夙愿的？有史记载，至今两千年，已历十几皇朝，每一朝的末世，总会天下大乱，于是有人站出来，说是为了拯救苍生黎民，不得不以暴制暴。可是过后，仅仅是换了一个国号而已，百姓仍然要经历一次轮回。” 我这话已是直斥大帝之非，小王子有些茫然，道：“可是，照你这么说，难道大变来时，只能袖手旁观了？” 我叹了口气，道：“小殿下，我也不知道。不过我只知道一点，就是尽量减少战争，能避免战争就避免吧，只消敌人不是那种穷凶极恶，毫无道理可讲的野兽。” 小王子沉默了一阵，道：“那么，楚帅，你是决定投降了？” I am silent.五德营统领大概只看到我的茫然，小王子却看到了我内心的决定。我点了点头，道：“共和军建立的也许并非是一个理想中的国家，但他们至少可以让百姓知道，这个国家并非是一家一姓的天下，而是天下人共有的天下。小殿下，战争持续得够久了，我一直盼望能有这一天。尽管与我构想的不同，这个新时代并不是在我手中建立起来的，但这个新时代还是快要来了。我能做的，就是顺应这个时代，不要逆势而行。” 小王子没再说什么，只是向我行了一礼，转身走去。他现在已经镇定多了。 郡主，请原谅我，我失败了。看着小王子的背影，我眼前仿佛又见到了郡主的身影。假如郡主不死，她所构想的新时代一定会一步步成为现实吧，也应该比现在好得多。可是一切都已过去了，在这道洪流面前，我的力量太渺小了。尽管我也努力想让它沿着郡主划定的方向奔涌，但它仍然越出了疆域，奔向一个全新的天地。 天暗了下去。暮色中，远远的却有野火烧起，忽明忽灭，似要燎原。