Chapter 17: The truth is true
The fact that Qingji was able to lead his army into the capital of Wu, in addition to the soldiers' dedication and anticipation of the enemy's moves, was inseparable from the help of two people.
The first one is Ji Zha.
The second is Sun Ping!
Ji Zha was used as bait by Qingji to attract the main force of Helu's army, so that Qingji's army could attack the weak point of the defenders of Wudu City in one fell swoop and make the greatest contribution.
Sun Ping took the initiative to surrender and opened the city gate to welcome Qingji's army in!
However, whether it was Ji Zha or Sun Ping, Qingji, who was suspicious by nature, could not trust them.
Qingji made preparations for both scenarios, so that when Sun Ping opened the city gate to welcome the army into the city, Qingji could also lead his troops to march straight into the city from the west of Wudu and capture the entire city in one fell swoop.
Accomplish everything in one go!
The only flaw was that Helu escaped.
However, it’s not a big problem if Helu runs away!
After conquering Wudu, Qingji had become the undisputed King of Wu, while Helu had become a lost dog, like a grasshopper in autumn, unable to jump for more than a few days.
"Why is Sun Ping?"
Hearing this, all the ministers below the throne looked at each other, not knowing how to answer Qingji.
Could it be that Sun Ping took a leave of absence?
Qingji was very confused.
At this time, the senior official Bei Li stepped out again and said, "Your Majesty, Sun Ping has resigned and left, and his whereabouts are unknown."
"Hang up the seal and leave?"
This made Qingji's face darken and he felt very unhappy.
Sun Ping really doesn't give me face!
At this time, he actually resigned and disappeared!
Isn't this a slap in Qingji's face?
"That's right. Your Majesty, Sun Ping's servant only gave me a handwritten letter. Please take a look at it!"
After saying this, Beili took out a bamboo slip from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch who came forward.
When Qingji took the bamboo slips and looked at them, he couldn't help but frown!
This letter can be regarded as Sun Ping's resignation letter.
Different from nonsense like “The world is so big, I want to go out and travel”!
Sun Ping's handwritten letter is very concise and to the point:
My Lord, I bow my head in obeisance. I am from Qi, and I fled to Wu to avoid the civil strife. I hope to spend the rest of my life without being an official!
Now Wu is in turmoil, from King Liao to King Guang to the Prince. Those who rely on being a minister have turned away from King Guang and dare not serve the Prince like a dog or a horse.
By opening the city gates, I only hope that the State of Wu will stop the war as soon as possible, so that the people of Wu will not fight and kill each other, causing great suffering to the people!
I hope you can understand and not worry.
I, Sun Ping, am here to report!
After reading Sun Ping's handwritten letter, Qingji's expression changed from bright to dark, which made people puzzled.
He could roughly guess what Sun Ping meant.
Sun Ping was probably tired of the endless killing and civil strife, and was exhausted, so he retired !
But I don’t know where Sun Ping retired to.
Qingji calmly placed the bamboo slips on the table to the side, and then said slowly: "My friends, the traitor Ji Guang has fled to the south. I am afraid that he will occupy Wuyuan, Xing, Yuer and other places with his remaining troops to resist the royal army and split the land to establish a country of his own."
"According to your opinions, what should I do?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers lowered their heads in thought, pondering over strategies.
General Meng Ben was the first to stand up and said, "Your Majesty, we must eradicate all evil! I will lead the army to the south to kill Ji Guang and put an end to future troubles!"
"General Meng is absolutely right! Your Majesty, we should raise an army to kill Ji Guang and eliminate future troubles!"
"As the saying goes, there is no two suns in the sky, no two masters on earth, and no two rulers in a country! How can the king tolerate Ji Guang being alone in the south?"
Meng Ben, Hei Fu and other generals all stood up and requested to march south to wipe out Ji Guang's rebellious army in one fell swoop.
But, is it really that simple?
This is just the generals' wishful thinking!
Therefore, Qingji did not make any comment.
Senior official Bei Li even stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I don't think so. The army came from Wei State and has been traveling by boat and horse. After several battles, the soldiers are exhausted and the horses and carriages are weak!"
"If we continue to pursue the rebel army, I am afraid that Ji Guang will be able to wait for us to tire out and my army will strike us head-on. Wouldn't that mean that Your Majesty will fail?"
What Bei Li said makes sense.
This is exactly what Qingji is worried about!
As the commander of the army, Qingji was very clear about the situation of his own soldiers.
They are exhausted, but they can still fight. They are already at the end of their strength!
If we don’t take a short rest, how can we fight again?
Moreover, Qingji had just returned as the king, people's hearts were still uncertain, and affairs were complicated.
How could he get away and personally lead the expedition against Helu?
If it were an ordinary person going to conquer Helu, Qingji would not be at ease.
Because their enemies were Helu and Wu Zixu!
There are not many people in the world who can surpass these two in marching and fighting.
"What the senior official said is a big mistake!"
Meng Ben snorted and said, "Ji Guang is now a lost dog, why should we be afraid? If we don't take advantage of the fact that Ji Guang has not yet established a firm foothold in the south, we should take advantage of the situation and destroy him."
"Should we wait until he actually occupies all the southern cities and allies with Yue to attack Wu before it's too late for us to regret?"
"this……"
I was left speechless.
Meng Ben's words are rough but his point is true!
If Helü really gained a foothold in the south, in order to fight against Qingji's Wu State, he would inevitably form an alliance with the Yue State and compete with it.
By then, Helu will be even more difficult to deal with, or at least a tough nut to crack!
"Ji Guang still has several thousand remnants of the army. They should not be underestimated."
"Yes, as Doctor Bei Li said, the royal army is exhausted and cannot fight for a long time. Moreover, Ji Guang has the Yue barbarians at his back and is blocked by mountains and rivers. I am afraid that suppressing the rebellion will not be a short-term task!"
Qingji expressed his most intuitive judgment.
He knew that it would take time for him to wipe out Helu's rebel army!
The south of Wu State was full of high mountains and steep cliffs, with a sparse population, and many places were infested with miasma, making them unsuitable for farming.
That's a barren land!
It was difficult for Helu to develop.
Moreover, to the south of Helü was the State of Yue. The Yue people were ambitious and often sent troops to invade the borders of Wu, burning, killing and looting.
This time, if Helu colluded with the Yue people for survival, King Yunchang of Yue would probably not refuse.
Don't doubt whether Helu can do such a thing!
Once the Yue people get involved, the situation of the Wu State will become more complicated.
Qingji is very easy to fail!
At that time, Qingji didn't want to consume too many troops in the south and get bogged down in the quagmire of war.
Therefore, Qingji must not act rashly before he has sufficient strength to annihilate the Yue army and Helu's rebel army!
"Meng Ben!"
"I am here!"
"I order you to lead 3,000 soldiers to the south immediately. You must get ahead of the chaotic army and rush to Wuyuan City from the official road. After arriving, you must build city defenses and strengthen fortifications to give the enemy a chance. You must defend without attacking!"
"promise!"
Meng Ben was very puzzled, but still accepted Qingji's order.
That’s three thousand soldiers!
You know, the Helu army that was able to escape from the Wu capital and rush to the south of Wu may have only two or three thousand soldiers.
Why is Meng Ben afraid of a battle?
But Qingji did not dare to take the risk, because the opponents were Helu and Wu Zixu. Even if Meng Ben had the advantage in military strength, how could he defeat them?
Qingji's idea was just to keep Helu firmly in the south and prevent him from further invading the central part of Wu.
