Chapter 617: Meng Xiluo's Verbal Battle with Qingya
Jia Cong's troops arrived at the north of Fuwen Town. After resting for two days, he ordered Shi Nai and Guan Jin to lead their troops out of the camp to challenge the enemy.
Upon receiving the order, Shi Nai and the other two did not dare to neglect it and immediately opened the camp gate and led their troops out. Wu Deng's troops were naturally unwilling to be outdone and also dispatched troops out of the camp to prepare for battle.
However, when the two armies faced each other, the people of the Wudeng tribe felt somewhat complicated.
Many of the opposing troops were from the Xuhen Tribe. Not long ago, he and the Xuhen Tribe had fought hand-in-hand. Furthermore, now a tribe no weaker than his own, the Xuhen Tribe, had surrendered to Daqian. Could his tribe truly defeat Daqian's forces?
It can be said that before the battle even started, the morale of the Wudeng army had already dropped by three points.
Qing Ya and the other Wudeng tribe leaders and elders naturally noticed this situation. After a brief moment of thought, Qing Ya gave the order, "Send a message to the Xuhen tribe. They've just joined Daqian and aren't necessarily determined to fight for it. If we can persuade them to defect, or even turn against us, not only will their morale be low, but we can even use this opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the Daqian army."
When everyone heard this, they all agreed with it.
Not long after, the general commanding the troops in the front received Qingya's order. After a brief thought, the general asked his personal guards to pass the message to several troops in the front.
As the two armies drew closer, the Wudeng tribe suddenly shouted in unison, "Warriors of the Xuhen tribe, listen to me. Although the Xuhen and Wudeng tribes may not be on good terms, we are both descendants of the Qiongbu Prefecture , and our ancestors are also blood relatives. Now that the tribes of Southern Xinjiang are at war with the Daqian people, how can you betray us and surrender to the enemy?"
"The Xuhen tribe is a prominent clan in Southern Xinjiang, renowned far and wide. If you now aid Daqian in its war, not only will you bring shame upon your ancestors, but you will also be despised by the other tribes in Southern Xinjiang. In this case, how can the Xuhen tribe truly be considered a Southern Xinjiang clan?"
…
It has to be said that these words did indeed shake the minds of many members of the Xuhen Tribe. After all, a reputation issue can now crush a person to death, and they worship their ancestors, ghosts and gods, and believe in some words without a doubt.
Behind Shi Nai and his men, Jia Cong was leading his generals in observing the battle. Upon hearing the commotion ahead, Meng Xiluo, who was beside Jia Cong, immediately said, "General, please allow me to proceed!"
Jia Cong nodded, "Yes!"
Meng Xiluo immediately spurred his horse and headed straight for the front of the two armies.
After a while, Meng Xiluo arrived in front of the army and shouted at the enemy's men, "Qingya, how dare you confront me?"
Not long after, Qingya, the leader of the Wudeng tribe, rode forward alone and faced Meng Xiluo.
"How could this clan leader not dare to confront the Southern Border tribes when they rebelled? On the contrary, you, Meng Xiluo, as the clan leader of the Xuhen tribe, have pledged your allegiance to Daqian. Are you worthy of the hundreds of thousands of Xuhen tribe members, and are you worthy of your Xuhen ancestors?"
Meng Xiluo sneered at this, "This clan leader really doesn't know how you, Qingya, have the nerve to mention the word rebellion."
"Since the Han and Tang dynasties, the tribes of southern Xinjiang have been subordinate to the Central Plains dynasties. During the Song Dynasty, they were also enfeoffed by the Central Plains dynasties. Now that Daqian reigns supreme, it sympathizes with the plight of the people of southern Xinjiang and cannot bear to resort to war. This is why southern Xinjiang has enjoyed a century of peace."
"Furthermore, when Daqian was founded, the tribes of our southern border were also enfeoffed by Daqian. According to etiquette, you and I are also citizens of Daqian."
"Your Wudeng and Wumeng tribes, unaware of the Great Emperor's compassion and grace, have instead risen up again and invaded Shu. Which of you is truly a rebel? This clan leader, misled by you, led his people to follow you. However, the Great Emperor's commander, unfazed by my Xuhen tribe's treacherous behavior, has instead earnestly instructed us. This clan leader, grateful for the Celestial Empire's kindness, has repented and led his people to join him. How can this be considered a rebellion?"
"My fellow men of the Wudeng tribe, as you have said, although our tribes are not on good terms, we are both part of the Southern Border! Since the founding of the Daqian nation, over a hundred years ago, have you ever taken the initiative to invade the tribes of our Southern Border?"
"Previously, the Prince of Nan'an's Mansion mobilized troops for selfish reasons and invaded our southern border. This was not the fault of the Daqian court."
"The men of Southern Xinjiang are clear about their grudges and favors. When the Prince of Nan'an launched a campaign, we were bound to attack him. However, after defeating the Prince of Nan'an, the tribes of Southern Xinjiang not only did not stop fighting, but instead engaged in widespread slaughter. Is this what the men of Southern Xinjiang do?"
"To rebel against the people of Daqian is disloyalty! To kill for selfish reasons, causing the deaths of innocent people, is injustice! Are the men of Southern Xinjiang disloyal and unjust?"
"Furthermore, over the past hundred years, Daqian has slaughtered countless people from our Southern Border. Yet, in just a few months since this war, hundreds of thousands of Shu civilians have been killed or wounded, and tens of thousands of our Southern Border men have perished. Orphans and widows in our families have longed for their sons' return. Now that they have perished in battle, how will their elderly mothers and young children survive? Is it wrong for this clan leader to surrender to the Celestial Empire out of compassion for his men?"
"Let me ask you, I am afraid that if I stop fighting because I don't want to fight, am I wrong?"
"You, Qingya, acted out of selfishness , disregarding the lives of all the members of your clan. But this is what a clan leader should do? I have never seen such a shameless person!"
If the situation wasn't wrong, Jia Cong would have cheered loudly for Meng Xiluo. Good guy, these words directly shook the enemy's morale and lowered it by another point. He had reason to suspect that Meng Xiluo's ability to become the clan leader was not just due to his military prowess.
However, one thing must be acknowledged: the Central Plains dynasty was called the Celestial Empire, and it was not just bragging.
Even when the Central Plains Dynasty was at its weakest, even though the surrounding foreign races could use weapons to defeat the Central Plains Dynasty, they still did not deny this point.
The reason lies in the Central Plains culture and heritage.
Even though the Song Dynasty was weak, the Khitan, Jurchen, and Dangxiang, after arriving in the Central Plains, all adopted different customs and took pride in our Central Plains culture. So, although Meng Xiluo's words are far-fetched, they are not wrong.
Qing Ya was speechless and his face turned pale after hearing what Meng Xiluo said. Of course, he knew that Meng Xiluo was trying to change the subject, but the problem was that there were some things he couldn't refute.
After a long while, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't dare let Meng Xiluo say another word, and directly shouted to the somewhat confused troops in the rear, "Men of the Wudeng tribe, form a battle array and prepare to meet the enemy!"
The commander in the army also hurried to stop the riot among his soldiers. After a while, the soldiers of Wudeng tribe calmed down again, and they lined up with swords and spears in hand, ready to fight.
"kill!"
As the deafening sound of war drums rang out, the Wudeng leader urged his soldiers to charge directly towards the Daqian army...
