Chapter 554: Meeting With an Old Friend! Zhang Shouzhi! (1/2)
Chapter 554: Meeting With an Old Friend! Zhang Shouzhi!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”There's no need for Protector-General to blame yourself. Defeat on the battlefield is not necessarily the fault of the soldier. Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang worked together, both sides engaging in a full mobilization, gathering more than five hundred thousand soldiers. Coupled with the farmers and laborers that Mengshe Zhao has put to work in this war, the number might be eight or nine hundred thousand. Relying on the strength of the 180,000 elites of the Annan Protectorate is like trying to use a single log to prop up a tottering building. Not just Protector-General, anyone else would probably end up in the same state.”
As Wang Yan rode his horse forward, he comforted Xianyu Zhongtong.
Wang Yan had commanded troops for about as long as Xianyu Zhongtong, in some aspects even a little longer. However, unlike other people, Wang Yan occupied no standpoint with regards to Xianyu Zhongtong, and no preconceived prejudices. It was true that Xianyu Zhongtong held inescapable blame for the battle of Erhai and the defeat of the Annan Protectorate army.
But it was also unquestionable fact that Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang had the advantage in numbers.
The empire's southwest had been at peace for decades, everyone getting along. No one had expected Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang to be so bold and completely tear away all pretenses. They had poured forth all the strength of their countries, plainly stating that they had no intention of giving any leeway.
Let alone Xianyu Zhongtong, eight or nine out of every ten Tang generals would probably have suffered defeat at the hands of Geluofeng's sudden and large-scale ambush.
Perhaps some general in another army might be a strategic genius who could use 180,000 soldiers to defeat more than five hundred thousand, the weak overcoming the strong, but Xianyu Zhongtong clearly did not possess this sort of talent. And if this request were put to all the other commanders of the army, probably zero of them would have been able to realize it.
This was why Wang Yan didn't hold any preconceived notions regarding Xianyu Zhongtong.
”There's no need for General to comfort me. How can I not understand what sort of blame and responsibility I shoulder for this battle? One hundred thousand soldiers! Xianyu must bear the blame. Once this battle is over, if I am lucky enough to survive, Xianyu will go to the sacred capital and beg the Son of Heaven for forgiveness!” Xianyu Zhongtong said with a bitter smile.
Others didn't react much to these words, but Wang Chong's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but shoot a flabbergasted glance at Xianyu Zhongtong.
In his last life, he had not participated in this war, so he only knew that the 180,000 elites of the Annan Protectorate army had been wiped out, with Xianyu Zhongtong the sole survivor. After such a major incident, Xianyu Zhongtong actually wanted to whitewash his crimes, doing his utmost to avoid the blame and embellish his performance on the battlefield, engendering a deep disgust and shame in the people.
Wang Chong had heard these criticisms, so he naturally didn't have a very good impression of Xianyu Zhongtong.
But these words of Xianyu Zhongtong's before Wu of Han's Edict to Open Dian had come from the bottom of his heart. Wang Chong could tell that they were not feigned. Xianyu Zhongtong's attitude from his last life and this one were as different as heaven and earth. This was the true demeanor of a responsible Great General.
Is it because my interference altered the course of events, or is it that something happened in that war back then that I didn't realize?
Wang Chong glanced at Xianyu Zhongtong, his mind in turmoil.
Back then, Xianyu Zhongtong had been roundly abused by all of society. If he had acted so responsibly and heroically as he was doing now, then it wouldn't have been the case. As Wang Chong's mind turned, he suddenly thought about Zhangchou Jianqiong in the distant capital. With this flash of insight, Wang Chong understood.
It seems that everything still falls on Zhangchou Jianqiong!
Wang Chong suddenly gave a mental sigh, understanding the crux of the issue.
Mountains and rivers are easier to change than the natures of men. Given Xianyu Zhongtong's innate character, he would never change this much. But if Zhangchou Jianqiong gets involved, everything changes. Xianyu Zhongtong isn't a bad person, nor is Zhangchou Jianqiong, but his desire for authority far surpasses that of others. With such a big incident in the southwest, Zhangchou Jianqiong definitely hold some blame, and he definitely wouldn't be able to hold onto his position. Even if Xianyu Zhongtong is willing to accept the blame, Zhangchou Jianqiong definitely wouldn't. If he interferes, Xianyu Zhongtong would never dare to object and would probably change his mind overnight.
Wang Chong had only met Zhangchou Jianqiong a few times. Even in his last life, Wang Chong was not someone who could easily get in touch with an Imperial Great General. He had only been able to understand this 'Tiger of the Empire' through the mouths of others.
However, their few meetings had been enough for this former Annan Protector-General to leave an incredibly deep impression on Wang Chong's mind.
No one had ever managed to leave such a deep impression on Wang Chong.
Whether it was subsidizing Yang Zhao and sending him to the capital to get in touch with Consort Taizhen, obstinately entering the capital when the old Minister of War retired and beginning to build social connections to obtain the position for himself, or handing Wang Chong his private token after only a few words of conversation…
This Tiger of the Empire's southwest had a consistent desire for authority that was impossible to change.
The resolve and daring that had sprung from this driving principle was enough to make anyone sigh in praise.
In the southwest war, many people paid attention to Xianyu Zhongtong and the 180,000 elites of the Annan Protectorate, but they forgot about Zhangchou Jianqiong in the distant capital. Xianyu Zhongtong is Zhangchou Jianqiong's subordinate, his hand-picked successor. If Zhangchou Jianqiong makes a request, Xianyu Zhongtong won't be able to reject it, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
Moreover… everything truly has changed!
When the 180,000 soldiers were wiped out, Xianyu Zhongtong, as the commander-in-chief, couldn't escape the blame and faced death. So he attempted to whitewash his crimes and avoid responsibility, as not doing so would mean death. But right now, eighty thousand still remained of the original 180,000, so though Xianyu Zhongtong still held part of the blame, his fate was not one of certain death.
As long as things didn't reach that state, Xianyu Zhongtong would clearly remain a self-aware commander-in-chief.
The times make the man!