199 Untitled (1/2)
As Zhan Nancheng frowned, Meng Fuyao made a huge turn and said in a loud voice, ”Your Majesty, both suggestions must not be used!”
The entire court of officials was taken aback. Xie Yu, Commander of the Imperial Army, smirked and asked, ”Captain Meng, what's your brilliant opinion?”
”My brilliant opinion is,” Meng Fuyao spoke without looking embarrassed at all, ”Traversing 60 miles to fight at River Dan is equivalent to placing Pandu City in a precarious situation. Once the enemy attacks from two different routes, Pandu will be in danger. Furthermore, Pandu is one of the most guarded cities, and our strong walls and powerful bombs make it easier for us to defend than to attack. Setting up the defense at River Dan instead of Pandu? Absurd!”
Zhan Nancheng nodded, and those older officials who highly supported the idea of fighting at River Dan tried to rebuke her. ”Don't you just mean setting up the defense at Pandu? There's nothing new!”
”How we defend also requires thinking!” Meng Fuyao shook her fist at him. ”Has any of you carefully analyzed the makeup of Zhan Beiye's rebel army? It's true that his main strength lies with his soldiers from the desert, but he still has two armies belonging to Commanders-in-chief Jin Yan and Ming Lun, who were his early followers. This two rebels are very loyal to rebel Zhan and are vital to his army's strength. Don't tell me that you didn't know that?”
”So what if we knew?” some muttered. ”No matter what, the Black Dragon army is still the main force, and their strength…”
Meng Fuyao spat on the ground. ”That's boosting the enemy's morale and declaring our own defeat! If we can't counter them by force, why can't we win them by wits?”
Another official retorted. ”And what wits do you have?”
”To defeat a general, you have to crush his army's morale. Jin Yan and Ming Lun are generals who are regional governors, and according to tradition, their families are all in the city…” Meng Fuyao smiled creepily. ”Bring them onto the city gates and slaughter them!”
Silence fell upon the court… this lad was evil!
An official questioned, ”What if both Commanders-in-chief place righteousness before family… no, not care about the lives of their family members? Moreover, they are just supplementary forces, and even if they left, it wouldn't change the overall situation…”
”Eh? How does that concern the Commanders-in-chief?” Meng Fuyao opened her eyes wide. ”The person I'm exerting pressure on is Zhan Beiye. Don't they all say that the Black Dragon soldiers are northerners, and are brave and fierce men who are also strongly righteous? When the families of the two Commanders, whom he is indebted to, are held captive, how will he choose? If he retreats, his plans will be totally foiled because of that final step. If he doesn't, even if the Commanders are not resentful and are still loyal to him in the future, what right does he have to command the thousands of brave soldiers? How is he going to face his brothers who have shed their blood and tears, and had their families ruined because of him? How will the hotblooded soldiers under him still be willing to risk their lives for such a heartless ruler?”
Everyone sucked in their breaths and stayed silent. What a wicked and sinister man to pull off a trick to exterminate all of Zhan Beiye's forces!
The guileless Heaven Demon had always respected real men who were upright and magnanimous. Though there was never too much deception in war, such an act of using the innocent as a bargaining tool had always been despised by Heaven Demon generals. Other officials might have thought of such a strategy, but they were aware that once they raised such a suggestion, their names would go down in history as bywords for infamy. Furthermore, as officials, whoever became the Emperor wouldn't have that much of an impact on them. Hence, the thought might have run past the minds of the more calculative ones, but no one chose to say it.
Unexpectedly, the idiotic Captain raised it so outrightly in court.
However, Xie Yu laughed coldly. ”You think that both Jin Yan and Ming Lun are fools? That they won't know to fetch their families before the war?”
Meng Fuyao stared at him from sideways. ”From your tone, you seem to have visited the residences of the Commanders-in-chief? And you didn't see anyone? If you already had such a strategy in mind, why didn't you tell His Majesty beforehand?”
Xie Yu's face paled while Zhan Nancheng looked over.
Meng Fuyao laughed again. ”Actually, it doesn't matter even if their families are not in the city. I can casually tie a few women and children on the city gates and say that they are the family members. If the Commanders-in-chief don't admit that they are real, I'll make the women cry, ask the children to call ”father” and the old ladies to call ”beloved son”, and make the act seem as real as possible. The Commanders are always away from their families when they go on military expeditions, right? They can't be sure whether their families are safe or not, am I right? Humans tend to believe what they see, and in front of the tens of thousands of soldiers, with such a seemingly real crying scene, how can they not believe that they are the true family members? Under that situation, if the Commanders refuse to admit, they are just placing righteousness in front of personal ties, and are compromising for the big picture. But if Zhan Beiye refuses to admit, what does that make him? Hah, if we can force Zhan Beiye into a dilemma because of fake family members, won't we able to make him vomit blood in anger?”
With lively expressions and upbeat movements, she concluded her explanation. ”Wouldn't that be great!”
Amongst the silence in the court, everyone looked at each other in dismay. A common consensus was quickly established - never offend this lad in the future!
Highly skilled in manipulative strategies to control the minds of others, and also utterly shameless!
The audacious Meng Fuyao grinned from ear to ear. ”This is much more effective than holding Zhan Beiye's own mother as hostage. He can not care about his mother for the sake of the others, but he can't ignore the mothers of others… Anyway, the families of the Commanders-in-chief are already in my hands.
”In your hands?” Zhan Nancheng immediately looked at her.
”Your Majesty.” Meng Fuyao straightened her back. ”Ever since rebel Zhan started to make noise and Jin Yan surrendered a city, I sensed that they might be in the same camp. Hence, I strengthened the city's defense as a precaution, and my brothers from the Flying Fox camp captured the families of the Commanders-in-chief. They are currently locked in my residence. I want to teach Zhan Beiye a tough lesson under the city gates of Pandu, to let those wavering regional governors understand who's the real boss!”
”Good!” Zhan Nancheng was delighted. ”You're truly loyal to the country!”
”Since I receive my salary from you, Your Majesty, I am obliged to shoulder your worries.” Meng Fuyao pointed to the sky and swore, ”I'm willing to be the lackey, to stand on the frontline and slaughter the Zhan camp for you!”
”You're a talent. How can you be the lackey?” Zhan Nancheng laughed in joy. ”Send my orders!”