mtl008 Chapter 530: Withdrawal from Shizhou
Chapter 530: Withdrawal from Shizhou
In the Wang family's magnificent mansion with its carved beams and painted rafters, the atmosphere was as tense as if on the eve of a storm.
When the head of the family, Wang Shizun, learned that the imperial court was going to take action against the Wang family, he became extremely anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, and hurriedly sent someone to gather his clansmen.
In order to cooperate with the court's action against the Wang family, Wang Biqing and Wang Kui of Jinyang were ruthlessly removed from their posts.
When the news came, the entire Wang family was shrouded in a haze. Everyone knew that the Wang family was facing an unprecedented crisis.
At this time, Wang Shixiong, who was far away in Mayi, had only 100,000 troops under his command. Even if the clan soldiers were included, he could only barely make up 150,000.
This amount of troops seemed so weak in the face of the impending imperial army.
In Shizhou, Cao Youde also knew about this.
He paced back and forth in the tent with a solemn expression, then called Su Dingshan, Jia Yixiao and several other generals to his side and solemnly instructed them:
"The situation is critical now. The imperial court is very likely to take action against Mayi. At this critical juncture, we must not act rashly, and we must not turn back. If we do, we will probably be doomed."
When Su Dingshan heard this, he was moved and asked hurriedly:
"If Wang Shixiong sends someone with a transfer order, how should we respond?"
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Cao Youde's eyes, and he said without hesitation:
"Kill the envoy and pretend you know nothing! We must not let the court get hold of anything against us or it will ruin everything."
At this time, Jia Yixiao rolled his eyes and interrupted:
"Why don't we set up defenses along the way and directly intercept the messenger by pretending to be bandits? As long as this doesn't happen in the military camp, no one will know about it.
This way, we can avoid the spies in the military camp from leaking the information, and handle the matter without anyone noticing."
After hearing this, Cao Youde nodded slightly, thinking that this suggestion was really great.
After all, once a messenger enters the tent, the spies stationed by Mayi will inevitably notice it, and the matter will be more easily exposed.
So he decisively ordered:
"Then do as Jia Yixiao suggests. Immediately send out ten scouts to keep a close eye on the route. If any messengers are spotted, they must be intercepted and not allowed to get even a step closer to Shizhou."
After receiving the order, the soldiers took quick action.
Soon, the ten groups of people were divided into two teams. Like ghosts, they guarded all the important traffic arteries day and night, vigilantly watching every passing figure to prevent anyone from coming to deliver the letter.
In order to ensure that everything went smoothly, Cao Youde secretly wrote a letter and sent it to Qiao Mang.
The letter was written with earnest words, stating that the troops he led were from the imperial court. The implication was that they were no longer the Wang family's guards, and they were trying to draw a clear line between themselves and the Wang family.
On the other side, Wang Shizun had called back his clansmen in the lobby of his mansion.
The atmosphere in the huge lobby was so oppressive that it made people feel breathless.
Wang Shizhen sat in the main seat, frowning and speaking with a worried look:
"For thousands of years, the emperor has rarely taken action against aristocratic families, but this time he has launched a large-scale war. I believe he feels that my Wang family is now isolated and helpless."
The Wang family members in the hall looked at each other, all with sad faces. Looking at Wang Shizun who was sitting high up, they said worriedly:
"What should I do?"
At this time, Wang Danwang, who was good at judging the situation, stood up. He had a sharp eye and said pointedly:
"This isn't necessarily due to isolation. The key is that we've been too harsh on Shizhou. We should order the troops there to withdraw, which will make it easier for us to negotiate with the imperial court."
Wang Shizhen nodded slightly, but his head was still shaking unconsciously, and said:
"The Shizhou issue was originally a stone chain that our Wang family had placed on Hong Kui's neck. We originally just wanted to put some pressure on him, and we had no intention of operating there long-term. But now..."
When Wang Shixiong heard this, he was immediately filled with righteous indignation. He stood up suddenly and said loudly:
"If a war really breaks out, both sides will suffer losses. Even if Mayi City is left to Hong Kui, it will only be a ruined city. What good will it do them?"
When the Wang family heard Wang Shixiong's passionate words, they all straightened their backs unconsciously, as if they were injected with strength and felt that these words were really uplifting.
Wang Shizhen saw this and shouted softly:
"What are you trying to do? Put your thoughts aside. Now is not a question of whether to fight or not, but how to resolve the current predicament.
If we really want to fight, our Wang family will inevitably suffer eight hundred casualties. It is really not worth it! "
The elders in the family spoke like this, so the younger generations naturally did not dare to refute. They all obediently retreated and dared not even breathe.
Wang Dan saw this and said at the right moment:
"In my opinion, we should send someone to give up Shizhou first, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Wang Shizun thought for a moment and felt that Wang Danwang was right, so he nodded and agreed:
"Then follow Dan Wang's instructions and send a message to have Cao Youde of Shizhou withdraw."
Immediately, the Wang family selected several nimble, loyal and reliable messengers and asked them to ride their horses at full speed and rush towards Shizhou.
The dust raised by the horse's hooves flew behind it, as if it was also worried about the fate of the Wang family at this moment.
However, they never expected that these messengers were targeted by people arranged by Jia Yixiao halfway.
When Jia Yixiao saw that the content of the letter was asking them to withdraw, he mistakenly thought that it asked them to go back to support Mayi. In order not to disrupt his plan, he withheld the letter and did not report the matter to Cao Youde.
Time passed quietly in this tense atmosphere, and half a month passed in a flash.
Mayi never received a reply from Shizhou, nor did Cao Youde return with his troops.
At this time, the imperial army led by Xu Shaowu had successfully broken through Changshan, and marched all the way to Jincheng, where they settled down.
Wang Shixiong felt more and more that something was fishy about Shizhou, and his uneasiness grew stronger.
So he sent Cao Dawang personally with more than ten elite soldiers to ride at full speed to Shizhou.
Before leaving, Wang Shixiong told Cao Dawang the seriousness of the matter in detail and specifically instructed:
"If Cao Youde doesn't come back, their families are still in Mayi. You must make sure he understands the stakes involved!"
The implication of his words was a naked threat.
A few days later, Cao Dawang and his group rushed to Shizhou and finally met Cao Youde.
Cao Dawang didn't have time to rest and hurriedly told Cao Youde everything that happened in Mayi.
After hearing this, Cao Youde showed a look of surprise on his face and said seriously:
"Uncle, you can't blame me for this. I certainly hadn't seen the letter from Mayi before, and I knew nothing about this.
How about this, I will send someone to Mayi to tell them that we will set out back to Mayi immediately."
Cao Dawang didn't know whether what Cao Youde said was true or not, but seeing that he was willing to send someone back to report, he didn't say anything more and just urged:
"Hurry up and prepare your troops. We will return to Mayi tomorrow. Time is running out, and we can't delay any longer."
"Don't worry, uncle. I will write a letter and send it to Mayi first, and then we will mobilize the troops to set out tomorrow morning."
Cao Youde suppressed the smugness on the corner of his mouth and said it with confidence.
Cao Youde turned and walked into the tent, quickly wrote the letter, called a confidant, and ordered him to deliver the letter.
Then, he hurriedly found Su Dingshan, and the two hid in the corner of the tent and discussed secretly...