Chapter 928 Strategic Shift?

Luoan, Shangguanfu
Jiang Datao, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Niu Cong, the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, Zhao Zhikang, the Deputy Commander of the Shenwu Army, and several of Shangguan Changgong’s confidants have gathered in the study...

Just a few days ago, they were still immersed in the joy of successfully suppressing Murong Lun's rebellion and seizing a large amount of money, believing that as long as they had this money, they could solve the financial problems of the Luoan court.

The rewards and pensions that should have been paid to the soldiers long ago were paid in full. They believed that this would surely boost the morale of the soldiers on the front line and allow the entire army to work together to face the national crisis instead of asking the Fengwu Army to cross the Wei Pass!

However, what they never expected was that everything changed drastically just a few days later!
Although Tang Peng and Murong Lun had many private contacts, judging from the seized letters, Tang Peng did not defect to Murong Lun's side.

Therefore, Shangguan Changgong did not expect that Tang Peng would choose to betray the Luoan court so quickly and surrender to the Fengwu Army!
He naively believed that he could block the news about Luo An, and then lead troops and supplies to support Luo An, and capture Tang Peng on the spot, using both kindness and force to treat the frontline soldiers well!

However, reality often goes beyond people's will. Tang Peng, who was already pessimistic about whether Wei Guan could hold out against the fierce attack of Fengwu Army, made a painful choice after realizing that he was likely to be implicated in Murong Lun's rebellion.
Tang Peng was in pain when he made this decision. His Tang family was the hereditary Duke of Chu in the Great Zhou Dynasty. If it had not been the last moment, he would never have made such a choice!

But now he had no other choice. He was unwilling to be killed by Shangguan Changgong, and even more unwilling to be buried with the corrupt Luoan court!

So his only choice was to surrender to the Fengwu Army in exchange for the continuation of the Tang family's inheritance!
Tang Peng's decision not only made him feel painful, but also made Shangguan Changgong heartbroken. When he learned that Weiguan City was broken, he felt as if the sky had fallen. He subconsciously thought that this was fake news and couldn't believe it was true!
However, when news about the fall of Wei Guan City gradually reached Luoan, Shangguan Changgong fainted from anger after realizing that Wei Guan had been captured by the Fengwu Army and that the Fengwu Army had already entered Guanzhong.

Shangguan Changgong's fainting really scared all his trusted subordinates, but Shangguan Changgong was still young after all. He woke up after an hour of unconsciousness, but he was still in a state of depression and unable to take charge of things.

It was not until a day later that Shangguan Changgong finally recovered a little. He was able to stand up and call his confidants to a meeting to discuss what to do next...

Looking at the people who were like sweeping away parents, Shangguan Changgong felt very bitter. He also knew that this was a disaster for the Luoan court and his Shangguan family!

Even though the Fengwu Army has not yet reached Luoan and is still under his control, it is only a matter of time. Their hope of holding on is approaching zero!

Although he felt extremely desperate and decadent in his heart, Shangguan Changgong also mustered up his last bit of spirit when he remembered his father Shangguan Hongyuan's last words to him before he passed away!

As long as the swords of the Fengwu Army do not chop off his head, he will obey the teachings of his father Shangguan Hongyuan and grit his teeth to fight the Fengwu Army!
Life never stops, the fight never ends!
Even if he were to die, Shangguan Changgong would not surrender and wait to be killed!
He wanted to bite off a piece of Fengwu Army's flesh, so that he would have the face to go to the underworld to meet his father Shangguan Hongyuan.
Shangguan Changgong took a deep breath and looked around at everyone in the study with a firm gaze. After looking at all of them, Shangguan Changgong said in a deep voice:
"I know that the current situation is very unfavorable to us. We are already on the brink of destruction. I, Shangguan Changgong, must take full responsibility for this!"

“All of you present here are old friends who have followed our Shangguan family for many years. On behalf of our Shangguan family, I am very grateful to you for coming here to see me today…”

Having said this, Shangguan Changgong stood up from his chair and bowed to everyone in the room. Everyone was attracted by his action.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Shangguan Changgong spoke with an extremely firm expression:

"Although things have come to this point, I, Shangguan Changgong, will never give up! And I will never surrender to that bastard Ye Mingsheng!"

"Of course, I don't want to make things difficult for you. If any of you feel that we have already lost and want to remain useful, or want to preserve wealth and prosperity for the rest of your life, I, Shangguan Changgong, will never make things difficult for you. You can take your families and leave Luoan now!"

"Even if I, Shangguan Changgong, am the only one left, I will fight to the bitter end with the Fengwu Army and the traitor Ye Mingsheng!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the study was shocked by the determination and indomitable spirit in Shangguan Changgong's words. No one had expected that the gentle and even-tempered Shangguan Changgong of the past would still have such backbone in this situation!
After Shangguan Changgong finished speaking, everyone in the study was silent for a few seconds, and then Zhao Zhikang, the commander of the Shenwu Army, broke the silence in the room!
"Sir Shangguan is so courageous, worthy of being the son of the Prime Minister! The Prime Minister has been very kind to me, Zhao. I, Zhao Zhikang, am willing to serve you till my death!"

After saying this, Zhao Zhikang bowed deeply to Shangguan Changgong, who was also very moved and said:
"General Zhao, you are truly a loyal and righteous man..."

After Zhao Zhikang expressed his opinion, Niu Cong, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, also stood up and said:

"Ye Mingsheng is a fatherless and kingless traitor. He is the number one traitor in the three hundred years since the founding of our Great Zhou. I, Niu Cong, cannot coexist with him. I will follow Lord Shangguan until death!"

With Zhao Zhikang and Niu Cong expressing their stance one after another, most people also stood up to express that they would always follow Shangguan Changgong and would never surrender to the traitor Ye Mingsheng. Only Jiang Datou, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was a little hesitant, but under the gaze of Shangguan Changgong, he quickly expressed his loyalty.

Shangguan Changgong felt a little relieved after hearing the opinions of his trusted subordinates, and then asked Zhao Zhikang:
"General Zhao, what is the current situation of our troops withdrawing from Weiguan?"

Facing Shangguan Changgong's question, Zhao Zhikang pondered for a moment and said:
"Sir Shangguan, since Commander Ma died for his country at Weiguan, the troops that our army withdrew from Weiguan were led by Su He, the deputy commander of the Xuanwu Army. Currently, Su He is gathering the defeated troops in Huaiyang. According to his report, he has already gathered about 13,000 troops!"

Although he realized that the situation was very bad, Shangguan Changgong's expression still darkened when he heard what Zhao Zhikang said.

You must know that in order to stop the Fengwu Army, he had mobilized all the troops that could be mobilized to Luoan except for the 20,000 imperial guards stationed in Luoan...
This also made Wei Guan's troops reach 60,000, but now there are only more than 10,000 left. Thinking of this, Shangguan Changgong wanted to eat Tang Peng alive!
Restraining the disappointment and anger in his heart, Shangguan Changgong asked again:

"What's the situation of Fengwu Army?"

Zhao Zhikang preached without hesitation:
"According to the news sent back by General Su, the Fengwu Army did not take much action after capturing Weiguan and is currently in a resting phase. It seems that their losses are also very heavy!"

After saying this, Zhao Zhikang suggested:
"Sir, I suggest that we should immediately transfer General Su and his troops back to Luoan to strengthen Luoan's defense!"

"We already have 20,000 imperial guards in Luoan. With the troops transferred back, we will have nearly 40,000 imperial guards. In addition, we can also recruit young and strong men in Luoan to defend the city. In this way, we will have 60,000 troops!"

"With the money and food we seized from the traitor Murong, we have a strong army and sufficient food in Luo'an. We can hold the city to the death and wear down the Fengwu Army!"

As soon as Zhao Zhikang finished his suggestion, Niu Cong, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, immediately stood up and refuted: "General Zhao, what you said is wrong!"

“Now Luoan is an isolated city. Defending Luoan will only lead to self-destruction! My Lord, you must not defend the city to the death…”

When Zhao Zhikang heard Niu Cong criticizing his suggestion, he wanted to refute it immediately. Unexpectedly, Shangguan Changgong gave him a look, signaling Zhao Zhikang to calm down.

After stopping Zhao Zhikang, Shangguan Changgong asked Niu Cong:

"Niu Shaoqing, can you please tell me in detail why I can't defend Luoan?"

After receiving Shangguan Changgong's instruction, Niu Cong continued unceremoniously:
"May I ask how Luo An compares to Wei Guan?"

Shangguan Changgong thought for a moment and said:
"They both have their own advantages. Wei Guan wins because of its better geographical location, while Luo An wins because of its more complete city defense!"

After hearing Shangguan Changgong's answer, Niu Cong began to preach again;
"Sir, we have gathered all the elite troops of the Imperial Guard at Weiguan, and supplied Weiguan with materials from Guanzhong, Yongliang, and Sichuan, but we cannot stop the Fengwu Army from attacking Guanzhong!"

"Now that Weiguan has been lost, there is no longer any soldier in Guanzhong that can stop the Fengwu Army. I heard that Yuan Song of the Fengwu Army had served in the Imperial Guard for nearly 20 years and was very familiar with the city defenses in Guanzhong. If I were him, I would definitely not attack Luoan directly and get beaten to a bloody pulp under the city!"

“I will send heavy troops to blockade Luoan, and then capture other prefectures and counties in Guanzhong. There are millions of people in Luoan and its surrounding areas. The daily food and supplies need to be transferred from all over Guanzhong. Once Luoan is blockaded by the Fengwu Army, how long can it last with the little food and supplies seized from the traitor Murong...?”

"In less than two months, Luoan will be filled with human tragedy, and our army will collapse without a fight!"

Niu Cong's words were very decisive at the end, and everyone in the room changed their expressions as they understood the key point!

After pondering for a while, Shangguan Changgong asked Niu Cong again:

"Since we can't defend Luo'an, do you have any solution to the current situation, Niu Shaoqing?"

Niu Cong heard this and said seriously:

"Sir, I think the best thing to do now is to run away!"

Hearing this, Shangguan Changgong also understood Niu Cong's plot and frowned and asked:

"Do you want me to escape to Sichuan?"

Niu Cong shook his head and said:

"Sir, this is not an escape! This is a strategic shift!"

"The Fengwu Army is now at its peak. Our army cannot confront them head-on. We should avoid their sharp edge!"

"Thinking back to the time when King Gou Jian of Yue was able to endure hardships for revenge, which ordinary people could not endure, today, my lord, you can also move to Sichuan and Shu for revenge!"

"In my humble opinion, you should lead your elite troops and take His Majesty to Sichuan and Shu, and slowly make plans for the Great Zhou and the people of the world!"

"Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. As the ancients said, things will turn around when they reach their extremes. In my opinion, the Fengwu Army has now reached its peak. Our army cannot compete with them for a while!"

“The traitor Ye Mingsheng has the look of an eagle watching a wolf. After he captures Luo An, he will certainly get carried away. He will tear off his disguise and brazenly declare himself emperor, revealing his wolfish ambitions to the public…”

By then, all the loyal and righteous people in the world will come together to fight against it, and the Fengwu Army will inevitably go downhill and will no longer be as powerful as it is today!"

"At this time, you can stay in Sichuan and gather your strength. When the time is right, you can leave Sichuan to restore the old mountains and rivers, save the people from the water and fire, and return a bright and peaceful world to the people of the world. Otherwise, this bastard Ye Mingsheng will definitely die!"

At the end, Niu Cong simply knelt down in front of Shangguan Changgong and said excitedly:

"Please, sir, for the sake of the Great Zhou, go to Sichuan with His Majesty! Save the last bit of blood for the Great Zhou!"

What Niu Cong said was very good. He always talked about the Great Zhou and never talked about the world. People who didn't know him might really think he was a loyal minister of the Great Zhou, a filial son, or a chaste and heroic woman!
But he didn't know whether he was loyal to the Jiang family of the Great Zhou Dynasty or the Shangguan family?
Listening to Niu Cong's description of the victory scene, Shangguan Changgong couldn't help but imagine the happy scene of him unifying the world and stepping on Ye Mingsheng's head. He was naturally very excited, but he soon thought of a practical problem.

If he really did what Niu Cong said and left Luoan to the Fengwu Army, people in the world would surely laugh at him, Shangguan Changgong, for being cowardly and afraid of fighting, which would undoubtedly greatly affect his reputation!

However, his control over Sichuan was not stable in itself, the local chieftains in Sichuan were also ready to make moves, and some noble families who fled to Sichuan were also very dissatisfied with his bloody methods.

In such a situation, if he were to be branded as a coward and afraid of fighting and his reputation was damaged, would he really be able to control Sichuan as he wished?
(End of this chapter)