Chapter 499: Your Highness, Please Accept the Challenge

Chapter 499: Your Highness, Please Accept the Challenge

Chapter 499: Your Highness, Please Accept the Challenge
surrender?

When Zhao Duan's words fell into the ears of the generals, they were all stunned.

Immediately, the square-faced Yuan Feng came to his senses: "My Lord, do you want us to pretend to surrender?"

Zhao Duan smiled, his eyes calm:

"You all couldn't have expected the Shenji Battalion to arrive so early, and the rebels, who have more limited intelligence, should also be delayed in information. In this case, why not go with the flow?"

"Great!" A military officer clapped his hands and exclaimed:
"The Shenji Battalion has arrived in a hurry, and it is difficult for them to effectively fight against the rebels in a short period of time. We can pretend to be submissive to them, which can buy time and delay the next battle, and also make the enemy relax their vigilance.

When they relax, the soldiers from the second battalion will come out together and catch the rebels off guard! Lord Zhao is extremely wise and I admire him!"

Good to lick... The others looked resentful and cursed the military thieves in their hearts.

You licked me so hard right from the start, how can I deal with it?

If I can't lick as well as you, wouldn't King Zhao make a note of me in his notebook?

"Unparalleled in wisdom and strategy"? It was just a false surrender to buy time, how could it be a surprising strategy? It's as if no one could have thought of it...

The generals were complaining wildly in their hearts, and were busy praising each other, throwing out compliments like they were free.

Yuan Feng looked embarrassed. As a commander, seeing his subordinates being so flattering, he couldn't help blushing and feeling ashamed. However, he fully approved of Zhao Duan's strategy:
Although it is not surprising, it is still stable.

Fortunately, it seems that this young guard is not as domineering and impulsive as the rumors say, and he knows when to be tolerant and retreat.

What Yuan Feng feared most was that the court would send out someone who knew nothing about fighting but was able to give orders just because he had read a few military books.

Shi Meng, Chen Gui, Tang Ping and other officials of the Shenjiying remained silent and just smiled.

They understood that the people in the Fifth Army Camp had probably misunderstood, thinking that their own commander-in-chief proposed a false surrender in order to buy time because he was afraid of a powerful enemy.

But in fact, based on the Shenjiying's understanding of Zhao Duan, the commander-in-chief with new firearms did not choose to directly attack the Qingzhou army camp. It was not because of fear, but to avoid "harming friendly forces."

"It's settled. Commander Yuan will send a letter saying..."

Zhao Duan smiled and whispered in her ear.

……

Soon, inside the Qingzhou army tent.

"Haha, congratulations, Your Majesty, the plan worked, and the Fifth Army Camp couldn't hold on any longer!" A counselor was delighted and complimented loudly:

"We fought three battles in a row, not to kill the enemy, but to suppress their morale. When their morale hit rock bottom, we set a deadline. This way, the enemy would lose their composure and surrender to the prince, which would be a natural thing!"

Inside the tent, the pampered King Heng sat in the main seat, accepting the flattery of his subordinates with a smile on his face.

The prince, who was over 30 years old and had red lips and white teeth like a teenager, held his folding fan and said with a smile:
"I thought that with Yuan Feng's style, he would hold out for a while longer, fighting like a trapped beast, or withdraw his troops to resist with the advantage of terrain. I didn't expect that I overestimated him. He keeps saying that he is loyal to the court, but he is still kneeling down happily?"

Just now, the Fifth Army Camp sent a letter, euphemistically expressing its willingness to "negotiate".

A counselor laughed and said:
"Yuan Feng may be a tough guy, but he is only one man after all. His subordinates are not united and have different ideas. Even if he still wants to fight, he has to think twice. If he continues to be tough, he may be beheaded by his generals as a token of his loyalty."

King Heng was in a good mood. He thought that swallowing up the five military camps at a relatively small cost would be the most ideal outcome.

Next, we just need to recruit them and attack the capital. It is right in front of us. He looked around at everyone and said:

"Although Yuan Feng is afraid of fighting, he is willing to surrender, but he asked us to send someone to negotiate. Who among you is willing to go?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals and counselors in the tent became restless.

"Your Highness, I am willing to take the risk!" Some generals rushed to be the first.

"Haha, Your Majesty, this 'peace talk' is nothing more than Yuan Feng trying to sell me for a good price. Although Your Majesty wants to pay a huge sum of money for the horse bones and accept this man as an example, you can't let him ask for too much. It would be more appropriate for me to go in for the negotiation." A civil servant spoke up.

The rest of the people also spoke up, vying for the task.

Although there is a certain danger in going to the enemy camp, everyone weighed the situation and determined that Yuan Feng would not dare to do anything.

What's more, now that six rebel kings are vying for the throne, since they are all under King Heng, they all want to do their best to gain military merit so as to strive for greater rewards in the future.

Few people are willing to miss such an opportunity with low risk but huge rewards.

"Why doesn't Emperor Xianzong say anything?" Prince Heng looked at the Qingzhou rebel commander Wei Xianzong in surprise.

Wei Xianzong was wearing armor, his eyes habitually fell on the ground, wrinkles appeared on his brows, and he raised his eyes at this moment, his eyes were deep:
"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. I know a thing or two about Yuan Feng. He is not someone who will be easily coerced by his subordinates. Although the morale of the Fifth Army Camp has collapsed, they still have the strength to fight. It feels a bit strange to accept his surrender at this moment.

In my opinion, it would be safer to strike with all your might, not give the other side any chance, start a war immediately, and destroy them in one fell swoop."

When these words were spoken, Prince Heng frowned, and the others also looked dissatisfied.

"General Wei, you are wrong. We have few soldiers in Qingzhou. If we attack forcefully, we will force the five camps into a desperate situation. A trapped beast will still fight. How many elite soldiers of our Qingzhou army will be lost by then?"

"That's right, General Wei is being too cautious. Besides, you were in command of the first three battles and won great victories. Now... you should give others a chance. You can't let all the credit go to you, General Wei."

A counselor spoke in a deep voice, and his words were quite hurtful.

Wei Xianzong responded coldly: "Do you think I want to attack in order to monopolize the credit?"

The counselor remained silent, as if forced by the momentum. This scene fell into the eyes of everyone, and everyone's eyes changed.

"Well, it's good that Xianzong is cautious," Prince Heng said unhappily, "but given the current situation, Yuan Feng can't make any waves."

As a master, balancing the interests of your subordinates is no easier than fighting a war.

Emperor Wei Xianzong opened his mouth and was about to speak, when he suddenly saw the crown prince Xu Zudi step out and bowed, saying:
"Father, I am willing to go and negotiate. I am a member of the royal family. Even if something unexpected happens, Yuan Feng will not dare to do anything to me."

King Heng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded happily:
"Since you have such ambition, you should go and accept the surrender. Also let all the soldiers know that the prince of the palace will lead the troops."

Oh, what do you mean by leading by example? It's clearly giving the prince a chance to make merit... Everyone complained in their hearts, not daring to speak out, and they all praised loudly.

Wei Xianzong wanted to say something but stopped himself. Suddenly, he felt Xu Zudi's hostile gaze. He shook his head, sighed, and sat down in silence.

……

"Xu Zudi is coming in person?"

In the big tent of the Fifth Army Camp, Zhao Duan was sitting in the main seat, playing with the tiger talisman in his right hand. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows with a strange expression:
"This guy is as arrogant and stupid as ever."

He originally thought that he could only hook up with an ordinary civil official or general from the Qingzhou faction, but he didn't expect his cousin Zhenbao to be so bold. Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Camp, smiled and said:

"Sir, it seems that the other side thinks they have us in their grasp."

Young Master Tang Ping was also in the tent because of his special status. He was peeling a roasted sweet potato by the stove. He sneered when he heard this:

"He must have felt that since His Majesty is not around, no one would dare to hurt him, a member of the royal family, so he felt safe and secure."

Zhao Duan threw down the tiger talisman, rubbed his chin and smiled:

"Then please invite His Royal Highness in. Shi Meng, you guys go out first. Commander Yuan, you come and talk to him. Ha, try to find out the truth first. We are not in a hurry. It will take some time for the Shenji Battalion to prepare for the battle, right? Oh, give me another set of armor."

As soon as he finished speaking, he wiped his face with his right hand, and the disguise mask moved. His facial features changed rapidly, and his handsome face, like that of a Qidian reader, quickly became mediocre. He patted his butt and stood up:
"I'll just watch the fun from the side."

Ah, this... Yuan Feng had a serious personality and could not keep up with Zhao Duan's pace. Seeing the generals of the Shenji Camp leaving, Zhao Duan changed into the clothes of a deputy general, stood straight at one side of the tent, and acted as a guard.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and give orders to the other military officers:

"Bring someone here."

The furnishings in the big tent were simple, consisting of a long table, a grill in the corner, and a weapon rack on the side.

Zhao Duan waited leisurely for a moment, and then he heard footsteps outside the tent. Then, a hand suddenly reached into the tent and lifted it up with all his strength!
wow——

The door of the tent was open, and the bleak sunlight shone in from outside. An old man wearing a gray gown and with extremely long arms almost reaching his knees had a stern face and swept his sharp eyes over the generals of the five military camps in the tent.

Then he stepped back, revealing a team of four behind him. The one leading the team was dressed in gorgeous clothes, holding a folding fan, with red lips and white teeth, and a powdered face and a crown.

With his chin slightly raised, his manner of looking down on people was full of condescending meaning. His pair of cloud-patterned boots were hardly stained with dust on this battlefield.

"Oh, Commander Yuan is so majestic. The prince has arrived, but the generals of your five military camps are waiting here leisurely. You are indeed a capable disciple of General Xue. Even surrendering is done with a stiff back, tsk tsk."

Prince Heng had a smile on his face, but his words showed undisguised displeasure and anger.

Zhenbao's cousin, the prince of a vassal state, Xu Zudi!

On a whim, Zhao Duan, who played the deputy general, moved his eyes slightly. After more than half a year, he met this guy again. The impression Xu Zudi gave him was no different from the first time.

Just as arrogant, condescending, and looking down on people.

Last time, Xu Zudi stood up for Li Lang, detained Zhao Duan's men, asked him to redeem them, and humiliated him with a game of shooting apples with flying knives.

Unfortunately, due to his status as the crown prince, Zhao Duan was unable to teach him a lesson and allowed him to swagger back to Qingzhou.

But this time, everything is different.

"Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Yuan Feng, who was sitting in the main seat, stood up with his head held high, trying his best to control himself and not look at Zhao Yanwang who was standing aside.

He clasped his hands together, his face calm:

"Prince Heng left his fiefdom without permission and led his troops to the capital to 'serve the king'. This is against the rules. We are not surrendering today, but are negotiating to avoid further casualties..."

"Ah!"

Xu Zudi sneered and glanced, and an attendant behind him brought an empty chair from the tent over.

Placed under the noble buttocks of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Xu Zudi sat down with a swagger, swung his folding fan open, and said disdainfully:

"You are still stubborn. Forget it. I am a magnanimous prince. If you want to negotiate, then let's negotiate. However, I have not come here in person to waste my breath and talk nonsense with you. Stop those polite words and get straight to the point."

He raised his chin and said arrogantly:

"If you want to negotiate, you can. But I still have the same request. Commander Yuan orders the entire battalion to immediately give up resistance and surrender to our Prince Heng's Royal Guards!
As long as you do this, I, the prince, can promise on behalf of my father that you will not be held accountable for your crimes. Not only that, as long as you work hard for the Heng Palace and eliminate the treacherous officials in the city, when my father ascends the throne, you will all be meritorious officials..."

Zhao Duan looked at him strangely and shook his head, thinking that it seemed that King Heng was also a person with a hole in his brain.

At this moment, since they have come to accept surrender, they should show their "friendly" side. Wouldn't this arrogant and threatening attitude make it more difficult to surrender?

But then he thought about it and recalled that he had read some gossip stories about World War II in his previous life, so he was not surprised.

If you look back at history, you will find that outrageous operations are everywhere... Simple arrogance is extremely common.

As expected, after Xu Zudi's words were spoken, all the generals in the tent looked angry.

What a bully!
When other people negotiate, they quote a price, but Xu Zudi just talks and gives an exoneration and a blank check, nothing substantial.

Yuan Feng took a deep breath and suppressed his anger:
"Your Highness, we serve the court, what crime have we committed? Could it be that the prince wants to investigate us for some other crime? All the officers and soldiers in our five military camps..."

Xu Zudi suddenly narrowed his eyes, folded his fan shut with a snap, and interrupted rudely in a sarcastic tone:
"What? Commander Yuan doesn't want to talk anymore? I might as well tell you that outside, my Qingzhou army is ready to go. With just one order, we can razed this place to the ground! Don't forget, you have been defeated three times. If it weren't for my father's mercy and unwillingness to kill too many people, would you still be alive?"

He suddenly stood up, stared at Yuan Feng, and ignored the rest of the people in the account:
"You have to understand clearly that talking about peace is to give you some face. It's you who beg for mercy! Not me! I will forgive your sins, not put you in jail, and still keep your official positions and use you. Are you still not satisfied with these conditions? You must know that people are greedy! Commander Yuan, don't be shameless!"

While speaking, Xu Zudi grinned grimly and without any warning, threw the folding fan in his hand towards Yuan Feng!

This attack did not have much killing power, it was just an ordinary throw.

However, the expressions of all the generals in the five military camps changed!

Because this action is an undisguised provocation, threat, and slap in the face!
Just like when the master is angry, he will pick up objects and hit the slave. If the slave dares to resist, the punishment will be even more cruel.

Xu Zudi’s main goal is to be strong and to make achievements. As a crown prince, what he wants when he comes to accept the surrender is a great victory.

Therefore, he took the initiative and deliberately raised his momentum to his full potential, intending to break the backbone of Yuan Feng and others in one fell swoop!

Yuan Feng tried his best to be patient and did not move, but his eyes could not help but look at someone in the tent, not daring to act on his own.

However, at this moment, the folding fan that was thrown and flying in the air was suddenly grabbed by a hand that reached out from the side casually!
"Snapped."

The well-proportioned palm held the folding fan, making a crisp sound.

Immediately, Zhao Duan said calmly:
"Your Highness still likes to throw things at people."

While speaking, he turned his wrist, and the folding fan was covered with a layer of aura, and it suddenly became like a hidden weapon, a dart, or a crossbow arrow on a string, and it flew towards Xu Zudi's face like a flash of lightning!

"It is impolite not to reciprocate. Please accept the challenge, my lord!"

(End of this chapter)