"Sir, please wait!" Xu Youchang coughed lightly, stepped forward, and stood between Li Jiangyao and Lin Feng. He first signaled Lin Feng not to rush to enforce military law, and then calmly said to Li Jiangyao: "My lord, please bear with me."
Li Jiangyao said: "Oh? What does General Xu have to say?"
Seeing Xu Youchang standing up, everyone around them couldn't help but have hope in their hearts.
Xu Youchang is a distinguished general of the Xuanjia Army. In the Shengtang military system, his rank is much higher than that of Li Jiangyao. Moreover, he and Li Jiangyao are brothers by fate. They are upright and loyal, and have always had prestige in the army. At this critical moment, I am afraid that only Xu Youchang can intercede with Li Jiangyao on behalf of Ho Liya, and only his words can be listened to by Mr. Li.
Just listen to Xu Youchang said loudly: "My lord, I humbly believe that this time the commander of the right army, Huoliya, disobeyed the military order and attacked the passing Turkic army without authorization, which not only caused huge losses to the right camp, but also affected the strategic goals of our army. According to the law, He should be executed immediately. However, there are reasons behind Holiya's move. According to the post-war intelligence verification, the enemy in front of him is the Marquis of Durham, the deputy marshal of the Turks and the leader of the Golden Army. Encountering such an important figure of the enemy, Horiya was worried about missing the opportunity, so she decided to take the risk and kill the Turkic general. This belief in fighting bravely is worthy of recognition. "
Speaking of this, Xu Youchang paused for a moment and continued: "Sir, the current situation in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang is critical. Our army is in the enemy's hinterland and is holding on to the isolated city. Not only are we outnumbered, but we may also face the enemy's full-scale encirclement and suppression at any time. . Therefore, in this situation, we should try our best to maintain combat effectiveness, especially to preserve rare command talents. Please think twice about your humble position and forgive Horiyah this time!"
Xu Youchang talked eloquently, and his words of pleading were righteous. Li Jiangyao secretly praised him in his heart, nodded tacitly, and said lightly: "Well, what you said makes some sense. If we look at the overall situation, The most valuable thing in Metasequoia City at present is experienced officers. Only with generals who are good at fighting can we continue to develop and expand the army, accumulate strength, and put down the rebellion."
Xu Youchang answered quickly and cooperatively: "Your Excellency is wise. I would like to suggest, in my humble position, that I can record Holia's fault for the time being, make her guilty and perform meritorious service, and give the best explanation to the brothers who died in the battle with her heroic efforts in killing the enemy."
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly when he heard this, pretended to think for a moment, and then said in a deep voice: "Okay then, I'll just follow your words. I don't condone Holiya's guilt easily, but out of overall considerations, for the sake of the Metasequoia Right Army, Let's spare her life for the time being! However, the death penalty is temporarily exempted, but the living crime is difficult to forgive. Holiya disobeyed military orders and was removed from the right army command post in accordance with military law, and was replaced by Palletahon. Lin Feng imprisoned her for ten days as a warning to others. From now on, anyone who dares to disobey this general will not be spared lightly!"
Seeing that the princess' life had finally been saved, everyone around them secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Including Holia, everyone quickly prostrated: "I will obey your military orders!"
After performing this painful trick, Li Jiangyao himself felt much relieved. To be honest, thousands of soldiers and horses have been lost in vain, which has aroused the vigilance of the Turks. If Holia, the princess of Shanshan Kingdom and the general of Metasequoia City, is killed now, it will be a big loss. He told Ma Mu and the others to bury the soldiers of the right army generously, and then hurried back to the city garrison to summon several important subordinates to discuss the upcoming succession ceremony of the Shenhua family.
Situ Wushou spoke first: "Sir, although I am not familiar with military affairs, there are two points that we must pay attention to in terms of the impact of the results of the battle. The first one is that although our army has begun to take shape, it is still at odds with the enemy. , especially the main Turkic forces, there is a big gap."
"Mr. Situ is right," Xu Youchang agreed from the side: "We were fighting at home, but we suffered a high battle loss of three to one. If it happened when the whole army was fighting head-on, it would definitely become a huge battle. A disaster. Even if there is not a total collapse, at least it will be in a situation of being passively beaten."
Situ Wushou nodded slightly and continued: "The second point is the next reaction of the Turks. Durham is the deputy marshal of the Turks. He suffered such a big loss outside Metasequoia City that he almost got in. I will definitely not give up. I can be sure of my humble position. It won’t be long before the enemy will retaliate and attack the metasequoia. In that case, the succession ceremony will be threatened!"
Old Summer said: "Sir, General Xu, Mr. Situ, to be honest, the rows of corpses placed in the square just now frightened the elders of each tribe. They even lost their minds. The crazy old guy keeps making noises, saying that this is an ominous sign and goes against the fate of the Prince's succession ceremony, so it's better to cancel and reschedule it as soon as possible. Damn! What a bunch of gutless grandsons!"
Li Jiangyao couldn't help frowning when he heard this, and Xu Youchang and Situ Wushou also became worried.
Ever since Kuliban, the young prince of the Shenhua family, issued the summons, more than fifty leaders of the Shenhua tribe have secretly rushed to Metasequoia City. The remaining dozen tribes are located in relatively remote places in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang, so either the order has not yet been delivered, or their leaders are still on their way here.
However, judging from the overall progress, this will not affect Kuliban's succession ceremony. According to the original plan, it can eventually be held as scheduled.
However, what surprised everyone was that there were some different voices among the tribal leaders who had arrived at Metasequoia City.
Among these people, several large Shenhua tribes, led by leader Hassan, questioned Kuliban and Samor about the location of the prince's coronation ceremony and the subsequent stance of the family.
Li Jiangyao was very concerned about this and asked specifically: "Dad Samour, have you summarized all the questions raised by the leaders before? Can you introduce some of them to us?"
Samor said helplessly: "It's summarized. The little prince is worried about this. Hassan, that old guy, doesn't know why he's so crazy? He asked His Highness, why did you choose to hold such an important family ceremony in Metasequoia City? I When I asked him what he meant, not only did he not answer me, but he also asked, why does the Shenhua family still side with Shengtang? Are you saying bastards are not bastards?!"
Xu Youchang and Situ Wushou looked at each other and said nothing. Hassan's meaning is very clear. At present, Shengtang has been defeated by the Turks and rebels, and has almost completely lost control of the Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang. At this time, the attitude of the Shenhua family will directly affect the survival status of each tribe in Western Xinjiang in the future, so naturally it must be carefully considered.
Being mixed up with the remnants of Shengtang in Metasequoia City, there is no doubt that they are becoming enemies of the entire Western Xinjiang Alliance.
Li Jiangyao asked with interest: "How did you answer him about this question?"
"I'm too lazy to pay attention to him!" Samor said angrily: "It was our little prince who answered. His Highness only said one sentence, Geerhan is my father-killing enemy, Li Jiangyao is my savior, please Chief, please teach me, if we don’t hold the succession ceremony in Metasequoia City, where should we hold it?”
When Xu Youchang heard this, he clasped his hands and laughed: "Hahaha, your highnesses can do it, your words are simple and sharp!"
Li Jiangyao also smiled happily, waved his hand and said: "Dad Samour, please tell His Highness Kuliban on my behalf that you will never mention him as your savior again. I don't dare to take it."
Old Samor sat up straight and said with a serious expression: "Sir, you were the one who captured Laihai alive and avenged our old prince's bloody vengeance; later, it was you who retrieved the Black Crystal Jade Holy Stone, which gave us hope for the restoration of our country. With such affection and kindness, it is not an exaggeration for the young prince to regard you as his savior."
Li Jiangyao blushed and said with a smile: "Let's ignore the matter of coming to the sea for now. The black crystal jade is the credit of Miss Efentia, and it cannot be attributed to me." Then he changed the subject: "Satsuma Dad, even though His Highness the Prince said so, the worries of Chief Hassan and other tribal leaders are also reasonable. At present, the Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang has completely fallen into the hands of the rebels, and there are still people standing behind them. The powerful Turkic Empire. On the other hand, we are struggling to support a lone army, and it is still unknown when the reinforcements from Shengtang will arrive. Under this situation, it is indeed unreasonable to tie the fate of the entire Shenhua family to Metasequoia. It’s wise. Therefore, there are definitely not a few people like Chief Hassan and others who think this way, and it cannot be reversed by the little prince’s simple words.”
Situ Wushou nodded slightly and said: "Yes, sir, your analysis is correct. These days, I have assisted Father Samor and Master Mamu in receiving the leaders of various tribes, and I have dealt with them a lot. Among them, like Chief Hassan expresses his feelings directly. There are about a dozen people, and there are also some who dare not say or are embarrassed to say it. According to my observation, at least more than half."
"There are so many?" Xu Youchang was worried about this: "We originally hoped that after the young prince successfully took over the power, he could use the Shenhua family's huge power in Western Xinjiang to provide support to Metasequoia City in terms of supplies, intelligence, etc. . But before doing so, the seventy-two tribes must be willing, otherwise..."
He paused for a moment, sighed and said: "Oh, forceful melons are not sweet. We can't force others to support Metasequoia with their heads raised. How is that any different from the rebels?"
"General Xu can't say that." Samor shook his head: "There are indeed some cowards who are greedy for life and fear of death, but there are also many who firmly support His Highness's decision. For example, Heishan and Yuduoluo."
When Li Jiangyao heard this, he immediately became energetic and asked quickly: "Black Mountain? Yudala? Are these the names of two people?"
Samor explained: "That's right. This kid from Heishan is the leader of the Shenhua tribe rooted in the Kingdom of Qiuci. His people are all nomadic and are strong and good at fighting. In our peace-loving and uncontested Shenhua tribe, He is an anomaly among the family. I have often mentioned to the young prince in the past that if the leader of Montenegro had accompanied the old prince back then, the Geerhan brothers would never have dared to make a mistake. Montenegro is straightforward and loyal to the family, even to the point of no matter what is right or wrong. , His Highness will do whatever he says. To be disrespectful, if His Highness changes his mind now and plans to defect to the Turks immediately, this guy will not hesitate to do it. Alas, in short, he has no brains. "
"Oh, his position is quite clear - he is willing to obey but has no position." Li Jiangyao smiled: "What about Yudala? What kind of person is he?"
