Black Rock City, meeting hall.
Xiao Yuan was wearing a black and red brocade suit and his hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. He was behind the handsome case and was unfolding a scroll of bamboo slips and looking at it.
Counselor Shangguan Wenruo stood respectfully beside his subordinates.
There were only two of them in the hall, because all the generals had led their troops to fight.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps was heard. Qin General Nie Xing entered the hall, clasped his fists towards Xiao Yuan and bent down and said:
"Your Majesty! The enemy troops on the northeast and southeast lines have been completely wiped out. Our army beheaded nearly 20,000 people and captured 2,130 war horses..."
He was wearing a general's armor, a cape on his back, and a sword hanging on his waist. There were still some blood stains on his body that had not had time to be cleaned, and his tone was full of excitement.
"Okay!" Xiao Yuan closed the bamboo slips, looked at him and said, "General, you have lived up to my king's trust and made great contributions to annihilating Xirong without letting the enemy troops cross the defense line even one step!"
"The humble minister is frightened and dare not take credit." Nie Xing lowered his body.
Xiao Yuan smiled gently and stretched out his hand to the side, indicating that he should join the queue.
"Yes!" Nie Xing cupped his fists and stood to the left.
The footsteps came again, and Ning Zhan strode like a meteor. Like Nie Xing, he returned from a bloody battle. He clasped his fists excitedly and said: "Your Majesty! The enemy troops on the northwest front have been completely wiped out. Our army has beheaded nearly 10,000 people and captured more than a thousand war horses... "
"good!"
Immediately afterwards, generals from various ministries came in one after another and reported the battle situation. The Qin army at various defense lines had already joined forces at Black Rock.
The last one to come back was Peng Shuang. Because Baltu was the last to break out of the encirclement, he was also the last to be eliminated.
As soon as he came in, he smiled heartily, clasped his fists and bent down and said, "As expected, the king, after the Western Front retreated, Baltu fell into an ambush of our army and the entire army was wiped out!"
"Okay!" Xiao Yuan's only worry was that Baltu had run away. Otherwise, General Peng Shuang would not have been sent there. Now that he considered the battle situation everywhere, he was naturally happy. He stood up and said, "Baltu's one hundred thousand army. They have all been wiped out. Next, the King of Xirong will no longer have any power to maneuver. This battle is certain, and Xirong will be determined."
"Your Majesty." Hearing this, Peng Shuang was very excited: "I suggest that we don't need to rest at Black Rock and directly send our troops north to attack King Xirong's lair!"
"Yes, Baltu's 100,000-strong army can be said to be the last support of the King of Xirong. Now that it has been destroyed, there will no longer be an obstacle to the northward journey." Another general agreed.
Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment and said: "According to the information we know, the number of troops around King Xirong is less than 4,000. Now Su Yi's troops are approaching Rongdu. Judging from time, I'm afraid we haven't arrived yet. Xirong The king is no longer there.”
The generals looked at each other, and Shangguan Wenruo said: "The king is worried that the King of Xirong will escape early."
"That's right." Xiao Yuan nodded, "In less than two days, the news of Baltu's defeat will be transmitted back to Rongdu. In this case, the King of Xirong understands his situation and will definitely not be captured without mercy."
"And if he wants to escape, since Di Qiang has not sent troops to help, he will definitely not go. The only possibility is to continue fleeing westward and enter Wushi."
The Wushi are an ethnic group in the Xirong area. If we trace their origins, they can be traced back to ancient times, earlier than the Bairong. Because most of their people have the surname Wu, they are called the Wushi tribe.
After listening to what Xiao Yuan said, Shangguan Wenruo agreed: "Your Majesty is very worried. Once the King of Xirong escapes, Bai Rong will rise again. Even if we pacify the Xirong area, I am afraid there will be chaos in the future."
"Therefore, I suggest that you should take the first step and ride a fast horse to the Wushi area to discuss the interests with the leader and persuade him not to accept the king of Xirong."
"Well..." Xiao Yuan thought about it for a moment.
Before he could speak, Shangguan Wenruo bowed his hands and said, "I beg you to go to Wushi to lobby for his clan."
This is in the territory of Xirong. There are many uncertain factors when traveling to the residence of an ethnic group. No one can guarantee whether there will be danger.
When the generals heard the words, they couldn't help but look at each other. Peng Shuang said: "Sir Shangguan, this is too dangerous. What should I do if Wushi has evil intentions? In my opinion, even if the King of Xirong escapes, it will be a big deal. Let’s keep going west.”
"The general's words are wrong." Shangguan Wenruo said: "What we want to destroy is the Bai Rong clan. They are the only ones who have always violated the territory. Strictly speaking, other tribes in the Rong area have no hatred against Qin."
"And this lobbying is also very necessary. The best strategy is to fight without losing any blood. While annihilating the Xirong King, be relatively tolerant to other ethnic groups so that they can live and work in peace and contentment. Only in this way can the territory be truly stabilized."
After he finished speaking, Xiao Yuan also frowned, "No, although it is worth lobbying, this trip is also risky. If you die in Wushi, it will be too late for me to regret it."
He was speaking from his heart. Compared with the important ministers and counselors, it is easy to imagine how important a small Rong clan was in Xiao Yuan's heart.
Seeing his refusal, Shangguan Wenruo said seriously: "Your Majesty, the Wushi have not participated in any aggressive wars. They live in the Rong area and are forced to be under the rule of the Bai Rong. I believe that they have no reason to kill the envoy. "
"Even if it doesn't succeed, I will never be in danger, because Wu Shi is aware of the current situation. Once he kills my Qin envoy, it will definitely anger our country, and their tribe will also face the front of our army."
"The leader of the Wushi family would never dare to take this risk."
Although what he said was very reasonable, Xiao Yuan was still a little worried and said decisively: "The fate of Wushi's trip is unpredictable, so there is no need to say more."
"But your Majesty..." Shangguan Wenruo was a little anxious.
"Okay." Xiao Yuan waved his hand to interrupt him, looked around and said, "Pass my military order to the whole army to rest for a day. The generals will prepare food, grass and baggage, and head north the next day."
"No!" All the generals clasped their fists together.
Xiao Yuan waved his hand again, sat back at the handsome desk, and picked up the bamboo slips.
People understood and saluted respectfully: "I'll take my leave——"
After everyone left, Shangguan Wenruo was still standing next to his subordinate and deliberately sighed heavily.
Xiao Yuan glanced at him and said happily: "Is this sigh saying that my decision is wrong?"
"Your Majesty." Shangguan Wenruo immediately climbed up the pole with a worried tone: "Once the King of Xirong escapes to Wushi, even if our army chases him, he can still continue to flee westward. The leader of the thief will never be destroyed. There will be endless troubles.”
"Only by blocking it out of Wushi can the Bai Rong forces be completely eliminated."
Xiao Yuan was silent for a moment and squinted his eyes slightly. He didn't understand this, but the worry in his heart also existed.
Knowing his mood, after Shangguan Wenruo finished speaking, he immediately knelt on the ground again and said in a slightly trembling voice: "My lord, how can I be so virtuous and capable as to make the king worried?"
"Wushi's trip is crucial, related to the stability of the Xirong territory in the future. I, your personal safety is of no concern."
"I have absolute confidence that this trip will be safe and sound."
"Please give the order, Your Majesty. The most important thing is to pacify Xirong..."
