lcionline Chapter 751 Father
Chapter 751 Father
Xiao Quan shook his drunken head, sorted out the logical order, and said,
“That is to say, right now, we only have 50,000 people in Chengdu, and further north is the Yan State’s Longxiang Army, which is 100,000 elite Qin troops led by that butcher Bai Wuan.
Then further north are Jiang Wei's 50,000 men, and further north, the Yan army's 350,000 men, right?"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right."
"So, tell me, can our 50,000 men defeat the 100,000 Longxiang Army, or can Jiang Wei's 50,000 men defeat the 350,000 Yan Army?"
As soon as Emperor Chuan said this, everyone below fell silent.
It seems... I can’t beat him.
"The Yan army will be at the gates of our city in four days. Should we defend the city or attack? Please give us some advice. Aren't you all usually very eloquent? Why are you all so silent today?"
Xiao Quan looked at his ministers, but they did not dare to look up at him.
He panicked and murmured,
"Then...are we supposed to surrender?"
A minister immediately stood up and said,
"Your Majesty, we cannot surrender. If we surrender, given Bai Wuan's butchering personality, I'm afraid he will bury us and our army alive."
Xiao Quan thought of the horrific legend of Bai Wuan and shuddered all over. The scene of himself being buried alive and suffocated to death appeared in his mind.
However, another minister said,
"Bai Wuan buried alive 400,000 Liang soldiers. That was when he was the commander-in-chief of the Qin army. Now he is in the Yan army. The Yan army has an iron rule that prisoners cannot be killed.
What's more, Bai Wuan was not the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief was Guan Shouchang. When did Guan Shouchang ever kill prisoners?
If we surrender, and Bai Wuan dares to kill us, Shen Changgong and Guan Shouchang will not spare him."
"Yes, how can we allow Bai Wuan to destroy the reputation that the Yan army has accumulated over the years?"
"But we can't put our lives on the line with someone else's reputation. What if Bai Wuan gets angry and kills us? Even if he's punished, we can't bring him back to life."
"So you can survive by resisting? If you surrender obediently, the other party might be happy and let you go. If you resist, with Bai Wuan's violent temper, he might actually kill us all."
"We, the warriors of Dachuan, will fight to the death!"
"Alright, alright, then you go ahead and be the vanguard. You fight to the death, but why do you let others fight to the death, only to become a coward when it's your turn? What the hell are you?"
The ministers started arguing and basically split into two factions.
The surrender faction was worried that they would be massacred after surrendering, while the conservatives believed that the surrender faction was too conservative and should surrender immediately and please the enemy in order to survive.
Suddenly, a minister stood up and said,
"Everyone, can we not surrender, but turn south, head to Nanzhong, and then recruit soldiers to defend it?"
"Fuck you! Nanzhong has only surrendered for a few decades, and there have always been rebellions there. If we flee there, the locals will probably join forces with the Yan army to kill us all."
"Then we will go south again to Qian State and establish an exiled court. We can borrow Qian State's troops and retake Chuan State."
"Stop it now. Qian State is in dire straits. The Yan army is about to cross the Yangtze River and attack the capital of Chu. After destroying Chu, the next target will be Qian State.
When the time comes and the Yan army from the east and west advances towards Qian, what will Qian use to stop it?
Don't forget that the Qian Kingdom only lost 400,000 elite soldiers, while the Yan Kingdom directly incorporated 100,000 Qian troops, led by Gong Yangge.
"Yes, even if Qian Nation could really recapture the lost territory of Chuan Nation, why didn't they occupy and rule it themselves? Why would they give it back to us?"
Everyone was talking at the same time, which made Emperor Xiao Quan of Sichuan feel disheartened and exhausted.
"Stop talking, stop talking."
Xiao Quan waved his hand weakly, then looked at the Crown Prince who was standing on the side of the royal family and attending court, and asked,
"Prince, are you willing to succeed the emperor and ascend the throne?"
The thirteen-year-old prince was startled when he heard this, and thought to himself, this old man is trying to trick me.
Your country is on the verge of destruction and the enemy is at the gates. You don't want to bear the title of the king of a fallen country, and you want me to bear it?
Although he was young, he was able to become the prince. He received the best elite education since childhood. He was very smart and immediately thought that his father wanted him to become the emperor so that he could escape.
How can such a good thing happen!
So the prince immediately knelt down and said in a fearful manner,
"Father, I am still young and naive. How can I shoulder such a heavy responsibility? At this time when our country is destroyed and our family is ruined, only you, your father, who is vigorous and mature in his prime, can resist the enemy.
The child is not yet of age and cannot take on such a big responsibility.
I also ask my father to prepare the troops and fight against the enemy together with the civil and military officials in the court and the soldiers in the army.
I can go to Nanzhong and lobby the local forces to ask them to send troops to rescue Dachuan.
If they have evil intentions, then my child will die, but Father must not allow anything to happen to him!"
Hearing the prince's words and looking at his young yet resilient face, Emperor Chuan was deeply moved.
"My son is a man of integrity. Although he is young, he has shouldered the heavy responsibility of his family and country. Well, well, I will send a group of imperial guards to escort you out of Chengdu and to Nanzhong to lobby the local forces.
But you must be careful and pay attention to safety."
Prince: Dad, you stay here and wait for death, I am going to run away.
Afterwards, the Emperor of Sichuan ordered a thousand imperial guards to escort the prince to Nanzhong, and they set off immediately.
After the court was dismissed, the prince returned to the palace to pack his bags.
Emperor Chuan returned to the imperial study, wrote a letter, and sent someone to give it to the prince, asking him to open it after arriving in Nanzhong.
The Imperial Guards escorted the carriage and left Chengdu in a mighty procession, heading south.
On the way, the prince breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he could finally escape.
Whoever wants to be the emperor can be the emperor. My father is such a fool. He couldn’t even see that I wanted to escape. He deserves to lose the country.
He thought about it and couldn't help but open the letter.
"Son, I know you're going to run away. After you run away, it's better to hide your identity and live in peace than to surrender to me and become a slave. Don't let anyone know your identity.
If there is hope to restore the country in the future, you can ascend the throne as the Emperor of Sichuan and restore our great Sichuan. If there is no opportunity, you can cultivate two acres of thin land in the mountains and forests, eat simple meals, marry a wife and have children, and live a peaceful life.
Don't think about saving your father, just treat him as if he's dead. As long as you can live well, your father will die without regrets."
When the prince saw the letter, he stood there in a daze for a long time.
Then, he burst into tears!
His father was the crown prince for decades and the emperor for several years. How could he be a stupid person? How could he not even see through his thoughts?
He just... wants to survive!