Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 3414 Disobey the order
Su Dingfang pondered for a long time, and said to the captain: "Go back and report to the British Duke, and say that the commander already knows."

The captain said: "British public order, after passing the order, the general will return to Huating Town together with the navy, and then return to Chang'an."

Su Dingfang was speechless.

Is this someone sent to watch him?
"That's it, you go down and rest. The commander-in-chief will call the generals to discuss the withdrawal of the army. After the discussion is completed, we will notify you later."

"Here."

The captain turned around and went out, and his own soldiers took him to find a warship to rest without mentioning it.

Su Dingfang sent someone to summon Xi Junmai and other generals to the flagship, and reported all the things that the army had withdrawn and the siege of Ping Rang City had been resolved, which immediately caused a commotion from the navy generals.

"How can we withdraw our troops?"

"It seems that we are about to break into the city, but the whole army retreats. Isn't it a failure?"

"This battle has lasted for more than half a year, not to mention the loss of food, fodder and supplies. Those soldiers who died in the battle died for nothing?"

"Our sailors suffer from the cold on the sea, and dare not delay the army's luggage for a moment. Isn't it a waste of suffering?"

A group of generals and school quarreled, neither understanding nor dissatisfied.

Although the navy has never participated in the battle as the main force and suffered no battle damage, it has been responsible for the logistics and supplies of hundreds of thousands of troops. This task is extremely cumbersome and arduous.Especially since the beginning of winter, there has been heavy snowfall in Liaodong, making it difficult to pass by land. The navy had to brave the huge wind and waves and station near the mouth of the Weishui River in order to transport the luggage to the army in time.

When the coastline is frozen, it is difficult for warships to dock. They even have to blast the ice with gunpowder, and then try to move the ships to the shore. Among them, the difficulties are insignificant.

However, even though they could not be the main force to participate in the war and had to transport a large amount of luggage, the navy did not complain at all. The soldiers were single-minded, just to capture Pingrang City as soon as possible, destroy Goguryeo, and complete the grand cause of unifying Liaodong.

As a result, an order without warning now wiped out everyone's hard work and sacrifice for half a year...

"Dangdangdang!"

Su Dingfang picked up the tea bowl and knocked on the table, shouting: "Quiet! Make a lot of noise, what's the proper way? We are the Royal Navy, not caravan pawns!"

The cabin suddenly fell silent.

Xi Jun bought: "Captain, the commander has an order, so we naturally have to obey it. However, at this point in the war, it is only one step away from victory, so such a hasty retreat is really inappropriate. And there is not even a decent reason, what is this? Son? The general is not convinced."

Su Dingfang was silent.

Xi Junmai is familiar with Su Dingfang's character. This man has always been decisive and rarely hesitated like this. He was surprised and asked tentatively: "Captain, what is so difficult to decide?"

Su Dingfang then said slowly: "It stands to reason that the Duke of England is the deputy commander of the Eastern Expedition. All the troops are subordinates, subject to his restraint, and act with respect. But our navy is different..."

The topic is sensitive and the consequences are serious.

Xi Junmai blinked, and when he saw Su Ding looking at him, he immediately understood, and hurriedly said: "We are the Royal Navy, and it is His Majesty's private army, not the imperial court. We only listen to His Majesty and the commander-in-chief. Although the position is high and powerful, how can we control us? If we obey his military orders in everything, that would be a big mistake!"

This statement is a bit unreasonable. The navy is indeed not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and it cannot be regarded as the establishment of the imperial court.However, with the grand plan of the Eastern Expedition, the whole army is integrated, how can the navy be separated from the commander's jurisdiction and act on its own?

But when he said this, the rest of the generals also came back to their senses, and they all echoed: "What General Xi said is very true. If the army attacked the city and plundered the land before, we would just obey the orders of the British Duke. Now that the army has retreated , It means that the Eastern Expedition is over, and our navy should return to the previous state. Since there is no imperial decree from His Majesty, it doesn't matter whether you listen to the British military order or not."

While clamoring, everyone looked at Su Dingfang eagerly.

This is the Eastern Expedition, and the destruction of Goguryeo is a feat that will last forever!The navy was excluded before, and they have not been able to participate in the battle as the main force. They can only transport supplies and fight for support. Everyone is simmering with anger, wishing to go to battle to kill the enemy and make contributions!

Now that the army has retreated, Ping Rang City is already at the end of its strength, and it is only a matter of one last blow to break into the city. If such an opportunity is given up in vain, wouldn't it be regrettable for the rest of his life?

Of course, since the British Duke Li Ji had already led his army to retreat, and the order had been given to the navy, it would be a great crime to disobey the order.

I just don't know if Su Dingfang can have the courage to disobey Li Ji's order, and afterwards can be exonerated by saying that "the Navy is not affiliated with the imperial court and does not need to follow military orders".It depends on the firm support of the Duke of Yue, Fang Jun, and His Majesty's will.

Su Dingfang let the generals chatter and meditate for a long time, then raised his hand to stop everyone's discussion, and said slowly: "This commander is not afraid of the British Duke's military orders, but the hundreds of thousands of troops besieging Pingrang City eventually fell short. We have to retreat. How can our navy, with tens of thousands of soldiers, be able to break into the city in one go and accomplish such a feat that has lasted forever? This commander is not afraid of the crime of disobedience. Conquering Ping Rang City, but bumped into a bloody head, broken halberd and sinking sand!"

When everyone heard this, they were immediately overjoyed, Xi Junmai cheered up and said: "If we said before, we really didn't dare to boast that we would be able to capture Pingrang City. But now Pingrang City is at the end of its strength, and the troops in the city have suffered heavy losses. If there are no two or three, they go out of the city to pursue the army, and the defense in the city becomes more and more empty. And the army retreats, and the siege of Pingrang City has been lifted. The Yuan thief's ambition will cause trouble with the Goguryeo royal family. The abyss thief directly usurped the throne! No matter what happens, right now the city of Pingrang must be separated from each other, and it will no longer work together as it was when the army besieged the city. As long as we march quickly and attack Pingrang City with lightning speed, it is very likely that we will win in one battle. Certainly!"

Su Dingfang nodded slowly.

He has full confidence in the navy's combat power. What he hesitates at the moment is not whether he can capture Pingrang City. There is no guarantee of victory in a war. As long as there is more than half the chance of winning, he can go all out and fight hard. What he hesitates is disobedience to military orders s consequence.

Are you guessing right?

If things are really as expected, disobeying Li Ji's order this time will not be a big problem, and it can even add a bit of strength to His Royal Highness. After all, even if Li Ji covers the sky with one hand and has power over the government, he can't control the navy. .

But if his guess is wrong and His Majesty is completely fine, it must be because His Majesty is cheating the sky and trying to plot a big plan, and he must have ruined His Majesty's good deeds...

However, if His Majesty is really safe, how can the army retreat at the last moment, causing the Eastern Expedition to fall short?
In his view, the reason for the withdrawal of the army was because Li Ji was worried that bad news would break the army's morale and morale, leading to a sharp drop in the army's combat effectiveness. Facing the Koguryo army that stood firm to the death would easily lead to a big rout, so he had to Can't bear to give up the good situation and strive for stability.

Because once the army is defeated, the chain reaction will cause the situation in Chang'an to collapse instantly. Those consequences are much more serious than the failure of the Eastern Expedition...

After pondering for a while, Su Dingfang waved his hand and said, "Let's all step back, and I will make a decision after I think about it. Xi Junmai stay."

"Here!"

All the generals got up and left, and when they turned their backs, they all winked at Xi Junmai.Everyone knows that Xi Junmai has great trust from Su Dingfang, and he often accepts his opinions. They all hope that Xi Junmai can persuade Su Dingfang to stay and attack Pingrang City and make contributions.

Being in the navy, I have lost the feeling of "being in the establishment" for a long time. I don't need to ask for instructions when I do things. Anyway, as long as I report to Fang Jun, I will approve it. As long as Fang Jun approves, His Majesty has never refuted it, which makes everyone less interested in the heads of ministers such as the British Duke - anyway, we are not in the Datang army system, and you can't control me!

Everyone felt that disobeying Li Ji's orders was nothing at all. In recent years, the navy has been used to doing things in its own way. How has it ever reported to the court or asked for instructions?

Seeing such great feats as the capture of Ping Rang City and the fall of Goguryeo are right in front of them, everyone's eyes are already red...

After everyone filed out, Su Dingfang asked Xi Jun: "Hundreds of thousands of troops have besieged Pingrang City for several months, if our navy violates the military order and storms Pingrang City, what are the chances of winning? What is the best way to destroy the city?"

(End of this chapter)