weaving

Chapter 1429 Dilemma
Xie Yinglong had mentally prepared himself for certain death.

Although generals like He Renlong and Zuo Liangyu often recruited various bandits to their side, military officers like him who had surrendered to the rebels were different. They were not easily accepted back by the court and were often executed as traitors.

Previously, Deputy General Jin Yong had also expressed this to him, but Xie Yinglong did not dare to believe it, fearing that agreeing would only bring greater humiliation, so he preferred to leave decisively.

However, upon hearing the same question again at this moment, it felt as if something had struck him hard in the heart. The feeling was very strange; it was there, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Actually, it was his "survival instinct" that was driving him!
"General... can you really make decisions for the imperial court?"

Seeing that Xie Yinglong had already figured it out, Wei Zhice was no longer as eager as before. He calmly said, "You should know Li Jiyu, right? He is now the commander-in-chief under my commander."
And there's Yuan Shizhong, the son-in-law of the rebel leader Li Zicheng; you should know him too. He's now a general under my commander. And then there's Luo Rucai, who's as famous as Li Zicheng, and is now a general under my commander.

Wei Zhice stared intently at Xie Yinglong with piercing eyes and said in an icy tone, "Tell me, do you think I can make this decision?"

Xie Yinglong understood the meaning behind his words perfectly. Li Jiyu and Yuan Shizhong were easier to deal with. One was a notorious bandit from Henan province, and the other was Li Zicheng's son-in-law. Although they were both notorious bandits, one from western Henan and the other from eastern Henan, they might not have reached the ears of the current emperor.

But the "traitor" is different. He was one of the ones who dug up the ancestral tombs of the Ming emperor back then. Moreover, he has been pacified several times over the years, only to rebel again. A person like him has long been hated to the bone by the current emperor. How could he be tolerated?
"Cao Cao really surrendered?" Xie Yinglong's face was full of doubt: "The court... the current emperor... can he tolerate him?"

“My commander-in-chief is tolerant.” Wei Zhice continued, his eyes still fixed on him, “The court must tolerate him, and the emperor will also tolerate him!”

"what!"

Seeing his resolute tone, Xie Yinglong was shocked. Although he had heard of the great name and deeds of "Earl of Yongning Zhang Cheng", he always thought it was just hearsay and not to be believed.

But today's battle shattered all his preconceived notions...

It seems the Ming Dynasty's fate is not yet sealed...

Not all government troops were incapable of fighting...

The rebel leader was not necessarily the chosen one...

Perhaps... the Earl of Yongning is...

Xie Yinglong dared not think any further. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, knelt on one knee, and bowed deeply, saying, "I am grateful to General Xie Yinglong for not abandoning me. Today I am willing to abandon the rebels and return to the Ming Dynasty, to follow you as a soldier under your command, and to never betray you again!"

Wei Zhice remained silent, only staring at Xie Yinglong as if trying to see through his heart.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, saying, "Xie Yinglong, you must remember this: today it is not I who am recruiting you, but I am recruiting you on behalf of my commander."

In the future, you will serve my commander-in-chief, not me. Do you remember all this?

Xie Yinglong was taken aback. He had initially thought Wei Zhice wanted to recruit him to expand his own power, but he hadn't expected Wei Zhice's actions to be aimed at recruiting men for his commander. At this moment, Xie Yinglong felt even more respect for the Earl of Yongning and couldn't wait to meet this Ming Dynasty commander-in-chief, to witness his charisma, and to see what kind of charm this commander-in-chief possessed that made General Wei so loyal!
"Yes. Xie Yinglong has written it all down."

"This gold medal for rewarding merit was bestowed upon my commander by the current emperor. The commander gave me two medals, and today I am giving this one to you. You are temporarily authorized to take charge of the prisoners and recruit surrendered soldiers. The surrendered soldiers selected from this batch will be your first batch of soldiers, and they will all be under your command."

"Xie Yinglong thanks General Wei for sparing his life. Please tell the commander that from this day forward, Xie Yinglong will be a member of the Yongyi Army in life and in death, and will never betray the army again."

Xie Yinglong crawled forward on his knees, took the gold medal as a reward with both hands, and held it in his palms, trembling uncontrollably, clearly extremely excited. As a former military officer of the imperial court, Xie Yinglong naturally knew the value of this gold medal.

Back then, the general he followed, Luo Dai, was only a deputy commander-in-chief. But today, Xie Yinglong has received this gold medal for merit, and his starting point will be the position of guerrilla commander and brigade commander. If he makes some more military achievements in the future, the position of deputy commander-in-chief will be within his grasp.

Judging from this, his future achievements might even surpass Luo Dai's, and he might even be able to become a general based on his military merits.

Thinking of this, Xie Yinglong's mind immediately cleared up, and a kind smile appeared on his face. His posture also changed with his change of mind, becoming more and more humble.

"Get up." Wei Zhice called him up and said, "Those in the tent today are all your future colleagues. The general will introduce them to you one by one later. You must get along well with them in the future."

"Yes. Yinglong obeys."

"Hmm. You've just joined my Brave and Resolute Army, and you're still unaware of many of the military rules and regulations. My Brave and Resolute Army has always placed the utmost importance on military discipline, and those who violate it will be punished. To prevent your subordinates from breaking the rules, I will assign you a garrison officer to be in charge of teaching military rules and regulations and supervising the troops."

"Yes."

…………

Liu Zongmin managed to shake off the tail and catch up with the main force. By the time the entire army arrived at Sunjialou, it was already late afternoon. Before his troops could even set up camp, they received news from the rebel leader's side.

It turned out that the messenger first arrived at Taodian, but did not find Liu Zongmin's camp. All he could see were government troops.

But with orders from the rebel king's army at his disposal, he had to conceal his whereabouts and head south. He finally encountered Liu Zongmin's troops near Sunjialou and thus completed his mission.

His mission of delivering the message was accomplished, but Liu Zongmin found himself in a dilemma.

On one side, the rebel leader sent a message, ordering him to send an elite infantry and cavalry force north to support the decisive battle here; on the other side, several government troops appeared around Xiangong Temple, which were also very powerful. Not only were the government troops in Xiangong Temple in danger of fleeing, but even the old camp in Zhuxian Town was in danger.

It truly is a time when "war is raging everywhere, and troops are needed everywhere!"
However, Liu Zongmin only had so many troops at his disposal. He couldn't possibly manage everything at once, including the rebel leader's side, the Xiangong Temple area, and the old camp in Zhuxian Town.

How should we choose and make a decision?
Liu Zongmin sat quietly in his command chair, showing no sign of anxiety whatsoever, truly embodying the spirit of "remaining calm in the face of great events"!
There was a reason why he could become the second most important figure in the rebel army, second only to Li Zicheng, the rebel king, and even Li Zicheng had to show him respect.