Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 258 Harem Meeting
Just when Yang Yingjie and the old man in black robe reached the moat outside the city, they stopped chasing because they saw that the other side of the bridge was full of soldiers.

Shi Zecheng and Fang Yu rode their war horses and rushed over with their soldiers. They were dumbfounded when they saw the scene. They never expected that more than 50,000 soldiers were here, and they didn't get any news about when they came back.

Xu Hu was seen at the other end of the bridge, holding a long sword, sitting upright on his horse and shouting, "Listen, soldiers on the opposite side. The traitors Shi Zecheng and Fang Yu have collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country. They have formed a rebellious party and plotted to usurp the throne and murder the king. Their crimes are heinous. Anyone who does not lay down his weapons and kneel down to confess his crimes will be treated as a traitor and killed without mercy!"

After Xu Hu's shout, the sounds of weapons falling to the ground were heard behind Shi Zecheng and Fang Yu, and they all fell to their knees. Fang Yu dismounted and shouted, "Don't put down your weapons, defend the city bridge, I am the king, I am the king,..." But at this time, there were still a few people who dared to obey his orders.

Xu Hu shouted, "The king has already seen through your plot. When I went to war, I took my guards with me and left Panyu. The king who stayed in the palace was just the eldest disciple of the Qin envoy in disguise, just to watch how you rebel!"

At this time, Lu Zhe had walked to the carriage guarded by the guards, knelt down and said: "Your son is here to greet your father!"

Lü Jia got off the carriage, helped Lü Zhe up and said, "Zhe has suffered, get up quickly!" He then turned to Jin Xingzi and said, "Thank you, Taoist priest, for saving Zhe!"

Jin Xingzi laughed and said, "It's just a small matter. King Nan, don't be polite. I'll reward you with more wine and meat later!"

Lu Jia smiled and said, "That's easy!"

Seeing that there was no chance of turning back, Yang Yingjie and the old man in black robe pointed at Lu Jia and shouted, "Panyu will be reduced to scorched earth soon. Just wait!" Then they tried to escape.

Fang Yu shouted, "Take me away!"

Yang Yingjie turned around and smiled: "Do you think you are still valuable?"

Fang Yu was completely disappointed. He pointed at Yang Yingjie and cursed, "You are really a bunch of treacherous villains. I hated that I listened to your slander and thought about becoming a king, which led to my downfall. Fortunately, Nanyue was not destroyed in my hands and became your puppet. You should run away and tell Ji Jie and King Xiong that you can't defeat Qin with just a bunch of rabble. You will all be annihilated by Qin!"

Yang Yingjie didn't want to listen any more after listening halfway and ran away.

Shi Zecheng knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty, Zecheng was confused for a moment and believed in slander, and did something extremely treasonous. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy. Considering my past bloody battles for South Vietnam, please spare Zecheng's life. I promise that I will change my past and be loyal to my country in the future!"

Fang Yu drew his sword and laughed crazily, "If you don't even have the courage to die, how can you talk about being loyal to your country? Now I understand that as soon as Li Zhong enters Panyu, our situation will be a dead end. Haha, I, Fang Yu, am convinced that I have been defeated by such a man. Next, I hope Li Zhong will not let me down and ensure that Panyu is not lost and the people of Nanyue are kept in peace!" Under the sword, his throat was cut, blood gushed out, and he fell to the ground with his face up to the sky.

Lü Jia watched Fang Yu commit suicide and sighed, "Give him a proper burial!" He then turned to Shi Zecheng and said, "I can spare your life, but I will never allow you to stay in Panyu. Take your family and leave!"

Shi Zecheng burst into tears and shouted: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy, thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy, ..."

……

He Qian led his ministers out of the city to welcome the King of the South, among them were Wuzhan and Zhulang. Wuzhan did not escape, but made arrangements in advance to hide in the secret room of the luxury ship, and was pulled into the palace, where he met with Lu Jia in secret and made a plan.

After returning to the palace, after all the ministers left, Lu Jia invited Master Wuzhan and his apprentice, General Xu, He Qian, and Lu Zhe to hold a banquet in the harem.

Holding the wine jar in his hand, Lu Jia said to Wuzhan: "The special envoy's plan has eliminated the internal troubles for our Nanyue without losing a single soldier. It has made an invaluable contribution to our Nanyue. I would like to offer a glass of wine to the special envoy to express my gratitude!" After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp, feeling very happy.

Wuzhan drank a bottle of wine, put it down and said, "I feel really bad for asking the King of Nan to leave the palace and work hard outside for so many days!"

Lu Jia smiled and said, "I haven't left the palace for many years. I feel much better after going out for a walk and looking at the territory of South Vietnam. Things that I couldn't figure out before, I can figure them out now. It's good to go out!"

Lu Che interjected, "I see that father seems to have become much younger after going out. If he can go out more often, he will be immortal!"

Lu Jia laughed and said, "After this one trip, Panyu City almost stopped recognizing me as its king. If I go out often, who knows what kind of trouble will arise!"

He Qian said: "After this incident, all the officials are worried about their own safety, so how can they dare to cause trouble?"

Lu Jia sighed, "But even though the internal troubles have been solved, the external troubles are coming. Panyu City only has one moat to defend. Once it is lost, Panyu will fall. I wonder if the special envoy has any clever plan to break the siege of Panyu?"

Wuzhan said: "If you can't defend it, then there is no need to defend it, evacuate Panyu City."

Everyone was surprised when they heard this. Although they knew that Wuzhan had endless strategies, this answer was too simple, so simple that it was not a strategy at all.

Xu Hu said: "Although I have already convinced the special envoy, the special envoy is not defending Panyu, isn't this clearly handing Panyu over to someone else?"

Wuzhan said: "With 50,000 people against 250,000, if we rely on the high city walls, we can hold out until our Qin army arrives, but Panyu has no city walls, only a moat. If we defend to the death, even if we succeed, how many people will be left in Nanyue?"

Xu Hu said: "I remember the special envoy once said that a moat and 50,000 elite soldiers can protect Panyu."

Wuzhan said: "The foreign minister did say so, and he also said that he would stand together with the King of the South, but the general's understanding of not losing is wrong. Losing and regaining is not losing." After a pause, he said: "It's just that Panyu City needs to be destroyed and rebuilt in another location."

Lu Jia sighed, "Although Panyu is not as prosperous as other cities in the Central Plains, I have spent my whole life governing it and spent a lot of effort to build such a city. How can I bear to destroy it?" Wuzhan said, "If we lose the war, Panyu City will still be destroyed. If we evacuate, at least we can save the people and troops of Panyu. Please consider which is more important!"

He Qian said: "If we evacuate Panyu with the people, our speed will be slow and they will catch up with us soon. Even if we turn around and fight them, how can we have a chance of winning?"

Wuzhan said: "Your Excellency is right, so our evacuation is not an escape, but a counter-attack, luring you into a trap."

Xu Hu was even more confused. "If we can't even defend the city, how can we possibly escape the siege?"

Wuzhan said: "Relying on the terrain of Panyu, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this plan at the time. It's a matter of great importance. If the enemy knew about it, Panyu would be destroyed in an instant!"

Lu Jia immediately ordered the maids and guards to leave the harem, and personally went to the study to get the map and put it on the table. Several people gathered around, and Wuzhan pointed at the map and said, "Panyu City is slightly lower than the surrounding area. It is a natural shallow basin. Once a flood comes in, the whole city will be submerged. The reason why the water level of the moat outside the city is not higher than that inside the city is because the water introduced is from the Pearl River, and the water level is the same. Even in the flood season, when the water level of the Pearl River rises, the gates at the water inlet can be closed to reduce the inflow of water, so that the water level will not rise. Now is the flood season."

Lu Jia exclaimed: "Oh my God, I didn't think of this when I was digging the moat. If the enemy finds out, it will become a self-made tomb. No matter how many soldiers there are, they won't be able to defend it. It seems that Panyu City was built in vain!"

Wuzhan continued, "Your Majesty, don't panic. This moat was dug through the rock and the water is drawn from a long distance. The water we have now is far from enough. Maybe before the water is full, the people in the city will have already discovered and escaped." He pointed to the Dongjiang River behind Panyu Mountain and said, "The water level here is much higher than Panyu. The fountains in the city come from this river, and it is closest to the city. As long as the water is filled here and a gap is blown, the river water will quickly pour into the city. Combined with the water from the Pearl River, by the time the enemy finds out, it will be too late even if they want to escape."

After hearing this, everyone was full of admiration. Xu Hu sighed and said, "Fortunately, the special envoy is not our enemy, otherwise Panyu would be destroyed overnight. I am sorry for the previous incident, please forgive me, special envoy!"

He Qian said with a smile: "If the special envoy was calculating, how could he have nominated you to lead the entire South Vietnamese army?"

Lu Jia thought and asked, "What if the enemy army does not enter Panyu City?"

Wuzhan said: "Your Majesty is right. The key to success lies in how to lure the enemy deep into our territory and how to evacuate Panyu at the right time without being discovered."

Lu Jia said: "I would like to hear the details!"

Wuzhan said: "The coalition army ignored our 300,000 troops in the rear and besieged Panyu. Their primary purpose was to get 50,000 elite soldiers. Threatening was the main purpose, and attacking the city was secondary. If they could avoid fighting, they would not fight. If they had to fight, they had to fight quickly. Otherwise, when our Qin army arrived, they would have their backs against the sea and no way to retreat. Therefore, the coalition army was most afraid of Nanyue's hard fight and the failure to conquer the city after a long siege."

Xu Hu said: "Why don't we not retreat and fight them head-on?"

Lu Zhe said: "This is the worst strategy. Sir, you are using the best strategy to minimize the losses of our South Vietnam. Let's listen to your words!"

Wuzhan said: "Since General Xu wants to win the battle, why not fight them here first."

Lu Zhe said, "Now Zhe is confused again. Didn't you want to avoid the sharp edge, sir?"

Wuzhan said: "If you make them empty, you will be strong; if you make them strong, you will be empty. If you don't let them suffer a little, how can you anger the enemy and make them attack with all their strength and enter this circle?"

"If it's empty, then make it real; if it's real, then make it empty. I've learned your lesson!"

He Qian asked, "But if we engage in battle with the enemy, how can we evacuate?"

Wuzhan pointed to the east side of the moat and said, "When the enemy arrives, we will build a floating bridge here with the planks removed from the houses, and the people will evacuate first. When the enemy launches a general attack, we will suddenly rush here and quickly cross the bridge. After the entire army has passed, we will destroy the floating bridge. At that time, the enemy will be greeted by the pouring water of the Dongjiang River."

Xu Hu exclaimed: "Great, really great. Now I understand why I can't lead the troops to victory. The knowledge of fighting is too profound. I only know how to fight hard. Damn it, it turns out that I know nothing about the art of war!"

Lü Jia sighed, "First the Qin had Bai Qi and Wang Jian, and now they have Mr. Li. All the best generals in the world have been recruited by the Qin State. God is really unfair!"

Wuzhan said: "King Nan is overpraising me. I am just following the trend of the times. How can I compare to the two famous generals?"

He Qian said: "At first I thought the special envoy was an arrogant person, but through our interactions these days, I know that the special envoy is actually a humble and cautious person. It's just that because the special envoy stands higher than us and sees farther than us, it's difficult for us to understand what he says."

Wuzhan said: "Without the support of the Southern King and Lord He, how could I have established a foothold in Panyu? Your praise is truly unworthy of me!"

Lu Jia smiled and said, "Let's not stand here, sit down and continue drinking."

After everyone returned to their original positions, Lu Zhe asked, "Zhe'er's uncle is in the coalition army. I'm worried that the Minyue soldiers will also follow him into Panyu City. Can you pass him a secret letter so that he can prepare in advance?"

Lu Jia said: "The King of Min does have the intention to surrender to Qin, but he is controlled by Wen Lang and Xi Zhen and is still undecided. If we tell him the secret, the survival of Panyu will be in his hands. This is absolutely unacceptable. Zhe'er, you should understand one thing. You will be responsible for the safety of the people of Nanyue in the future. In front of this, any personal feelings are insignificant."

"Zhe'er knows!"

Lu Jia continued, "If he is wise, he should lead his troops to leave the coalition and rush to Panyu for reinforcement. Otherwise, he will still wait and see. If Panyu can hold out until the Qin army arrives, he will definitely defect to Qin. If he sees that Panyu cannot be defended, he will lead his troops to rush over and destroy Panyu first."

(End of this chapter)