Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 108: The Lonely City in Flames
"It all depends on... who will win in the end!"

Xiao Ying smiled and replied seemingly nonchalantly, then continued, "Besides, maybe the Jianghuai Army is here to assist our army, not to be our enemy!"

“It’s unlikely…”

Everyone looked at each other in surprise and confusion. They really didn't know where Xiao Ying got the confidence from, but then they heard Wang Caixuan say with a pout.

If the Jianghuai Army really wanted to form an alliance or assist the Sui army in Jiangdu, it could have speeded up its march or kept its troops in place. Why would it send troops and move so slowly?
More importantly, the two sides have an inherent hostile relationship between soldiers and bandits. Now the Jianghuai Army and the Sui Army have no contact or communication, so naturally they will not suddenly form an alliance or help each other inexplicably.

The battlefield is not a martial arts world, and it is said that chivalrous men assist the officers and soldiers to capture the notorious and evil demon!

"In other words, our army arrived in Hailing City at about the same time as the Fengming army?"

Xiao Ying did not argue much about the Jianghuai Army issue, and took the initiative to change the subject. He pointed at the military sand table and asked, thinking for a moment, and then asked:

"Can we stagger the timing? For example, we can speed up our army's march, or hinder the Fengming army, slowing it down and buying time for us to defeat the Shangliang army?"

"It's hard..."

Wang Caixuan thought hard and shook his head in response, then continued, "The Fengming Army is truly a million-strong army, and they haven't been divided into groups. Conventional means are simply incapable of stopping them, and will only result in increased casualties!"

After saying this, Wang Caixuan seemed to have guessed what Xiao Ying was going to say, and took the initiative to add:
"It's impossible for our eastern army to capture Hailing City in just one or two days. Even if the prince personally led the strong and elite troops to rush to the rescue overnight, it would be impossible to capture it so quickly!"

Princess Fengming Yang Qingxuan frowned and asked, "So, no matter what, we will definitely have to face the combined forces of the Shangliang Army and the Fengming Army?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, that's true!" Wang Caixuan nodded without hesitation.

"Can't we persuade the Fengming Army to surrender? Or even form a temporary alliance?"

Yang Qingxuan furrowed her brows even more as she pressed on, adding, "Even if forming an alliance damages our reputation, it's better than facing two, or even three, rebel kings at the same time! If we do that, our chances of winning will be... not high!"

"Indeed! Once our eastern and southern forces join forces, defeating the Shangliang army and capturing Hailing City won't be difficult. It's just a matter of time!"

Dugu Feng, Xie Yingdeng and the others nodded slightly. Li Baiyao agreed and gave a direct analysis. After a pause, he smiled bitterly and said:

"However, if the Shangliang Army and the Fengming Army join forces, our chances of winning will be low, estimated at only 10% to 20%! If the Jianghuai Army is also added, it will be basically impossible for us to win!"

"This is what this general is worried about!"

Yang Qingxuan sighed and replied, "More importantly, the negative impact! If the Fengming Army and the Shangliang Army unite, it will most likely affect the Jianghuai Army! Even if the Jianghuai Army originally wanted to remain neutral or reap the benefits, they would join the alliance and defeat our army first!"

Wang Caixuan nodded, but smiled bitterly and said, "According to the news, the Queen has sent people to contact the Fengming Army, but the possibility of forming an alliance is very low! In other words, it is impossible!"

Everyone was silent, thinking about it!
This was not a profound secret or situation. It was something that everyone present came up with through temporary discussion. The Eastern Army and the Jiangdu Court naturally also thought of it and had already done it!
But no one has any good opinions.

Occupying the orthodox position naturally has a legitimate reason and is quite advantageous. However, the disadvantages are also obvious!

Don't forget that whether it's the Shangliang Army, the Fengming Army, or the Jianghuai Army, they were all actually rebel kings, collectively known as the Three Rebel Kings of Jiangnan. All three were powerful enemies of the Sui Army. To put it nicely, they were rebels; to put it bluntly, they were rebels or traitors, inherently hostile to the Sui Army!

Even if the Sui army is willing to put aside its prejudices and ignoring the damage to its reputation to form an alliance with one of them, they must be willing to do so. It is basically impossible for them to trust the Sui army unless they want to surrender to the Sui army!

Everyone was in a state of confusion when Hong Lingtian suddenly shouted in a muffled voice, "Then what are we going to do? Should we just retreat back to Jiangdu? Knowing we're going to lose, are we still going to die? It's better to retreat and take advantage of Jiangdu's high walls and abundant resources. We can still fight!"

"..."

Everyone, including Xiao Ying, was speechless and unable to refute.

The words are rough and the reasoning is not rough!
Although what Hong Lingtian said was quite unpleasant to the ear, it was the truth. It hit the nail on the head and directly clarified the situation of the Sui army!

Hong Lingtian is not as reckless and foolish as he looks. He is a man of great skill and has a keen military sense.

Wang Caixuan looked at Xiao Ying, seemingly responding but actually suggesting something, and then slowly replied, "Withdrawal... is not impossible. After all, our army has already dealt with the Liang army in the south, so it can't be considered a complete failure!"

Li Baiyao hesitated to speak, and looked at King Jingwu Xiao Ying with everyone else, waiting for Xiao Ying's decision!

In the Sui Dynasty in Jiangdu, Empress Xiao was nominally in charge, but everyone tacitly agreed that Prince Jingwu was in charge of military affairs, and this was especially true for everyone present!
"This……"

Xiao Ying hesitated with a headache, not knowing what to say for a moment.

In the previous life, the Shangliang Army was destroyed by the Fengming Army and the Jianghuai Army. Even the King of Shangliang, Shen Faxing, died on the way to escape and never made a comeback.

Now, because of my interference, the three rebel kings in Jiangnan are actually joining forces, and there is a high possibility that they will form an alliance!
After deep thought, Xiao Ying sighed and hesitated, "How about... withdrawing to Jiangdu? What do the Empress and Madam Ronghua (Minister of War, Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Route) think?"

Wang Caixuan responded quickly, having already prepared a plan: "The two ladies also prefer to retreat to Jiangdu. Relying on the city's high walls and abundant resources, they can deal with the three rebel kings and wait for an opportunity to break the deadlock!"

"Is it difficult?"

Li Baiyao glanced at Xiao Ying hesitantly, then looked at Wang Caixuan and warned, "Jiangdu is now an isolated city. It's the public enemy of the world! If we can't break through or defeat the Shangliang Army this time, the situation in Jiangdu will only get worse as time goes by, and it will be difficult to reverse it!"

Wang Caixuan nodded and said, "This is what the two ladies and the ministers are worried about. We are...waiting for the prince's decision!"

Since Empress Xiao and the Sui army in Jiangdu held high the banner of the Great Sui, their legitimacy was undeniable. Even if Chang'an and Luoyang each supported the throne of the Sui emperor's son or grandson... and used the emperor to control the princes, they would not be able to match Empress Xiao in Jiangdu. There would be a corresponding price to pay, and they would have to bear the backlash.

Generally speaking, the thirty-six rebel kings and seventy-two gangs of rebels in the world will naturally tacitly agree to destroy the orthodoxy first. Otherwise, they will all be unjust and will always wear the label of rebellion!

"What I think... may be a little different from everyone else's!"

Xiao Ying frowned in thought before answering hesitantly. He then asked directly, "From what everyone's perspective, if our army retreats to Jiangdu, what is the likelihood of internal strife among the three rebel kings?"

This was the real reason why Xiao Ying hesitated just now, and it was not just what everyone thought that the Sui army could not defeat the anti-king coalition!
Brainstorming, does anyone have any ideas to break the deadlock?
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(End of this chapter)