Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Looking up at Xu Hongru's face and seeing no change in expression, Liu Zhixie continued:

"The gentry in Nanjing may have originally considered surrendering the city. If they were willing to cooperate with us, the city gates would have been opened long ago."

"But after hearing about what happened in Xuzhou, they were all worried that our sect would start a massacre if they entered the city, so they dared not surrender!"

"I have heard that in the past few days, the eunuch in charge of the defense of Jinling has personally gone up to the city walls to supervise the battle. The gentry in the city have also donated silver, grain, and organized their servants to go up the walls. Even the people in the city have been encouraged to throw stones at the city walls, which is why our attack has been so difficult!"

"They are all corrupt officials, whom the brothers have long hated. How can we win over the followers if we don't kill them? Does the Prime Minister mean that the brothers killed the wrong people?" Wu Shouyi frowned and said.

Liu Zhixie frowned but did not reply.

Throughout history, those who win the hearts of the people win the world. What are the hearts of the people? They are the hearts of the gentry!

If this killing continues, wouldn't all the gentry and commoners in the land hate our religion to the bone?

Xu Hongru frowned and said:

"Before we killed them, it was difficult to confiscate their wealth in a short time. We have gathered nearly 200,000 troops, the Prince of Fu's mansion, the Prince of Chu's mansion, the Xuzhou treasury, and the wealth of those officials and gentry. This is the largest sum of money we have made since we started our uprising."

"Without this money, how can we recruit soldiers? How can we reward them? How can we provide relief?"

Xu Hongru paused, then slowly said:

"There are gains and losses in everything; I couldn't worry about that before! However, once we capture Jinling City, I will issue a decree to restrain the followers and make exceptions for some officials and gentry within the city!"

It's impossible to kill none at all, but we can kill selectively!

Ning Yuxi hadn't spoken until now, when she raised her eyes, her phoenix eyes cold and clear, and said in a chilling voice:

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter! The army is now a mixed bag, with many prisoners and notorious bandits infiltrating, committing murder, arson, rape, and plunder, and doing all sorts of evil deeds."

"These past few days I've been moving around the various camps and I've personally witnessed people forcibly abducting women in the camps, committing bestial acts in broad daylight."

"We started this uprising claiming to be 'invoking Heaven's will and opening granaries to distribute grain.' If we continue like this, how will we be any different from the Han Dynasty? Your Majesty should strictly enforce military discipline."

When she said the words "forcibly abducting women", Ning Yuxi's voice trembled slightly, and her fingers on her knees clenched the corner of her cloak.

She originally thought that the White Lotus Sect's uprising was truly acting on behalf of Heaven, but what she saw with her own eyes was completely different from what she had imagined!

Xu Hongru frowned, then waved his hand and said:

"The siege is going very difficult right now. Every day, our brothers are either dying or crippled. If we don't let them vent their frustrations, who will be willing to risk their lives? We'll talk about military discipline after we enter the city!"

Now they're relying on their brothers to fight desperately, but they're not being given any incentives. Why should they be allowed to charge into battle?

If we can capture Jinling City, we can then find a few examples to set an example. If we cannot capture Jinling City, then saying all this is meaningless!

Ning Yuxi opened her mouth, wanting to say something more. But seeing the cold, unyielding look in Xu Hongru's eyes, she swallowed her words.

She lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently clenching the hem of her cloak before slowly loosening them.

The candlelight in the tent flickered, casting her shadow on the yellow cloth curtain wall, making it appear to grow longer and shorter, like a white lotus swaying precariously in the wind.

Xu Hongru was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned his head, his gaze fixed on Liu Zhixie, and asked in a deep voice:

"Strategist, where is Jia Jing's army now?"

Upon hearing Jia Jing's name, the tent fell silent for a moment, and everyone's expression tensed up almost imperceptibly.

The White Lotus Sect had already learned that Jia Jing had personally led his army to Jiangnan!

Or perhaps the White Lotus Sect had already sent people to closely monitor the movements in the capital before the uprising began, and had made ample preparations.

After Jia Jing was appointed Governor-General of Five Provinces and led twelve battalions south, he was under their close surveillance!

Because Jia Jing's 30,000 elite cavalry were traveling on the official road, making a grand and imposing procession, passing through Zhuozhou, Hejian, and Dezhou, and causing disturbances in the prefectures and counties along the way, it was relatively easy to ascertain their specific itinerary.

The White Lotus Sect's scouts mingled among the refugees, keeping a close watch on them, with daily reports from carrier pigeons that never ceased.

Liu Zhixie slowly got up, walked to the map of Southern Zhili that had been seized from the Xuzhou government office in the tent, and pointed south along the old course of the Yellow River, placing his finger on a spot between Xuyi and Tianchang.

His fingers were thin and dry, with traces of ink embedded in his fingernails, and the candlelight cast a small shadow on his knuckles.

"Now that Jia Jing has arrived," Liu Zhixie turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent, and said:

"A scout reports that he has led his cavalry past Sizhou and is approaching Xuyi."

"Perhaps it's because of the bad weather these past few days. The autumn rains have been continuous along both banks of the Huai River, making the roads muddy and slowing their pace. They can only travel 120 li per day."

After speaking, Liu Zhixie paused his finger on the map for a moment, without immediately withdrawing it.

His brow furrowed slightly, as if he were pondering something.

Traveling 120 li a day might be a normal marching speed for ordinary soldiers.

Jia Jing's military prowess is renowned throughout the land, so this speed seems rather slow for him!

However, the spies within the church kept a close watch, sending reports by carrier pigeon every day, and there were also secret agents within the church in various counties along the route, so they never discovered anything unusual.

Liu Zhixie suppressed the faint doubt and unease in his heart, but couldn't find the reason for it!

Xu Hongru's expression turned solemn as he pondered, and he said:

"That means he'll be... about six or seven days away from us."

His voice carried a barely perceptible heaviness as he said:

"Thirty thousand cavalry is no small number. Let's all discuss what to do."

A barely perceptible look of worry crossed Xu Hongru's face. Although the White Lotus Sect claimed to have 200,000 troops, he knew in his heart that...

Of these, only about 20,000 were true followers; the rest were recently recruited refugees, starving people, and defeated soldiers, and had little fighting power.

With such a small force, he naturally lacked confidence in facing Jia Jing's 30,000 elite cavalry.

As soon as Xu Hongru finished speaking, Ning Yuxi stood up first.

Her expression was solemn. Her phoenix eyes swept over everyone in the tent as she spoke in a clear voice:

"Your Majesty, Jinling is proving difficult to capture, and Jia Jing is leading his troops on their way. I advise that we not linger in battle and retreat immediately."

"We will head east to Taihu Lake, then fight along the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, maneuvering against the imperial army along the river to preserve our strength and await the opportune moment."

She spoke each word clearly and deliberately, without the slightest hesitation; this was a strategy that had been discussed before the uprising began.

If Nanjing cannot be captured in the short term and the imperial court sends troops to its aid, then we should not linger in battle and should immediately shift our focus to the Jianghuai region.

But when she said these words, no one in the tent nodded in agreement.

Sun Tietou was the first to slam his fist on the table. He had a loud voice, and the teacups on the table jumped with his slap. He shouted:

"Withdraw? Withdraw to where? What's in Taihu Lake? We're just floating on the lake all day, eating fish and shrimp. Haven't we had enough of that?"

"This is a golden opportunity! We can take Nanjing in just two more days!"

"As long as we capture Jinling before Jia Jing arrives with his army, we can recruit heroes, open granaries, and gather even more troops. Even if Jia Jing comes in person, he will only be able to sigh in despair at the sight of the city!"

Ruan Xiaojiu also spoke, his narrow eyes narrowing even further, a slight, dismissive smile playing on his lips:

"I always feel that we are worrying about Jia Jing too much! We have fought against the imperial army these days, but the government troops have been out of practice for a long time and have no fighting power at all."

"Every time we launch a small attack, they flee in disarray. Some cities even surrender as soon as they see our army's banners."

"I think Jia Jing's great reputation is probably just a boast, and the cavalry he leads is marching so slowly, he probably isn't any elite force."

Ruan Xiaojiu paused, her tone becoming more resolute, and said decisively:

"Now that we have gathered 200,000 troops, even if the Heavenly King himself came, there would be no reason for us to retreat without a fight!"