The Prodigal Son

In the end, only about 10,000 soldiers followed Yu Wu south.

Among them were four thousand men who were remnants of the Chu army led by Song Ling.

Looking at these listless soldiers, Yu Wu couldn't help but shed tears of grief and indignation.

How am I any different from a deposed monarch?

He wasn't a tyrannical ruler!

He has his own ambitions too!

But before he could even realize his ambitions, he had already become a homeless dog.

Yu Wu raised his hand to wipe away his tears, looking blankly at Huang Dengxing: "Father, what should I do now?"

Faced with Yu Wu's question, Huang Dengxing couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile.

After a long silence, Huang Dengxing sighed softly, "Either join forces with the Chu army to launch a strong attack on Yuwang Pass and flee to the Chu Kingdom; or we can retreat to the two provinces!"

"Located in a remote area of ​​two states?"

Yu Wu looked at Huang Dengxing with a dejected expression, "Can I still afford to live in a precarious state of two provinces?"

It's easier said than done that we're confined to two separate states.

But why should they be confined to two separate states?

With only a few thousand demoralized soldiers at his disposal?

Or perhaps, it's thanks to the Chu army's 20,000-plus men?

He's not stupid!

He knew that at this moment, the Chu army was the least reliable force!

The Chu army, having been forced to leave their homes and suffering repeated defeats, would eventually begin to miss their families, even if Liang Jingzhe temporarily boosted their morale.

Soon, deserters will appear in the Chu army and surrender to Qin Yu at Yuwang Pass.

The Chu army might even kill him and then negotiate with Qin Yu.

Even if the Chu army doesn't kill him, once the Chu army is gone, even if the Sanli Bridge has been destroyed, the Ning army can still build a pontoon bridge and attack.

With so few men under his command, it would be good if they didn't all escape in a short time; how could he expect them to stop the Ning army from building a pontoon bridge?

They seem to have two paths, but in reality, there is only one path to take!

To want to live in a remote area of ​​two states is tantamount to waiting for death!

Hearing Yu Wu's words, Huang Dengxing couldn't help but sigh silently.

He knew, of course, that it would be incredibly difficult to control two separate prefectures; he was merely trying to comfort Yu Wu.

Unexpectedly, Yu Wu had already seen through everything.

"Then let's join forces with the Chu army and launch a full-scale attack on Yuwang Pass!"

Huang Dengxing's face was etched with exhaustion. "Let's take advantage of the Chu army's burning desire for revenge and make one last desperate attempt! If we succeed, we'll flee to Chu; if we fail, I'll take Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager and flee far away..."

This is the last resort!

With the situation so dire, he was at his wit's end.

All he could do was ensure the safety of Yu Wu and the woman he loved.

even……

Just to ensure the safety of the woman I love!

Yu Wu opened his mouth slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded blankly.

There was only one road to begin with!

If I win, even if I have to go into exile in the State of Chu, at least I can kill that treacherous Qin Yu and avenge myself!

Having made up their minds, they immediately quickened their pace of march.

They had to speed up and join up with the Chu army led by Liang Jingzhe before nightfall, using the Chu army to intimidate their soldiers.

Otherwise, once it gets dark, a large number of deserters will inevitably appear.

He'll probably wake up tomorrow and find himself all alone.

Finally, they joined up with the Chu army before nightfall.

"My lord..."

Seeing the sickly Liang Jingzhe, Song Ling quickly stepped forward and knelt down before him with a thud, saying, "This humble general is incompetent; please punish me, Your Highness!"

Liang Jingzhe slowly stepped forward, dragging his ailing body to help Song Ling up, and said with grief and indignation, "The fault does not lie with you, but with me, it is all my fault! It is all my incompetence that has caused our army to suffer such heavy losses..."

"Gentlemen, now is not the time to talk about this!"

Huang Dengxing interrupted the two, forcing himself to stay alert, "Let's quickly discuss what to do next!"

"Alright!"

Liang Jingzhe nodded slightly and gestured, "Let's talk inside the tent!"

Soon, several people followed Liang Jingzhe to his tent.

Liang Jingzhe gestured for the others to sit down, then bypassed the dejected Yu Wu and asked Huang Dengxing, "What are your thoughts, General?"

"Charge at Yuwang Pass and avenge ourselves against the Qin traitors!"

Huang Dengxing's killing intent suddenly erupted. "Even dying a glorious death in battle is better than being locked up in a cage like a pig or a dog!"

"What a great general!"

Liang Jingzhe looked at Huang Dengxing with admiration: "That's exactly what I was thinking! The Qin traitors and the people of Chu are sworn enemies! As long as I have a breath left, I will fight the Qin traitors to the death!"

"Since we're on the same page, there's no need for further discussion!"

Huang Dengxing stood up. "His Majesty has overworked today. I will take him to rest first, and we can discuss the specific details of the advance tomorrow!"

"good!"

Liang Jingzhe stood up and gave a symbolic salute: "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty! Respectfully seeing off the General!"

After seeing Yu Wu and the others off, Liang Jingzhe sat down again with Zhu Baishi and Song Ling.

Song Ling glanced at Liang Jingzhe with a complicated expression. "My lord, are we really going to launch a full-scale attack on Yuwang Pass?"

"What, are you scared?"

Liang Jingzhe's sharp gaze suddenly swept over.

"I……"

Song Ling choked slightly, then said with a bitter expression, "This humble general is already a sinner, and my death is not a pity! But this humble general does not want all 70,000 soldiers to perish here..."

Seventy thousand soldiers!

The entire state of Chu only had a little over 300,000 soldiers!

Their losses have already been enormous!

He didn't want all of his last 20,000 soldiers to be lost!

"I don't want them all to perish here either, but do we have a choice?"

Liang Jingzhe lowered his eyelids and gritted his teeth, saying, "Even if we surrender to Qin Yu, do you think he will let us go? Don't forget how he treated Deng Pu's surrendered soldiers!"

Surrender means death, and not surrendering also means death!

Why not give it a shot?

If they win, they will have avenged those soldiers!

Perhaps, there's still a chance to occupy Wuzhou and Xingzhou.

When the topic of revenge came up, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Song Ling's eyes, but it quickly faded again. "Do we really have any hope of winning?"

"There is hope!"

Liang Jingzhe clenched his fist. "Although the soldiers of Yuwang Pass have surrendered to Qin Yu, the Min soldiers who surrendered at Yuwang Pass are of low combat strength. Qin Yu's true core force should be less than ten thousand! If we join forces with the Min army and attack Yuwang Pass with three times the number of troops who have survived against all odds, and supplement it with a brilliant strategy, we will definitely have a chance of victory..."

Liang Jingzhe's words were not only giving Song Ling confidence, but also giving himself confidence.

He knew, of course, that taking Yuwang Pass wouldn't be easy, but he couldn't say it out loud.

If he doesn't have confidence, wouldn't others have even less confidence?

"What if we can't take it?"

Song Ling asked with a sigh.

"..."

Liang Jingzhe and Zhu Baishi both fell silent.

If they fail to capture the city, what can they do besides die?

For a moment, the tent was eerily quiet, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

After a long silence, Song Ling finally mustered his courage and asked in a low voice, "Has Your Excellency considered capturing Yu Wu and negotiating with Qin Yu?"

They now have an absolute numerical advantage!

Moreover, Huang Dengxing, whom Yu Wu relied on most, was also injured.

If they are willing, they can definitely capture Yu Wu!

Liang Jingzhe looked up at Song Ling, speechless for a long time.

That riot seemed to have completely crushed him, robbing him of his fighting spirit...