When Qin Chi emerged from Changshu City and returned to the military camp, he immediately saw Pang Wanchun. The latter even asked eagerly: "How was the discussion? Does Sun Tu intend to open the city and surrender?"
Although Wu Jun still occupies an overwhelming advantage, Pang Wanchun knows that he is riding a tiger and must do everything possible to capture Changshu City as soon as possible. Because he had received a secret message from Hangzhou not long ago, there was a shortage of food and grass in the rear, and it was almost impossible to support the continuous consumption of the 100,000 troops.
Although Jiangnan is prosperous and prosperous, it cannot withstand the constant events in recent years. The perverse actions of Zhu Meng and a group of corrupt officials have long made the local people miserable, so Fang La's rebellion can only attract those who respond. But in the two years after their uprising, the lives of the people in Jiangnan were not much better. As the war continued to escalate, the people became even more miserable. If taxes continued to be increased, the people in Jiangnan who had just surrendered to Wu might be They are going to rebel, which is something Fang La and his ministers cannot accept in any case.
If we want to avoid such irreparable consequences, we must capture Changshu as soon as possible, suspend the war, recuperate, and wait for the people to take a breath before heading north. Therefore, the burden on Pang Wanchun is heavier now. Not only must he win, but he must also win in the shortest time. And if he can persuade Sun Tu's troops to surrender, it will be a perfect result.
Qin Chi, as the Minister of Rites of the State of Wu, naturally knew the inside story. At this time, he also looked serious and said: "Don't worry, Pang Shuai. After today's talk, Sun Tu has also made some moves. However, he is particularly worried. , worried that this was a strategy for us to break the city, so we put forward several conditions."
After hearing what he said, Pang Wanchun felt happy and hurriedly asked, "What are the conditions?" Because he knew very well that Sun Tu would only put forward conditions if he was truly sincere in surrendering.
"First, he wants the emperor to issue a personal decree pardoning him for all his previous crimes."
"This is a matter of course. I think His Majesty will definitely agree to his request. If the tiger general Wu Guozi is to be used in a important way, let him rest assured."
"Second, he also proposed that after opening the city, we are not allowed to kill anyone without authorization, whether it is the people in the city or the officers and soldiers of the Shandong Army."
"Haha, he is worried too much. As long as he is willing to open the city and surrender, then both the people and the soldiers are our subjects of the Wu Kingdom. How can I kill innocent people indiscriminately? You can promise him. If he doesn't believe it, I can Go outside the city and swear an oath, and let heaven and earth be your witness!" Pang Wanchun answered without hesitation. He indeed had no intention of going back on his word and killing all the Shandong troops.
"This third item is a little weird." Qin Chi showed a slightly strange expression. "He said that if our army is really sincere, it will have to retreat another ten miles. As long as we do this in a few days, he will definitely be there within five days." Surrender!"
"Huh?" When Pang Wanchun heard this request, he unconsciously raised his eyebrows slightly: "What is his intention? Is he worried that we will deceive him, in order to prevent me from taking the opportunity to enter the city after opening the city? But now I have stationed troops eight miles away from Changshu City. It will be difficult to control if we retreat." This made him have some doubts in his heart. Is the other party really willing to surrender, or is he planning to surrender
"Xiaoguan also asked Sun Tu, and he only said that this was just in case, and he was very insistent on it, leaving no room for error at all.
land. Qin Chi said and looked at Pang Wanchun again: "Shuai Pang, I think this matter can actually be ignored by him. As long as we are prepared, we are not afraid of him making any mystery." "
"Oh? How to prevent it?"
"We can retreat, but we will retreat the main force to the north, which will completely cut off his escape route. If he really wants to break out at all costs, we are confident enough to encircle and kill him. And once he leaves the city, we will be able to defeat him. , the 30 to 40 thousand people in the Shandong Military Region will definitely be defeated, which is much more certain than our continuous attack on the city now."
After hearing this suggestion, Pang Wanchun nodded: "Your idea is good. As long as you cut off his escape route, you are not afraid that he will turn the world upside down. Just act accordingly and tell them that everything is fine. We are just waiting for His Majesty's approval." As soon as the decree comes, let them surrender to our court!" Having made up his mind, he breathed a long sigh of relief, and finally this matter had a perfect result.
But soon, he felt an inexplicable feeling in his heart. It seemed that something was wrong, but for a while he couldn't grasp the key point. He could only think that he was too suspicious and put it aside for now. Ignore it.
Now that they had made up their mind, the Wu army stopped attacking the city and began to retreat as planned. However, their retreat direction was towards the south, and they did so under the watchful eye of the Song army. They were clearly warning the defenders in the city not to attack. I was lucky.
But their movements fell into the eyes of Sun Tu, who stood at the top of the city and looked out. At this time, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, with a hint of sarcasm: "This Pang Wanchun is truly the leading general in the rebel army, yet he is so cautious."
Zhu Wu next to him smiled: "But he must not have imagined that this was actually expected by us. It will not be long before he regrets his decision."
"But this is a smart man. I can't give him too much time to think about it. He must act according to the plan as soon as possible." As he said that, Sun Tu glanced at Song Jiang and Dong Ping beside him: "The safety of Changshu and these brothers in the future I leave it to you, but you must keep the city safe for me!"
"Qianji, why don't you think about it, it's better for me to take the risk..." Dong Ping couldn't help but tried to dissuade him. Sun Tu's plan was too risky and might lead to a narrow escape from death. It should be handled by a subordinate general instead of him, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
This sentence immediately won the approval of Lin Chong and others nearby. At that moment, many people spoke out to persuade: "Qian Ju, you are the backbone of our Shandong army. There must be no mistakes in such a risky thing." , it’s better to let the general wait for you!”
The audience talked a lot, and Sun Tucai smiled and waved his hands and said: "As for danger, where is it not dangerous? Ever since we were betrayed by Zhu Meng, we have been murdering every step of the way. If we stay in Changshu, it will be really dangerous." Is it safe? This small county town has long been in dilapidated condition. Maybe the enemy can destroy it with another attack. By then, won’t the people who stay here still be in danger
"You also know what I am like. I, Sun Tu, am definitely not someone who is willing to be passively beaten. Since there is such an opportunity to turn defeat into victory, I will never miss it. Moreover, you have contributed to the previous battles. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, I just sit back and watch. How can I feel at ease
"Of course, the most important thing is, when it comes to using surprise soldiers and tricks, how many of you can compare with me, Sun Tu? Since this is the method I came up with, I should naturally take the risk. You guys I appreciate your kindness, but this is a military order. All you have to do is to defend Changshu and stabilize the rebel army. As long as you do these two things, your contribution will be no less than mine!"
After hearing Sun Tu's words and looking at his resolute look, everyone knew that he had made up his mind completely and could not change it anymore. At that moment, they no longer tried to persuade, but they all said with serious expressions: "General, I know, we will definitely act according to the general's instructions, stabilize the rebel army, and guard Changshu!"
"That's good." Sun Tu smiled happily and looked up at the gradually darkening sky: "I will leave the city tonight, and it will be up to you to deal with the enemy troops outside the city."
￥￥￥￥￥
It was nearly the second watch and it was already dark.
The continuous rain not only made the weather extremely cold, but also made the stars and moon dim, and the whole world was pitch black.
Under these conditions, not to mention that the Wu army had retreated more than ten miles away in accordance with Sun Tu's request. Even if they were still stationed in front of Changshu City, they would not have discovered in time that the south gate had quietly opened.
An army of more than 300 people quietly left the city. This is a group of elite Shandong troops who are fierce and good at fighting, with a glint in their eyes! If we were to go into more detail, they were trained by Sun Tu. They were the most elite soldiers in the Qingzhou Army and had experienced hundreds of battles.
At this time, in addition to the scout battalion commander Shi Qian, Sun Tu was followed by two infantry combat masters, Wu Song and Lu Da. This elite combat force alone was enough if he really wanted to sneak attack the enemy camp in the dark. Let the Wu army of 100,000 people drink a pot.
But they did not attack the Wu army camp, which had sent its main force to the north. Instead, they went in the opposite direction and quietly walked towards the south. The team of more than 300 people moved very fast, but made almost no movement, as if they were a group of hunters in the dark, quietly touching the prey that they had targeted.
After walking forward for more than half an hour, Shi Qian, who was leading the way, suddenly raised his right fist to keep the entire army still, but he discovered a Wu army camp in front.
Although Wu Jun had sent all his main forces to the north, he still deployed several troops on all sides of Changshu as backup. However, the garrison here obviously did not have any precautions. It was late at night again, and only a few soldiers in the camp were still on duty, and most of them were dozing off.
Seeing this, Sun Tu immediately made a decision. After a few gestures, the team quickly broke into pieces and silently passed by the side of Wu Jun's camp. During this process, no one in the Wu army in the military camp noticed anything strange. After all, who would have thought that the Song army would come out of the city and just pass by them without killing anyone
After a few miles away from the military camp, the elite soldiers gathered again and hurried forward all night. It was not until daybreak that they found a secluded place to rest deep in the forest. At this time, they were only one day away from their target, Suzhou!
From this moment on, Sun Tu, who had been passive before, finally turned around and took the initiative!