The Liao army retreated to the main camp to heal and defend themselves, but this time the Song army had no camp to retreat to. A flood destroyed most of the entire camp, not to mention most of the equipment and equipment, and even the troops and horses were damaged. This made the entire army afraid to stay in place for a long time, so they could only retreat at night and retreat directly. After going twenty or thirty miles, they stopped again and built a rather crude camp.
By this time, it was dawn the next day, and the heavy rain that had fallen all day and night finally stopped. However, the entire Song army was still in shock and distraught. It was not only the flood last night that made everyone feel scared, but also the sudden end of the entire battle, which made people start to worry.
At that time, those soldiers were inspired by Sun Tu and had no worries. They followed him out of the barracks and faced the Liao army. They completely defeated the Liao army in one battle, which made these Song soldiers feel unprecedented. carefree. But... just when they thought they could win in one battle and thus achieve great success, something happened in the rear that flooded the camp and messed up the morale of the troops. As a result, they were unable to achieve their full success, and the battle ended in a draw.
It wouldn't be bad to have such a result. After all, the Song Dynasty has always been the loser in the confrontation between Song and Liao for decades. It is a rare honor to draw the Liao army in this decisive battle. But the key point is that in this battle, they all went against Tong Shuai's orders. If they win, it will be okay. But now, once they calm down, they will naturally worry about Tong Shuai and even the imperial court later.
At this time, the temporary camp of the Song Army was full of gloom and mist. There was no sign of joy among the soldiers. Many of them were looking at the tent at the rear that served as the Chinese army's tent, guessing what would happen next. Because in this tent, important figures such as Tong Guan, Er Zhong, and Sun Tu were discussing important matters. Perhaps when the curtain is lifted, everyone's ending will be decided.
But what these soldiers don't know is that the generals inside who seem to be superior and can decide their life or death with a single word are more nervous than they are at this time. Their momentum has been completely suppressed by Sun Tu alone. Don't even dare to say a word.
"Tong Shuai, you must have realized how big of a mistake you made in today's battle, right?" Sun Tu showed no mercy as soon as he opened his mouth: "If our Song army can unite as one, why worry about not being able to defeat the enemy in front of us? But? Now, after this battle, the Western Army suffered heavy casualties, and its logistics suffered huge losses. I want to go north again, but I don’t know how long it will take to prepare!”
What he said was indeed reasonable. The battle to conquer the country was all about logistical supplies. Now that the camp was destroyed, the losses were really incalculable. In the final analysis, everything lies in Tong Guan's selfishness and improper use of troops, which gave the Liao army time to fully prepare and also divided the entire Song army.
Tong Guan's face became more and more gloomy: "Sun Qianli, do you want to put all the blame on me? I haven't asked you about your crime yet. Not only did you intimidate me in the army, but you also led the troops to fight without permission. Where are you? Do you still look like a court official? Are you going to rebel?" He was panicking, and this was the only way he could come up with to deal with it at this time.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been frightened by these words. At least at this time, the second elder of the Zhong family turned pale and looked at Sun Tu worriedly. They never thought about Sun Tusuo
Being able to send troops to rescue actually accomplished such a big thing. Well, once this matter is really reported to the court, the guilt will be too great. Not only Sun Tu, but they will also be implicated.
But Sun Tu was unmoved, and just sneered: "In the face of a powerful enemy, I only have eyes on how to win, and naturally I don't care about other rules and red tape. And don't forget, Commander Tong, if I hadn't led the army to defeat Come out, I'm afraid our army will be completely defeated by the Liao army this time."
These words made everyone's faces pale again. Thinking about it carefully, this is really the case. Without Sun Tu's disobedient troops, the Western Army in the front would definitely be defeated by the Liao Army. Then the Dazhai in the rear would be hit by a flood, and it would also be in chaos. After all, the more people there are, the worse the situation will be after the attack. The more confusing it is.
By that time, the Liao army was overwhelming the Western Army. How could the Song army, which was already in chaos, be able to withstand their onslaught? It would be a rout, and the result would be several times worse than now. Even Tong Guan couldn't deny this statement at this time, so he could only snort lowly.
After a moment, he looked at Sun Tu: "So what do you mean when you say there are many?"
"My meaning is very clear. Commander Tong, you are not a qualified army commander at all. Please hand over your military power!" Sun Tu stopped beating around the bush and said something that made everyone present change their expressions.
Tong Guan's face turned pale, he stood up suddenly and shouted: "Sun Tu, what do you want to do? Are you going to attack me?" He suddenly remembered the fate of Zhu Meng, Gao Qiu and others... When he knew these things before, He also felt a little gloating about his misfortune. After all, those people were of equal status to him, but they were also his enemies. It was a good thing that Sun Tu eliminated them one by one. However, when this terrible scene happened to him, he felt a wave of fear. This guy really dared to kill people!
Sun Tu glanced at him and smiled again: "Tong Shuai, don't be so nervous. I won't do such ungrateful things and repay kindness with hatred. You and I have a great kindness. If you hadn't led me into the officialdom, I wouldn't have done anything." There is no way Sun Tu would be like today."
These words made Tong Guan feel heartbroken. He really regretted it. How could he not see the ambition of this son in the first place and actually cultivate him with all his strength? It was good now that Sun Tu was already full of wings, but he was now a threat to himself.
"You...since you remember these kindnesses and still want to take away my military power today, isn't this considered repaying kindness with hatred?" In the end, he could only ask through gritted teeth.
But Sun Tu shook his head and said: "One code is another code. Your kindness to me is personal, but this military incident is public. What's more, if you really want to talk about it, I, Sun Tu, have done a lot of things for you, almost all of them. This can compensate for your feelings for promoting me. So, please don’t make it difficult for me, Tong Shuai. As long as you can cooperate well, I can promise you. Not only can I ensure your safety, but you will also be indispensable for your achievements. . In this way, we each get what we need, wouldn’t we all be happy?”
After a pause, Sun Tu continued: "What's more, Tong Shuai, you have worked hard for most of your life. Now that you are getting older, it is really time for you to take a break. Military affairs will be left to me and the two brothers. We will take care of ourselves." Foolproof.”
Feeling Sun Tu's determination, and the surrounding generals were all suppressed by his momentum, no one dared to step out.
Although Tong Guan objected, even though he was unwilling in his heart, he could only bow his head and accept his fate.
He knew very well that even if he ignored Sun Tu's threat of force and rushed out of the tent to ask people to capture Sun Tu and the other two species, there would probably only be very few people responding. This point can already be seen from yesterday's incident that was almost a mutiny. But now, those soldiers who had fought with Sun Tu were naturally more willing to let him take the decision. Coupled with the eagerly eyeing Western Army, even if there were still people loyal to him in the Forbidden Army, it would be difficult for him to make waves. Once he was forced to do so, it would only force Sun Tu to kill him, and then he would really follow in the footsteps of Gao Qiu and others.
Tong Guan is also a smart man, and he understands best that those who understand current affairs are heroes. If the situation is like this and there is no chance of a comeback, he can only hand over his military power - and in his opinion, it makes no difference whether he hands over or not. After a long while, he finally sighed: "I am old, in that case, everything is up to you!" As he said this, he took out a gold seal that had been hidden in his sleeve and threw it to Sun Tu , it was the seal of command given to him by the imperial court.
When the other generals saw Sun Tu taking over the command seal, their expressions changed again. Now, things were really irreversible. I just don’t know what he will do with himself and others after he has seized military power
Even the two beneficiaries, Zhongshi Dao and Zhongshi Zhong, looked solemn at this time and could not say a word. What Sun Tu did was really not much different from an open rebellion. But they also knew that this was indeed the only way to reverse the current situation of the war. Only when the entire army was under their control could they have a chance to regain their advantage and launch another northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom.
But what about after this battle? What choice will Sun Tu make? How could the imperial court tolerate them after knowing all the truth
Sun Tu had no such worries at all. He just glanced at the dozens of generals in front of him and then reported a series of names: "Wei Bing, Zhang Zhongkang, Liu Changzhou, Wan Yong..." Every time he reported the name of a person, he was called out. The look on his face moved when he was called. It was not until seventeen or eight names were reported that he revealed his decision: "You wait until everyone returns to camp, restrain the soldiers and horses under your command, and appease the morale of the troops in case there is a change. The next step is Follow the orders of the two sages."
After a slight hesitation, the dozen or so people stood up and agreed, then left one after another. It was obvious that they had quickly chosen to side with Sun Tu.
In fact, these generals who were named were all people who had been ostracized and neglected in the army before. They were all holding their breath in their hearts. Now that they had the opportunity, they were naturally unwilling to let it go. Speaking of the seemingly idle days in the army, Sun Tu had actually been observing and inquiring, and figured out some things in the Song Army. Therefore, we can make targeted arrangements quickly at this time.
Tong Guan and the remaining generals felt even more depressed. Only then did they realize that Sun Tu had already planned to seize power. From this point of view, he did not lose too unjustly.
"As for you..." Sun Tu glanced at the others and smiled: "Just follow Tong Shuai and take a good rest in the camp." Although the words were euphemistic, the meaning was very clear. These people and Tong Guan will next They will be placed under house arrest. At least until they defeat the Liao army, they will have no freedom at all...
In a few words, Sun Tu had seized the military power and firmly held it in his own hands.