Since the Grand Tutor was arrested, Zhu Jianyu had long lost confidence in rebelling. Now, with the arrest of the Peerless Daoist, there was no way to proceed.
However, he was merely a deputy to a deputy, so he had never had the opportunity to voice his opinions during the meetings of Zhu Meng, Zhu Yan, and others. Now, his chance was before him.
Just then, someone leaned over and whispered, "General, do not rush. Stall him for now, and let's discuss it."
Zhu Jianyu nodded. Yes, he had to seek the opinions of these people behind him.
He had only come to power because Zhu Yan was killed and the Peerless Daoist was captured. Therefore, he still had to discuss all matters, big or small, and even report to Zhu Meng on the mountain.
With this thought, he clasped his hands towards Liu Ruomei outside the city again. "Miss Liu, you are right. We have no past grievances and no recent enmities, so there is indeed no need for a major conflict. However, I am only a minor general, and I must discuss this matter with the generals present."
Liu Ruomei nodded. Zhu Jianyu's words made sense; he was not the commander-in-chief after all.
"Hello. General Zhu, please go back and discuss it. I will wait for you here for a while."
Zhu Jianyu waved his hand. "Miss Liu, why don't you take your men back first? I will send someone to deliver a letter to you tomorrow morning."
Liu Ruomei smiled charmingly. "No need to send a letter. I will come back tomorrow to await your reply. Farewell."
Liu Ruomei urged her horse back and approached Xiao Jingyun, clasping her hands in front of him. "Your Highness will reply tomorrow. Let's withdraw our troops."
Before Xiao Jingyun could speak, an elder with white hair and beard spoke up. "Ah, we have finally surrounded Qingniu County. Why withdraw? If Zhu Jianyu does not surrender tomorrow, we will storm the city and capture him alive."
Xiao Jingyun smiled and waved his hand. "Old Marquis Zhao, do not be so hasty. We cannot push them too hard. If we force them to rebel, there will be widespread suffering."
He then looked at Liu Ruomei with approval. "Then we shall withdraw. If Zhu Jianyu does not surrender, he will be in the wrong."
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Old Marquis Zhao, though unwilling, could only agree.
The tens of thousands of troops retreated to the military camp mightily, and peace returned to the area outside Qingniu County.
Back in his own tent, Zhu Jianyu was hesitant, unsure of what to do.
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside. "Is General Zhu within?"
Zhu Jianyu recognized the voice. It was the person who had advised him on the city wall to stall Liu Ruomei.
"It's Peng Chong. Come in quickly."
Peng Chong entered and clasped his hands. "Greetings, General Zhu."
"Ah, my brother, you don't need to be so formal with me. Please, sit, sit."
Zhu Jianyu warmly pulled Peng Chong to sit down.
"My brother, I am troubled."
Peng Chong chuckled. "General Zhu, I am here precisely for that. What troubles you?"
"Alas, tell me, should we surrender tomorrow or not?"
Hearing Zhu Jianyu's words, Peng Chong laughed heartily again.
"General, you jest. The army outside the city has already withdrawn. Why should we surrender?"
Zhu Jianyu looked at Peng Chong with confusion. "Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"
"General, since the army has withdrawn, we should leave tonight and join the Marshal. Tomorrow, when they arrive, it will be an empty city."
Hearing Peng Chong's words, Zhu Jianyu was stunned. He slowly stood up, his face grave. "But the military order we received was to hold Qingniu County. Abandoning the city to flee is punishable by death."
Peng Chong smiled and waved his hand. "General, that is where you are mistaken. The order to defend Qingniu County was received by General Zhu Yan. Now that General Zhu has sacrificed himself for the country, our safe withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops is a great merit in itself."
Hearing Peng Chong's words, Zhu Jianyu remained silent for a long while.
"Allow me to think about this further."
At this time, Xiao Jingyun and his entourage had also returned to the main military tent.
Since reinforcements had arrived, he no longer needed to stay at Centipede Ridge and had moved into the military camp.
Upon returning to the camp, he immediately convened a meeting of the various generals to discuss the matter.
"Everyone, I surmise that Zhu Jianyu has only two paths: either he surrenders to me tomorrow, or he leads his troops to Qingniu Mountain tonight."
Hearing that Zhu Jianyu might flee, Old Marquis Zhao stood up again. "Your Royal Highness, please permit me to lead my troops to ambush him along the route to Qingniu Mountain and leave none alive."
Xiao Jingyun waved his hand. "No rush, no rush. Why should we be in such a hurry to destroy Zhu Jianyu?"
"What we want is Zhu Meng's army of three hundred thousand. Allowing Zhu Jianyu to return will only cause unrest among his troops."
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Old Marquis Zhao stroked his beard and sighed slightly. "Very well, then let this dog let live a few more days."
Old Marquis Liu next to him couldn't help but tease. "In that case, if Qingniu County is empty tomorrow, I'll lead my men in, lest King Zhao be embarrassed."
Hearing this, they all laughed again, and the atmosphere became relaxed.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in Wannian City, Xiao An could not smile.
In a single day, two urgent reports arrived from the border.
The Great Tuh Kingdom and the Great Lin Kingdom attacked simultaneously, one from the west and the other from the north, capturing multiple cities in a single day.
Looking at the consecutive urgent reports from the border, Xiao An's brows furrowed. He immediately summoned Liu Xiangnan and the old Prime Minister Fang Zheng to the palace for deliberation.
After reading the border reports, Liu Xiangnan frowned. "Judging by the timing, this must be because they learned of our internal problems and want to take advantage of the situation."
Fang Zheng nodded. "Indeed. Foreign invasion will attract our attention, and the pressure on Zhu Meng will be reduced!"
Emperor Xiao An nodded. "Your ministers' words are reasonable. All our troops are currently rushing to Qingniu County. What should we do?"
Liu Xiangnan stroked his beard and smiled slightly. "Your Majesty, do not worry. This minister believes the matter is simple enough."
"Although the Great Lin Kingdom and the Great Tuh Kingdom have always been at odds with us, and have fought each other year after year, they have never launched such a large-scale invasion into our territory."
"Therefore, I infer that their deep incursion into our territory is most likely to plunder some wealth."
Old Prime Minister Fang Zheng also instantly understood Liu Xiangnan's meaning. "Does the old Marquis mean that if we resolve Zhu Meng quickly, they will retreat?"
Liu Xiangnan nodded approvingly. "The old Prime Minister is correct. As long as Zhu Meng is apprehended, the two countries will retreat without a fight."
Xiao An nodded. "Your ministers' words are reasonable. I shall immediately issue an order for Jingyun to accelerate the pace and end this quickly."
Just after the second watch, Xiao Jingyun received a flying pigeon from Wannian City. After reading the message, he was greatly shocked.
He hastily convened everyone that night to discuss countermeasures.
"Everyone, the situation has changed. The Great Tuh Kingdom and the Great Lin Kingdom have suddenly launched a large-scale invasion of our territory. My father wishes for us to conclude this swiftly."