si-mexico Chapter 111: Still the Old One
Chapter 111: Still the Old One
Qin Ruzhao rode his horse and slowly headed towards the camp.
Behind him was a group of silent soldiers.
There was no trace of emotion in his eyes, as if he had not just returned from a genocide, but had just completed an ordinary inspection.
When his figure appeared at the gate of the camp, the guarding Kunlun slaves subconsciously tightened their weapons in their hands, and their eyes were full of fear as they looked at Qin Ruzhao.
Qin Ruzhao ignored these gazes. He dismounted and slowly walked into the camp.
Li Jing heard the noise outside in the tent and frowned.
When he saw that it was Qin Ru who called him back, his face instantly became as gloomy as water.
"Ru Zhao, do you know what you have done?"
Li Jing's voice was low and majestic, with suppressed anger faintly surging in it.
Qin Ruzhao dismounted and bowed to Li Jing.
"General Li, I have fulfilled my military orders. Tubo... no longer exists."
His tone was so calm that it was chilling.
Li Jing was so angry that he was shaking all over.
"Is this a military order?"
"You have committed an unforgivable sin!"
"I asked you to destroy a country, and you exterminated the Tubo people! And you did it even after Tubo had already surrendered!"
"It is unjust. You have placed our Tang Dynasty in an unkind and unjust position. How will the people of the world view us?"
Xue Rengui remained silent, looking at Qin Ruzhao with complicated eyes.
He was well aware of the cruelty of war and could understand Qin Ruzhao's actions.
In Xue Rengui's view, war is for victory and for the benefit of the country, but this genocide is not only unhelpful to the country, but also harmful!
Hou Junji took a step forward.
"General Li and General Qin also want to completely eliminate the hidden dangers. Tubo has always been a major threat to our Tang Dynasty's borders. They have repeatedly invaded, burned, killed, and looted, and the people have suffered terribly."
"Although General Qin's actions are cruel, they are also for the long-term stability of the Tang Dynasty."
Hou Junji felt that Qin Ruzhao's approach was quite to his liking.
It’s just Tubo, so what if it’s destroyed? What’s the big deal?
Li Jing glared at Hou Junji.
"Stupid! When will this fight violence with violence end?"
"We are soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Protecting the people is our duty, but we cannot lose our humanity because of it."
"Qin Ruzhao's actions will make other neighboring countries and nations hate our Tang Dynasty. We will face more wars in the future, and more people will suffer."
"Did you know that more than half of the troops in my Tang Dynasty are from foreign races?"
"Ruzhao, your actions are indeed very pleasing to the people, but you know that once this news spreads throughout the Tang Dynasty..."
Li Jing didn't continue.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
He said faintly.
“People’s hearts are unpredictable!”
On the battlefield, facing the cruelty of the enemy, people sometimes fall into extreme thinking.
"General Li, General Qin was also impulsive. He is a senior official of Your Majesty and has made great military achievements. I hope that the general will show leniency this time."
Hou Junji advised from the side.
Li Jing smiled and shook his head.
"A lenient sentence? He committed the crime of genocide. This will become a stain in the history of the Tang Dynasty that can never be erased."
Hou Junji looked at Qin Ruzhao with admiration in his eyes.
"War is cruel. It's either you die or I die."
"The Tibetans have long coveted our Tang Dynasty. If we don't eradicate them, they will become a serious threat in the future."
"General Qin simply did what we wanted to do but didn't dare to do."
Li Jing looked at Hou Junji in disbelief.
"You...you actually said such outrageous words."
"We fight for peace, not to kill."
"If we treat our enemies in this way, what is the difference between us and those barbaric peoples?"
Qin Ruzhao raised his head and looked at the people arguing.
"General Li, I know you have a noble cause in mind, but on the battlefield, there aren't that many options."
"The Tibetans are cunning and brutal. They never abide by their promises. Talking to them about morality and ethics will only lead to the sacrifice of more soldiers from our Tang Dynasty."
I am willing to bear all the consequences.”
Li Jing looked at Qin Ruzhao with disappointment in his eyes.
"You're willing to bear it? How can you afford it? This concerns the fate of the Tang Dynasty!"
Xue Rengui sighed.
"Now that things have come to this, we must find a way to resolve this. If this matter were to get out, it would be extremely damaging to the reputation of the Tang Dynasty."
"We need to find a way to block the news and minimize the impact."
Hou Junji nodded and said, "General Xue is right. We cannot let this matter affect the stability of the Tang Dynasty."
"But the treatment of General Qin still requires long-term consideration."
Li Jing frowned and fell into deep thought.
He knew that what Xue Rengui and Hou Junji said made sense. The most urgent task now was to stabilize the situation and not let the Tang Dynasty fall into civil strife and diplomatic crisis.
But he still couldn't let go of what Qin Ruzhao had done.
Qin Ruzhao looked at Li Jing, "General Li, I don't regret my decision."
“If I had to do it again, I would do it again.”
"The existence of Tubo is a huge threat to the Tang Dynasty. They are like a cancer and must be completely eradicated."
Li Jing shouted angrily, "You still don't repent! You only see the pleasure of annihilating your race, but you don't see the price behind it."
"We are soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Our mission is to protect the people and dignity of the Tang Dynasty."
"But your actions have caused our Tang Dynasty to lose its dignity!"
Hou Junji patted Qin Ruzhao on the shoulder.
"General Qin, I support you."
"On the battlefield, there is no absolute right or wrong, only life and death."
For the survival of the Tang Dynasty, we sometimes have to make difficult decisions."
Xue Rengui shook his head.
"General Hou, you are too extreme. We cannot ignore the long-term impact for the sake of short-term interests."
"Although Qin Ruzhao's approach completely eliminated the threat from Tubo in the short term, it may cause more problems in the long run."
At this time, the atmosphere in the tent was extremely tense. Everyone insisted on their own opinion and no one could convince anyone else.
Qin Ruzhao stood there, his belief not wavering in the slightest.
Li Jing's face was full of anger and helplessness, and he was worried about the future of the Tang Dynasty.
Xue Rengui weighed the pros and cons, trying to find a proper solution.
Hou Junji was speaking for Qin Ruzhao.
Amidst this controversy, the fate of the Tang Dynasty seemed to become unclear.
How to quell this wave became a difficult problem facing these generals.
Every decision they make will affect the future of the Tang Dynasty, whether it is military, diplomacy or the lives of the people.
As time passed, the sky outside the tent gradually darkened.
In the end, Li Jing sighed helplessly.
"Okay, stop arguing. Right or wrong doesn't matter anymore. There's only one solution now."
He raised his head slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of determination and loneliness.
"I'm old, it's time to retire."
"From now on, this court and this battlefield will be handed over to you young people."
As he spoke, his gaze slowly fell on Qin Ruzhao, and his expression became complicated, with regret and helplessness.
"You are still young, and you may not understand many of the things I say."
Li Jing's tone became gentler, like an elder giving earnest advice.
"When I was your age, I was the same. I was full of ambition and high aspirations. I always thought I was right and refused to listen to anything."
"But time will make people understand many things. When you reach my age, maybe you will understand what I mean today."
After saying this, he looked at Hou Junji sharply, with a warning in his eyes.
"Don't try to imitate Hou Junji in the future."
Hou Junji felt a little uncomfortable with Li Jing's glare. Although he had a bad temper and was usually fearless, he still didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of Li Jing.
After all, Li Jing has a very high prestige in the army and has made great military achievements.
He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but held back, just snorted and turned his head away.
"The matter of General Qin..."
Xue Rengui said.
Li Jing also glared at Xue Rengui.
"What's the matter? General Qin did nothing. He just followed my orders."
"The Tibetans stubbornly resisted and were destroyed. This was only natural."
After hearing Li Jing's words, Qin Ruzhao, Xue Rengui and Hou Junji were all puzzled. They looked at each other with confusion in their eyes.
Qin Ruzhao frowned. He really didn't understand why Li Jing suddenly changed his words. This was very different from his previous attitude.
Xue Rengui also looked bewildered.
"General Li, what are you doing..."
Qin Ruzhao was about to speak when Li Jing raised his hand to interrupt him.
He lowered his voice.
"I'm telling you, I'm not a kind-hearted person, but everything must be within the rules."
He paused.
He whispered to the three generals.
"In the attack on Tubo, our army suffered heavy casualties. Twenty thousand Kunlun slaves and ten thousand Turkic troops were completely wiped out!"
As soon as Li Jing said this.
All three looked at him in shock.