si-mexico Chapter 435 It’s Better to Surrender
Chapter 435 It’s Better to Surrender
The bridge was laid smoothly.
It took two full days to complete the laying.
Then the infantry passed first, followed by the cavalry, then the Shenji Battalion, the baggage battalion, and so on.
The Shenji Battalion pushed artillery and carried muskets, looking heroic and full of confidence.
These three pontoon bridges were not dismantled and remained in place to be used as supply lines for the future and for the use of the people. A solid stone bridge would also be built on them in the future.
Those Qi troops eventually retreated back into the city.
After seeing the Yan army's artillery, they really did not have the courage to fight the Yan army head-on.
The Yan army took a whole day to cross the river and then surrounded the county town.
The defending general couldn't understand. Was it really worth it for the Yan people to send 500,000 or 600,000 elite troops to fight against his 30,000 or 40,000 miscellaneous soldiers?
He knew that he would definitely lose.
Most of these soldiers are locals, but their will to resist is not strong because the disparity in combat power is too great.
They were not soldiers before. They were farmers, peddlers, long-term and short-term laborers. What they wanted most was a stable life and did not want to die.
The cries of surrender rose one after another, and it seemed that everyone wanted to surrender.
After a day and night of hard struggle, the defending general made a decision that went against his ancestors.
Kaesong surrendered.
There is no way out. Resistance means death, and fleeing back to the heartland of Qi without fighting will also mean death. Instead of doing this, it is better to surrender, at least to buy a way to survive for these soldiers and civilians.
When the Yan army was about to attack the city, the Qi army defender took off his armor and opened the city to surrender.
Shen Changgong felt very curious when he saw this scene.
He had fought so many battles, and except for the time when he forced Yu Huatian into a desperate situation, this was the first time he saw someone surrender voluntarily.
So he ordered a temporary halt to the attack and asked the general to come to the front to meet him and the King of the South.
On the platform, the guard saw the two kings of Yan State and immediately knelt down and said,
"Criminal General Cui Xin pays homage to the two princes."
The Southern King was not a talkative person, so Shen Changgong asked,
"Cui Xin? Are you the Xingyang Pass commander from before?"
"It is the criminal general."
"Heh, you fled without a fight before, and now you're surrendering without a fight. It seems you really stick to your principles as always."
The crowd roared with laughter.
Cui Xin blushed and said,
"I am a criminal who simply does not want to cause any suffering. I will die if I am guilty. I only ask Your Majesty to spare those innocent soldiers and civilians.
They have never killed Yan people. They were all farmers before. Their crime does not deserve death. Your Majesty, please spare their lives."
Shen Changgong looked at him and said playfully,
“It’s hard to believe that a nobleman would risk his own life for the sake of soldiers and civilians.
Don’t you want to live yourself? Why do you only plead for them and not for yourself?”
Hearing this, Cui Xin stammered,
"I... I am the commander-in-chief after all. The possibility of His Majesty forgiving me is very low. If... if he can really spare my life, that would naturally be great."
After saying this, Cui Xin lowered his head in shame.
Shen Changgong chuckled, and the generals around him laughed even louder.
The shrill laughter made Cui Xin feel even more guilty.
"Then are you willing to work for Dayan?"
Shen Changgong asked.
Cui Xin shook his head and said,
"Your Majesty, the criminal general is only surrendering, not surrendering..."
"This king only gives you two choices. If you surrender, I will accept it. As for you, I will not kill those who surrender.
You can either obey my orders and lead the way for me, or go back to Yan State and spend time in prison."
After thinking about it carefully, Cui Xin felt that being in prison would be a waste of food, sleep and freedom, and he might die at any time. It would be better to be Shen Changgong's dog, and maybe he could make some contributions and live a better life.
"Yes, the criminal will be willing to surrender to the prince."
Shen Changgong nodded with satisfaction and said,
"Alright, go call out all the soldiers and horses. Remember to divide them up. The veterans will stand on the west side of the city gate, and the local soldiers will stand on the east side. Go ahead."
"Thank you, Your Highness. Um... could Your Highness promise not to kill them..."
"As long as you are obedient, I won't kill any of you!"
Cui Xin quickly returned to the city.
Yang Hongying held the spear and grumbled dissatisfiedly,
"This kind of coward is really shameful. Why are you recruiting such a person, Your Highness?"
Hearing this, Shen Changgong smiled and said,
"It is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm, to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. Everyone has a desire to survive. When the gap in strength between the enemy and us is too great, fighting hard requires courage and is worthy of praise. Surrender is not shameful either.
Besides, I like enemies like this. If all the enemies were fearless and tough, how hard would it be for us to fight? "
Hearing this, Yang Hongying touched her chin and said,
"That seems to be the truth. Then let's hope that all our enemies are cowards!"
Shen Changgong was amused by Yang Hongying's cute contrast and said,
"Tell me about you, do you want me to transfer you to the Wushuang Army?"
The Wushuang Army is a legion led by Su Wuan and Wu Changge, and is currently fighting with Guan Shouchang.
Shen Changgong also knew that Yang Hongying had a good relationship with several young generals of the Zhengwu Order, especially Su Wuan and Wu Changge, who both seemed to like Yang Hongying.
Yang Hongying asked doubtfully,
"Why transfer me to the Wushuang Army? I'm quite content to be a lieutenant general in your camp."
"Isn't it because you have a good personal relationship with them? It's been a year since we last met, so I want you to catch up.
Don’t those two people like you very much?”
"Since when did the prince like to be a matchmaker?"
Yang Hongying rolled her eyes, as if she felt that this action was too rude, and continued,
"We can reminisce about the past anytime, but there's no need to transfer me there.
Firstly, they were reluctant to let me go into battle, fearing that I would get hurt. They would definitely abuse their power and send me to the back, which was inconsistent with my ideal of making great achievements.
Secondly, just like the prince said, they both like me, I know that, and if I go, they will get jealous and fight.
During the war, if the commander-in-chief and his deputy commander disagreed, the consequences were predictable."
"Oh? I didn't expect that you are actually a beauty who brings disaster, hahahaha."
Yang Hongying blushed slightly, gritted her teeth, and said
"Don't laugh at me, my lord. I'm not good-looking!"
"So what do you think of Yu Huatian? Yu Huatian hasn't gotten married yet."
"Your Majesty, I am still here."
Yuhuatian said with a frown on his face.
Shen Changgong laughed heartily and said,
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Lao Yu, you have a lot of troops under your command. When you divide the troops to attack those counties, temporarily allocate 50,000 troops to Yang Hongying and let her be the temporary commander to capture the next city. Doesn't she always want to make great achievements? Then give her a chance."
"I obey your orders. I will give General Yang 50,000 soldiers when the time comes."