Chapter 1546: The Crafty Luo Ying
Chapter 1546: Chapter 1546: The Crafty Luo Ying
"Negotiation?" Wu Po was shocked and said, "Uncle, you can’t go. Luo Ying is a fierce bandit, and he specifically targets court soldiers and officials. If you enter the city to negotiate and something happens to you, what then?"
Wu Mang sneered, "If we don’t go to negotiate, do we launch a full assault? Even if we succeed, countless soldiers will die. Soldiers’ lives are precious now. If you lose the city and a large number of soldiers die, just commit suicide to atone, so as not to implicate me!"
Last time, after Duke Xing’s defeat, Great Chu soldiers died in the hundreds of thousands. Now there are almost no troops to resist the Rong people, and the Emperor is very anxious. If we fight Luo Ying here and suffer heavy casualties, even if the Emperor has no generals left, he will still execute our Wu family of three.
What?
Wu Po dared not speak, thought for a moment, mustered all his courage, and with the resolve of facing death, said, "Uncle, let me accompany you."
Wu Mang glanced at him, snorted coldly, "Of course, you have to go with me. You think you can avoid solving the mess you caused yourself?"
Then he pointed at Wu Chengqi and said, "You are going too!"
Ah?
Wu Chengqi was stunned, thinking, I don’t have to go, right? I’m just a Chief Commander.
But he didn’t dare say it, nodded hesitantly, and finally asked, "Great Uncle, how many soldiers are we bringing into the city?"
With a bang, Wu Mang kicked him and angrily said, "You want to bring soldiers and horses to negotiate with Luo Ying? Do you think he has a good temper?!"
Luo Ying, a spoiled son, has the worst temper, and he only agreed to negotiate because he cannot currently hold Beicang Prefecture.
After scolding, Wu Mang immediately ordered Vice General Jin to send a message to Luo Ying to prepare for the negotiation.
"I obey," said Vice General Jin, and he went to the city gate to personally deliver the message.
The fierce bandits guarding the city took the message up in a basket and delivered it to Luo Ying.
Luo Ying, having already learned of Wu Mang’s arrival, smiled and replied to Wu Mang.
Seeing Luo Ying’s reply, Wu Mang’s white beard trembled with rage, but he could only agree, ordering, "Retreat thirty miles, and then send all our warhorses and carriages to the West City Gate."
What?
Everyone was shocked, and Vice General Jin asked, "Old General, what did Luo Ying demand in his letter?"
Wu Mang couldn’t say it out loud, so he handed the letter to Vice General Jin.
After reading it, Vice General Jin was shocked. Luo Ying, a spoiled brat, had no limits in his humiliations, yet they had to agree, or Luo Ying would refuse to negotiate.
"Pass the order, break camp, and retreat thirty miles!" Vice General Jin ordered the gongs to be sounded to notify the entire camp, "Take all the warhorses and carriages to the West City Gate, and immediately return after delivery."
"Yes!" The entire camp mobilized, retreating or delivering as ordered.
After they retreated thirty miles, Luo Ying opened the West City Gate, pulled in the warhorses and carriages, and began to transport the treasures and supplies gathered during this time out of the city, taking shortcuts to send them to the Northwest.
Dozens of carriages, plus over a hundred warhorses—a grand procession indeed.
Far away, Vice General Jin watched with heartache, feeling that Beicang Prefecture was being emptied.
And their warhorses and carriages, fearing they may never return.
Indeed, Luo Ying never intended to return the warhorses and carriages.
After everything was transported, another night passed, and the next morning, Luo Ying sent word to Wu Mang, saying he could enter the city—but only their Wu family trio could enter, and they must do so unarmed and without armor.
Wu Mang agreed.
Wu Po and his son were scared to death, clutching Wu Mang as they looked around and entered the city.
But as soon as they entered, they were beaten by Pang Hai and his men—beaten almost to the point of losing consciousness. The reason for the beating: darting around like vermin lacking the upright demeanor of a military officer—a deserved beating!
Wu Mang couldn’t find words to refute this reason, and after Pang Hai finished his beating, they carried the battered Wu Po father and son to the charcoal workshop.
Pang Hai said, "Lord Ying said to let you see the tunnel dug by the Rong people first, lest you claim it’s not a tunnel but a trench."
The mockery in these words was palpable, but Wu Mang could only follow Pang Hai down to see the tunnel.
After seeing it, he was greatly alarmed—the tunnel was real. Fortunately, Luo Ying and his men discovered it early; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Come, let’s see Lord Ying." Pang Hai led them to the government office.
Outside the government office gate, many civilians were gathered to watch the spectacle. Seeing Wu Mang, people murmured, "Is this old man near death really the Central Plains’ Commander? Isn’t he too old? If the Rong people attack, will he protect us, or will we protect him?"
These words brought a blush to Wu Mang’s old face.
He knew he was old, but the Emperor trusted him, appointing him as the Central Plains Commander.
"Old Wu, it’s been years since I saw you. You’re still alive?" Luo Ying sat on the public assembly bench of the government office, overlooking the entering Wu Mang.
Wu Mang didn’t mind his words, only saying, "I came to negotiate, not to be judged. Luo family’s boy, come down and speak."
Luo Ying said, "Ha, you forced your useless nephew into Beicang Prefecture as the garrison general, causing the Rong people to dig a tunnel in the city. Isn’t this a crime? If guilty, why not judge you?!"
Turning to the watching crowds, he asked, "Everyone, am I right?"
"Yes! Lord Ying makes sense!"
Watching a spectacle comes with two taels of silver, so Lord Ying was, of course, very reasonable.
Wu Mang’s face turned livid with anger, but Luo Ying didn’t care; he aimed to humiliate these incompetent old generals of Great Chu.
After a while, Luo Ying tossed down a scroll, saying, "My demands are all written here. If you agree and execute them, I’ll leave with my brothers. Otherwise, we’ll stay here."
Glaring at Wu Po and his son, Luo Ying said, "I can afford to linger, but your Wu family cannot. If this isn’t resolved quickly, and the news reaches the Capital, Emperor Jingyuan would surely offer your nephew and grand-nephew as sacrifices to the heavens."
Luo Ying had hit Wu Mang’s sore spot, forcing him to compromise, but for Wu Mang, bending down to pick up the scroll tossed by Luo Ying was impossible, so he looked at Magistrate Jin with murderous eyes.
With a shiver, Magistrate Jin quickly picked up the scroll and offered it to Wu Mang, "Old General, please take a look."
Don’t involve me in this. It’s tough enough for me as it is.
Wu Mang took the scroll, opened it, and grew increasingly furious, almost smashing the scroll down, but eventually restrained himself, saying, "I will try to fulfill the other demands, but asking me to execute my own nephew and grand-nephew is too difficult. I cannot do it."
Ah ah ah, Uncle/Great Uncle, you truly care for us the most. So touching!
Luo Ying watched Wu Po and his son’s eyes shining with gratitude, feeling nauseated, then turned to Wu Mang, saying, "You can’t do it, right? Indeed, without them, your Wu family would end. I’m not one to completely exterminate. Here, give me one hundred thousand taels of silver and a supply of provisions, weapons, armor, etc., and I’ll let them off."
What!
Wu Mang was shocked, angrily saying, "I can try to gather the silver for you, but asking for military supplies and weapons—do you want me to empty the Central Plains Commandery?!"