Chapter 614: Chapter 614
Dugu Jing stared at the two battle reports, his heart storming with turmoil. After Xie Xun reclaimed Zhongzhou, Sangnan stabilized, rendering him nearly invincible. Once the situation steadied further, Sangnan would inevitably become part of Beining. Xie Xun’s dream of unification would be realized, and Beiman submitting to Beining was only a matter of time. Even Fengyu had recognized the reality and approached Dugu Jing for negotiations. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelFirｅ.net
The first meeting ended in discord. Dugu Jing’s stance was clear—he absolutely refused to surrender. Beiman would fight to the last man, never yielding to defeat.
Fengyu did not persist in persuading him but instead encouraged Dugu Jing to go out and see the lives of the common people. Surrendering to Beining was the fastest way to bring his people peace and stability.
She understood that Dugu Jing would not easily submit. If the roles were reversed, Xie Xun would have made the same choice—an unwavering refusal to surrender. No matter how persuasive Fengyu was, Xie Xun would never abandon his homeland. To do so would be to dishonor the fallen soldiers and the ancestors of the Dugu Family.
Yet Dugu Jing also knew that surrender would bring the people a better life than the one they currently endured. But was it worth it? Abandoning their homeland to live on Beining’s soil—could Beining’s people truly treat them equally and accept them as their own? Dugu Jing dared not wager on such a prospect. After so many years of border conflict, the enmity ran as deep as the ocean, and no words or policy could easily mend it.
Fengyu also acknowledged Dugu Jing’s concerns. The two battle reports had shaken him far more than any words could. Dugu Jing was seriously considering the question of surrender, and Fengyu had given him the time to reflect.
In mid-September, Sangnan was utterly defeated. Han Ziqi’s vanguard army was nearly annihilated by the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry. Sangnan’s toxic formations were broken, and Fang Chuning led the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry to pursue Sangnan’s army, chasing them all the way to the Nanliu River and driving them beyond Beining’s borders. Sangnan’s forces retreated to the Nanliu River, taking the battle from land to water.
Naval warfare—this was where the Jiangnan Navy excelled.
Sangnan’s naval forces fell far short of the Jiangnan Navy’s expertise, and in ground battles, their advantage lay solely in their toxic formations. If ground combat failed, Sangnan’s defeat was inevitable. The King of Sangnan sought contact with Xie Jue, hoping for his assistance. After being refused, the Sangnan King submitted a letter of surrender, expressing willingness to negotiate with Beining. Marshal Fang and Xie Jue deliberated and agreed to the negotiations, on the condition that Sangnan would become a vassal state of Beining, permanently tributary to it. While Sangnan retained its sovereignty, it was required to cede six cities to Beining.
The King of Sangnan and Han Ziqi agreed to pay tributes but refused to give up six cities. As a result, the naval battles continued for six more days. The Jiangnan Navy and Ningzhou Iron Cavalry crossed the Nanliu River by force. Faced with grim prospects, Sangnan consented to all negotiation demands, ceding six cities to Beining and becoming its vassal state.
Thus, Sangnan suffered a total defeat, bringing stability to Jiangnan!
After Jiangnan was stabilized, the forces split into two. Marshal Fang led the Jiangnan Army in Lanzhou to clear the post-war debris, while Fang Chuning and Xie Jue commanded the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry northward towards Jiaozhou. Crossing the Bei River, they joined Xie Xun in a southern advance to encircle Zhongzhou City.
Zhongzhou City had become a thoroughly isolated fortress.
Generals Chen and Gao faced inevitable defeat. Within Zhongzhou City, panic swept through the populace. Xie Jue and Xie Xun were about to unite their armies in Zhongzhou, heralding the stabilization of Beining’s borders. No force could withstand the assault of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry.
Beining’s unification was now a foregone conclusion.
Dugu Jing lay awake all night.
He had long regretted his alliance with Yuwen Jing. Not only had it failed to eliminate Xie Jue and Xie Xun, but it had also given them the advantage. Xie Xun was like the person favored by the Heavenly God in Beiman’s legends, advancing with unstoppable momentum as though divinely aided. After rebelling from the Capital City, he had defied fate and ascended to the throne within three years. Now, both Beiman and Sangnan were set to become vassal states of Beining.
After Sangnan’s surrender, Xie Xun’s next target was undoubtedly Beiman.
Xie Xun was certainly not a ruler content with maintaining the status quo. He was the founding emperor, and his ultimate goal was unification. With the south consolidated, his sole remaining aspiration was the unification of the north. If Beiman refused to yield, war would compel submission. Beining’s current strength was overwhelming, completely unlike Yanyang of the previous dynasty. Xie Xun was distinctly different from the emperors of the Yuwen Family.
With the military and political powers unified, and Fengyu controlling the economic lifelines, Xie Xun would require only two years of recovery before launching an attack on Beiman. Beiman was no match for Beining.
If not, how many lives would be lost once war broke out?
After so many years of relentless conflict between Beiman and the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, exhaustion gripped both sides. Beiman needed a prolonged period of recovery, but Xie Jue and Xie Xun would never grant them the chance to regroup.
Dugu Jing even considered employing tactics similar to Xie Jue’s past stratagems to sow discord within Beiman. But he was no Xie Jue. Xie Jue’s identity had been secretive and unknown at the time, and as a strategist for the Crown Prince, it was easy for him to sow discord among the Princes. In contrast, Dugu Jing was a captive prince of an enemy nation, constantly monitored by the Jinyi Guard.
With Xie Xun personally overseeing the war, administrative affairs in the Capital City were managed by a cabinet led by young officials like Lin Helin and Zhang Boju, leaving Dugu Jing with no opportunities to exploit. The Beining Royal Family comprised only Xie Xun, Xie Jue, and Ruyi.
Ruyi was still a child, and Dugu Jing scorned the thought of targeting children, leaving him unable to replicate Xie Jue’s feats. Trapped in the Capital City, he found no alternative means of action. Fengyu frequently invited him for tea after presenting the battle reports, subtly conveying the benefits of surrender through her words, though she avoided directly broaching the topic.
Indeed, for the Dugu Family, surrender offered no advantages. But for the common people, it offered undeniable relief.
Post-surrender, the current Beiman King might be granted a title as a foreign prince, while Beiman’s people would be dispersed across northern cities, living under Beining’s governance. The status of a foreign prince was worlds apart from that of a sovereign king. Whether the Beiman King would accept was one matter; Dugu Jing, however, was deeply unwilling.
Fengyu remarked, "Ninth Prince, I’ve reviewed the battles between Beiman and the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry. Almost every conflict was instigated by Beiman. We have never taken the initiative to attack Beiman. If not for Beiman’s continual border provocations over the past century, the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry would not have grown to its current scale, nor stationed at Ningzhou as a defensive line. Xie Xun, being a product of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, views defeating Beiman and reclaiming it as his lifelong ambition—one surpassing even ascending the throne. It is the wish passed down by generations of the Xie family, one he will undoubtedly honor. Prince, upon returning to your homeland, perhaps you could advise your kingly brother. If Beiman genuinely surrenders, you may request whatever terms you desire, and negotiations can proceed amicably. Once the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry mobilizes, however, the terms will change. I understand Xie Xun; he will achieve unification. At this stage, there is no need to incite further conflict. Those matters that can be resolved without bloodshed—no one wishes to resort to war."
"Fengyu, give up. You’ll never convince me," Dugu Jing said, stubbornly standing his ground. "If one day Beiman’s soldiers and horses invade Ningzhou, I’ll offer Xie Xun the choice of surrender. Will he defend the gates to the death or exit the city to yield?"