Military camp.
Cao Man entered the command tent, his heart heavy with worry.
Now that the Great Pine Dynasty's army of 250,000 had marched south, Great Liang had truly been driven to the brink!
In terms of righteous legitimacy, Great Pine was the orthodox imperial court—this was a campaign to suppress rebels!
In terms of public opinion, because Great Liang had implemented a policy requiring officials and gentry alike to pay grain taxes, while slaughtering landlords with brutal severity, its reputation in Jiangnan was truly poor.
Militarily, the 200,000 Imperial Guards were superbly equipped, with another 50,000 of Song Gongbao's surrendered troops serving as the vanguard. They were all battle-hardened veterans, and their experience in suppressing rebels was even more abundant!
"Cao Man, you actually made it here."
Inside the command tent, Aaron was drinking. Beside him, Little Jade was tearing into a roasted suckling pig, eating with great relish.
Seeing Cao Man arrive, he could not help but look somewhat surprised.
"Prime Minister... the imperial court is simply picking peaches! They deliberately waited until we and King of Wu had both been battered to pieces before coming to reap the fisherman's profit!"
Cao Man beat his chest in anguish.
"As if they deserve it?"
Aaron sneered, drained the wine from his cup, and said with another cold laugh, "You came at just the right time... I was looking for you. With the imperial army attacking, our soldiers have suffered grievous losses. The prefectural capital will surely be unstable as well, and there are still 20,000 prisoners who need guarding... Our army has only 12,000 men left, and that includes the lightly and heavily wounded..."
"My intention is for you and Tang Xun to take 7,000 men, escort the prisoners back to the prefectural city, hold down the rear, and