After discussing how to defend the city, everyone dispersed.
Soon, only Lu Yulin and Yan Xiaobing remained in the lobby.
"Brother, this time Commander Song probably won't give us another chance to redeem ourselves."
Yan Xiaobing sighed softly.
Lu Yulin remained silent.
He knew very well that after the defeat at Tiger Soul Pass and the loss at Yi Province, with the loss of Guan Sheng and thousands of elite troops, Song Hai would not let him off easily!
His position as Grand Marshal of Mount Liang is probably not secure...
The Ya Province Pass failed to hold, allowing the Shannan Army to enter Jiannan Circuit.
The failure to capture Yi Prefecture City left Mount Liang with no way out.
The ship of Mount Liang seems to be no longer stable; what should I do in the future?
Lu Yulin frowned in thought.
"Brother, we need to think about a way out!"
Yan Xiaobing suddenly lowered his voice and said.
Lu Yulin suddenly looked up at him, Yan Xiaobing said without any hesitation, "Brother, you were forced to join Mount Liang because you fell for Wu Yan's treacherous scheme. There's really no need for you to die with these people from Mount Liang!"
"Xiaobing!"
Lu Yulin gave a low, reprimanding sound.
Yan Xiaobing didn't continue speaking, but his face showed obvious hatred!
Lu Yulin was once a renowned figure in Hebei Circuit. Although he did not serve as an official in the imperial court, he was a wealthy and leisurely man who lived a carefree life, which was far better than becoming an outlaw.
However, Song Hai coveted Lu Yulin's reputation and martial arts skills, so Wu Yan devised a plan to have Lu Yulin write a rebellious poem, leading him step by step into a trap. Ultimately, Lu Yulin was wanted by the imperial court and had no choice but to join Mount Liang.
To the outside world, Song Hai saved Lu Yulin from the government and owed him a life-saving favor. After joining Mount Liang, he even wanted to give up the position of Grand Commander to Lu Yulin. In the end, he appointed Lu Yulin as the Grand Marshal of Mount Liang, second only to the leader, which can be described as being extremely benevolent and righteous!
Everyone on Mount Liang has to give a thumbs up and say that Commander Song is benevolent and righteous!
But what Lu Yulin, the person involved, was really thinking is something that only Yan Xiaobing can truly understand.
"Now that things have come to this, what's the point of dwelling on the past?"
Lu Yulin shook his head, unwilling to bring up the past again.
"As for our retreat... let's wait for news from Song Hai before we discuss it."
Inside the main hall, the former number one martial arts master of Hebei Circuit sighed forlornly.
At the same time, in Ya Province City.
Song Hai was discussing military affairs with several of his advisors.
He led the Mount Liang army to defend Ya Province City, and has been in a standoff with the Shannan Army outside the city for some time.
During this period, both sides engaged in some open and covert struggles, and neither side gained any significant advantage.
Both sides are waiting for news from Yi Province.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside, and a personal guard rushed in, kneeling on one knee. "Commander, urgent report from Rong Province!"
"Bring it here."
Song Hai said.
He took the letter from his personal guard, opened it and read it once, his expression unchanged, then read it again.
Several staff members in the hall looked at him, but none of them uttered a sound.
Song Hai put down the letter, then suddenly kicked over the table in front of him, scattering ink, paper, and brushes all over the floor!
"Lu Yulin is such a piece of trash!!!"
The roar was deafening, echoing out of the main hall and causing the soldiers guarding outside to change color drastically upon hearing it.
Lu Yulin's martial arts skills were unparalleled in Mount Liang, earning him the respect of many. Now, the Grand Commander has publicly berated him as a piece of trash?
If this news gets out, it will shock countless people!
Li Lin, the Whirlwind Hall, was just coming in from outside when he was nearly hit on the foot by the flying inkstone.
He paused, glanced at the mess on the ground, quickly stepped forward, and asked with concern, "Brother, what happened?"
"See for yourself."
Song Hai tossed the letter to him.
Li Lin took the letter and read it through, his expression changing as well. "Another defeat? What's going on with Lu Yulin? Wasn't the strategist supposed to have gone with him?"
"All of you, step back. Don't spread this around."
Song Hai said to his advisors.
"Yes!"
The group responded and quickly left the hall.
After the others left, Song Hai walked around the lobby twice, catching his breath.
"If we can't take Yi Province, we'll struggle to hold Rong Province next. Then we'll be trapped in Ya Province, attacked from both sides!"
Li Lin said urgently, "Then let's march on Yi Province again! This time I'll bring men!"
What do you know?
Song Hai suddenly turned to look at him, "If we divide our forces again, we won't even be able to hold Ya Province City! If we can't take Yi Province, we won't have enough food. If the fighting continues, we'll starve to death before anyone else even attacks us!"
Li Lin opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.
He was skilled in combat, but completely clueless about strategic analysis and couldn't offer any good advice.
Song Hai sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "The only option now is to consider offering amnesty."
Li Lin was stunned. "Big brother, what did you say?"
Song Hai repeated, "Send someone to negotiate with the imperial court. We still have Ya Province and Rong Province in our hands, and tens of thousands of troops. We can use these as bargaining chips to find a way out for our brothers."
Li Lin's face immediately turned bright red, and he slammed his hand on the Zhuzi:
"Accept amnesty! Accept amnesty! What kind of amnesty is this? Why did we rebel in the first place? Wasn't it because those corrupt officials forced us to the brink of starvation? Brother, now you're leading us to accept amnesty? How can you face all the brothers who followed you in this uprising?!"
"Shut the hell up!"
Song Hai slammed his fist on the table, his face flushed with anger. "In this situation, not surrendering means certain death! I'm only trying to find a better way out for all of us brothers because I care about their lives!"
Unable to win the argument, Li Lin gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently.
He stared at Song Hai for a long while, then finally flicked his sleeves and strode out of the hall.
Song Hai remained seated, making no attempt to stop the other party.
He looked down at the papers and ink scattered on the floor, his expression constantly changing.
Four days later, in Rong Province City.
A fast horse entered the city from the north gate, and the rider on horseback found Wu Yan with a letter.
Wu Yan took the letter, opened it, and read it through. His expression remained unchanged. He looked up at the messenger and said, "Go and rest for now. Don't let anyone know you brought a letter from the Grand Commander."
After everyone left, Wu Yan got up to go find Lu Yulin.
Upon seeing Lu Yulin, Wu Yan instructed him to dismiss his attendants and then had Yan Xiaobing stand guard outside the door.
Then he spoke:
"The Grand Commander believes that continuing this situation would be extremely disadvantageous for us. Therefore, he wants to take advantage of the remaining leverage to proactively negotiate amnesty with the imperial court."
"Accept amnesty?"
Lu Yulin's expression changed.
Wu Yan stared into his eyes and nodded. "What is the Grand Marshal's opinion?"
"..."
Lu Yulin pursed his lips and remained silent.
Wu Yan continued, "We haven't taken Tiger Soul Pass, nor have we taken Yi Province. Mount Liang has lost the initiative. Now, the grain reserves in Ya Province City are running low. If this drags on, Ya Province and Rong Province will be difficult to hold. At that point, Mount Liang will likely face certain death!"
Lu Yulin clenched his fists. Although the other party hadn't said a word of blame, he had led the troops to fight in both Tiger Soul Pass and Yi Prefecture City.
If Mount Liang is driven to a dead end, Lu Yulin bears an unshirkable responsibility!
Therefore, Wu Yan's question at this moment was an attempt to force him to take sides and support Song Hai's offer of amnesty.
Because there were some people on Mount Liang who were absolutely unwilling to accept the imperial pardon, such as Instructor Lin, who killed a high-ranking official in the capital!
If Song Hai wants to successfully lead all the Mount Liang troops to surrender to the imperial court, he must get the support of Grand Marshal Lu Yulin to suppress some dissent.
Even if we wanted to be granted amnesty, would the imperial court agree?
After a moment of silence, Lu Yulin asked.
Wu Yan's expression relaxed. "We have tens of thousands of troops and occupy two prefectures, so we have enough leverage. Next, we just need to hold Rong Province and wait for the Grand Commander to reach a conclusion with the court before making any further plans. If a deal is reached, the Grand Marshal will need to personally persuade the soldiers in the army."
Lu Yulin hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
Wu Yan didn't say anything more, and got up to take his leave.
"Elder brother."
Yan Xiaobing walked in from outside.
Lu Yulin looked at him. "You heard everything, didn't you?"
Yan Xiaobing nodded.
What do you think?
Lu Yulin asked.
Yan Xiaobing scoffed, "This Song Hai is a hypocrite. I bet from the very beginning of the uprising he was hoping to one day be granted amnesty! Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of seeking amnesty so soon after suffering a slight setback."
Lu Yulin made no comment. After all, it was Song Hai who led the men to rescue him when he was arrested and imprisoned by the imperial court.
There are some things that Yan Xiaobing can say, but he can't say.
Yan Xiaobing looked at him and said, "Brother, if you ask me, being granted amnesty wouldn't be bad. If we can reach an agreement with the imperial court, you might be able to get a decent official position in return for your position as the Grand Marshal of Mount Liang!"
Lu Yulin was taken aback upon hearing this.
Entering the imperial court as an official and making meritorious contributions was indeed his life's ideal.
"Xiaobing, you can go out now. Let me have some peace and quiet."
Lu Yulin suddenly spoke.
Yan Xiaobing glanced at his older brother with some surprise, but didn't say anything more before getting up and leaving.
That night, Lu Yulin sat alone in the room until dawn.
The nineteenth day after defeating Lu Yulin.
At dawn, outside the north gate of Yi Province, the Yi Province Militia had already lined up in formation.
The first, second, Third Battalion, the two Rong Province Battalion, as well as the cavalry battalion, the crossbow battalion, and the personal guard battalion were all present.
A total of more than 6,500 people.
Among them, the First Battalion had more than 100 new recruits, Second Battalion and Third Battalion each had more than 200 new recruits, totaling nearly 600 new recruits.
In addition, more than 3,000 Mount Liang prisoners were organized into grain transport teams, with everyone carrying grain on their backs or pushing grain carts.
The 6,000 troops of the Shannan Army were arrayed not far away.
Wu Shuangren rode his horse in front of the Yi Province Militia, passing by each camp one by one.
Xu Yu followed behind him, carrying the large banner with the character "Wu" on its back.
In addition, more than a dozen flags of the Shannan Army were also carried in the procession.