"I'm willing to share the contents of this warehouse equally with the Shannan Army."
Upon hearing this, Xu Rong's expression softened.
Although still somewhat unwilling, the Yi Province Militia had sent over 10,000 additional troops. In terms of both numbers and strength, the other side was now stronger within Rong Province City.
If Wu Shuangren's attitude is truly firm and he refuses to back down in the slightest, Xu Rong really has no confidence in taking the warehouse back from him.
To take it to an extreme, what if Wu Shuangren led his men to slaughter all the Shannan Army here, then blamed it on the Mount Liang rebels? Or perhaps the enemy themselves rebelled?
Although the possibility is small, Xu Rong has to be on guard.
Now that Wu Shuangren is willing to take the initiative to back down, Xu Rong naturally follows suit.
"Not only that, I also want to do business with the Shannan Army."
Wu Shuangren continued, "I can buy all the armor that the Shannan Army captured in the city, including the armor they will take from the Mount Liang bandits later."
Xu Rong was taken aback.
No one would complain about having too much armor, a weapon of war. But the situation is different for border troops. There is a quota for armor in the army, and they can apply to the court for new armor periodically.
There are many shady dealings involved. For example, border troops can report armor that is not yet damaged to the Ministry of War as damaged, and then secretly sell these old armors for money.
Did the Shannan Army ever secretly sell armor?
Wu Shuangren leans towards yes.
After all, Mist Hidden Temple had previously been able to purchase infantry armor from the military.
If even something as basic as infantry armor can be sold, how many of the Wu Dynasty's border troops can be clean?
Wu Shuangren's statement that he wanted to be friends with the Shannan Army was not entirely a polite remark.
Firstly, he did not yet have an official status, and it would be unwise to confront the border troops head-on.
Secondly, if he could establish a relationship with the Shannan Army, Wu Shuangren also wanted to learn from Mist Hidden Temple and secretly purchase infantry armor from the border army!
Therefore, even if he occupied the Changping Granary first, he was willing to give half of the money to the Shannan Army.
"Militia Commander Wu has lofty ambitions."
Xu Rong realized what was happening and said meaningfully.
Wu Shuangren laughed and said, "General Xu, you misunderstand. I've only just experienced the upheaval at Mount Liang and know how difficult the world is. I just want to have some means to protect myself. Besides, I genuinely want to maintain a long-term relationship with General Xu and make money together!"
Xu Rong looked at Wu Shuangren, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, "Alright, I also hope to make a fortune with Militia Commander Wu in the future!"
Guo Jiwang met Wu Shuangren inside the city.
"Have you reached an agreement with Xu Rong?"
Guo Jiwang Wu Shuangren's relaxed expression, Guo Jiwang guessed the outcome.
Wu Shuangren nodded. "He said he was willing to sell me all the armor we captured this time. With this start, things will be much easier later."
Guo Jiwang picked up his wine gourd, took a sip, and said, "In that case, the matter in Rong Province is considered settled, but I suspect there might be some changes in Ya Province."
"Why do you say that, sir?"
Wu Shuangren asked.
Guo Jiwang said, "Lu Yulin led the last of Mount Liang's elite troops out of the west gate first, and then detoured northwards."
"Oh?"
Wu Shuangren was taken aback; this was something he hadn't expected.
Guo Jiwang: "The fact that the enemy dared to head north means they've already figured out that the men I brought aren't from the Shannan Army. But what makes them so certain? Why are they even willing to gamble with their own lives? If they gamble wrong, they could face total annihilation!"
Wu Shuangren fell into deep thought.
"The fact that these people from Mount Liang chose to abandon the city shows that they genuinely believed Ya Province City had fallen and Song Hai was dead; at least most of the soldiers believed it."
"But after escaping the city, the enemy suddenly turned north, indicating that high-ranking officers in the army, for some reason, saw through my scheme."
"The other side hadn't even come into close contact with the 10,000 men I brought at that time. The only reason they could figure it out so quickly is because they believed that Song Hai and the others in Ya Province City couldn't possibly be in trouble."
"Why are they so certain? And why does this certainty only come from a very small number of high-ranking officials..."
Guo Jiwang analyzed the situation at an extremely fast pace.
He suddenly gripped the gourd in his hand, his eyes sharpening. "I understand!"
Wu Shuangren was a little slow to keep up with the other person's train of thought, and could only ask, "What have you guessed, sir?"
Guo Jiwang looked at Wu Shuangren and said in a deep voice, "Over in Ya Province City, Song Hai may already be negotiating with the Shannan Army about surrendering to the emperor!"
"Accept amnesty?"
Wu Shuangren suddenly realized what was happening.
While the history of this world shares some similarities with the history in my past life, there are many more differences.
Therefore, Wu Shuangren never used his experience from his previous life to judge the situation in this life.
Now, after hearing Guo Jiwang's analysis, he could be certain that, at least in this world, Mount Liang and the Mount Liang in his previous life's memories had something in common regarding the issue of accepting amnesty.
Guo Jiwang continued, "I personally interrogated Guan Sheng in Yi Prefecture City. He holds a high position in Mount Liang and knows quite a bit of inside information. Most of Mount Liang's high-ranking members come from the imperial court; for example, Guan Sheng was originally from a military family. These people who joined the rebellion may not necessarily stick to it to the end. If the imperial court is willing to offer them amnesty, most of them would be willing to grant them wives and children and submit to the imperial court."
Wu Shuangren nodded. "Sir, your speculation is correct. I think it is very likely that way."
Guo Jiwang let out a heavy sigh and gave a mocking smile, "Murder and arson, then surrender... If Song Hai uses his two prefectures and tens of thousands of troops as bargaining chips to negotiate with the Shannan Army, the surrender would most likely be agreed upon. That's why Lu Yulin and others were so certain that the ten thousand men I brought weren't from the Shannan Army. But there are also some people in Mount Liang who absolutely refuse to surrender, so this news will never be announced until the matter is settled. That's why most people in Mount Liang believe that Ya Province City has really fallen and Song Hai is really dead, and thus panicked and abandoned the city to flee."
He meticulously analyzed the psychological changes of Mount Liang and his men, step by step!
Wu Shuangren's eyes turned cold.
If Song Hai and the Mount Liang people successfully surrender to the imperial court and become part of its military force, they will be a different story.
What about those Militia Private who died defending Yi Province?
What about the common people who were harmed by Mount Liang?
"Take your men and go after them immediately!"
Guo Jiwang suddenly said to Wu Shuangren, "The matter of surrendering to the emperor requires the approval of the central government, so it won't be settled so quickly. Before Xu Rong receives the news, and before Lu Yulin's forces escape back to Ya Province, you can annihilate them in one fell swoop!"
"Good!"
Wu Shuangren nodded without hesitation.
"Should we take men and chase them now?"
Xu Rong looked at Wu Shuangren, who had suddenly come to him, with a surprised expression.
Wu Shuangren nodded. "The enemy left in a hurry and didn't take much food. It won't be enough to keep them going all the way to Ya Province City. Their speed will slow down in a few days. If we catch up now, we'll definitely be able to catch up!"
"Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
Xu Rong said.
Now that they have captured Rong Province City, and before they have even fully tallied their gains, the Shannan Army he led is like a beast that has just eaten its fill, not yet having digested its food, and is somewhat lazy and unwilling to move.
"We should press our advantage and pursue the fleeing enemy. If we allow Lu Yulin to escape back to Ya Province City with those Mount Liang elites, we will have to pay a much higher price to deal with them in the future."
Wu Shuangren said to Xu Rong, "Now is the best opportunity to wipe out these people!"
Xu Rong and Wu Shuangren exchanged glances, and Xu Rong slowly said, "I'm starting to believe that you do indeed have a grudge against Mount Liang."
Wu Shuangren's expression was serious. "There is indeed a grudge!"
In the end, Xu Rong agreed to Wu Shuangren, but said he would wait until the next morning to lead troops with the Yi Province Militia to pursue them.
The Shannan Army still needed a night to rest and take stock of their spoils.
Wu Shuangren couldn't shake off Xu Rong and set off with his men first, because Xu Rong wouldn't let him take over the Mount Liang forces by himself.
Lu Yulin's elite Mount Liang force, along with over a thousand cavalry and a large quantity of armor, would yield a harvest comparable to that within Rong Province City if they could be captured!
Xu Rong certainly wouldn't give it to Wu Shuangren.
The two sides have only just begun to establish cooperation, Wu Shuangren can only wait for the Shannan Army.
The night sky was clear and still, dotted with countless stars.
Under the cover of night, Lu Yulin and his men found a place near the official road to set up camp and rest.
Because the more than 10,000 Shannan Army had not made a move, and Wu Yan said that Song Hai was not dead and Ya Province City had not fallen.
Therefore, the morale of this escaped elite Mount Liang was still maintained.
Around the campfire, Lu Yulin, Wu Yan, Lin Qian, Zhigang, Liang An, Yan Xiaobing, the main leaders, sat in a circle.
More than thirty minor and medium-sized leaders of Mount Liang were seated on the outer perimeter.
"Strategist, you can speak now. Why are you so certain that Ya Province City has not fallen and the Grand Commander is not dead?"
Liang An asked.
Wu Yan and Lu Yulin exchanged a glance and nodded.
Then Wu Yan spoke up, "Since things have come to this, I'll be frank. The Grand Commander sent me a message more than ten days ago, saying that he was already negotiating with the Shannan Army about surrendering to the enemy."
"What did you say?!"
Zhigang stood up, his hair and beard bristling, glaring angrily at Wu Yan.
His sect was wiped out by the Six Doors back then, so he hates the imperial court to the bone!
If we were to name one of the Mount Liang leaders who was absolutely against accepting amnesty, Zhigang would certainly be one of them.
Wu Yan sighed, "Hall Master Zhigang, don't be angry yet, listen to me."
Zhigang clenched his fists. "Fine, then tell me, is the Grand Commander really already negotiating amnesty with the Shannan Army?"
Wu Yan said, "This is a last resort. We failed to capture Tiger Soul Pass, and the Shannan Army has already entered Jiannan Circuit; we also failed to take Yi Province, and the grain supplies in Ya Province City are running low. If this continues, the tens of thousands of Mount Liang brothers may eventually all meet their demise!"
"So the Grand Commander wants to offer amnesty?"
A cold voice rang out; this time, it was Lin Qian who spoke.
Lin Qian was originally the chief instructor of the 200,000 Imperial Guards, Principal Fifth Rank military officer. He had a luxurious mansion in the capital, a beautiful wife, and a smooth and fulfilling life.
However, the woman was targeted by a dissolute young man in the capital and suffered a terrible humiliation. Upon returning home, unable to endure it any longer, she chose to hang herself!
In anger, Lin Qian killed the dandy and also assassinated his father who was an official in the capital!
Therefore, Lin Qian was definitely one of the people in Mount Liang who was least willing to accept the imperial pardon.
Among the Mount Liang heroes, Zhigang and Lin Qian had the best relationship. On the one hand, Zhigang had once saved Lin Qian's life; on the other hand, it was also because the two had similar experiences and both hated the imperial court to the core.
"At worst, we'll fight the imperial court; why should we compromise?"
"We became outlaws because we couldn't stand the court's humiliation. If the Grand Commander wants to offer amnesty, how can he face his brothers?"
We will never surrender!
"..."
Among the surrounding group of minor and medium-sized leaders, quite a few also stood up and shouted loudly.
Wu Yan remained relatively calm; he had anticipated this outcome long ago after he mentioned the possibility of being granted amnesty.
He turned to look at Lu Yulin, his eyes signaling that it was time for the latter to step forward and reassure the troops.
Whether in terms of force or reputation, only Lu Yulin could temporarily suppress these people present.
To Wu Yan's surprise, Lu Yulin, who had previously agreed to cooperate with Song Hai's attempt to recruit him into the government, remained completely unmoved.
"The Grand Marshal is also aware of this matter."
Left with no other choice, Wu Yan had to take the initiative to pull Lu Yulin off the field.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Lu Yulin remained seated motionless.
Lu Yulin opened his mouth, the firelight reflecting off his face, flickering uncertainly.
"I am indeed aware of this matter."
"..."
Wu Yan was stunned. That was it?