GBP Chapter 644 Ordering the troops to return to the capital
Chapter 644 Ordering the troops to return to the capital
"We must reach Xuzhou before Bai Tiantian conquers Wu Kingdom, and speed up the process!" Yang Song said anxiously from horseback.
He lashed the horse's rump with the whip, keeping it galloping at top speed.
As the imperial envoy, he bore a heavy responsibility.
If Bai Tiantian is not stopped in time, it could very likely lead to turmoil in the court of the Daye Dynasty.
Beside him were hundreds of guards, all dressed in fish-scale armor, their faces cold and stern, clearly experts.
At each post station, Yang Song would change horses to maintain the fastest possible speed.
However, while the warhorses could still hold on, the soldiers were already struggling.
Especially considering his background as a civil official, it's quite remarkable that he possesses such horsemanship skills.
To complete the mission, Yang Song disregarded his physical exhaustion and traveled at all costs.
Three days later, the delegation of over a hundred people successfully arrived near Chu King Mountain and located the 300,000-strong army.
Yang Song was, after all, a civil official, and had never seen such a scene before, so he was quite intimidated.
Upon seeing the delegation, the 300,000-strong army immediately became alert, and tens of thousands of them surrounded them.
Because they were dressed as officials of the Daye Dynasty, the soldiers dared not make a move.
"I am Yang Song, the Imperial Envoy and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, here to deliver the imperial decree."
To conceal his fear, Yang Song deliberately raised his voice.
Among these 10,000 soldiers was a commander who had naturally heard of Yang Song's name and hurriedly reported it to Bai Tiantian's deputy.
"General Ding, someone from the imperial court has arrived."
"Does the court already know that the Grand General has been arrested?" Ding Jian muttered to himself, feeling somewhat flustered, mistakenly believing that the emperor was dissatisfied with their inaction.
Before long, Ding Jian arrived in front of Yang Song and said loudly, "Lord Yang, instead of enjoying yourself in Shuntian Prefecture, why do you have time to come to my poorly equipped army camp?"
Ding Jian was a Vice Commander-in-Chief, a second-rank official in the imperial court, whose rank was higher than Yang Song's, so naturally he wouldn't be afraid of him.
Before he arrived, Yang Song had guessed that this would be the case.
Among civil officials, his rank was not low, but compared with those in the Five Military Commands, he was somewhat inferior.
Furthermore, given the fiery temper of the military general, he might very well give Yang Song a hard time.
After all, he was an imperial envoy appointed by the Crown Prince. If he swallowed his anger, he would probably find it difficult to maintain his position in the court in the future.
"Where is Bai Tiantian?" Yang Song asked sternly, addressing Bai Tiantian by her full name.
He knew Bai Tiantian's temperament; if he didn't intimidate him with his presence, even an imperial edict might not be effective.
Bai Tiantian might even kill Yang Song and frame him for falsely conveying an imperial edict.
As long as the Wu Kingdom is conquered, all crimes can be absolved, and Yang Song will only be a wronged ghost.
"The General is busy conquering cities and fortresses, he probably doesn't have time to chat with you, Yang Song," Ding Jian said angrily, not intending to continue giving him a pleasant look.
A scholar can't reason with a soldier, let alone a general like Ding Jian.
Yang Song had no time to argue with him. He simply unfolded the imperial edict on the jade scroll and loudly proclaimed, "Bai Tiantian, receive the edict!"
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Ding Jian felt somewhat guilty. After all, he didn't have Bai Tiantian's boldness to directly kill the imperial envoy who delivered the edict. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
"Seeing the imperial edict is like the emperor himself being there, why don't you kneel?" Yang Song said arrogantly.
He didn't have much confidence to begin with, but the golden light of the imperial edict gave him immense confidence.
Coupled with Ding Jian's flustered expression, Yang Song decided to announce the imperial decree in a high-handed manner.
After hesitating several times, Ding Jian still knelt on the ground with a respectful attitude.
"Where is Bai Tiantian? Is she going to defy the Emperor's decree?" Yang Song said unhappily.
Subduing Ding Jian is nothing special; his biggest obstacle is Bai Tiantian.
"The General is busy conquering cities and cannot leave for the time being. Perhaps I can receive the decree on his behalf," Ding Jian said in a low voice.
He was initially worried that news of Bai Tiantian's arrest would leak out, but judging from Yang Song's words, the court was unaware of it.
Given this, Ding Jian would certainly try his best to keep the news under wraps to avoid giving those court officials any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Bai Tiantian is a powerful figure in the imperial court. If he is arrested, the other faction will definitely take advantage of his misfortune, at best seizing the opportunity to absorb his followers, and at worst putting him to death.
"You? This is an imperial edict on a jade scroll? Do you deserve it?" Yang Song said sarcastically.
The imperial edicts of the Daye Dynasty had a strict hierarchical division. Only edicts issued to first-rank officials used jade shafts, while edicts for second-rank officials used black rhinoceros horn shafts.
While this statement is true, it also carries a sarcastic tone.
Ding Jian's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Yang Song, don't push your luck."
Seeing his fury, the tens of thousands of soldiers around him immediately tightened their encirclement and prepared to attack.
With 300,000 troops at his command, Ding Jian feared not even the emperor, let alone a mere vice minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Yang Song broke out in a cold sweat. He dared not escalate the matter, so he skipped the topic and read aloud:
The emperor was sent to heaven to carry the order, and the edict said:
General Bai Tiantian, working tirelessly day and night for the country, is truly a pillar of the nation. However, the campaign against the Wu Kingdom is a protracted war, and the General is advanced in years and in poor health. I cannot bear to see this happen, so I hereby order the General to return to the capital to receive his reward!
Admire this!
After speaking, Yang Song closed the jade scroll and carefully handed it to Ding Jian.
"General Ding, please accept the imperial decree."
"Returning in triumph?" Ding Jian looked on in astonishment.
The reason given in the imperial edict was clearly somewhat far-fetched. While Bai Tiantian was indeed not middle-aged, she could not be considered old.
Moreover, he is a master of the Black Lotus Realm, how could he be in poor health?
Clearly, this was the Emperor's deliberate recall of Bai Tiantian.
Ding Jian hesitated, clearly unwilling to retreat as victory was within reach.
But with the imperial edict before him, he could not disobey it.
Moreover, with Bai Tiantian captured, he really wouldn't dare launch an attack on the Wu Kingdom.
Therefore, Ding Jian found it very difficult to make a decision.
"Does General Ding have any further objections?" Yang Song took two steps forward and asked, secretly taking out the secret edict given to him by the Second Prince.
There were only two small words written on it: Return immediately!
Ding Jian knew that Bai Tiantian was loyal to the Second Prince, and he had also seen the Second Prince's notes, knowing that they were written in his own handwriting.
Since the boss has already agreed, there's no need for him to be so stubborn about his minor illness.
"This humble general obeys the decree!" Ding Jian held the imperial edict with both hands, raised it above his head, and said respectfully.
Seeing that Ding Jian genuinely accepted the imperial decree, Yang Song breathed a sigh of relief. After exchanging a few polite words, he quickly changed his mind about Shuntian Prefecture, not daring to linger in this dangerous place.
"Lin Wuqing, you'd better not harm the Great General, otherwise, the entire Wu Kingdom will be buried with you!" Ding Jian said through gritted teeth, gazing in the direction of Chu Wang Mountain.
Ding Jian knew that Lin Ping had arrested Bai Tiantian in order to force the Daye Dynasty to withdraw its troops, and that the other side would definitely release her at that time.
In that case, the imperial edict was actually to their advantage.
Ding Jian was unable to find a way to rescue Bai Tiantian, and he was afraid that a hasty retreat would lead to him being held accountable by the emperor.
"Return to the capital in triumph!" Ding Jian shouted, and immediately began to reorganize the army.
At the same time, Lin Ping was standing on the hilltop, watching the movements of the Daye Dynasty's army with great interest.
"Looks like you guessed right," Bai Tiantian said softly, but a cold smile played on her lips hidden beneath her armor.