tkworld Chapter 2597 A gentleman may be deceived by his principles, but he will never surrender to the emper
Chapter 2597 A gentleman may be deceived by his principles, but he will never surrender to the emper
Chapter 2597 A gentleman may be deceived by his principles, but he will never surrender to the emperor.
Upon hearing that Jiang Ziya actually wanted to discuss matters privately with Xiao Ping'an, all the generals present expressed their opposition.
How could the generals present feel at ease if the two were alone together?
Xiao Ping'an raised his hand to stop the generals. He glanced at Jiang Ziya and waved his hand, saying, "You may all step back and wait outside the tent."
“Daoist Master…” Xiao Ping’an turned to Tongtian and spoke.
The Master of Heaven said calmly, "You two talk."
Having said that, his figure rippled like water and disappeared into the tent, leaving only a faint trace of sword intent lingering around him, as if it were a warning or a tacit approval.
Helpless, the generals could only draw their swords and glare angrily at Jiang Ziya before leaving the tent in turn.
Only Xiao Ping'an and Jiang Ziya remained in the tent. The atmosphere was still heavy, but with a touch of mysterious tranquility.
Jiang Ziya spoke first, his tone calm, yet every word struck Xiao Ping'an's heart like a hammer blow.
“Mysterious Venerable, the bloody battle at Wild Wolf Ridge has lasted for over a month, and both our families have suffered heavy casualties, which is truly regrettable. However, if I may be frank, Great Xuan is now at its wit’s end.”
"Although Wild Wolf Ridge is treacherous, how long can it stop Prince Jiang Qianqiu? Below the ridge, the Qian army numbers two hundred thousand, well-trained and well-supplied, their morale at its peak. And under Xuanzun's command, how many soldiers are still fit to fight? How much usable food? How many indomitable cities remain?"
Jiang Ziya paused for a moment, then continued, "Not only this ridge, but also outside your capital city, the troops of my Great Qian generals Chen Qingzhi and Chang Zaiqiu, though they have not yet breached the city, are launching an offensive that is relentless day and night."
"How long can the capital city hold out? Eight or nine-tenths of the Great Xuan territory has already been lost, the people are filled with fear, and the world knows that defeat is imminent. All that remains is the time it will take, and..."
At this point, Jiang Ziya's tone suddenly changed, "And, before this final destruction arrives, how much more blood will the Great Qian Dynasty shed, how many casualties will it suffer?"
Upon hearing Jiang Ziya's words, Xiao Ping'an fell silent.
Every word Jiang Ziya spoke was a stark reality, reflecting the confusion and anxieties he had previously harbored.
"Does the Venerable Master know that because Wild Wolf Ridge is difficult to attack and Guidu City is difficult to capture, the casualties of our Great Qian soldiers are increasing day by day. As a result, a sense of resentment and anger has been accumulating in the hearts of the soldiers, a anger that must be vented after the city is breached."
As he spoke, Jiang Ziya's tone grew increasingly somber.
He said these words not merely to threaten Xiao Ping'an, who was not so easily threatened; he was simply stating a fact, a fact that he himself did not want to face, but had no choice but to.
Throughout history, massacres of cities have been common occurrences, but not every general was so ruthless.
Among these generals who ordered the massacre of the city, there were naturally many who were extremely bloodthirsty, but there were also those who were forced into it.
If the attacking side suffers heavy casualties during the siege, and the soldiers are not given an outlet for their frustration after the city falls, they might turn to their superiors for revenge.
Jiang Ziya's tone grew increasingly heavy as he said, "Weapons are instruments of violence, which sages use only as a last resort. However, if the war becomes too brutal, this ferocious energy becomes difficult to control."
"When the city falls, it may not just be a change of regime, but rather... a complete destruction of everything, with blood flowing like rivers."
"The loyalty and bravery of the soldiers under Xuanzun's command who fought to the death may not bring them posthumous honor, but rather a more thorough death and extermination of their clan, their homeland turned into charred remains, and their people reduced to straw dogs."
"Has Xuanzun persisted until now? Is it for himself? For his soldiers? Or for the countless people behind him?" "If Xuanzun is doing this for the sake of the people behind him, when persisting might lead to even more severe consequences, is this hopeless persistence still the same heart of protection that Xuanzun originally had?"
"I have come here not to humiliate you, nor to offer empty words of surrender, but to find a way for Xuanzun, for the people of Wild Wolf Ridge, and for the remaining soldiers and civilians of the Great Xuan... a way to survive, a way to avoid the most tragic end."
"What Qianjun seeks is nothing more than the unification of the world and the restoration of the land. If Xuanzun is willing to consider the well-being of the people, he can do his best to mediate, protect the ancestral temples from extinction, save the lives of the soldiers, and reassure the hearts of the common people."
"This is what I wish to discuss with Venerable Xuanzun alone."
After Jiang Ziya finished speaking, he stood quietly, waiting for Xiao Ping'an's response.
Jiang Ziya's journey was almost identical to Wang Yingkan's earlier trip to Yandu, both essentially demonstrating that a gentleman can be deceived by his own methods.
This kind of rhetoric only works on monarchs like Xuanyuan Huang and Xiao Ping'an. If it were other monarchs, they wouldn't care about this kind of talk at all.
In chaotic times, ambitious people are never in short supply; on the contrary, people like Xiao Ping'an are extremely precious.
However, people like him often find it difficult to make it to the end in such chaotic times. In fact, they are not guaranteed a good ending.
The silence inside the tent seemed to freeze time. Jiang Ziya did not urge him, but waited quietly. In his eyes, which had seen many vicissitudes of life, Xiao Ping'an's intense struggle and weighing of options seemed to be reflected.
Finally, Xiao Ping'an raised his head and said to Jiang Ziya with unwavering resolve, "An emperor has his own way of dying, and a monarch has his own dignity."
"I, Xiao Ping'an, will never be a surrendered emperor who begs for the imperial seal and submits to the emperor!"
"The Great Xuan may perish, but I will not live in that way, nor will I end in that way."
There is a deep-seated hatred between the two sides. If Xiao Ping'an were to grovel before the Great Qian, he would rather die.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziya's heart sank. He could hear the resoluteness in Xiao Ping'an's words, a resoluteness that left no room for negotiation.
“But!” Xiao Ping’an changed the subject, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at Jiang Ziya.
"I know what you want and I can make your goal come true. I can take Wild Wolf Ridge without bloodshed, and even... end this war."
Jiang Ziya's eyes narrowed slightly. He had probably guessed what the other party was thinking, and finally spoke up, "Please speak, Venerable Xuanzun."
If things really turn out as he predicted, then this outcome is not the best result Jiang Ziya had hoped for.
However, when there is no other choice, one can only settle for second best.
“First,” Xiao Ping’an said in a deep voice, holding up one finger.
"All surviving soldiers and civilians in and around Wild Wolf Ridge, regardless of how they resisted, shall not be investigated, slaughtered, or plundered after the Qian army takes control."
"Your Great Qian must fulfill your responsibility to protect the borders and ensure the safety of the people, so that they can live and order can be gradually restored. This is not for me alone, but for the sake of the millions of people who have a chance to survive."
Even at the very end, Xiao Ping'an's thoughts were not on himself, but on the countless people within the Great Xuan Realm.
And his first request was not for himself, but for the sake of his millions of subjects.