frightfiction Chapter 230 Persuading Surrender
Chapter 230 Persuading Surrender
During the long journey of transfer, Lin Kunlun keenly noticed that the attitude of Yuan Quan's soldiers towards him had undergone subtle changes. They were no longer indifferent and wary as before, but began to actively communicate with him, and some soldiers even humbly obeyed his command. Lin Kunlun knew that this change was not only due to the extraordinary strength he showed, but also because during this period of time, he finally let them have enough food! After all, many people participated in it in the first place just to have enough food, and they all knew very well how precious these foods were. These reasons together won the respect and trust of the soldiers.
"The time is ripe, it's time to recruit these talents." Lin Kunlun silently calculated in his heart. He knew that if he wanted to truly expand his power, he had to recruit talents. Yuan Quan's subordinates were all elites who had experienced dozens of battles and were rare and precious assets. What's more, the experience of those veterans who fought in the Northeast with Yuan Quan's father was even more priceless.
In the following days, Lin Kunlun led the group to cleverly avoid the pursuit of officers and soldiers, while taking the opportunity to have in-depth exchanges with Yuan Quan's men. Through frequent communication and interaction, the two sides gradually established a deep friendship and solid trust. Finally, with Yuan Quan's tacit consent, Lin Kunlun successfully recruited these soldiers, greatly enhancing his own strength.
At the same time, Sun Ting was also actively preparing for the encirclement and suppression of Yuan Quan and his men. He assembled a large number of troops and implemented a strict blockade and search for Yuan Quan and his men. However, thanks to the wit and bravery of Lin Kunlun and his men, they were able to cleverly shake off the pursuit of the officers and soldiers every time and continue to fight the enemy firmly.
"Report to the general! We have captured a spy of the officers and soldiers!" Lin Kunlun and his men were heading towards Henan County, carefully avoiding the encirclement and suppression of the officers and soldiers. During this long journey, they consumed a huge amount of food and supplies.
"Brother Yuan! It seems that Sun Ting will not be satisfied until he catches you! He has almost mobilized all the troops here!" Lin Kunlun took out a simple map. In order to avoid the soldiers, they have been moving forward in the mountains. Fortunately, they brought a lot of food and grass. Each soldier was given a batch of food and grass. Otherwise, it would be impossible to hold on for so long!
"That's true! When Sun Ting was in the Northeast, he was taken care of by the Marshal! Otherwise, how could a scholar like him gain a foothold in the Northeast! Now he is so ruthless!" Tie Feng said at this time.
"He is now the Minister of War! He was sent here again, so he will not be soft-hearted! However! This won't work. I'm afraid our food and grass won't last long! We still have to find a way to get to Henan County! The damage to Henan County is not that great, and there is food and grass everywhere! With food, we can recruit more refugees and develop more troops!" Tang Hai shook his head at this time. If he was in Sun Ting's position, he might do better than him. As the saying goes, you should do your job well.
At this time, a soldier was pushed in. The soldier was not wearing armor or anything like that. He was just wearing ordinary clothes!
Lin Kunlun and Yuan Quan sat in the upper seats, while the others stood on both sides. Soldiers holding weapons stood aside, alert. The officer was roughly pushed to the ground. Although this was just a simple pavilion built in the wild, this scene still frightened the envoy sent by the Sun court. He thought that after days of siege, these rebels were starving due to the shortage of food in the mountains, but he didn't expect that they were all full of energy and didn't look hungry at all. This state was definitely not a disguise. How could people who were hungry for a long time have such abundant energy?
"Tell me, where are you from?" Tang Hai stood aside and asked sternly.
"I am sent by Lord Sun, the Minister of War, to deliver a letter to General Yuan Quan!" The man hurriedly took out a piece of letter from his arms.
Lin Kunlun and Yuan Quan looked at each other and tacitly realized the importance of the letter. They signaled the soldier to stand up and hand over the letter. The soldier stood up tremblingly and handed over the letter with trembling hands.
Yuan Quan took the letter, unfolded it with a frown, took a deep breath, read it quickly, and then handed it to Lin Kunlun.
Lin Kunlun took the letter and also read it carefully. In the letter, Sun Ting, as the Minister of War, urged Yuan Quan to surrender, promising that as long as Yuan Quan surrendered to the court, his past crimes would be forgiven and he would be given a high position and generous salary.
"Sun Ting's calculations are quite clear." Lin Kunlun smiled contemptuously and threw the letter on the table. "Does he think that high positions and generous salaries can shake Brother Yuan's determination?"
Yuan Quan also sneered in response: "How can I, Yuan Quan, be the kind of person who forgets my loyalty for the sake of profit? Since I have chosen this path, I have already made up my mind to die. Take this letter back and tell Sun Ting that I appreciate his 'good intentions', but I, Yuan Quan, will never betray my faith and brothers!"
The soldier obviously had not expected Yuan Quan to refuse so resolutely. He was stunned for a moment and stammered, "General Yuan, please think about it again. This is a rare opportunity..."
"Go back and tell Sun Ting that I, Yuan Quan, would rather die than surrender!" Yuan Quan shouted angrily, interrupting the officers and soldiers.
Seeing this, the soldier did not turn around and run away. Instead, he raised his voice and said, "Has General Yuan forgotten about General Yuan? Our lord invited the general to come and discuss it in detail! The lord made it clear that the old general had been very kind to him, and he really couldn't bear to see the old general without an heir! He also hoped to clear the old general's grievances! As long as General Yuan is willing to have an in-depth conversation with him and actively cooperate, everything is possible!"
At this time, Tie Feng, who was standing next to him, drew his sword and put the sword directly against the neck of the soldier.
"It seems that you are really not afraid of death! Believe it or not, I will kill you now to prevent you from attracting soldiers!" Tie Feng said fiercely.
"General Yuan! This is your last chance! If you give up this opportunity for Lord Sun to help you, it will be impossible for you to restore the old marshal's reputation!" Facing the threats and temptations of the officers and soldiers, Yuan Quan was silent for a moment, his eyes swept over every brother present, and finally fell on Lin Kunlun's face. He saw determination and trust in Lin Kunlun's eyes, which was the tacit understanding accumulated from fighting side by side for many years. Yuan Quan took a deep breath, he knew that the choice at this moment would determine the fate of all of them.
"Tie Feng, put down your sword." Yuan Quan ordered in a deep voice. Although Tie Feng was puzzled, he still put away his sword. Yuan Quan stood up, walked in front of the soldier, and stared at him with a sharp gaze.
"You go back and tell Sun Ting that although I, Yuan Quan, am in trouble, I am not helpless. I am willing to talk to him face to face, but the condition is that you must measure ten miles away and must do it in a safe place. If he can't even guarantee this, then there is nothing to talk about." Yuan Quan's voice was firm and powerful, revealing his unquestionable determination.
The soldier obviously did not expect Yuan Quan to propose such a condition. He hesitated for a moment, but nodded: "I will convey the general's intention, but whether it succeeds or not is not up to me to decide."
"Then go ahead and give it a try." Yuan Quan waved his hand, signaling the officers and soldiers to leave. The officers and soldiers left in a hurry as if they had been pardoned.
"Brother Yuan, are you really planning to meet Sun Ting?" Lin Kunlun walked up and asked in a low voice.
Yuan Quan nodded: "I have to go. This is not only for myself, but also for all of us. If Sun Ting really wants to clear my father's name, then I must give him this opportunity. Besides, our current situation is really not good. It would be good if we can buy some breathing time through negotiations."
Lin Kunlun patted Yuan Quan on the shoulder and said, "I understand what you mean. But no matter what, you must be careful. If Sun Ting dares to harm you, I will definitely bring people to rescue you."
Yuan Quan looked at Lin Kunlun gratefully and said, "Don't worry, I will."
In the next few days, Yuan Quan and Lin Kunlun were ready to evacuate at any time while waiting for Sun Ting's reply. During this period, the two sides were at peace and no conflict occurred.
Finally one day, the soldier appeared again with a reply from Sun Ting. Sun Ting agreed to Yuan Quan's conditions and agreed on a time and place to meet. Yuan Quan decided to go in person, while Lin Kunlun led others to make secret arrangements just in case.
On the day of the meeting, Yuan Quan walked into the camp set up by Sun Ting alone. Lin Kunlun and his team closely monitored every move of the camp from a distance, ready to respond to any emergency at any time.
Yuan Quan walked into the tent and saw Sun Ting sitting in the main seat with a smug smile on his face. Yuan Quan was secretly alert, but on the surface he calmly bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Sun."
Sun Ting waved his hand and said, "Nephew Yuan, you don't have to be polite. You really have the style of your father!" Then, he recounted how he was taken care of by Yuan Chong in the Northeast.
Yuan Quan listened patiently until Sun Ting finished speaking, then he said, "Master Sun, I appreciate your kindness. But since I, Yuan Quan, have chosen this path, I am ready to die. I wonder how Master Sun will redress my father's injustice."
Sun Ting's face changed when he heard this. He didn't expect Yuan Quan to be so determined. He was silent for a moment, and suddenly changed to a sincere expression: "General Yuan, I see your determination. In fact, I came to see you this time not only to persuade you to surrender, but also to tell you something."
Yuan Quan looked at Sun Ting in confusion, waiting for his next words. Sun Ting took a deep breath and slowly revealed a shocking secret...
"The main reason why your father was suspected by His Majesty back then was that some generals in the Northeast jointly wrote a letter stating that your father was going to rebel and handed it to the secret guards! You also know that Anwei was managed by His Majesty himself! So His Majesty believed in them! If it weren't for this situation, His Majesty would never have taken action against your father!" When Sun Ting said this, it was actually very obvious that Emperor Chongming was not responsible for this matter, or he suspected that Yuan Chong really wanted to increase his military power.