Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 467 - 259 Pincer Attack_2

"Fine, perhaps we could find those who have a poor relationship with General Han Fuyue to fight him, but the problem is that such people are generally incompetent, and even if they go to battle, they’d likely just be delivering themselves to General Han Fuyue..."

"Those who are on good terms with General Han, we dare not send; those who are not, cannot win if sent."

"This..."

Emperor Gaozong of Qi obviously realized this point, and his face instantly turned pale.

He discovered that after the always obedient General Han Fuyue suddenly showed his claws and refused to obey the decree, he seemed... indeed out of good options!

"So, according to Mr. Zhang’s view, what should be done?" Emperor Gaozong asked.

Zhang Deyuan said, "In your servant’s opinion, General Han does not truly wish to rebel. His refusal to follow the decree is merely due to dissatisfaction with the royal family’s command to recall him, wishing instead to stay and continue fighting against Jin.

"Your Majesty has seen his ’Letter to the People’; every word reveals his deep-seated hatred for the Jin.

"Therefore, the wisest course of action right now is to silently cut off his food and supplies. Do not attempt to besiege him, nor provoke him verbally—this situation should be handled with cold indifference.

"As for the demands of the Jin, your subject believes that we should not kill General Han to achieve peace."

He hadn’t finished speaking when Qin Huizhi almost jumped up.

"Preposterous! You dare to voice such a nation-destroying strategy!

"Are you setting a precedent for all military commanders?

"General Han Fuyue refuses to follow the decree, and the royal family shows no sign of action, silently consenting? Then why should any other commanders return to the capital?

"If this continues, won’t all commanders in the field start ignoring royal decrees and medals? Do you want to undermine the foundation of the Qi Dynasty!

"Your Majesty, you must not listen to his absurd arguments! General Han Fuyue must die—it serves as a warning to others! All other commanders are watching how this situation is handled; if the royal family truly does nothing, then chaos will immediately ensue!"

Zhang Deyuan was equally uncompromising: "Is what Prime Minister Qin proposes truly a strategy to save the nation?

"Your Majesty, please consider carefully. General Han Fuyue has always been your trusted and beloved commander. His absolute loyalty to you is not only known to the generals but also seen by the people of the world!

"At this moment, General Han has not rebelled; if Your Majesty indeed sends other commanders to besiege him, showing no regard for past loyalty, what will the other commanders think?

"General Han has indeed made contributions to the Qi Dynasty; to exterminate him now would only make the other military leaders feel endangered and alienated from the royal family!

"By then, the whole world could revolt, and the stability of our Qi Dynasty would immediately be shook!"

The two men argued back and forth, neither yielding.

Emperor Gaozong felt overwhelmed and found it difficult to decide.

According to true history, General Han Fuyue had returned to the court without a word, thus Emperor Gaozong and Qin Huizhi found they could manipulate him as they wished.

Dealing with an obedient person, even if he is strong, there’s always a way.

Thus, whether to demote him or to kill him unjustly, there was no difficulty whatsoever.

But now, with General Han Fuyue suddenly adopting a posture of disobedience, the two were at a loss.

Actually, both Qin Huizhi and Zhang Deyuan made sense.

The special status of General Han Fuyue meant that whether the court chose to attack or not, severe problems would arise!

To attack would chill the hearts of all commanders; not to attack would embolden every commander to disobey eventually!

Moreover, is victory assured in an attack?

If the battle is lost, the consequences would be even more severe.

By then, the situation might become completely uncontrollable.

"Enough!" Emperor Gaozong angrily said, "Neither of your methods is feasible! Think again, is there any other solution?"

He paced restlessly, "This matter concerning Han Fuyue is extremely bad! If we cannot set an example, how will other returning commanders view it? Even if he does not die, we must find a way to bring him to the capital to stand trial!

"But sending other commanders to fight him is truly inappropriate. Not to mention whether these troops might be persuaded by Han Fuyue to revolt, what if they lose? How would the world view me? The peace talks we just started with the Jin would be ruined in an instant!"

Emperor Gaozong dared not attack.

Because he knew clearly, all other commanders combined were no match for Han Fuyue.

Of course, considering that the court could cut off his supplies and concentrate superior forces for an attack, there might still be some chance of success.

But the problem remained, what if we lose?

Seeing such internal strife within the Qi Dynasty, public sentiment might instantly collapse, and the resentment would definitely be mostly directed at the Emperor. After all, this entire affair stemmed from the Emperor’s inexplicable order to withdraw the troops.

The withdrawal had already stirred massive public resentment.

And if this battle was lost, it would be like baring oneself to the Jin. Seeing that apart from General Han Fuyue, other forces were so easily defeated, wouldn’t the Jin demand even more in the negotiations?

Or they might even choose not to negotiate at all and turn around to attack!

That was a scenario that Emperor Gaozong, who was intent on seeking peace and security, could absolutely not accept.

Zhang Deyuan said, "Your Majesty, your servant has another strategy.

"Why not retract the order, letting all commanders go back and continue fighting the Jin. Once we have completely driven the Jin back to Yan and recovered the counties of Hebei and River East, we can then deal with General Han’s issue."

Emperor Gaozong’s face turned dark immediately: "Mr. Zhang, do you think I am as easily fooled as a three-year-old child?

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