We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1117 Fake surrender?

Luo Yueniang's clear, cold voice rang out: "Does Your Majesty intend to launch a night attack?"

Upon hearing this, Li Che looked at her and revealed a slight smile of appreciation: "General Luo's insight is indeed honed through the trials of the border regions. Among all the generals, only you have seen this first."

Upon hearing this, the previously somber atmosphere on the city wall, caused by the overwhelming enemy force, suddenly came alive.

"A night raid? Yes!"

"The Tibetans have just surrounded us. Their camp is not yet secure, and their troops are exhausted. This is the perfect time to launch a surprise attack!"

"We don't need a great victory. As long as we can burn a few of their grain supplies, scare away some horses, and keep them restless all night, we can buy them another day."

"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to be the vanguard!"

"Do you know how to conduct a night raid? I, Ma Zhong, will handle that!"

"Bah! All you know is how to arrest people, how do you know how to kill them?"

Ma Zhong, Yu Daliang, and other generals spoke up one after another, their eyes filled with fighting spirit.

Even the usually composed Yue Yun nodded slightly, feeling that although this method was risky, it was worth a try.

For the generals of the Qing army, fighting is always better than defending the city.

After all, since the Fengtian Army period, the Qing Army has rarely fought a defensive battle; every time it has been an offensive.

Only Luo Yueniang remained silent, her worry undiminished.

Seeing that she remained silent, Li Che asked, "General Luo, do you have a different opinion?"

Luo Yueniang pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, what my colleagues have said is indeed reasonable. However, if the Tibetan general is not a reckless and foolish person and has taken precautions against a night attack, what should we do?"

"Our forces are already stretched thin. If we lose more elite troops in the raid, our defenses will crumble immediately. Is this plan too risky?"

Upon hearing this, the generals couldn't help but raise their objections:

"General Luo is being too cautious!"

"These Tibetan barbarians are ignorant of strategy; where would they get such cunning?"

"Exactly! Their hasty siege will inevitably leave many loopholes!"

"No need to send out all the elite troops, just give this general two thousand cavalry!"

"Hmph! I only want 1,500!"

"I only need five hundred people!"

Li Che raised his hand, silencing the crowd's discussion.

The faint smile on his face had vanished, and his gaze calmly swept over the generals who had volunteered for battle: "A general should consider defeat before victory."

"To entrust the outcome of a battle to the inevitable carelessness of the opponent is not strategy, but gambling."

The generals were taken aback and looked at the emperor with some confusion.

His Majesty praised Luo Yueniang's suggestion, yet rejected the generals' request to fight... Why is that?

So, should we attack or not?

Li Che stopped looking at them and turned his gaze to Dorje Tsering, who had been silent all along.

"General Dorje," Li Che suddenly spoke, his tone calm, "do you dare to venture into the enemy camp outside the city...?"

Upon hearing this, the city walls fell into an instant silence.

All eyes were fixed on Dorje Tsering, then turned to Li Che with suspicion.

The generals were no ordinary men, and they quickly realized what was happening.

Your Majesty is... planning to feign surrender?!

Dorje Tsering trembled violently, looked up and met Li Che's unfathomable eyes, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

His lips trembled a few times as he said urgently, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! That Dorje is by nature suspicious and as cunning as a fox!"

"The general has just lost the city. If he were to return now and feign surrender, the enemy would not believe him. Instead, they would imprison or even kill him to stabilize the morale of the army!"

"This plan is unlikely to succeed; Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Li Che, however, seemed to have anticipated his intense reaction, and an inscrutable smile reappeared on his face: "It's alright, I'll only ask you, are you willing or not?"

Dorje Tsering was stunned.

He looked into Li Che's eyes, which held no coercion, only a deep, calm stillness, awaiting his own decision.

The generals watched with bated breath, their minds racing.

Using this surrendered general to feign surrender?

That's way too risky!

If he goes and never returns, and even turns around and tells the Tibetans everything about the city...

However, given Li Che's prestige, the generals naturally wouldn't voice their opposition at this time, since they didn't have any real relationship with Dorje Tsering anyway.

If this plan succeeds, everything will be fine. If it fails, the death of Dorje Tsering will not be a loss to anyone, right?

Finally, Dorje Tsering gritted his teeth, a resolute look flashing across his face.

He immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Che, and said, "Now that I have surrendered to Your Majesty, my life is yours!"

"If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to brave mountains of knives and seas of fire!"

Li Che nodded with a smile: "Good."

. . . . . .

A few hours later.

The atmosphere in the Tibetan central military tent was somewhat strange.

The Qing envoy was led in, and unexpectedly, another person followed behind him.

It was Dorje Tsering, the garrison commander who went missing after the fall of Chuima City.

The Tibetan generals in the tent looked at each other, all filled with surprise and doubt. What was Emperor Qing planning?

Dorjee, seated in the main seat, had no expression on his face, but slowly looked at the envoy.

The envoy conveyed the greetings of the Emperor of Daqing according to etiquette, and then said: "His Majesty the Emperor of our dynasty said that this border dispute is caused by a series of misunderstandings."

"Your Majesty has no intention of waging war against Tibet. We are willing to return your garrison commander and captured soldiers to show our sincerity."

"I only hope that the general can understand this situation, withdraw the troops for the time being, and send an envoy later to discuss the matter of peace and security on the border."

Upon hearing this, the tent fell into a deathly silence at first, then bursts of sneer and disdainful snorts.

Do you think you can get a hundred thousand troops to retreat by simply sending back a defeated general and verbally showing weakness?

Is the Emperor of Qing afraid?

The awe that had arisen in the hearts of the generals because of the emperor's status as Qingren quickly dissipated.

Sure enough, the Qing people were the Qing people; their emperor was weak and incompetent.

Dorje remained expressionless. He simply glanced deeply at the weary-looking Dorje Tsering, then said gently to the envoy, "Your Excellency has come a long way and must be tired. Please go and rest."

"This matter is of great importance. I will discuss it with my subordinates before giving a reply."

The envoy didn't say much, but bowed and withdrew as instructed.

As soon as the curtain fell, the gentleness on Dorje's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, ashen color.

His gaze was fixed on Dorje Tsering like an awl.

"Dorje Tsering."

"I have given you over ten thousand elite troops, with ample provisions and weapons, and ordered you to defend Chuima City. I have not sent you out of the city to engage in reckless battles."

"Is this how you guard it?"

Dorje Tsering knelt down with a thud, touching his forehead to the ground: "General! I am incompetent! I deserve to die!"

"But those Qing people... the Qing people are too cunning. They disguised themselves as defeated soldiers, carried my tribe's flag, and tricked their way close to the city wall. My general was caught off guard and was approached by them."

"They buried a weapon they had never seen before at the base of the wall, and with a deafening roar, the wall collapsed by tens of feet!"

"Emperor Qing then personally led his iron cavalry, charging in through the breach with unstoppable ferocity... Our army was caught off guard, and the defensive line collapsed instantly..."

Dorjee's pupils contracted slightly; what Dorje Tsering said matched the battle report he had received.

It's unknown how many weapons of such power the Qing people still possess.

He slammed his hand on the table, his anger erupting.

"I have repeatedly ordered that the people of Qing are cunning. Anyone who approaches the city defenses, even if they have a flag, must be thoroughly checked and their identity verified!"

"Are you just ignoring what I said?!"

Dorje Tsering lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to speak, only trembling.

Dorje suppressed his anger and stared at him: "Then how did you survive? Why didn't the Emperor of Qing kill you, but instead let you come back?"

Dorje Tsering quickly said, "After the city fell, the criminal general fought bravely but was captured. The emperor of Naqing forced me to surrender, but the criminal general refused to comply and imprisoned me."

"Only when the general's army was at the city gates did he politely release the guilty general, allowing me to bring back the captured soldiers and deliver that message..."

"Oh?" Dorje leaned forward slightly. "In your opinion, is he truly afraid of the might of my army and thus feigning weakness to seek peace, or does he have other motives?"

Dorje Tsering seemed stumped by the question. After a moment's hesitation, he mustered his courage and said, "General, you are wise! The Qing emperor dared to venture deep into enemy territory with his own army, risking his life. How could he be a coward?"

"His act of feigning weakness to the enemy is surely a trap in my mind!"

"He must be trying to lull the general into a false sense of security, and then launch a night attack on our camp while we are off guard!"

A raid on the camp?

Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent were first taken aback, then burst into laughter.

Someone laughed loudly: "His city has only ten thousand or so remnants of his army, surrounded by our hundred thousand troops. They are like turtles in a jar. How dare they dream of attacking our camp? They are simply delusional!"

"Did Dorje Tsering get a brain injury from being defeated once?"

"They're terrified. With so few soldiers, what can they possibly use to attack our camp?"

However, some people's expressions changed slightly, recalling the Qing army's previous unpredictable and strange methods, and they became secretly wary.

Dorjee didn't speak, he just stared intently at Dorje Tsering.

It was as if they wanted to see through his skin and flesh to understand his true thoughts.

Dorje Tsering knelt on the ground, his head bowed even lower, his body trembling more violently, looking as if he was still in shock.

After a long silence, Dorje slowly leaned back in his chair and said in a detached tone, "Take this general who has lost the city and disgraced the country away and keep him under strict guard."

"After the city is breached, escort Emperor Daqing and others to Lhasa and hand them over to the Grand Master for judgment."

"General, please spare my life! General, please spare my life!"

Dorje Tsering, tears streaming down his face, kowtowed repeatedly before being dragged away by two fierce-looking guards.

The tent fell silent again.

Dorjee looked at his generals and asked, "What do you all think?"

One of the generals spoke first: "General, the Qing people are known for their cunning. Sending back the defeated general is surely a delaying tactic."

"Or perhaps it really is as that fool Dorje Tsering said, that they intend to raid the camp and are just creating a diversion!"

Someone else said, "Exactly! If they truly want peace, why doesn't the emperor personally make the promise?"

"Sending only one envoy to deliver a defeated general, empty words, and no sincerity whatsoever!"

"The words of Dorje Tsering, a defeated general, may not be credible. Perhaps the emperor of Naqing was truly afraid..."

“Afraid? If he were truly afraid, he wouldn’t have come in the first place! I think the theory of attacking the camp is somewhat plausible.”

The generals discussed the matter animatedly, but almost no one believed that the Qing people would so easily sue for peace.

Dorje listened to his subordinates arguing without speaking, but inwardly he was making plans:

The Qingren city had a total of no more than ten thousand troops, and most of them were light cavalry, which were not good at attacking or defending cities.

Our army has surrounded us from all sides, and our camp is becoming increasingly secure. If he wants to break the deadlock, he will have to take a risky gamble.

The idea of ​​raiding the camp seems absurd, but it is precisely because of its absurdity that the people of Qing might do the opposite.

Having grasped the crux of the matter, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he rebuked the assembled generals:

"Quiet!"