Mother, I have returned to the throne.

Chapter 359 The imperial edict has arrived!

Seeing that General Wei had finally brought the topic to the point, Song Yuan was too lazy to waste time talking to him and directly told him all the solutions he had discussed with the leading actress before.

To show that he has no hostility.

The barbarians can be the first to withdraw from one of the three border cities as required.

Once the Qin soldiers enter the city, they will completely recapture it.

They must release their princess!

As for the exchange of prisoners, these would be done outside the city after the leading lady returned to the barbarian land.

"Your Highness, I'm hesitant about one thing. What if, after we return the princess to the barbarian tribe, they suddenly break their promise and refuse to give up the other two cities?"

General Wei expressed his doubts with a frown on his face.

Song Yuan said calmly: "I have already made a request. Let's occupy the city closest to the Peacock River!"

"In this way, there won't be any question of whether or not to retreat for the other side!"

"After all, the core of Sanbian City is that city. As long as we can gain a foothold there, it will be equivalent to completely controlling the Peacock River. In this context, if the barbarians continue to fight us on our territory, it will only end up hurting them!"

"This choice will only bring them harm, not any benefit. They are not fools, right?"

The city closest to the Peacock River can be regarded as a major transportation hub!

As long as it has that place, the Qin Dynasty will be qualified to cross the Peacock River.

In this way, it would be completely useless for the other side to defend the city. After all, if the two sides fought relying on the city, the Qin side would have the advantage!

By then, with the city as a defense, it would be difficult to regret and want to surround the city with a large army to recapture it.

With Daqin's many years of experience, it would be easy to deal with it.

At that time, the 30,000 people in the camp can be directly pulled into the city. As long as there are sufficient supplies, it will not be difficult to resist 300,000 barbarian troops!

In front of everyone, Song Yuan spoke directly what he was thinking.

After hearing such analysis, many people present nodded in agreement!

Indeed, for Daqin, the city closest to the Peacock River is the top priority!

As for the other two cities, they are just bridgeheads to defend this city!

More importantly, we provide logistics and support.

Although General Wei was reluctant to accept Song Yuan's words, he finally nodded in a muffled voice.

However, after thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke again.

"I think we must do some follow-up work before sending troops into the city. In addition to screening the internal population, we must also send troops to thoroughly scout the surrounding area!"

"Only in this way can we prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack while we're crossing the river. After all, they're cunning and treacherous. I believe everyone agrees on this, right?"

As the Grand Marshal of the entire Zhenbei Army, he is the highest-ranking general in the frontier today.

If General Wei remained silent in the face of Song Yuan's proposal, it would be equivalent to completely losing face.

Even though what he said was a bit redundant, in order to occupy a place, General Wei still made it a point to emphasize such details.

After hearing this, Song Yuan shook his head and chuckled: "Of course!"

"I've already made arrangements in advance. In addition to scouting the surroundings, nearly a thousand people will be sent into the city first. After searching the entire city, we'll be sure there aren't any barbarians ambushing there. Only then can we be truly foolproof!"

"Otherwise, if we cross the Peacock River and are about to enter the city, and the enemy suddenly closes the city gates, trapping us on the shallows, wouldn't that be like catching a turtle in a jar?"

In order to prevent General Wei from talking any more nonsense, Song Yuan directly explained all the details of the journey.

Seeing Song Yuan being so cautious, many people present nodded.

"Your Highness is so thoughtful, it's really amazing!"

"Your Highness is right, it is indeed so."

"Such foresight truly impresses me..."

Seeing his subordinates flattering Song Yuan in front of him.

General Wei's face suddenly darkened, and a wave of emotion arose in his heart.

Why were all these people speechless when I spoke just now?

To be honest, Song Yuan was just adding something. Are these guys so anxious to show off?

It seems that you all think that I, Wei, am about to abdicate?

So quick, and you're already eager to curry favor with the new master.

You clearly don't take me seriously!

General Wei became angrier the more he thought about it, but facing the situation before him, he suppressed his anger for the time being.

"Then, Your Highness, do you have any plans for exchanging prisoners? Although this is just a sideshow, if the barbarians are playing tricks, I'm afraid it will cause us considerable losses!"

"Does this need to be emphasized?"

Song Yuan curled his lips and responded directly: "I have already communicated with the princess. Let's release the other party's prisoners first. When the time comes, the princess will immediately order her men to return our prisoners!"

"After the captives are returned, we will release the barbarian princess. This way, we can ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

Just like before, as soon as Song Yuan finished speaking, he immediately gained everyone's attention.

General Wei saw this scene and felt a little jealous. He secretly planned in his mind, trying to find a loophole.

But after a long time, I still couldn't explain it.

Before he could try, a messenger suddenly came running from outside the tent.

"General, news has come from Zhenbei City that His Majesty has sent someone with the imperial edict into the city and is now heading in this direction. Let us be prepared!"

Imperial decree?

Hearing this, everyone who was sitting on the blanket stood up.

Led by General Wei, they arrived at the courtyard one by one.

Just as everyone lined up, accompanied by the sound of horse hooves, a small group of royal guards appeared in front of the military camp on horseback.

The leader was Han Xin, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.

Han Xin's eyes swept through the crowd and soon found Song Yuan's whereabouts. He immediately shouted loudly: "Jingbei King Song Yuan, and General Wei, the two of you come out to receive the order!"

After these words were spoken, the two of them did not dare to delay for a moment and hurriedly walked out of the crowd.

"The emperor has ordered General Wei to assist King Jingbei Song Yuan in handling matters related to the city exchange!"

The first sentence Han Xin slowly spoke brought joy to everyone's faces.

Song Yuan was sent to handle the matter, and General Wei was specifically named as his assistant. This meant that before this matter was completed, Song Yuan had absolute say in the entire Zhenbei Army!

In this way, everyone would not have to listen to General Wei's nagging anymore.

So as to avoid being influenced by him, being timid and missing out on such a good opportunity!

Good, that’s great!

In the crowd, General Wei lowered his head with a gloomy expression, and his heart was already filled with turbulent waves.

Let me help a little kid?

Your Majesty, this is clearly a slap in my face!

Even Your Majesty thinks that if I take charge of this matter, I will miss the opportunity in vain?

For a moment, General Wei couldn't stop complaining, and jealousy rose in his heart.

Before me, I guarded the border and worked diligently.

Apart from the last battle, we were a bit too cautious for the sake of the overall situation. What else could be wrong with looking at the border for several years?

Now, even the emperor thinks that he is weak and incompetent?

When was my caution wrong?

The more General Wei thought about it, the angrier he became, and he felt like he had gotten stuck in a dead end.

I have worked diligently and have not dared to slack off for even a little bit over the years.

We only have so many men and horses, but how much territory do we have to defend?

In this situation, he was walking on thin ice. Any mistake could cause huge casualties to the entire Zhenbei Army!

Isn't the purpose of thinking carefully to reduce losses?

Isn't it just to be able to rely on these people and horses to hold on for a longer time?

Is this wrong?

What's my fault?

"General Wei, what are you still standing there for? Take my orders immediately!"

For a moment, General Wei stood there in silence, without any response for a long time.

It was not until Han Li urged him that he finally reacted. He nodded subconsciously in a daze and then knelt on the ground.

"The minister accepts the order!"

After dealing with General Wei, Han Xin turned around again, first put the imperial edict in Song Yuan's hand, then moved forward and gave Song Yuan instructions.

"By the way, Your Highness, when I first came here, His Majesty asked me to bring you a message in private."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Song Yuan's face immediately showed a hint of curiosity.

"Cough cough..."

Han Xin cleared his throat, just to imitate the emperor's tone: "Sixth Brother, listen carefully, if we can recapture the three border cities this time, you will be the one who made the greatest contribution!"

"You are my son. Take back Sanbian City on my behalf now. Only in this way can I face my ancestors with dignity!"

"If anything goes wrong with this, I'll beat you to death. If you can actually complete it, I'll definitely remember it. The credit for this is greater than all your previous military achievements combined!"

"My son understands!"

Song Yuan straightened his back and shouted, at this moment he finally understood what the emperor was thinking.

At his current age, Song Youji no longer has the ambition to make further progress.

I'm afraid his only wish is to take back the land he lost, so that he won't have to bear the infamy even if he buries it deep underground!

After announcing the decree, Han Xin did not leave. Instead, he bowed to Song Yuan immediately.

"Also, His Majesty told me not to leave after the imperial edict is read, but to wait at the border, awaiting news of victory from His Highness!"

"Wait until His Highness reclaims Sanbian City. Then let me return with this good news to His Majesty!"

"Well!"

Song Yuan smiled and immediately promised.

"Commander Han, this matter won't take up too much of your time. According to the plan, we will begin exchanging cities with the barbarians tomorrow morning."

"You've had a bumpy ride, and it must be tiring. Why don't you go down and rest first? We'll set off together early tomorrow morning, and we can talk about anything then!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Han Xin immediately left with the men arranged by Song Yuan.

After sending the envoy off, Song Yuan turned around and looked straight at General Wei.

"General Wei, I suddenly remembered that there's something I might need your cooperation on. As you know, the time given by the barbarians is until today!"

"In order to prevent misunderstandings, we must first capture a prisoner, cross the Peacock River, and deliver a message to the barbarians."

"Arrange a few people to take the token in your hand and escort the prisoners across the Peacock River safely. Only in this way can we ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

Now the Peacock River is still under the control of General Wei. Without his token, it is impossible for the captives to cross the Peacock River!

This was understandable, but when General Wei heard it, his face suddenly twitched!

When did Song Yuan dare to speak to me in this tone?

Damn, damn it!

Now that the imperial edict has arrived, the kid in front of him immediately learns to use chicken feathers as a token of authority.

However, even though my heart was full of helplessness.

After hesitating for a moment, General Wei decided to follow the order.

After all, the imperial edict said that he, whose surname was Wei, was only responsible for assistance.

If I really dare to show any disobedience, I'm afraid Song Yuan will behead me on the spot!

The situation is beyond our control!