ragginovel Chapter 572 Dividing the Water into Pots
Chapter 572 Dividing the Water into Pots
Chapter 572 Dividing the Water into Pots
Now let's turn our attention to Sun Yixie's side.
"It's all my fault, General! I failed to stop General Kunduli! It's all my fault for telling General Kunduli that I had gone deep behind enemy lines and disrupted their camp, which made him eager to make a name for himself and led his troops recklessly, which is why... which is why... Sigh! Please punish me!"
In Yibula's tent, Sunge, like Kunduli, was tearfully recounting the "sins" of the Fengzi Camp.
Looking at Na Yibula, he was originally furious about the outcome of the battle and wanted to drag a few scapegoats out and give them a good beating. After all, he had lost both soldiers and generals in this battle, and one of them was a valiant general... But now, seeing Sun Yixie's sincere attitude of admitting his mistakes, he hesitated a bit.
It was at this moment that several other Yuan generals in the tent also stood up to plead for Sun Yixie.
"General, I dare to speak frankly, but today's defeat is not the fault of General Kameda!"
"General, Kunduli, as the commander-in-chief of this battle, was greedy for merit, reckless, and stubborn. He ignored the advice of his subordinates and others, and led his troops deep into enemy territory. That's why they were surrounded and annihilated. How can we blame others?"
“If Kunduli had acted according to your plan, Commander, the Feng Battalion could have provided support. But who would have thought he would walk right into our trap, Commander?”
Ladies and gentlemen, this kind of "fair talk" with this kind of style is obviously... said with some kind of purpose.
Clearly, within this Yuan army unit, many generals disliked Kunduli, and quite a few even wished for his early demise.
Now think back to why, when Kunduli was playing "wrestling" in the military camp, only some of his own junior commanders and soldiers participated, and even these soldiers were all there to flatter him, secretly praying that they wouldn't be called on?
Because the other generals and lieutenants who were initially willing to play this game with Kunduli stopped playing with him later.
Who wants to play with someone who acts superior the moment they win, showing no respect for their opponent? Especially if that person gets angry when they lose.
Of course, "wrestling" is not a big deal in essence, but it can reflect Kunduli's personality and emotional intelligence.
On the battlefield, he would be just as detestable.
For example, when it comes to things like "stealing credit," other generals might be more reserved and wait for a crucial moment before speaking or taking action, but Kundu Li is always straightforward.
Unfortunately, he was indeed highly skilled in combat and stood out on the battlefield, so he often managed to steal things.
Over time, this brave but reckless fellow relied on his "straightforwardness" and "recklessness" to gain Yibula's favor and heavy reliance, surpassing other generals who were perhaps not much inferior to him. Naturally, Kunduli became even more arrogant and often treated his peers as if they were not human.
Today we've finally got a chance, so wouldn't everyone want to kick us while we're down?
Although these Yuan generals also disliked Sun Yixie, in order to prove that "Kunduli was at fault," they had to find a point of entry. They couldn't just openly say that Kunduli deserved it.
Sun Yixie's pretense of admitting fault, while actually shifting blame, undoubtedly provided these people with an excellent entry point...
At this moment, the Yuan generals were all talking at once, ostensibly pleading for Sun Yixie, but secretly they all wanted Kunduli to take the blame for the entire battle.
In their minds, the best outcome would be for Kunduli to be killed by the enemy while bearing the blame, which would be a happy ending for everyone; if he didn't die, they would still exaggerate his mistakes in this battle to the point that even if he were exchanged back alive in the future, he would never be able to turn things around.
"Enough!" Yibula had been listening to this group of people talking incoherently for a while, and finally couldn't bear it any longer. He shouted to stop them, and only after everyone had quieted down did he say, "Kunduli's greed for merit and rashness is wrong, but what about you?"
Yibula's question doesn't actually need an answer.
However, as a leader, if he simply does whatever his subordinates want because they all agree, then the team will be difficult to manage in the future.
So regardless of whether he's right or wrong, he'll still argue, even if it's an open-ended, unreasonable question.
Of course, the subordinates all understand that if the leader is using this kind of rhetoric, then he is definitely going to "balance the waters" next. We don't need to answer. We just need to obediently lower our heads, accept the scolding, and look ashamed. When the leader feels that he has balanced the waters and his authority has been demonstrated, he will reveal his true intentions. At that time, I will praise him for being fair and wise, and the matter will be settled.
"The Fengzi Battalion is newly established, with few soldiers and weak strength, unable to relieve Kunduli's forces. So what about you?" Sure enough, as Yibula followed the excuses offered to Sun Yixie, he used everyone as a support to find fault. "Were you all surrounded too? Didn't any of you think of the possibility of adapting to the situation, abandoning your frontal opponents, and turning to attack the flank of the Ming army surrounding Kunduli?"
This is a classic case of being blocked from both ends. Clearly, each general's troops' attack plans were pre-arranged by him, and now he's asking why you didn't adapt to the situation. But if you actually adapt to the situation today, even if you make a contribution, he can still accuse you of disobeying orders and punish you. The merits and demerits may not even be offset.
"It has nothing to do with the generals, Commander!" At this moment, in order to win over hearts and minds and continue his undercover work, Sun Yixie put on an act again, "It was me! It was Kameda Ichimine who betrayed your trust, Commander! I... I will gouge out my own eyes to atone for my sins! Ah—"
As he spoke, he suddenly stood up and, from a position and angle where Yibula could easily reach out and block him, raised one hand with an exaggerated gesture and performed a "two dragons playing with a pearl" move towards his own eyes.
At this moment, even Yibula felt that Sun Yixie's acting was a bit too fake, but he still cooperated with Brother Sun and continued to act.
"Stop!" Yibula easily grabbed Sun Yixie's arm, which was raised high but not really exerting much force. "Today I have already lost a beloved general, and I cannot lose another one in vain."
"The handsome and wise man!"
"The General is benevolent!"
"Kameda-kun, hurry up and thank the commander!"
The extras also joined in, playing along with the two of them.
To make a long story short, the final result of today's pot-dividing meeting was acceptable to everyone. On the surface, Yibula "treated everyone equally," but in reality, he also went along with the trend of the crowd to put Kunduli in charge. Then, he symbolically let the others and Sun Yixie record a demerit together, so that they could redeem themselves in the future.
This kind of "demerit" is something those who know, understand... To put it bluntly, when they need to hold you accountable, they can hold you accountable no matter what, and when they don't want to hold you accountable, they can record even the biggest demerit, until you die of old age; how did Guan Yu and Xiahou Dun get through it? Even if they made a pledge beforehand and made a huge mistake, they could still record it, it's no big deal.
However, at this time, Yibula was unaware that his days of "serving water and cooking pots" for others were about to come to an end.
For just two days' march north of his camp, a large army fully equipped with iron cavalry was slowly approaching him, and the leader of that army was none other than the next victim... no... the next strong contender for the position of Great Khan of the Northern Yuan, namely the current Great Khan's younger brother, Borjigin Tag, who was currently leading his army on a personal expedition.