“What did you say? Are you planning to rebel?”
Wan Yan Xuanzong, as he spoke, flicked his sleeve, and in a flash, dozens of Jurchen soldiers surrounded Yelü Zhenghuan.
“What do you think you are doing? Damn it, we risked our lives at sea, and you sit back and reap the benefits. Now you want to stab us in the back?”
Seeing that the Jurchen soldiers were about to make a move against Yelü Zhenghuan, the fathers around Yelü Zhenghuan immediately started shouting. Soon, almost all the Han and Khitan people on the flagship gathered.
Even though these Jurchens occupied more than half of the middle and low-ranking positions on the ship, the soldiers at the bottom were still the original naval soldiers.
Compared to the number of these soldiers, the Jurchens held no advantage at all.
With their appearance, the entire scene became tense, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder. It was a mere spark away from a bloody conflict.
“What do you think you are doing? Are you rebelling?”
Seeing the soldiers surrounding him, Wan Yan Xuanzong’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
They were at sea. If these people really rebelled, he would have nowhere to escape.
“General, speed is of the essence. If we stay here for a night, and those Song people escape, how will we report back?”
Looking at the gleaming steel swords in the hands of the Jurchen soldiers, Yelü Zhenghuan felt a deep sorrow in his heart.
He could indeed rebel. With just one command, these soldiers would pick up their weapons and fight these Jurchens to the death.
But he knew that if they rebelled, their families would suffer along with them.
If it were just himself, he might have made that decision. But now, it involved the families of nearly ten thousand men from the entire navy. How could he bear to drag them all down with him?
“Spare me the useless talk. I, this general, have said no fighting tonight, and no fighting tonight! If you have the guts, then rebel, and see how His Majesty deals with your families after I am dead!”
“Wan Yan Xuanzong, you truly refuse to fight?”
Grasping the hilt of his sword tighter, Yelü Zhenghuan’s eyes were filled with murderous intent.
“I, this general, have said no fighting, and no fighting! If you are not satisfied, my head is right here. Go ahead and take it!”
As Wan Yan Xuanzong spoke, he forcefully patted his own head.
“Good. Someone, fetch me paper and brush!”
After taking several deep breaths and looking at the soldiers around him, Yelü Zhenghuan finally let go of his sword.
He had compromised. He did not want these soldiers and their families to suffer along with him…
“General! Even if we kill these sons of bitches now, nothing will happen. We can just kill them all and throw them into the sea to feed the sharks. What can that dog emperor of Jin do to us? At worst, we can all go back, get our families, and make a living overseas!”
“That’s right, General. Why keep such traitors alive?”
After hearing Yelü Zhenghuan’s words, several of his confidantes quickly stopped him.
Everyone understood that Yelü Zhenghuan’s request for paper and brush was merely to get Wan Yan Xuanzong to write down the military order.
This way, even if they lost, with this military order, the low-ranking officers would not be implicated.
The idea was good, but a tongue can twist words. The actual effect of this military order later was something only heaven knew.
“Enough nonsense. If you still recognize me as your general, then all of you, shut up!”
Seeing their incensed expressions, Yelü Zhenghuan finally stepped forward, using his authority to suppress all dissenting voices.
He knew his own situation. Although what these soldiers said was a solution, it was not a long-term plan.
The ships they had could fight close to shore, but venturing into the deep sea was out of the question.
The sea was unpredictable. If it were just a few hundred people, they might manage, but with their combined families, there were nearly 100,000 people in total.
Just supplying food for these people was a huge problem. Although the sea was abundant in resources, people still needed to eat.
With the threat from the Jin emperor, which small overseas country would dare to shelter them?
Ordinary soldiers could not think that far, but he, as a general, had to consider them.
“Since you refuse to fight, I can give you all command. But Wan Yan Xuanzong, if this battle is lost, you will bear full responsibility!”
As Yelü Zhenghuan spoke, he firmly plunged his sword into the deck.
“Your wolfish ambitions have been exposed! In the end, you’re just a coward afraid of death. All you want is a military order? Fine, I’ll write it!”
Looking at the soldiers with their menacing glares, Wan Yan Xuanzong sneered a few times, then took paper and brush from a soldier, dragged a wooden bucket over, and hastily wrote a military order. He then threw it to Yelü Zhenghuan.
“Everyone, look carefully. This is a military order personally issued by Wan Yan Xuanzong. If this battle is lost, the responsibility lies entirely with him! If I unfortunately fall in this battle, everyone can be a witness!”
As Yelü Zhenghuan spoke, he raised the military order high, displaying it meticulously for everyone to see.
“Are your little tricks finished? Now, carry out my military order! All ships, drop anchor. Apart from necessary guards, everyone else, seize the time to rest. We will have a decisive battle with the Song army tomorrow morning!”
With a disdainful glance at Yelü Zhenghuan, Wan Yan Xuanzong sneered and walked back into the cabin.
The sea wind was quite strong. Even though he had grown up by the water, after standing outside for so long, he felt a bit nauseous.
“Drop anchor!”
No matter how unwilling Yelü Zhenghuan was, he finally gritted his teeth and gave the order to drop anchor.
The sun finally set. The night at sea was exceptionally beautiful. Under the serene night sky, listening to the intelligence reports from the soldiers, Li Bao was bewildered.
According to his original strategy, he had planned to send a small team first to attract the Jin forces' attention, then the rest of the fleet would form an arc and attack them from their flank and rear.