Chapter 127 All Living Things

In Chuzhou City tonight, some were scheming, some were hesitating, some were struggling, and some were filled with melancholy.

A former Vice Minister of Public Works, though his home wasn't raided, led his family to hang themselves.

A garrison officer of Chuzhou City, who overnight became the most powerful military figure in the city under the Yan people, busied himself leading his two thousand men to confiscate properties and exterminate families.

A highly respected elder, having agreed to the Yan people's demands, became the new head of the civil officials in Chuzhou City. He sat in his courtyard, drinking peach blossom wine alone throughout the night in the cold wind, feeling utterly desolate.

Some, holding a wine pot in one hand and a sword in the other, walked onto the streets late at night, denouncing the Yan people and declaring that they shouldn't be arrogant. They proclaimed that when the royal army arrived, their heads would surely be severed. Before they could fully express their heroic spirit, they were shot dead by an arrow from the Northern Garrison Army patrolling to enforce the curfew.

Their corpses were then tied to a horse by a zealous Northern Garrison Army lieutenant and dragged through the streets until they were a bloody mess.

Some attempted to fish in troubled waters. Small gangs in the city planned to seize this opportunity amidst the chaos of war to reach for the wealthy households they usually wouldn't dare to touch.

The myriad aspects of life, the myriad states of being, the myriad faces, each different, each writing its own individuality.

But regardless, the vast majority were still silently waiting in fear. In homes with shrines, whether sculptures or portraits, the offerings on the altars were more abundant than usual.

If there truly were gods in the heavens, they might have been surprised to think that Chuzhou City was celebrating the New Year early.

All laws in the world are interconnected.

Where there is black, there is white; where there is light, there is darkness; where there is red, there is naturally black.

One story after another, one drama after another, unfolded brightly in the dark night.

However, for the soldiers of the Northern Garrison Army, those who didn't need to perform city patrol duties or be sent out as scouts had long enjoyed a hearty meal and drifted into sleep.

After days of riding, they were already exhausted and in need of rest.

The occasional screams and cries from within the city were merely minor adjustments to their dreams.

In terms of bloodiness and cruelty, the scenes in the desert were far more thorough than these.

These current events were really just a drizzle.

Perhaps, in their eyes, these Qian people were being rather pretentious, making extra noise and showing emotion about an already foregone conclusion.

Why bother?

This was an extremely unbalanced power dynamic,

and after the Northern Garrison Army knights successfully stormed through the city gates, it could no longer be changed.

But the curtain of war had only just been raised…

…

"The discipline of the Northern Garrison Army is indeed commendable," Zheng Fan said.

"My lord, this is because the war is progressing smoothly. The army hasn't truly tasted blood yet."

Zheng Fan nodded, agreeing with the Blind Man's view. Once an army has thoroughly tasted blood, the destruction it can cause will be terrifying. By then, even the commanding general would be unable to stop it.

Moreover, the general of this garrison was still Li Fusheng, that madman.

That madman was already restraining himself greatly; Heaven knows how long he could keep it up.

"My lord."

Si Niang walked over, carrying a basin with two hot towels inside.

Zheng Fan and the Blind Man each took a towel and began wiping their faces.

At that moment,

Zheng Fan saw a timid little girl standing beside Si Niang, around thirteen or fourteen years old.

"Picking up strays again?" Zheng Fan teased.

Si Niang had a habit of taking in promising young talents and nurturing them.

However, the first batch of young women she had taken in hadn't fully matured yet, so they couldn't be of much use at the moment.

Still, Zheng Fan believed that the secret agents trained by Si Niang would definitely be more reliable than the Silver Armor Guards. The few Silver Armor Guard wives he had encountered had their identities discovered by their masters long ago; it was simply too pathetic.

Of course, with Zheng Fan's current power and status, he didn't need a "Hong Fu Nu" (a famous female spy in Chinese history).

"I just happened to come across her. Come, Xiao Rui, be good and kowtow to your master."

The girl called Xiao Rui knelt down and kowtowed to Zheng Fan very seriously, saying softly,

"Greetings, Master."

Although she was afraid, she wasn't very timid, and her kowtowing posture clearly showed good upbringing.

This wasn't a joke. Ordinary commoners wouldn't pay too much attention to etiquette. Even the proper way to kowtow was just so-so. Whether during ancestral rituals or when facing high officials, they would just kneel down and do it perfunctorily.

"Whose family?"

"Her family used to be a vice minister in the capital. That old vice minister committed suicide with his whole family."

"Hah…"

Zheng Fan sighed.

"When I arrived, the men of that family were forcing the women to commit suicide. This little girl didn't want to die and was running in the courtyard when her grandfather chased after her and stabbed her with a sword. Fortunately, I arrived in time and saved her."

As she spoke, Si Niang pointed to Xiao Rui's back, where her clothes were torn. There should be a cut there, but Si Niang had already taken care of it.

"It's a pity that even if we use beauty needles to fix it, it will be difficult to erase her scar," Si Niang said regretfully.

"There will be a way in the future," the Blind Man said.

The current Devil Kings didn't have the ability to do this, but in the future, when everyone's strength recovered a bit, erasing a scar wouldn't be a simple matter?

"Tell me, if you want to commit suicide, just commit suicide. Why do you have to drag the whole family along? The men in that family, from the old man to the younger ones, were all like madmen," Si Niang said.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die…"

Xiao Rui seemed to have recalled something terrible and started panicking.

"It's okay, it's okay now," Si Niang comforted her.

"Committing suicide as a family is the only way to preserve their integrity and perhaps even achieve fame in history," the Blind Man said.

"Alright, it's hard to say what's right or wrong in this situation."

Zheng Fan didn't want to waste any more energy on these matters and said,

"Those who should rest, rest; those who should continue working, continue working."

…

Zheng Fan didn't sleep very soundly that night.

Perhaps it was because Si Niang wasn't sleeping with him,

so Zheng Fan had a dream.

He dreamt that he was sitting behind a beaded curtain, with a queen adorned with a golden phoenix crown sitting on his lap, exuding charm.

At the same time, outside the beaded curtain was a grand hall. Just a curtain away was the dragon throne, where the Prince of Fu, wearing a dragon robe, sat, listening to the movements behind the curtain while accepting the grand ceremony of kneeling and worship from the officials, who shouted "Long live!"

"Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!"

A series of rapid horse hooves awakened Zheng Fan from his beautiful dream.

Opening his eyes, Zheng Fan was actually still savoring the dream and smiled self-deprecatingly,

"What a damn pervert."

Just then, Liang Cheng lifted the tent flap and leaned in, reporting,

"My lord, a Qian army has been discovered forty miles southwest of the city."

"Qian army? Southwest?"

If they were coming from the southwest, they definitely weren't the Qian border troops returning to reinforce.

In fact, given the speed of the Yan army's rapid advance, even if the Qian border troops had chosen to return immediately, they wouldn't have been able to catch up by today.

After all, the Yan army was entirely cavalry.

"How many enemy soldiers?"

"The exact number is unknown, but it should be over twenty thousand."

Zheng Fan immediately got up, put on his armor, and walked out with Liang Cheng.

On the streets, Northern Garrison Army knights were rapidly gathering. Scouts were constantly entering from outside the city, shouting news of the enemy.

Cavalry were being dispatched from the city to meet the enemy.

Zheng Fan frowned slightly and said,

"What is this supposed to be?"

Chuzhou was a newly occupied territory. Although, under the threat of swords and various inducements, a "puppet" government had been established last night,

the entire city was still in a state of unease.

Now, openly spreading the news of the Qian army's appearance like this, wouldn't that make the Qian people and nobles in the city start to waver?

One must know that in any group, at any time, the silent majority is the main force. At this time, one must not give them hope.

Zheng Fan narrowed his eyes.

Just then,

a knight rode over and, after arriving in front of Zheng Fan, cupped his fist and said,

"Garrison Commander Zheng, the General summons you."

Zheng Fan returned the gesture and said,

"Understood."

Zheng Fan mounted his horse and went with Liang Cheng to where Li Fusheng was.

Li Fusheng had stayed in a civilian house last night, not choosing a wealthy mansion, because according to the original plan, they would be setting off again in a few days anyway. Any place to sleep would do.

It must be said that these high-ranking generals of the Northern Garrison Army weren't very keen on personal enjoyment.

Zheng Fan rode along the street, constantly passing scouts and cavalry troops. The Yan army in the city and the Yan army camp outside the city had already begun to mobilize.

The hearts of the people in Chuzhou City were also stirring.

Inside the walls, who knew how many heads were peeking out, secretly observing the situation outside, making Zheng Fan itch to practice his headshot archery skills.

…

The most majestic building in Chuzhou City, and also the center of power, was the Prefect's Mansion. However, the Qian Kingdom didn't have prefects, but rather military commissioners.

However, when the Yan army broke through the city yesterday, the Chuzhou military commissioner wasn't in Chuzhou, but was eighty miles south of Chuzhou City in Antian City, urging the transport of grain.

Therefore, this big fish hadn't been caught.

But at this moment, in the Prefect's Mansion, an old man with white hair was sitting at the signing table, his face bearing the deep fatigue of a hangover.

Last night, he had drunk wine all night. The wine was peach blossom wine, and Wuchuan was famous for its fine wines, especially the high-quality ones, which were very expensive.

However, last night, the fine wine that he usually couldn't bear to drink too much of tasted more and more bland.

Yesterday, after the Yan people broke into his mansion and held their blades to the necks of his entire family,

this old man

chose to yield.

He agreed to the Yan people's demands and became the new military commissioner of Chuzhou City. Then, the Yan people began to stuff officials into his government, quite a few. He also found some himself. Within a day, he finally managed to set up this makeshift team.

However, it was just a paper framework. Right now, although everyone was in the government office, no one was really working, and in fact, no one had any desire to work.

However, everyone came to the government office early to "work." The usual laziness and procrastination were nowhere to be seen.

However, after sitting in their positions, what they were whispering about was nothing more than whose family had been raided and exterminated last night, and whose family had been promoted by name.

The Yan people had come too quickly,

and their blades had been placed too quickly.

These officials who had just "surrendered"

hadn't quite adapted to their identities yet.

Fortunately, their nominal "Commissioner Lord" seemed to be feeling the same way as they were.

For a whole morning, everyone just sat there. The Commissioner Lord didn't issue any orders, and everyone became living clay statues.

A servant in the guise of a steward entered the government office, came to the signing room, approached his master, and whispered something in his ear.

Immediately,

a glimmer of hope and excitement appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes.

He picked up his official hat from his head with trembling hands and placed it on the desk.

The royal army, the royal army was back!

The old man was very excited in his heart.

But soon,

his hand trembled again.

He began to feel scared,

because although it was forced, he had worn this official hat.

Having been immersed in officialdom for many years, he knew that this hat, even if he only wore it for a day, no, as long as he had worn it, he could never take it off again.

Last night, he had been suffering internal torment.

That was the grand ambition he had made when he was young when he studied the classics, that was the glory of being named on the Golden List and singing his name at the East China Gate, that was the free and easy manner of returning home after retiring from office with nothing but his sleeves.

His ambition had never been great, and he hadn't risen to a very high position, but his life had been smooth sailing, with some ups and downs, but generally smooth.

Who would have thought that when he was old and about to enter the earth, he would encounter such a disaster.

Especially after hearing about the suicide of his old friend's family, his internal torment began to grow stronger and stronger.

Had he

made the wrong choice?

He was happy that the royal army was coming back to drive out the Yan people.

This

was the territory of the Qian Kingdom, how could it allow the Yan barbarians to run wild!

This

was a place of royal rituals and etiquette, how could it allow the Yan barbarians to trample on it?

However,

if the royal army were to return,

how

would he be treated?

The steward beside him, although only in his early forties, had inherited his father's position and had always been in this family. Seeing his master so haggard and sad, he also sighed silently in his heart.

"Go, invite the lords from the front hall here."

"Yes, Master."

Soon, more than ten lords from the front hall came.

The front hall of the government office had always been the place for the high officials of the county below the military commissioner.

Among them, some had been promoted last night, and some had originally been in this position.

At this time, they were summoned together, and their expressions were different.

Some showed contempt on their faces,

some had helpless sympathy,

some were silent and numb.

In the signing room, after a brief silence,

the lords all bowed to the old man sitting behind the desk and said,

"Greetings… Lord."

The old man showed a bitter smile on his face,

reached out,

and gently patted his face.

He didn't rush to speak, but continued to pat his face,

and began to pat harder and harder.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

"Master, Master!"

The steward quickly stepped forward to stop him.

The old man's left face was already red, but because there wasn't much flesh on his face, it couldn't swell up.

The people below were at a loss for a moment.

The old man picked up the tea that had been on the desk for a long time and had long since cooled down, took a sip, mixed with blood foam, and swallowed it.

He said,

"I think you all already know that the city is very chaotic now, and the Yan people are also very chaotic. The royal army, it is said, is not far from the city."

Everyone had known this news since morning, and the servants at home would continue to send new news.

"The Yan people have entered the city, but we are still sitting in the government office. Heh, what's this all about?"

When the old man said this, the faces of everyone present changed, becoming extremely ugly.

"However, I understand that you lords are different from me. I was blinded by greed and wanted to seek a high official position, so I boarded the Yan people's pirate ship.

But you lords, you are to preserve your usefulness. You and I, we are on different paths."

Some of the people below were surprised, some were puzzled, and some were at a loss, but how could anyone who had been in the officialdom be stupid?

So soon, everyone understood the meaning of the old man's words.

"Cough cough cough…"

The old man coughed continuously,

after a while,

he wiped the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his official robe,

and continued,

"It was I who forced you to sit in the government office today. All the sins are on me. When the royal army recovers Chuzhou, I will submit a memorial to the court and take all the blame.

But please, take care of my family in the future. I thank you here."

The old man stood up from the chair and bowed to the people below.

The lords below all knelt down together and said in unison,

"Lord…"

Everyone was already sobbing.

"Go down, what to do, what to do, what to prepare, you should know."

Everyone agreed and left.

The old man sat back in the chair, and his whole person seemed to have been drained of most of his energy.

The steward said with some heartache,

"Master, why, why bother?"

The old man smiled

and said,

"Do you think if I didn't say that, they wouldn't put the blame on me?"

"This…" the steward.

"After receiving the news of the royal army's appearance, they should already be colluding. Since I have sat in this position, I must bear the consequences.

Rather than let them push me out, it's better for me to walk out myself.

That way, I can still leave a little affection, and in the future, the family can still be taken care of a little."

"Master, it's too difficult for you."

The steward knew that if it weren't to protect the lives of his family, his master would never have been coerced by the Yan people like this.

The old man reached out and picked up the teacup again.

"Master, the tea is cold, I'll make you another cup."

The old man nodded.

The steward walked out of the signing room with the teacup.

The old man looked at the empty room, and suddenly felt a twitch in his heart, and a look of horror appeared in his eyes.

Because just now,

a thought had actually arisen in his heart,

this thought scared him,

that was:

It would be great if the royal army was defeated by the Yan people.

…

News came from the Fu Prince's Mansion that the Princess Consort had fallen ill from shock and had been resting in her room.

At this time, the Prince and the Princess Consort were sitting face to face, having lunch.

Today, the Princess Consort had changed into plain clothes. Yesterday was special, but in fact, she was still in the mourning period for her deceased husband.

"Eat quickly, we have to take the servants out to bury your father properly later."

"Mother, outside…"

The Prince's face was filled with obvious panic.

"What does it matter to you what's happening outside?"

"The army, it's coming back, Mother!"

"If it comes back, it comes back. If it comes back, you can take over your father's position and become the new Prince of Fu."

"No, Mother…"

"If the army comes back, it means you, you Zhao Yuannian, don't have that fate, and it also means that your mother and I don't have that fate. Since we don't have that fate, we have to accept it.

Eat your food."

"But, but A Qing is dead."

"If she's dead, she's dead. When your father was alive, he told you about her identity. You wouldn't have really developed feelings for her, would you?"

"Of course not, but, Mother, she is after all a Silver Armor Guard spy. When the army comes back, the Silver Armor Guard won't believe the story that A Qing died of illness."

"That's easy to handle. Don't we still have a few concubines left by your father in our mansion? If the Yan people really lose, when our Great Qian army enters the city, you can kill all your concubines and put your wife's body among them, saying it was the Yan people's atrocities.

Your old mother will then mess up her hair a bit. If we report it like this, the Emperor might pity our family, after all, your father died on the road of delivering an imperial decree. You, your position as Prince will definitely be preserved, and you will get more rewards, and you won't have to live as tired as your father did."

"Mother, this…"

"When something happens, you have to make a decision. Your father is already gone. In this world, only our mother and son can depend on each other. Don't rely on your maternal grandfather. If your maternal grandfather really cared about me, he wouldn't have let me marry into the Fu Prince's Mansion."

"Mother, your son understands."

"Yes, so eat. Go bury your father this afternoon, we can't let your father be restless forever."

"Yes, Mother."

…

The new city defense commander of Chuzhou City had gathered his subordinates, more than two thousand in total.

Zheng Fan and Liang Cheng happened to see them when they came over.

"Heh, they're here to request a battle," Zheng Fan said.

Last night, this new city defense general had led the city defense soldiers he could incite and control to slaughter many noble families, and had also plundered a lot of wealth.

Now, after hearing the news of the "royal army" approaching, he took the initiative to gather the troops he could control and requested to join the Yan army in the battle.

This was a very strange thing. When the Yan army entered the city earlier, the several thousand city defense troops of Chuzhou City, except for a slight resistance at the beginning, had quickly scattered.

But at this time, they had the courage to fight against the Qian army.

Their combat power was naturally not up to par, but the courage they showed in the two comparisons was vastly different.

This was because they knew that they had committed heinous crimes. Once the Qian army recovered Chuzhou City, they would definitely not survive, and they would have nowhere to hide in the entire Great Qian.

They had enjoyed themselves and looted happily last night, but after waking up in the morning, they immediately began to worry about being held accountable.

"This kind of soldier only has temporary courage, and will collapse with the slightest setback," Liang Cheng said.

"They're just puppet troops, what high expectations do you have?"

"My lord is right."

"Heh heh."

The Northern Garrison Army soldiers didn't stop Zheng Fan, so Zheng Fan was able to walk directly into this small house.

It was just a one-courtyard house. Upon entering, he saw Li Fusheng's Pixiu lying lazily there.

This Pixiu was naturally inferior in bloodline to the two marquises', but to be honest, it was many times better than Xu Fatty's. Its size and the black scales all over its body made it look extremely majestic.

It would be great if he could also be assigned a Pixiu in the future, and he could also let the Devil Kings under his command study how to improve its bloodline.

But it was also interesting that the Qian Emperor liked to give wives to his ministers, while the Yan Emperor liked to give mounts.

As soon as Zheng Fan entered the house, he saw Li Fusheng sitting on the bed, and two personal soldiers were helping him put on his armor.

"Garrison Commander Zheng, you surprised me. I've seen the list and the situation of the collection of wealth, food and grass that you sent someone to deliver this morning."

Hmm?

Hmm!

After Zheng Fan went back, he actually forgot about this and went straight to sleep, but the Devil Kings under his command were indeed reliable in their work, and they had delivered it to Li Fusheng early.

"The Marquis indeed didn't misjudge you. You are indeed different from us rough soldiers, you are a capable person."

"You flatter me, sir."

"Don't always be so modest, our Northern Garrison Army doesn't like this. You don't know how they almost cursed each other during every meeting in the tent to snatch a vanguard army."

"Yes."

"The scouts reported that a Qian army appeared outside the city. The latest news is that there are quite a few people, no less than 30,000, hehe."

Zheng Fan noticed that Li Fusheng's eyes were starting to turn red again.

This was,

he had been holding back for too long.

"I'll take 20,000 cavalry to attack, and leave 10,000 in the city to continue collecting grain and suppressing the city."

"Sir…"

"I know what you want to say, don't you think the whole city is in turmoil now, and everyone in the city knows that their royal army is nearby?

Haha, I deliberately let them spread the news, deliberately let those scouts shout it directly on the streets.

I know what Zhao Jiulang and you did yesterday, but my brain is relatively stupid, I can't think of it so carefully, and I don't know how to do it specifically, and I don't have the patience to do it.

But there's one thing I know,

the best way to make people collapse is not to kill them with one blow, but to give them a little hope first;

and finally,

crush this hope in front of them!"

After finishing putting on his armor,

Li Fusheng stood up

and shouted,

"Damn it, this Chuzhou City was captured without any taste after listening to your kid's suggestion.

Fortunately, I don't know where these 30,000 Qian troops came from, but it doesn't matter, at least there's a proper battle to fight.

My Northern Garrison Army has fought with barbarians in the desert for a hundred years!

The Qian people like to say that my Northern Garrison Army is just being hyped up,

okay,

this time I'll let the Qian people see,

what is the world's number one iron cavalry!"