Li Jun's gaze swept over Tu Long Ziyun for a moment, then fell on Lü Tian, who was shyly lowering her head. If Lü Tian weren't so young, he would have definitely been able to resist mocking Tu Long Ziyun, the words "You're quite the chivalrous one" swirling in his throat before he swallowed them back. Most people have sharp, dagger-like words, and even someone like Li Jun couldn't escape the urge to show off his verbal skills. What set him apart was his ability to control this urge.
“Of course, that’s only right,” Li Jun replied. After a moment’s thought, he smiled and said, “Perfect timing. Sister Mo Rong needs someone to take care of her. Lü Tian, you can stay by Sister Mo Rong’s side from now on. That way, no one in the entire Kuanglan City will dare to bully you.”
Lu Tian, her face flushed, responded softly, "Yes," but her gaze lifted slightly and lingered on Tu Long Ziyun's face. Tu Long Ziyun smiled and said, "Exactly, that's what I was thinking too. Little sister Lu Tian, let me take you to Sister Rong's place."
Just as the funeral was being held in Kuanglan City, Peng Yuancheng led his 15,000 troops to advance on Yujiang City. Meanwhile, news of the fall of Yuyang and the surrender of Peng Yuancheng's entire army had already been relayed back to the eerie Yuzhou Governor's Office by spies.
"The city's garrison numbers no more than ten thousand; how can they withstand Peng Yuancheng's fifteen thousand troops?"
Pang Wu, an important member of Huo Ze's staff and a staunch opponent of Peng Yuancheng, had already died in battle on the walls of Yuyang. Although it was precisely because of his foolishness and recklessness that Yuyang fell, compared to Peng Yuancheng, who surrendered his entire army without shedding a drop of blood and even led his troops to attack Yujiang City, he was a model of loyalty.
Therefore, when Zhu Wenhai asked his staff in despair, they looked at each other and remained silent for a long time.
"You have enjoyed wealth and honor because of my Zhu family, but now the Zhu family faces life and death. Why don't you say a word?" The silence of his subordinates made Zhu Wenhai feel even more fearful and suffocated. After learning of Peng Yuancheng's defection and the fall of Yuyang City, half of his hair turned white. When he heard that Peng Yuancheng had led 15,000 troops from Yuyang Dagu to attack, the remaining half of his hair also turned gray. He was only in his thirties, but just because he took over the position of governor of Yuzhou in this turbulent time, he was exhausted.
"Your subordinate dares to ask!" A staff member stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "At this critical moment, in order to defend Yujiang City, we must accomplish three things."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Zhu Wenhai's eyes, but it immediately dimmed. This advisor was a member of Pang Wu's faction. Even if Pang Wu himself died in Yuyang, what could his faction do?
"Speak," he said weakly.
"First, we request that Huo Ze be executed to cut off Peng Yuancheng's internal support. The governor was deceived by this villain Huo Ze, which is why he favored the ungrateful Peng Yuancheng. Now that Peng Yuancheng has rebelled, Huo Ze, who recommended him, should also be executed!"
"Shut up!" Huo Ze was furious and stood up angrily, saying, "Because of Pang Wu's incompetence, Yu Yang fell, Peng Yuancheng's return route was cut off, and he had no choice but to surrender. Moreover, Peng Yuancheng's military skills are far superior to Pang Wu's, yet Pang Wu, as the supervisor of the army, suppressed Peng Yuancheng, hindering his military operations at every turn. Now that Peng Yuancheng has recently submitted to Li Jun, his heart is not yet firm. If we execute Pang Wu's remaining followers to punish him, Peng Yuancheng will surely return to the commander-in-chief's command!"
"Shut up, both of you!" Zhu Wenhai shouted sternly. At this point, these two factions were still attacking each other, showing no intention of working together. After both men knelt down, he asked the advisor who had spoken earlier, "What about the second and third?"
The former advisor was overjoyed and said, "Secondly, the commander-in-chief should immediately send an envoy to Yuping City, ordering the Yuping garrison to quickly reinforce it. Thirdly, the commander-in-chief should open the treasury and distribute all the remaining wealth to the soldiers, ordering them to fight to the death and await reinforcements. If these three points can be achieved, Peng Yuancheng will see that our army has no opportunity to take advantage of us, and Li Jun is pressing us hard from the rear, so he will surely turn against us."
Zhu Wenhai turned his gaze to Huo Ze, who said, "The second option is also absolutely unacceptable. The Yu Ping garrison is already struggling to defend itself amidst the fierce attack of the four allied forces. Even if they abandon Yu Ping and come to its aid, they will surely be overtaken and routed by the pursuers. Moreover, once the four allied forces reach the walls of Yu Jiang, our army will be attacked from both sides, making it even more difficult to defend. The third option is still a viable plan. Please examine it carefully, Commander."
Zhu Wenhai closed his eyes and sighed deeply, burying his body deep into the chair. A deathly silence fell over the council chamber. A moment later, hurried footsteps outside broke the silence.
"Report—report to the Commander!" The urgent cry of the messenger startled Zhu Wenhai from his reverie. He said, "Let him in."
A military officer rushed in, knelt down with a thud, and cried out in a hoarse voice, "Something terrible has happened! Yuping City has fallen, and Xiao Lin is leading the four allied armies to attack Yujiang!"
For the civil and military officials of the Zhu family, this was the final blow. There was no way out, no reinforcements; they had nowhere to go. The Zhu family's foundation in Yuzhou was already crumbling. If they didn't want to become sacrificial lambs for this century-old family, they had to make other plans.
Zhu Wenhai observed his advisors with an air of detachment, clearly seeing their changing expressions and inner struggles. These people probably already considered him a dead man, his life hanging by a thread.
"What else do you have to say?" Zhu Wenhai asked sarcastically.
Everyone remained silent, even the advisor who had just pleaded for Huo Ze's execution. After a long silence, Zhu Wenhai said wearily, "Go down, all of you. The battle has dragged on for too long, too much blood has been shed. It's time to settle things once and for all."
The staff members left one after another, and after leaving the governor's mansion, they rushed home and ordered their confidants to send a secret letter to Peng Yuancheng, who was outside the city. For a while, the confidants of Zhu's staff held another meeting at Peng Yuancheng's place, but Huo Ze did not send anyone.
After the others left, he stayed behind and advised, "General, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Why don't you disguise yourself and travel to Chen through a side road? You are, after all, an official of Chen. If you can get the help of the current King of Chen and lead a large army to attack again, then the Zhu family's foundation can be reborn!"
Zhu Wenhai waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "Will the Chen Kingdom still support us? Besides, the King of Chen is beset by internal and external troubles and has no time to take care of himself. The Hong Kingdom in the north is pressing on the border, the Heng Kingdom in the south is eyeing us covetously, and there are rumors of riots breaking out in the country..."
"Even if you can't revive the dynasty, the governor can still take more treasures and live a peaceful and wealthy life!" Huo Ze once again urged Zhu Wenhai to leave immediately.
"No need. The Zhu family's century-old foundation in Yuzhou has been destroyed by my hand. I should die for it. Huo Ze, you should also find your own way to survive, just like them. Don't ruin your life for me."
"Governor!" Huo Ze, tears streaming down his face, knelt on the ground once more and said, "Pang Wu was willing to die for his principles in Yuyang, how could I be inferior to him? If the Governor insists on this, I am willing to die for him!"
Seeing that only he and Huo Ze were in the large council hall, Zhu Wenhai couldn't help but shed tears. He helped Huo Ze up and said, "You and Pang Wu are both loyal men..."
An hour later, a white flag was raised atop Yujiang City, the city gates swung open, and the garrison watched numbly as Peng Yuancheng led his troops into the city. The Governor's Mansion was now engulfed in flames. From within the inferno, Huo Ze's aged voice seemed to cry out, "Peng Yuancheng, your day will surely come!"
Peng Yuancheng stopped his horse before the sea of fire. The flames flickered in his eyes, and a strange smile appeared on his face. He turned around and said, "Send a messenger to Kuanglan City immediately and inform Commander Li that Yuzhou has been pacified!"
The news reached Li Jun's ears as the first rays of dawn appeared in the east. Li Jun smiled slightly, put on his clothes, stood up, strode out of the camp gate, and looked eastward, standing there for a long time without realizing it.
Volume 3
Chapter One: Shadows
Section 1
Time flies like water, and in the blink of an eye, autumn has arrived again.
For the people of Chen, this autumn was a terrible year. The prolonged spring drought, coupled with the government's preoccupation with war, prevented the organization of effective irrigation projects, resulting in near-total crop failure in both summer and autumn. Local gentry continued their revelry, while merchants hoarded goods. In the capital, Luoyang, the price of rice had soared to three gold coins per dan (a unit of weight), a sum enough in a bountiful year for a family of five to live comfortably for two months. The situation in other villages was even more dire. Starving people were forced to forage for food in the wilderness, but with far more people than food, the unbearable hunger of children caused them to cry day and night, forcing many parents to abandon them in the wild. While rumors of cannibalism remained unconfirmed, the sight of the swollen, red eyes of the starving people sent chills down one's spine.
The people attributed the drought to a strange incident that occurred during a sacrificial ceremony last winter. The person captured for the sacrifice and the popular Princess Pei Ziyu disappeared simultaneously, angering the gods and causing the drought. While this explanation was absurd, it revealed that King Wu Wei of the northern kingdom of Lan, previously friendly to Chen, was furious at being unable to marry the renowned Princess Ziyu and refused to provide any aid despite Chen's pleas. As for the surrounding kingdoms, Hong was Chen's sworn enemy; had the drought not affected them as well, they would likely have attacked immediately. Although Su maintained a semblance of peace with Chen in recent years, the Rong people on the Qionglu Grassland between the two kingdoms were also starving, making it impossible to deliver food to Chen. The smaller kingdoms of Zhongxing, Bai, and Meng, sandwiched between these three major powers, were powerless to help Chen, though they wished to.
The southern kingdom of Heng shares a long border with the kingdom of Chen. Heng had a bountiful harvest that year, which could have helped Chen. However, King Wu Yuyu of Heng was ambitious. In the thirty years since his ascension to the throne, he had appointed Liu Guang, a man of equal renown to Lu Xiang, as his commander, and Heng had annexed nine kingdoms, large and small. Heng's border had expanded a thousand miles from south to north, reaching the very edge of Chen. The famine in the kingdom of Zhen presented him with a golden opportunity. If it weren't for the major upheavals within his own kingdom, Liu Guang's world-renowned Liu family army would already be at the gates of Luoying.
Yuzhou, also part of the disaster area, was much luckier than other parts of Chen Kingdom. Although the war had lasted for a year, once the flames of war subsided, the resilient people began to struggle for survival. Li Jun believed that the trade revenue from Kuanglan City and the silver mine revenue from Leiming City were enough to allow his already small military and political institutions to operate relatively comfortably, so he ordered the exemption of taxes and grain levies for the farmers of Yuzhou. Therefore, although the harvest was poor, the people's actual income did not decrease much. When Li Jun saw the people's jubilant expressions, he couldn't help but sigh, "Exorbitant taxes and levies make people suffer far more than natural disasters; man-made calamities are more severe than natural disasters."
Li Jun said this while escorting Ji Su back to the Qionglu Grassland. The situation in Yuzhou had temporarily stabilized, and the relationship between the Peace Army and the Rong people needed to be redefined. After six months of interaction, the two sides had developed a certain degree of reliance and trust, especially between Li Jun and Ji Su. The original hostility had gradually faded, replaced by a deep-seated understanding.
Of course, Li Jun did not expect to eliminate the thousands of years of hatred and animosity between the Rong people and ordinary people in such a short time. Even between him and Ji Su, although they no longer quarreled and fought, they were far from being close. This time, he sent Ji Su back to the Qionglu Grassland, partly to fulfill his promise to Ji Su, but more importantly, he wanted to have face-to-face negotiations with Ji Su's father, Hulei, the Great Khan of the three Rong tribes on the Qionglu Grassland.
"The scenery of the grasslands is indeed different from that of Yuzhou." Li Jun looked around. The sky was high and the clouds were light. As far as the eye could see, there was only boundless grassland. Due to the continuous drought and the arrival of autumn, the grasslands were withered and yellow. After traveling for two days, he had not seen any Rong people or herdsmen. However, Li Jun could not help but marvel at the scenery before him.