"That's what the military officer hiding behind the civil official said."
"Yes, what's the evidence?"
Several civil officials also spoke up.
Although they all knew that the purpose of this mission was to stall the King of Qin, the so-called passive resistance was not supported by any evidence. Killing someone without evidence was the King of Qin's fault and his crime!
"The evidence is that I killed these ringleaders. I can defeat Southern Yan within five days."
Wei Hong said.
This argument seems far-fetched yet makes sense, but even if it makes sense, it's still fallacious. How can one use murder to prove someone's guilt? If the other party is innocent, wouldn't they have died in vain?
"Whether it's a deserved death or a wasted one, we'll find out once we kill him."
Wei Hong said, and then ordered his men to drag out that general and execute him as well.
"My lord, save me!"
The man was hiding behind a civil official.
Although the civil official didn't care whether the man lived or died, he couldn't just stand by and watch Wei Hong kill someone to establish his authority, so he angrily shouted, "King Qin! How dare you!"
Wei Hong sneered, "What wouldn't I dare to do?"
With those words, Guo Sheng stepped forward, grabbed the official, and slashed at the general behind him.
Chapter 79 Escape
The military officer, naturally unwilling to accept his fate, blocked Guo Sheng's attack with his sword. He then pulled another civil official in front of him, using him as a shield regardless of the official's willingness. Taking advantage of this moment, he turned to his soldiers and several other generals and shouted, "What are you waiting for? If the King of Qin dares to kill us now, he will turn on you next!"
Although the Jingyuan Army was brave and skilled in battle, they outnumbered the Jingyuan Army, so it was uncertain who would suffer a loss in a real fight.
Even if the court investigates afterward, they can unanimously shift the blame to the Prince of Qin, claiming that the Jingyuan Army under his command mutinied, which led to this incident.
The others surrounded by the Jingyuan Army were hesitant, looking at each other, seemingly about to be swayed.
Because they, like the military general, were all soldiers of the imperial court, and had previously fought passively in battle, if the King of Qin dared to kill those men, he might indeed take action against others.
But before they could make any further moves, Wei Hong once again raised his voice: "I know that the reason why everyone was passive in the fight before was not your own intention, but because these people secretly encouraged you. As long as everyone does what they should do in the upcoming battle, the past will be forgiven."
He then called out the names of several people and said to them, "You are their subordinates, and you will temporarily take their places, but..."
He paused, then turned to look at the crowd: "If anyone does better than them, then they can replace them. If anyone finds that they are as passive in their response as their superiors, they can report it to me. Once verified, they will be beheaded immediately, including your current superiors."
These words caused another stir in the crowd, but the way they looked at each other was completely different from before.
Just now, he was hesitating about whether to fight to the death when his life was threatened. Now he is wavering, unsure whether what Wei Hong said is true or false.
The military officer who was grabbing the civil official shouted angrily, "Don't listen to his nonsense! You are not the Jingyuan Army. Your promotions are entirely up to the court. He has no say in this!"
Now that the court is deliberately delaying the Prince of Qin from returning to his fiefdom, anyone who helps him return will become an enemy of the court. Forget about getting a promotion; they'll be lucky if they don't hold a grudge.
The previously wavering crowd gripped their knives tightly once more, looking nervously at the Jingyuan Army around them.
Wei Hong's expression remained unchanged as he nodded and said, "He's right. I can't directly appoint or dismiss you, but hasn't the court always relied on military merit for the promotion of military officers?"
"Now that I am your commander-in-chief, although I cannot directly promote you, I can guarantee that I will report your military achievements truthfully and will never show favoritism to anyone."
“I can post the memorial I submit to the court to request merits in advance for you to see. If there are any inaccuracies, you can point them out on the spot. If the court does not reward merits in the future, then the court is being unfair.”
"But I believe the imperial court would never do something so disheartening, would you gentlemen?"
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at the civil officials.
The group avoided eye contact and remained silent, neither daring to say they were right nor wrong.
Saying it is true means that you have promised everyone that you will be rewarded according to your merits in the future. If you do not reward these people as you have promised them now, they will definitely cause trouble.
To say something is wrong is to tell everyone in public that the court is unjust. Even if they make meritorious contributions, they will not be rewarded. In the future, when there is a real war, who will be willing to fight with all their might to kill the enemy?
None of the people dared to speak easily, except for the official who had been grabbed and used as a human shield, who was still yelling at the people behind him to let him go.
But he didn't shout for too long, because after Wei Hong finished speaking, Guo Sheng immediately gave a signal to the other Jingyuan soldiers, and they suddenly surrounded the general.
Although the military officer was being held hostage by a civil official, he dared not actually kill the man himself. Caught in a dilemma, he was caught off guard by the Jingyuan Army, who stabbed him in the chest and abdomen from behind.
This was tantamount to executing him in front of several civil officials, and it also made everyone else present understand that these civil officials could not protect them, and if they did not do as the King of Qin said, they might die before the next day.
After such coercion and enticement, not to mention five days, the Southern Yan forces were forced to retreat in just three days.
Moreover, the other side clearly did not expect them to suddenly launch a counterattack, and was caught off guard, suffering heavy losses in the initial battles.
Three days later, Wei Hong was about to set off for Shangchuan when he was stopped by several officials who said, "Your Highness, His Majesty sent you to guard Hengshui. How can you just leave like that?"
"Lord Wang is joking. His Majesty sent me to repel the Southern Yan, not to guard the Heng River. I should have returned to Shangchuan after the war. Now that the Southern Yan has withdrawn its troops, why can't I leave?"
"This...it's only been a few days. They've only temporarily retreated. Who knows if they'll come back in a few days?"
"So, according to Lord Wang, since Southern Yan could attack at any time, I should stay here and be on standby at any time? In that case, I should be stationed here permanently, right?"
Who would dare to suggest that the King of Qin reside permanently at Hengshui?
When His Majesty issued the decree, he only told him to defeat Southern Yan. Wasn't that because he was afraid that Southern Yan would find an excuse to stay here after the war was over?
Now, ironically, he's using this as an excuse to leave Hengshui.
"That's not what I meant, but now all the troops are under your command. What if something goes wrong if you leave?"
“I will leave Ziyi and the Jingyuan Army here, and I will only take two hundred men with me. As long as everything is done according to the previous rules, there will be no trouble.”
His face darkened as he said, "Get out of the way!"
He was in a hurry to get back to Shangchuan and didn't have time to waste arguing with people.
These officials were ordered to hold him back, but they had no intention of letting him leave, so they blocked the doorway and refused to go.
Wei Hong frowned as he listened to their incessant chatter, his expression growing increasingly grim. Finally, he roared, "Get out!"
The group shuddered in fright and instinctively backed away. In the blink of an eye, Wei Hong pushed past them and squeezed his way out.
They watched him leave, but no one dared to actually send anyone to stop him, and in the end they let him leave Hengshui.
...
Yao Youqing sat on a pile of dry grass, with a water bag and a piece of dry food in front of her.
After the Jingyuan Army soldiers who protected her during her escape were killed in battle, she was kidnapped and taken south. She has been traveling for four or five days now.
These people did not kill her or torture her, but they refused to let her go, keeping a close watch on her. Even though they seemed to be scattered around randomly, they always managed to surround her.
Yao Youqing cried at first, but stopped when she got tired of crying, because crying was useless. These people wouldn't soften their hearts because of her tears, and it was a waste of energy to prevent her from calming down and finding a way to escape.
Judging from her route over the past few days, she estimated that she had not yet left the territory of Daliang, and the prince's men were probably still searching for her.
Because these people frequently change routes, it's clear they haven't reached areas they can fully control.
She had to find a way to escape as soon as possible, otherwise it would be difficult for her to escape once she was really away from Daliang.
Seeing that Yao Youqing hadn't moved, Zhao Wu walked over and said, "Your Highness, please eat something. We'll be on our way again soon, and you won't have the strength if you don't eat."
Yao Youqing didn't speak. After a moment of silence, she picked up the dry food and ate it in small bites.
As the group was preparing to set off again, she suddenly said that her stomach hurt and she needed to relieve herself.
It's natural for a young woman to feel embarrassed saying these things in front of men, but these past few days she's been surrounded by men and has stopped caring about saving face.
Zhao Wu frowned, seemingly seeing through her intentions, and said, "Your Highness would be better off coming with us obediently and not trying any tricks, lest you suffer."
Yao Youqing lowered her head, clutched her stomach, and whispered, "I really don't feel well. The water you gave me was too cold. I've never drunk such cold water before."
The water was freshly drawn from the river by Zhao Wu and the others, and it was indeed very cold. He looked her over for a while, as if trying to determine if she was lying, and finally said, "Then hurry up, we don't have that much time to waste."
Yao Youqing nodded and squatted down behind a thicket of reeds by the river. After a while, she obediently came out and did not take the opportunity to escape.
Zhao Wu's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he continued on his way with her.
Throughout the rest of the day, Yao Youqing's complexion remained poor. She made them stop several times, each time for a different duration, but each time she returned, showing no intention of escaping.
When they stopped again by a river to rest, she clutched her stomach and hurriedly went behind the reeds.
No one took it seriously this time, because compared to the mountains and forests where one could escape in all directions, the riverbank was not an easy place for a pampered young lady from a wealthy family like Princess Qin to escape.
After all, young ladies rarely leave their homes; who would bother learning to swim?
After half an hour had passed and they still hadn't seen anyone come out, they stood at a distance and asked, "Your Highness, are you ready yet?"
The reeds were silent. The person who had asked the question sensed something was wrong and called out again. When no one answered, he quickly walked over.
Behind the swaying reeds, all was empty; not a soul was in sight. Only the woman's heavy outer garment and jewelry, hastily removed for her escape, remained. As for the timid woman who had either cried or remained silent the whole way, she had long since vanished.
Chapter 80 Reunion
The cold wind lashed against her face, and Yao Youqing shivered as she clutched her chest and ran wildly along the mountain path.
Wearing a thick coat, you don't feel cold in early winter, but it's a completely different story after swimming through the icy river and climbing out.
The wind, which was originally bearable, turned bitterly cold. Just a gentle breeze made her shiver, and in a short while her face turned pale and her lips turned blue.
Her head was throbbing, but she dared not linger, for she did not know how long it would take for the pursuers to realize she was missing and catch up. If they caught up with her, she feared she would never have another chance to escape.
The rugged mountain road had never felt so long to her, stretching as far as the eye could see, as if it would never end.
But she had to leave, no matter how difficult it was, because she had no way out at that moment.
To prevent the water stains left by her shoes from attracting her pursuers, she deliberately left some wet footprints in the opposite direction of her path when passing an intersection, and then walked back through the bushes where there was no path, hoping to prolong the time it would take for her pursuers to catch up with her.
After walking for about 15 minutes, her head started to ache more and more, and her body became numb and gradually became unresponsive.
She felt she might not be able to hold on any longer, and her steps grew heavier and heavier. Just then, she faintly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind her.
Yao Youqing thought the pursuers had arrived. Her body trembled, and she instinctively hid in the bushes to the side, covering her mouth and nose to keep herself from making a sound. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and her eyes were filled with terror.
But as the sound drew closer, her fear gradually turned into joy. She watched the horse galloping towards her from afar, let out a sob, and leaped out of the grass.
"My little darling!"
The horse that had been galloping alone on the mountain path stopped in front of her and nuzzled her cheek affectionately.
Yao Youqing sobbed uncontrollably, clinging to the little darling's neck and refusing to let go. Her icy cheeks finally found a bit of warmth on the horse's body.
That day, she was kidnapped along with her horse. Later, those who kidnapped her felt that Little Darling was running too fast and was very attached to its master, refusing to let others ride it, so they planned to kill it to prevent Yao Youqing from escaping on it.