Chapter 23 Escape.

Following the Seventh Prince's decree, the three prefectures of Dan, Heng, and Xu took action one after another. Dan Prefecture was the most impatient, annexing both Bing and Xiang Prefectures. These two prefectures had suffered severe disasters in recent years, and were like toddlers learning to walk in front of the militarily strong Dan Prefecture. Bing Prefecture put up some resistance, while Xiang Prefecture adopted an open-door policy of welcoming guests. — The prefectural governor was quite pragmatic; rather than waiting to be punished for failing to pay the annual tribute to the court, he might as well simply submit to Dan Prefecture and secure an official position.

Then Xuzhou sent troops to Qingzhou. Although the official reason was that the bandits in Qingzhou had been harassing them repeatedly and Xuzhou had long been fed up with it, Qingzhou had reported to the court a few years ago that there was a suspected iron mine in the mountains, but the court had not been able to spare the time to send people over.

Hengzhou, Guo Xiang's stronghold, remained the most patient. While Danzhou was busy establishing its own territory and Xuzhou was busy suppressing bandits in the mountains, Guo Xiang leisurely wrote a letter to Chen Yu, the governor of Chenzhou, urging him to merge Chenzhou into Hengzhou.

Chen Yu was shocked to receive the letter. He never expected that Hengzhou and Chenzhou were separated by Yongzhou and Junzhou, yet Prime Minister Guo would set his sights on him. Although Guo Xin's letter was written in a refined style, it was nothing more than coercion and enticement.

Guo Xiang annexed Chenzhou not only because Chenzhou was relatively wealthy, but also because Chenzhou bordered several other prefectures and counties, and he planned to annex them one by one, thus engaging in a long-term confrontation with the imperial court. If Chen Yu agreed, it would be a meritorious act of supporting the emperor; if he refused, a large army would be pressing on the border in an instant.

Chenzhou is a long and narrow place, and there are only about 10,000 people who can fight. It is a pipe dream to think that they can protect themselves.

Thinking of the hard work of two generations of his family in making Chenzhou what it is today, and thinking of the people who trust him wholeheartedly, Chen Yu didn't sleep all night. The next day, he wrote a letter and sent it out, but instead of Guo Xiang of Danzhou, he sent it to Qin Lie, who was currently in Tongzhou.

Guo Xiang had not received a reply, so he and Liu Yunfei led 20,000 soldiers to press on Chenzhou, intending to try diplomacy first and then force.

Unexpectedly, Qin Lie was dressed in full military attire, riding a tall horse, with his soldiers behind him fully armed and ready to go, having been waiting for a long time.

Guo Xiang's heart skipped a beat. "The General Who Conquers the North is not in Ji Province. What is the purpose of stationing troops in Chen Province?"

Qin Lie said politely, "Our Qin family and the Chen family have been friends for generations. Last year, the princess and I were able to return to Ji thanks to Uncle Chen's help. Uncle Chen is of a simple nature and only wants to defend Chenzhou. He has no intention of stirring up trouble. Why should you force me, Prime Minister? As long as Prime Minister Guo promises to restore peace to Chenzhou, I will withdraw my troops immediately."

After the palace coup, both the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince's faction spared no effort to win over the Qin family, who held considerable military power, but the Qin family remained unmoved. Now that they were here, Prime Minister Guo, though reluctant to leave Chenzhou, was even more unwilling to antagonize the Qin family at this time.

Moreover, Qin Lie is a brilliant strategist, and the Jizhou army is disciplined. Even if there are only 10,000 men, they may not be able to defeat the 20,000 troops he leads.

What's even more alarming is that he hadn't received any intelligence before the Jizhou army passed through Ning, Huang, and Qingzhou to get here.

Thinking of this, Guo Xiang became even more wary, and jokingly said that the matter was just a misunderstanding, and ordered the troops to withdraw.

That evening, Chen Yu hosted a banquet at his residence. Although the crisis had passed, he was still worried. “Prime Minister Guo has taken the route through Yong and Jun prefectures and reached the border of Chen Prefecture in two days. I’m afraid that these two prefectures have already secretly been annexed by Heng Prefecture. Although he has temporarily withdrawn his troops, he will surely raise troops again once the rear is stable, due to my nephew’s power. At that time, I’m afraid we will have no chance to resist.”

Qin Lie said, "Uncle Chen, rest assured. Whenever it is within my power, I will definitely help you."

Although Chen Yu was holed up in Chenzhou, he was actually extremely astute. When Qin Lie passed through Chenzhou last time and made a special trip to visit him, Chen Yu realized that this young man was no ordinary person. Later, he heard about what happened in Ningzhou and had a feeling about it, which is why he sent a letter to Qin Lie.

Qin Lie immediately led his troops to the scene, confirming his suspicions. However, he still wanted to wait for Qin Lie to speak up, but even though he had made his point so clear, Qin Lie still refused to give him any grounds for criticism.

It seems he'll have to put on this show himself.

Chen Yuxian said with compassion, "The Seventh Prince has acted perversely and disregarded human ethics. How can I sit idly by and watch the people of Chenzhou fall into his hands? To be honest, my dear nephew, I had already made up my mind when I wrote you that letter." He then stood up and bowed to Qin Lie, "The world is about to fall into chaos. My Chenzhou is willing to submit to the General. From now on, we will follow the General's lead and only hope that the General can protect the people of Chenzhou!"

Qin Lie said with a sigh, "Uncle Chen has such a heart full of love for the people, how could I, your nephew, dare to refuse? I will do my best to help!"

Only after the two sides agreed to "do what they can" and "help to the best of their ability" were they satisfied.

Although there are still many details to be discussed later, let's not delay the enjoyment of the guests and hosts at this moment, and let them drink to their hearts' content.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Yu, his face flushed and ears burning, was trying to get closer to Qin Lie by pulling his son Chen Zhaoming along when Qin Xiaochuan rushed in and whispered a few words to Qin Lie. Before Qin Lie could even finish listening, his face turned ashen, and he bowed to Chen Yu, saying, "I have some urgent business to attend to and need to return to Jizhou. I hope Uncle Chen will understand!"

Without waiting for Chen Yu's reply, he got up and left.

Qin Hong was enjoying his drink when he hurriedly followed, asking in confusion, "What's the rush? Why are you going back tonight?"

Qin Lie continued walking: "It's a private matter, you don't need to worry about it, and you don't need to go back."

Even so, his aura was clearly suppressed to the extreme, how could Qin Hong not be worried? Of course he would follow.

When they returned to Jizhou, only the two of them and a few guards remained. Even if the others could endure such continuous travel, none of them had a divine steed that could sustain them day and night.

Qin Hong was a little disoriented from the journey. He dismounted with Qin Lie and realized that they had arrived at the princess's residence.

"What exactly happened?" Qin Lie looked around at the people kneeling on the ground, his gaze settling on Qiu Min.

Qiu Min said, "Reporting to the general, I have been guarding the outer courtyard, while the inner courtyard has always been the responsibility of Commander Zhang. A few days ago, I discovered that only one or two out of ten soldiers remained guarding the inner courtyard. After making inquiries, I learned that Commander Zhang had ordered them not to guard the inner courtyard, but instead to take a portrait to the city gates and other places to investigate. I became suspicious and asked someone to find the portrait. It turned out to be the princess! I went to Commander Zhang to ask if the princess had disappeared, but he denied it. I had no choice but to lead my troops into the inner courtyard, where I learned that the princess had been missing for five days."

Qiu Min kowtowed and said, "This humble general is incompetent and failed to protect the princess well. However, Commander Zhang, relying on his military merits, looks down on me, a guard who became a general's bodyguard through nepotism. He also takes orders from the general and usually doesn't respect me at all. Therefore, he hinders me at every turn, which is why it was only discovered so late. I hope the general will give this humble general a chance to atone for his sins and bring the princess back!"

"Where is Commander Zhang now?" Qin Lie's voice was icy cold.

Qiu Min hurriedly ordered his men to bring over Zhang Qianzong, who was bound hand and foot.

When Zhang Qianzong saw Qiu Min still struggling and cursing, he immediately shut up and knelt on the ground, trembling, when he saw Qin Lie.

Qin Lie kicked him to the ground, "How on earth did they escape?"

General Zhang struggled to kneel down again, kowtowing repeatedly, muttering, "This humble general is guilty, please spare my life, General!"

Something was fishy at first glance. Qin Hong bent down and grabbed him by the collar. "You know Third Brother's rules. If you confess honestly, even if you die, your family will be taken good care of. If you try anything funny, we'll see how many heads your family members will take with you to the grave!"

Left with no other option, Commander Zhang confessed, "This humble general is guilty, but... but it was because the princess seduced me, and I couldn't control myself for a moment, that's why I fell into her trap..."

Qin Hong and everyone present were taken aback to hear such secrets and were at a loss for how to react.

Qin Lie, however, sneered and said, word by word, "Tell me in detail how the princess seduced you. If you miss a single word..." He raised his knife and swept a few strands of hair away from Zhang Qianzong's ear.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Zhang Qianzong hurriedly said, "At first, the princess was quite well-behaved. Apart from making a list of what she wanted and having someone give it to me, she had no interaction with me. I had never even seen her. It was only about a month ago that she wrote a list and asked me to come and collect it. Although you, General, have confined them to the inner courtyard, you haven't cut off their supplies. At first, I just thought it was troublesome, that I could leave this to my subordinates, why should I go myself? But when I saw the princess, I felt like she was a fairy. Since then, whenever there's a list, I go to collect it myself. Sometimes the princess asks me if there's anything new to eat or do outside, and if so, if so, asks me to bring some in. I think these things are unimportant, so I chat with her for a bit and bring some. If she likes it, she'll smile at me and say, 'Thank you for your hard work, General, I...'"

Seeing Qin Lie's jaw tighten and his eyes flash with murderous intent, Qin Hong quickly kicked Zhang Qianzong: "Stop rambling and get to the point!"

General Zhang said, "About ten days ago, when I was delivering something to the princess, I saw her sitting there silently weeping. I couldn't help but ask her something. She said... she said..." He stammered, not daring to continue.

"Speak!" Qin Lie's voice was as cold as a thousand-year-old ice.

Commander Zhang steeled his resolve: "She said the general abandoned her here, and she is very lonely and cannot bear to waste her youth in this mansion. She also said... she also said that seeing how tall and mighty I am, and how gentle and considerate I am, she is willing to be my secret husband and wife, and only hopes that I will come to see her more often in the future."

Upon hearing this, Qin Hong and the others wished they were deaf. None of them dared to look up, and they even thought their breathing was too loud.

Qin Lie asked, "Just because she said that, you agreed?"

"This humble general dares not! This humble general dares not!" Zhang Qianzong hurriedly kowtowed heavily, his head bleeding from the effort. "This humble general is deeply indebted to the general and dares not accept." He paused and whispered, "This humble general dared not accept at first, but the princess... she took my hand, put her arm around my waist, called me Zhang Lang, and said that if I were to be promoted in the future, I would never see her again in this life. She only wished to spend one night together to make our acquaintance worthwhile."

He wept uncontrollably: "At the time, I was still struggling, but as soon as she leaned in and kissed me, I couldn't care less about anything else. I immediately embraced her and tried to do it, but she said that I had been in there for too long and people might get suspicious. There were too many people in the inner courtyard, and if they found out, I was afraid my life would be in danger. She said we needed an opportunity to truly become husband and wife. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness that I did as she said. Three days later, I prepared wine and invited the people on duty that day to drink. I put sleeping potion in the wine and also put sleeping potion in the food sent to the mansion. Only then did I come to meet her in secret."

He said with a pale face, "After I finished everything and came to find her, I was ambushed as soon as I entered the house. When I woke up, the princess was gone. I knew that something bad had happened. I thought that if I could capture the princess first, I could still hide it. But I didn't expect that Qiu Min would find out in just a few days and lead his troops into the inner courtyard and capture me."

The courtyard was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Even though Qin Hong was unaware that Qin Lie had secretly met with the princess here many times, he also knew that such a thing was a great disgrace to a man.

Moreover, those who knew that Qin Lie had visited this place many times were now trembling like leaves.

In the ensuing silence, Qin Lie laughed in fury: "Fine! Fine! Fine!"

After a sharp laugh, he looked at Zhang Qianzong and asked, "Tell me, where did she kiss you?"

The voice was surprisingly soft, which startled Zhang Qianzong for a moment before he subconsciously replied, "Left, left cheek."

The next instant, a flash of light appeared, and the skin on his left cheek was sliced ​​off, revealing his nose and teeth.

Before he could feel any pain, Zhao Mama, Mingzhu, and the others who were kneeling nearby screamed in terror, then covered their mouths tightly, not daring to utter a sound.

Qin Lie asked again, "Which hand was holding him?"

Before Zhang Qianzong could speak, Qin Hong lowered his head and advised, "Third Brother, just give him a quick death!"

After all, he was a captain, who had fought his way up and made great contributions. Even if he deserved to die, he shouldn't suffer like this.

If everything that has been touched or embraced must be cut off, then if the princess has embraced his waist, does that mean he should be cut in half at the waist as well?

Qin Lie remained unmoved and continued to ask, "Which hand?"

Qin Hong looked up, wanting to persuade him again, but saw that Qin Lie's eyes were icy cold, his eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead were bulging, making him look like a Yama, a demon.

The sound got stuck in his throat, and he could no longer speak.

It wasn't until Qin Lie chopped off both of Zhang Qianzong's hands and the man's cries of pain echoed in the courtyard that Qin Hong came to his senses. Unable to stop the still furious Qin Lie, he could only stab Zhang Qianzong in the left chest to give him a quick death.

Snow began to fall from the sky at some unknown time. The hot blood from drawing the sword splattered on the snow and instantly turned into blood.

Seeing that Qin Lie did not blame him, but just stood there, letting the wind and snow blow his black cloak, seemingly lost in thought, Qin Hong advised, "It's better that she left on her own. Even if Grandmother and Aunt don't say anything, they'll always feel uncomfortable if she stays here."

He meant well, but Qin Lie seemed to wake from a dream and ordered in a deep voice, "Notify the men to chase after them towards the capital. Spare no expense. We must find them alive, and even if they are dead, bring their bodies back to me!"