Chapter 16 Fate: The father who embezzled military funds!
Chapter 16
Ye Xiren stared intently at him.
Ye Changming instinctively stepped in front of Ye Xiren, blocking Lu Qian's view. He also saw the Northern Yan man, and remembering the message Yun Shun had sent, he pointed at Lu Qian and cursed:
"Lu Qian, you actually betrayed the Great Liang and colluded with the Northern Yan people! Bah, you traitor, you lackey of Northern Yan!"
Having dealt with him a few times before, I originally thought that Lu Qian was just someone used by the pro-peace faction to frame them. Now it seems that this person is clearly a lackey of Northern Yan, who has already secretly sided with Chi Zhanlan Ce.
Lu Qian smiled upon hearing this, unconcerned. He casually shook his head, the tip of his knife drawing marks on the ground, his expression a half-smile. "Traitor? You're wrong. I'm just a wise man who knows when to yield. Besides, who said I'm a citizen of Liang?"
He has half the blood of the Northern Yan people in his veins, so how can he be considered a traitor?
Ye Changming opened his mouth, his heart pounding with shock.
This Lu Qian is actually from Northern Yan!
The people of Northern Yan and Daliang do look somewhat different. Lu Qian only looked at their appearances and could tell that they had no foreign blood at all.
"Why do you need to make excuses for betraying your country? Even if you have Northern Yan blood, you clearly look like a Liang person. Liang gave birth to you and raised you, and you've raised a thankless wretch!" Ye Changming continued to curse.
Lu Qian's eyes turned icy, and he let out a cold laugh:
"You don't need to struggle anymore. Calculate the time. The Northern Yan is already attacking Huai'an Canal. Yan's head will be delivered tomorrow... On the battlefield, the Northern Yan will show his head. It was the Liang Dynasty that killed him. Do you think Huai'an Canal can still hold out? At that time, Yan's army will be in chaos, and taking Huai'an Canal will be a piece of cake."
Once the Huai'an Canal falls, the land from the Huai River to the Southern Protectorate Canal will be flat and open. The Northern Yan's iron cavalry will advance southward as if entering an uninhabited territory, directly attacking the Southern Capital.
And the Great Liang...
Is there anyone else who can rival Northern Yan?
Ye Pei's eyes were bloodshot and his body swayed precariously.
“Chizhan Lance is still in Nandu. His Majesty will soon bring the situation under control. Even if General Yan is gone, there is still hope if Chizhan Lance is captured. He is the Crown Prince of Northern Yan. But what about you?” Ye Xiren finally spoke, hitting the nail on the head. “It was you, the traitor, who caused this disaster. Do you think Great Liang will let you go?”
The Northern Yan is about to attack. If we can't kill Chi Zhan Lan Ce, can't we at least kill his lackeys?
Lu Qian's expression changed instantly, and his eyes darkened.
Beside him, Mole laughed wildly, extremely arrogant, "Lord Lu, rest assured, who can't see the current situation clearly? This Great Liang will soon belong to Northern Yan, and your emperor and all the civil and military officials will be lambs in Northern Yan's clutches. Who would dare to act rashly?"
"Besides, there are many smart people in the Great Liang. No one dares to touch His Highness. With His Highness protecting you, naturally no one will dare to touch you either."
Hearing this, Lu Qian breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, from the moment General Yan died, Daliang was already in the hands of Northern Yan.
He pointed the knife at Ye Pei, raising an eyebrow: "Lord Ye shouldn't be stupid. You're in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Northern Yan people need your help. His Highness asked me to pass on a message: if you're willing to obey, you'll remain the Minister of Revenue. Once the Northern Yan enters the Southern Capital, being made a king and appointed prime minister will be a piece of cake."
Ye Pei's chest heaved violently as he said hatefully, "Dream on! One day, my Great Liang will drive all of you Yan dogs out! Traitors will not have a good death!"
"Why waste words with them? His Highness said that if they are willing to surrender, they can stay; if they are not sensible, they can be killed directly to prevent them from causing trouble for Northern Yan."
After speaking, Moller lashed his long whip at Ye Pei, intending to take his life with a single strike.
Ye Changming's pupils contracted, and he rushed forward to take the blow for his father. He immediately let out a muffled groan, and his back was instantly stained red with blood.
"May it burn eternally!"
"elder brother!"
Ye Xiren rushed forward to support her brother, but was pulled to the ground by Ye Changming. However, she couldn't care less about anything at the moment. Ye Changming's face was pale and large beads of cold sweat were dripping from his forehead.
This was no small-scale brawl like the one in Ma Shan. The whip had sharp iron spikes on it, and Ye Changming's back was almost broken. He was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing, but he couldn't make a sound.
Ye Xiren was at a loss, trembling with anger. Her eyes were fixed on Lu Qian and Mo Le, her anger and hatred almost overwhelming her.
Lu Qian chuckled: "Miss Ye is indeed bold and quite likable. Lord Moller, spare this girl's life later, I want to take her back."
His eyes swept over Ye Pei, making him even more unsteady on his feet. He clenched his fists, knowing that staying here was not a solution; he was going to die either way. Even if he was outnumbered, he had to make one last gamble. As long as he could get the token out of Yun Shun's hands, he would still have a chance to stop them...
Moller and the others also made their move, their swords already drawn, when suddenly someone rushed over.
A man from Northern Yan rushed towards them in a panic, his face pale. He stumbled and fell towards Moller, crying out, "My lord, His Highness... His Highness is gone!"
Moler and Lu Qian's expressions changed simultaneously.
Moller didn't care about anything else and ran out.
Lu Qian stood there, stunned. Chi Zhanlan Ce was dead? Who dared to kill him at this time? And without the Crown Prince of Northern Yan, could they still save his life?
Another burst of hurried footsteps sounded, and another group of people rushed in.
Lu Qian's men instantly straightened up, gripped their long swords, and warily watched the newcomers, retreating continuously.
When Ye Pei saw the person who came, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was Ying Changping, the commander of the Imperial Guards. The fact that he was able to come out and deal with Lu Qian meant that the situation in the palace was under control.
Ye Pei immediately reminded, "Lord Ying! Quickly go after General Yan's head!"
Ying Changping's eyes were bloodshot, his face filled with despair, and he gritted his teeth, "It's too late. General Yan was beheaded at noon, and his head was lost by 11 pm. That Chizhan Lan Ce had already sent the head out, letting these Yan dogs intercept it everywhere, just to confuse the situation..."
General Yan's head had already been sent to the Huai'an Canal by Chi Zhanlan Ce's men...
From the beginning to the present, how can we possibly catch up!
Daliang is finished.
Ye Pei almost roared, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, tears streaming down his face, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. Amidst the chaotic noise of war outside, he exuded utter despair.
Ye Xiren stood there, stunned.
The chill spread from her feet to her limbs and bones, and she felt as if she were frozen, her soul seemingly gone.
Lu Qian laughed loudly: "Hahaha, as expected of Prince Lan Ce, you have calculated everything perfectly."
Even he thought the head had just been sent away. He led his men to hunt down Yun Shun, who was holding the seal of the Prefect of Nandu, fearing that they would block the city gates and prevent the head from being sent out. He never expected that it had already been sent out!
It's such a pity that such a clever prince like Lan Ce lost his life.
Who killed him?
Ying Changping pointed his spear at Lu Qian and shouted, "I'll kill you, you traitor!"
Lu Qian showed no fear, raising his chin arrogantly, "Da Liang has lost. Do you dare kill us? Prince Lan Ce is already dead. His Majesty and all of you will face the wrath of the Northern Yan people. You are not afraid of death, but what about your families?"
Ying Changping was furious.
The spears were raised, but they didn't thrust them. Their orders were to capture these Northern Yan people and see if there was any chance of a breakthrough...
Ying Changping was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot. "If it weren't for General Yan's death..."
"You know he's dead," Lu Qian said smugly.
With her strength completely gone, Ye Xiren almost collapsed to the ground. Ye Changming was growing weaker and weaker, and her father's condition didn't look good either. What was worse was the state of the entire Great Liang...
Ye Xiren murmured, "Is this the result of stopping Father from taking the blame on the third day of the third month?"
With General Yan dead, the Southern Capital is in chaos, and the Great Liang... is also doomed.
Her desire to protect her family is tantamount to the destruction of her country.
Ye Pei was like a candle, now burned to ashes, leaving only a skeleton. Hearing Ye Xiren's words, he waved to his daughter.
Ye Xiren approached stiffly.
Ye Pei held her cold hand, his voice hoarse and weak: "Xixi, it's not your fault, this is fate... the fate of the Great Liang!"
Two tears streamed down Ye Xiren's empty eyes. She was somewhat at a loss. "Father, I just want to save the Ye family, to save your life..."
“I know.” Ye Pei held her hand tightly, his face streaked with tears. “Before the peace talks, Northern Yan didn’t mention any of their demands, but our people found out that Northern Yan’s condition for the peace talks was the killing of General Yan. Even with the annual tribute, those officials in the court who only wanted to stop the war would definitely agree. We guessed then that General Yan would surely die today…”
In this situation, all the pro-war faction could do was win over the Emperor's heart, but the Emperor was still resentful of General Yan's "rebellious" crimes, so they had to exonerate the general.
The evidence will be returned tomorrow; today is the deadline.
With time running out, Ye Pei brought up the military rations case again, pointing the finger at himself as the source of the corruption.
Ye Xiren couldn't help but sob. Last March 3rd, Ye Pei confessed his crimes, which enraged the Emperor. The entire Ye family was executed, but General Yan was still alive...
“If I take the blame, it will implicate you, but how innocent are you?” Ye Pei wiped away Ye Xiren’s tears with heartache. “It’s not your fault. This is the fate of the Great Liang. I can’t save it, and neither can General Yan.”
He didn't know what would happen to Xixi. Even he couldn't predict what would happen before it occurred. Xixi's desire to protect her father and family was not wrong. His daughter was a brave and filial good child.
It's not her fault.
The outcome was already decided, and Ye Pei was incredibly gentle at this moment.
Ye Xiren looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears, and asked in a trembling voice, "If General Yan were alive, could he be saved?"
"I don't know, and I don't understand him, but I do know that only he could lead the troops to defeat Northern Yan and keep them locked outside the Huai'an Canal."
Ye Pei seemed lost in thought, as if recalling the young general being escorted to the capital. "Do you know the Yan family? The Yan family has guarded the border for generations, refusing to tolerate any invasion by the Northern Yan..."
He talked about General Yan and the Yan family.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's family has been a family of generals for generations. The Northern Yan's invasion of Daliang was not a one- or two-year affair, so there were Marquises of Zhongyong for generations, and the Yan family army guarded the border for generations.
A few years ago, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, the Northern Yan invaded again. Emperor Xianzong was young and always wanted to make a name for himself. In addition, the Liang army was strong and well-equipped, so he decided to personally lead the expedition and drive back the Northern Yan people.
The two sides went to war on the border. Originally, the Liang army was strong and had an absolute advantage, but Emperor Xianzong insisted on leading the army in person. However, he became afraid on the battlefield and deserted. Chizhan Lanze seized the opportunity, defeated the Liang army in one fell swoop, killed the Marquis of Zhongyong, and seized sixteen prefectures.
Later, General Yan's elder brother became the new Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, resisting the Northern Yan army.
Having suffered heavy losses in the previous battle, Northern Yan was now powerful while Daliang was weak.
After Emperor Xianzong fled back to Beidu, the Northern Yan pressed forward relentlessly. Marquis Zhongyong defended the Yellow River against the enemy, fighting fiercely for two years. Chizhan Lance blew up the Yellow River dike, killing countless people of Daliang, and won that battle. Marquis Zhongyong died with ten thousand arrows piercing his heart, and the Northern Yan army marched straight towards Beidu.
Emperor Xianzong was frightened and, together with the prime minister at the time, decided to move the capital. Ye Pei and others tried to stop him, but to no avail.
After that came the humiliating memory of being beaten while running away.
Emperor Xianzong died on the way. He had only one young son, the young emperor, who ascended the throne. The court continued to move to the southern capital. Shortly after arriving in the southern capital, the young emperor died, which led to the current emperor, Liang Yue, who ascended the throne last year.
The current emperor is more decisive than Emperor Xianzong, supporting the war and sending large quantities of grain to the border, barely managing to maintain the situation.
On the way for the Northern Yan army to advance recklessly towards the Southern Capital, a man led a Yan family army, joined forces with the garrison commander of the Huai'an Canal, and repelled the invincible Northern Yan army.
The situation has reversed.
Ye Pei's breathing became heavy, and he tightened his grip on Ye Xiren's hand:
"This man was only twenty years old, yet he possessed extraordinary talent. He could even turn refugees into a large army. His ability to lead troops was unparalleled in the world. The Emperor was overjoyed and immediately appointed him as the new Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. He provided him with money and grain as he wished. As a result, he achieved several great victories last year and kept the Northern Yan army firmly at bay outside the Huai'an Canal."
"But everything changed when Northern Yan sent the peace treaty." Ye Changming took a deep breath and continued, "One after another, news unfavorable to General Yan spread. People in the court were afraid of death, and more and more officials wanted to negotiate peace. Prime Minister Jiang strongly advocated for peace talks. The emperor was tempted, and the Northern Yan delegation entered the Southern Capital. General Yan intercepted the delegation but was betrayed by Lu Qian and imprisoned."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren closed her eyes, her face covered in tears.
She knew most of these things, after all, from the Northern Capital to the Southern Capital, there had been years of war. But she never thought that one day, a person whose fate was tied to the fate of the nation would be tied to her family. If she wanted to protect him, her family would die, but if she didn't protect him, the country would perish.
"sorry……"
She shouldn't have drugged him.
Ye Pei shook his head, looked tenderly at his daughter, then at Ye Changming lying on the ground, and at Liao Changying whose face was covered in tears.
"I'm so sorry to you all." Ye Pei's eyes were red as he continued to analyze his thoughts. "Chi Zhanlan is cunning and treacherous. The more he tries to kill General Yan, the more it shows how important General Yan is. So, in order to protect him for even a day, I almost died with you all. Xixi was right, it's just that Heaven doesn't favor our Great Liang..."
Ultimately, these people were powerless to turn the tide and save this devastated country.
Ying Changping's face was already covered in tears. Hearing this, he pushed Lu Qian with his spear and gritted his teeth in hatred: "Hurry up and leave!"
He's here to arrest Lu Qian.
Lu Qian was not afraid at all, and scoffed lightly:
"Lord Ye, all your efforts have been in vain. The fate of the Great Liang Dynasty has run its course. Heaven has arranged for the Northern Yan to take its place. This is destiny, the fate of the Great Liang Dynasty, and the fate of your Ye family."
These annoying pro-war factions caused them a lot of trouble. When the iron hooves of Northern Yan arrive, not one of them will be spared.
Ye Xiren gently put Ye Changming down.
She calmly wiped away her tears, slowly stood up, looked at Lu Qian with her dark eyes fixed on him, and asked softly, "Fate?"
“But I feel that my fate is not over yet.” After saying this, Ye Xiren suddenly rushed towards Lu Qian.
Lu Qian was startled and instinctively raised his hand.
A cold glint flashed in her hand, and Ye Xiren's neck collided with it. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to "behead" someone.
Where does one's fate end?
It can be restarted.
Again!
A note from the author:
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