Rebuilding the Mountains and Rivers
The spring in Youzhou comes exceptionally late and is exceptionally bleak.
The corpses piled up under the city wall had already turned black, attracting flocks of crows circling around it, making a heart-wrenching noise. The battlements on the top of the city wall were badly damaged and blackened by smoke and fire. Now piled on the top of the wall were bricks, stones, beams and wood obtained from the demolished houses in the city. There were even corpses of people who died of starvation and freezing, which were frozen hard and became tools for defending the city.
After several months of siege, the Western Qiang people attacked in wave after wave like tireless hungry wolves. Youzhou, the mighty city in the northern border, had already been eaten away and was on the verge of collapse.
Inside the city, the situation was even more like hell.
The granary was already empty; tree bark, grass roots, and even rats had all been looted. Hunger was like the most terrible plague, devouring everyone's sanity. The order that had been maintained at first completely collapsed in the face of the instinct for survival.
Robbery, murder, cannibalism...
Human tragedies are played out in dark corners every day and night.
Xue Cheng had just come down from the top of the city wall, his armor was stained with coagulated blood, and he had a new knife wound on his body that was so deep that the bone could be seen. It was hastily tied with a cloth strip, and the blood that seeped out mixed with sweat made him look hideous and terrifying.
Before he reached the government office, he heard shrill cries and sounds of smashing and looting coming from an alley not far away.
The guard's face changed. "Commander-in-Chief, they're stealing food again! Mr. Li's house in East City was robbed yesterday, and more than a dozen people died. I'm afraid it's West City's turn today!"
Xue Cheng paused, his eyes becoming even more bloodshot.
He suddenly drew his sword: "Which bastard dares to cause trouble?"
He took dozens of his personal soldiers and rushed to the commotion following the sound.
A few alleys away, hundreds of pale and skinny rioters and defeated soldiers were attacking a courtyard that seemed to be in good order. The door was shaking and the terrified screams of women and children could be heard from inside.
"Stop it, everyone!" Xue Cheng shouted.
The rioters turned around and saw Xue Cheng and his fierce-looking personal guards behind him. They couldn't help but pause, but hunger soon overwhelmed their fear.
"Governor! There's no way to survive! My mother at home is starving to death! Please give me something to eat!" someone cried.
"Defend the city! Defend the city! We will die in the end! Why do they still have food stored at home!" Someone roared with red eyes and continued to bang on the door.
Xue Cheng looked at those faces twisted by hunger, and his heart ached. These were the people he had sworn to protect, but now...
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the bloody air, and when he opened his eyes again, there was a look of determination in his eyes.
"kill."
The guards hesitated for a moment, then drew their swords and rushed into the crowd.
The flash of a knife passed by, blood splattered, and the rioters who rushed to the gate of the courtyard fell down in an instant like chopped wheat straw, and the survivors fled in terror.
Xue Cheng stood in the middle of the pile of corpses, holding a bloody knife, and looked around at the eyes that were looking through the crack in the door. "Order to the entire army! Anyone who dares to rob or kill again, regardless of whether they are military or civilian, will be killed immediately without mercy! Each unit will take turns guarding the city. If any rebellion occurs, we will put it down immediately and kill without mercy!"
The order was promptly executed.
For a moment, the flash of swords rang out again in Youzhou City, but this time, the blades were aimed at their own people. Teams of soldiers shuttled through the ruined streets and alleys, killing anyone who dared to cause trouble on the spot.
More blood was shed than on the battlefield outside the city.
Some were not innocent, and some were innocent. Poor people whose food was stolen were occasionally killed.
No one cried out for justice because they were all dead.
The order was forcibly suppressed, but the curses and resentment in secret surged like the magma under the ground. The name Xue Cheng turned from a savior into a devil.
"What's the point of just killing people? Without food, everyone will die!"
"What do you mean by saving people from suffering? I think he wants us all to be buried with him!"
Deputy General Zhao Kun, dragging his injured leg, found Xue Cheng, who was checking the city defenses. "Brothers, we can't hold on any longer. Many of us..."
Xue Cheng was silent for a few breaths, looking at the endless Western Qiang soldiers outside the city. Without turning back, he just said, "The wealthy families in the city must still have grain stored in their cellars. Take your people and go to each family to borrow it. Just say that I, Xue Cheng, borrowed it. If they refuse to lend it to you..."
A flash of numbness after pain appeared in his eyes. "He will be charged with treason. The whole family will be executed and all food supplies will be confiscated!"
Zhao Kun's pupils shrank: "Commander-in-Chief! This..."
"Go ahead." Xue Cheng interrupted him.
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I will bear the infamy and go to hell! But before I die, Youzhou City must be defended."
A more brutal purge began.
The soldiers smashed open the cellars of the wealthy families and dragged out bags of food. All those who resisted, regardless of age, gender or children, fell under the sword.
Youzhou City has completely turned into a hell on earth.
Xue Cheng stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the city inside and outside, which was filled with blood and fire, with no expression on his face. He knew that he was destined to die without a burial place in this life.
The Xue family, which had been loyal and brave for generations, was completely destroyed in his hands, but his hand holding the hilt of the knife still did not loosen, as long as Youzhou was still there, as long as someone could survive.
But assassinations also followed.
While patrolling the camp at night, arrows were shot from nowhere, and poison was detected in the food and drinks several times. Xue Cheng just sneered and ordered a thorough investigation. Anyone caught would be executed no matter how far they were involved.
He was like an iron-cast god of death, suppressing everything with blood, maintaining the last breath of Youzhou City. Everyone wanted him to surrender, but he refused.
Even if the Youzhou City fell into the eighteen levels of hell with him, he would write the mournful name of the Southern Dynasty on the tombstone of the Youzhou City.
Even if Xue Cheng deserved to be cut into pieces and thrown into a frying pan, he would still kill a few more Western Qiang dogs and drag them into the animal realm together, to be lowly animals for tens of thousands of lifetimes.
Even if everyone in and outside the city wants him dead and wants to replace Xue Ziqi on the city wall, he will still defend the Han Dynasty and the glorious history books with his blood and bones, and will not let his descendants kneel down and become slaves and forget the passage of time.
How far can he go? He didn't know, but he still had to go on.
In this desperate stalemate, changes suddenly occurred in the Western Qiang camp outside the city.
The fierce offensive that lasted for several months suddenly slowed down, the army besieging the city began to retreat, and the camp suddenly shrank. Xue Cheng stood on the top of the city wall, looking at this scene, feeling shocked and confused.
"A plan to lure the enemy?" Zhao Kun was equally puzzled. "The Qiang dogs are trying to lure us out of the city?"
"Unlikely." Xue Cheng shook his head. The Western Qiang were on the rise, so there was no need to take risks now. "Close the city gates tightly, send out more scouts, and investigate carefully!"
For many days, the Western Qiang people just surrounded Youzhou City from a distance and no longer took the initiative to attack. Youzhou City unexpectedly got a chance to breathe, but the food shortage and suppressed panic in the city did not ease.
It wasn't until a few days later that several scouts brought back shocking news.
"Commander-in-Chief! Beishuo! Beishuo is sending troops!" The scout was so excited that he was incoherent. "Tuoba Hong personally led tens of thousands of cavalry to raid Weizhou! The Western Qiang army stationed in Weizhou was defeated! The Western Qiang people transferred troops from our area to support Zhenzhou, fearing that Beishuo would take advantage of the situation and attack Zhenzhou!"
Xue Cheng stood there in a daze, speechless for a long time.
Bei Shuo? Tuoba Hong? Why did they suddenly intervene?
He held onto the cold wall and slowly sat down on the ground. At this moment, this strong man's shoulders shook and tears silently flowed down.
Find a way out of a desperate situation.
Youzhou was actually defended like this?
The main force of the Western Qiang retreated, but Xue Cheng did not dare to be careless and still issued strict orders to defend the city. However, he was finally able to allocate some manpower to clean up the ruins and bury the corpses. What was more important now was to seize the time for spring plowing!
The abandoned land outside the city was reclaimed and precious seeds were carefully sown.
But the food crisis was not resolved. During the spring plowing and autumn harvest, distant water could not quench immediate thirst. The army's food reserves had long been exhausted, and the porridge and rice distributed daily were becoming thinner and thinner. The soldiers' resentment began to accumulate again.
The food looted from the rich was also consumed, and this time, the hungry eyes were cast on a wider range of ordinary people.
There was a commotion in the army.
"Commander! My brothers are starving! We've fought so hard to defend the city, and we don't even have enough to eat a full meal?"
"Those untouchables in the city must have food in their hands! Why should we protect them while starving?"
"Let's rob them! If we don't, we'll all starve to death! We still won't be able to defend the city!"
Several senior generals found Xue Cheng with flickering eyes.
Xue Cheng listened silently. He knew that part of what his subordinates said was true. A hungry army could blow up its camp at any time. Once out of control, Youzhou would immediately turn from a hell on earth into a real den of ghosts.
Bandits pass through like a sieve, and soldiers pass through like a comb.
Could it be that the soldiers under Xue Cheng's command would eventually take this desperate path and turn their butcher knives against the people they were supposed to protect?
What’s the difference between them and the Western Qiang barbarians outside the city?
His Xue family has been loyal and brave for generations. They love their soldiers like their own sons and cherish the people even more. He has read all the military books, but which one taught that one should rely on plundering one's own people to maintain the army?
The immense pain almost crushed the man.
"We'll discuss it tomorrow."
In the end, he just waved his hand tiredly, his voice dry.
It was a dark night, and the Governor's Mansion was dead silent.
Xue Cheng dismissed everyone and sat alone in the empty hall, with a few simple dishes and a pot of wine on the table.
He drank one glass after another. The wine burned his empty stomach, but it couldn't burn away the pain in his heart. He knew that he had to make a decision tomorrow, a decision that would be irreversible no matter what he chose.
As he was drunk, he drew his sword and began to dance in the hall. Suddenly he performed a sword dance, looking heroic and fighting. The general was bleeding on the battlefield, so why was he dancing with sword in tears today?
"Have you not heard that within the hundred-li land of Youzhou of the Han Dynasty, thousands of villages and towns are covered with thorns and jujube trees?"
"Have you not seen the head of Qinghai? Since ancient times, no one has collected the bones. Black kites peck at human intestines and fly to hang them on dry branches."
"Thinking of me, Xue Cheng, I have been familiar with military books and practicing martial arts since I was young, hoping that one day I can guard the border for my country..." He wailed as he danced with the sword.
"Hahaha, now you're actually ordering your soldiers to rob food and plunder the people. Xue family ancestors, open your eyes and take a look! Look at the world, it has come to this point..."
The sword wind swept across the candlelight, causing the light and shadow to sway.
At this moment, a cold female voice suddenly sounded:
"The general has excellent swordsmanship."
Xue Cheng's movements froze, and he sobered up instantly.
He pointed his sword at the source of the sound and shouted, "Who?"
He saw a figure standing in the shadow of the hall door. A plain dress outlined a slender but upright figure, and a pair of calm eyes were looking at him quietly.
How could this person sneak into the heavily guarded Governor's Mansion quietly?
"Who are you?" Xue Cheng gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
The man said, "Princess Mingzhu, Ning Lingyi."
Xue Cheng's pupils contracted in shock. "It's you? Shouldn't you be in Weizhou? Why are you here?"
He immediately thought of Beishuo's military deployment, and doubts filled his heart. "It was you who allied with Beishuo to attack Weizhou?"
Ning Lingyi walked slowly into the hall, her eyes sweeping over the messy cups and plates, her tone remaining calm: "Weizhou has been recovered. I came here specifically for the general."
"For me?" Xue Cheng was even more confused, and a sense of alarm suddenly arose in his heart.
Emperor Guangqi regarded her as a traitor and wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible. What was her intention in sneaking into Youzhou at this moment?
"That's right." Ning Lingyi looked at him directly. "I've come here to help you out of your immediate predicament. I heard that Youzhou has run out of food. I've brought 300,000 dan of grain and fodder with me. They've already arrived at the camp outside the city. Please send someone to inspect and receive them."
"How much?" Xue Cheng almost thought he was too drunk and was hallucinating. "Three hundred thousand dan?! Where did you get that from..."
Before he could finish his words, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall. Deputy General Zhao Kun, without even bothering to report, rushed in. His face was filled with excitement and disbelief, and his voice was trembling: "Commander-in-Chief! Food, food! There are so many food ships outside the city! There are so many that you can't see the end. The people escorting them said that these are military rations sent to us by Her Royal Highness Princess Mingzhu. They are enough to feed us for the better part of six months!"
Xue Cheng was like being struck by lightning, and froze in place, with the sword in his hand falling to the ground with a clang.
He stared at Ning Lingyi intently, his voice dry: "Why did you send food? To the court? Impossible, His Majesty..."
Ning Lingyi shook her head slightly and interrupted him: "The imperial court has long since abandoned Heshuo and is now trying to kill me. General Xue, do you think I would still work for a court like that?"
"Then why?"
Ning Lingyi took a step forward and stood in the flickering candlelight, her face seemingly glowing.
"I came here for the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Youzhou."
"I'm here for you, General Xue, who has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command."
"I came here to protect the northern border from being completely lost to foreign invaders."
Finally, she said, "I wish to work with the general to help the world and rebuild the country."
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