"kill!"
"Prince Ning's army has arrived!"
"Those who lay down their weapons will not be killed!"
Chunlun was holding a scimitar in his hand.
Riding a fine horse, rushing to the front.
As a Liao person, he was best at riding and shooting.
The scimitar used was also the standard equipment of Liao Dynasty's war cavalry.
More suitable for close combat.
As soon as the city gate was opened, Chunlun and other cavalrymen rushed in.
The sound of war drums also rang out in Gaotang City.
More and more soldiers woke up.
They all picked up weapons to stop them.
But it is of little use against heavy cavalry.
Chunlun raised his sword and killed several people in a row.
The infantry behind him quickly followed.
Hold the city gate tightly.
At this moment, the city turned into purgatory.
The two sides have engaged in close combat.
The troops sent by Tian Zhongxun were all elite.
Even though the city had been breached, they had already fought their way out.
Ning Que raised the sword in his hand high.
"Everyone listen!"
"You have all been deceived by Tian Zhongxun."
"This king knows that you are the elite of Qi."
"Your wives and children are in Tian Zhongxun's hands."
"They are not far away in Jiaodong and Langya."
“But we are being oppressed and food prices are skyrocketing!”
"It was I who forced the Tian royal family to open their granaries and release the grain!"
"You helped Tian Zhongxun defend Gaotang County, and what did you gain?"
With the help of the bronze trumpet, Ning Que's voice resounded throughout the city.
Many soldiers held their spears and looked at each other in confusion.
"Is what he said true?"
"Young man, King Ning wouldn't lie to you." The old village chief walked out, leaning on his cane. "You're good people, too. You haven't done anything to us common people since you came to Gaotang. In my life, I've never seen an official as good as King Ning. Look, King Ning has at least tens of thousands of men. If a fight breaks out, can you hold your own?"
"Brother Huang?!"
"Liu family kid? It's you?!"
General Huang Qian looked over in surprise.
Then I saw a short young man walking out slowly from behind.
"Brother Huang, what King Ning said is true!"
"After we arrived in Jiaodong, our wives, children, and elders all suffered humiliation. Some could only scavenge for black beans, which even pigs wouldn't eat, and were humiliated by the Tian royal family. They controlled the granaries and drove up prices. Captain Huang's two cows were sold. Your father was seriously ill, and it was only Prince Ning who sent people to cure him... It wasn't just Captain Huang, many of our fellow villagers sold their children!"
“No… Impossible!”
"The King of Qi would never do this to us!"
General Huang retreated again and again.
He stared blankly at the young man in front of him.
Xiao Liu and he are from the same hometown, and are distant relatives.
His wife is the cousin of the Liu family boy.
In fact, he didn't believe Tian Zhongxun.
Instead, he believed in Tian Bi, the Prince of Qi!
His life was saved by Tian Bi.
When he was desperate, it was Tian Bi who came to his aid.
From then on, he sold his life to Tian Bi.
Tian Bi told them.
Their wives, children and the elderly will be taken care of by the royal family with the surname Tian.
They can fight outside with confidence!
If you achieve military merit, your whole family will enjoy the benefits!
But...but is this how it's done?!
Tie Niu, Chun Lun and others couldn't help but look at Ning Que.
Only now did they understand Ning Que's intention.
No wonder Ning Que is so kind to the people of Langya.
The Qi soldiers were simply deceived by Tian Zhongxun.
Maintaining the war expenses is not easy.
The State of Qi now has only two counties at most.
Where will the food come from if so many troops are mobilized?
That can only exploit the people!
But for the soldiers, they fought to the death just to gain military merit and benefit their clansmen. Now telling them that their families were bullied by the Tian royal family, what a fight!
"Uncle Huang, what they said is true."
"I followed the King of Qi's orders and ventured out to sea with the King of Ning to attack Goguryeo. But when we returned to Jiaodong, my daughter had been sold into a brothel, and my wife had committed suicide by jumping into the river. Uncle Huang, I served in the army with you. Did I ever fear death in battle? But now tell me, why did I join the army? We fought hard on the front lines, but we couldn't even protect our wives and children! Many families' wives and children relied on the King of Ning to barely survive."
"Uncle Huang, please stop being so stubborn!"
Ning Que breathed a sigh of relief.
Walk forward slowly.
Everyone shut up at the same time.
If anyone is to blame, it's Tian Zhongxun for being a bad person.
Fighting a war without caring about the lives of the people.
In fact, the people's demands are not high.
All I want is to fill my stomach.
The three Qi counties all bordered the sea, so life wasn't bad. Selling sea salt and fishing kept them at least somewhat better off than the inland counties. Plus, they could grow rice, and with luck, they could harvest three or even four crops in two years.
Tian Zhongxun was fully capable of stabilizing grain prices.
At the same time, land tax was exempted for two or three years.
Officials were sent to help the people grow rice.
But how did Tian Zhongxun do it?
Allow the Tian royal family to drive up prices!
There is no natural disaster, but man-made disasters spread.
The people of Langya were forced to sell their children!
This is dereliction of duty!
"You heard what they said."
"Tian Zhongxun sent his fleet to launch a surprise attack on me, but I saw through their plan. I only executed the senior officers, leaving the rest of the soldiers largely unharmed. Upon returning to Jiaodong, I discovered the people were living in dire straits. They have already told me the details of the situation."
Ning Que looked at General Huang Qian and said slowly, "I didn't force them to join the army. After arriving in Jiaodong, I let them make their own choices. I'll even leave some money for those who stay in Jiaodong. And they all came here voluntarily. Why do you think that is?"
"Besides, I now command an army of thirty thousand, while you have only three thousand remnants. The city gates have been breached, and I could destroy you in a snap of a finger if I so desired. I will not kill you, but only in the hope that you will repent and return to the right path. You must at least understand why we are fighting in the first place."
General Huang Qian gritted his teeth and lowered his head.
Many soldiers behind him were whispering.
"Prince Ning is right."
"I think what they say is true."
"I also know the Liu family kid. We are from the same hometown."
"Old Wang is from the same hometown as me! He was originally a subordinate of the Second Prince, and later followed him to sea. Old Wang is a tough guy, not afraid of swords and knives. This time he went to sea, he didn't plan to come back alive. He will help Prince Ning, maybe there is really something wrong in Langya."
"General Qian, do we...still want to fight?"
"Captain Qian, I'm so sorry." A soldier dropped his weapon to the ground. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "I don't want to surrender, and I certainly don't want to be a deserter. But my wife and children are all in Jiaodong. If it's really like what they say, I will never work for these Tian royals again!"
"I won't fight anymore!"
"We fight for our wives and children. If anything goes wrong with them, I won't fight them!"
"I think only Prince Ning is truly good to us."
More and more people are choosing to lay down their weapons.
There is no doubt that they worked hard for Tian Zhongxun.
But what is the result?
The royal family surnamed Tian bullied their relatives!
How could they accept this?!
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