Chapter 491 Massacre
The King of Chu went all out this time and captured the ferry in just two days. As Li Mingde dragged General Li into the tent, the King of Chu sat at the head of the table, still quietly wiping Lin Changning's armor.
So many days have passed, and there is still no news of the two children. Fortunately, their bodies have not been found either, which means that there is still hope that the two children are alive.
As he looked at the exquisite armor, the image of his daughter's gentle and beautiful face flashed through the mind of the King of Chu. For so many days, he still hadn't dared to send a message to Taiyuan to tell his queen and daughters about the fact that his second and sixth sons had fallen into the water.
As he stared blankly, he heard the clanging of armored figures outside and slowly raised his eyes to listen to his bodyguard beside him.
"Your Highness, the Eighth Prince has captured the enemy general and requests an audience!"
The King of Chu stared coldly outside the tent, gave a soft "hmm," and after the people beside him brought the people outside in, his tiger-like eyes seemed to be frozen with a thousand-year-old ice as he coldly looked at General Li, who was being forced to kneel in the middle.
"Li Chang, it's been more than ten years since we last met."
Li Chang, who was kneeling, nodded: "It has indeed been more than ten years since I last saw Your Highness."
Knowing he was doomed, Li Chang had no hope of survival. With a smile on his face, he looked up and stared straight at the King of Chu with his blood-stained face.
The King of Chu glanced at Li Chang indifferently and continued to wipe the helmet in his hands.
"Tell me, how do you want to die? A dignified death may not be possible, but perhaps a quick one will do."
Li Chang remained silent for a moment, then slowly withdrew his smile. He had sent someone to kill the Chu King's nephew, whom he had raised since childhood, thinking that the Chu King would not let him off easily.
Despite their advantageous terrain, the King of Chu still managed to launch a massive attack, losing three-tenths of his troops in the battle to finally capture the ferry crossing from them.
From the moment the Chu army launched its fierce attack, Li Chang knew that there was probably no room for maneuver between him and the Chu king.
So after the enemy stormed the camp, he ordered his soldiers to surrender. The King of Chu had just crossed the river, and now he needed manpower to take Weihui, enter Mengjin, and go to the capital.
He could die, but it would be a terrible injustice if his soldiers died.
Li Chang sighed and lowered his head to the ground, kowtowing several times to the King of Chu: "If Your Highness wishes to vent your anger, you may do so with me alone. There are still more than 3,000 soldiers at the ferry crossing. I hope Your Highness will show mercy and spare their lives."
Li Mingde, who was standing to the side, suddenly kicked Li Chang, his eyes red and his chest bulging as he grabbed Li Chang's armor, staring intently at Li Chang: "Then what about my A Rong and Xiao Liu? Did you leave them any way out?"
After punching Li Chang in the face, Li Mingde still felt it wasn't enough, so he knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands, and said to the King of Chu, "Ninth Uncle! This man deserves to be torn to pieces."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao, the commander, called out from outside the door, "Your Highness! Your Highness! The Crown Prince is here!"
The King of Chu suddenly looked up and waved to Commander Zhao, who had rushed into the tent, signaling him to calm down: "Xiu'er, what's wrong?"
Commander Zhao broke out in a cold sweat. He looked at the King of Chu, wiped his sweat, and then looked at General Li kneeling on the ground. He hesitated for a moment and said...
"The Crown Prince was massacring the soldiers who surrendered at the ferry crossing. Old Qian and I couldn't stop him; we were both in a bloodthirsty frenzy!"
Li Mingde seemed unsurprised that his younger brother would slaughter soldiers. He remained kneeling on the ground, looking at the King of Chu with an unquestionable gaze.
"The victor is king, the loser is villain. So be it, let them slaughter us. Uncle Jiu, we also lost many men in this battle at the ferry crossing. Those lives should be paid for with our own!"
Not to mention, if it weren't for these people at the ferry, Ah Rong and Xiao Liu wouldn't be in this precarious situation, their fates unknown.
The King of Chu remained silent for a long time.
Reason clearly told him that he should stop his son from massacring surrendered soldiers, which would make the road ahead easier. But a voice in his heart was screaming madly that he should avenge Rong'er and Changning, and make these people pay for their blood debts.
Li Chang looked up at the silent King of Chu at the head of the table and suddenly said, "The soldiers are just following our orders. If Your Highness really wants to vent your anger, you can take it out on me, but my soldiers are truly innocent."
Li Mingde kicked Li Chang to the ground again: "Innocent? At this point in the fight, who is completely innocent?"
Li Chang calmly straightened himself up and knelt before the King of Chu again: "Your Highness, it's just a difference in stance. Please reconsider."
The King of Chu frowned and remained silent, while the group in the tent waited quietly for his decision.
After a long silence, the King of Chu sighed, "Fine, let Xiu'er go."
If Xiu'er doesn't get his revenge, who knows if it will leave a grudge in his heart in the future? Besides, what he wants is the supreme position of the emperor.
Xiu'er is his only heir, the one who will inherit the throne in the future. Whether he is the emperor or the crown prince, being too soft-hearted is not good for Xiu'er himself.
The King of Chu glanced at Commander Zhao indifferently: "There's no need to stop him. We don't need these 3,000 men. Let him go."
After saying that, he waved his hand and looked at Li Mingde, who was kneeling, and said, "Mingde, you can deal with this person yourself."
After saying that, he lowered his head, looked at the armor that had been polished to a gleaming shine over the past few days, and sighed softly.
Even if thousands of people were slaughtered, even if enemy generals were killed and their heads displayed, what difference did it make? His own second son and sixth son were still nowhere to be found.
When Li Mingde heard the King of Chu say that he could do whatever he wanted with him, a few glints of joy flashed in his eyes, and he immediately grabbed the man and dragged him out.
General Li was quietly dragged out of the tent, his eyes calmly looking at the King of Chu. He had thought this day would come when the King of Chu led his men to attack the camp.
Unexpectedly, the King of Chu was so cruel that he wouldn't even spare his own surrendered subordinates. After being dragged out, a knowing look flashed in General Li's eyes.
In his memory, the King of Chu was both benevolent and ruthless. He had recently withdrawn his troops and distributed grain to the people, which gave him the illusion that even if he offended the King of Chu, he could at least save his people if he surrendered in time.
General Li smiled wryly, realizing what had happened only after seeing the calm and composed expression in the King of Chu's eyes.
How could the Prince of Chu, who could endure so many years under two emperors and send his daughter to the capital to suffer for so many years, truly be a benevolent person? What emperors in high positions truly lack is an iron fist and a cold, hard heart.
What kindness, what benevolence, what love for the people?
It's all just for show!
How could a prince who dares to rebel be a soft-hearted person?!
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