Chapter 489: The People's Will
The Sun family army was slowly withdrawing.
The world has changed.
General Sun led the army to evacuate Youzhou and prepare to move to Yanmen and Daijun.
Everyone was silent all the way.
None of the soldiers expected that the Pinggang negotiations would have such an outcome.
Fifteen thousand soldiers and horses from Youzhou were also brought along.
Prince Gong was determined not to leave a single soldier for Lu Desheng.
He also asked Lu Desheng to open the gates of the three counties of Youzhou and let the people who wanted to leave leave.
Lu Desheng did not argue with his request and promised that after the imperial army completely withdrew from Youzhou, he would order people to open the city gates in various places in Youzhou and let the people who wanted to leave go.
Lu Desheng did not argue, as he did not know how many soldiers in Youzhou were extremely disappointed.
During this period, some soldiers wanted to find excuses to sneak away, but Prince Gong was very vigilant and did not allow any one to fall behind.
There was no other way, all the soldiers could only rest.
Deng Fangyi and Duan Xing were also among them. They planned to follow Prince Gong back to Chang'an to see what arrangements the emperor would make.
They have already sent someone back to the governor's mansion to arrange for the whole family to leave Youzhou.
The gates of Youbeiping County, Yuyang County and Shanggu County in Youzhou were all open, and the people could enter and exit freely within the specified time.
At the city gate of Yuyang County, brothers Qin Yan and Qin Zhao watched as many common people left, some carrying their bags and some with their families.
"There are quite a lot of ordinary people leaving this time." Qin Zhao felt it was a pity.
Qin Yan: "There's nothing we can do. The imperial court forcefully took away 15,000 soldiers from Youzhou. Most of these soldiers' families will come looking for them."
The two brothers really wanted to keep all these people, but they also knew that sometimes it is better to guide than to block.
They had seen that among the three counties of Youzhou, Yuyang County and Shanggu County had the most people leaving. Because Youbeiping County was defeated by the second Xianbei army led by Tuoba Jin, many people fled to Pingzhou at that time. This time when the city gates were opened, the number of people leaving Youbeiping County was the least.
"Tsk, with so many people following them, how is the court going to accommodate them?" Qin Zhao said with a smile. It would be funny if they couldn't accommodate them properly.
The Qin Yan and Qin Zhao brothers felt that too many people left, but Prince Gong felt that too few people left.
That night, the general led a large army and rushed to Yanmen overnight, leaving only a small force for Prince Gong, and gathering troops from Youzhou.
Because there were too many people and they were too diverse, they had to sleep outdoors at night.
For the small remaining Sun family army, the people who followed them needed protection, and Prince Gong and his entourage needed protection even more.
Prince Gong felt unwell after the negotiations and found a dilapidated house to rest.
Because of the terrain, the remaining troops could only separate the two sides.
Lin Ran lived next door to Prince Gong. Suddenly, he saw a figure passing by.
He immediately chased out, "Who?"
For some reason, he paused and shouted, "Someone, chase him!" Lin Ran chased after him.
Lu Songli watched as Qin Sheng brought a few skilled men and, under the cover of night, knocked out the guards and others one by one.
Then he signaled her that she could go in.
Lu Songli glanced in the direction where Lin Ran left, and she found that Lin Ran was a very interesting person.
She pushed the door open and greeted Prince Gong in the room, "Hello, Prince Gong."
"You?" Prince Gong was extremely shocked and angry. He didn't expect that someone would dare to seize his base.
"I'm Lu Songli."
Upon hearing this, Prince Gong was quite surprised.
This man, according to rumors in the capital, was both intelligent and resourceful. Prince Gong was still speculating about the other party's purpose in coming to him at this time.
When Prince Gong was looking at Lu Songli, she was also looking at Prince Gong. Compared with the last time she saw him, Prince Gong looked a little older and he looked very tired.
His health is not very good. After all, he is old and still has to work so hard. Both the physical fatigue and the psychological pressure are squeezing his old bones.
Song Mo committed a sin.
Lu Songli sat down opposite Prince Gong very naturally.
Qin Sheng stood behind him.
"I didn't expect that even at this time, Prince Gong still cares about these soldiers and civilians. You are truly loyal to Dali."
Prince Gong glanced at Qin Sheng and said, "The loyalty of important officials like me is something that traitors like you cannot possibly understand."
Lu Songli nodded, "Indeed. You are on the verge of death, and you are still thinking about Song Mo and Dali. I really can't wait."
"What do you mean?" Prince Gong's face turned black.
"I told you your death was imminent," Lu Songli said bluntly. "You didn't immediately set off for Chang'an. I guess you sensed something, didn't you? You're taking away the Youzhou soldiers and civilians. Are you trying to atone for your sins?"
"But it's useless. Your death is not enough to settle this incident."
Prince Gong's face turned pale. "That's impossible. I am a royal family member after all. Even if I failed to do my job well, I am not guilty of the death penalty."
"It is because you are a member of the royal family that you are the best shield. Song Mo cannot bear the consequences of forcing the Qin and Lu families to rebel. Otherwise, he will not be able to explain to the world."
"No, no, you and your father are both traitors. I don't believe you."
"It doesn't matter. I believe you know Song Mo better than I do. He even dared to attack his own brother, let alone you." Lu Songli did not expose his self-deception. "I came here only because I care about your past care for my father. I am afraid that if I don't repay this favor now, I will never have the chance again."
Of course she came to Pingzhou to gain a legitimate reason for her rebellion.
At this time, even though Prince Gong was reluctant, he had to admit that Lu Songli's prediction was possible and very likely.
"Why? You are so smart and your father is so eloquent. I don't believe you can't dispel the emperor's dissatisfaction with you." If it weren't for the Lu family, he wouldn't have to wade into this muddy water and wouldn't be stuck in it now.
Prince Gong had already realized that the Lu family's rebellion was premeditated.
"Why? To survive, of course." Lu Songli laughed. "You're right. I do have a way to dispel the emperor's dissatisfaction with us. But so what?"
"Song Mo has a narrow-minded personality. He wants those he loves to live and those he hates to die. Even if we give up this time, he will still think of attacking us the next time if we do something that doesn't satisfy him."
"You—you—are so bold!"
Lu Songli asked in surprise, "Isn't it? Or do you think it's a good thing to have such an emperor?"
Prince Gong: Could you please not be so choking when you speak?
"The Qin family has already been in that state. I don't want our Lu family to follow in their footsteps. I also don't want our Lu family to be like you, treated as a pawn by him, used when useful and discarded when useless."
If Song Mo were here, he would definitely cry out in injustice. Who was it that told him in the prison cell of the Dali Temple that he was rich and that talented people were willing to serve him one after another, and told him not to care about a small minister?
After discussing the two families, Lü Songli looked at Prince Gong with pity. "You worked for him, cleared the way for him, and yet in the end, not only did you end up with your head and body separated, but your reputation will be tarnished for eternity after your death."
"Your descendants and your family will also be hated by him and will not be valued by him."
Upon hearing this, Prince Gong's face turned pale.
At this time, Qin Sheng went out and came back to urge her, "We have to leave."
Lu Songli stood up. Prince Gong knew they were leaving and asked, "What is the purpose of your trip?"
"I told you, I'm going to repay you. If you're willing to die and take the blame for Song Mo, we'll leave now. After all this trouble, no matter what, I've repaid you."
"What if this king is unwilling?"
"Even though you can't escape death, at least you've saved your reputation."
"What about my family?"
"You won't die, but your situation will be no better or worse than if you surrendered."
In other words, no matter how he died, it would not change the situation of his family.
"Then what shall I do?"
"If I were you, I would go back to Chang'an and hang myself in front of the palace gate, telling everyone in the world that you didn't fulfill Song Mo's instructions and died to atone for your sin. That way, Song Mo wouldn't be able to do anything to make you take the blame."
Once he dies, the final word is passed and his reputation is preserved.
Prince Gong's hands were shaking.
Lu Songli ignored him and evacuated quickly with Qin Sheng's help.
Qin Sheng hugged Lu Songli's waist and jumped in the dark.
Lu Songli rested her chin on his shoulder, and when she looked back, she seemed to see a figure standing there, gradually getting smaller.
The next day, after the army had finished their meal and was packing their bags to prepare for their journey, the general discovered that one man was missing when he was counting the troops.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that many Youzhou soldiers had secretly escaped at night, which made Prince Gong even more heartbroken.
Pingzhou, Liaoxi County, Wencheng County
The people of Wencheng County were the first to kill the corrupt officials and shout slogans of independence. They were also the first people of Pingzhou to know that Lord Lu had rebelled.
"Did they really rebel in Pingzhou?" These were the people's disbelief.
"If we don't, the imperial court will ask us to pay more taxes this year."
"Yes, if we hadn't rebelled, Pingzhou would have been given to the Xianbei by the emperor to please the foreign tribes!"
"That's right, if we fall into the hands of the Xianbei barbarians, what good will we get?"
"If the imperial court gives up Pingzhou, they should be able to properly resettle our people, right?"
"You're dreaming. Even if the imperial court is willing to resettle us, I don't think it will be any better than where we are now in Pingzhou!"
"That's right. There's no place like home. We don't want to leave our hometown anymore."
"Didn't they say that many people left Youzhou? Can't we just wait and see the results?"
"Yes, Pingzhou is so good now. The Xianbei can't attack, and the imperial court can't defeat our Pingzhou soldiers. We just need to work hard and farm well under the leadership of Lord Lu, and we should have no problem living and working in peace."
"It would be great if we could live and work in peace in Pingzhou." In troubled times, human life is worth less than a dog's, so the common people want to find a place that can shelter them.
At this moment, the city gate of Wencheng County slowly opened.
The common people turned their heads and recognized that it was the motorcade of the Governor's Mansion, and the carriage of Governor Lu was also inside.
"Master Lu, you're back!"
"Master Lu, please say a few words!"
"Yeah, let's talk."
The common people are unsure.
Lu Desheng's bicycle stopped as they wished.
Lu Desheng came out of the carriage, and Xian Feng and Alice stepped forward to protect him.
There were three stone steps in front. Lu Desheng walked over and stood on them.
Behind him was the city wall, and in front of him was a crowd of ordinary people surrounding him.
The soldiers on the city wall were watching the common people below with a fierce look of fear, fearing that some thieves would harm Lord Lu.
Xian Feng and Alice were also on high alert.
As soon as Lu Desheng stood up, the people consciously quieted down.
"I'm sure everyone has heard that the result of the Pinggang negotiations was that the Emperor of Dali wanted to cede Pingzhou and Youzhou to the Xianbei, so I, Lü Desheng, rebelled."
"Among you, there are probably some who agree with me, Lu Desheng, and some who don't want to live under a traitor like me. It doesn't matter. Please wait for two days, and we will give you an explanation."
"Everyone can make preparations in the next two days. Those who want to leave can leave, as Pingzhou is a free place to come and go! Those who want to stay are more than welcome. Furthermore, the top management of our Qinlu Group promises to work hard to protect and manage Pingzhou and Youzhou, and strive to ensure that the people under our jurisdiction live and work in peace and contentment. Even if this cannot be achieved, we will work hard to ensure that everyone is not affected by the war. That's all. Thank you everyone."
After Lu Desheng finished speaking, he nodded to everyone and then turned back to the carriage.
The common people spontaneously made way for the governor's convoy and burst into warm cheers.
Qin family
The women and children of the Qin family were all there, and Lu Songli was also here.
As soon as the news of her father's rebellion reached her, she sent people to Tianshui New Village to take the children of the Qin and Lu families home. She also informed the village chief to arrange for martial law. She even secretly arranged for a military unit to secretly protect Tianshui New Village.
Although they had anticipated the need for rebellion before her father left for the negotiations, in order to avoid gossip, they did not let the children skip private school in the morning.
Upon hearing the news that Lü Desheng and Pingzhou had rebelled, the women of the Qin family looked dazed. They were rebelling just like that?
There is no need to think about this, the men in the Qin family must know about it, which means that the men in the Qin family support the rebellion.
Mother Qin sighed. Their Qin family had been loyal for generations, but she never expected that they would be forced to this point.
Seeing that they were silent, Lu Songli knew that they needed time to digest the situation. She looked at the sky and planned to go to the governor's mansion. Pingzhou needed her to take charge at this time.
"Mom, sisters-in-law, things might get a bit chaotic for a few days, so the children should stay home for the next few days."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
After saying that, Lu Songli stood up and said, "Then I'll trouble you, mother and sisters-in-law, to take care of the family. I'm going to the governor's residence. I might stay there tonight. If you have any questions, please send someone to find me."
"Okay, go and do your work."
"Sixth brother's wife, do you need help?" asked fourth sister-in-law Su Jingyun.
"Yes, sixth sister-in-law, just tell me if you need help." Second sister-in-law Cai also said.
Mother Qin noticed that Alice, who had been following her daughter-in-law, was gone, and she said, "Your second and fourth sisters-in-law are both quite skilled. It's a chaotic situation out there right now. Wouldn't it be better for you to have a female guard to protect you?"
Lu Songli was troubled when looking at the old and young in the family.
Qin Bin also ran over at this time, "Aunt Liu, please let my mother go and protect you. My brother and I will be good and obedient at home."
In order to reassure them, Lu Songli said, "Okay, let Fourth Sister-in-law follow me." These are all small things.
At worst, the worst that could happen to the Qin family is that she can just assign more people.
"I'm going to change my clothes. I'll be right back."
As expected, Su Jingyun quickly changed into a set of tight clothes, and she even had a whip wrapped around her hand.
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