Chapter 110: Emperor Xianping, who received two injections.
Yicheng was the largest city within a hundred miles of the middle reaches of the west bank of the Liao River, with about two to three thousand households.
Knowing that no matter how many troops he stationed in Yicheng, they could not withstand the siege of 300,000 troops from the Great Zhou, Emperor Yin arranged for the garrison to withdraw to the east bank of the Liao River in advance. He left only a prefect to lead the civil officials in the city to wait at the city gate and plead with the Great Zhou soldiers who came to attack the city to spare the innocent people in the city.
Generals Li Wei and his two generals thoroughly searched the city several times to ensure there were no Yin soldiers lying in ambush before reporting the news to Emperor Xianping, who was several dozen miles behind. Emperor Xianping, a benevolent ruler, naturally would not allow his troops to harass the people of Yicheng and ordered Li Wei and his generals to prepare for battle on the west bank of the Liao River.
As for Emperor Xianping, ever since he entered Liaozhou, whenever the Great Zhou soldiers had captured a city, Emperor Xianping would definitely stay in the county government office within that city. How convenient that was! At night, there was a warm kang (heated brick bed), and during the day, the imperial chefs would prepare meals carefully in the kitchen. He wasn't afraid of wind or rain, which was much more comfortable than living in a tent in the wild.
Before the emperor entered Yicheng, Zhao Yi led three thousand imperial guards and six thousand infantrymen to search the city thoroughly three times. Although they could not harm civilians, they could still check people's homes to see if any Yin soldiers were hiding there. Only after confirming that only civilians remained in the city did Zhao Yi come out to welcome Emperor Xianping.
During the search by the Imperial Guards, Xiao Yu once again advised Emperor Xianping that it would be safer for the emperor to reside outside the city: "This area is already the heartland of Yin Kingdom. The loyalty of the people in the city to Yin and their hatred for Zhou are growing stronger. If Your Majesty camps outside, you will be surrounded by the Imperial Guards and soldiers of your own country. If Your Majesty resides inside the city, even if there are Imperial Guards guarding your residence, you will still be too close to the people of Yin Kingdom, and there is a risk of unforeseen events."
The late emperor never had this concern during his northern expeditions, because he always led his troops to the front lines. Once he captured a city, he would continue to advance. At most, he would enter the city for a brief inspection and would never spend the night inside.
Emperor Xianping was getting fed up with Xiao Yu's nagging and said unhappily, "Li Wei has already investigated. The able-bodied men in the city have long been conscripted into the army by Emperor Yin. Only some old, weak, sick, disabled, women and children are left, which is less than 10,000 in total. I have 15,000 elite soldiers to protect me. What is there to fear?"
Xiao Yu looked at Chen Ruliang, who had also come from Zhuojun to accompany the emperor.
Chen Ruliang kindly shook his head at him, implying that Xiao Yu should stop trying to persuade him.
Xiao Yu then looked at his second brother, Xiao Lin, who was guarding him from behind, but Xiao Lin avoided his brother's gaze. Military officers leading troops in the field might be able to offer advice to the emperor, but the Imperial Guards, from top to bottom, were to be the emperor's tools, obeying his every command. If they spoke too much, they would be like a disobedient tool that might even harm its master, and would soon be discarded by the emperor.
With no one to support him, Xiao Yu could only resign himself to his fate and follow the emperor into the city.
After Emperor Xianping had completely replaced the Imperial Guards with guards in the city and settled the prefectural government offices, which had no Liaozhou people, he seized the opportunity and, with the Imperial Guard Commander Zhao Yi, found his younger brother. He frowned and asked, "The army and the Imperial Guards have practically turned the city upside down. What else are you worried about? Tell us if you are, and we will send more people to patrol and make sure everything is safe."
Zhao Yi nodded. He wasn't afraid of Xiao Yu's harsh words; the emperor's safety was what he valued most.
Xiao Yu: "Is the city really only inhabited by the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and women and children?"
Zhao Yi: "It is absolutely true. Including the two northern expeditions of the late emperor, each time the Yin emperor would conscript all the able-bodied men into the army to help him protect the country."
The Great Zhou has men available from the nine provinces, but Liaozhou is only so big. No matter how benevolent the Yin Emperor is, he still has to conscript soldiers when necessary, otherwise there will be no chance of victory.
Xiao Yu: "Have you checked the wardrobes, outhouses, and cellars in the homes of ordinary people?"
Zhao Yi: "Yes, we have left no place untouched, such as pigsties, donkey sheds, woodsheds, granaries, etc."
Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and asked, "Are there any exceptionally beautiful women in the city?"
Zhao Yi: "...I didn't encounter any, but don't worry, my lord. Even if the Emperor goes out to inspect the streets, the Imperial Guard will ensure that no woman of marriageable age has the opportunity to appear before the Emperor."
Xiao Yu: "All the food His Majesty eats must be made from our own provisions. If His Majesty wants fresh food, we must send people to buy it from the villagers in the nearby villages."
Zhao Yi agreed to everything Xiao Yu said, including patrol arrangements for the city walls, streets, and inside and outside the prefectural governor's mansion.
After Zhao Yi left, Xiao Lin looked at his younger brother and asked, "Can I rest easy now?"
Xiao Yu sighed, "Even if I feel more at ease, it's not as reassuring as setting up camp outside."
Just how worried was Xiao Yu? He changed into civilian clothes, summoned Qingchuan and a squad of soldiers, and personally went to inspect the city. Most of the people were cowering inside, their doors tightly shut in fear of the Zhou soldiers; there were hardly any locals on the streets. Xiao Yu randomly selected a few houses to check, and then asked the old men, women, and children for information. He didn't care whether the information was true or false; his main purpose was to observe the expressions of the people and judge whether there was any hidden danger in the city.
His actions quickly reached the ears of Emperor Xianping.
Although Xiao Yu was concerned for his safety, the more cautious Xiao Yu was, the more it highlighted the emperor's arbitrary and reckless behavior, causing his ministers even more worry. Emperor Xianping became even more dissatisfied with Xiao Yu.
After staying obediently at the prefectural governor's residence for three days, on April 19th, Li Wei sent a message from the west bank of the Liao River, saying that the army had completed preparations for building a pontoon bridge and was ready to cross the river at any time.
Emperor Xianping was greatly encouraged. As long as his army crossed the river, he would march straight towards the capital of the Yin Kingdom, which was a hundred miles away!
Emperor Xianping immediately led Xiao Yu, Chen Ruliang, and three thousand imperial guards out of Yicheng, galloping to the main camp on the west bank. They spent the night there, and the next morning, Emperor Xianping personally beat the drum to encourage the soldiers crossing the river. Throughout history, emperors personally led expeditions not only out of personal ambition but also to boost morale to the greatest extent possible.
Watching Emperor Xianping resolutely beat the drum with veins bulging on his arms, Xiao Yu felt a surge of heroic emotion in his chest and looked up at the army preparing to cross the river at the front line.
The vanguard of the Zhou army was located west of the river, while archers, infantry, and cavalry of the Yin state were waiting in full battle array behind a long fortification erected in advance east of the river.
The Liao River had not yet entered its flood season. At this time, the river was hundreds of feet wide. When each of the Great Zhou's pontoon bridges was being built, warships led the way. The hulls of the warships could block some of the arrows, and the archers and shield bearers on the ships were also quickly shooting at the Yin soldiers on the other side.
However, the number of warships was limited. When Zhou soldiers died on the warships, new recruits had to climb out of the water to continue shooting at the enemy. On the other hand, the Yin soldiers on the opposite bank could replace their soldiers at any time. As a result, even though the Zhou army had 300,000 men, they were unable to break through the Yin soldiers' arrow rain and barriers after three days of continuous crossing.
Emperor Xianping's arms were already sore and numb from swinging them around. After being persuaded by the three generals, Li Wei, Emperor Xianping led his imperial guards back to Yicheng to wait.
Having witnessed firsthand the horrific scene of his soldiers falling one after another in the river, staining its waters crimson, Emperor Xianping was deeply troubled. Unable to remain in the prefectural governor's residence, he decided to stroll through the streets. The people still needed to make a living, and after three or four days, realizing that the Zhou soldiers truly obeyed military orders and did not disturb the people, the people who were opening shops or working returned to their daily lives.
In order not to disturb the people, Emperor Xianping set an example by abandoning his horse and walking, but he was still surrounded by imperial guards on all sides.
This time he didn't bring Xiao Yu, but only asked Chen Ruliang to accompany him.
Emperor Xianping did not conceal his identity as the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Sometimes he would stand in front of a stall and chat with Liaozhou merchants in an approachable manner, asking if the Zhou soldiers had bullied the people. Before leaving, he would generously give them a few taels of silver as a reward. Other times, he would stop to admire the plaque hanging in front of a restaurant, ask the restaurant owner to bring him paper and pen, and personally write the inscription and ask the owner for comments.
At this moment, Emperor Xianping already considered Liaozhou to be his own possession. Xiao Yuyue said that the people of Liaozhou were loyal to Emperor Yin, but Emperor Xianping wanted to win over a group of people in Liaozhou in advance.
As Emperor Xianping walked, he came to a clinic. The clinic door was closed, and an old woman in tattered clothes was knocking on the door anxiously.
An old man's voice came from inside the door: "I've already put up a sign saying I'm not seeing patients lately. You'd better find another doctor to treat you."
The old woman said with tears in her eyes, "We live on the street behind. When our family members are sick, we always come to you, Uncle Lin. I don't know any other doctors, and I don't have the strength to walk a long way. Please, my Zhu'er is burning up with fever. If we delay any longer... Uncle Lin, I beg you!"
The old woman knelt down in front of the door, weeping.
Uncle Lin sighed, opened the door, and saw Emperor Xianping and his entourage beside him. Uncle Lin immediately closed the door again, as if he had seen a demon.
The old woman turned her head with tears in her eyes. Realizing the identity of Emperor Xianping, she visibly trembled. After a brief hesitation, she turned back and kowtowed to Emperor Xianping repeatedly, crying, "Please, we are just ordinary people. Please let Uncle Lin come home with me. My son Zhu'er is only seven years old. We really can't delay any longer!"
The main street in the city was paved with bluestone slabs, and the old woman was knocking on them so quickly that her forehead was soon covered in blood and flesh.
Emperor Xianping felt sorry for the old woman and wanted to help her up, but Zhao Yi and Chen Ruliang stopped him almost at the same time, their worry evident in their expressions.
Emperor Xianping coldly ordered, "Step back!"
His departure from the city was a spur-of-the-moment decision; even if the people in the city intended to harm him, it was impossible for him to arrive so quickly and at such a convenient time.
Zhao Yi and Chen Ruliang dared not stop him, but they still stayed by Emperor Xianping's side without leaving him for a moment.
Emperor Xianping lifted the frail old woman with both hands, first comforting her to stop her tears, and then said to the old doctor inside, "Although Liaozhou belongs to the Yin Kingdom, it is still a Han Chinese territory. The people of Liaozhou are related to the people of Jizhou, Qingzhou, and other places, and are all one family. My purpose in attacking the Yin Kingdom is to unify the ten provinces and completely end the infighting among the Han people. I have absolutely no intention of oppressing the people of Liaozhou. So you can rest assured and go with this old woman to see a doctor. I will not only not stop you, but I will also give you an extra fee for the consultation."
After a short wait, the doctor inside opened the door, his voice trembling.
Just as the crack in the door was widening, and Zhao Yi, Chen Ruliang, and Emperor Xianping were all looking inside to guard against a possible attack, the old woman, who had been being supported by Emperor Xianping and had her back to Zhao Yi and the other imperial guards, suddenly lunged at him. As if she had practiced this a thousand times, she swiftly and unexpectedly stabbed Emperor Xianping twice in the chest with a thick wooden needle with a sewing handle, which she had hidden in her sleeve. She was about to stab him a third time when Zhao Yi pulled her away!
With a "whoosh," Zhao Yi drew his sword and was about to slash at the old woman.
"Wait!"
Emperor Xianping, his face pale with shock and pain, clutched his chest and looked at the old woman on the ground, saying angrily, "Are you an assassin sent by Emperor Yin?"
The old woman smiled bitterly and said, "Why would the Emperor need to send me? My two sons died at the hands of your Zhou Kingdom's old Emperor. Knowing that you are in Yicheng, I take this with me whenever I go out. If I don't run into you, you're lucky. If I can really kill you, it's because Heaven has eyes and is helping me take revenge!"
She did come to seek medical treatment for her grandson, but she was always prepared to turn the tables on Zhou's soldiers. Unexpectedly, she made a huge profit today, as the emperor of Zhou himself was delivered into her hands!
"Poisonous woman!" Zhao Yi swung his knife again.
Emperor Xianping tilted his head and raised his hand, saying, "Enough. My father killed her son, so it is only natural for her to come to me for revenge. I do not blame her. I only hope that I can end the hatred between the people of Liaozhou and the Nine Provinces as soon as possible."
After saying this, Emperor Xianping used his bloodied hands to untie the purse from his waist and placed it with difficulty next to the old woman before collapsing into Zhao Yi's arms. He then ordered Zhao Yi to quickly send him back to the prefect's residence.
The Imperial Guards escorted Emperor Xianping away quickly, leaving only a few Liaozhou civilians kneeling in fear.
The old woman stared blankly at the departing Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, then looked at the brocade purse he had left behind, and suddenly collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly.
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Author's Note: Xiao Yu: [Question mark]
Emperor Xianping: [Angry]
Cough cough, it's just two shoe sole needles, they won't kill the second-generation rich kid. The show continues tomorrow!
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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