Chapter 56, Fifty-Six: Sharing a Piece of the Pie
Despite not wanting things to go as Zuo Qinghou predicted, Zhu Huantang was still proven right by Zuo Qinghou. He had no country to return to, no home to go back to, and could only stay in Sui. He took out a message given to him by a spy and handed it to Jiang Jinyi, saying, "Zuo Qinghou is indeed not dead. She was taken to Wu by my master, but it is not clear where she is."
Jiang Jinyi clapped his hands, and a little girl was brought up from behind by the guards. Jiang Jinyi sneered, "Should I praise you for being ruthless or for being sentimental? Out of a total of 125 people in your clan, you only let me save this one. It seems she is very important to you."
Zhu Huantang helped his trembling younger sister onto the horse. She was his only sister, and he was very young when he left home. He comforted her first before saying to Jiang Jinyi, "Aren't you the same? So many lives are only enough for you to exchange for a piece of news about her."
The secret guards have been trained for years to be used. Besides, gaining Zhu Huantang, a talent, will disrupt the capital of Wu, Yingdu, killing three birds with one stone. Jiang Jinyi said smugly in a low voice, "No, I know, this is your price."
Zhu Huantang was even more eager to know news of Zuo Qinghou than Jiang Jinyi, after all, he had been made a fool of by his beloved so many times. Ignoring the sudden surge of murderous intent in Zhu Huantang, Jiang Jinyi sneered, rode ahead, tossed him a scroll of imperial edict, and said, "General, let's go back."
Zhu Huantang, one of his subordinates, looked back and saw that Yingdu had been burned into a furnace, emitting smoke that was more obscuring than the night sky. Zhu Huantang turned his head and lowered his eyes without the slightest hesitation, urging his horse to chase after it.
Defeated by the Sui state, which they had always looked down upon, and then having their own capital, Yingdu, disrupted, the Wu army could no longer sit still after such a humiliating defeat, and they issued a challenge to the enemy.
The food shortage from last year has been replenished this year, but the fighting has just ended. The Wu Kingdom is not really going to fight, but the Western Capital Prince's Palace still has eighty-seven people left, and they want to use these people to exchange for thirty cities.
The north wind whipped up clumps of withered grass, chasing and tumbling across the wasteland.
Zhu Huantang urged his horse forward, looking at his family members behind the general, who resembled pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered in a slaughterhouse, and said in a pretentious manner, "Your Majesty has granted me permission to exchange ten cities for people."
Wu Jun, the leader of the army, was Zhu Huantang's former superior. He looked at Zhu Huantang with disgust, as if he were looking at a lump of mud, and raised his hand.
Simultaneously with his movement, the head of another person behind him fell off.
Thirty cities, not one less.
Ten cities, enough to feed a beggar.
It was obvious that they couldn't reach an agreement. Zhu Huantang pondered for a moment, then, showing good temper in the face of the death of his loved ones, said, "Allow me to go back and discuss this in detail. Please leave the women and children until the end to kill them."
"Three sticks of incense." The man set a final deadline. He didn't believe that this man, who hadn't made a name for himself in the Wu Kingdom, really had any ability to fight against his army.
Zhu Huantang really did go back.
But Zhu Huantang wasn't there to persuade the soldiers. The soldiers didn't believe him, didn't respect him, and were just waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Zhu Huantang returned and addressed the soldiers with a resounding voice: "Sui is our Sui. We have been oppressed by them for too long. We must protect our own home and, more importantly, our country! Today, they dare to kill my family. If we back down, tomorrow their swords will be at your family's necks."
"I will risk my own family's life to protect everyone's families!"
Zhu Huantang's resolute gaze swept over every soldier. When their eyes met, the soldier who had come to watch the spectacle felt ashamed.
Zhu Huantang's family had been slaughtered, yet he remained so righteous and awe-inspiring. They were instantly roused by his words, feeling as if Zhu Huantang's family were their own, and wishing they could fight those arrogant bastards to the death.
Meanwhile, Wu Jun, unable to hear Zhu Huantang's instructions, assumed they intended to launch a direct attack, so he dragged out the elderly Prince of Xijing and trampled him underfoot to challenge them.
The situation changed rapidly. The army, unafraid of their threats, unleashed a volley of arrows at Zhu Huantang's command. Caught off guard, the Wu army's generals and soldiers were riddled with arrows, becoming easy targets.
Of course, this also included the hostages in the iron cage.
When the Wu army leader saw that the accompanying troops did not care about the lives of the hostages, he immediately sounded the retreat.
But it was too late. The army surged in like a rising tide, routing the fleeing Wu army and leaving them utterly defeated.
In that battle, the army annihilated 50,000 Wu soldiers and captured a city. However, without a suitable defender, and given the terrain's ease of attack and difficulty of defense, the city was essentially useless.
After Zhu Huantang ordered his soldiers to remove all the supplies from the city, he burned them along with the civilians who hadn't managed to escape.
The fire burned for four days, and it was said that the surrounding villages of Wu were so engulfed that people dared not open their windows or go outside for days and nights. Only when the smoke finally dissipated did the people dare to go out, only to find themselves enveloped in leg-thick ash that had destroyed the roads and crops.
Everywhere was deathly silent.
After this battle, the soldiers of Sui looked at Zhu Huantang with awe, while the soldiers of Wu regarded him as a monster who had killed his own family and slaughtered entire cities. This was exactly the effect Zhu Huantang wanted.
Of course, he also had to thank Zuo Qinghou. He suddenly felt a sense of empathy for Zuo Qinghou. She rode a tall horse and was respected by people. Was she just like him today?
Wu Jun fled in haste, abandoning everything he could. A few family members survived the battlefield: Zhu Huantang's grandfather—the current King of Xijing, one of his cousins, and a young girl from an unknown branch of the family.
The King of Xijing was shot in the shoulder with an arrow, and his body was covered in wounds from severe torture. He was barely breathing.
Zhu Huantang couldn't wait any longer, so he fed him a highly potent tonic. When he regained consciousness, he asked directly, "Grandpa, what kind of deal did our family make with the Sui Kingdom?"
The King of Xijing looked at his resourceful grandson. Although he hated his ruthlessness, he was also proud to have such an heir. He stared at him for a long time, and seeing that the grandson did not avoid his gaze at all, he said, "Back then, I helped trap your master in the capital of Sui, and later I helped the female general keep Fan Qi, this variable. I am a meritorious official of Sui!"
Zhu Huantang was startled. So, they were the most deeply hidden spies in the Sui Kingdom. It turned out that his master hadn't been traveling to him, but had been sent by Zuo Qinghou. He hurriedly asked, "What exactly does the female general want? What kind of conflict does master have with her?"
The King of Xijing spoke slowly in an aged voice, "The previous female general is long dead, and the one who came after her was a fake... But that fake one was the most powerful. She wouldn't allow anyone to harm the Sui Kingdom... she wouldn't allow anyone to harm Zhu Yan... Your master was from the Wu Kingdom..."
The female general was Jiang Linzhi, the mastermind behind the scheme. The current Zuo Qinghou killed Jiang Linzhi and took her place. Zhu Huantang finally understood the past from his grandfather's words.
Seeing that the effects of the medicine were wearing off, Zhu Huantang asked a pointless question, "Why do you want both? Now you're almost in a lose-lose situation."
"Do you trust the Kingdom of Wu or the Kingdom of Sui?" The King of Xijing, almost out of breath, posed this question.
Naturally, no one could be trusted, but the King of Xijing didn't even tell his own family, letting them step into a pit of fire. Could this really bring glory to his family? Feeling increasingly nauseous and exhausted, Zhu Huantang didn't want to ask any more questions, only saying, "Do you have anything else to say?"
There was nothing more to say. His grandson was more capable than any of them in generations. The King of Xijing raised his aged hand, wanting to touch the child.
But Zhu Huantang slightly turned his head to avoid it, standing outside the reach of the King of Xijing's outstretched arm. He coldly watched as the King of Xijing lowered his hand and said, "Don't worry, I will return openly and honestly. At least I won't be like you, wavering between two sides and harming others and myself."
"Oh, by the way, the moment I stepped into the Sui Kingdom, they knew I was a spy, and you deserve some credit for that."
The King of Xijing gasped for breath a few times, his eyes filled with satisfied fear. Finally, his breathing stopped, and he closed his eyes.
Zhu Huantang's eyes were cold, his mind filled with the chilling family rules of his youth—to climb up on his own, to carry the family to its feet. But this family had been stabbing him in the back all along. How stupid! How could there be such a stupid patriarch?
When he came to his senses, Zhu Huantang had broken the bed railing. He took a deep breath to calm himself and summoned a soldier to handle the funeral arrangements for the King of Xijing.
The entire royal family of Xijing was wiped out, and Qin Sihai only secretly protected Zhu Qingyan. Zhu Qingyan knew what she had done, and now that she was being protected, she felt a mix of emotions and felt even more like a worthless person.
Zhu Qingyan would occasionally ask the guards how Qin Sihai was doing, but the guards would not say anything and only told her to stay put.
Qin Sihai, who had already suspected something, quickly discovered Zhu Qingyan's dealings with the Xia family upon arrival. Although disappointed, he wasn't as disappointed as he had imagined. Saving her was perhaps also to repay her kindness in taking care of him.
It seems she has truly let go of Zhu Qingyan.
The sound of the door opening brought Qin Sihai back to his senses. He stood up and bowed, saying, "Master."
Fan Qi walked in, casually sat down on the ground, and laughed, "From childhood to adulthood, you've always been the most well-mannered." He paused, "You already know that the entire royal family of Xijing was wiped out, right?"
The topic shifted abruptly, leaving Qin Sihai momentarily stunned. He had no idea what Fan Qi meant, since it was the hottest topic of conversation among the people on the streets that day. He simply nodded.
Fan Qi seemed unconcerned about losing another city, saying, "You still know how to save one. He really didn't want to save any of them, and he even put on a pitiful act of losing his family in the face of righteousness, winning the hearts of the army and the people. He has truly gained a foothold."
Fan Qi was surprised to learn that he had saved the real Zhu Qingyan. Qin Sihai quickly knelt on one knee and explained, "Master, this disciple did not do this out of personal feelings."
Fan Qi was somewhat surprised to hear this. He had long seen Qin Sihai's dependence on Zhu Qingyan, but now, his disciple's eyes were filled with only deathly silence.
Fan Qi stared intently at Qin Sihai's changing expressions for a long while before saying, "I didn't intend to punish you. Protecting Zhu Qingyan is fine. Zhu Huantang is in Sui Kingdom, so having some leverage here is good. It's just that this matter needs to be handled carefully. If I can find out, others can find out too."
So that means Fan Qi has already helped clean up the mess. Qin Sihai lowered his head and agreed, saying, "I will remember Master's teachings."
Fan Qi took a sip of tea: "You've always been too sentimental, but you're not good with words. Your master is afraid you'll get hurt because of this sooner or later."
Qin Sihai kept his head down and remained silent.
Seeing that trying to build rapport was useless, Fan Qi stood up and sighed, "Alright, don't go out much these next few days. Just wait for the official appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
