Chapter 355 Tiger and Leopard Camp 2
Jiang Hengchu was so frightened that he fell off his horse. Lu Yuan took the bow and arrow handed to him by his subordinate, drew the bow, and shot...
Lu Yuan's arrow was like a command; instantly, archers stepped forward, drew their bows, and fired a volley of arrows towards Jiang Hengchu…
"My lord, be careful..."
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Hengchu saw his confidants blocking his way, forming a wall of flesh. He was almost pierced by a thousand arrows.
"My lord, surrender quickly..." The surviving confidants were frantic. They had never truly wanted to rebel against Di Xin, who was their lord's nephew.
They were simply thinking that Emperor Xin was young and his power base was unstable after he first ascended the throne, so they wanted to take advantage of the situation to gain more benefits.
“Surrender…” Jiang Hengchu blinked, finally coming to his senses, and immediately raised the flag to surrender.
However, the second volley of arrows was already upon them. Jiang Hengchu's eyes widened. Was he going to die a horrible death? The next second, Jiang Hengchu fainted from fright.
At the critical moment, Wen Zhong used his magic to lift Jiang Hengchu into his hands.
"Grand Tutor!" Lu Yuan puffed out his cheeks; he was so close!
“Jiang Hengchu has surrendered. He is the king’s maternal uncle and cannot be killed.” Wen Zhong was also shocked by this sudden turn of events. The soldiers personally trained by the king were terrifying.
With this iron-blooded army around, it feels like it's only a matter of time before the King sweeps away the surrounding Yi and other states and incorporates them into the Shang territory.
Thinking of this, Wen Zhong's eyes lit up. If the king truly had such achievements, his merits would surely surpass those of the Three Sovereigns.
Perhaps, ascension to heaven in broad daylight is also possible. In that case, we must not allow the king's virtuous reputation to be tarnished. It is best to avoid the stain of killing one's own uncle.
"Grand Tutor, the King said that rebels should be killed on the battlefield without exception," Lu Yuan muttered.
“He has surrendered.” Wen Zhong stroked his long beard.
With Grand Tutor Wen protecting him, it was clear that Dongbo Hou could not be killed. Lu Yuan could only take out the silk scroll given to him by Chang Hao and hand it to Wen Zhong, saying, "Grand Tutor, take a look. This is the King's will."
Wen Zhong glanced at the silk scroll, then carefully put it away. "Lu Yuan, you're still too young."
"The King gave you the silk scroll to cover your tracks. Swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield. If you accidentally hurt Dongbo Hou, and Empress Dowager Jiang blames you, you will have something to say about it. But as subjects, we must consider the King's feelings. Hurting Dongbo Hou is a small matter, but damaging the mother-son relationship between the King and Empress Dowager Jiang is not the way of a subject."
Lu Yuan was stunned by Wen Zhong's words. If he hadn't been sure that the king didn't mean it that way, he would have been led astray by Grand Tutor Wen.
“Since Your Majesty has said that Empress Dowager Jiang misses Dongbo Hou very much, then we shall follow Your Majesty’s wishes and bring Dongbo Hou back to Chaoge.” Wen Zhong thought that Dongbo Hou had not paid homage for many years, so this time, he would let Dongbo Hou see the rapid changes in Chaoge. He thought that Dongbo Hou would be very obedient in the future.
Lu Yuan's eyes darted around, and he thought of sending Grand Tutor Wen back to the capital. "I would be grateful if Grand Tutor Wen could take the Marquis of Dongbo back to Chaoge. I would rather lead the Tiger and Leopard Battalion to stay here, clean up the battlefield, and appease Donglu. What does Grand Tutor think?"
Lu Yuan glanced at Dou Rong, who was pale-faced. "General Dou is seriously injured and will need to recuperate for some time before he can return to Chaoge. After I have 'pacified' this place, I can also escort General Dou back to Chaoge to see His Majesty."
Wen Zhong nodded. Lu Yuan was clever. Well, appeasing Donglu was already the usual practice, and there was no way things would go wrong.
Grand Tutor Wen confidently led the Marquis of Dongbo back to Chaoge...
After waiting for two days and confirming that it would be too late for Grand Tutor Wen to return, Lu Yuan finally raised his sword against Donglu. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry swept across Donglu, utterly defeating the army that the Jiang family had built up over generations, leaving them completely unprepared.
The entire Donglu was closed off and deserted. It wasn't until a special envoy from Chaoge took over Donglu that Lu Yuan stopped raising his sword and led his iron cavalry to firmly guard all the passes of Donglu, not letting any Donglu people out.
Until the people of Donglu reopened their doors, and officials who cared for the people put their needs first, things from Chaoge filled every aspect of the people's new lives.
Ordinary people are so simple and honest. In just two months, the Chu family, who had been entrenched in Donglu for generations, has been forgotten by the people of Donglu...
Some extremists even believe that the previous Marquis of Dongbo couldn't stand seeing them living a good life and had been exploiting them in every way, demanding all sorts of taxes. They think that if the Marquis of Dongbo were to return to Donglu, he might be beaten to death by the angry crowd...
"You've worked hard, General Lu," Huang Gun patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder. "You've made a name for yourself in this battle, your father should be proud of you."
As for Lu Yuan, he had already become infamous among the feudal lords. As for the generals on the battlefield, as long as the king continued to trust them as always, they were fearless and willing to be the sharpest blade in the king's hand.
"Thank you, Uncle. I'll leave the rest of Youhun Pass to you." Lu Yuan smiled shyly, a stark contrast to the ruthless warrior on the battlefield.
"Rest assured, return to Chaoge to accept the King's promotion. From now on, you must be loyal to the King and fight to the death for him," Huang Gun instructed.
The four feudal lords were all related by marriage, and Lu Yuan had done such a thing that no one but the king could protect him.
Lu Yuan smiled indifferently. When everyone else was pessimistic about him, only the king had the discerning eye to recognize a hero. A scholar will die for one who understands him, and a general will only die for the true king.
Wen Zhong was coaxed back to Chaoge by Lu Yuan. As soon as the Marquis of Dongbo arrived in Chaoge, he was imprisoned in Youli by Emperor Xin. Wen Zhong watched helplessly as the King and Lu Yuan cooperated seamlessly despite being thousands of miles apart. Before the blood of Donglu had even been shed dry, the people sent by Chaoge to take over Donglu had already arrived in Donglu.
The other three major vassal states were closely watching the events in Donglu. Seeing that Grand Tutor Wen had actually captured Jiang Hengchu and brought him back to Chaoge to be punished, they all became restless.
Ji Chang, in particular, as the Marquis of Xibo, whose lineage had always harbored rebellious intentions and sought to establish himself as king, could not help but think of himself when he saw Jiang Hengchu at this moment.
The three vassal lords simultaneously sent letters expressing their desire to come and pay homage. Chang Hao sneered and threw the bamboo slips aside. Good thing they came. He was just wondering what excuse to use to summon these three men to Chaoge.
"Your Majesty, this matter may damage your wisdom." Wen Zhong was deeply worried, fearing that Di Xin's excessive killings would offend Heaven.
"Grand Tutor, our dynasty has been too lenient in dealing with rebellions in the past, which has led to their frequent rebellions. Grand Tutor, have you ever counted how much the court allocates for this every year?" Chang Hao, now powerful enough, was not going to back down an inch on this issue.
"I haven't done that count," Wen Zhong said frankly.
"Quan Chang, hand the jade slip to the Grand Tutor." Chang Hao gestured for Quan Chang to bring out the bamboo slip he had prepared.
"Grand Tutor, these bamboo slips contain data I have compiled over the years. If this continues, the Shang Dynasty will be dragged down." This was not an exaggeration by Hao. Although the tributes from the various vassal states were plentiful, Chaoge's expenditures were even greater, resulting in a deficit.
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