Chapter 116 Surrender
Zhang Xingjun stared blankly at the corpse on the ground, gripping his sword hilt tightly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the Prince of Taiping.
He followed the Prince of Taiping because the Prince was righteous and because he had a strong sense of justice. To Zhang Xingjun, the Prince of Taiping was a worthy elder brother to follow. But today, he actually killed his own brother for his own life.
Zhang Xingjun didn't know why he wasn't killed. Perhaps it was because the Western King was closer to the Taiping King at the time, so the Taiping King attacked him first. But regardless of kinship, the Taiping King still killed his own brother.
At this moment, his subordinates waited for Zhang Xingjun to react. After a long while, Zhang Xingjun raised his hand, and several of his subordinates dismounted and tied the body of the Western King to their horses.
Afterwards, Zhang Xingjun led his horse in the opposite direction, dragging the body of the Western King away.
The two men and their two horses gradually drove away. King Taiping looked at the still stunned crowd, spurred his horse on again, and his brothers followed him hesitantly.
However, just when everything was going so smoothly, the Prince of Taiping suddenly froze, and the hairs on his body stood on end. His instinct in the face of danger made him subconsciously dodge to the side. The sound of an arrow cutting through the air came, and it grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody mark.
With a "thud," the arrow fell into the dust.
If he hadn't dodged, he would be the one lying on the ground now.
The fear of impending death rendered Prince Taiping powerless to resist. His eyes bulged, filled with bloodshot veins. He turned his head stiffly, his movements extremely slow, like a long-neglected puppet.
Zhang Xingjun returned, drew his bow to its fullest extent, and aimed it directly at the King of Taiping.
Zhang Xingjun, who used to obey him in everything, drew his bow and arrow himself at this moment, the arrow pointing straight at him.
The adoration and obedience that had once graced his face were gone, replaced by indifference.
The reason why King Taiping did not kill Zhang Xingjun but killed the King of the West was because Zhang Xingjun would listen to him in everything, while the King of the West had many of his own ideas. He spared Zhang Xingjun's life, and Zhang Xingjun should have been grateful to him.
But no, his gaze was cold and sharp as he aimed an arrow at the Prince of Taiping's throat.
In his panic, Prince Taiping tried to flee on horseback, but at that moment, his subordinates, together with Zhang Xingjun, blocked his way and even drew their swords to attack him. Prince Taiping, in his haste, fell off his horse.
At that moment, a sharp arrow pierced through the air, penetrating the throat of the Prince of Taiping and pinning him to the ground.
The Prince of Taiping stared wide-eyed, his expression one of terror, dying with his eyes wide open.
Zhang Xingjun put away his bow and arrows. Only after he actually shot the arrow did his hands begin to tremble and his breathing become rapid. This was not the first time he had killed someone. He had fought on the battlefield and killed enemies before. Even when he killed someone for the first time, he did not change his expression. But this time, he trembled so much that he could not stop.
He killed his elder brother with his own hands.
Zhang Xingjun's forehead was covered in sweat, which stung his eyes. He closed his eyes in vain, and after a long while, he opened them again to look at the people opposite him.
If it weren't for their help, Zhang Xingjun might not have been able to kill the Prince of Taiping. However, everything happened too fast, and some people hadn't even reacted to this sudden change. They desperately wanted to avenge the Prince of Taiping and drew their bows towards Zhang Xingjun.
Zhang Xingjun closed his eyes, thinking to himself, "It would be better to die like this."
However, the arrow he had imagined did not strike him. Zhang Xingjun, who had been waiting in vain, opened his eyes. The people opposite him had confusion and panic in their eyes, but none of them had any murderous intent.
They laid down their bows and swords, and clasped their hands in a fist salute to Zhang Xingjun, saying, "Your subordinates are willing to follow you, General."
Zhang Xingjun finally loosened his clenched teeth and rode his horse back to the body of the Prince of Taiping, looking down at the Prince of Taiping lying on the ground.
At this moment, everyone was waiting for him to make a decision. The imperial army was getting closer and closer. Should they continue to flee, or should they, as the Prince of Taiping said, first pretend to surrender to the imperial court and then discuss the matter further later?
Under everyone's gaze, Zhang Xingjun's mind raced. If they didn't surrender, they might not be able to survive and escape; if they surrendered, all the efforts of the Taiping Army brothers would be in vain.
They all rose up because of oppression by the imperial court. If they were to surrender to the court rashly, the brothers of the Taiping Army would feel disheartened.
Jiang Ru said that Pei Gege is now in charge of the court, so what can he do?
Zhang Xingjun's breathing became rapid. The deep winter wind was bone-chillingly cold, and his cheeks were flushed red. Zhang Xingjun took a breath of the cold wind and finally said, "I will not surrender."
Everyone's eyes lit up, and one of the subordinates asked, "Are they the imperial court's pursuers...?"
Zhang Xingjun looked at everyone. His heart was still pounding from the actions he had just taken. His blood had been boiling for a moment, but then it had cooled down completely. Now that things had come to this point, his brothers had all witnessed him kill the Taiping King. There was no turning back. Zhang Xingjun said, "I have an elder brother who is fighting against Lu in Jiangdong. If we can survive, I will lead the remaining Taiping troops to join him."
He looked at the crowd: "Do you trust me?"
Everyone nodded.
Zhang Xingjun said, "We can't escape. I will negotiate with the imperial pursuers and use the body of the Prince of Taiping."
Judging from Zhang Xingjun's words, they still intended to feign surrender, but Zhang Xingjun said they wouldn't surrender, which...
Zhang Xingjun was highly respected in the Taiping Army, and they all trusted him. So they waited with him in place, waiting to send the body of the Taiping King to sue for peace.
...
That evening, an urgent letter arrived in Jiang Ru's hands. The Taiping army surrendered while being pursued. However, their generals claimed that they wanted to see Jiang Ru, saying that Jiang Ru had promised them that as long as they surrendered, she would protect the Taiping army from death.
Logically speaking, if the King of Taiping was defeated, his generals would be captured or executed, and the soldiers below him would be spared as long as they surrendered. When she received the urgent letter, Jiang Ru's first thought was of the King of Taiping, since she had met him once before.
But soon, Jiang Ru realized that wasn't the case.
She had never promised anything to the Prince of Taiping, so it could only be Zhang Xingjun.
Jiang Ru quickly opened the urgent letter and asked the messenger in a somewhat anxious voice, "The person isn't dead, is he?"
The messenger shook his head: "They've been settled in the government office."
Jiang Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief. She opened the urgent letter, which said that the Prince of Taiping was dead, so the person who surrendered must indeed be Zhang Xingjun.
Along with the urgent letter came a few words Zhang Xingjun had written for her, two crooked and always extremely ugly characters: Jiang Ru.
As if summoning a soul, Jiang Ru immediately closed the letter.
She turned to the messenger beside her: "Where is he located? I need to see him."
The messenger said, "It's getting late in Yingchang Prefecture. Why don't we set off early tomorrow morning?"
Yingchang Prefecture was quite far away, but Jiang Ru thought about it and agreed, then added, "Won't they use torture?"
The messenger said, "If the lady wishes to use torture, I may issue the order."
Jiang Ru looked up: "No need, just provide good food and drink."
The next morning, the carriage from Bianjing headed to Yingchang. Before noon, the carriage had already arrived at the Yingchang government office.
Jiang Ru waved away the prefect of Yingchang who had offered to host a welcome dinner for her, and followed the directions to Zhang Xingjun's room.
There were many soldiers guarding the door. Even after the door was opened for Jiang Ru, they refused to leave until Jiang Ru repeatedly told them to go out. Only then did they close the door with concern.
Inside the room were a rebel general and a first-rank noblewoman, the adopted daughter of a duke. They were very afraid that Zhang Xingjun would take Jiang Ru hostage to control Cheng Hao, and then Pei Wu.
However, Jiang Ru was too stubborn, so they could only diligently guard outside the door to prevent anything from happening inside.
The room prepared for Zhang Xingjun was not bad; at least he wasn't locked up in jail, so Zhang Xingjun shouldn't have suffered much. After Jiang Ru entered the room, Zhang Xingjun stood up and stood in front of the desk like a big, clumsy fool.
Saying she wouldn't beat him up would be a lie. Jiang Ru gave him a few cold looks, then walked over and started punching and kicking Zhang Xingjun.
As Zhang Xingjun grew up, he became much tougher. Kicking him felt like kicking a rock. Zhang Xingjun was unharmed, but Jiang Ru's feet and hands ached from the kick.
Wearing thick fleece clothes in the winter, Jiang Ru did some random exercises, which only made her tired. Because of the thick clothes, she felt hot all over.
Jiang Ru simply sat down at the table, poured herself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, and then asked impatiently, "Tell me, what happened?"
Zhang Xingjun took a few steps closer and explained the whole story.
The Western King, if I remember correctly, is the man they met when they went to Hongzhou. He was actually killed by the Taiping King.
Jiang Ru didn't know whether she should be glad that Zhang Xingjun was still alive. She looked at Zhang Xingjun and sighed after a long time: "Since that's the case, then you and your people should surrender together. We'll incorporate you into our ranks from now on. I'll talk to them about it."
The rebels were not vicious criminals; they were just pitiful people forced into this situation. There was no need to exterminate them.
Zhang Xingjun shook his head. He sat down next to Jiang Ru and lowered his voice: "You said that Brother Pei is already the Prince of Liang, right?"
Jiang Ru nodded, but when she saw the meaningful look in Zhang Xingjun's eyes, her words froze.
Zhang Xingjun smiled and said, "You understand now."
Pei Wu was the King of Liang, and he could act as regent. However, his position was illegitimate, as the emperor was also above him. But to overthrow the emperor's rule, there had to be a pretext.
The rebel army was rising up for the people and wanted to overthrow the rule of Emperor Yuan Tai. So, they should follow Pei Wu rather than Prince Taiping.
Pei Wu had two options: one was to force the emperor to abdicate, and the other was to use the pretext of a rebellion to overthrow Emperor Yuan Tai's rule.
He could use the Taiping Army.
Even if a mutiny were to occur, the Taiping Army could serve as Pei Wu's trump card. They were originally going to force Emperor Yuan Tai to abdicate, which was no different from before.
Jiang Ru pondered for a moment, and she knew that Zhang Xingjun's suggestion was feasible.
She asked, "Will there be any problems with you? You killed the Prince of Taiping; will his men turn against you?"
Even the King of Taiping turned against his own brothers. Although what they did was no different, it would be different if it were reported back. Zhang Xingjun shook his head: "Although most of the remaining people are followers of the King of Taiping, the King of Taiping is dead. I will win them back."
Jiang Ru was genuinely pleasantly surprised to see that Zhang Xingjun was still alive, but the fact that Zhang Xingjun wanted to go back made things a bit troublesome, as she was always worried that something might happen to him again.
Seeing Jiang Ru's worry, Zhang Xingjun emphasized again, "I won't be in any trouble."
Zhang Xingjun has been clever since childhood and can protect himself. Besides, his suggestion is indeed very helpful to Pei Wu. After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Ru nodded: "I will discuss it with the Duke."
The Taiping Army cannot be wiped out so easily. They still have a considerable number of troops in their main base, making them difficult to eliminate. It would be better to use them for our own purposes. In the future, when Pei Wu needs to deal with Emperor Yuan Tai, he will indeed need them.
Jiang Ru agreed, and Zhang Xingjun was satisfied. He added, "Then you need to make it clear to them that I did not surrender with my troops. I successfully escaped with my men from the pursuit of the Xia army. Don't give yourself away."
The commander's surrender caused unrest among the troops. Jiang Ru nodded, "Understood."
After discussing business, Zhang Xingjun inquired about Jiang Ru and Pei Wu, asking how things were going between them and how Pei Wu was faring in Jiangdong. Jiang Ru also told him about Pei Wu's battle situation in Jiangdong.
After a long separation, they were reunited, but had to part again soon. Jiang Ru gave Zhang Xingjun a few final instructions, made an agreement with him to exchange messages, and ordered the release of Zhang Xingjun and his men before taking a carriage back to Bianjing.
In the days that followed, good news kept coming back from the Taiping Army, and a few days later, good news also kept coming from Pei Wu's side.
Weizhou has been recovered. In addition, Pei Wu also sent Xie Jun to recover Yanshan Prefecture. These days, the efforts have been quite successful, and two prefectures of Yanshan Prefecture have been recovered.
Because of the war, large quantities of grain were transported north. By the autumn harvest of the following year, several places in Jiangdong had been recovered. However, at this time, news suddenly came from the middle of the road that the grain carts delivered to Pei Wu and his men had been lost on the way!
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