Chapter 63. A pearl emerges from the east of the mountains, its brilliance beginning to show. ...
Li Hengsheng and Song Yunyan led their large army into the southeastern territory and set up camp thirty miles outside Ningyue City. Ningyue City had always respected Zhang He as its master, but now that Zhang He had rebelled, even with the Fourth Prince's personal arrival, the city gates remained tightly closed and no one came to greet them.
There are five other cities surrounding Ningyue City.
Currently, all of them fall under Zhang He's sphere of influence, independent of the imperial court, and he intends to govern autonomously.
After two days of rest, documents about the surrounding situation were laid out one by one on the long table in the central command tent.
Li Hengsheng, Song Yunyan, and several other high-ranking military officers gathered to study and devise a strategy for attacking the city. They ultimately decided on a frontal assault to uphold the imperial authority.
"Your Highness, how about you lead the first battle?"
Li Hengsheng looked at Song Yunyan and smiled. He had always admired the Fourth Prince, and now that His Majesty had agreed to let the Fourth Prince quell the rebellion, it was widely believed in the court that this was paving the way for the Fourth Prince to ascend the throne. Building a good relationship with the future Crown Prince was something everyone wanted to do.
Without hesitation, Song Yunyan replied, "Alright, General, when do you think is a good time?"
Li Hengsheng: "It's better to seize the day than to wait until the next one, so let's do it today."
That afternoon, the army approached Ningyue City.
Song Yunyan was dressed in armor, with round goggles on his chest and back. The goggles were made of metal, and when sunlight shone on them, they reflected dazzling circles of light.
Bathed in light, Song Yunyan appeared even more dashing.
He raised his right hand, and the generals diagonally behind him began to loudly challenge him to battle.
"Zhang He, why don't you leave the city and surrender immediately?"
"The Zhang family disregarded the hierarchy between ruler and subject, and committed treason, which is extremely heinous."
...
After calling out intermittently for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ningyue City's gates remained tightly shut. Just as Song Yunyan was about to order a full-scale attack, the city gates opened. Someone from the Zhang family came out; it was Zhang He's third son, Zhang Xian.
He rode at the forefront, but those following him were not rebels, but unarmed civilians. They were tethered together like livestock as they came out of the city gate, and if they slowed down even slightly, they would be whipped by the rebels.
Zhang He actually detained a large number of civilians as hostages, intending to win without a fight.
Song Yunyan had never seen such a shameless person, and he was furious. However, as the two armies faced off, he showed no sign of anger on his face.
The first group of nearly a hundred people came out and stood in two rows not far behind Zhang Xianma.
Zhang Xian smiled at Song Yunyan, looking confident, "Fourth Prince, do you know these people?"
Song Yunyan did not answer.
Zhang Xian then said, "Whether you know them or not, these are all subjects of your Song family. Can you just stand by and watch them die?"
Qin Fan, the general behind Song Yunyan, shouted loudly, "Does the Zhang family want to kill civilians?"
The rule that civilians should not be killed in war has been an unspoken rule between armies for thousands of years. Otherwise, even if you win, you will be infamous and it will be difficult to win the hearts of the people.
As soon as Qin Fan finished speaking, Zhang Xian's lips curled up slightly, and he raised his right hand.
Immediately, someone behind him brandished a knife and stabbed a civilian to death. In an instant, blood splattered everywhere, and screams of panic filled the air.
As Song Yunyan witnessed these scenes, he experienced the cruelty of war firsthand for the first time, and his heart trembled involuntarily.
Zhang Xian seemed not to hear the panicked screams, and looked at Qin Fan, "Besides the hundred people at the city gate, there are nearly a thousand people inside the city."
“From now on, you all better speak to me politely. If you say anything that displeases me, I’ll stab one of you to death.”
Song Yunyan glanced at Qin Fan and said, "The situation is special. Go and invite General Li here."
Qin Fan: "Yes."
After saying this, he immediately sent two soldiers to the encampment to invite Li Hengsheng.
Song Yunyan calmly looked at Zhang Xian and asked, "What's your name?"
Zhang Xian: "My father is Zhang He. I am the third child in my family, and my name is Zhang Xian."
Song Yunyan: "Young Master Zhang, what will it take for the Zhang family to release these commoners?"
Zhang Xian laughed, "I just love talking to straightforward people like the Fourth Prince."
“There are 1,200 commoners in the city who do not obey my Zhang family. If Your Highness is willing to take them as hostages, I will set them free.”
"Your life is worth exchanging for the lives of 1,200 people, isn't it?"
As Song Yunyan watched and listened, only one thought remained in his mind: Zhang Xian looked so smug, I really wanted to slap him a few times.
However, he held the lives of thousands of civilians in his hands, so he had no choice but to endure it.
"What? Don't you want to change?"
As he finished speaking, Zhang Xian glanced sideways at the commoners behind him who refused to submit to the Zhang family.
"What good is your loyalty to the Song family? The Song family doesn't care about your lives."
"Do you know who he is? He is Song Yunyan, the fourth prince of the current dynasty, and the emperor's most beloved child."
Upon hearing this, the detained people all looked at Song Yunyan, their eyes bloodshot, yet filled with anticipation.
"Your Highness, save me!"
"Your Highness, please save us!"
...
A sense of panic and helplessness overwhelmed Song Yunyan with each of these words, his heart feeling as if it were being gripped by an inexplicable force, tightening more and more.
As a faint pain spread, Zhang Xian spoke again, "Let our Fourth Prince bear a few more lives."
Before the words were even finished, the sound of a weapon piercing flesh rang out, dull and cruel.
"Ahhhhh, don't kill me, don't kill me, I submit to the Zhang family."
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
"Fourth Prince, save me! Your Highness, save me!"
"Zhang Xian, stop."
When the stench of blood filled Song Yunyan's nostrils, he let out a fierce shout.
However, Zhang Xian did not call a halt, and the massacre of civilians continued.
Before Ningyue City, blood flowed like a river, and screams went from piercing to hoarse...
"Your Highness, the slaughter will not stop until you make a decision."
“If you launch a direct assault, all one thousand civilians in the city will die. Right now, a knife is already at their throats.”
By this point, Song Yunyan and the soldiers behind him had turned extremely cold.
They finally realized that rules are meant to limit those who have a sense of shame. When dealing with shameless individuals like the Zhang family, normal people bound by rules suffer greatly.
Li Hengsheng rode over, and upon seeing this scene, his eyes seemed to have been tempered by frost and snow, cold and piercing.
“The Zhang family has acted perversely and deserves to be executed.”
Zhang Xian: "Why don't you just execute him?"
Then, the voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of madness: "Execute them!"
The slaughter continued until Song Yunyan spoke in a low, calm tone,
"stop."
Zhang Xian seemed to understand his thoughts, and raised his right hand slightly again.
The killing stopped.
The surviving civilians cowered in fear, some wailing and some even losing control of their bladders.
"Fourth Prince, have you made a decision?"
Song Yunyan: "Release all civilians; I will take them hostage."
Upon hearing this, Li Hengsheng and the royal soldiers widened their eyes and exclaimed, "Your Highness, this is impossible!"
Given the Zhang family's unscrupulous methods, what good could come of Song Yunyan falling into their hands?
Li Hengsheng looked at Zhang Xian and said, "I will take the Fourth Prince hostage."
Zhang Xian chuckled dismissively, "You're replacing me?"
Who do you think you are?
"you……"
"The Zhang family should not push their luck too far."
Song Yunyan raised his hand, signaling to Li Hengsheng and the others that he had made up his mind.
His words were directed at Zhang Xian: "Release the prisoners, and I will go."
Zhang Xian disagreed.
Song Yunyan's lips curled into a haughty, arrogant smile.
"Zhang Xian, you only have one chance."
"Only if I care about the lives of these thousand civilians will you have leverage in negotiations. If I don't care, then a thousand civilians are nothing; I can simply let them go."
"Who can do anything to me?"
"Today, I will destroy your Ningyue City and make you, these scum and dogs, pay for your blood debts."
The prince's brilliance was finally revealed.
He can't be constantly suppressed and controlled by others.
Zhang Xian paused for a moment, then sent someone back to the city to ask Zhang He for his opinion.
After a short while, the man returned, bringing Zhang He's message: Release one thousand people first, and the last two hundred will be released after the Fourth Prince enters the city.
Zhang Xian explained the situation to Song Yunyan and the others, then laughed and said, "With the Fourth Prince in our hands, why should we make things difficult for the common people?"
Song Yunyan took a step back, "Okay."
"Start releasing now."
Zhang Xian shouted, "Release them!"
The civilians before Ningyue City were the first to be released, and they rushed towards the royal army, trudging through the blood. Because they were tied together, they fell into the blood every now and then as they jostled for position. They were so disheveled they could barely move, but no one cared.
The road ahead was safe and secure, and they were determined to go forward.
Subsequently, civilians from the city continued to flock to Song Yunyan.
But Li Hengsheng's expression remained cold and stern.
"Your Highness, you mustn't!"
"The Zhang family has gone mad."
How could someone who can rule a region without going mad?
Song Yunyan watched the civilians running happily toward the royal army. "General Li, I can't pretend I didn't see it."
"If you were in that situation, would you have done the same thing?"
Before Li Hengsheng could respond, he ordered, "Immediately send someone to Lingdong to ask Miss Lin to bring me out."
Get it out?
Even though he knew it was inappropriate, Li Hengsheng still laughed.
"Your Highness agreed to Zhang Xian's request because you have someone to rely on?"
Li Hengsheng spends most of his time in the capital, so he knows how deep the bond is between the younger generation.
Song Yunyan: "I can't handle shameless people like this, but I have connections."
Li Hengsheng immediately ordered someone to go to Jingning City to invite Miss Lin Er.
After the hostages were released as agreed, Song Yunyan rode his horse into Ningyue City.
A gentleman is refined and elegant, as if he were embracing the sun and moon.
The thousand released civilians knelt down and kowtowed to his retreating figure.
Upon entering Ningyue City, Song Yunyan was imprisoned in the dungeon.
Although they did not mistreat him, he was still not given food; he only had a bowl of water for each of his three daily meals.
With the emperor's most favored prince in their hands, the Zhang family became increasingly unruly.
When Zhang Xian negotiated with Li Hengsheng, he said directly, "Let Emperor Taining issue an edict granting autonomy to the six cities in the southeast, and let the Zhang family be the kings of the southeast."
The soldiers who delivered the message worked day and night, changing horses repeatedly.
Two days later, they arrived in Jingning City.
After being informed through various channels, they finally met Lin Qingdai.
Lin Qingdai had heard about the Zhang family in the southeast declaring themselves kings some time ago, but she never expected their actions to be so outrageous.
After a brief silence, Lin Qingdai issued three orders in succession.
"Mingqian, prepare the carriage. We will head to Ningyue City in a quarter of an hour."
"Uncle He, please take a few skilled martial artists and go ahead to infiltrate Ningyue City and capture Zhang He for me."
"Aunt Mu, give me a handwritten letter to the governors of Xiaoyun Prefecture, Huaiming Prefecture, and Sanxian Prefecture in the southeast, and have them surround the six cities that are causing trouble for self-government."
Everyone moved at the command, but Lin Qingdai sat there quietly, her expression not improving.
Mingyue advised her not to worry, saying that no matter how crazy Zhang He was, he wouldn't dare to do anything to a prince. Otherwise, forget about being granted a title of king; the six cities in the southeast would be slaughtered.
Lin Qingdai understood the reasoning, but her fourth brother's actions this time would surely be seen by the emperor as overly benevolent, and that benevolence was unsuitable for politics. From then on, he would be barred from the position of crown prince.
All of Consort Cen and the Emperor's hopes for this battle have been dashed.
Of the emperor's four sons, only the eldest prince, whose morality is difficult to discern, remains undecided.
A quarter of an hour later, the pearl emerged from the east of the ridge.
Its potential is beginning to emerge.
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