1777 The Emperor and His Ministers: A General Should Not Just Know How to Fight

Night City was losing ground, while Dong Ling was advancing like a hot knife through butter. It was only a matter of time before Night City was conquered. But what the Dong Ling army did not expect was that they could break into Night City so easily.

However, what is regrettable is that it was not that they broke through Yecheng with force, but that the people of Yecheng and the officers and soldiers in the inner city opened the city gates and surrendered, welcoming the Dongling army into the city.

They had no choice but to surrender because their city lord was dead!

Ye City Lord Ye Ye, holding a sword, ran back to the City Lord's Mansion, killed his wife Su Wan, and then burned down the City Lord's Mansion, including himself.

Fortunately, when the City Lord's Mansion was built, in order to defend against foreign enemies, the outer edges were made of resistant and fire-resistant stones. When the Ninth Prince and his men rushed in, the City Lord's Mansion had not yet burned to the outside.

The Ninth Prince immediately ordered people to put out the fire. At the same time, he ordered Yuwen Yuanhua and Si Cheng to lead troops to encircle and suppress the rebels in Yecheng, appease the people of Yecheng, and quell the riots.

There is strength in numbers, and the City Lord's Mansion was not far from the moat, so the fire was quickly put out. With the soldiers clearing the way, the Ninth Prince stepped into the charred City Lord's Mansion.

The City Lord's Mansion was in ruins, but one could still vaguely see its former splendor. The fire started in the main hall, and the main courtyard was temporarily inaccessible. The soldiers rushed in and found two charred bodies. From their figures and clothes, they could barely tell that they were Ye Cheng and Su Wan, but...

"Search." The Ninth Prince just took a look and turned away.

Without saying a word, the soldiers of Dongling led their men to charge into the ruined City Lord's Mansion. Soon they found several secret rooms filled with boxes of jewels, gold, calligraphy and paintings.

Making money from war is an unchanging rule from ancient times to the present. War is not just for the sake of pride. Without sufficient benefits, no one will launch a massive war. Otherwise, the national treasury will be emptied and the country will be destroyed.

Box after box of jewels and gold were carried out, sparkling in the firelight. The eyes of several lieutenants looked at them with shining eyes, but no one dared to move. They knew that this time was different from before, and they could not touch the spoils at will.

"Reporting to the prince, there are a total of eight secret rooms in the City Lord's Mansion, so all the jewelry, calligraphy and gold are here." The deputy general stepped forward to report, his eyes shining with pride, waiting for the Ninth Prince's praise, but the Ninth Prince said coldly: "Search again!"

Obviously, the Ninth Prince was dissatisfied.

The deputy general's face turned pale, and he took his men to search the City Lord's Mansion again, making sure to dig three feet deep to find all the secret rooms in Night City.

"Your Highness, the thief has been captured alive. We are waiting for your questioning." Doudou heroically escorted Hui Lao forward. Although he tried his best to restrain himself, his eyes were always flashing with pride.

Gray Old Man was in a disheveled state, with his limbs tied and his jaw removed, and he did not look like a master at all.

"Very good, send them to the wounded camp." The Ninth Prince praised Doudou with a rare smile. Doudou's eyes lit up with excitement: "I will obey your command!"

Not long after Doudou left, Yuwen Yuanhua and Si Cheng walked in one after another. Although Yuwen Yuanhua won the battle, there was no joy on his face, and he even looked a little depressed.

When Yuwen Yuanhua saw Si Cheng appear, he knew that everything was set in stone. Cheng was the man promoted by the Ninth Prince to replace Yuwen Yuanhua. Yuwen Yuanhua was defeated, and his military power would definitely be taken away.

Yuwen Yuanhua knew in his heart that he had done all this on purpose, but when that day really came, he realized how reluctant he was.

Having been a soldier all his life, he didn't know what else he could do besides fighting. With great power in his hands, he didn't know if he could get used to being an ordinary person.

But no matter how hard it is to get used to it, you have to endure it. A new emperor appoints new ministers. If he were the ninth prince, he would not employ someone like me. They can only share glory but not adversity.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. May you live a thousand years, a thousand years, and a thousand thousand years." Yuwen Yuanhua knelt on one knee in front of the Ninth Uncle with his head buried very low. Si Cheng knelt behind Yuwen Yuanhua with a calm expression on his face. Even if he was happy to have the military power back in his hands, he did not dare to show it at this time.

"No need to be so polite." The Ninth Prince glanced at the two of them and was very satisfied with their performance.

Yuwen Yuanhua stood up first and reported the results of the pursuit to the Ninth Prince. Then Si Cheng also told the Ninth Prince the reaction of the people in Yecheng truthfully.

There were many people in Yecheng who resisted stubbornly, but Yuwen Yuanhua did not kill them all. He only killed a part of them to intimidate everyone else, and locked up the rest and prepared to take them back to Dongling.

Si Cheng's mission was also going smoothly. The people of Yecheng had been suffering terribly in the past two years and had not had enough to eat, but Ye Ye had repeatedly increased taxes for the development of Yecheng, and the people had long since sold their children.

The lower-class people of Yecheng did not feel much about Dongling's capture of Yecheng. They were just afraid that Dongling would massacre the people. Now, after hearing Si Cheng promise on behalf of Dongling that the people would not be harmed in the slightest and that taxes would be reduced for one year, the people of Yecheng dared not disobey. Even if there were a few who wanted to fight for Yecheng, they did not dare to stand up at this time.

The city lord is dead, what else can they do?

Yecheng was taken successfully, and this battle was a success. The only flaw was the death of Ye Ye and Su Wan. If these two were alive, it would be easier for them to take over Yecheng, the loyal ministers hidden in Yecheng would have some concerns, and the other eight cities would also praise the Ninth Prince for his kindness, but unfortunately...

"It's a pity that Lord Yecheng actually committed suicide." Si Cheng already knew that he would stay in Yecheng for a while. He would feel much more relaxed if Ye Ye hadn't died.

"Committing suicide?" The Ninth Prince mocked. Yuwen Yuanhua and Si Cheng were smart and realized it immediately: "Isn't this City Lord Ye and Madam Ye?"

It was burned completely black and was indeed difficult to recognize.

"Report..." At this moment, the deputy general who was searching came forward with a happy face: "Report to the prince, I found a basement in the main courtyard. City Lord Ye and Madam Ye are inside."

Ye Ye and Su Wan, who had changed into civilian clothes, were brought up by the soldiers. Their faces were dirty. Ye Ye's eyes were lifeless and he looked dejected, while Su Wan's face was ashen and his eyes were filled with hatred.

"Kneel down." Seeing that the two men refused to cooperate, the soldier kicked them hard on the calves. The two men screamed in pain and knelt down with a thud.

Ye Ye struggled desperately, like a trapped animal. Su Wan, on the other hand, remained motionless, biting her lips tightly.

"Dong Lingjiu..." Su Wan gritted her teeth as she spoke these three words: "Kill me if you dare."

Kill? Why kill two useless people? To show the world how cold-blooded he is? To scare the other eight cities and make them unite against him? How could he do such a stupid thing?

There are many legitimate ways to take a person's life.

The Ninth Prince sneered: "Someone, help Madam Ye up, don't let her get pregnant."

"You, how do you know?" Ye Ye didn't dare to move anymore. He stared at the Ninth Uncle with red eyes, wishing he could eat him up.

Spy, there is a spy around him.

The Ninth Prince did not answer Ye Ye's words, but ordered people to take good care of Ye Ye and Su Wan and not let anything happen to them.

To show his kindness to the surrendered officials, these two people will return to Dongling safely. If they behave themselves, they can live a wealthy and prosperous life for the rest of their lives, but they will never have freedom again.

"Dong Lingjiu, let me go. You treacherous minister, if you have the guts, kill me, kill me..." Ye Ye struggled desperately and wanted to pounce on the Ninth Uncle.

Ye Ye was skilled in martial arts, so the soldiers who were escorting him had a hard time. Seeing that Ye Ye was about to break free, the Ninth Prince said, "Dong Ling doesn't mind taking care of a disabled city lord."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud snap, and Ye Ye's legs were broken by Si Cheng. Everyone was shocked and secretly scared: What's going on?

"Ah..." Ye Ye screamed and fell to the ground like a puddle of mud. Fortunately, the soldiers escorting him reacted quickly and dragged him up.

"Dong Lingjiu... I, I will not let you go." Ye Ye's lips trembled in pain, beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down, and his lips were bleeding from biting.

Si Cheng threw away the stick in his hand and kicked Ye Ye in the heart: "When City Lord Ye was escaping with his wife, he unfortunately broke both legs. Someone, come and carry City Lord Ye down for treatment. The Regent King is kind and can't bear to see such bloodshed."

Si Cheng spoke righteously, as if it were completely the truth, shocking everyone present: This Young Marshal Si is truly an amazing person, he can even say such words.

Although they complained, they did not forget their duties. They dragged Ye Ye away like a dead dog and continued to search the City Lord's Mansion, emptying out all the wealth accumulated by the successive city lords of Ye City...

Now that Ye Ye was captured, there was no need for the Ninth Prince to stay here. He handed over the rest of the matters to Yuwen Yuanhua and Si Cheng, and then left.

As soon as the Ninth Prince left, Yuwen Yuanhua walked to Si Cheng's side and gave him a thumbs up: "Young Marshal, you are so talented. I admire you."

Having said that, Yuwen Yuanhua's words were full of contempt. In his opinion, what Si Cheng had just done was no different from those fawning eunuchs.

"As a subject, you should share the worries of your sovereign. To understand the sovereign's intentions is the basis of being a subject. Your sovereign is kind and wise, and many things are hard to say. In addition to winning battles, a subject must also solve those things that worry your sovereign." Si Cheng was not angry at all. He could understand Yuwen Yuanhua. No general would have a good impression of someone who took away his military power.

After Si Cheng finished speaking, he continued to do his own thing, leaving Yuwen Yuanhua standing there in a daze, pondering the meaning of Si Cheng's words.

Is the failure of the Yuwen family due to the fact that they never took the monarch to heart, never thought about what the monarch was thinking, and what they needed to take the initiative to do for the monarch?

The Yuwen family always follows the king's orders, so no matter how good they are at fighting, they cannot gain the king's trust because they never think about what their master will do next.

After realizing this, Yuwen Yuanhua smiled, and his eyes were filled with tears...

"General." The personal soldier behind him stepped forward and asked with concern.

Yuwen Yuanhua wiped his face and said, "I am fine, General. I just want to understand some things."

Unfortunately, it was too late to figure it out now. Yuwen Yuanhua suppressed the heaviness in his heart and devoted himself to the aftermath work in Yecheng.

Perhaps, this was the last time he would lead an army in his life, and he didn't want to have any regrets...

A word to readers: My friend was on a business trip, so I was busy helping him pack his travel documents and was a little late. I can only update twice today. Please forgive me.