Chapter 66 Showdown
Tao Qingyang's arrow wound on his left arm has recovered very well, but he still cannot move freely. However, this does not affect his ability to ride a horse and wield a spear.
After handing over Danzhou to his deputy, he led 50,000 troops back immediately, arriving in Yunzhou in less than half a day.
"General, Commander Gong's troops have surrounded Yunzhou and cut off the road from Danzhou to Yunzhou. We can't get out." The scouts lying in ambush on the border of Yunzhou saw the Zhenbei Army approaching from afar, immediately appeared, knelt down and reported urgently.
Tao Qingyang tightened the reins, looked up towards Yunzhou, and did not respond for a moment.
Tao Yao, standing to the side, angrily slapped the saddle, "Damn it! We fought a bloody battle, and they actually want to trap us to death in Danzhou!"
The soldiers beside Tao Yao also spat angrily, "Damn it, no wonder that scoundrel Chen Peizhi could run rampant in Yunzhou, no wonder Yun and Danzhou have become like this, it's all the royal family's doing!"
"Our ruler is wicked; why should we continue to serve him?! General, why don't we rebel?"
"Yes! He's rebelled! He's rebelled!..."
In an instant, the Zhenbei Army soldiers who had reached this road were filled with righteous indignation and wanted to rise up in rebellion.
Tao Qingyang didn't immediately respond. He withdrew his gaze, put his mask back on, covering half his face, and let the corners of his mouth curl up in a wanton smile. "That depends on whether they can trap him."
He chuckled enigmatically and casually pulled a bamboo whistle from his pocket.
"call out--"
The whistle, sharp and piercing like the cry of an eagle, echoed throughout the entire forest.
A moment later, a black-feathered, white-backed eagle soared above everyone's heads, circled twice, and then disappeared.
Tao Qingyang put away his bamboo whistle, looked ahead, and raised his voice to command, "All generals, listen to my order! Follow me and seize Yunzhou!"
Tens of thousands of troops marched straight in, like a black dragon winding its way through the land. They soon encountered the army dispatched by Gong Shiliang. Without giving them a chance to negotiate, the two sides quickly engaged in battle.
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"Report! Commander!"
Outside Yunzhou City, a young general under Gong Shiliang rushed over and knelt down before Gong Shiliang on the city wall, reporting, "General Tao has led the Zhenbei Army into the north of Yunzhou City and is now engaged in combat with our army."
Gong Shiliang stood atop the city wall, his gaze fixed on Qin Song and his daughter.
An hour earlier, Qin Song and Qin Daoji left the abandoned inn and were surrounded by a group of cowardly and unruly people brought by Chen Yuan. Qin Song wanted to order his men to clear a path by force, but Qin Daoji stopped her with a wave of his hand.
As if he had been prepared all along, he surrendered without resistance, allowing Chen Yuan to label him a traitor and take him to the city wall where Gong Shiliang and the others were.
Seeing that he was completely calm and collected, Qin Song didn't ask any more questions and patiently stayed by his side.
The towering city walls seemed to become a trial court for the three judicial departments. Gong Shiliang pressed on relentlessly, using the pretext of divine punishment to gradually condemn Qin Daoji to the ranks of sinners for all time in full view of everyone.
Qin Daoji seemed to be keeping something amiss, letting the other party list a whole host of accusations without reacting.
He stared intently at the distance beyond the city gate, his brows furrowed in deep thought, as if waiting for someone to appear and for the next move.
"Since Lord Qin refuses to plead guilty, then let Lord Chen, who works with Lord Qin, tell you all in person what Lord Qin did in Yunzhou."
Gong Shiliang tried every means to prove Qin Daoji's crimes, and Chen Yuan was already prepared to testify.
He adopted the air of a refined scholar, straightened his sleeves, and stood solemnly by the city wall. Addressing the countless people outside the city gate, he spoke with righteous indignation and resounding righteousness: "I, Chen Yuan, am the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, appointed by His Majesty to accompany Lord Qin to Yunzhou to jointly quell the turmoil there. Nearly a month has passed since we entered the city, yet the scourge within the city is worsening daily. Lord Qin has neglected his duties, first instructing General Tao to murder General Chen Peizhi, then maliciously imprisoning Lord Xue, the magistrate of Yunzhou, and even condoning his daughter's release of prisoners, the private recruitment of troops, and the secret deployment of his forces. Later, he secretly sent his daughter south to collude with powerful families, plotting a rebellion. Each and every one of these acts is unbecoming of a virtuous official, angering the gods and deserving of death..."
He spoke eloquently, and many people inside the city walls who had shared weal and woe with the Qin family raised their hands to defend them.
Before the public opinion could be expressed, a sharp black knife was quietly placed against Chen Yuan's neck. "Lord Chen, be careful what you say."
As the deep, angry voice fell, the man holding the knife shifted slightly, allowing Qin Song to catch a glimpse of Chen Yuan's handsome, profound face from the side.
Lu Youchuan's gaze was dark and unfazed by the strange looks from Gong Shiliang and Eunuch Gao. With the knife held to Chen Yuan's neck, he looked down and calmly and composedly said, "Chen Peizhi concealed military intelligence and was incompetent in leading troops, causing devastation in Yunzhou. He deserves to die. Asong led the people to seize grain and rescue the people of Yunzhou from danger in a critical moment. This was a righteous act and he deserves to be worshipped by thousands. How can you make baseless accusations without any basis?"
Before anyone could react, the crowd below the city wall shouted: "That's right! Lady Qin is the reincarnation of the Mountain Goddess, this is utter slander!"
Chen Yuan glanced down at the cold blade at his neck, then at the boiling resentment of the people below the city. His face turned ashen, and he trembled, unable to utter a word.
The eunuch Gao, who was standing to the side, immediately put on a smiling face and said ambiguously, "Does Lord Lu intend to speak up for the Qin family?"
Lu Youchuan sneered and glanced disdainfully at the old eunuch: "I am only speaking out for justice."
As soon as he finished speaking, he moved quietly to Qin Song's side and gently took her hand.
"Sorry I'm late," Lu Youchuan whispered to Qin Song.
Qin Song smiled slightly at him. She was not afraid of the current situation, but she was not sure what her father was planning.
Before the two could even exchange a word, Gong Shiliang had already made a move.
Knowing Lu Youchuan's standing in the hearts of the people, he naturally wouldn't publicly break ties with him. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, "Why is Imperial Censor Lu angry? We only wanted the people of Dayu to recognize the actions of Lord Qin, who is worshipped by the people and receives a salary from the emperor. Since he has been punished by heaven, there's no need for us to do anything; the outcome will come on its own."
Just then, a messenger from below the city wall arrived on horseback and hurriedly reported the news.
Everyone's attention immediately turned to the kneeling soldier.
Qin Song had some concerns about the Zhenbei Army. Not to mention that Tao Qingyang had been fighting the Northern Barbarians for a long time and was probably already exhausted, the current disparity in troop strength between the two sides made it difficult to feel at ease.
As expected, Gong Shiliang was also familiar with this matter. He remained calm and casually asked the person who had come to report, "What's the situation?"
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the enemy is outnumbered and we are outgunned; the Zhenbei Army has no chance of winning," the young general replied decisively.
Qin Song glanced subconsciously at his father, whose face was calm, and a sudden sense of panic rose in his heart. He had a feeling that something big was about to happen.
However, she had made thorough preparations before entering the city, and there was no way that Gong Shiliang could trap Yunzhou to death. They were sure to turn the tide and win.
So, is the Zhenbei Army in danger?
Tao Qingyang was by no means a rash or adventurous person. He still remembered the night Lei Heyang tried to use tricks to distort the truth. He chose to target the innkeeper instead of confronting the powerful Lei family head-on. How could someone who weighs the pros and cons so carefully act hastily?
Could something have happened to the Zhenbei Army?
Qin Song was deep in thought, and the commoners gathered outside the city were even more worried, unable to hide their anxiety.
Gong Shiliang, however, looked relieved. "Since Imperial Censor Lu is so upright and incorruptible, what do you think General Tao should do?"
He turned to face the city gate, surveying the thousands of people surging inside and outside the city with an air of absolute confidence. "Listen," he said, "the fall of Danzhou was originally due to the poor defense of the Zhenbei Army, which has plunged us into dire straits. Now, instead of doing everything in its power to recapture Danzhou, the Zhenbei Army has abandoned its posts, deserted its posts, and raised troops to cause internal strife. Their disloyalty is blatantly obvious. May I ask you all, is it reasonable for me to execute these traitors first and report later?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the people inside and outside the city all spontaneously rose up in rebellion.
"Nonsense. The Zhenbei Army has been guarding the northern border for many years. If it weren't for the Zhenbei Army, Yunzhou would have been slaughtered by the northern barbarians long ago."
"Moreover, the fall of Danzhou was due to collusion with the enemy and betrayal of the country, so how can the Zhenbei Army be blamed?"
"Exactly! If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext. Thinking back to after the Zhenbei Army withdrew, that dog Chen Peizhi caused my Yunzhou to be slaughtered time and time again. I really want to drink his blood and eat his flesh!"
The crowd was agitated and on the verge of a violent uprising, but Gong Shiliang suddenly sneered, "Good, good, well said."
His uncharacteristic remarks caught the public off guard. In the brief silence, he abruptly changed the subject, "Everyone in the country knows that the fall of Danzhou was due to traitors colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. What if I told you that the traitor was Lord Qin's own nephew? I'm afraid many of you would know that General Tao was already engaged to Lord Qin's daughter. What a coincidence!"
After a barrage of questions from Gong Shiliang, the commotion below the city wall subsided slightly, as if a huge block of ice had been thrown into a boiling pot; the residual heat hadn't dissipated, but the restlessness had lessened.
Gong Shiliang became even more smug and went on to say, "The excuse for the defeat of the Zhenbei Army was actually made by my own father-in-law. I have to suspect that the Zhenbei Army also bears some responsibility for the tragic situation in Yun and Dan prefectures."
"Yeah?"
A sinister voice broke the silence outside the city gate, followed by a rapid thud of footsteps and the thunderous clang of horses' hooves.
In a short while, the young general, dressed in snow-white red, led thousands of soldiers who had just fought their way out of the encirclement with composure.
Another army once again besieged the city.
Gong Shiliang's soldiers immediately became alert and formed a battle formation, facing off against Tao Qingyang's Zhenbei Army.
However, Gong Shiliang's army was so large and terrifying that even with Tao Qingyang leading his elite troops, they seemed to have no advantage at all due to the disparity in numbers.
Tao Qingyang, however, was not afraid at all. He stood tall and looked directly at the city wall. His gaze first lingered on Qin Song, then swept over Lu Youchuan, and finally landed on Gong Shiliang. "General, it's time for you to train your troops."
His words were contemptuous and highly provocative.
Based on what the young general had just reported, anyone who wasn't stupid could guess that what he meant was: Gong Shiliang's army was utterly vulnerable and couldn't stop him at all.
Gong Shiliang's molar muscles bulged noticeably, as if he were about to explode in anger.
However, the eunuch Gao standing beside him remained remarkably calm. He seemed to have considered things from a deeper perspective than he had. Before he could speak, Gao stepped forward, his smiling eyes fixed on the ground, and asked in a kind and gentle voice, "General Tao, what brings you here with your troops? Judging from your weathered appearance, you must have suffered quite a bit."
Eunuch Gao laughed as he set a trap, and Tao Qingyang responded with a smile, "I didn't suffer much, just killed quite a few dogs that blocked my way. But since Eunuch Gao could tell that this humble general was travel-worn, why did you keep the city gates closed and refuse me entry?"
Eunuch Gao wanted to hear him admit to killing our soldiers so that he could hold them accountable, but he called them dogs blocking the way. How was he supposed to handle that?
He could only give an awkward smile, then continued, "General Tao, you may not know this, but trouble has broken out in Yunzhou City, and unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering or leaving. Why have you returned to Yunzhou, General Tao? What is the situation in Danzhou?"
"Why? General Gong led his troops to bully my beloved wife and humiliate my father-in-law. What do you think I'm here for?"
Tao Qingyang paused, then leisurely picked up his spear. "It's a pity that it took some time to recapture Danzhou; otherwise, you would be the ones craning your necks to answer him right now."
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Author's Note: Trust me, everyone, I'll definitely get a peach within two chapters! [heart emojis]
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