Chapter 83 With Tao, Lu and Li
"Tao Qingyang, calm down."
Seeing Tao Qingyang's red eyes, Qin Song feared that his impulsiveness would cause chaos. "Song, step aside," Tao Qingyang said coldly, raising his arm to block Qin Song.
Lu Youchuan finally stood up and tried to reach out to grab Qin Song, but he missed and Qin Song was pulled behind Tao Qingyang.
Li Yu completely disregarded everyone else and immediately rushed to Qin Song's side, "Songniang, are you alright?"
Qin Song was fine, of course. She grabbed Li Yu's wrist and said, "Stop them, and don't panic."
Li Yu didn't rush forward; his eyes were only on Qin Song. As long as Qin Song wasn't hurt, they could fight however they wanted.
“I told you, I would kill you all sooner or later.”
Tao Qing raised his spear, aiming it directly at Lu Youchuan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Lu Youchuan glanced at the cold spearhead and slowly gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist: "Calm down first. After tonight, I'll let you do whatever you want with me."
Tao Qingyang's eyes remained sharp, and Qin Song's scalp tightened. It seemed she had underestimated the threat of Tao Qingyang losing control.
Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around Tao Qingyang's waist, biting his slightly protruding shoulder blades as she anxiously tried to comfort him: "Tao Qingyang, no, Brother Tao, the injustice done to the entire Tao family needs to be brought to light. Killing them won't help. Don't you even care about what I say?"
Tao Qingyang trembled all over from being bitten by her, and looked down at her hand wrapped around his waist.
In that instant, Lu Youchuan reacted swiftly, striking with the hilt of his knife and striking Tao Qing's tilted neck firmly.
It was that same move again. Tao Qingyang blinked twice, his spear fell to the ground, and he was knocked unconscious.
Tao Qing was tall and leaned back; if he fell, Qin Song would not be able to support him.
Lu Youchuan instinctively rushed forward and caught Tao Qingyang's exhausted body.
Qin Song walked around him from behind and saw that he was still frowning deeply even after fainting, and felt a pang of heartache.
She didn't cast a probing glance at Lu Youchuan, who was in the eye of the storm, but instead looked at a few trusted guards beside her: "You guys, go with Lord Lu to escort General Tao inside to rest. Keep a close eye on him, and report back immediately if anything happens."
"Yes." Several trusted men immediately set off, leading Lu Youchuan and Tao Qingyang into the house.
At this moment, Long An, who had witnessed a good show, couldn't help but applaud quietly, "General Tao's character still needs to be tempered."
Qin Song glared at Long An with disgust.
Long An didn't care at all; on the contrary, he was quite happy to see her anxious.
Xiao Cejun, who was beside him, also began to lay the groundwork for the next chapter.
He looked at the soldiers on Qin Song's side and said, "Do you see that? Your commander lacks composure, which is a major taboo in military strategy. Your lives matter too. Are you going to entrust your precious fate to such an unstable general?"
So that was their original intention—to turn the Zhenbei Army against their side?
However, the soldiers behind Qin Song remained standing straight and silent.
Undeterred, the other side continued their impassioned speech, "By surrendering to His Majesty, you and your families will receive generous rewards, even promotions and titles. As long as you lay down your weapons, you will forever be the most glorious warriors of the Great Yu."
At this moment, Li Yu, standing behind Qin Song, retorted sarcastically, "The Great Yu treasury is already empty; where would such a generous reward come from?"
Qin Song also gave a cold laugh: "Soldiers, there's no need to worry. You are all soldiers of the Great Yu, and it is only right that you serve His Majesty. If you want to switch sides, I will not stop you."
After he finished speaking, the Zhenbei Army finally made a sound:
“That’s right. We have always been soldiers of the Great Yu, soldiers of the Zhenbei Army. We will either die in battle far from home or retire to our hometowns. We will never defect in the face of battle.”
"Yes, we will never defect at the last minute."
The soldiers' voices rang out loud and clear, without the slightest wavering.
Of course they wouldn't leave. They were survivors from Yunzhou. They knew firsthand how ruthless the imperial court was. How could they possibly demoralize the army with just a few words?
Moreover, Kaifeng is now well-fed and clothed, and the families of these soldiers are well taken care of, so empty promises are of no appeal.
"Defection in the face of battle? To submit to the legitimate rule of the Great Yu is called defection in the face of battle? I think it is you who have harbored treacherous intentions!" Long An rose from his sedan chair, stood beside the commander of the Imperial Guards, and exerted pressure in a stern voice.
The scene was too grand, and Long An's question only intensified the tense atmosphere between the two sides.
However, the Zhenbei Army did not use any weapons. Standing at the forefront of the ranks was Qin Deputy General, whom the Qin clan chief had selected to join the Zhenbei Camp.
In order to gain the trust of the Qin clan chief, he has become Tao Qingyang's personal guard deputy general, and the troops he leads today used to obey his orders.
Deputy General Qin glanced at Long An and politely cupped his hands: "The legitimacy of Dayu is the legitimacy of the people. We, the Zhenbei Army, have been living in Kaifeng for a long time. We only know that the people deeply believe in the blessings of the goddess and even more so in His Highness the Crown Prince's blessings for all eternity."
As he spoke, he turned to Qin Song and the others, and respectfully cupped his hands: "General Tao is our commander, but we have always been loyal to Dayu. General Tao is unconscious, and we will follow Lady Qin's orders."
As his voice fell, the soldiers behind him turned to Qin Song, bowed and clasped their hands, saying, "We will obey Your Majesty's command."
Long An had just thought he had the upper hand, but suddenly his expression changed and his pupils trembled involuntarily.
Qin Song didn't look at the kneeling Deputy General Qin, but gazed at Long An, his voice calm: "Long An, you've lost."
After she finished speaking, Consort Xiao of Long'an immediately supported her, "Your Majesty, let me take you away first."
Long An shook off his hand, looking at Qin Song with eyes full of resentment: "Qin Song, you are so hateful! You are also a woman, why are you unwilling to work with me to build a great cause?! Have I done a bad job? Who says this world must be a man's world? Why can't I sit on the dragon throne?"
Qin Song looked at her coldly: "To be honest, you set a precedent and did take many good measures during your five years in power, but the means by which you accomplished all of this were wrong, and that is wrong. For your own selfish desires, you colluded with the Northern Barbarians and did not hesitate to harm the people and the army. How can you become the ruler of the world?"
"Hahahaha," Long An laughed, but his eyes were full of resentment. "Personal desires? I'm doing this for the sake of millions of women in the world. Qin Song, I truly despise you for being a woman! You deserve to die!"
Qin Song stopped Li Yu, who wanted to stand up for her, and did not want to speak ill of Long An. She took a deep breath and calmly ordered, "Capture Long An alive, and spare the rest if they surrender."
At a command, Consort Xiao attempted to forcibly pull Long An away, but Long An fiercely pulled his hand back, looking up to the sky with a long, resentful cry, "I, Long An, only know how to win..."
Long An looked up at the sky, and before the Zhenbei Army could get close, she drew a long knife from the guard beside her, held it to her neck, and slit her own throat without hesitation.
Blood blurred her vision, and her straight shoulders hunched slightly. Her gaze slowly fell on Qin Song's face, and two tragic words vaguely escaped from the corner of her mouth: "...and death."
The Zhenbei Army stopped its movements, and the Imperial Guards from the capital also laid down their weapons and knelt down.
The surroundings seemed to freeze, and only Long An's exhausted body suddenly collapsed.
Qin Song's eyes widened, her body stiffened; she hadn't expected Long An to commit suicide.
"No!!" The first to react was Xiao Cejun, who was beside Changshi Long'an. He knelt down in grief, holding Long'an's body, his eyes bloodshot, and his usually effeminate and fake smile completely collapsed.
Pain, grief, disbelief, and weeping.
He kept calling for the imperial physicians, but no one responded.
Qin Song summoned the army doctor, but he wouldn't let anyone close to Qin Song get close. He even turned his head fiercely and glared at Qin Song, "Why are you forcing her? She has never promised the Northern Barbarians any benefits! She has never even seen a Northern Barbarian. She may not be a good person, but she has never colluded with foreign powers to harm our Great Yu!"
She only learned that the Northern Barbarians, due to their struggle for the crown prince, intended to assassinate He Yitu on the border of the Great Yu. If Tao Qingyang went north, they would surely retaliate, and her chances of survival would be slim. Even if Tao Qingyang won, it would take considerable time. That's why she concluded Kaifeng was undefended and risked coming! "It's you, it's all your fault! You forced her to her death! You are the culprit who murdered the Emperor!"
Qin Song stood there, stunned. She had never intended to force her to her death.
Her feelings grew increasingly complicated, and she didn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Only Li Yu angrily rebuked: "Shut up! The victor is king, the loser is villain. You have no right to shout anymore! Besides, Song Niang never ordered her to be killed. Moreover, since she knew about the Northern Barbarians' actions, as the ruler of a country, she not only did not send troops to stop them, but also tried to use them to harm our Great Yu soldiers. What crime did she commit to die?"
After Li Yuyi's righteous and stern rebuttal, the man holding Long An seemed to have lost all interest in listening to what others were saying.
His snow-white hands trembled as he tried to cover Long An's neck, but the wound was too large, and he couldn't stop the blood from gushing out. His hands soon lost their original skin color.
He wept silently, collapsing to his knees in despair, his gaze fixed on the void, as if uttering a final, bitter lament for this defeat: "Why was the Zhenbei Army able to retreat so easily unscathed? And why did the Northern Barbarians give you horses for no reason? You are the traitors who colluded with the Northern Barbarians! It is you, you bunch of hypocrites, hahahahaha, how laughable, truly laughable! Long'an actually lost to you..."
After a series of self-talks involving crying and laughing, he suddenly picked up Long An's body, held it tightly to his chest, and used his blood-stained hand to tidy her stray hair, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Finally, he kissed Long'an on the forehead and slowly removed the hairpin from her hair. "Long'an, I'm here to be with you."
"Don't!"
Qin Song raised his hand to stop him, but the man resolutely plunged his hairpin into his own chest.
Silence returned to the surroundings. Perhaps it was the sand and dust that blurred his vision, but tears welled up in Qin Song's eyes without him noticing.
Li Yu instinctively wanted to cover Qin Song's eyes and hold her in his arms to prevent her from facing such a scene.
Qin Song couldn't help but take a step forward, and amidst the silent questioning of the crowd, she solemnly bowed to Long An's corpse.
She did not approve of Long An's actions, but she always admired her pioneering courage and her forward-thinking ideas.
"The late emperor has passed away; kneel!"
At her command, soldiers and guards from both sides knelt down and kowtowed.
After the kowtow was finished, Li Yu immediately ordered people to collect the bodies of Long An and the other man.
"Xue Ci is still alive. Should we raise the Crown Prince's banner of righteousness?"
Qin Song stood quietly in place, lost in thought, until Vice General Qin reminded her, which brought her back to her senses.
According to the plan, Xue Ci will expose Long An's crimes of colluding with the Northern Barbarians, force him to abdicate, and then promote the Crown Prince to ascend the throne.
Now that Long'an has passed away, as long as Xue Ci writes a confession, everything will proceed smoothly.
Qin Song slowly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, raised his head, cleared away the complicated emotions in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Didn't you hear me? Long'an has not colluded with the Northern Barbarians. How it acts is none of your business."
Qin Song gave Vice General Qin a cold glare, and Vice General Qin suddenly cupped his hands and took half a step back.
He was bewildered. Wasn't she a puppet of the Qin family? How could she be so powerful?
However, it was also his fault for not knowing the gravity of the situation. He silently apologized, "This humble general knows his crime, please enlighten me, Your Highness."
Qin Song looked at Long An quietly, adjusted his expression, and then looked at the deputy general gently, ordering in a voice that only he could hear: "General Qin, now there is only one last step. You take your men back to the city and make sure to deal with Li Xu before dawn."
Kill Li Xu?
Upon hearing this, Deputy General Qin was visibly shocked. He looked up at Qin Song, his face filled with disbelief.
"What? Does Vice General Qin not want someone from the Qin family to ascend the throne?"
Qin Song spoke very seriously, and Deputy General Qin finally dispelled his doubts, bowing his head and saying, "This subordinate obeys."
After he led his men away, a thin man and woman dressed as bodyguards came out of the post station.
The woman rushed over anxiously, checking on Qin Song: "There's such a big commotion, Miss, are you alright?"
Qin Song smiled at her, "Of course I'm fine. You should worry about your Crown Prince. I've already issued a kill order. Whether you live to see tomorrow depends on your fate."
Li Xu, dressed in black shorts, followed behind Yun Qian.
He exchanged a glance with Qin Song and nodded, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Qin."
Qin Song smiled, didn't waste any time chatting, and turned to deal with the mess in front of him.
Li Yu had already settled the surrendered imperial guards, then mounted his horse and said, "Songniang, be sure to take care of your safety. Leave the matters in the city to me."
The young master, as radiant as the bright moon, sat on his tall horse with the bearing of a scholar-official. His imposing and majestic presence was captivating, and Qin Song was once again impressed by his own judgment.
However, Li Yu had given orders to carry out a very dangerous task. Originally, this task was to be completed by Tao Qingyang, but now Li Yu had to take over.
Qin Song stood beside the horse's belly and beckoned to Li Yu, who was sitting high on the horse's back. Li Yu bent down and listened attentively.
Qin Song didn't say anything, but instead tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek.
The scholarly-looking man's ears quickly turned red.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he stared silently into Qin Song's eyes, his heart still pounding erratically.
He pursed his lips, ignoring the onlookers, and leaned in to kiss her lips. "I look forward to Your Majesty's ascension to the throne and taking me into the palace."
After saying that, he released her, tightened the reins, and rode away.
Watching his departing figure, Qin Song silently prayed in his heart, "He must return safely."
Only after he had completely disappeared into the darkness did Qin Song turn around and enter the post station building.
Inside the post station, Tao Qingyang was still fast asleep in bed, while Lu Youchuan stood guard outside, his expression even more somber than before.
Upon seeing Qin Song, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.
Qin Song didn't make things difficult for him. She walked over to him and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. I'll ask someone else."
"Guards, bring that old eunuch in bound."
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Author's Note: [Dog head with rose in hand]
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