Execute first, report later
Tonight, it seems that I have planned this carefully and intend to give this delegation a hard time, but in reality, the Southern Dynasty has set a trap for me to fall into.
Although they still didn't know why Fu Ning chose to stand on their side, as Xiao Chang'an said, the situation was beyond their control. The issue now was no longer about settling scores with Fu Ning, but about how to save their own lives.
His personal guards had all been killed, and all that remained was for Xiao Chang'an to do at his command.
In the flickering firelight, Hulü Guang's face alternated between light and shadow, turning pale and bluish.
After a long silence, he finally said, "I guarantee with my life that you will not be disturbed at all on your journey north until you enter the capital city of Luoyang."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a sneer on Xiao Chang'an's face and immediately realized that his bargaining chip was too weak and had no appeal.
Moreover, Xiao Chang'an must have plenty of means and methods to ensure that this delegation safely travels north to Luoyang.
Just by watching him silently strike back in Zhongzhou and manipulate himself at will, one can tell how formidable he is.
The deeply entrenched foundations of the Xiao clan in the Northern Dynasties, along with the Han people, aristocratic families, and clan legacies hidden in various prefectures and counties of the Northern Dynasties, must have been secretly watching the fate of the Southern people after their surrender. They would also have tried their best to fight for the status and power of the Han people in the new unified dynasty.
The upheaval in Zhongzhou tonight is but a glimpse.
He realized that he had previously underestimated the abilities and forbearance of these Han people.
At this moment, it was the mature and prudent Shangguan You who spoke.
He dusted off his sleeves and said calmly, "Since His Highness Prince Ning can't think of any way to save his own life, I think we don't need to waste any more time."
He placed his hand across his neck, making a cutting gesture, and said casually, "Then let's send His Highness to the afterlife. We still have to continue our journey tomorrow."
Now that the person with the highest authority in the room had made a decision, Xiao Chang'an said no more and was about to strike with the needle.
Huli Guang's mind went blank for a moment, and in desperation he shouted, "Where is Lord Gongyi! You must plead for me!"
A dashing man in white robes emerged from behind the crowd, presumably having overheard the whole story.
He first bowed to Shangguan You and Fu Ning, and then sighed to Huli Guang, "Your Highness, what you are plotting is to annihilate the Divine Hound Camp and to rape and torture the dancers who performed 'Shao' and 'Wu'. Such a great crime is difficult for me to exonerate."
Hulü Guang was stunned for a moment, then said stubbornly, "I...I still have tens of thousands of tribes and troops following me in the Northern Qiang. If you don't kill me, I will still be useful to you in the future!"
Xiao Chang'an scoffed and said, "A cruel, bloodthirsty, and fickle person is of no use to anyone! I think it would be better to just kill him outright."
By this point, A Qiu had realized that the Southern Dynasty envoys did not intend to kill Hulü Guang. However, Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, were determined to severely undermine Hulü Guang's prestige and teach him not to play tricks or act rashly in the future.
According to her analysis, the reason is not that they believe Hulü Guang will make any promises, but that having Hulü Guang's influence in hand will still make things much easier on their trip north.
Moreover, if Hulü Guang is killed now, no matter how happy Hulü Jin is, he will become much more wary of the Southern Dynasty and pay more attention to it.
Based on A Qiu's vague intuition, it seemed that from the moment the Northern Qiang marched south, Gu Yi deliberately wanted to create the impression that the Southern Dynasty was weak and easily defeated in the minds of the Northern Qiang people. But the truth was clearly not so.
No weak nation can repeatedly prevent its dancers from being invaded by enemy nations, even when they are on enemy territory.
Tonight's events further demonstrate that our side came prepared and that everyone was confident of success.
The Divine Hound Battalion, represented by Yin Shang, fought to the death, while the strategist group, led by Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an, cooperated seamlessly, using both civil and military means to intimidate from the front and behind the scenes. Commander-in-Chief Shangguan You remained calm and composed, displaying complete wisdom and control. No one considered this an accident.
Behind all of these plans, Gu Yi's shadow is present.
Suddenly, Ah Qiu recalled the image of Gu Yi standing alone on the city wall before her departure, gazing at her figure in the distance.
He knew she was here. And whether she was here or not, he would protect these people.
At that moment, A Qiu sensed Gu Yi's feelings and the same vow he made to her with overwhelming intensity.
We will not let any warrior or heroine die or sacrifice in vain.
Hulü Guang seemed to have made a firm decision, and said, word by word, "I, Hulü Guang, swear to the heavens: In my lifetime, I will never make things difficult for the Han people, and whether in the court or in the local area, I will do my best to protect the interests of the Han people and regard them as my most important allies! If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning, and may the gods of the grasslands not let me off!"
After making the solemn oath, his back was drenched in cold sweat. He didn't know how effective the oath would be.
Gongyi Xiu knew when to stop and immediately smiled obsequiously at Shangguan You, saying, "Your Excellency, what do you think..." He then whispered, "If Hulü Guang can return alive from this trip, he will most likely be made crown prince. In the Northern Dynasty, it's always better to have more friends than more enemies."
His voice was extremely low, yet loud enough for even martial arts masters to hear.
A Qiu noticed that Huli Guang's ears twitched slightly, clearly indicating that he was paying attention.
Shangguan You said with a stern face, "But this person is fickle. If he and his men remain in the group, they will always be a source of trouble. What if the dancers make any more mistakes along the way?"
Gongyi Xiu clenched his fist into a knife shape, making a downward slashing motion, and said in a low voice, "If he offends again, Lord Xiao is permitted to execute him first and report later, what do you say?"
The situation was inherently tense, but for some reason, A-Qiu almost burst out laughing.
If we were to name the person that Hulü Guang, one of the Southern Dynasty's envoys, fears the most at this moment, it would undoubtedly be the ruthless young marquis, Xiao Chang'an.
Shangguan You and Gongyi Xiu both looked like refined scholars, but Xiao Chang'an was an elusive and unpredictable martial arts master who was difficult to guard against. Moreover, he was young but cunning and ruthless, and he seemed like someone who could not be fooled by even the King of Heaven.
By allowing Xiao Chang'an to act first and report later, Hulü Guang was placed in a situation where he could lose his life at any moment. As long as he remained silent or made any suspicious moves, Xiao Chang'an could cut off his head without saying a word.
Moreover, Xiao Chang'an is definitely capable of doing it and won't have any psychological burden.
He was a member of the Xiao family of the Northern Dynasty, so even Gu Yi couldn't do anything about him. As for Emperor Huli Jin of the Northern Dynasty, he had to be wary of the Han Chinese forces in the north represented by the Xiao family, and Xiao Chang'an was also a member of the Flying Phoenix Guard of the Southern Dynasty, with intricate connections to the royal family.
Shangguan You seemed to consider it for a moment, and then said, "Let's listen to the Left Prime Minister. But you must persuade him well along the way and not cause any more trouble."
Gongyi Xiu accepted the order, immediately put on a smile, returned to the center of the field, and bowed to Xiao Chang'an, saying, "Lord Shangguan has already said that he will be spared for now. But he and his men must be kept under strict guard."
Xiao Chang'an snorted, put away the needles, and walked away, saying, "If you want to release it, then this treasure can be left for Lord Gongyi to keep under your care!"
He then added, "If there are any errors, I will hold Lord Gongyi accountable."
Before Gongyi Xiu could bow to Hulü Guang again, Hulü Guang was already as if he had been granted a pardon, and said repeatedly, "I dare not do it again! Thank you for your forgiveness, Lord Gongyi! I hope you will take care of me along the way!" He added, "We have already entered the territory of the Northern Qiang. We can show my imperial seal along the way, and the local officials will not dare to stop us. We can also speed up our journey."
It turned out that he hadn't presented the Ning King's tally before because he planned to make things difficult for the Southern Dynasty envoys as soon as he entered the Northern Qiang, and he didn't want to leave too much evidence of his friendly travel with the Southern Dynasty delegation. But now, to show his surrender, he immediately handed over the Ning King's tally.
If the official seal of an envoy from the Southern Dynasty were to be verified, it would be a very complicated process. At each checkpoint, the list of personnel would be checked one by one to ensure that no one who did not match the seal was mixed in. There would also be questioning and interrogation to confirm the facts. However, if the seal of the Prince of Ning of the Northern Qiang was being verified, the passing prefectures and counties would recognize the Prince of Ning's banner and know that the Prince of Ning was currently on a mission to the Southern Dynasty, then he could pass through without any obstacles.
Yin Shang, however, showed no mercy, forcefully shoving his hook out, causing Hulü Guang to stumble before retracting it into his sleeve and shouting, "Tie up all these Northern Qiang soldiers and keep them under strict guard!"
Before Yin Shang could utter a second word, the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp swarmed forward, capturing the remaining dozen or so men alive, binding them tightly, and shackled them. The Northern Qiang guards dared not move and could only obediently surrender, for in the current situation, any resistance would surely result in their heads rolling.
Seeing that the Divine Hound Camp had tied all these people up, Shangguan You called out into the house, "The girls must not be asleep. Come out and thank the Prefect!"
The geisha looked at each other, still somewhat afraid and hesitant.
Xiao Chang'an spoke up: "From now on, you will no longer need to hide, because the Northern Qiang people have been killed by us. The dozen or so who were not killed have been tied up. From now on, it will be them who will not have freedom of movement, not you!"
Upon hearing Xiao Chang'an's words, the dancers immediately erupted in thunderous cheers, scrambling to jump off the bed and run out the door. Ignoring the blood-soaked ground in the courtyard, they knelt down in unison, saying, "Thank you for your righteous help, Prefect."
Throughout their journey, they lived in constant fear, never having a single night of peaceful sleep. Everyone's fate is a constant struggle between life and death.
Therefore, the gratitude I feel at this moment is not something I can fake.
Fu Ning was about the same age as Shangguan You, but because he was a Jie, he looked a little older. He stroked his beard and smiled, "You young people are all very brave, leaving your homes and risking your lives to serve the country. The people will be grateful to you when they find out."
Although Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi were old, they were still somewhat afraid of this old barbarian man, so they hid behind the crowd and were reluctant to go forward.
The bolder Cui Luzhu asked curiously, "Grandpa, aren't you a Hu person? Why are you helping us Han people?"
This was the same question that Hulü Guang had asked Fu Ning before, but Xiao Chang'an interrupted him because he didn't want Fu Ning to be marked by Hulü Guang.
Because if he didn't answer, he could later claim that he was forced or coerced by the Southern Dynasty's envoys; in short, there was a way for him to shirk responsibility in the court.
When Fu Ning heard her address him as "grandpa" instead of "adult," he smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits. After a long while, he said, "Child, not all Hu people are cruel and bloodthirsty. Some Hu people just want to live peacefully on the grasslands, herding livestock and listening to their wives, children, and granddaughters milking cows, spinning yarn, weaving cloth, and singing." His voice gradually faded.
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