Chapter 53 The City Falls
Of course, Zhao Er wouldn't want to die until the very last moment. As the saying goes, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death, and he actually managed to seize a glimmer of hope.
Several days after Zhao Er surrendered, He Jun's main force, which had been dragging its feet, finally arrived late. Standing at a distance, they dared not approach and first questioned Emperor Zhongzong: "On what grounds do you kill those who surrender? Do you have any sense of decency or morality? Do you even know the rules of the game?"
Emperor Zhongzong, of course, retaliated with a barrage of insults. He first berated He Jun for his hypocrisy, asking if he could be treated with courtesy if he were captured. Then he cursed Zhao Er, saying he had committed countless misdeeds and still dared to put on airs, and ordered them all to be dragged out and hung on streetlights… oh, if there were no streetlights, then hang them on the city wall.
Ignoring the profanity plastered on the screen, Xiao Jianhe pondered seriously, "Could it be that He Jingcheng really wants to rescue Zhao Er?"
That's impossible.
The fragile and false alliance between He and Zhao should be used to take advantage of each other's weakness. Even if He Jingcheng is only hypocritically demanding an explanation, that doesn't mean Zhao Er has any chance of survival.
Xiao Yichun smiled and said, "It's just a joke, don't take it seriously."
Zhuang Shi stood with his legs crossed at the entrance of the examination hall, his mind filled with countless stories he had read before: "Hanging on the city wall?"
It shouldn't be the kind of cheat he's thinking of, right?
However, the official response wasn't King Jungjong's empty words, but a proclamation drafted by civil officials, even more arrogant than he himself. This shows that like ruler, like minister; birds of a feather flock together. Those who are highly regarded must share a considerable degree of similarity in character with King Jungjong.
Zhou She led the two uninvited guests to the villa. On the way, Liang Xiao looked around and exclaimed in amazement, "Her Highness the Princess is indeed different from ordinary people, quite special."
Zhou She wondered, what's so special about it? Is it because it's exceptionally rich?
To say she was rich, that was certainly true. As the emperor's eldest daughter, the wealth of the princess's residence, if converted into gold, would be dazzling to his eyes.
Liang Xiao seemed to guess his thoughts: "What's most special is that she was able to teach someone like you."
The three walked into the courtyard. Liang Xiao pointed to the map slowly unfolding on the sky and said, "It's especially shameless."
Zhou She: "???"
He was devastated. Dr. Liang, even if we can't be close friends like Tianmu, you don't have to insult me like that!
"You think I'm insulting you?" Liang Xiao strolled slowly with his hands behind his back. "I admire you. When we're out in the world, we rely on integrity and loyalty. We can discard those old-fashioned ways of the aristocratic families when the time is right."
Zhou She smiled helplessly.
It's clear that Dr. Liang isn't a very shameless person.
He Jingcheng was a guy who only knew how to talk big. Even after being scolded, he didn't leave. He stationed troops on the west side and helped Emperor Zhongzong guard the house.
In the map occupied by the Zhao family, Zhao Du was located in the central-northern part. After Emperor Zhongzong conquered Zhao Du, looking at his territory again, it can be seen that his sphere of influence was about to expand to an unprecedented extent.
That's not very direct, so I also made a dynamic map to make it clearer.
Zhou She looked up and saw a colorful map hanging in the sky.
The red section at the top reads "Ning," the blue section represents He Jingcheng's "Wu," the green section to the east reads "Chu," and the yellow section to the south reads "Zhao."
A four-way balance of power? Not at all.
The red Ning gradually moved south, presumably to conquer Bingzhou and Suzhou. After a brief pause, it continued southeast.
During this period, the other colors naturally diminished as well. For example, the power of Chu Mountain in the east suddenly increased, which should be because it annexed Zhang Ping's territory.
Overall, however, the fluctuations remain within a relatively stable range.
Only red, moving southwards with the tide, crashes into other territories each time, like a pool of bright red blood spreading in all directions.
Finally, the dynamic map settled on a fixed pattern. At first glance, all that could be seen was an overwhelming expanse of red.
Yes, the King of Wu and Chu Shan were actually squeezed very badly. Chu Shan was in a slightly better position, as he was originally far away from the other families.
The King of Wu was in a terrible situation. He used to fight with Zhao Shuming every day. Even though they were just two weaklings, they still managed to exchange blows. After all that fighting, he found that his territory hadn't increased, but his population had decreased. What a miserable situation!
With the fall of Zhao's city, He Jun only engaged in verbal sparring on the outskirts; he dared not actually fight. Now, seeing the dire situation—if Emperor Zhongzong truly seized all of Zhao's territory—what would become of them? They might as well write to Chu Shan and suggest an alliance!
Chu Shan: "..."
He cursed inwardly.
People who go around seeking alliances only to turn around and bite the hand that feeds them when trouble arises are completely not worth cooperating with.
He held this guy in utter contempt. Besides, his territory was divided between the east and west of the King of Wu, separated only by Zhongzong's defensive line.
Want to bypass the defenses and command two armies simultaneously? Dream on!
[This letter was indeed tragically intercepted. Of course, Emperor Zhongzong was not surprised at all, after all, He Jingcheng's specialty was finding scapegoats, and he could then loot the supplies from his allies and make a good living.]
However, seeing that the situation was not good, He Jingcheng came up with another plan. Although he was not good at fighting, he was very good at other things! He immediately began to spread rumors everywhere that Yu Suisheng was a born jinx who would bring bad luck to whoever he associated with, and that he had come to Zhongzong with bad intentions, actually to harm people.
Then the blame was shifted to Emperor Zhongzong, who was accused of knowing full well that Yu Suisheng was Zhao Shuming's lackey, but now, because Yu Suisheng had ruthlessly killed his former master, he was reluctant to kill him. The accusations of loving the people like his own children and upholding justice were hypocritical, utterly hypocritical!
After hearing this, Emperor Hong'an found it difficult to say what kind of scheme it was.
It doesn't quite sound like sowing discord.
Zhou She bid farewell to Liang Xiao, agreeing to enter the palace the next day. Yu Suisheng stood behind him, the two staring at each other.
Zhou She thought for a moment and said, "What Tianmu is talking about is, after all, a matter for the future. You can stay here for now. As for things like embezzlement and corruption... I don't want you to do them."
Having a private advisor is a rare privilege, and it's certainly a good thing.
Yu Suisheng was about to nod when he heard Tianmu's words, and his face immediately froze.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated. The day after Zhao Er was executed, Yu Suisheng was interrogated.
Although Yu Suisheng had made mistakes, it was far from enough to warrant the same fate as Zhao Er. Even the common people said that while Lord Yu was ruthless, he was actually alright.
He's alright. I won't say he's exceptionally good, just alright. That's just how Yu Suisheng is; you can't call him completely bad, but he's not exceptionally good either. Unless you cross his bottom line, then he'll definitely put on a show.
As Yu Suisheng listened to Tianmu dissecting him, he felt a chill run down his spine.
I originally thought I would be remembered in history, but that doesn't seem very likely.
But Zhou She seemed not to hear him, waved his hand and left without any further reaction.
At this moment, the still inexperienced Yu Suisheng couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
Therefore, He Jingcheng had no idea that Yu Suisheng had already been dealt with according to proper procedures and was currently in the process of redeeming himself through leniency. The nonsense he uttered... was indeed practically nonsense. As for the claim of being possessed by a plague god...
The scene shifts, and King Jungjong and Yu Sue-saeng are sitting opposite each other. Upon hearing this, they burst into laughter.
Yu Suisheng: "..."
He didn't understand what was so funny.
Emperor Zhongzong laughed so hard he almost fell over. After he had finally finished laughing, he patted Yu Suisheng on the shoulder and said, "I really didn't expect you to worry about these things."
"Your Majesty, I am worried that we may develop mutual suspicions."
“Then you don’t need to worry,” Zhongzong replied calmly. “Since you are one of my people, I had already thought it through when I accepted you.”
If he wasn't planning to use Yu Suisheng, he would have dragged him away and beheaded long ago.
We considered Yu Suisheng's notorious reputation, his somewhat unsociable personality, and of course, his loyalty.
But he was certain that now that Yu Suisheng was under his command, he wouldn't be the same as he was under Zhao Shuming before.
He had the confidence to trust those he employed.
"Speaking of which, you should prepare well." Emperor Zhongzong's eyes suddenly sharpened. "I'm going to launch a counterattack against He Jingcheng, and Fang Jingruo is still on her way. You are familiar with Zhaodu, so coordinate well with your wife and prepare the provisions."
Yu Suisheng's breath hitched, and excitement surged through him: "When?"
"The day you are ready."
Half a month later, after recuperating in Zhao Du, Emperor Zhongzong led his troops westward. He Jingcheng was, of course, powerless to resist. When the enemy was at the city gates, he was still dreaming of sweeping across the world. Suddenly hearing that the enemy army had reached his doorstep, he hurriedly ran out of his mansion, climbed to a high place, and saw a densely packed army.
He Jingcheng had been barely holding on a few days ago, but later realized he was completely outmatched. He considered surrendering, but then, thinking of Zhao Er's fate, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He drew his sword at home, intending to commit suicide, but after much deliberation, he feared the pain.
He Jingcheng touched his neck and looked at the man in front of him.
This man was the garrison commander of Zhuozhou. We used to get along very well and had many private interactions.
But now, weapons were drawn, and the blade was pressed against his neck. The message on the sky said he would draw his sword and commit suicide...
Now someone has come in person.
He gave a wry smile: "Is this His Majesty's intention?"
The man said coldly, "Further words are useless. Come with me."
He Jingcheng glanced at the sky again.
The scene on the screen was a glaringly yellowish hue. A middle-aged man, playing his future self, sat listlessly by the window, gazing dejectedly at the city walls.
With a loud bang, someone kicked the door open and a woman in tight-fitting clothes rushed up to him and slapped him across the face.
"Hey, you surnamed He, are you even a man?!"
Her father and brothers were at the forefront, and in the past three years, she was the only one left who died. Now, He Jingcheng is actually hiding here in a daze.
He Jingcheng snapped out of his daze, a bright red handprint on his face, but surprisingly he wasn't angry. He mumbled in a daze, "We lost."
"Bullshit!" the woman roared, glancing sideways at the longsword he was holding horizontally. She snatched it from his hand. "You want to die?! I'll grant your wish!"
She raised her sword to strike downwards, but He Jingcheng remained motionless. The sword deflected a few inches, striking his shoulder, and blood gushed out, instantly staining half of his body red.
The woman's chest heaved rapidly as she stared at He Jingcheng, a brief hesitation in her eyes.
That hesitation quickly disappeared.
He Jingcheng stood up, staggered towards her, and took the sword from her hand.
"Linniang," he said, "it's too late to change anything."
Before Zhou Xingyuan's army arrived, they implemented a scorched-earth policy, demolishing the surrounding farms, burning the grain that could not be taken away, and cutting down large areas of forest.
Even so, can they survive? They can this year, but what about next year?
He Jingcheng's hands trembled as she shoved the sword into Linniang's hands. She wasn't usually like this; this time, however, she was flustered.
"Kill me, I'd rather die than fall into Zhou She's hands."
Linniang stared blankly at him, her breathing becoming increasingly heavy. Finally, she snatched the sword, gritted her teeth, and slashed horizontally through the air.
The entire sky was a vibrant red.
The same applies under the sky.
Caught off guard, the Zhuozhou garrison commander, He Jingcheng, who had been standing obediently just moments before, suddenly went berserk, desperately lunging forward. His neck collided with the blade, and blood splattered everywhere in an instant.
Everyone was stunned.
In the silent air, only the sound of the sky faithfully continued:
After He Jingcheng's death, his wife Shi Wenzhen took his place, keeping his passing a secret until the day the city fell, when she fought to the death.
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