Chapter 1873: Chapter 7: Turmoil and Flames of War, A Gentleman Transforms Like a Leopard
"How can these mere bandits and rebels stand against our great Daying Heavenly Soldiers!"
Baili Chen respectfully said, "This is precisely because Your Majesty is favored by destiny, where your divine power reaches, all submit, these commoners, they are just..."
Jiang Yuan rewarded the generals for the great victory and, upon hearing of the rebels, said, "Where do these commoners come from, they are merely rebels, and if they are rebels, if not killed, how can we stabilize the land?"
The general was at a loss for words, and just as he was about to report, he saw Jiang Yuan pacing twice and said, "This cannot be. If the people of the world see this, resistance will only grow more intense, and then wouldn’t the reputation of our great Daying be tarnished!?"
"Hear my command!"
Jiang Yuan personally issued the Imperial Decree, and the generals, upon seeing the decree, looked complicated, incredulous, but under the heavy reward and the emperor’s wrath, had to lower their heads to accept the decree.
After Baili Chen and others shattered several ’bandit armies,’ the remaining commoners saw these forces as fearsome, even with several times their numbers, they had no power to resist the heavily armored and crossbow-wielding heavy infantry, being slaughtered like cutting through melons and vegetables.
They were terribly shocked.
Completely void of any desire to fight, naturally, some wanted to surrender.
Some even threw down their weapons, quietly leaving these gathered troops, discarding their rebel cloaks, pretending to be ordinary citizens, sneaking back home.
But more were blocked by Daying Kingdom’s regular army.
Run, they couldn’t escape; fight, they couldn’t win.
They could only watch from the wilderness as the regular army, stationed outside, methodically and efficiently advanced, trembling in fear and confusion, Baili Chen sent cavalry forward, shouting loudly:
"Emperor Ying, benevolent and forgiving, knowing that you were merely confused for a time and coerced, now, if willing to surrender, you can return, His Majesty will pardon your past mistakes."
"Lay down your weapons, return to your fields, and you will still be our Daying citizens."
"Still under the protection of our Daying!"
"If you persist in stubbornness, then where the Heavenly Soldiers go, don’t blame us for being merciless!"
The crowd was moved, but this ’bandit army’ leader was a hero of the Martial World at the peak of the fifth level, capable of Condensing Qi into Soldiers, skilled with the blade, and possessed of deep Inner Strength, being unmatched by even a hundred ordinary people.
But he remained silent for a long time, looking at the outside with sharp, killing blades.
Knowing that if things continued, his group would either starve trapped in the mountains or be slaughtered, he remained silent for a long time, gripping his weapon, saying, "The commoners arrived here because of me, how can I stand by and watch this?"
"And should I rely on martial skills to survive alone?"
So he shouted to Baili Chen, "How do we know what you say is true!"
Baili Chen lifted a scroll in bright yellow jade, and loudly proclaimed:
"Here is the Imperial Decree of the Great Emperor of Ying Country!"
"A golden mouth and jade words, how can it be false?!"
Jiang Yuan ordered those who surrendered first to burn incense and swear before the statue at Tongxuan Temple.
Promising not to kill the surrendered.
Even this hero was not killed, and many forced and desperate rebel units heard and within a month, mostly surrendered.
Jiang Yuan buried them at Yellow Pavilion Creek.
Over thirty thousand died.
The dead shouted, "Your Majesty, how can words be untrustworthy?!"
Baili Chen replied with Jiang Yuan’s answer, "Do you not know what military strategy says, deception is never enough?!"
The rebel leader who surrendered for the ordinary people was furious, throwing away his blade, angrily said, "As the world says, not an emperor, but a [fake emperor] indeed!"
Baili Chen was shocked, the surrounding colonels plugged their ears and lowered their heads, not daring to look, Baili Chen personally shot the man dead with an arrow for speaking such treasonous words, and buried him with yellow earth.
Over thirty thousand were all killed.
Dou De heard the words, remained silent for a long time, said, "Only now do I understand Emperor Qin’s words, peaceful days cannot be obtained with surrender and promises, only with swords." After these events, the world spread the words [fake emperor].
And the events of this bandit army, in the historical books, the pen is like a sword.
Chief Historian Saatanati said —
[Thus, the remaining members regrouped as bandits, the official army could not quell them, until the world was finally peaceful].
In the Ying Country palace, Jiang Yuan was extremely pleased with his strategy, drinking and celebrating, feasting with officials, laughed loudly, "Such military deception, the Military School’s principles, I too understand."
"The whole world claims I inherited everything and possess the Four Seas, suppose I were to be selected with the great heroes, I too would be emperor!"
Wei Yiwen was indignant, just swept his sleeves and left, He Ruoqinhu remained silent for a long time.
To kill the surrendered, though it was killing, still, still...
His fists slowly clenched, joints creaking.
He heard a gentle voice: "Father..."
He Ruoqinhu’s fist, and that flame of anger and unwillingness that belonged to a military general, was halted by these two words, he raised his head, seeing there beside the emperor, his daughter, the empress of the world, looking at him, showing a look of longing.
For a long time, He Ruoqinhu’s fist slowly relaxed, his hand lowered.
Heavily fell on the table, then lifted the wine cup, tilted his head and drank.
Though killing the surrendered was shameless, it was ultimately on the battlefield.
But, was that truly surrender?
After all, being a vast country, Jiang Yuan drove away factions, swept away some national rebels, then issued a command — [The Wolf King besieges the Eastern Capital, opens the warehouse to relieve the people. Those who receive rice, all buried south of the capital].
