Chapter 687: Chapter 496: In the Blink of an Eye, the Sky Changes
A battle that everyone thought would be evenly matched for at least three to five years changed direction instantly due to the enemy commander’s surrender.
Zheng Shoushan flung open the gates of Chuzhou, and the Northern Yong army switched from defense to offense, crossing the Tonghui River. Their iron hooves, like bright swords piercing through the dark night, tore a long gash in the supposedly impregnable, tightly-secured defenses of Li Zongxun’s legendary half-million-strong army.
Wen Xingsu ordered Ao Qi, Shi Yin, and Yu Zhong to split their troops into three directions, moving up along the Tonghui River, blocking the ferry crossings and docks, and attacking the Yecheng Army in a pincer movement.
The three veterans moved with exceptional agility and swiftness, like swords swiftly unsheathed, and in just half a month, they gnawed away large swaths of territory from the Yecheng Imperial Court, with Ningcheng, Yun Cheng, and Shou’an falling in succession.
After defecting to Xijing, Zheng Shoushan had no other choice but to fight a desperate battle.
To show his worth, he led Chuzhou’s troops to fight vigorously on the battlefield, and personally wrote letters to several friends, describing in dramatic detail his gratitude and grudges against Li Zongxun, embellishing his own treachery...
As a result, several regional warlords who had previously been cozy with Li Zongxun immediately shut their gates and distanced themselves from Yecheng.
Zheng Shoushan earned himself another merit.
Within one month, Wen Xingsu delivered fifteen pieces of good news to Xijing, shaking both the Imperial Court and the common people, including Ruan Pu and other senior officials who had previously doubted Wen Xingsu’s abilities; they unanimously praised General Longji’s achievements, saying "His banners obscured the skies, dimming sun and moon, his cold sword shed a chilling light upon the frontier..."
As the Imperial Court conveyed its rewards, Wen Xingsu also officially vindicated Pei Jue.
Through his actions, he demonstrated to the world that he deserved to be the Commander of the Northern Yong Army, not through nepotism, but on his own merits, even if he wasn’t Pei Jue’s uncle by marriage.
The Northern Yong army advanced with unstoppable momentum and grew stronger with every battle.
Pressured into retreat, the Yecheng Army, predominantly composed of infantry, could not match the mobility of the Northern Yong army and were exhausted in body and spirit after fighting a series of hasty battles...
But—
An army of several hundred thousand men, fortified by layers of defense, could not be easily routed even if outpowered.
In June, Li Zongxun appointed his confidant Li Shen as the Governor of Fengzhou, in charge of all military matters there.
At the same time, he had his eldest son, Li Zaidao, travel far and wide to recruit civilians for the army, seeking talents from among the common folk to provide strategies, and promoting able generals within the military to steady the morale.
In July, Wen Xingsu’s forces reached Fengzhou.
Ao Qi volunteered to serve as the vanguard, leading ten thousand elite cavalry on a night raid at Qinhuang Pass in Fengzhou, burning down their supplies...
That night, after an hour of fierce battle, Ao Qi, with his swift and light-armed troops, carried out a quick strike in and out, catching the enemy completely off guard...
More devastating than the casualties was the blow to the morale.
Those clearing the battlefield discovered that Ao Qi had left behind a large number of pamphlets urging surrender, listing dozens of Li Zongxun’s major crimes, and clearly stating that those who surrendered now would be treated leniently. However, once the Northern Yong Army reached Yecheng, there would be no chance for surrender.
Three days later, dissent broke out again in Fengzhou—
Li Shen, who was only good at armchair strategizing, in an attempt to shirk responsibility, severely punished two generals for their failure to adequately guard Qinhuang Pass.
The two disgruntled Yecheng generals, along with their close followers, escaped the camp at night and defected to the Northern Yong Army.
This left the already greatly weakened Yecheng Army in a state of panic.
When Li Zongxun in Yecheng received this news, he flew into a rage.
He immediately ordered Ge Pei to lead eighty thousand Yecheng troops to attack Yunzhou in order to draw the Northern Yong forces away and alleviate the pressure on Fengzhou and Yecheng.
The Northern Yong Army, now fighting on two fronts, had to adjust their strategy.
Wen Xingsu organized defenses in Chuzhou and ordered Shi Yin to lead fifty thousand Purple Lightning soldiers to strike hard against Ge Pei. He personally took the main forces of the Northern Yong Army and laid a massive siege to Fengzhou.
In September, Fengzhou fell.
After holding out for two months, the Yecheng Army had no choice but to retreat north of the Yishui.
On the day of the retreat, a group of men, their armor in shambles and their morale shattered, their horses utterly still, trudged wearily with confusion and helplessness in their hearts.
The shadow of the Northern Yong Army loomed overhead.
With such an army, Ge Pei fought as he retreated, unable to face the Northern Yong forces head-on any longer.
The front lines quickly pushed forward to Xiangzhou.
Several confrontations with painful losses led the desperate Li Zongxun to decide against making a last stand as a cornered beast.
He recalled Ge Pei and concentrated his forces, preparing to make a final stand at Yishui against the Northern Yong Army—
Yishui was the border of Xiangzhou and also the southern gate of Yecheng.
If it were to fall, Yecheng would be in grave danger.
-
Fangyun Hall.
Li Sangruo, upon receiving the news, was beside herself with anxiety.
Several months had passed since the beginning of the war, and she had been in a constant state of turmoil, never having a good night’s sleep.
She paced restlessly back and forth in Fangyun Hall, acting hysterically, lashing out and killing palace attendants at the slightest provocation.
In Fangyun Hall, everyone was on edge.
The citizens of Yecheng were also in a state of panic, wailing and crying everywhere.
The Northern Yong Army had killed countless people, and where their iron hooves had passed, who could survive?
Rumors spread throughout the city, with countless tales of Pei Jue’s brutality, and bloodthirsty Northern Yong soldiers devouring human blood.
Fear broke through the last line of defense, and on the streets of Yecheng, the crowds were sparse as every household hoarded grain and goods, then shut their doors to await the day when the Northern Yong Army’s iron hooves would break down the city gates...
Fear and torment.
Li Sangruo felt it acutely.
Waking from nightmares in the middle of the night, she drowned herself in alcohol, had the eunuch summon Li Zongxun, and, disheveled, she lay prostrate at his feet, tears streaming down...
"Father..."
"Dad..."
"Let’s surrender."
She reached out with both hands, clutching desperately at the hem of Li Zongxun’s robe, slurring her words like a drunken mess, repeatedly calling for surrender.
"I don’t want to die, I still don’t want to die..."
"I’m not ready to die..."
Li Zongxun was infuriated.
"It’s not time for you to cry yet, why are you crying? Look at yourself, what do you look like? You are the Empress Dowager in charge of the court, do you look the part? Disgraceful! Get up now!"
Li Sangruo lifted her head, "Father, let’s go."
"Go?" Li Zongxun glared at her coldly, "How do you plan to go?"
Li Sangruo said, "Just as we left Xijing in the beginning, we can leave Yecheng in the same way... Father, let’s hurry, let’s go... We can’t beat Pei Jue..."
Her words came out one by one, like sobbing complaints.
Li Zongxun bit his teeth and cursed her as a "good-for-nothing", suppressing the anger in his heart, and coldly said:
"I have already mobilized elite soldiers and strong generals to defend Yishui steadfastly. Soon you will see how the Yecheng Army drives back the Beiyong Army and defeats Pei Jue."
Li Sangruo laughed.
She stared intently at Li Zongxun with her eyes.
"Father... have you also learned to deceive yourself?"
Li Zongxun looked at her coldly.
"What if the troops are defeated? At worst, we continue to move north. As long as we hold the bloodline of the Jin Royal Family in our hands, we can rise again..."
Li Sangruo shook her head gently, as if in a dream.
"Royal Family bloodline? The Royal Family bloodline? Father, have you forgotten that my Kuangkuang is dead, my Kuangkuang has long been dead..."
Li Zongxun watched her become mentally unhinged, slightly eased his breath and, uncharacteristically, spoke kindly.
"Don’t forget, Yuan Shangyi in Xijing is also not long for this world, and the Emperor of Xifeng has no other heirs... You are the Empress of Xifeng, the Royal Family child you adopt is the legitimate heir of the Imperial lineage, who would dare to disobey?"
"Hahaha, Father believes it... Self-deception, Father believes it... Do you think everyone in the world will believe it?"
Li Sangruo cried and laughed,
Li Zongxun watched her drunken, delirious ramblings, and flames nearly shot from his eyes.
"If it weren’t for your incredible stupidity and constant messing up, how would we have fallen to this point?"
He slowly squatted down, fixing his gaze on Li Sangruo.
Suddenly, he forcefully grasped her collar, lifted her up to force her to raise her head, and look at him.
Then he coldly said:
"Sometimes, I can’t help but suspect that the greatest traitor in Yecheng is you—"
Li Sangruo didn’t have the strength; hanging limply, she looked at him and laughed bizarrely.
"I... as the Empress Dowager presiding over the court... You say I’m a traitor? I think you... are the true traitor. It is you who have led to the downfall of Dajin. Stuck in Yecheng, rather than wanting to survive, knowing you cannot win, yet you still dream of attacking Xijing, overestimating yourself. Deservedly crushed by Pei Jue. All of this, is thanks to you. Even my Kuangkuang... was killed by you!"
Li Sangruo spoke erratically, illogically,
She just vented her dissatisfaction, each sentence more venomous than the last, accompanied by a bitter cold smile, disheveled hair, and unkempt clothes, she resembled a female ghost crawled out from a grave...
"Incapable and enraged!"
Li Zongxun sneered coldly, his fingers slowly tightening, until suddenly moving up, choking Li Sangruo’s neck firmly.
"I never should have chosen you—this fool."
Li Sangruo in pain, sobered up significantly.
She saw a murderous intent on Li Zongxun’s face.
He was enraged.
In those eyes, there was no trace of father-daughter affection.
"Guards—"
Li Sangruo’s body trembled.
She couldn’t tell if it was her own imagination or something else, but fear gripped her heart and her voice became so shrill it seemed as if it would pierce the roof of Fangyun Hall.
"Quick, guards—save me—"
Li Zongxun increased his strength, his palm pressing down on her neck, his eyes coldly bearing down on her.
"The Empress Dowager suddenly succumbs to a strange illness, pasঙুm for good in Fangyun Hall. Before dying, she entrusted me with the regency to assist His Majesty..."
"No..." Li Sangruo’s breathing became rapid, a fine sweat breaking out on her forehead.
She looked hopelessly past Li Zongxun, out into the distance.
The bed curtains moved without any wind.
Not a single person appeared.
No one came to save her.
"Father... I am... your daughter..."
Li Sangruo’s eyes widened in panic, her mind a blank, a moment passed, and it seemed that countless memories flashed through her mind.
Regret, helplessness.
And then...
From seemingly nowhere, she clenched Li Zongxun’s hands tightly, staring at him determinedly, her face gradually twisting into a distorted grimace, her lips quivering into a purplish hue.
"Prime Minister." A cold, clear voice rang out like sudden thunder.
In Li Sangruo’s weakening consciousness, she saw the corner of a robe coming around the screen, walking towards her.
Getting closer and closer.
Like a deity descending, he stopped before Li Zongxun, bowed respectfully.
"Prime Minister, please quell your anger..."
