Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Beyond the mountains surrounding Yanmen Pass lay a vast and fertile plain.

Today was the last day of April, also known as the Grain in Ear season.

As they passed through a wheat field, Xiao Mu dismounted and picked up a forgotten ear of wheat from the already harvested land. With a gentle pinch of his thumb and forefinger, he rubbed off the husk of a single grain, revealing the tender kernel inside.

Tong Sui watched from the side, frowning. "It's not fully ripe yet; it should have been harvested a few days later."

Xiao Mu looked up, gazing at the nearby fields that had been mostly harvested, and sighed. "Whether it's our Xiao family or General Han's troops, we all have strict military discipline that forbids trampling on the fields or plundering the villages along the way. But the people either don't know or don't dare to believe it. They'd rather harvest their wheat before it's fully ripe than risk having it trampled or stolen by the army."

Tong Sui, being from a peasant background, understood how much everyone valued their crops these days.

Xiao Mu selected eighty-two cavalrymen from different villages around Shuozhou who had surrendered. He sent them to various towns and villages in Shuozhou to inform the village headmen and the people about the army's discipline, so they wouldn't unnecessarily worry and damage their harvests.

Xiao Mu said to these surrendered soldiers, "Food is the foundation of the people. Shuozhou is your homeland, and the people here are your fellow villagers. For the sake of your fellow villagers, you should focus on reassuring the people. Once you've completed your mission, if you wish to join the army, return by the same route or wait for us near Shuozhou. If you don't want to join, these mules will be your reward, and you can go home directly. Neither I nor General Han will hold it against you."

The eighty-two surrendered soldiers listened, some wiping away tears with their sleeves, others kneeling down, choking back sobs. "General, rest assured, I am willing to serve you and will return after completing my mission!"

The others quickly knelt as well, making solemn vows.

Xiao Mu said, "Go quickly!"

They mounted the mules and set off to complete their mission.

In the distant village, some people were indeed rushing to harvest their wheat, while others were hesitant, torn between waiting for the wheat to ripen and the fear of losing it to the army.

"Old Liu, stop hesitating. At worst, you can dry the wheat at home for a few days. It might weigh a bit less, but if the army ruins it, you'll have nowhere to cry."

"But I heard..."

"Can you really trust what you hear? General Han treats the people of Jizhou well, but our Prince of Shuozhou refused to surrender, which probably infuriated him. Why would he treat the people of Shuozhou well? The Xiao family is the same; they only treat the people of the seven northern counties as their own."

Similar discussions filled the fields.

Suddenly, they saw a mule galloping towards them.

Mules and horses were rare in Shuozhou, as the young and strong ones had long been forcibly "hired" by the Prince of Dai. They received a small advance payment, and the animals were supposed to be returned once the situation stabilized, with compensation if they died. This method, though better than the direct looting by Li Gang and his men, still drew criticism from the people, who wondered when stability would come.

"Is this a deserter?"

The villagers in the fields stopped their work, tense and curious, all looking at the approaching figure.

The man stopped at the edge of the field and shouted to the people, "Don't rush to harvest your wheat! Listen to me! I used to serve under the Prince of Dai, guarding Yanmen Pass. Later, the pass was taken by General Xiao, and yesterday, Yin City and Lu City were also captured by the Xiao family's army. They are about to join forces and attack Shuozhou!"

The villagers: "..."

The surrendered soldier: "After General Xiao led his troops out of the Yanmen Mountains, he felt sorry for the wasted crops and specially sent us, the Shuozhou soldiers, to tell you not to worry. The Xiao family's army and General Han's troops will not trample your fields or steal your grain. After capturing Shuozhou City, they will distribute land to the poor farmers. Just wait and enjoy a good life, just like in the seven northern counties!"

Someone asked, "Do you really believe him?"

The surrendered soldier: "I do! Who is General Xiao? If he were evil, he could just take the wheat after you harvest it, saving himself the trouble. Why would he waste time talking?"

"Maybe he wants the fully ripe wheat!"

The surrendered soldier: "Fine, think what you want. Tell me your name, and when the land is distributed, neither you nor your relatives will get any!"

Immediately, other onlookers reported the identity of the skeptic.

The surrendered soldier: "Got it. Where does the village headman live? I'll go talk to him!"

With this, those who were reluctant to rush the harvest felt reassured and went home. Those who were eager to harvest became the minority, eventually deciding to trust the Xiao family once more.

There were always villages along the route to Shuozhou. When Xiao Mu, Tong Sui, and Xiao Yan led their troops through, the villagers peered nervously through door and window cracks. Seeing that the army did not trample the fields or pick the wheat, some villagers ran out, kneeling and bowing to the troops, hoping that the old general would keep his promise to give them land and security.

Xiao Mu couldn't respond to everyone, so every time they passed a village, he had his soldiers shout in unison, "Follow General Han, eliminate the corrupt officials, and protect the good people!"

Not only did Xiao Mu's group do this, but Qiao Changshun and Sun Dian, who set out from Yin City, and Xiao Ye, Qiao Changan, and Zhang Wengong, who left from Lu City, also followed the same approach.

On the evening of the first day of the fifth month, with the arrival of the old general's troops, including the cavalry led by Xiao Zhen who had returned from Dingwu Pass, the four armies of the Xiao family finally converged two miles south of Shuozhou City.

The Xiao family's four armies, numbering nearly forty thousand, suffered almost no losses. Apart from the small number of troops left to guard the two cities and two passes, plus the surrendered soldiers brought back from the two cities and two passes, the Xiao family now had a total of thirteen thousand troops!

After the initial reports on the battle and troop strength, Xiao Ye introduced Qi Yun to the old general: "General, this success is thanks to Qi Yun's cooperation. He even bound his elder brother to help us capture Yin City and Lu City, hahaha!"

Qi Yun bowed to the old general, "My father and elder brother detest the corrupt officials of the court and stubbornly believed that all soldiers were unreliable. They were misled by Shi Yi and Military Advisor Deng, but they are not evil people. Please, General, show mercy."

Xiao Mu smiled, "Yun, rest assured. Your family has done many good deeds for the local people, and I have already discussed this with General Han. Now that you have helped us capture Shuozhou, I will do my best to rescue your family and ensure their safety."

Qi Yun: "Thank you, General!"

Wasting no time, Xiao Mu ordered the captured Shi Lin, Shi Jinhu, Shi Jinxiong, Jiang Kui, and Military Advisor Deng to be brought over. He instructed, "Older Brother, Aman, you two go with Qi Yun to the walls of Shuozhou City and use these five captives to exchange for his family members."

Qi Yun was surprised, "General, Shi Yi is in the city. He only knows that Shi Jinhu, Military Advisor Deng, and Jiang Kui have been captured. Why not claim that Shi Guanglei, Shi Lin, and Shi Jinxiong have been executed? We can wait until Shi Yi releases my family and then use Shi Lin and Shi Jinxiong to force Shi Yi to surrender tomorrow morning. These two are valiant generals, and letting them go would only strengthen Shi Yi."

Xiao Mu replied, "Both of them have shoulder injuries and are severely weakened. It's fine to let them go to avoid Shi Yi mistakenly thinking he has lost a son and taking revenge by killing one of your relatives."

For Shi Yi, the loss of an uncle and the loss of a son would be very different.

Hearing this, Qi Yun felt a surge of warmth in his chest and knelt down, "General, your great kindness can only be repaid with my life!"

Xiao Ye laughed and pulled him up, "We are brothers, no need for such formalities. Come, let's go together to welcome your parents."

The summer days were long, and Xiao Zhen's group, escorting the five captives, arrived at the gates of Shuozhou City as the sun was setting.

This morning, Prince Shi Yi had already received Qi Yun's letter, stating that he had bound Qi Ling and Jiang Kui and surrendered to the Xiao family, urging the prince to treat his family well or face the consequences.

At the same time, Qi Yun wrote a letter to his father, Qi Heng, explaining his reasons for surrendering and apologizing to his father.

Shi Yi and Qi Heng, these two rebel kings, read the letter together and then slammed it on the table!

Shi Yi glared at Qi Heng: "Just because Qi Yun surrendered, I lost Yin City and Lu City!"

Qi Heng: "Yun's surrender was wrong, but if not for Jinhu's foolishness in falling for the Xiao family's wedge strategy and leading troops to kill Yun at midnight, would Yun have hated us so much as to abandon us and surrender to the Xiao family?"

Shi Yi: "Now your two sons are fine, but my son has been captured by the Xiao family!"

Qi Heng: "So what? Are you going to tie me up?"

He knew very well that Shi Yi only had eight thousand cavalrymen guarding two strategic passes and the two cities, which were his elite forces. The infantry sent to Yin City and Lu City were all old and weak, while the forty thousand troops left to defend Shuozhou were the real elite. The ten thousand troops he kept by his side, though capable, could never match Shi Yi. Knowing his son had done such a thing, Qi Heng realized there was no point in distancing himself from his son in front of Shi Yi. If it came to binding or killing, he would fight to the end.

Shi Yi glanced at Qi Heng's robust physique and then looked at the guards in the courtyard, all of whom were tall and strong, trained in lion dancing.

The Qi family's lion dance troupe wasn't just about dancing; they also had excellent martial skills.

He knew he couldn't beat Qi Heng. If Qi Heng charged out of the courtyard and rallied his ten thousand troops against him, wouldn't that turn into an internal conflict?

Therefore, Shi Yi reined in his anger and tried to soothe Qi Heng: "I lost the two cities and Jinhu, and I acted impulsively. Father-in-law, please don't blame me. I know you are loyal to me, and even if Yun surrendered, you would never abandon me."

Qi Heng snorted: "Since I made an alliance with you, I will never betray you. You can rest assured."

Shi Yi had no choice but to trust him, so he still treated Qi Heng as his father-in-law. Now, the two of them stood together on the city wall.

Qi Heng saw his son below and first scolded Qi Yun.

Qi Yun remained silent, and Xiao Ye, Xiao Yan, Qiao Changshun, and others all gave him sympathetic looks. With such a father, it was no wonder Qi Yun had to bind his own brother to achieve his goals.

Qi Yun didn't dare to challenge his father, and Xiao Yan lashed Shi Jinhu's back with a whip: "Qi Heng, if you insult Qi Yun again, I'll give him another lash!"

Qi Heng and Shi Yi: …

Shi Yi said, "What do you really want? Don't think I'll open the city gates and surrender for them!"

Xiao Zhen: "We wouldn't dare. We've long heard of the great reputation of the Prince of Dai. How could we use such despicable means to coerce you? But Qi Yun has done a great service to our Xiao family. To avoid him worrying about his family during the battle and losing focus, we want to exchange these few people for the Qi family to leave the city, including Qi Yun's sister."

Qi Heng: "Impossible! I swear to die with the Prince of Dai…"

"Smack!" Xiao Yan lashed Shi Jinhu again and looked up: "If you want to die with the Prince of Dai, ask him whether he wants you or your son!"

Qi Heng: "…"

Shi Yi, seeing his son's back bleeding from two lashes, felt immense pain. He no longer trusted Qi Heng and took the opportunity to say, "Father-in-law, although I am reluctant to part with you, they are using Jinhu and Jinxiong's lives to force me. Please take your family out of the city!"

Qi Heng understood his helplessness and sighed heavily: "Very well, we will go, but rest assured, I will leave my ten thousand troops for you to command, to fulfill our alliance."

Shi Yi dared not accept. Qi family's soldiers were loyal to the Qi family. What if they colluded with the Xiao family?

He continued to use polite words to persuade Qi Heng to take the ten thousand troops with him.

As they argued back and forth, Xiao Yan lashed Shi Jinhu again.

Shi Jinhu winced in pain, and Shi Jinxiong, kneeling beside him, trembled, both worried about his brother and afraid that Xiao Yan might remember he was also his father's son and start lashing him instead.

Qi Heng hated Xiao Yan to the core and gritted his teeth: "Even if I take the troops out of the city, I will never lead them to help your Xiao family in any way. If I break this promise, may heaven strike me down!"

Xiao Ye laughed: "Don't overestimate yourself. If it weren't for Brother Qi Yun, someone as blind and unable to distinguish right from wrong as you would be rejected even if you offered to surrender."

Qi Heng was furious: "You Xiao family brats, just wait and see!"

After a while, the city gates opened wide, and Qi Heng emerged with several carriages, followed by the ten thousand troops of the Qi family.

The Shi family then led back Shi Jinhu and the other four.

Qi Yun wanted to chase after Qi Heng but was scolded away. Qi Heng said he was taking his troops back home and demanded that his son release his eldest son.

Xiao Zhen and his brothers blocked Qi Heng's path.

Qi Heng's eyes blazed like a lion's: "What do you want?"

Xiao Zhen smiled: "General Han is heading south to eliminate traitors and suppress rebellious warlords. If you continue to call yourself a rebel king and lead troops, we will have no choice but to capture you first."

Qi Heng was speechless for a long time, then turned to glare at his son: "You did this for them, and they treat me like this, showing no respect. Do you regret it?"

Qi Yun: "If I hadn't surrendered, you and my brother would only face death. I'd rather you live and curse me than visit your graves every year."

Qi Heng: "…"