Chapter 148

Chapter 148

The three rebel kings in the Shuozhou area all rallied their troops by capitalizing on the people's discontent with the heavy autumn taxes, but their initial motives for rebellion were different.

Li Gang, due to his incompetence, was scolded by the magistrate and harbored resentment, leading him to conspire with prisoners and rise up in anger. Shi Yi, because his son had committed murder, had no choice but to gather his tenant farmers and strike first. Only Qi Heng, upon hearing the "eliminate the tyrants for the people" banner raised by the first two, joined the rebellion out of a sense of righteousness.

The Qi family was a well-known lion dance troupe in Ping County, with dozens of skilled young men within the family alone. When they recruited soldiers, they chose able-bodied youths from various villages, never forcing the elderly, weak, or young to join.

It could be said that among the three rebel kings, the Qi family enjoyed the most support from their troops.

If Shi Yi wanted to turn against Qi Heng, the ten thousand soldiers around Qi Heng would fight to escort him out of the city. But at this moment, Qi Heng still wanted to continue opposing the Xiao family, who were known for their benevolence and held a military advantage. The ten thousand soldiers were unwilling, especially since even Master Qi Yun had surrendered with the four thousand brothers from Yin City and Lu City. Why should they follow Qi Heng in folly?

Thus, when Qi Heng refused to submit and insisted on fighting the Xiao brothers, even the twenty-odd loyal lion dance apprentices dismounted and knelt before him, urging him to stop.

Qi Heng: "Surrender if you will, but I will never surrender myself!"

The apprentices were in a difficult position.

Qi Yun said to them, "My father is old, and his children have grown. Even if he dies here, he will have no regrets. You are young, with parents and families to support. Since my father has thought of you and advised you to surrender, come over, don't hinder him from being a hero."

He winked secretly at the lead senior brother.

The senior brother understood and led the apprentices to bow three times to Qi Heng before retreating behind Qi Yun with the ten thousand soldiers.

Qi Yun then said to his father, "Father, do as you please; I will take care of these five thousand men we brought."

Qi Heng was almost driven mad by his son's defiance, but he truly did not want to involve the men behind him. He looked at Xiao Zhen and the others and asked, "Will you all attack together, or one by one?"

At this moment, a fast horse galloped out from the Xiao family camp. Xiao Shouyi, spear in hand, rode forward and said to Qi Heng with a smile, "I have long heard of Brother Qi's prowess. How can I let the younger generation embarrass themselves before you? I am Xiao Shouyi. Please grant me the honor of your guidance!"

One was a master of martial arts from a renowned lion dance troupe, the other a general trained in a lineage of military households, they were evenly matched.

Qi Heng and Xiao Shouyi fought for over a hundred rounds without a clear winner, as the last rays of the sunset turned blue.

On the walls of Shuozhou, Shi Yi and others watched the battle from afar.

Shi Jinhu said resentfully, "Father, why did you let the tiger go free? It would have been better to capture Qi Heng."

Shi Yi glared at him, "You know he is a tiger. How could I capture him? If I push him too hard, he might lead his ten thousand soldiers into a city-wide battle. If they open the gates in the chaos, I won't have a chance to save you."

Shi Jinxiong: "It's all because of our elder brother's rashness that Qi Yun surrendered, and Yin City and Lu City were lost!"

The two brothers started arguing again.

Shi Lin scolded, "Enough! Both of you, go back and tend to your wounds, save your strength for defending the city!"

The two brothers refused to leave and continued watching the battle. They saw the second lady of the Xiao family ride toward the three carriages of the Qi family.

The three carriages: the first carried Qi Yun's mother and sister, the second carried his eldest sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, and the third carried the Qi family's belongings.

Tong Sui approached the first carriage.

Qi Yun's mother and sister were watching the battle through the curtains. Upon seeing Tong Sui, Qi Yun's mother hid behind the curtain, while her daughter, Qi Yao, waited silently for Tong Sui to approach.

Tong Sui smiled, "Is it Miss Yao?"

Qi Yao: "Yes, what does Second Lady need?"

Tong Sui said, "It's getting late, and my uncle and your father may continue fighting for some time. If Miss Yao and your mother do not mind, would you like to join me for dinner at our camp?"

Qi Yao glanced at her brother and nodded, "Thank you, Second Lady. I'll trouble you to lead the way."

She instructed the driver to follow Tong Sui.

Qi Yun's mother quietly tugged at her sleeve from inside, "Your father doesn't want to surrender. If you do this, he will be unhappy."

Qi Yao replied coldly, "To make him happy, I have already followed his wishes once. This time, he cannot dictate my actions again."

Qi Yun's mother, being gentle-natured, could neither persuade her husband nor her daughter, so she followed whoever was near her.

Suddenly, Qi Heng noticed that his wife and daughter's carriages were being taken away by the Xiao family. In a panic, he tried to chase after them but was stopped by Xiao Shouyi. Soon after, Qi Heng, in a state of confusion, was captured by Xiao Shouyi, bound, and sent to the camp where Qi Ling was detained. Whether they could be persuaded to submit would depend on Qi Yun and his mother and sister.

—

Although Qi Heng and Qi Ling were stubborn, Qi Yun was a great contributor to the Xiao family. Out of respect for him, Tong Sui also extended hospitality to Qi Yun's mother and sister.

When she emerged from their tent, it was pitch dark outside. Two guards waited nearby.

Just as Tong Sui was about to leave, someone walked out of the tent where Qi Heng and his son were detained—it was Xiao Zhen.

After walking a short distance side by side, Tong Sui softly asked him, "How did the persuasion go?"

Xiao Zhen: "They might only yield after we capture Shuozhou."

Tong Sui: "Fortunately, Qi Yun is mediating. Otherwise, this father and son might have fought to the death with the Shi family."

Xiao Zhen: "They value loyalty and righteousness. Having allied with the Shi family, they would not easily betray them."

Tong Sui did not pity the father and son but felt sorry for Qi Yao, a seventeen-year-old girl, who would have to marry a man old enough to be her father for the sake of her father and brother's righteousness. Fortunately, the alliance between the two families was broken by Qi Yun, and Qi Yao no longer needed to stay with Shi Yi.

Suddenly, something brushed against Tong Sui's hand.

Tong Sui looked at Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen, looking into her eyes illuminated by the lantern light, explained, "I accidentally touched you."

Tong Sui didn't believe him.

Sure enough, after a few more steps, Lord Xiao Er's hand "accidentally" brushed against hers again, this time holding her fingers for a moment before slowly releasing them one by one.

With many people around in the military camp, Xiao Zhen could only make some secretive small moves under the cover of night.

The old man's tent was just ahead, and the closest tent was Tong Sui's, while Xiao Zhen's tent was over by the cavalry camp.

There were too many surrendered soldiers, so each of Xiao Zhen's brothers had to stay in their own camps.

Xiao Zhen could enter Tong Sui's tent, but even if the couple just sat facing each other and talked, rumors would twist the situation.

No one understood better than Xiao Zhen what kind of topics the soldiers liked to joke about.

"Go in," Xiao Zhen said, standing in the middle of the road, looking at the girl who had reached the tent entrance.

A lantern hung nearby, its light flickering gently, casting shadows on her fair cheeks.

In Tong Sui's eyes, her husband, who she hadn't seen for several days, was just a few steps away, and the night couldn't hide the affection in his eyes.

The two just looked at each other, not knowing how much time had passed, until Xiao Zhen steeled his heart and took the first step.

It wasn't that he was more rational; it was just that Xiao Zhen knew if he didn't leave, Tong Sui would never have the heart to send him away.

——

The next day, before dawn, Shi Yi and others arrived at the city wall to observe the enemy situation.

Xiao Zhen's army had indeed moved, but...

Looking at the tens of thousands of soldiers lining up behind Xiao Zhen, Shi Jinhu said curiously, "There are no siege weapons, and they aren't holding any weapons. What are they planning to do?"

Shi Yi looked questioningly at Counselor Deng and Shi Lin, but even these clever men had no clue.

In the distance, the over 90,000 surrendered soldiers from Shuozhou had already formed into four camps, with the 40,000 soldiers from the seven counties standing behind the four camps, each county taking one side.

Xiao Mu rode his horse to the front of the surrendered army and said in a heavy voice, "Soldiers, some of you were brought from Ping County and other counties by the Qi family, and some by the Shi family from Dai County and other counties. I ask you, do you support the Qi and Shi families because you admire their lofty ambitions, or is it just to have enough to eat and wear?"

The surrendered army shouted in unison, "To have enough to eat and wear!"

Xiao Mu: "General Han led his army south to clean up the corrupt officials and rebel kings. He wants the people of the world to live in peace. Do you believe him?"

"We do!"

Xiao Mu: "But rebel Shi Yi doesn't believe! If he had just opened the city and surrendered, General Han could have directly given land to the poor farmers in each county. But Shi Yi, in his selfish ambition to be king, insists on making us innocent people kill each other. I ask you, would you rather surrender to General Han and get land to live a good life, or would you rather shed your blood and lose your life for Shi Yi's ambition?"

"Surrender to General Han and live a good life!"

Xiao Mu: "Good! I, Xiao Mu, pledge my head that when General Han arrives in Shuozhou, he will give you land. But the Shi family still holds Shuozhou City and wants to make over 40,000 innocent soldiers like you fight and die for them. I ask you, aren't the soldiers in the city being wronged?"

"They are!"

Xiao Mu: "Among these innocent soldiers, are there fathers, uncles, brothers, or friends of yours?"

"Yes!"

Xiao Mu: "Then let's talk to them about the situation and persuade them to surrender, okay?"

"Okay!"

Even with the old man's loud voice, not every soldier in Shuozhou City could hear him, and the simple words from the surrendered army couldn't make the soldiers and civilians inside the city understand what they were shouting about.

So, the old man had his troops escort over 20,000 surrendered soldiers to the east, south, west, and north sides of Shuozhou City, shouting the same slogan in sequence from east to north: "The Shi family is cruel, making us soldiers kill each other! General Han loves the people like his own children. Brothers, open the city and you can get land!"

The unified slogans from all directions echoed like thunder throughout Shuozhou City.

After just one round of shouting, Shi Yi and the others panicked, suspecting that every soldier on the wall might betray them at any moment.

The city gate absolutely could not be lost, so Shi Yi, Shi Lin, Shi Jinhu, and Shi Jinxiong each took a group of their most loyal men to personally guard each side of the gate. As the surrendered soldiers shouted until evening, they remained on high alert. At night, while the surrendered soldiers rested, the four Shi men dared not relax, both guarding against a potential attack by the large army outside and continuously checking for those among the city's defenders most likely to betray them.

The next day, the surrendered soldiers continued to shout slogans while training with Xiao Zhen and other commanders, resting during the hottest part of the day but training and shouting slogans for two hours each day. At night, they set up camp just outside the range of the city's defenses and sent out 2,000 soldiers to simulate an attack formation. Although they didn't actually attack the city, morale grew higher with each passing day.

In contrast, inside the city, Shi Yi and his brothers had developed dark circles under their eyes from exhaustion and had executed nearly a hundred city guards suspected of planning to surrender. Some soldiers might have just gone out at night to relieve themselves but were accused of trying to secretly open the city gate.

This standoff continued until noon on the fourth day, when under the scorching sun, a nearly hoarse shout suddenly came from the west gate of Shuozhou: "The gate is open, Second Master Xiao, come and attack the city!"

Xiao Zhen, who had been keeping an eye on the situation inside the city, saw a soldier running to the wall with a bloody head in his hands. The city gate was indeed slowly opening. He rode forward.

The soldier, afraid that Xiao Zhen couldn't see clearly, threw the head directly down: "It's Shi Jinhu! He's already killed more than a dozen people. We, who are still alive, were afraid it would be our turn next, so we killed him while he was dozing off. Second Master Xiao, come quickly, or it will be too late!"

The head rolled a few times on the ground and stopped facing Xiao Zhen. It was indeed Shi Jinhu.

Xiao Zhen smiled faintly and turned to look at the 30,000 troops behind him, pointing his spear at the city gate: "Follow me into the city, and kill!"