Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Hezhou Camp.

Inside the large tent, the flickering lights danced across the rugged faces of the military officers and the composed, indifferent smiles of the strategists.

Six open chests filled with gleaming jewels and gold sat between the strategist and the military officer, their allure intoxicating.

Defender General Qin Sizhu glanced at the six chests of treasure and then at the strategist, saying with contempt, "Do you think I, Qin Sizhu, have never seen silver before? Do you believe this small amount of wealth can make me betray the imperial court?"

The strategist smiled and replied, "Imperial Uncle Dou has shown great favor to you, General. If you could betray Imperial Uncle Dou, why must you remain loyal to Han Zongping?"

Qin Sizhu's expression changed, and he growled, "Nonsense! I was once loyal to the Great Zhou Emperor and was stationed in Hezhou by his command. What does Dou Weichang have to do with it? If I had known he was hiding the previous emperor's death, I would have marched to support the young sovereign. Later, after the new emperor successfully eliminated traitors, I pledged myself to him for the stability of the northern people!"

The strategist said, "Very well, General, you are devoted to the public good. May I ask, how has Han Zongping treated you since he became emperor?"

Qin Sizhu pressed his lips together, a look of displeasure on his face.

The strategist continued for him, "Han Zongping, under the guise of eliminating traitors, staged a rebellion to seize power. After slaughtering the young sovereign in Luoyang, he was hypocritically 'elected' as emperor by the surrounding military officers. Knowing that his virtue was insufficient to gain the trust of the civil and military officials in the northern regions, he resorted to the despicable tactic of buying the loyalty of local officials with their own wealth. The officials' fortunes, accumulated over years of hard work, were forcibly handed over to Han Zongping out of fear. Those who refused to submit were seen as disloyal. General, is what I say not the truth?"

Qin Sizhu snapped, "Don't ask me, just say what you have to say!"

The strategist continued, "Han Zongping's rebellion and betrayal of the nation make him disloyal; his cruelty toward the young sovereign makes him unkind. Despite being supported by you and Generals Lv Sheng, Chen Wang, and Huang Qilin, he still seeks to confiscate your family's wealth—this makes him unjust. Which hero would be willing to serve such a despicable man? Now, the Liang Kingdom has mobilized its forces to Chang'an. Lv Sheng has agreed to remain neutral. Chen Wang of Liaozhou, held hostage by Feng Ji and Xiao Zhen, is in a precarious situation. Huang Qilin of Qingzhou, understanding the interdependence of their fates, has already secretly pledged himself to our great Ling Kingdom. He only fears the combined forces of you and Qi Heng, which is why he has not yet openly rebelled."

Qin Sizhu was shocked. "Huang Qilin has pledged himself to you?"

The strategist said, "Of course. General, think about it. What status do Xiao Mu and Qi Heng hold? A rural old fool and the leader of rebels from Shuozhou. While Han Zongping grants them titles of nobility, he simultaneously sends them to seize the military power from you and General Xie Jian. General, you are in the thick of it and cannot see the situation clearly, but Huang Qilin in Qingzhou sees it perfectly. Once Chen Wang's power is taken by Feng Ji, and Hezhou falls into Qi Heng's hands, Qingzhou, caught between Liaozhou, Ji, and Hezhou, will not last."

"Do you really believe Qi Heng is bringing his army to support you and help defend against our Ling Kingdom's navy? That's ridiculous. You have held off our Ling forces for nearly a decade. Why would Han Zongping need to mobilize 80,000 troops? His true intentions are not what they seem!"

Qin Sizhu slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth, "I've already handed over tens of thousands of taels of silver, and he still treats me like this. He's pushing too far!"

The strategist said, "Qi Heng's army is now only three days away from Hezhou. If you hesitate any longer, you will lose your chance! Xie Jian and Huang Qilin are waiting for you, General. As soon as you lead your forces to pledge allegiance to our great Ling Kingdom, they will immediately send their troops to join you. With your combined forces of 220,000 troops, plus our Ling Kingdom's 200,000 soldiers, you can defeat Xiao Mu and Qi Heng's 160,000 men within days and march on Luoyang in half a month! When our emperor establishes his capital in Luoyang, you will be the greatest champion of the Ling Kingdom!"

"Our emperor has promised that if you pledge allegiance, all the supplies your troops need will be provided by the Ling Kingdom. You just need to focus on the battle!"

Qin Sizhu was thoroughly convinced. After a moment of thought, he said, "Very well. Starting today, I, Qin Sizhu, will be a general of the Ling Kingdom, willing to serve the Ling Emperor. You may return now. When Qi Heng's army arrives, I will pretend to pacify him first. On April 15th, you just send your troops to attack. I will provoke Qi Heng to lead his troops into battle, and then our two armies will launch a pincer attack to annihilate his 80,000 soldiers."

The strategist praised him, "An excellent plan, General. I am impressed!"

Having held off the Ling Kingdom for nearly a decade, Qin Sizhu knew he had the skills to back up his words.

The strategist left behind the six chests of gold and jewels and quietly took his leave.

Qin Sizhu called over a few trusted subordinates and distributed the treasure among them. He wasn't as foolish as Han Zongping; if the emperor wouldn't reward him, he wouldn't allow him to seize gold either. Any emperor who behaved like that was a fool to serve.

"General, should we kill Pan Yong first?"

Qin Sizhu said, "No need. He's just a slightly clever blacksmith. Ever since we dealt with the few personal soldiers he brought with him, he's been hiding in the weapon workshop. If we kill him now, Qi Heng will become suspicious when he doesn't see him. It's better to keep him around to lull Qi Heng into a false sense of security."

"I'm afraid he might report you to Qi Heng, General."

Qin Sizhu snorted, "Let him report. I haven't laid a hand on him, nor have I mistreated him. I merely executed the few useless men he brought with him according to military law. Even if Han Zongping came in person, he couldn't hold me accountable for such a minor issue."

"Alright, get some rest. We need to be well-rested for the days ahead."

Soon, it was April 11th, and Qi Heng's forces were just a day's march from Hezhou Camp.

It was nearly noon, and Qin Sizhu was discussing how to deal with Qi Heng with several of his subordinates when two thunderous shouts echoed from afar: "It's done! It's done!" This was followed by a series of near-maniacal laughs.

Qin Sizhu immediately sent a soldier out to gather information.

The soldier returned quickly and reported, "General, it's Pan Yong. It seems that the sword he's been working on is finally about to be completed."

Qin Sizhu raised an eyebrow.

When Pan Yong first arrived in Hezhou, he was all cautious and careful. But after his personal guards died, he finally gave in and admitted that he was a blacksmith who had always dreamed of forging a legendary weapon. He had the ideas but never the time. Now that Hezhou was peaceful, he hoped to dedicate himself to sword-making in the weapon workshop.

Since Pan Yong knew his place, Qin Sizhu granted him permission.

It had been eight months, and Pan Yong had wasted three swords. He had been working on this one since the New Year, and today marked the 100th day.

Qin Sizhu was quite curious about this sword. He had been checking on its progress from time to time, as it was just a short trip. Now that the sword was nearly finished, Qin Sizhu stood up and said, "Let's go take a look."

Accompanied by six or seven officers and a dozen personal soldiers, they marched to the weapon workshop.

The workshop, set up with furnaces, water troughs, and forging platforms for crafting and repairing iron weapons, occupied a large area. However, there were only five senior craftsmen leading over forty assistants. Among them, only the senior craftsmen had any real respect, while the assistants held very low status in the camp.

Two soldiers were on guard outside. Seeing the great general approaching, they immediately lifted the curtain.

A blast of heat greeted them.

Qin Sizhu looked inside and saw Pan Yong standing with his back to him, holding a long sword. The senior craftsmen and assistants were gathered around him, some watching intently as Pan Yong held the sword, others working while keeping an eye on it.

"Can this sword really cut through iron?"

"We'll see."

As soon as the words fell, the nearby craftsmen and assistants quickly stepped back. They watched as Pan Yong and a senior craftsman each took a sword and struck them against each other.

A piercing sound rang out. Pan Yong's sword remained unscathed, while the senior craftsman's sword broke into two pieces!

Qin Sizhu's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Excellent sword," leading the way inside.

Pan Yong turned around upon hearing the voice and saw Qin Sizhu. He placed the long sword on the nearby workbench, bowed, and saluted, "Greetings, General."

Qin Sizhu's gaze swept over Pan Yong's sturdy figure, especially his iron-like arms, then fell on the sword with a three-foot blade and a four-foot handle. Though called a sword, its narrow and long body resembled a blade, thin and sharp, with a beautiful arc at the front tip glinting with sharpness under the firelight.

Qin Sizhu took a step forward, and seeing Pan Yong retreat without hesitation, he smiled and approached without further concern, grasping the handle.

He turned to a deputy behind him and said, "Come, let's have a sparring match."

The deputy, reluctant, held his sword and said, "General, what if my sword breaks..."

Qin Sizhu took off his waist sword, tossed it to him, and said, "If yours breaks, I'll reward you with this one."

The deputy smiled, drew his sword, and swung at Qin Sizhu.

The swords clashed, and Qin Sizhu's blade sliced through the other one like butter.

The accompanying officers were both pleased and envious. Qin Sizhu lovingly touched the thin blade and glanced sideways at Pan Yong, saying, "I didn't think you had this kind of talent."

Pan Yong, very tactful, lowered his eyes and said, "A hero deserves a fine blade. If General doesn't mind, I would like to present this sword to you."

Qin Sizhu laughed heartily, "No objection, no objection. If you can forge another one for me..."

Before he could finish, some assistants standing behind the officers noticed Pan Yong wiping the sweat from his right arm. Some grabbed the sword from the workbench, while others snatched up red-hot tongs, and suddenly attacked the nearest officer.

Several screams echoed through the weapon workshop.

Qin Sizhu reacted with lightning speed, swinging his blade toward Pan Yong. "You treacherous villain, daring to scheme against me!"

Pan Yong was well-prepared and quickly circled around the nearby table, grabbing an old blade he had always kept there. The blade, worn and chipped in several places, was now in his hands.

Qin Sizhu sneered and swung his blade downwards.

A sharp "clang" rang out as the two blades collided fiercely, and a piece of the broken blade fell away.

Qin Sizhu stared in disbelief at the broken blade in his hands. Impossible. He had witnessed this blade cut through iron like butter just moments ago...

But in the blink of an eye, the moment he lost focus, Pan Yong seized the opportunity. Raising his blade, he swung forward, and the true blade that could cut through iron like butter severed Qin Sizhu's arm in an instant.

Qin Sizhu, writhing in pain, anger, and fear, his eyes bulging with rage, turned and bolted toward the exit. "Guards! Pan Yong has rebelled!"

He had 80,000 troops. 80,000 troops!

But those 80,000 troops were far away. Inside the weapon workshop, only three of his remaining generals, seven personal guards, five sturdy master craftsmen, and over forty often-overlooked laborers remained.

Pan Yong struck first, killing the now one-armed Qin Sizhu. The forty-some craftsmen and laborers quickly dispatched Qin Sizhu's loyalists.

When the soldiers outside heard the news and rushed over, the thick curtain of the weapon workshop was suddenly thrust open from the inside.

The soldiers instinctively stepped back.

Pan Yong held a blade in one hand and Qin Sizhu's severed head in the other. Behind him, the five master craftsmen stood in the same pose, all of them drenched in blood, like demons from hell.

The soldiers stood frozen in horror.

Pan Yong raised Qin Sizhu's head high and declared loudly, "Qin Sizhu's faction has betrayed our country, and I have executed him on imperial orders! Those of you who are willing to pledge loyalty to the court, I will ensure that the wages Qin Sizhu withheld from you are fully compensated, and the lands wrongfully taken by the Qin family will be returned to the people of Hezhou. I’ll tell the Emperor that you’re all loyal soldiers who helped me take out the traitor!"

"But if you choose to follow Qin Sizhu's path of treason and side with the enemy that has killed your fathers, brothers, and friends, then go ahead and attack! General Feng's 80,000 troops will arrive tomorrow. You can kill me and still have time to flee!"

The soldiers, surrounding the weapon workshop like an iron fortress, looked at each other in confusion.

If they sided with Pan Yong, they would share in the military wages and land. But without Qin Sizhu as their general, what could the Ling Kingdom offer them?

"Come at me!"

Pan Yong roared and hurled Qin Sizhu's head at the nearest group of soldiers.

This was Qin Sizhu, the once-feared general of Hezhou, now reduced to a severed head, its lifeless eyes glaring at them.

"I... I am willing to continue serving the court."

"Me too, me too!"

A group of soldiers knelt, and the surrounding soldiers followed suit, until all the soldiers in the area were on their knees, shouting their pledges of loyalty to the court.

Pan Yong smiled and raised the old blade that had accompanied him from Liangzhou to Wei County, and then from Wei County to Luoyang, and now to Hezhou.

If he didn’t want to die, no one could take his life.