Chapter 282

Chapter 282

Qi Yun had to bypass the Qianzhou region when sending battle reports to the city of Hezhou to avoid having his messengers captured by enemy troops in the southern territories. Meanwhile, when the Ling general in Yongzhou came under attack by the "King of Jiaozhou," he sent a battle report to Qiantang using the six-hundred-li express service, informing the Ling Emperor by March 11 that his "King of Jiaozhou" had rebelled. Not only was Jiaozhou in danger, but Jingnan was also facing attacks from both sides!

What a fine group of 40,000 "elite soldiers"! They took his gold, silver, and military supplies, only to stab him in the back.

Enraged, the Ling Emperor slammed his fist on the table, hurling the battle report to the floor and growling, “How hateful!”

The chancellor, standing at the front, bent down to pick up the battle report and staggered after reading just half of it.

The courtiers crowded around, quickly turning into ants on a hot pot. Over 200,000 troops were stationed along the southern banks of the Yangtze River, while the forces in Jiaozhou were hastily assembled, including 40,000 surrendered bandit soldiers. If these bandits fought well, the Ling Kingdom might still have had a 50% chance of victory. But with their betrayal, the Ling Kingdom was doomed.

What should be done?

Ministers focused solely on self-preservation started plotting their escape, seeing surrender as the easiest way out. A few loyal ministers of the Ling Emperor had no immediate solution but began to suspect their fellow countrymen: “Your Majesty, it was Pan Yong’s idea to persuade the 40,000 bandits to surrender. However, the bandit leader, Wu Rong, surrendered to the Wei State without even meeting the Qianzhou army. This decision seems premeditated, and Pan Yong is a former official of the Wei State with a fellow villager relationship with the Wei Emperor…”

Still breathing heavily from anger, the Ling Emperor’s gaze sharpened as he stared at the minister. “Are you suggesting that the Pan family deliberately surrendered to us, waiting for an internal response to aid the Wei Emperor?”

The minister replied, “Exactly. Your Majesty, think about it. After Pan Yong surrendered, he only contributed once by persuading the bandits to surrender. But in hindsight, that might have been when he colluded with the bandit leader Wu Rong. One gained trust in the court, while the other waited for an opportunity as a king of the mountains. It was all a setup.”

Someone questioned, “Impossible, the Wei Emperor killed Pan Yong’s mother and wife…”

The minister sneered, “Who actually saw it? It was a plot orchestrated by the Wei Emperor and Pan Yong to fool the naive members of our court.”

“Enough!” the Ling Emperor barked. “Guards, summon Pan Yong and his son back to the capital immediately. I will determine their loyalty!”

Qiantang was over 500 li away from Jingling. A fast horse could cover the distance in two days.

On March 13, Pan Yong and Pan Dai returned to the capital, only to be captured by elite soldiers sent by the Ling Emperor as soon as they entered the city gate. They were disarmed and escorted to the imperial palace.

When confronted by the Ling Emperor’s accusations, Pan Yong responded calmly, “Your Majesty, it was indeed my idea to persuade Wu Rong to surrender. But I had no prior acquaintance with him. It was for the greater good of Jiaozhou. Without military support, Jiaozhou would have been lost. My mistake was overestimating the character of those bandits and the integrity of the generals in Gui and Liu prefectures. If they had defended their cities, how could Wu Rong and his bandits have lost faith in our great Ling and abandoned the significant interests of Jiaozhou?”

The Ling Emperor furrowed his brows tightly.

Pan Dai also spoke, “Your Majesty, if my son and I had truly colluded with Wu Rong, we would have rebelled when Wu Rong took Chenzhou, slaughtering the navy to welcome the Wei Emperor across the river, not foolishly obeying the imperial edict and returning to the capital to walk into a trap.”

The minister who doubted them said, “You’re just trying to continue deceiving His Majesty!”

Pan Yong shot back, “When His Majesty was troubled by the Jiaozhou crisis, what were you doing? I, Pan Yong, could have stayed silent to protect myself, not seeking merit but avoiding fault. But burdened by the emperor’s grace, I must dedicate myself to Your Majesty! I am willing to accept any punishment for my failures, but I will not admit to treason!”

The Ling Emperor looked at the civil and military officials around him.

The officials sat in silence, appearing resigned, as if they were already preparing to surrender.

The Ling Emperor slumped on the dragon throne, staring blankly outside the hall. “Pan Yong, on that day, I was inclined to surrender. The entire court, except you and Lu Yi, supported my decision to rise against the enemy. Now, Jiaozhou and Jingnan are lost. I am left with only three prefectures surrounded by the Wei army. What should I do now?”

Pan Yong lowered his eyes.

Lu Yi refused to surrender because the Lu family had always been a prestigious clan in the Jiangnan region. After the imperial dynasty was established, Lu Yi took pride in his noble lineage and would never bow his head to a mud-legged emperor from the northern regions.

Pan Yong didn’t surrender out of loyalty to the Ling Emperor; rather, the Ling Kingdom was their last chance at survival. If the Ling Kingdom fell, both father and son would meet their end at Xiao Zhen’s hands.

“Your Majesty, I have a strategy to offer, but please dismiss the attendants.”

Their hands were still bound behind their backs, but the Ling Emperor was not afraid of an assassination attempt and waved his hand.

Once only the three of them remained in the hall, Pan Yong crawled on his knees to the Ling Emperor and whispered, "Your Majesty, our forces can't hold off the Wei army's three-sided attack anymore. The only way to force the Wei army to retreat is by capturing Wei Emperor Xiao Zhen and using his life as leverage. As long as the Wei army retreats, our Great Ling will have a chance to recover, and in future battles, we may still have a chance of victory."

Ling Emperor: "Capture Wei Emperor? That's a pipe dream."

Pan Yong: "I'm ready to go! If I succeed, it will repay your trust. If I fail, I will die for my country and consider it a great honor."

Ling Emperor: "That’s brave, but how do you plan to get near him?"

Pan Yong: "I request Your Majesty lend me the head of a general who strongly advocates resisting the Wei. I will pretend to return to Wei Emperor's side. When Wei Emperor sees the general's head, he will surely trust me, and I will seize the opportunity to capture him."

Ling Emperor: "It is said that Wei Emperor is skilled in both literary and martial arts. In close combat, what are your chances?"

Pan Yong: "I’m not as good as him with a gun, but with my strength, patience, and a surprise attack, I think I have a 70% chance."

Ling Emperor: "What if I give you the general's head, and you actually defect to Wei Emperor? Then what?"

Pan Yong: "I’ll leave my son here. If I betray you, you can execute him. I have already lost my mother, wife, and daughter. This remaining son is my only family. If I seek wealth at the expense of his life, heaven and earth will not tolerate it, nor will the world."

Pan Dai listened and resolutely said, "I am willing to stay in the capital and await my father's return."

Ling Emperor: "Very well, I trust you. Tell me, which general's head do you need?"

Pan Yong paused for a moment and looked up at the Ling Emperor. "Prince Lu Yi."

Ling Emperor's expression changed abruptly, and he angrily said, "You are bold!"

Pan Yong: "Please reconsider, Your Majesty! Only Prince Lu Yi can lead the navy to resist Wei Emperor on the southern bank. Without his head, even if my infantry surrenders to Wei Emperor, it will not be of great use to him. Only by presenting the head of Prince Lu Yi and pretending that the navy is under my command will Wei Emperor truly value me and give me the opportunity to get close to him.

"Your Majesty, as long as the Wei army retreats, you can appoint a new navy commander. But if the Wei army does not retreat, even with Prince Lu Yi present, once Xie Jian frees up his forces in Jingzhou, or the Qianzhou and Wu Rong armies reach Qiantang through Minzhou and Luzhou, even if Prince Lu Yi is a capable warrior, he will be unable to help. Instead, his insistence on resisting the enemy may drag Your Majesty down with him to be killed by Wei Emperor."

Ling Emperor sat on the floor, his face filled with pain. "But he is my brother. How can I harm him?"

Pan Yong: "By sacrificing Prince Lu Yi, we can save the kingdom and honor the legacy left by the late emperor. The prince will surely understand Your Majesty's difficult decision."

Ling Emperor looked up, tears streaming down his face. "Stop. I need to think about this."

Pan Yong: "In a few more days, Wei Emperor will receive the report of Wu Rong's surrender. If you delay too long, Wei Emperor might use this to break our troops' morale. By then, before I even have the chance to feign surrender, the deputy generals under Prince Lu Yi's command may kill him to claim credit before Wei Emperor."

The Ling Emperor's tears stopped.

On the fifteenth of March, Prince Lu Yi was urgently summoned back to the palace by imperial decree.

The Ling Emperor met him alone, unsure whether to trust Pan Yong’s loyalty concerning the bandits who had defected to the Wei.

Lu Yi said, "Your Majesty, I trust Pan Yong. At this critical time, you must not sever your own arm."

Ling Emperor: "But Jingnan is about to be lost. If Xie Jian attacks, what will you do?"

Lu Yi raised his head. "I will fight to the last moment and rather die than surrender."

Ling Emperor: "..."

Lu Yi, knowing that this imperial brother was timid, comforted him. "You shouldn’t worry about me. History is full of underdog victories. I’ll fight with my life to protect this empire for you. Even if I fail, you can still lead the 20,000 imperial guards to hold Qiantang. When Wei Emperor's forces reach the city gates and try to persuade you to surrender again, even if you open the gates to welcome him, it will not disgrace our Lu ancestors."

The Ling Emperor understood. Whether in victory or defeat, Lu Yi would eventually die. If he were to die in battle...

"You look exhausted from the trip. Have some tea."

On the nineteenth of March, Pan Yong rushed back to the Southern Camp's main camp in a speeding carriage. That night, he summoned several naval deputies and the main deputy of the cavalry camp, and opened the chest before him, revealing the freshly severed head of Lu Yi.

A naval deputy loyal to Lu Yi instantly drew his saber, but Pan Yong’s 3,000 infantry had already encircled the tent.

Pan Yong informed everyone of the danger in Jingnan and Jiaozhou, and said, "The Ling Kingdom is finished. If you join me in surrendering to Emperor Wei, we’ll share in wealth and glory. But if anyone resists, they’ll get their chance for revenge."

After saying this, he drew his old saber and looked around, saying, "Whoever can kill me will command my infantry."

A deputy, with red eyes, charged at him but was killed by Pan Yong after three bouts.

Seeing this, the other generals looked at each other and conceded, as the fate of the Ling Kingdom was already sealed.

Pan Yong ordered his personal guards to pack the head of the other deputy and instructed, "Tonight, I’ll cross the river to meet Emperor Wei. Tomorrow morning, move the warships ten miles downstream, and 130,000 troops will kneel to welcome Emperor Wei one mile outside the southern bank without armor or weapons."

"We obey the command of the General!"

With everything arranged, Pan Yong took a small boat north with a personal guard and two boxes of heads.

Xiao Zhen hadn’t gone to bed yet. The battle was all but decided, just waiting for Xie Jian to bring either the captured Jingnan general or his head, so he could persuade the Ling troops on the other side to surrender. If he tried now, the generals might not believe him.

"Your Majesty, a small boat has come from the southern bank. A man claiming to be Pan Yong says he has a valuable gift for you."

Xiao Zhen stopped writing the letter to his family and said, "Bring him in."

He went outside, and Xiao Yan, Zhao Jin, Qi Ling, and Pei Pingyuan arrived one after another upon hearing the news.

Seeing Pan Yong, Xiao Yan’s almond-shaped eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Pan Yong, expression unchanged, opened the two boxes and, as Pei Pingyuan took a deep breath, knelt and said to Xiao Zhen, "Your Majesty, my father and I sincerely defected to the Ling Emperor to avoid the nine familial exterminations caused by Fan Zhao. This year, we even devised a plan to persuade the bandits in Fuzhou to help the Ling Emperor resist the Qianzhou army, but the Ling Emperor blamed us when the bandits defected. Thanks to the recommendation of court officials, we were able to return to Jinling to report. However, such a foolish emperor does not deserve my loyalty, so I devised a plan to kill two of Lu Yi’s deputies and lead 130,000 Ling troops to surrender to you. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my father and me for our past crimes."

Xiao Zhen looked at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan was quite pleased. Although the Pan family had deliberately distanced themselves before, they had made a significant contribution this time and could redeem themselves.

He did not know that Pan Yong had once plotted for Fan Zhao’s usurpation.

Neither did Qi Ling nor Zhao Jin; only Sun Dian and Tong Sui, who had been ordered by Xiao Zhen to investigate, knew the truth.

The peaceful surrender of 130,000 enemy troops was indeed good news, so Xiao Zhen accepted Pan Yong’s surrender and said, "If what you say is true, and tomorrow I can lead the army across the river, not only will I pardon your past crimes, but I will also bestow great rewards upon you."

Pan Yong gratefully said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xiao Zhen said, "It's late. Zhao Jin, see General Pan to his rest."

Zhao Jin drank a bowl of wine laced with a sleeping draught and went to lie down in the supply ship.

At dawn on the twentieth of March, Pei Pingyuan noticed the warships on the opposite bank moving downstream and a line of unarmored soldiers kneeling on the southern bank, just as Pan Yong had said.

By now, the Ling troops couldn’t possibly set up any ambushes. They simply couldn’t stand up to the charge of 50,000 Southern Camp cavalry.

The army prepared to cross the river, and Xiao Zhen selected Pei Pingyuan and Pan Yong to accompany him on his boat, while Xiao Yan and Qi Ling each led a boat of cavalry to guard the emperor's boat.

As the warship neared the southern bank, only a few feet away, Xiao Zhen glanced at the kneeling army on the shore and told Pei Pingyuan to stay put, then he took Pan Yong to the stern, facing the northern bank, and asked in a low voice, "Do you really hold no grudge against me?"

Pan Yong smiled bitterly, "I was resentful, but I realized that Your Majesty and Elder Xiao have always been kind to my family. I was blinded by the prosperity of the capital. My family died because of Fan Zhao’s delusions, not because of Your Majesty."

Xiao Zhen patted his shoulder, "I'm glad you understand. I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pan Yong, bowing his head in feigned respect, suddenly clenched his fist and aimed a punch at Xiao Zhen's abdomen.

He hadn't brought any weapons when he came ashore last night; even if he had, the guards would have confiscated them.

Luckily, his fists were his weapons.

With his strength, had this punch landed, it would have caused the emperor immense pain, taking half his life away.

But Xiao Zhen was ready and swiftly dodged to the side.

The situation escalated quickly, revealing Pan Yong's true intentions. Pan Yong wasted no words, attacking Xiao Zhen with swift, brutal punches.

Soldiers on the same and nearby boats went on high alert. While Xiao Zhen exchanged blows with Pan Yong, he smiled and said, "General Pan and I are just sparring. There's no need to panic; continue sailing."

Pei Pingyuan rushed over, understanding Xiao Zhen’s intention. He ordered the soldiers to block both sides of the stern to keep the soldiers on shore from seeing what was happening.

But they couldn’t stop the boats on either side, where Xiao Yan and Qi Ling were watching. Seeing Pan Yong’s murderous intent, Xiao Yan was about to shout in anger when Xiao Zhen punched Pan Yong squarely in the chest, sending him reeling backward.

With distance created, Pei Pingyuan decisively moved in, followed by the other soldiers who swarmed around.

The soldiers on the emperor’s boat were elite troops. With General Pei Pingyuan present, Pan Yong, already hit hard by Xiao Zhen, was quickly forced to his knees.

At this point, the hatred in Pan Yong's eyes was about to burst forth.

Xiao Zhen grabbed an arrow from a soldier, aimed it at Pan Yong’s neck, and drove it in forcefully.

Pan Yong let out a muffled groan as blood trickled down the arrowhead, and his shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.

He still stared fixedly at Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen, with a calm heart, said, "I owe you no favors, nor do I need you to be loyal to me, but I've heard the Empress call you Uncle Pan many times."

Between them, there was no need to discuss favors or loyalty; it was simply a matter of victory and defeat.

But Pan Yong had harmed someone who had genuinely shown kindness to him.

The hatred in Pan Yong’s eyes vanished when he heard the words 'Uncle Pan.' Suddenly, distant voices echoed in his mind.

"Uncle Pan is injured? Fifth Younger Brother, quickly help Uncle Pan to the military doctor!"

"Uncle Pan, here is your and A Dai's military salary for this month, please check if it's correct."

"Uncle Pan..."

Pan Yong fell to the deck, all his remaining hatred turning into regret.

He had only wanted to ensure his family’s safety—how did it come to this?!