Chapter 39: Qingyang

  The Commander-in-Chief's Mansion of Qingyang, this was once the residence of Chen Heng, the Commander-in-Chief of Qingyang's Military Forces. Located in the southwest of Qingyang City, the mansion is grand and majestic, with rows upon rows of houses, a sight that cannot be found anywhere else in the city. However, now that Chen Heng has passed away, his home has been occupied by others. Soldiers clad in light red uniforms come and go through the gates of the once-majestic Commander-in-Chief's Mansion, their swords and spears at the ready, shouting and yelling as they transform this place into a large military camp.

  The prefectural grand hall, outside of which over a dozen soldiers stood with swords at the ready, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Inside, a middle-aged man sat at his desk, eating and drinking with gusto, occasionally having one or two underlings bring him wine and food. His face was filled with fear and trepidation, but he seemed oblivious to it all, only concerned with eating and drinking.

  By his side was a scholar, over thirty years old, with slow and elegant manners. Occasionally he would glance at the middle-aged man sitting in the center, eating with an unpleasant expression, and wrinkle his brow, clearly disapproving of such rough and rude military men.

  The middle-aged man finished eating, raised his head, and wiped his greasy hands on the handkerchief on the table. Only then could others see his face clearly. He had a strong and majestic appearance, with a square-shaped face, a lion-like nose, and a wide mouth. His piercing eyes shone brightly as he looked around, exuding an air of authority.

  That scholar had been paying attention to his every move, and now seeing him look over, he also put down the wine cup that had already been picked up, and smiled warmly: "General, I'm sure my master is waiting anxiously outside the city. Has the general made a decision regarding what I said the other day? The general also knows that Qingyang is the gateway to Western Qin. If the general can present Qingyang to my master...

  Before he could finish, the middle-aged man burst out laughing. "Mr. Wen probably doesn't know yet? Your master has already tucked his tail and run back to Western Xia. You're still chirping here, truly disgusting. Those few soldiers from your side have been sent to see King Yanluo, but you, although your words are circuitous and unpleasant to hear, with a delicate skin and tender flesh, might be somewhat palatable. Come on, people, send Mr. Wen on his way..."

  As soon as the words were spoken, several fierce-looking guards rushed in and dragged away Mr. Wen, who was still stunned and seemingly unable to comprehend how things had suddenly turned out this way. It wasn't until then that he came to his senses, his face immediately turning deathly pale. As he struggled, he repeatedly cried out: "General, what is the meaning of this? I am... we are in the midst of a battle between two armies..."

  In the midst of confusion, a soldier punched him in the mouth, and blood splattered everywhere, his voice suddenly stopped. Another one swung his knife across his neck, and a stream of hot blood gushed out. Mr. Wen's eyes widened, staring fixedly at the middle-aged man with a cold smile not far away. His throat made a gurgling sound, and soon his body convulsed, then he didn't move anymore.

  The middle-aged man waved his hand lightly, "Drag him to the backyard and bury him, don't let others know."

  The body was dragged away instantly, leaving only a few pools of blood in the hall and an indelible bloody smell.

  "General..." A helmeted and armored man hastily rushed over from the front yard, pushing aside the soldiers who tried to block him. The armor clanked as he ran in with a joyful expression on his face, "General, reinforcements have arrived outside the city..."

  That middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, and a smile immediately appeared on his face. "Really, did you see it clearly?"

  "It's definitely not a mistake, it's our people, judging from the flags there should be tens of thousands of them, and it seems like they have a lot of grain and fodder. They just arrived at the foot of the city and seem to be setting up camp. It's too dark, I didn't dare open the gate to take a closer look, but it shouldn't be a mistake..."

  The middle-aged man wiped his forehead, a complex and inexplicable expression flashed across his face, and then he burst out laughing, pulling the general along. "Alright, alright... Let's go take a look. If it's really reinforcements arriving, our brothers' hard days will be over, haha..."

  Late at night, East City, School Military Field.

  "Report: General Li requests your presence at the Commander's Mansion for a meeting."

  "Got it, I'll be right there."

  The forty-year-old man sitting at the top of the military account smiled slightly after sending away the messenger, "Call all of them, including General Zhang."

  Seeing his comrades turn and leave, the smile on his face gradually spread out, and he muttered to himself: "Li Jizong, your good days as a turtle egg should be over now?"

  Before long, the generals gathered in the big account, and a black-faced general spoke first: "General, the reinforcements have arrived, what are you waiting for? Our army's grain and grass are almost unsustainable, and the soldiers below have clashed with the Duanfeng army many times, just short of seeing red swords. Li Jizong that bastard has been bullying us for so long because he has more troops... You also know that those mixed people below are what kind of character, if we continue like this, the end will be unbearable, it's better to hurry up and welcome the reinforcements into the city..."

  Sitting at the top of the big tent was Li Renquan, the commander of the Lianfeng Army. After listening to what the people below had to say, he smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying: "Don't rush, I called you all here for this matter. That scoundrel Li Jizong has already sent someone to summon me for a meeting, and I'm sure everyone knows what it's about. Hmph! On that day, that bastard killed Chen Heng without hesitation and drove away General Zhang. Although Chen Heng deserved to die, it wasn't something we could just kill him over and be done with. In my opinion, there was some intention of silencing him... I called you all here to discuss this matter. The reinforcements have arrived, but they've come at a bad time. We are guilty of rebellion, and this crime is not light. Even if we had ten heads, we would still have to be beheaded to make up for it. What do you all think we should do?"

  "General, it wasn't you who killed Chen Heng..."

  "It can't be thought of like that, although Chen Heng was killed by Li Jizong, but in the eyes of others, it's as if everyone did it together. If the imperial court really investigates this mutiny, it would be equivalent to treason, and no one would come out unscathed. General, in my humble opinion, it's better to send someone to explain things to the troops first, to prepare them in advance."

  The speaker was a young man, barely over twenty years old, but his face was weathered from wind and sun, showing that he had been in the military for a long time. He sat down with an air of precision and practicality about him.

  When he said that, Li Renquan showed a satisfied smile. "Xuan Yu's words are reasonable. Chen Heng was killed, but we can't let Li Jizong bear the blame. The reinforcements have arrived, but it seems they are just vanguard troops and the commander is unknown. This is not easy to handle. So, everyone go back and discipline your soldiers. There are still days ahead of us. I want you to guard the east gate closely and be prepared to welcome the main army into the city at any time. Let's put other things aside for now and wait until the main army arrives before we take action... Alright, let's disperse! Xuan Yu, follow me to the Commander's Mansion, let's see what Li Jizong has to say."

  The officers in the account responded in unison and dispersed immediately after a moment.

  。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

  "In the city, there are more than 70,000 border town garrison troops. Adding to that the generals and soldiers who returned from the border towns for repairs, there should be over 90,000 people. Calculating this way, the large army in the city can be divided into five divisions: Li Jizong's Vanguard Army, Li Renquan's Decapitating Army, Han Shi's Long Army, Zhang De's Rising Army, each leading one division. The remaining is the Border Town Army... Originally, Chen Heng's younger brother Chen Sheng also led a separate army, but at this time Chen Heng had already died and Chen Sheng was imprisoned, his subordinates were mostly incorporated into other generals' armies, so they can be excluded..."

  Li Jizong was a native of Qingyang, and among the various armies, his military strength was the most numerous, and his actual strength was also the strongest. This person was originally a distant branch of the Li family, a large clan in Qingyang, and had been wandering around Qingyang City since childhood, mixing with some rascals. Later, he received help from his clan and entered the garrison army, rising rapidly through the ranks, becoming the commander of an army in just a few years. He then went to the border town, where he achieved some meritorious service, and when he was recalled to Qingyang, he had already become a general commanding an army.

  In the big account, Du Shantiger mentioned Li Jizong and spoke without any respect. "When they surrounded our Xianfeng Army, their Duanfeng Army made the most effort, and it was also their Duanfeng Army that tied up our General Zhang. If it weren't for my brothers at that time... ... we would have fought them to the death. And yet Li Jizong still wants us to surrender to him? In my humble opinion, among those responsible for the Qingyang army mutiny, aside from Chen Heng, this man is the most despicable."

  General Li of the Fierce Army is a close friend of General Zhang.

  。。。。。。。。。。。。

  After discussing for half the night, it was actually Du Shantiger who did most of the talking, while others listened. Li Jinhua occasionally interjected a sentence or two to ask about details, but otherwise had nothing to say. At first, everyone was extremely excited, and no matter what they said, the Western Xia people were gone, and this achievement was still credited to them. After this time, everyone regarded Li Jinhua as a god-like figure, and her words were obeyed without question. It's estimated that even if Li Jinhua gave an order now to attack the city of Qingyang, they would not hesitate. However, after the initial excitement wore off, everyone was exhausted, and if it weren't for Li Jinhua's orders, these men who had rushed to catch up and walked dozens of miles in a day would have already fallen asleep in their tents. Only when Du Shantiger finished explaining the situation in Qingyang did everyone's eyes start to droop, and Li Jinhua finally let them disperse, but still no decision was made.

  Still, she kept Zhao Shi alone, and with this young man by her side, Li Jin Hua was no longer willing to think for herself. She felt that whether it was fighting or making decisions, she wasn't as good as this young man. Rather than thinking deeply herself, it was more reliable to just ask him directly.

  "What do you think we should do now?"