Wang Dun himself also realized this. Fleeing all the way, he discovered he had no place to stop and rest. When the road ahead was blocked by an army and he turned his horse to change direction, the army that had been chasing him also appeared before his eyes.
Wang Dun reined in his horse, looking at the mountain on the left, then at the relatively flat wild land on the right—boundless at a glance, all knee-high wild grass. Not far away a river flowed past. It looked easy to escape—just reach the riverside and find a way to cross. But…
Wang Dun suddenly lost the will to flee. He sat on his horse, quietly waiting for people from both sides to arrive.
Wang Xuan and Wang Yifeng emerged from their forces, surrounding him front and back.
Seeing the siblings, Wang Dun could not help but laugh heartily. His laughter echoed through the mountains, reverberating back and forth. The personal guards following him all turned pale, at a loss as they watched him.
Wang Yifeng and Wang Xuan watched him quietly, their faces showing little expression.
Wang Dun laughed until tears appeared at the corners of his eyes, having laughed out all the depression and spirit in his chest. His spine relaxed imperceptibly. He sat casually on his horse and said to the two, “Which of you will take my life?”
Wang Xuan pressed his lips together, looking across at his sister on the opposite side past Wang Dun, saying, “If you are willing to surrender, Siniang and I will plead with the General to spare your life.”
Wang Dun sneered, “You say spare me, and Zhao Hanzhang will let me go? I am the first person to rise up since she became Regent. Yuan Li died at my hands. Even if only to make an example, she will not spare me.”
Wang Yifeng: “You are indeed old. Yuan Li is not dead. Not only is he not dead, he also destroyed your main force. Did you receive no information at all?”
Wang Dun’s expression finally changed drastically, “Then Shirou and Wang Ying…”
Wang Yifeng: “At this moment, they should have already been escorted into Jiankang by General Zhao Ju, right?”
Seeing her so cold-blooded, Wang Dun could not help being angry, “Wang Bin is your uncle, Wang Ying is your cousin…”
Wang Bin, courtesy name Shirou, was one of the rare members of the Wang clan’s main family who followed Wang Dun in rebellion. No one knew that in his heart he actually did not want to rebel. He just felt indignant that Wang Dao was treated this way by Prince Langya, that the Wang clan was suppressed like this, so in a moment of hot-headedness, he took his nephews to find Wang Dun, wanting to make a fuss and force Prince Langya to back down.
Who knew Prince Langya was so useless? They had just started making trouble, and instead of trying to pacify them or recruit them, he turned around and pledged allegiance to Zhao Hanzhang.
And the truly rebellious Wang Dun had even captured Yuan Li, bringing Zhao Hanzhang’s great army down on them.
Wang Bin led Wang Ying away from the main force, heading north with his head down, planning to flee back to Langya.
They had few people, a small group—they probably would not attract much attention. And they probably would not think they would flee north, right?
He planned to hide for two years, and when the situation calmed down, use the Wang clan’s influence to seek pardon.
As a result, they ran straight into Zhao Ju, who was waiting at ease for the exhausted. They were captured even earlier than Wang Dun.
Wang Yifeng had telegrams. Her information was almost real-time. Shortly after Zhao Ju captured them, she received the news.
At this moment, she kindly shared it with Wang Dun. Seeing him become furious with shame, she mocked, “Uncle remembers family affection now. Did you consider brotherhood when you killed my second uncle?”
Wang Dun immediately fell silent.
If he had won, he could say they differed in their ways and could not work together, or that great deeds require flexibility regardless of details. But he had lost now.
Having neither righteousness nor victory, what could he say?
“If you want revenge for your second uncle, come. Kill or flay me as you wish.”
Wang Yifeng snorted coldly, “You are already a turtle in a jar. Why should I stain my hands with another life?”
With that, she ordered people to go arrest Wang Dun.
Seeing this, Wang Dun suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at the approaching soldiers, shouting, “Wait! Wang Yifeng, do you want to escort me to the capital to humiliate me?”
Wang Xuan: “Siniang is trying to save you. She has a personal relationship with the General. Our siblings will plead with our military merit. We should be able to preserve your life.”
Wang Dun narrowed his eyes, “You won’t kill me for revenge?”
Wang Xuan: “Escorting you back to the capital for trial, giving Second Uncle justice—this revenge is settled. Why must Siniang and I kill you? You are also our uncle.”
Wang Dun was silent for a moment, then said, “Outside rumors are half true, half false. I killed him because he insisted on going north to fight, and also because his mouth was too foul.”
He raised his head to look at Wang Xuan and Wang Yifeng, saying in a heavy voice, “I spared him once. It was just that he left and returned. His fate was such. I had no choice but to act.”
Wang Yifeng gripped the reins in her hands tightly, looking at him angrily.
Wang Dun suddenly laughed, “Today, my fate is also thus, irreversible.”
“Please tell Maohong for me to be stronger in doing things in the future. Don’t always yield. He is lenient, but others may not appreciate it.” He added, “Also please tell Prince Langya—toward him, I have a clear conscience. It is he who wronged me, wronged Maohong. Although I was defeated, I was not defeated by him, but by Zhao Hanzhang.”
Wang Dun looked back and forth at the siblings, sighing with relief, “You two siblings are still the most promising. In the future, the Wang clan will depend on you.”
With that, he drew his sword across his own throat!
Wang Xuan cried out, “Uncle Dun—”
Wang Yifeng’s expression changed, watching helplessly as Wang Dun took his own life before her.
Wang Dun’s personal guards also cried out, hastily dismounting to catch the falling Wang Dun, reaching out to cover his neck.
Wang Xuan and Wang Yifeng also dismounted and ran over, kneeling before him. Wang Xuan took his head from the guard’s hands, holding it while also reaching out to cover the neck wound.
Wang Dun opened his eyes to look at them for a while, saying nothing, then closed his eyes and departed.
Wang Dun’s personal guards all knelt on the ground crying aloud. Three of them wiped their tears, stood up, and drew their swords to follow Wang Dun in death, but were grabbed by the quick-handed Wang Yifeng. She kicked one flying, knocking him into another person, saving them.
Wang Yifeng said in a heavy voice, “If you are truly loyal, then handle Uncle’s funeral affairs properly. That would be great loyalty.”
A guard, face full of tears, said, “We are traitors. How are we qualified to see the General off? We fear we will implicate our families. Better to die now and be done with it.”
The reason Wang Dun took his own life, though partly to avoid humiliation in the capital, was more to extract the Wang clan from this rebellion. If he died, Wang Xuan and Wang Yifeng would not need to sacrifice military merit to save him, and other Wang clan members would not be implicated by him.
When a person dies, debts are canceled. Zhao Hanzhang would still employ Wang clan members, and the Wang clan would not decline.
These personal guards had the same plan. They all still had close family members. If captured and taken back, most would be prosecuted, and then implicating family members would not be good.
Wang Yifeng: “You are just subordinates, not ringleaders. The General is lenient. At most she will behead you, not implicate your families.”
In the end, Zhao Hanzhang did not even behead them. She only prosecuted a few ringleaders. The rest were either demoted or completely stripped of rank, fined, and sent home to farm.
As for low-ranking officers and soldiers like personal guards who could not act independently, they did not even qualify for fines. They were either absorbed into other armies and reorganized after being scattered, or sent back to their hometowns to settle and farm.