In the dimly lit water dungeon, Han Jun, beaten black and blue by rods and clubs over the past few days, felt as though each day lasted a year. Beyond the severe pain wracking his body, every slight disturbance from outside made his heart tremble with fear, still worried that Gu Zhilong in his fury might drag them out at any moment and dismember them.
His heart was filled with mixed regret and hatred. The hatred was naturally toward Han Qian for being so heartless as to use them as bait; the regret was for leaving his comfortable position serving the Dowager Consort—with her secret support, why would he lack opportunities for advancement? Why had he come here to compete for this empty fame and merit?
“Clang!” Hearing the iron gate being violently pushed open from outside, Han Jun’s heart trembled. Seeing more than ten armored soldiers walking down the corridor, his face turned ashen as death. Watching a military officer who appeared to be a captain approach and signal the jailers to open the cell door, Han Jun felt as though struck by lightning.
“The Regional Inspector requests the presence of the three Lord Hans!” The military officer stood before the cell door. Though his words were polite, the fierce look in his eyes suggested he wished he could devour the three men in this cell alive.
Han Jun felt his entire body go rigid. Now slumped on the ground, he couldn’t even move. Were they about to drag them out for dismemberment by five horses?
“I wonder which family Lord Gu has decided to send us to?” Han Daochang remained relatively composed. With iron shackles on both hands and feet, he struggled to move toward the cell door and asked.
In his fury, though Gu Zhilong hadn’t had them dragged out for execution or dismembered them, they hadn’t been spared physical torment these past two days.
Han Daochang limped forward, his thigh piercing with pain. He suspected that after receiving ten strikes with the rod yesterday, his left thighbone had already cracked.
However, since Gu Zhilong hadn’t killed them, Han Daochang wasn’t worried about immediate danger to their lives. He suspected instead that Han Qian’s unauthorized military action against Langxi had already been ruthlessly defeated, and now that Gu Zhilong had completely torn his face with Yueyang with no room for reconciliation and no more concerns, he should be making a choice between Anning Palace and Chuzhou, planning to send their three generations as a certificate of allegiance or perhaps a gift.
“That third branch brat should have already taken Langxi City, right?” Han Wenhuan coughed violently. Being old and frail, unable to endure corporal punishment, though Gu Zhilong temporarily had no intention of beating them to death, he had suffered the least. Now slightly straightening his robes, he walked to the cell door and asked the military officer, “I wonder whether it’s Marquis Li or Surveillance Commissioner Zhang Ping who has arrived in Xuancheng?”
“Heh heh!” The military officer merely stared coldly at Han Wenhuan with a smile, saying nothing, and signaled for the others to drag the three generations—Han Wenhuan, Han Daochang, and Han Jun—out of the dungeon.
Seeing his grandfather still fantasizing that the Chishan Army had captured Langxi City and sent someone to negotiate, Han Jun endured the severe pain from his back being beaten to a bloody pulp, unable to help but resent his grandfather. He thought to himself that Han Qian was a heartless dog who harbored grudges against his father and second uncle for failing to save his own father, so treasonous as to use his uncle and grandfather as bait to lure Gu Zhilong and the headquarters battalion out of Langxi City. Even if there was the slightest possibility of taking Langxi City, how could he possibly care about their lives?
They were led out of the water dungeon, winding left and right through the street corridors for some distance before being brought to a side courtyard in the east wing of the front residence of the Xuanzhou Regional Inspector’s mansion.
Seeing Fu Mo and his son, who had also been tortured until bloody and battered, sitting with difficulty on one side of the great hall waiting, Han Daochang was about to ask Fu Mo if he knew how the battle at Langxi had developed these past days when he heard footsteps from outside. In an instant, he saw Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei being led in by several armored soldiers.
Han Daochang stood frozen in place: Had the Chishan Army really captured Langxi City?
Han Jun was even more rigid, as if struck by lightning. Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei’s appearance meant that what he most feared wouldn’t happen, but seeing Han Qian’s success, his heart was gnawed by jealousy a hundred times more intense.
How could that bastard possibly have captured Langxi City?
At this moment, Han Jun even wished more to see Han Qian defeated and dead.
“Old Lord Han, Lord Han, Lord Fu have suffered.” Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei swept their eyes across the hall, stepped forward to bow to Han Wenhuan, Han Daochang, Fu Mo and the others, and said.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Did the Chishan Army really capture Langxi? The Chuzhou Army didn’t send reinforcements to Langxi?” Han Wenhuan remained relatively composed, but still found it somewhat incredible that the Chishan Army could capture Langxi City. Thinking it over, he assumed it was possible that the Chuzhou Army had reacted slowly and didn’t have time to act, which gave the Chishan Army the opportunity to take Langxi City.
Han Daochang opened his mouth and mumbled for a long time, not knowing what to ask.
“We captured Langxi City the day before yesterday, and the Chuzhou Army was also intercepted north of Nantang Fort and couldn’t move south,” Zhang Ping said calmly. “Old Lord Yuan and I entered Xuancheng yesterday to meet with Gu Zhilong—”
Han Daochang, Han Jun, and Fu Mo and his son opened their mouths, looking at Zhang Ping, finding it hard to believe that the Chishan Army could capture Langxi City while being attacked by elite forces from both sides. How weak must the defending troops of Langxi City have been to hold out for just over a day?
Han Wenhuan’s spirits lifted slightly as he asked, “Does this mean Gu Zhilong has agreed to serve Yueyang?”
“Old Lord Han is the special envoy dispatched by His Highness. The specific matters of recruitment must still be decided by Old Lord Han himself. This is also what Commander-in-Chief Han insists upon. It’s just that Gu Zhilong hesitated for a day before agreeing to let us meet with Old Lord Han first,” Zhang Ping said, then turned to cup his hands toward Fu Mo. “This matter has implicated Old Lord Fu and caused you suffering, but if we can persuade Gu Zhilong to serve Yueyang, the Fu family’s merit will definitely be reported to His Highness!”
“That’s easy to say.” Fu Mo said coldly. He had been dragged into this disaster and almost lost his life, but no matter how resentful he felt, what could he say now?
Seeing that Han Daochang, Han Jun, and Fu Mo and his son were covered in wounds, having obviously suffered considerably these past days, Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei insisted on first summoning a physician to dress their wounds, then patiently explained the current situation to them in detail.
Though the Chuzhou Army continued to send reinforcements to Liyang City, there was no concern in the short term that they would be determined to march south.
Because the Chishan Army had captured Langxi so quickly, the Huzhou troops had no time to react at all.
After Langxi City was captured and the Chuzhou Army attempting to move south was repelled, not only did the Huzhou troops not dare to send more forces to press toward the Xianshan Lake and Jiudu Mountain line, they even worried that the Chishan Army might attack the western cities of Huzhou. Yesterday they abandoned Anji City, which was located in the mountains northeast of Fuyu Mountain south of Xianshan Lake, withdrawing the three thousand-plus troops stationed in Anji back to Changxing City to the east.
This allowed the Chishan Army’s forces on the eastern front to be freely deployed to reinforce the western front.
Currently, the Chishan Army had five thousand elite troops stationed at Nantang Fort, and Langxi City had abundant grain and supplies. Han Qian had the teachers and students of Guangde Academy, a portion of reserve troops, a portion of the Women’s Battalion and Youth Battalion soldiers, and several thousand wounded from the three battlefields—totaling nearly thirty thousand troops—gradually moved into Langxi City and settled there over these two days.
In addition, Han Qian had ordered Gao Shao and Zhao Wuji to assemble six thousand troops, stationed at Xiaomiao Peak on the southern slopes of Magu Mountain and north of the Xiadu River, less than twenty li from Xuancheng, also blocking the communication route between Xuancheng and the north.
Han Qian had Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei return the prisoners including Zhou Yuanhe to Xuancheng, but demanded that Gu Zhilong make a decision to surrender or not within ten days. If the deadline passed, negotiations would no longer be accepted, and the Chishan Army would consider continuing military operations into the Xuanzhou heartland—by then, even if they didn’t immediately attack Xuancheng forcefully, cutting off communications between Xuancheng and the southern counties would be enough to make Gu Zhilong suffer.
“Ten days for Gu Zhilong to surrender?” Han Daochang asked. “Did Han Qian propose any additional conditions?”
“Today counts as the third day. Commander-in-Chief Han says that Old Lord Han and Lord Han were commissioned by His Highness to negotiate the surrender, and everything must be discussed within the framework set by His Highness. He has no authority to interfere.” Zhang Ping said.
Han Daochang, even knowing that circumstances were stronger than people and that he had no way to deal with that damned nephew of his, couldn’t help but angrily question: “He used us as bait to lure Gu Zhilong out of Langxi so he could attack Langxi. How could Gu Zhilong possibly believe anything we say now?”
“If Old Lord Han and Lord Han had understood righteousness from the beginning and were willing to use yourselves as bait to deceive Gu Zhilong for the sake of using battle to promote peace and surrender, then I believe Old Lord Han and Lord Han’s words would still carry weight now.” With only Fu Mo and his son in the room, Zhang Ping patiently guided Han Daochang.
“This scoundrel now cherishes his reputation and fame, but can his conduct of using his uncle and grandfather as fish on the chopping block really be hidden from the world?” Han Daochang, normally good-tempered, now had veins popping on his forehead in anger, questioning in almost a low roar.
Han Jun’s brows jumped with anger. He hadn’t expected that not only had Han Qian sold them out, but today they were also supposed to help cover up his heinous crimes. He asked resentfully, “Don’t tell me that after being plotted against by Han Qian, we can’t even go out and complain?”
Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei exchanged glances, sat to one side, and temporarily ignored Han Daochang and Han Jun who were still angry, speaking instead to Han Wenhuan: “The Chishan Army faces such difficulties. Three hundred thousand weak elderly, women, and children—a child’s hand could scoop up their daily grain rations. Every day dozens die of starvation and swelling. Without calculating the capture of Langxi, provisions couldn’t be maintained for even ten days before running out, making it impossible to negotiate Gu Zhilong’s surrender. But now that the Chishan Army has obtained Langxi’s grain and fodder, their military strength is formidable. They’ve killed so many that the Chuzhou Army dares not move south to attack. With Xuanzhou’s northern passage blocked, if Gu Zhilong doesn’t surrender, he has only a dead end…”
“The Xuanzhou troops still have over ten thousand elite soldiers, not to mention they can continue recruiting. If the Chishan Army really comes to attack, aren’t they afraid of breaking their teeth?” Fu Mo said indignantly. “I heard that in attacking Langxi City, the Chishan Army’s casualties were not small!”
“Yes, the Chishan Army’s casualties this time were not small, but the soldiers fought bravely, killing so many that the Chuzhou Army dares not move south, and killing so many that Gu Zhilong only dares to cower in Xuancheng without daring to cross the Xiadu River—this is also fact,” Zhang Ping cupped his hands toward Fu Mo and said. “If Gu Zhilong and the various families don’t surrender this time, when the Chishan Army is forced to attack the city again, to compensate for the heavy casualties among the soldiers, Commander-in-Chief Han won’t strictly restrain military discipline anymore. Of course, when Lord Fu helps persuade Gu Zhilong, you can speak even more harshly…”
Fu Mo’s face paled, unable to say anything in response to Zhang Ping’s retort.
Since ancient times, after major battles, rewarding and compensating soldiers by allowing them to plunder freely was common. Zhang Ping was hinting that Han Qian’s conduct might be even more ruthless then—could he be planning to massacre Xuanzhou’s aristocratic clans?
Fu Mo thought that given Han Qian’s ruthlessness, this wasn’t impossible. He thought that his Fu family was currently a meritorious subject of Yueyang—there seemed no need to stand in opposition to Yueyang and the Chishan Army again over a moment’s anger.
The current Chishan Army was no longer the ragged, starving rabble they had looked down upon before the war! Now they were the mighty and imposing Chishan Army, the brilliantly rising Chishan Army!
Han Wenhuan pondered for a long time, finally sighing and saying to Zhang Ping: “If we want to persuade Gu Zhilong to surrender now and make him let down his guard against the Chishan Army and Han Qian, it’s probably impossible to convince him to give up military power. Han Qian has no problem with this either?”
“Within the framework given by His Highness, how to negotiate with Gu Zhilong is entirely up to Old Lord Han and Lord Han to decide.” Zhang Ping said.