Mo Sang – CH 261

Chapter 261. Stars

Besides his own troops, Qiao An brought Wen Shun’s army from Shu with him from Xia Prefecture. The sheer number of troops from Shu exceeded Gu Xi’s expectations, especially given Gu Jin’s repeated admonitions: the closer they got to the end, the more composed they needed to be; they absolutely must not take any more risks or rash advances, and it was better to proceed slowly than hastily.

Gu Xi, still recovering from his serious illness and injuries, lacked energy and dared not rush things. He patiently focused on recuperating while simultaneously shifting and reorganizing the various armies within Poyang Lake.

After the officials who had rushed from Jianle City to prepare for the takeover along the way arrived, half a month later, with General Cao of Jingzhou as the vanguard, the Northern Qi Army, its sails obscuring the sun, marched down the river in a mighty, imposing force.

From Jiangzhou City onwards, small counties along the river, such as Pengze, surrendered without resistance.

Before an army of hundreds of thousands, the small counties were like ants.

Compared to the rapid march of a few or a dozen ships, the massive fleet of hundreds of thousands of soldiers moved at a remarkably slow pace.

Ten days later, the vanguard reached Tongling. While General Cao besieged Tongling, Gu Xi’s central army surrounded Chizhou City.

Gu Xi’s injuries had almost healed. To be on the safe side, he had Physician Liu bandage his thigh with fine cloth. He then dressed neatly and rode to the walls of Chizhou.

Li Sangrou, dressed as a personal guard, along with Da Chang, Hei Ma, and others in similar attire, mingled with Gu Xi’s personal guards. Meng Yanqing and others, wearing black leather armor of the Yunmeng Guard, protected the guards from behind.

Chizhou City was now surrounded on three sides by the army.

On each of the three sides, men carrying amplifiers made of tin tubes shouted surrender orders, some speaking in the local Chizhou dialect, others in the dialect of Anqing Prefecture across the border, and still others in Mandarin with a Chizhou accent.

From the city walls came a cacophony of gongs and drums, and a chorus of shouts and curses.

Gu Xi, unarmored but dressed in a black dragon-patterned silk riding outfit, spurred his horse to the edge of the moat. Just outside the wall, a short distance from where an arrow could be fired, he reined in his horse, looked up at the wall, and called out, “Is General Shen here? I have something to say to him.”

From the crenellations, a thin, middle-aged man, wearing a helmet clearly too large for his stature, shouted sharply, “General Shen has died for his country! If you want to fight, then fight! No need for words!”

“You killed General Shen?

Why did you kill General Shen? Because General Shen refused to take lives in vain and wanted to abandon the darkness for the light, so you killed him?” Gu Xi reacted swiftly.

“We have received the Emperor’s favor for generations; when it is time to repay it, there is no reason to hesitate!

Chizhou Prefecture is a land of loyalty and righteousness, where everyone is brave and loyal; there are no cowards who would live a life of dishonor!”

On the city wall’s crenellations, a middle-aged man pounded his fist on the wall, his shouts seemingly stained with blood.

“General Shen’s ancestral home is Anqing. The Shen family only began its officialdom with General Shen. He was not born into imperial favor; you, Liang Wen, are!

The world, after a long period of division, will inevitably unite! Across this river, two families have ruled separately. For nearly a century, how many innocent souls have perished in this river, how much human tragedy!

Unifying North and South is the will of the people, the very essence of their well-being!

Lord Liang, following the will of the people is the true way for scholars like you to serve the people.”

“Pah!” Liang Wen, hiding on the city wall, spat forcefully towards the outside.

“You butcher! How many citizens of my Great Liang have you killed! This river is red! Not just once! Corpses float on the river! And you still have the nerve to talk about innocent souls?

Those innocent souls, were they not all killed by your blade?”

“In war, countless lives are lost!

It is precisely because of the excessive casualties during the war that I could not bear it and came personally.

Lord Liang, the fate of Southern Liang has run its course. No more lives should be lost. Now, there is no successor to Qi and Liang; this world belongs to the people of my Great Qi!

My Great Qi Army, I, Gu Xi, have we ever harmed innocent civilians?

On the contrary, when your Southern Liang attacked Yangzhou, you drove thousands of civilians as the vanguard, resulting in countless deaths and unspeakable atrocities!

My Great Qi’s Yangzhou garrison commander Bai Han, General Luo Tingming, Transport Commissioner Xie Shu, Censor Huang Weimin, and Supervisor Jin Rong committed suicide for their country, opening the city gates for the people. They were honored and celebrated by my Emperor, and revered as gods by the people of Yangzhou!

Lord Liang, this is true loyalty to the country and its people!”

“What a silver tongue! Bah! The people of Chizhou are united as one, and no one in Chizhou fears death! We will fight to the bitter end!” Liang Wen shouted fiercely.

“United as one? Then dare you open the city gates?” Gu Xi pointed his whip at the city wall. “How about this: I will retreat my troops to the boats on the river, and you open the city gates, allowing those who do not wish to die unjustly to leave this city. Do you dare?”

“All’s fair in war! Do you think I do not understand that?” Liang Wen spat again.

“This city, this Chizhou, will be under the rule of my Great Qi in just the next day or two.

I, Gu Xi, Commander-in-Chief of Great Qi, Shizi of King Rui, and the Emperor’s younger brother, my word is far more valuable than this city, far more valuable than this Chizhou!

It’s not that I am untrustworthy; you know perfectly well I always keep my word! It is that you dare not! You know perfectly well that once this city gate opens, you will be all alone!”

“Pah!”

As Liang Wen spat again, Gu Xi looked at him, then said in a low voice without turning his head, “Take out your crossbow. Do not let him see it.”

Li Sangrou gave a soft “hmm,” took the steel crossbow hanging behind her saddle, nocked an arrow, and drew the string.

“Lord Liang, this battle is not against those who are not of our kind. This battle is between my Gu family and the Yang family for this world. What you want to repay is merely the Liang Emperor’s kindness in recognizing your talent, nothing more!

A scholar dies for one who understands him; I, Gu Xi, admire that! But you should not, for your own sake, sacrifice the lives of so many innocent people in this city for your own selfish gain!”

“Pah! No matter how eloquent you are, it is useless! Let me tell you! Every man in Chizhou Prefecture is a hero!” “Liang Wen shouted hoarsely.

“Liang Wen, if you insist on your way, I, the commander, will grant your wish!”

Before Gu Xi finished speaking, Li Sangrou raised her crossbow and pulled the trigger.

Liang Wen, standing in the middle of the crenellations, was stunned. Before he could react, Li Sangrou’s crossbow bolt had already pierced his eye, and Liang Wen fell backward, crashing heavily against the city wall.

“Chizhou and Anqing are separated by a river; we are one family!

Chizhou and Anqing are both subjects of my Great Qi! I, Gu Xi, do not wish to cause further loss of life.

Please open the city gates; from now on, north and south are one family, with no more obstacles!” Gu Xi called out loudly.

Half an hour later, the city gates of Chizhou slowly opened, and the drawbridge was lowered.

Squads of Qi cavalry and infantry trotted through the city gates, flowing like water into the city walls and streets.

Half an hour later, Li Sangrou followed Gu Xi into Chizhou.

Outside the city gate, on both sides of the street, Qi soldiers stood guard every ten paces, each in gleaming armor, gripping long spears, their backs to the middle of the street.

Besides the soldiers, many people stood on both sides of the street, holding their breath, some huddled together in twos or threes, others leaning against walls or gripping doors, watching Gu Xi on horseback with a mixture of timidity and curiosity.

Gu Xi smiled amiably, looking at the crowds on both sides of the street, nodding occasionally in greeting.

Each nod from Gu Xi elicited gasps and even screams from both sides of the street.

This handsome man was so good-looking!

Li Sangrou glanced sideways at Gu Xi’s retreating figure from both sides of the street, unable to suppress a smile. This general was shrewd and incredibly humble.

The group stopped at the entrance of the yamen. Jiang Shan, the prefect of Chizhou, who had come with the army, his long robe tucked into his belt, rushed out to greet them, his brow beaded with sweat.

“General, the coffin of Prefect Liang has arrived. It is already being guarded in the rear office, and we are about to take it back,” Jiang Shan reported hurriedly after a deep bow.

“Prefect Liang was a loyal and brave man. Shall we go and see him?” Gu Xi and Prefect Jiang exclaimed, looking at Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou nodded.

Jiang Shan glanced at Li Sangrou, then, meeting her gaze, quickly bowed and smiled in greeting.

He had only seen this young woman once before, when he first arrived at Poyang Lake and went to the ship to pay his respects to the general.

As their ship approached the warship, on a nearby boat, a large pot was set up on the deck. A young woman was seasoning meat stew in the pot, and the aroma of the stew made his mouth water.

He had been so nervous that he would not have noticed her if it were not for the aroma.

He had been quite puzzled at the time—who was this woman, daring to cook and stew meat right next to the warlord’s warship?

Later, after listening to the warlord’s instructions, he actually asked her when they came out. The servant who had seen them out smiled and said she was a friend of the warlord.

A friend of the warlord!

Li Sangrou followed Gu Xi through the moon gate into the back courtyard of the yamen, followed by several soldiers carrying Liang Wen’s coffin.

In the back courtyard, the Liang family’s women and servants were already gathered in the main courtyard. A stern-faced middle-aged woman sat upright in an armchair under the eaves of the main room.

Beside the middle-aged woman stood a boy of about fifteen or sixteen on her left and a young woman of about eleven or twelve on her right, embracing a girl of about seven or eight.

Gu Xi entered through the second gate, stepping aside. Ru-Yi quickly signaled the soldiers to carry the coffin in and place it in the center of the courtyard.

The soldiers withdrew, and Gu Xi, looking at the pale-faced middle-aged woman, pointed to the coffin and said, “Lord Liang’s wish has been fulfilled. I have granted his wish. The coffin has not been nailed shut yet. If you wish to bury and prepare the body, I will send someone in to help.”

“Who are you?” the middle-aged woman asked, gripping the armrests of her chair tightly, staring directly at Gu Xi.

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Great Qi, the Shizi of King Rui, Gu Xi,” Gu Xi replied calmly, hands behind his back, looking at the woman.

“It was my late husband’s honor to be personally escorted back by the Commander-in-Chief.” The woman’s grip on the chair armrest loosened slightly. After a moment, she stood up, walked to the coffin, and gestured to the old women. “Open it, I want to take another look.”

Ru-Yi hurriedly gestured to the guards.

The guards stepped forward and opened the coffin lid.

The middle-aged woman, her hands on the coffin, carefully examined Liang Wen lying face up inside.

After a moment, she leaned in, reached out, and gently stroked Liang Wen’s cheek. Her fingers stopped at the eye pierced by the crossbow bolt. She withdrew her hand, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the bloodstains around Liang Wen’s eye. She pressed her fingers against the hard, cold fletching of the crossbow bolt, level with the eyeball, then straightened up and looked at Gu Xi, asking, “Was it your arrow?”

“It was mine.” Li Sangrou bowed slightly to the middle-aged woman.

“This coffin is too small. Please change to a larger one later.” The middle-aged woman glanced at Li Sangrou, then turned back to Liang Wen in the coffin.

“Lady Jiang, do not be impulsive. You must think carefully. You still have young children,” Gu Xi said hurriedly.

“If you can fulfill my late husband’s wish, then you can also fulfill ours,” Lady Jiang said calmly, turning around and beckoning to her son and two daughters. “Come here.”

“Lady Jiang, your wishes are your own!

Lord Liang had his wishes, and you have yours. The children have grown up; they have their own wishes too.

You ask others to respect your wishes, so please respect others’ wishes as well. Your children are not you; they should make their own decisions.” Li Sangrou stepped forward, standing between the three children and Lady Jiang.

“Come here,” Lady Jiang said softly, seemingly ignoring Li Sangrou.

“Lady Jiang, the conflict between the North and South has nothing to do with anything else; it is merely a struggle between the Gu and Yang families for control of the world.

The death of Prefect Liang was nothing more than dying for a friend who understands you, not some grand gesture of loyalty. Lady Jiang, your actions are unnecessary and nothing more than foolish stubbornness and blind loyalty!” Gu Xi frowned and advised.

“My late husband and I were companions for nearly twenty years. He’s dead, and I am not living alone, not for any grand gesture of loyalty.”

“Since you are concerned about your marital bond, this has nothing to do with the children,” Li Sangrou interrupted Lady Jiang.

“Our children have their own principles.” Lady Jiang did not look at Li Sangrou, drew a dagger from her sleeve, threw away the sheath, casually plunged it into her chest, then pulled it out and handed it to her eldest son. “It did not hurt at all.”

“Your parents’ deep marital love is none of your business! Do not blindly follow your parents!” “Li Sangrou looked at her eldest son, who was reaching for the dagger, and said sternly.

The eldest son pursed his lips tightly, gripped the dagger tightly, and plunged it into his chest with trembling hands, but could not pull it out. Looking at his two younger sisters, he finally managed to speak after a long while, “It hurts a lot.”

Li Sangrou stepped forward and embraced the two girls, one in each arm. “Your brother said it hurts, so he will not let you stay with him. You two must live well. Someone needs to take care of your parents and brother after they die, and someone needs to handle the annual sacrifices!”

Before Li Sangrou, the eldest son, slowly slumping to the ground, looked at his two younger sisters and nodded slowly.

“Do you have any wishes?” Gu Xi half-knelt before Lady Jiang and asked softly.

“Send us back to Shaoxing. This Chizhou is not worth it.” Lady Jiang’s voice was weak, but her composure remained.

“Alright! Do not worry.” Gu Xi immediately agreed.

Old Lady Jiang hummed in agreement, her eyes fixed on her eldest son, before slowly closing her eyes.

Gu Xi slowly stood up, looking at Old Lady Jiang, who was now lifeless against the coffin, and the eldest son of the Liang family, slumped beside her. After a moment, he whispered, “Go and select two fine coffins. Prepare them with the rites due to a marquis. Send them to Jiangdu City first, find a temple to temporarily store them, and then send them back to Shaoxing after the official commendation is received.”

“You go first,” Li Sangrou said, holding the two dazed girls, meeting Gu Xi’s gaze with a sigh.

Gu Xi turned and left. Meng Yanqing entered, squatting inside the second gate. Looking at the pool of blood in the courtyard and the people busy preparing the body, then at the two dazed girls and Li Sangrou holding them, he slowly let out a long sigh.