knife

Chapter 258: Better to Die

For the Great Yuan!

Thinking of Lenger's roar in the hall, Jebe felt like vomiting.

Now you're thinking about the Great Yuan Dynasty!

So when you betrayed your father and put the Yuan army in a desperate situation,
Why didn't you think about the Yuan Dynasty?

The Yuan Dynasty has come to this point because there are too many guys like you.

Are you telling me to hold out at Qingtongxia to the death?
That's really funny.

Does this mean I have to face three enemies at the same time?
He was facing an attack from the Qin army outside the pass head-on, while his two younger brothers were positioned on his flanks and rear.
Which of them will let me go?
Needless to say, the Anxi Protectorate would naturally seize this rare opportunity to reclaim the Qingtongxia and Yezhuling areas.
If he were to fight to the death with them, which of the Tiele and Akdun behind him would send him reinforcements, and which would provide him with money and provisions?

They'll just think of themselves as fools.
Hiding in the back to watch their own misfortune unfold.

Of course I have to leave!

Since Li Dachui is willing to let me leave safely, why not leave now?
I must return to the northern wilderness; that is my true home.

There lies the root of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

In the beginning, Mamba led his tribe from there, step by step, southward, and slowly established the Great Yuan Empire.

Now, let us walk the path our ancestors once walked!
"Qin Gong, we'll travel through Xia Prefecture, pass through Yin Prefecture, cross Hengshan Mountain, and then arrive at Zhen Prefecture. Do you really think the Tiele and Akdun won't stop us?" Standing atop the city wall of Qingtongxia, Jebe looked at the clusters of beacon fires burning in the distance and asked Qin Gong beside him.

“By taking this route, we have clearly shown them our position. We have no intention of competing with them in the south. We only want to return to the north, to the place where our ancestors started!” Qin Gong said, “For the Second Prince and the Third Prince, since Your Majesty is not dead, leaving is the best option. They will not choose to attack you rashly, because whoever makes the first move may be caught in a pincer attack by Your Majesty and the other person!”

Jebe nodded slightly.

"They're all very smart, much smarter than me. Of course they wouldn't give someone else such an opportunity!" Jebe said sarcastically. "Besides, they've never taken me seriously. In their eyes, I've always been that muscle-bound, simple-minded brute!"

Qin Gong stared at the tall, muscular Zhebie and thought to himself that what they believed was actually not wrong.

In some ways, you really are a reckless fool.

But even a commoner has his merits!

At least Jebe is very sincere in his dealings with people, as long as he considers you a good subordinate, a good brother, or a good friend.

He is truly devoted to you.

A Qin person like myself lived a very comfortable life under Jebe's command.

Jebe may not have much strategy, but he is a man who listens to advice and corrects his mistakes.

That's all the skill I have.

Whenever he thought of this, Qin Gong felt a little lost.

I am not a national hero.

Jebe, however, treated him as a national hero!
So what else can I do in this life besides repay him with my death?

"Among his brothers who vied for the throne, the late emperor wasn't the smartest!" Qin Gong laughed. "But in the end, he was the one who succeeded, and he was the one who led the Great Yuan to its peak."

“But now the Yuan Dynasty has collapsed!” Jebe said with a bitter laugh.

"Although the peak was short, we did see the view from the summit!" Qin Gong said, "Your Majesty, now that we've reached Zhenzhou, we're surrounded by the Eight Diligent Tribes, the Wugu Tribe, the Zubu Tribe, the Meiliji Tribe, and the Chazhali Tribe. Life may be tough, but a sword's edge is honed through tempering, and plum blossoms' fragrance comes from bitter cold. Once the Second Prince and the Third Prince have fought to a standstill, we'll head south to reclaim our lost lands!"

“Now the second brother is weak, while the third brother has the support of Renduozhong and Xifeng Keqin, and now he has the absolute upper hand!” Zhebie thought for a moment and said, “After we arrive in Zhenzhou and gain a foothold, we must put pressure on Akedun, right? We must not let him destroy the Tiele, otherwise he will be the next to deal with me.”

Qin Gong smiled.

Indeed, failure and setbacks are the best ways to grow.

Even Jebe now understands this without hesitation.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Qin Gong said, "Whether it's the Tiele or the Akdun, while they are fighting each other, they also have to be wary of Xiao Changche and Li Dachui. On the contrary, we are far away from the border and far away from the fighting, and we can focus on developing well."

Zhebie turned to look at An Xuan and said, "An Xuan, you go back to Yandu first and gather the troops of the Western Camp. Take as many as you can with you."

“Yes!” An Xuan nodded and said, “I will do my best to take more people with me.”

“I will write a letter to Akdun and tell him not to stop me, otherwise don’t blame me for going directly to the Tiele!” Jebe pounded the wall: “So you don’t need to be sneaky, but open and aboveboard. When you leave, you should ask Akdun for some money and food.”

An Xuan laughed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

“If I were truly wise, I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation!” Zhebie said with a bitter smile, “Anxuan, do you know that in order to escape safely, I sold Qinglongxia and Yezhuling to Li Dachui? Do you see those beacon fires in the distance? Those are the troops of the Anxi Protectorate. They are waiting for us to leave this city that we have been building up for almost thirty years!”

"Your Majesty, before we leave, let's burn this city to the ground and leave them with nothing but ruins!" An Xuan said viciously.

Zhebie shook his head: "If we really do that, it will enrage Xiao Changche and Li Dachui. How can we fight them with so much money, food, and supplies? Besides, I'm no match for them right now. So, the agreement must be strictly observed so that we can leave safely and make a strong comeback in the future!" An Xuan nodded.

"You all go and prepare. I want to see this land one more time!" Jebe waved his hand and said.

Qin Gong and An Xuan bowed and then turned to leave the city wall.

Looking up, Jebe stood alone on the city wall, looking utterly desolate.

The city may not be burned down, the fields may not be destroyed, but people should be taken away as much as possible!

This is Jebe's strategy.

It's unclear who leaked this information, but in the past few days, the people around Qingtongxia have begun a large-scale exodus. Apart from those who had been conscripted to help defend the city, there are almost no other signs of human habitation in the surrounding area.

As the news spread, people from even further away would also flee.

People who have lived here for many years are reluctant to start a new life in the distant Zhenzhou. What would they do there? They only know how to farm, but in Zhenzhou, there is clearly no land to farm.

Over there, people mainly make a living by herding livestock.

To Jebe's dismay, the Anxi Protectorate's scout teams began to intervene.

The troops he sent out to pursue the fleeing civilians clashed with the scouts of the Anxi Protectorate and suffered considerable losses.

Forget it, it's not worth losing our elite troops just to chase after these people.

The reorganized force now numbers over 100,000.

There are no elderly, weak, sick, or disabled people here; they are all soldiers and able-bodied men and women.

Of these, more than 60,000 could be incorporated into the army for combat.

The team consisted of nearly 20,000 of his own troops, nearly 40,000 of whom were originally stationed in Qingtongxia and Yezhuling, and the remaining 40,000 were able-bodied men and women that Lengge had conscripted.

In Jebe's view, this was the only good thing Lenge had ever done.

Those trusted followers of the Tiele were all arrested; they would be used as a sacrifice to the flag when Jebe set off, along with Lenge. The remaining men were reorganized, and the families of the soldiers were taken away by Jebe's trusted men first, as hostages, to force these men to follow him to Zhenzhou.

The first vanguard of 5,000 men, along with nearly 20,000 family members, set off first. Ten days later, the second main force was finally about to leave Qingtongxia and Yezhuling. Their departure also meant that the Yuan people were leaving this land they had ruled for nearly 30 years.

From the high ground in the distance, one could already see the scouts of the Anxi Protectorate and the black flags they were holding.

Amidst the thunderous drumbeats, Lengge and his group were escorted out of the city. A tall wooden platform had already been erected along the main road outside the city, where dozens of executioners, each carrying a ghost-headed knife, stood with their chests exposed.

Below the high platform, countless people were passing by as they retreated.

Everyone was extremely angry at the disheveled people kneeling on the high platform.

Because of their betrayal, the Yuan army's attack failed, and they are now forced to leave their homes and homes. Even being torn to pieces would not be enough to vent their hatred.

So, countless clods of earth, stones, and even cow and sheep dung rained down on the high platform.

There was still some time before the execution, but the prisoners on the high platform were already half-buried, so the executioners had to retreat and stay away from them to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Lenge lowered his head and closed his eyes.

Regret?
Sort of.

They shouldn't have opened the city gates to let Zhebie in.

As long as he doesn't come in, the Qin people will have to pay with countless lives if they want to take back Qingtongxia and Yezhuling. And if Jebe can't enter the city, he won't be able to get enough supplies and money, and thus he won't be able to become the Second Prince's opponent.

So he regretted it.

Is it a false accusation?
But it's not unfair!
None of the things Jebe accused were false.

It was indeed he who did it, which caused countless Yuan soldiers to lose their lives outside the Great Wall.

Therefore, it was only right that he was beheaded today.

I can't even be a good person myself.
But I can't be a completely bad person either.

Living like this has become a burden!
Good to die!
The drumbeats stopped abruptly, and the executioners at the back strode forward, raising their gleaming daggers high.

Lenger raised his head and craned his neck to look at the sun that had just risen to the center of the sky.

The ghost-headed saber whistled as it fell heavily, carrying countless rays of sunlight.

The weather is so nice today!

(End of this chapter)