History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 437 Zhao Zhi Slays the Envoy

The envoy sent by Cao Jingzong to the Liang Dynasty was Jiang You, the magistrate of Qibo County in Qixing Commandery. Qibo County had been besieged by the Wei army for several days. Under such circumstances, Jiang You was still able to receive a letter from Cao Jingzong to persuade Zhao Zhi, which shows how powerful the Liang army's spies were.

Jiang You was led into the main tent, where the smell of meat soup still lingered, causing his stomach to rumble loudly.

Some of the military officers inside the tent made no attempt to hide their mockery, while others remained impassive.

Jiang You glanced at everyone in the tent, wary in his heart but open on the surface. He did not bow to Zhao Zhi, but explained his purpose: "The grain reserves in Qibo County are running low, and the people are starving. In the midst of war between the two countries, the elderly, women and children are innocent victims. I have come here to implore General Zhao to show mercy and open a path for the elderly, women and children of Qibo County to leave."

Zhao Zhi stood up, and with her movement, everyone in the tent, from the military commander Diao Zheng to the ordinary generals, held their breath.

Zhao Zhi walked up to Jiang You and asked, "When two countries are at war, where is the mercy?"

Jiang You dared not look directly at Zhao Zhi, his gaze lingering on the bloodstains on her sleeve. He then presented his condition: "If General Zhao agrees, I will open the city gates and fight the Wei army to the death as long as these civilians are far away!"

Diao Zheng felt that Magistrate Jiang had ulterior motives for coming, and was about to remind Zhao Zhi not to agree so easily, but Zhao Zhi had already refused: "I don't trust you."

She placed one hand on Jiang You's shoulder, seemingly without applying any force, yet Jiang You's face and neck veins bulged.

Zhao Zhi's strength was just right, preventing Jiang Youzhang from speaking, otherwise his upper body would immediately twist to one side!
Zhao Zhi's next words were as cold as iron armor: "How dare you believe me? The walls of Qibo County are sturdy. Even if the people in your county don't have enough to eat, they can still survive the winter. If you really care about them, even if I make a promise now, how dare you believe that I won't change it and kill them all as soon as they leave the city?"

Jiang You's face turned bright red, and he was about to grind his teeth to powder when Zhao Zhi withdrew her hand.

"What can I do to make General Zhao believe me?"

With a clang, Zhao Zhi drew a military officer's sword.

Diao Zheng hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Lieutenant Li Hui didn't dare to speak either.

Zhao Zhi placed the knife next to Jiang You's neck and said, "A verbal promise is not as good as a head."

Jiang You barely managed to maintain a fearless expression, forcing out a hint of disdain, and said, "General Zhao, you'd better hold your sword firmly. In times of war, envoys are not to be killed..."

Zhao Zhi's anger was palpable. Ordinary warriors would raise their arms to gather strength before slashing down with a sword, but she did not. She swung the sword directly to the left, and Jiang You's head fell to the ground, dripping blood. After rolling several times on the ground, his eyes were still open and his mouth was half-open.

The cold glint of the iron blade returned to the officer's scabbard as Zhao Zhi threw it back. Then Zhao Zhi cursed at the corpse: "You dog, you asked me for a favor and you dare to say you'd rather shit than not kill me? Fine, I'll grant your wish!"

The generals in the tent were dumbfounded... This Jiang You died somewhat unjustly. His words "do not kill the envoy" were misheard by the general as "do not kill the shit!"
Diao Zheng shouted at those around him, "Why haven't you moved the body yet!"

At his signal, the military officer left only him and Li Hui.

Li Hui said, "Cao Jingzong is not a man who cares about the people. He sent a county magistrate to persuade us, which must be for some sinister purpose that is detrimental to the general. I was originally hesitant about whether to capture Jiang You and interrogate him to find out what he wanted. It would be best to find out where Cao Jingzong is! But then I thought, if this guy dares to come to my camp, he must have prepared false information. It would be better to kill him and get rid of him once and for all."

Diao Zheng: "General Li is thinking too simply. Whether you agree to Jiang You's request or not, you will fall into Cao Jingzong's trap."

He further explained, "When Jiang You came, he openly claimed to be an envoy of Xiao Liang. If we let him come and go freely in my Wei camp, and then spread rumors that General Zhao had a pleasant conversation with him, and this rumor reached the capital, guess what the court and the public would say about the general?" Li Hui's expression changed. He thought of how these people risked their lives on the battlefield, yet they were no match for the emperor's close advisors who could fabricate stories at will. Sometimes, before their official documents could even reach the emperor's desk, they would have lost their lives on the battlefield. It was truly infuriating!

But what good is anger?

After hearing this analysis, Zhao Zhi became calmer, because she believed in her daughter Wei Yao's abilities and that she would definitely be able to refute the rumors.

Diao Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "The island barbarians value festivals. New Year's Day is a good opportunity to attack Qibo County."

Zhao Zhi came up with an idea and said, "Today, we'll order someone to throw Jiang You's head at the city gate. If Cao Jingzong has sent spies inside the city, they'll definitely find a way to spread the news of Jiang You's death."

Diao Zheng: "I also thought of this method, but Cao Jingzong has countless capable men under his command, and ordinary scouts can hardly track the enemy."

Zhao Zhi's murderous aura was palpable. Diao Zheng and Li Hui exchanged a glance and understood that the general was going to personally take action! Of course, the two were worried about Zhao Zhi's safety, but they were also excited. Was he about to make another great contribution? If General Zhao killed Cao Jingzong again, it would probably make Xiao Yan furious!
Within Qibo County.

Because of the Wei army's siege of the city, the grain stored in ordinary people's homes was all looted by government soldiers. Children were so hungry that they could not even cry. Those who still had strength were forced to become laborers to carry heavy objects such as stones and logs up the city walls in order to get a bowl of food.

On the city wall, four Liang soldiers were huddled together, each raising their eyebrows and winking, talking about what jewelry and treasures they had looted while searching for grain in the homes of the people. Their despicable laughter was a hundred times more ear-piercing than the cold wind.

A man who had been carrying stones collapsed to the side, pleading breathlessly, "Please give me some food first, I beg you, someone please give me some food first, and then...and then..."

"Get out of here! If you want to die, die somewhere else!" One of the soldiers from the four ridges came over and kicked the man, cursing, "If you die here, we'll have to carry you away."

Another person laughed and said, "What are you lifting? Just get him dead already, throw him into the log pile."

"good idea."

"You, you..." The man didn't starve to death, but he died of anger first.

"Quick, look at that group of people, are they Wei soldiers?" a Liang soldier suddenly shouted, and everyone on the city wall looked north.

The number of troops rushing from the direction of Wei was small; they threw a human head from a distance and then turned back.

Liang soldiers lowered a wooden basket from the city wall and retrieved a severed head. After identifying it as the head of Magistrate Jiang, the soldiers had various thoughts. Some were eager to rush out and fight the Wei soldiers, while most were timid and began to consider abandoning the defense of the city.

That night, the plight of the people of Qibo County was compounded by the arrival of soldiers who came from house to house to loot. When the grain ran out, they stole bedding and winter clothes, not even sparing the clothes the people were wearing.

The cries echoed over the walls of every house, but Liang Jiang paid no heed.

There is an underground passage in Qibo County that leads to the hillside forest outside the city wall. Cao Jingzong's spy, who was sending a message to Jiang You, will leave through this secret passage tonight. A strange bird circling in the air noticed the movement and let out a cry in mid-air.

By the time the spies tried to shoot the strange bird, it had already left the hillside area.

The strange bird was the five-colored crane that Zhao Zhi had tamed. She mounted her horse, drew her bow and carried her arrows, and set off alone from the besieged camp, running towards the direction of the cry. From the sky, one could see that she was getting closer and closer to the spies.