My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 102 Wangcun Blood Oath

Although Wang Heji was skeptical about whether the Overlord's edict could eventually become a reality, he felt happy just thinking about the easy-to-understand words, especially the words that almost touched their hearts. Feeling the sincerity and kindness of the young general, he completely let down his guard, opened up, and answered all of Xiang Chang's questions.

Xiang Chang knew that this small village mainly planted millet and wheat, and that there were barren land and good land, with a huge difference in output per acre. After working hard all year round, they handed over the grain to the nobles. The remaining grain was usually mixed with some wild vegetables and boiled, which was barely enough to make a living in a good year. However, they did not have many children to raise, and sometimes they had to drown and abandon them when they had too many children. Usually, the women in the village also raised silkworms and wove cloth. Of course, the coarse cloth was for their own use, and they also had to hand over a lot of silk and satin every year.

Although Xiang Chang had been mentally prepared, the fact that the people were living in such a difficult situation was still beyond his expectation. He asked again and learned that this village, along with dozens of surrounding villages, belonged to a noble family named Yi. This family lived in the county town and only sent people to the countryside to pay rent and taxes every year.

Just when Xiang Chang was having a great time chatting with the old clan leader, he suddenly heard a commotion at the entrance of the camp, and saw the dozen or so strong men who had just delivered the food, along with the seven or eight women who had been sleeping with him, coming back, bowing and talking to the soldiers on guard.

The old patriarch became nervous and stood up to go over to check, but was stopped by Xiang Chang, who smiled and said, "Don't worry about them, old man, let's continue talking."

Zhou Yin glanced at the deputy general Qu Fu beside him, and Qu Fu stood up and left in a hurry.

Just as the old patriarch was chatting with Xiang Chang with a distracted look, Qu Fu came back quickly. He first looked at the old patriarch with an unclear expression, then winked at Xiang Chang, wanting to report privately.

Xiang Chang immediately realized that something might have happened with the village, so he stopped the old patriarch who was about to stand up and ask again, and said coldly: "If you have something to say, just say it directly, no need to hide it."

Qu Fu had no choice but to tell the story again.

It turned out that a cavalryman saw the villagers bringing those women and carrying horse meat back to the village excitedly, and he was excited and followed quietly. Seeing that he was a cavalryman from the military camp, especially since the old patriarch was still in the military camp, the villagers guarding the entrance of the village did not dare to stop him and watched him enter the village. After entering the village, the cavalryman asked the villagers to bring the women to him, and after selecting one, he bullied the villager in her home.

The veins on Xiang Chang's forehead jumped, and he said in an unclear tone: "So someone came to my house?"

When Zhou Yin heard this, he smiled bitterly: Xiang Chang, the commander of the Chu army and the eldest son of the Overlord, knew the bad impression of the army in the eyes of the people, so he did not dare to enter the village or harass the people during the march. When the people came to congratulate him, he greeted them with a smile and gave them ten times the gift in return. He also talked with the clan leader for half the night and explained the Overlord's edict in detail. He never thought that he would use up all his strength, but such a bad incident would happen later. This slap in the face was really so sour.

Hearing Qu Fu's words, the old clan leader didn't know what expression to show on his face for a moment. He dared not to be angry; he felt aggrieved if he laughed; especially since Xiang Chang had been saying that his soldiers were from the Chu state and would never harass the people, it was obviously just self-praising nonsense. Now he was afraid that the young general would reveal his true colors in anger, and destroy their entire village with one order.

The old patriarch was shivering all over, and was filled with anger at the villagers who came to cause trouble. He wanted to beat them to death with a stick: Who gave you the courage to reason with tigers and wolves? Being bullied is not a big deal, and after sending these plague gods away, how can the village not give compensation? A bunch of damn bastards, do you want to kill the whole village?

"Young General, calm down. It's all because of the fools in the village. Don't blame the general. Don't worry, I will send those women back immediately."

Hearing the old patriarch's panic-stricken words, Xiang Chang felt a burning pain on his face. Thinking about what he had just said, even though he had lived two lives and his skin had become thicker to a certain extent due to conscious sharpening, he still felt embarrassed and ashamed.

Qu Fugan swallowed his saliva and whispered, "After the soldier finished his work, he gave the woman one or two gold coins. The villagers in the village were blinded by the money and brought all the women back, wanting to be with the cavalrymen..."

Xiang Chang was stunned.

The old patriarch was also stunned.

The villagers were very grateful for the gold given by the soldier, so they brought the girl to the other soldiers again and wanted to continue doing business with them.

"Hey, that's great. With some money, rape is no longer rape, it has become a business. Wow, so cool. Which hero is so majestic? Quick, bring him here so I can have a good look." For some reason, when Xiang Chang heard that the villagers were willing to send their daughters and wives to be bullied by the soldiers for a few taels of gold, he felt as if a handful of charcoal was stuffed into his heart. His voice changed and he laughed.

The officer who was giving the speech stopped talking, and the cavalrymen sitting around the campfire also fell silent. Looking at Xiang Chang standing next to the campfire, his face flickering in the firelight, they felt a chill in their hearts, knowing that he was really angry.

Qu Fu did not dare to delay and took a few cavalrymen and marched away quickly.

Outside the circle formed by a thousand cavalrymen, a cavalry officer boasted to the surrounding cavalrymen: "...The girl struggled at first, but soon became obedient... Hehe, the taste was so good... After resting, you can sneak over to try it, and you can pay me later..."

The cavalrymen showed an interested look, and some hesitated and asked: "Will this violate the law?"

"Hey, what kind of military law is this against? Don't worry, General Chang won't say anything even if he knows. As the commander-in-chief, can you not let your brothers have fun? Otherwise, how can you maintain your combat effectiveness?" said the cavalry officer nonchalantly.

"But, but these women were given to General Chang by the villages, and he didn't accept any of them."

After hearing this, the cavalry officer's heart skipped a beat and he felt a little uneasy. He immediately slapped his subordinate on the back of the head:

"You idiot, what kind of beauties hasn't Master Chang seen? How can such a country girl be pleasing to the eye?"

The cavalrymen suddenly understood, nodded repeatedly, and looked at each other with hot eyes.

A soldier nearby, who was as strong as an ox and had arms as thick as pillars, was chewing horse meat. Suddenly he raised his head, threw the horse meat on the ground, and angrily cursed: "Damn it, I thought your Great Chu Army was different from the Great Han Army. You've been doing the same shit for a long time. Bah! Why don't you go home and deal with your mothers?"

All the cavalrymen were furious and glared at him. However, when they saw the big guillotine under his buttocks that was used to chop hay for cattle and horses, they could not hold back their anger.

This guy was Huang Zhong, who killed 17 Han soldiers alone in the battle with Kong Xi's army, and more than half of them were officers above the rank of 100 generals, including three Langzhong cavalry and deputy generals. After the war, in addition to receiving generous rewards, he was also personally awarded the honorary title of the first "Da Chu Warrior" of the Da Chu Army by Xiang Chang, and was specially selected to join his personal guard cavalry team and serve as the 100 generals of the cavalry.

At this time, Qu Fu came over with several cavalrymen and said coldly to the cavalry officer with a bad face: "You really did a great thing, - take him away!"

The cavalry officer was stunned and kept shouting in dissatisfaction, but his hands were cut behind his back without any explanation and he was taken away roughly.

Qu Fu did not leave in a hurry. He turned around and looked at the surrounding cavalrymen one by one. His cold and stern eyes made all the cavalrymen's hearts startle. The desire in their hearts disappeared instantly, and then they turned around and left.

Looking at the cavalry officer being taken away, Huang Zhong's eyes flashed. After thinking for a while, he got up, carried the big machete, and followed behind staggeringly.

Xiang Chang had an indifferent expression. He just stood in front of the campfire with his sword in hand, staring at the burning fire, motionless.

Just now, the cavalry also brought the humiliated girl and her father to him. The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing thin clothes that could hardly cover her body. Her skin was quite fair, and her exposed arms and neck were covered with black bruises. She covered her face and cried sadly, like a wounded and helpless little animal.

Her father, a dark-skinned man in his thirties, half-held his daughter in his arms, tightly grasping the gold in his palm. He looked at Xiang Chang worriedly and flatteringly, obviously afraid that Xiang Chang would snatch the gold back.

Xiang Chang instinctively wanted to draw his sword and chop him in half, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He opened his mouth to comfort the girl, but didn't know where to start. Finally, he waved his hand in annoyance and asked the cavalry to send the father and daughter back to the village.

All the cavalrymen clearly felt Xiang Chang's anger, and their hearts tightened. No one dared to speak. Except for the slight "crackling" sound of the fire burning the firewood and the occasional snorting of the war horses, there was no movement at the scene, and the silence was suffocating.

No one expected that the young general would be so powerful just by changing his expression without any loud shouting. The old patriarch sat like a wooden sculpture, not daring to move. He had no idea how to deal with or investigate the next incident, and was secretly extremely terrified.

The cavalry officer was brought in, kicked hard, and made to kneel on the ground facing Xiang Chang.

Xiang Chang took a look in the light of the fire and unexpectedly recognized him. It was Zhuang Zhuer, who was extremely brave in battle and had been rewarded twice by the Overlord himself.

In the last battle with Kong Xi's army, he made great contributions and was specially selected by Xiang Chang from the infantry to serve as a general in the cavalry. "General, I know my crime. Please punish me severely." At this time, Zhuang Zhuer knew that his behavior had angered Xiang Chang. He was panicked and knelt down to beg for mercy.

"Shut up! You have no right to speak here." Xiang Chang seemed to be unable to bear it any longer and exploded. He shouted like thunder, which frightened Zhuang Zhuer so much that he collapsed to the ground. All the cavalrymen shuddered.

Xiang Changze realized that he had lost his composure, closed his eyes, took a long breath, calmed his mind, and said in a cold and unquestionable tone:
"Zhuang Zhu'er bullied a village girl, which violated military law. He should be executed immediately."

As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers were in an uproar.

All the generals, officers, and cavalrymen looked at Xiang Chang with shock.

Huang Zhong, who had followed quietly, looked at Xiang Chang's eyes, which suddenly lit up.

The old patriarch had not expected Xiang Chang to issue a kill order. He finally believed that what Xiang Chang had just said was sincere. Instead, he felt a surge of courage and was no longer so afraid of Xiang Chang. He crawled over, took Xiang Chang's hand, and said urgently:
"My child, I understand your intention. Your army is really meant to be the children of the Great Chu. I believe it. Although this general is guilty, he is not guilty of death and cannot be killed."

Xiang Chang patted the old man's dry and rough hands, his face flushed with shame: "Old man, I am embarrassed to lose face in front of you. But I am not afraid of losing face. I have the confidence to correct it and win back the lost people. I am just afraid that without rules, I can't achieve anything. Please don't say anything more."

Hearing the firmness in Xiang Chang's tone, the old patriarch knew that he could not persuade him any longer. He slowly sat back with his mouth half open and a confused look on his face.

"General, General Zhuang is a first-time offender after all. I hope you will let him go."

"Yes, General. Considering General Zhuang Bai's past military achievements, I will show him some mercy. I believe this lesson will be enough for him to remember."

"General, General Zhuang was also confused for a moment, and his crime does not deserve death."

……

All the officers and generals, no matter they were of noble or common origin, knelt on the ground and pleaded earnestly with Xiang Chang.

"Hahaha, good!" Facing the generals' pleas for mercy, Xiang Chang suddenly raised his head and laughed loudly, but his tone was cold without a trace of smile, his eyes were icy cold without a trace of warmth, and they pierced people's souls sharply, "Let me ask you a question here, you also have mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. You are fighting in the front, and your mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters in the back are being bullied like this, can you let him go? As long as one of you says today that you can let him go, I will immediately let our General Zhuang Zhuer go!"

After hearing Xiang Chang's words, the battlefield fell into dead silence.

Everyone was silent.

Only Huang Zhong, who was standing far away, had a voice in his heart shouting: He should be killed! Such a beast should not be alive.

Zhuang Zhuer's face turned pale and he fell to the ground.

In the deathly silent military camp, only Xiang Chang's roar echoed, echoing in the ears of the generals, officers and cavalry, shaking their hearts and souls:
"I have said it many times, our Great Chu Army is no longer the Great Chu Army of the past. We come from the millions of people of Great Chu. The people of Great Chu are our fathers and elders. We are the soldiers, the protectors and defenders, not a group of hooligans and beasts who are rampant."

"I want an army of warriors who are disciplined, obey orders, and fight fearlessly. I don't want an army of beasts. If my army becomes an army of beasts, I would rather not have it. Let us die together at the hands of the Han army."

"There are many soldiers from powerful and aristocratic families in the army. Let me ask you, why did the powerful and arrogant Qin Dynasty collapse in the second generation? Wasn't it because the people were treated like pigs and dogs and abused at will? The food that the people worked hard for was taken away, and they either starved to death, died of exhaustion from forced labor, or were executed by harsh laws for minor mistakes. When they reached the limit of their tolerance, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, two beggars, raised their arms and shouted, and the Qin Dynasty collapsed? How dare you treat the people so harshly and cruelly?"

"And you, the soldiers in the army who were born as commoners, have you been oppressed and treated unfairly by the powerful in the past? Now that you have just stood up, you can't wait to ride on the heads of your former brothers and sisters, elders and fellow villagers? How is your behavior different from that of animals?"

"All of you will be the new generation of nobles, the backbone, and the core of the Chu State. Today, I tell you clearly that I can give you wealth, luxury, fine clothes, and a high status. All of these are earned by you fighting desperately and protecting our Chu State. But there is only one thing I will never give you, and that is - riding on the heads of the people and bullying them!"

"If you can't control yourself and your family, then the glorious law is for you. Just like Zhuang Zhuer today!"

After Xiang Chang finished speaking, he turned to Zhuang Zhuer and shouted:
"Zhuang Zhu'er, your parents, wife and children will be taken care of by the Great Chu State, and the rewards you received for your military merits will also be passed on to your family. You, go with peace of mind!"

As he said this, Xiang Chang gritted his teeth, took a step forward, drew his sword, and personally cut off his head with one blow.

Amidst the spurting of blood, thousands of cavalrymen from top to bottom knelt down in front of Xiang Chang at this moment, with their hands raised high, their heads bowed heavily, and their faces solemn.

Early the next morning, after Xiang Chang and his soldiers had breakfast, they were about to bid farewell to Wangjia Village.

At this time, the whole village, young and old, were no longer afraid, and all ran out, pointing at the 1,000 cavalrymen and watching the excitement with envy. Some young and strong men took the initiative to ask, wanting to join the army, but they were naturally rejected.

Before leaving, Xiang Chang specially left a horse for the humiliated girl as compensation, which once again shocked the whole village, young and old, and looked at the horse with burning eyes. Some people were still unwilling to give up, and shamelessly offered their wives and daughters to serve the cavalry masters, but were driven away by Xiang Chang's cavalry.

Xiang Chang called the old clan leader over, and in front of the whole village, he pointed to a bulging mound of earth and said coldly: "This horse was bought with the life of my brother, and it will be used as a dowry for the humiliated girl. If there are any merchants passing by, please help sell it and give the money to her parents. You can take 10%. I will send soldiers to check again next year. If the money bought with the life of my brother does not fall into the hands of the girl, then I don't mind killing all those who took the money to commemorate my brother."

Hearing Xiang Chang's words, the old patriarch said "I dare not" and repeatedly assured Xiang Chang not to worry. The rest of the people shrank their necks and looked at the horses with much more restrained eyes.

Next, Xiang Chang mounted his war horse and without looking back, he led a thousand cavalrymen and galloped away.

Only the old patriarch stood at the entrance of the village, looking up for a long time, then slowly lowered his head, sighed and went back.

Zhou Yin, who was riding a horse and following beside him, saw that Xiang Chang looked depressed and unhappy. He understood his intention and persuaded him, "This kind of thing has been going on for a long time. For these common people, it is a rare and beautiful thing to be able to send their wives and daughters to serve the nobles and get a reward."

Xiang Chang sneered: "It is a rare and beautiful thing for them. Is it also a rare and beautiful thing for their wives and daughters? Besides, does it mean it is right just because it has been around for a long time?"

Zhou Yin was choked by him.

Xiang Changqing knew that his emotions were meaningless. The fundamental reason was that these civilians were too poor. As long as they had enough food and warm clothes, who would be willing to give their wives and daughters to others to play with? Therefore, a voice in his heart kept roaring fiercely: This is my ancestor! Damn it, my ancestors, my hardworking, wise and kind ancestors, should not be so poor and miserable.

Zhou Yin smiled bitterly and said, "I know what you mean, but this matter cannot be rushed. We must take it slowly. If we rush it, not only will the noble generals and soldiers not be able to accept it, but I am afraid that the civilian soldiers will also be at a loss as to what to do."

Xiang Chang hesitated for a moment, and instinctively felt that Zhou Yin's words made sense. He shook his head decisively and murmured, "No, I can't be slow. If I delay for a day or even half a day, do you know how many civilians will suffer misfortune? How many women will be humiliated? Since we have decided to achieve the goals set by our Great Chu State, we must go all out from the beginning. Therefore, I must let them do their best to catch up with me, instead of me stopping to wait for them. There will always be people who can accept it, and there will always be people who can adapt. For those who cannot accept it or are at a loss, I can only say 'sorry'."

As he spoke, Xiang Chang whipped his whip hard and rushed forward.

Dear readers, is this chapter too watery? If you say it is watery again, I will throw a tantrum! Thank you for your recent subscriptions, rewards, recommendations, and monthly tickets. I am very grateful.



(End of this chapter)