Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 419 Look at this family
"It is the Prince of Anle," the guard replied in a low voice.

"Oh?" Li Xian was taken aback. "Didn't he surrender to the Liang army?"

"It's all just hearsay. The prince didn't surrender. After his defeat, he gathered his troops and wanted to return north, but he was blocked by the rebels and had no choice but to come and join the commander." The garrison commander of Shouyang City was trained by Fu Shuyan and was quite responsible.

Upon hearing this, Li Xian's expression changed several times, and he said in a deep voice, "Go and take a look."

~~
Upon reaching the city wall, they saw that the general standing alongside Li Changjun, though dressed in tattered armor and covered in dust, was indeed his son-in-law, Yuan Jian.

Li Xian then asked in a deep voice, "What's going on with you?"

"Father..."

"Old father-in-law..." Yuan Jian and Li Changjun both spoke up.

“Tell me one by one,” Li Xian asked, frowning. “Changjun, why are you back? Where is Shuangcheng Village?”

"Reporting to Father, it's lost." Li Changjun completely shattered his father's last shred of hope.

"You lost it in half a day? What are you good for?!" Although Li Xian was mentally prepared, he still broke down on the spot.

"That's Twin Cities Fortress, which has never fallen!"

"It's not that I'm incompetent, but Liang Jun is just too shameless," Li Changjun said with a bitter face.

"Liang Jun launched a surprise attack last night, taking Dongcheng Village by surprise. Then, relying on Dongcheng Village, they launched a fierce attack on Xicheng Village. They are well-trained and their generals are fierce. They were prepared but caught off guard. I was unprepared and had few experts. How could I possibly resist them in such a short time?"

He then said with a wronged expression, "If Father had sent reinforcements immediately, Shuangcheng Village definitely wouldn't have fallen!"

"You!" Seeing his unfilial son trying to shift the blame onto him, Li Xian snorted angrily, "Didn't I tell you that the main force of the Liang army is in the southeast? If we send troops to support you now, what if we fall into the Liang army's trap of besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements, and end up adding fuel to the fire?"

"Really? Then where is Liang Jun?" Li Changjun is useless at everything, but he's number one at annoying people.

“You…” Li Xian almost fainted.

"I was prepared to die for my country, but my brother-in-law's reinforcements arrived and caught the Liang army off guard, thus relieving me from the siege. However, his men were too few to help me recapture Shuangcheng Village, so we had no choice but to abandon the village and return..." After recounting his experience, Li Changjun said dejectedly:
"Father, do you have to shout like that? Can't you just open the gate? If you're going to kill me or torture me, at least let me into the city first, okay?"

"Shut up!" Li Xian glared at his good-for-nothing son, then looked at his son-in-law and said, "Your Highness, what brings you to Shouyang?"

“Going back to my father-in-law’s house, alas…” Yuan Jian sighed and then repeated what he had said to Li Changjun to Li Xian.

That tragic experience was so heartbreaking that it brought tears to the eyes of anyone who heard it.

"..." After hearing this, Li Xian didn't have time to doubt, and looked behind him, saying, "Where is my grandson?"

Yuan Jian shook his head and wept: "A Bao was so brave... I don't know how to explain this to the Princess..."

"Oh, my dear grandson..." Li Xian was overcome with grief upon hearing this, and Yuan Jian also wept bitterly. The father-in-law and son-in-law then faced each other and wept bitterly on and off the city walls.

"General, please accept our condolences..." the generals on the city wall hurriedly offered their condolences.

“My grandson is gone, what am I supposed to grieve for? Waaah…” Li Xian cried even harder. He had few children, only a son and a daughter, no grandsons, only a grandson, so he naturally cherished his family all the more.

"Why aren't you opening the city gates yet?" Overwhelmed with sorrow, she acted without thinking. The garrison commander thought to himself, "What, she softens just because she's crying?" He quickly reminded him, "General, be careful, it might be a trap."

"What a load of rubbish! Isn't that my real son-in-law?" Li Xian glared and cursed.

"What I mean is, what if Your Highness surrenders to the Liang army and tries to capture the city gate?" the garrison commander said, forcing himself to speak.

"With his meager courage, would he dare to take such a risk?" Li Xian didn't believe Yuan Jian could do something so daring. "He wouldn't do it even if you beat him to death..."

But feeling that it was too hurtful to say such things about her son-in-law, she changed her words and said, "You don't understand. Prince Anle has had a very difficult life. His entire family has died out, leaving only him and his son as his only children. So he cherishes his life very much and would definitely not take any risks."

"I see," the garrison commander said, feigning understanding, but insisting on his own opinion. "But in this place of life and death, it is best to be cautious."

~~
Although Li Xian firmly believed that Yuan Jian was afraid of death, he was also afraid of death. After being reminded by his subordinates, he dared not open the city gate directly. He then said to the younger men below the city, "The city gate is sealed and cannot be opened. I will lower the basket down and bring you two up."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jian became anxious. What could he possibly accomplish by going up alone? Even if he managed to capture Li Xian by surprise and force Li Xian to order the city gates to be opened, the Wei soldiers would most likely not listen to him.

No, they definitely won't listen to him... Between obeying orders and saving their lives, they will definitely choose the latter.

So he said in a deep voice, "Let the brothers go up first."

"Your Highness, you go first, don't worry about us," the soldiers under his command said understandingly.

“No,” Yuan Jian said emotionally. “Without the brothers who risked their lives to protect me all the way, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to see my father-in-law or save my brother-in-law. How can I abandon you now?”

"Brother-in-law, why are you still so stubborn?" Li Changjun said, with one foot already inside the basket.

“If I weren’t so stubborn, I wouldn’t have risked my life to save you.” Yuan Jian said calmly, “Although my nine orifices are not very strong, I can still fly up to the city wall by myself. If it weren’t for the brothers, why would I be here, looking up at my father-in-law to talk to him?”

"..." Li Changjun was speechless.

Li Xian on the city wall nodded secretly. This was indeed the style of the Prince of Anle, without a doubt... Yuan Jian was known in Luoyang for his extensive knowledge and mastery of both Confucianism and Buddhism. He had also served as the late emperor's study companion. He certainly seemed like the kind of person who would say such things.

"Then we'll do as Your Highness says," he said in a deep voice.

Those around them were dumbfounded. There was only one hanging basket on the city wall. But the two generals below had over ten thousand men; how many days would it take them to hang there?

"Father, don't go too far. If it weren't for my brother-in-law's loyalty and righteousness, you would have no descendants, you know?" Li Changjun said anxiously, "Then I'll stay with my brother-in-law and go up last!"

“How can you be so insensible, child? Liang Jun could attack at any moment! Opening the city gates now is just playing with the lives of all the soldiers and civilians in the city!” Li Xian said with a dark face, offering a compromise: “Let them down the siege ladders.”

"Thank you, Taishan..." Yuan Jian had nothing more to say.

So two ladders were lowered from the city wall, allowing the soldiers below to climb up.

Yuan Jian then grabbed Li Changjun's arm and easily flew up to the city wall.

It was alright when they were far away, but now that they were right in front of him, Li Xian finally couldn't hold back his grief and burst into tears, hugging his son and son-in-law.

Although he lost Shuangchengzhai to the imperial court, he almost lost two of his loved ones!

(End of this chapter)