The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 194 Brotherhood
Early November.

In the Jianghuai region, the weather is getting colder, with northerly winds whipping up dust and biting like knives.

Beneath the walls of Shouchun City in Huainan, the banners of the Great Zhou army fluttered in the wind, and the deafening roar of catapults mingled with the shouts of soldiers, creating a cacophony of a bloody battlefield.

Meanwhile, Emperor Chai Rong of the Great Zhou Dynasty had already personally arrived at the city of Shouzhou!
However, at this very moment when the front lines were filled with the smoke of battle, two urgent documents from Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo were delivered to the Emperor by couriers almost one after the other.

"Making a mountain out of a molehill!"

Chai Rong sat upright in the main seat of the imperial tent, impatiently tossing the impeachment memorial from the Imperial Censor Zuo Chengsi onto the table and casually offering a comment.

Then, his gaze turned to another memorial—a written defense sent by Li Yi from Tokyo.

Chai Rong reached out and took it, then slowly unfolded it.

The text, nearly a thousand words long, begins by fiercely criticizing Zuo Chengsi for meddling in other people's business and constantly finding fault with their family affairs.

He then went on to recount in detail his past with his sister-in-law, Guo, and stated that although the two were childhood sweethearts and had developed feelings for each other, there was absolutely no transgression or immoral behavior involved.

At the same time, he categorically denied the slander of "forcibly abducting a mountain woman," calling it nonsense and insisting that his relationship with Zuo Ling'er was one of mutual affection, in accordance with reason and law.

Regarding the reconstruction of Lung Chun Bridge Market, the aim was to "benefit the people, revitalize the market, benefit businesses, and benefit the country," emphasizing that the original intention of benefiting people's livelihoods and promoting the prosperity of the market should not be misinterpreted.

As his gaze moved line by line across the paper, Chai Rong's expression subtly changed, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

However, the emperor was deep in thought, and that smile quickly vanished.

Chai Rong did not immediately express his opinion, but instead instructed his attendants to hand over the two memorials to the senior officials standing in the tent for review.

After a while, everyone finished reading it.

Chancellor Wang Pu stepped forward first and said, “Your Majesty, the report submitted by Imperial Censor Zuo Chengsi is perhaps too nitpicky. Commander Li is in the prime of his life, and taking a concubine out of lust is nothing unusual. As long as both parties are willing and it complies with the laws and regulations of the court, why should such a trivial private matter be brought to the emperor’s attention?”

"As for the proposal for the reconstruction of Longjin Bridge Street, after reading it carefully, I found its concept to be ingenious. Merchants and common people participate in the investment entirely on their own initiative, and the completed buildings and shops belong to the investors. This is a mutually beneficial move between officials and the people. How can it be suspected of 'competing with the people for profit'? Not only is it without fault, it also shows that Governor Li is doing his job with care."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone expressed their agreement.

The emperor's earlier comment about "making a mountain out of a molehill" actually made his stance clear: everyone knew that the emperor wouldn't punish a meritorious general of the Imperial Guard for such a trivial matter.

Moreover, Li Yi explained it very clearly in his memorial, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Privy Councilor Wei Renpu echoed loudly, "What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right! To the best of my knowledge, the mountain women taken in by Commander Li, when our royal army was conquering Shu, took advantage of their familiarity with the mountains and rivers to personally lead the strong men of their village to spy on the movements of the Shu army. They even led the main force to bypass the enemy through secret paths and launched a surprise attack!"

"Later, this woman voluntarily accompanied Li Dushi to Tokyo, and many people in the western expedition camp knew about this. The so-called 'forcible abduction of a mountain woman' is purely a fabrication."

Chai Rong nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Although the impeachment by Imperial Censor Zuo Chengsi was somewhat extreme and inappropriate, he was ultimately fulfilling his duties and responsibilities of supervising officials and filling in gaps... so he can be considered loyal and diligent in his work."

He then turned to the interpreter standing beside him and issued an edict.

“Send someone back to the capital to encourage him, but in the future, we must be fair and impartial and investigate the facts carefully.”

With this decree issued, the impeachment matter was finally dropped.

Chai Rong turned his gaze back to the map in the tent—at present, breaching the fortified city of Huainan was the only concern in the heart of this ambitious emperor.

Outside the tent, from the direction of Shouchun City, the deafening sounds of battle could be faintly heard.

"Come, follow me out for a look!"

After Chai Rong finished speaking, he got up and walked outside. The civil and military officials quickly followed, and a large group of people surrounded the emperor as he walked out of the central military tent.

After leaving the camp gate.

After walking a long way, the group could see the situation on the battlefield in the distance.

Shouchun City was an important town in the Southern Tang Dynasty that served as a bulwark for Huainan.

Now, under Zhou Jun's relentless and fierce attacks, it is like a trapped beast being torn apart by countless sharp blades.

Thick plumes of smoke, like a giant, twisted black dragon, shot straight into the sky, obscuring the already dim sunlight.

The air was thick with the acrid smells of burning, blood, and dust, creating a suffocating, hellish atmosphere.

The war drums thundered, their sound echoing for miles around, each strike seemingly striking the taut heartstrings of every soldier.

The battle cries soared into the sky, rising and falling like a tsunami, the most primal roar of life erupting on the edge of death.

The towering siege ladders, like the spine of a giant, clung laboriously to the battered walls of Shouchun.

The Zhou soldiers, swarming atop the walls, endured a rain of rolling logs and stones, scalding hot metal, and a dense hail of arrows. Screams echoed as they plummeted from the sky, piling up new corpses at the foot of the walls. The defenders on the walls suffered equally heavy casualties; their bodies fell in a continuous stream, mingling with the corpses of the attackers, their blood staining the cold base of the walls.

Gazing upon the battlefield, which resembled a living hell, Emperor Shizong Chai Rong's sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed on the offensive and defensive lines of the Shouchun city wall.

His hand rested on the sharkskin hilt of the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.

Every wave of resistance from the city walls, every setback in the attack, was clearly reflected in his deep eyes.

The shouts and cries of battle, the clamor of drums and horns, and the earth-shaking noise below the city walls—all this boiling noise of war seemed to be filtered out by his powerful will. In his eyes, there was only a strong desire for that city.

After an unknown amount of time, Chai Rong withdrew his gaze.

Then, his gaze fell on the edge of the battlefield not far away, where dozens of huge catapults lay like giant beasts on the ground, and the soldiers were sweating profusely and working with complete concentration.

Chai Rong glanced at the stones temporarily piled up by the roadside, and without hesitation, he walked over.

Under the astonished gazes of the surrounding officials and guards, the emperor slightly bent down, his movements steady and powerful, and his broad arms embraced a cold and hard stone.

Then, without making a sound, he held the stone firmly to his chest, and strode steadily toward one of the catapults that was being tested.

Seeing this, everyone rushed forward to pick up the stones, making the scene quite comical.

The pillars of the nation, the civil and military officials, mingled with ordinary guards and personal soldiers, each carrying stones in their arms, like the most hardworking laborers, hurrying forward with the emperor's figure.

Chai Rong ignored this. With firm steps, he was the first to reach the catapult, and with a swift and clean movement, he steadily threw the large stone in his arms into the trough of stones waiting to be filled.

After finishing his work, he shrugged and panted a few times, then casually wiped the dust off with the back of his hand.

He then looked up and his gaze returned to the fierce battle raging on the walls of Shouchun.

The stones held by the ministers fell like rain, piling up haphazardly beside the catapult.

"Liu Renzhan is a loyal and righteous man!" Chai Rong suddenly exclaimed.

At this moment, his chest was churning with extremely complex emotions.

Although the opponent was a general from an enemy state, his stubborn resistance became a stumbling block to the Zhou army's advance and caused considerable losses to the army.

But this unwavering loyalty in defending the isolated city, and the resolute willingness to put his eldest son in danger, even impressed Chai Rong, a powerful ruler who wanted to conquer the world.

In terms of the war, he naturally hoped that all the generals guarding the south would surrender at the mere sight of the enemy, so that the royal army could sweep away the enemy territory with overwhelming force.

However, from the perspective of an emperor, Chai Rong also hoped to see his subjects all like Liu Renzhan, who were loyal to the emperor, devoted to the country, and responsible for defending the territory.

"drive!"

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats broke through the clamor of the outer battlefield, approaching from afar.

Amidst the rising dust, Li Chongjin led dozens of riders, galloping swiftly to the front. He reined in his horse and dismounted with a clean and efficient motion.

Li Chongjin bowed deeply and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty! The false governor of Sizhou has sent his general Wang Zhilang with a letter of peace from the false ruler Li Jing, requesting an audience!"

Chai Rong frowned almost imperceptibly and asked in a deep voice, "Where is he?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a man dressed as a Southern Tang general stepped forward from behind Li Chongjin.

This man was none other than Wang Zhilang, a military officer. He tried to remain calm, but could not hide his unease. He bowed deeply and said in a loud voice, "Your subject Wang Zhilang pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou!"

The attendant quickly stepped forward, took the letter from Wang Zhilang's hand, and presented it to the emperor.

Chai Rong took it, casually tore off the seal, and glanced at the lines of text—

In the letter, Li Jing referred to himself as the "Emperor of Tang" and expressed his willingness to treat the Zhou emperor "as an elder brother," offering to pay tribute with treasures every year as military expenses, hoping that the Zhou court would withdraw its troops.

"What a brotherly nation!"

Anger flashed across Chai Rong's face, and his voice suddenly rose, "Since ancient times, there have never been two suns in the sky, so how can there be two supreme rulers in the world? You have usurped the title of emperor and occupied the fertile land of Jiangnan, without thinking of submitting to the king's rule. Only when you are about to face the death of my people do you think of using some petty benefits to appease my army?"

His sharp gaze pierced Wang Zhilang like a sword, and then with a sudden swing of his arm, he threw the letter representing Li Jing's initiative to seek peace into the dust at Wang Zhilang's feet as if it were a piece of trash.

"In war, envoys are not to be killed. I will spare your life today!"

Chai Rong snorted coldly.

"Go back and tell Li Jing that if he truly seeks peace, then he should come to apologize to me in person, and we can discuss other matters then. Otherwise, once my army marches upon Jinling, there will be no room for negotiation!"

(End of this chapter)