Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 249 The Water Is Too Cold (6,000 words)

The wind picked up on the city wall.

Qian Yaozu knew very well that these soldiers obeyed orders purely because of the official seals they held.

Some of the soldiers had reservations about his taking over Pingyang City, and even blamed him for the deaths of Dou Xian and Liang Youde.

Those two idiots died because of their own incompetence; what does it have to do with him?
If it weren't for the need to use these soldiers to defend against the Jurchen invasion and hold the four city gates, he would have dismissed them all long ago. Having developed a sense of resentment, the soldiers' treatment naturally wasn't good. Of course, it was still much better than that of the common people on the streets; they could eat a meal every day.

Although I was exhausted, at least I was able to stay alive and wouldn't starve to death.

Upon reaching the city wall and seeing the soldiers slumped about, Qian Yaozu felt a surge of anger. He snorted harshly and swept his imposing gaze around. Wherever his gaze fell, the soldiers grimaced and barely straightened up. Their perfunctory behavior only fueled Qian Yaozu's disgust. A bunch of peasants dared to put on airs in front of him, the son of a sage? They truly didn't know the meaning of death.

The law enforcement team is still the most effective.

Although they were originally local thugs, once they were organized, they became an indispensable force in maintaining order in Pingyang City, which can be considered a result of their efforts in education.

Qian Yaozu couldn't help but feel smug. He waved his hand and had his servants bring over a grand chair. He sat down on the city wall and gazed at the small black dot in the distance.

Qu Ming.

He could be considered his brother-in-law.

Even among local thugs and ruffians, he was considered to be of little ability.

However, he has no shame and a silver tongue.

No matter how disgusting, flattering words just come out of their mouths.

Such a person can be very effective if used in the right place. For example, if Qu Ming is made a wedding envoy, he might kneel in front of the Jurchen leader and lick his boots. If he does this well, the Jurchens will naturally not cause trouble.

Just like last time, he licked those Jurchens until they were beautiful, and even brought back a golden knife.

Of course, although it was called a golden knife, it was actually cast in bronze and not worth much money. However, the value of a golden knife was far beyond what money could measure. It was something that only the Great Khan of the Jurchen royal court could bestow, symbolizing nobility and glory.

He couldn't help but look forward to what Qu Ming would bring him this time.

Speaking of which, Shi Zirui and the two from the Zhang and Huang families went to Xinhou County yesterday, and I wonder how they are doing now.

Ten thousand bushels of grain, not a single grain less.

Of course, this grain was not brought back for the lowly people in the city to eat, but was to be offered to the Jurchens.

Thinking of the magistrate of Xinhou County, Qian Yaozu felt a little irritated. A mere seventh-rank magistrate, yet he acted so arrogantly. Even though he had already arrived in Pingyang territory, he didn't know to pay his respects to his superior. Did he think that he could swagger around here just because he had the title of viscount and the title of princess?
Just stupid.

This is not Songzhou, nor is it Dongling.

These identities have little meaning on this land.

If Song Yan is truly stubborn and unyielding, he wouldn't mind using the Jurchens' power to get rid of him... Given his relationship with the Jurchens, he figured they wouldn't refuse such a small request.

As for the claim that Song Yan was a brilliant military strategist who burned down tens of thousands of Japanese pirates and created ten mounds of corpses.
Anyone who believes this will be laughed at by Qian Yaozu for the rest of their life.

In Qian Yaozu's view, this whole affair was orchestrated by Luo Yuheng and Emperor Ninghe. The royal family wanted to regain control of the court and place their own people there, so they created momentum for Song Yan. The so-called tens of thousands of Japanese pirates, the Jingguan (a mound of corpses), and the piles of bones filling the mountain streams were all fabricated. Unfortunately, despite all that Luo Yuheng and Emperor Ninghe did, due to the obstruction of the Yang family and Bailu Academy, they could only relegate Song Yan to this remote corner as a county magistrate.

A jumble of thoughts raced through his mind, while his eyes were fixed on the black dots on the distant snowfield.

However, as he watched, Qian Yaozu sensed that something was amiss.

There are far too few black dots. Given the scale of the wedding procession, it would be a dense, dark mass on the snowy plains. Just how many black dots are there in front of us now?
one hundred?
Dozens?

Or even less?

Gradually, the distance between them grew closer.

Qian Yaozu's face had completely darkened. Let alone dozens, it probably wasn't even a dozen. The so-called black spot was simply a carriage.

Judging from the direction, they did come from Xinhou County.

Could it be that the magistrate of Xinhou County has finally come to pay his respects to his superior? Otherwise, he really couldn't think of anyone else who would travel from Xinhou County to Pingyang City at this time. He guessed that he was frightened by Shi Zirui's appearance. After all, Shi Zirui was the Sima of Pingyang, and in terms of rank, he was indeed several levels higher than Song Yan.

Humph.

If it really is that minor county magistrate, this time we must teach that guy a lesson and make this foolish brat understand what the rules of officialdom are.

Thinking this, he noticed that the carriage suddenly stopped a few hundred steps away from Pingyang City. Right next to the carriage was a small hill. As if remembering something, Qian Yaozu's face instantly turned extremely gloomy.

The car curtain opens.

Song Yan stepped out of the carriage.

He stared at the hill in front of him with a cold expression, but his eyes revealed a hint of murderous intent.

What is a mountain of corpses?

This is the mountain of corpses.

In the freezing cold, the rate of decomposition of the corpses slowed down considerably. Song Yan could still clearly see the tattered burlap on the corpses, the dark grime on them, and that each corpse was just skin and bones... They had starved to death.

His wide eyes had turned completely gray.

On some people's faces, one could still see a longing, a longing for food, as if they wanted to eat a hot meal before they died.

On the faces of some corpses, only relief remained; fear had long since vanished, and only death could free them from torment.

The entire mountain of corpses was about two stories high, but it covered a huge area. The corpses were scattered haphazardly, and Song Yan couldn't tell exactly how many corpses there were, whether it was five thousand or ten thousand.
Perhaps due to the high temperature inside the mountain of corpses, the bodies had already decomposed, and a faint stench wafted from between the crevices of the corpses.

Ah……

Song Yan suddenly smiled.

Is Pingyang City truly lacking in food?
Putting everything else aside, the grain that Qu Ming transported alone should be enough to feed the people of Pingyang City for a while, right?
How many times have such wedding envoys been sent to the bride's home?

Looking towards Pingyang City, even from a distance of several hundred meters, Song Yan could almost see Qian Yaozu's monstrous appearance.

Scholars, indeed.

They would rather use their precious grain to feed the insatiable jackals than share it with the people.

He would rather watch tens of thousands of people starve to death than let those corpses hinder his ascent.

This is probably what officialdom is like.

Song Yan slowly exhaled, facing the cold wind, and walked towards Pingyang City. Perhaps Emperor Ninghe had his reasons; he had to consider the bigger picture, but alas… he was not the emperor.

He didn't need to think about so much; he just wanted... clarity of mind.

Several days of sunny weather have begun to melt the snow, but the process is extremely slow. Only a tiny amount melts throughout the entire day. By nightfall, the melted snow mixes with the remaining snow and refreezes, causing the snow to harden. Walking on it feels like walking on glass—creak, creak, crack, crack…

The carriage did not stop; Zhang Long slowly urged the horses on, following behind his son-in-law.

Since that incident with Hua Lianyue, wherever Song Yan goes, he is openly accompanied by experts, but as for what happens in secret, no one knows.

Huff, huff, huff...

For some reason, even though it was just a slightly slender figure, and there was still a great distance between them, looking at that figure, Qian Yaozu felt inexplicably oppressed, and his breathing became more and more rapid. He had already stood up without even realizing it.

The person was a little shameless.

But Qian Yaozu was, after all, a proper scholar, and he still had his brains. When Song Yan's carriage stopped beside the mountain of corpses, he already understood that Song Yan had not come to Pingyang City to pay his respects, but rather... to cause trouble.

Step by step, as Song Yan got closer, the pressure on Qian Yaozu's chest grew stronger and stronger, and his hands involuntarily clenched tightly.

Finally, Song Yan arrived at the city walls.

This is clearly his territory. He could easily capture Song Yan with a single order once Song Yan enters Pingyang City.

But for some reason, Qian Yaozu was unable to issue such an order.

He had a premonition that if Song Yan were allowed into the city, it would be very dangerous, and things would develop in a completely uncontrollable direction.

On the city wall.

Under the city.

The distance between the two was only a few dozen steps.

Qian Yaozu finally saw Song Yan's appearance clearly. Just like the rumors, he was a handsome young man of seventeen or eighteen.

She was slender yet upright. She wore a cloak that fluttered in the cold wind.

The boy looked up at him, and the moment their eyes met, Qian Yaozu felt a strange sense of panic and guilt.

Then he saw the curve of Song Yan's lips.

hiss.

Qian Yaozu gasped sharply, his body trembling violently.

This boy despises him. He can see it clearly. In this boy's eyes, he's like a worm in a latrine—filthy and filthy. Those eyes, like two sharp arrows, mercilessly tear away all the pretense Qian Yaozu has left him, revealing his most authentic distortion.

A surge of anger instantly welled up from his lower abdomen and rushed to his head. He couldn't understand why a mere county magistrate dared to look down on him. Why?
Why?
Why?
He was the prefect, the highest-ranking official in Pingyang Prefecture.

You are nothing but a lowly son-in-law.

Taking a deep breath, Qian Yaozu calmed down and looked down at the boy. He tried to keep his voice calm as it carried on the cold wind: "Is the new magistrate of the county, Song Yan?"

"it's me."

“But you’ve already met with the superior since you came to pay your respects. The situation in Pingyang City is special right now, and it’s inconvenient for you to enter. You can go back now.” Qian Yaozu’s throat bobbed twice before he replied. Right now, he just wanted to get as far away from Song Yan as possible. He couldn’t imagine how a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy could bring him such terrifying pressure.

Song Yan raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the person on the city wall... His clothes were neat and tidy, without a single wrinkle. Even his face was quite handsome, exuding the refined air of a scholar.

"Hehe..." Song Yan suddenly laughed: "Greetings?"

"You hypocrite, what right do you have to ask me to pay my respects?"

Wow!

In an instant, an uproar erupted on the city wall.

The soldiers looked at each other in disbelief. "A beast in human clothing" was the perfect description of Qian Yaozu, but this was the first time in a long time that anyone had dared to speak to him like that.

Some people looked at Song Yan, the newly arrived magistrate of Xinhou County, was he really that brave?
Their eyes held a mixture of suspicion and admiration, for Song Yan had said what they wanted to say but dared not.

Hearing the words "beast in human clothing" and hearing the rustling sounds around him, Qian Yaozu almost couldn't catch his breath. His intense anger even caused goosebumps to rise all over his body. At this moment, anger overwhelmed his fear, and Qian Yaozu's eyes widened as he shouted sharply:

"How dare you insult me ​​like this!"

Song Yan scoffed, “Qian Yaozu, what are you? You were just a border army supervisor, what right do you have to command troops? You’re clearly a fool, yet you dared to interfere in military affairs. Generals Dou Xian and Liang Youde, along with 14,000 soldiers, all died because of you… Your crimes are heinous, and you show no remorse. You even tried to pin the blame for the breach of the border on the two generals, causing their entire families to be executed.”

“Poor General Dou’s young son and General Liang’s old mother, both died because of you.”

"You kidnapped me, a woman from Ningguo, and sent me to be defiled by those Jurchen barbarians. Is this what you scholars do? Are these the students of Xilin Academy?"

“Even those who deserve to be torn to pieces are a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times more noble than you, you beast.”

"Everyone under heaven can curse you and spit on you. Even if you die, your bones will be trampled by thousands of people, and your head will be drowned in excrement and urine."

"Qian Yaozu, your name is destined to be infamous for eternity."

“From this day forward, all people with the surname Qian will be ashamed of you.”

“You are the shame of Ningguo, the shame of the Han people.”

In the cold wind, all was silent.

Only Song Yan's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed in the wind, carried far away by the cold wind.

His words, which came right from the start, were meant to kill someone and destroy their spirit.

Scholars value their reputation most. Even if they do something outrageous, they will try their best to make amends and cover it up, just to avoid damaging their reputation.

Every day, large numbers of thugs patrolled the streets, and if they heard anyone talking behind their backs, they would beat them to death with sticks. Qian Yaozu's brutal rule was precisely because he didn't want any stain on his reputation. But now, no matter how well he pretended in his daily life, it was all ruthlessly torn apart by Song Yan's words.

Even the soldiers on the city wall paled. No one could have imagined that Qian Yaozu would be so vicious as to target even the families of the two generals.

Thinking of the two generals who died defending against the Jurchens, only to meet such an end, the soldiers began to tremble, their breathing became rapid, and their gazes toward Qian Yaozu were filled with ferocity and murderous intent.

Although they were just the lowest-ranking soldiers, they were unwilling to end up like this.

Qian Yaozu trembled all over, his face was deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with deep fear. He screamed like a madman: "Insolence! Shut up! Shut up!"

"I am the governor, your superior!"

Song Yan grinned: "Shangguan?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage curtain was lifted again, and Zhao Hu stepped out of the carriage, dragging a stiff corpse in his hand.

Dark blue official robe.

Qian Yaozu recognized him at a glance; it was Shi Zirui, whom he had sent to demand 10,000 shi of grain from Song Yan.

With a loud thud, as if a giant hammer had slammed down on Qian Yaozu's head, his trembling finger pointed at Song Yan: "You, killed Shi Sima? You... how dare you, that was your superior!"

Song Yan's smile deepened as he stared intently at Qian Yaozu: "The person I killed was the superior of all you pigs and dogs."

hiss.

Qian Yaozu felt another pang in his heart. He knew very well that the "pig and dog among men" boss that Song Yan had spoken of included himself.

"Song Yan, you...you don't mean you're planning a rebellion, do you?"

rebel!

Song Yan chuckled and looked away.

Qian Yaozu was breathing heavily. Seeing that Song Yan had stopped talking, he thought he had frightened Song Yan and had just breathed a sigh of relief when he vaguely sensed that something was wrong with the surrounding movements. Instinctively, he looked to his left and right, and then his heart clenched. He saw that the faces of the soldiers had all become extremely strange.

Although they were all exhausted from hunger, their faces were filled with indescribable excitement.

Yes.

Qian Yaozu already looked down on them, these peasants. Why should they have to live a life of ignominy under Qian Yaozu and do those dirty things just for a bite to eat?
Isn't there another path we can choose?

Since Ningguo has made it impossible for me to live, then... why not overturn this world?

Gradually, many people's eyes fell on Qian Yaozu, and those eyes were like steel needles, making Qian Yaozu feel a chill down his spine.

Fortunately, he had many guards by his side, which gave Qian Yaozu a slight sense of security.

After a brief silence, Song Yan's voice pierced the air once more: "You old beast... tell me, how many people were in that mountain of corpses? Ten thousand, or twenty thousand?"

"When you sleep at night, are you afraid? Afraid of the people you killed in Pingyang City, afraid that the soldiers you killed in Xinhou County will come looking for you in the middle of the night?"

Qian Yaozu's body trembled more and more violently, his lips quivered, and his eyes revealed an intense fear.

Nightmares haunt me every night, and I wake up in a cold sweat every time. The hundreds of guards there are probably just there for peace of mind.

His once handsome face was now contorted with madness; he seemed to have completely lost his reason, howling, "Shut up."

"You're not even fully grown yet, what do you know?"

“Those are Jurchens.”

"I've already done a tremendous service by saving Pingyang City. If you were in my position, you wouldn't have done any better than me. Once you've faced those Jurchens, you'll know just how terrifying they are..."

Song Yan shook his head, and Zhang Long and Zhao Hu took the heads out of the carriage one by one.

Song Yan picked one up and casually tossed it on the ground: "This is Qu Ming's head."

The head rolled away on the ground.

Qian Yaozu recognized the face, and his fear was more intense than ever before. The envoy was stopped by Song Yan.

I'm afraid all those people were killed by Song Yan as well.

Oh no, oh no, this is bad.

If this batch of grain and women is not delivered to the royal court on time, the Great Khan will be furious.

Qu Ming had been buried long ago, but because he was useful, he was dug out again. When they cut off his head, they carefully consulted Qu Ming to see if he agreed. He did not refuse, so he must have agreed.

He picked up another head and threw it in front of him: "This is the head of Wugucha, the little prince of the Jurchen Shibu."

"This is the head of the chieftain of the Jurchen Wugulun tribe."

"This is the head of Oribu, the eldest prince of the Oghulun tribe."

Song Yan curled his lip: "I not only faced them, but I also killed a lot of them. More than 20,000 people from the Wugulun tribe, regardless of age or gender, were all burned and killed without leaving a single one alive."

Qian Yaozu stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief and an overwhelming sense of fear.

This guy is insane, insane, he's really insane, how dare he?

The soldiers were staring intently at the head on the ground. They didn't recognize Wugucha or Wugulun Jilie, but they recognized Wulibu, who had once cursed outside Pingyang City. Although his head was covered in burn marks, his fat head and big ears must be Wulibu. No one else could have such a big head.

General Song, did you really annihilate the Wugulun tribe?

With a slight smile, Song Yan finally raised his arm and pointed at Qian Yaozu: "Go back and wash yourself clean and wait."

"I'm taking your head... no matter what."

"Oh, and remember to boil the water a little!"

"After all... the water is too cold, you'll be scared."

puff!
(End of this chapter)