Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 381 Who Killed (Part 1)

Pei Qinghe sent Sun Cheng and Tao Feng, each leading a team, to rush to the city gate and hurl insults and curses at them.

The Bohai Army held back today, neither shooting arrows nor retaliating with insults. Instead, the cries of "The Emperor is here, Pei family army, retreat immediately!" echoed endlessly.

After a short while, Sun Cheng and Tao Feng returned together. Sun Cheng's expression was extremely solemn, and he said in a low voice, "General, the one tied to the city gate is indeed the Emperor. I saw the young Prince Zhangwu when I was serving in the capital. I can't be mistaken, the one on the city gate is him!"

This expected answer still startled Pei Qinghe.

Something terrible must have happened in Bohai County!

Otherwise, how could someone who was once the emperor be reduced to being pushed onto the city gates like a lamb to the slaughter?
"It must be internal strife!" Li Chi suddenly exclaimed. "We've been attacking the city, and the Bohai Army won't be able to hold out for long. The Emperor wanted to use General Zhang's head to save his own life, so he took action against General Zhang. In the end, he was captured by General Zhang and pushed onto the city wall."

Everyone went to see Li Chi. Lü Feng grinned: "When it comes to internal strife, Li Chi is an expert. His prediction is definitely correct!"

This was because Yin Yang Li Chi personally killed General Li on the day he died, in order to save his own life.

Well, although his words were harsh, he wasn't wrong.

Li Chi's sore spot was touched, and his expression turned unpleasant. He glanced at Lü Feng coldly and asked, "I wonder where General Lü is now living out his retirement?"

The eldest brother doesn't speak ill of the second brother. Do you, Lü Feng, think you're so glorious? Weren't you the one who imprisoned your own father and seized military power?

Lu Feng was so embarrassed and angry that he glared at Lu Feng.

Pei Qinghe glanced over indifferently, and Li Chi and Lü Feng immediately suppressed their anger.

"This general agrees with Li Chi's deduction," Pei Qinghe said. "Their internal strife will benefit us. However, there is a difficult matter at hand. General Zhang has completely abandoned all pretense of shame, pushing the emperor out as a shield. How should we deal with this?"

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, Pei Yun spoke up: "There are only two paths before us: either retreat or ignore everything and continue the siege."

Pei Qinghe immediately rejected the second option: "We cannot shoot the emperor!"

Emperor Jian'an can die, but it's best not to die at her hands!
The Pei family army came to avenge their elders' blood feud with the Zhang family, not to plot a rebellion. If they were to kill Emperor Jian'an, the situation would become unpredictable. Public opinion was initially overwhelmingly in favor of the Pei family army; they couldn't act for the sake of momentary gratification!
She wanted to lead her troops to conquer Bohai County in a dignified and honorable manner!

Furthermore, General Zhang clearly wanted her to be branded as a regicide. She couldn't let General Zhang get his way.

Pei Qinghe's intentions were clear, and Pei Yun understood immediately: "Then let's withdraw our troops today and then discuss countermeasures."

Yang Hu chimed in, "Retreat today, come back tomorrow. General Zhang can't keep the Emperor tied to the city gate every day."

"That's not necessarily true." Lü Feng raised an eyebrow: "If this method worked for me, why wouldn't I use it?"

"So, you'll only ever be a rough and uncouth military general." Li Chi finally seized the opportunity to mock him: "That thing around your neck isn't just for show; it should be moved occasionally."

The feud between Lü Feng and Li Chi was nothing new. They'd disliked each other since their days in Liaoxi City. Later, both joined Pei Qinghe's forces, adding another layer of conflict. In just the last two months, they'd clashed several times, both openly and secretly. If it weren't for Pei Qinghe's presence, they would have already come to blows.

Pei Qinghe was in a bad mood and glanced at the two of them again: "There's no need to attack the city today. You two have some free time, so go back to the military camp's training ground and practice."

Lu Feng and Li Chi immediately felt embarrassed and shut up again.

Pei Qinghe took a deep breath and ordered a retreat. The cavalry and infantry behind him retreated like a receding tide. Pei Qinghe glanced at the figure on the city gate in the distance, then turned his horse and rode away.

Bound and gagged, Emperor Jian'an, dizzy from the sun, saw the army receding like a tide, and the figure of the female general riding away. He wanted to scream, "Pei Qinghe, come and save me!"

Unfortunately, with its mouth stuffed with a stinky cloth, it could only manage muffled sounds no matter how hard it tried. Tears, which had been building up for who knows how long, finally streamed down its face.

However, he was now nothing more than a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others. He whimpered for a long time, but no one even glanced at him.

The sun overhead grew increasingly intense, and he became more and more dizzy from the heat. Before he fainted, he managed to glance at the sky, his heart filled with utter despair.

My grandfather died of illness, my father was poisoned to death, and my uncle, the King of Wei, was burned to death in a fire.

When it comes to him, the king of a fallen kingdom, is he destined to be left to rot on the city wall?

……

"Immediately spread the word that General Zhang has launched a coup. Let everyone in the north know that General Zhang is a traitor and a rebel, and that everyone has the right to kill him."

"Furthermore, issue invitations to all armies in the north to come to the aid of the emperor. No matter what, we must show that the Pei family army is still a loyal subject."

After returning to the military camp, Pei Qinghe summoned all the generals and gave them his orders one by one.

General Lu, the oldest among them, was clearly enraged by General Zhang's misdeeds. He gritted his teeth and roared, "General Zhang has gone too far! The emperor can be killed but not humiliated! If he wants to rebel, let him rebel; why humiliate the emperor like this!"

Pei Qinghe's lips twitched, then a cold smile appeared on her face: "He's deliberately trying to annoy me, forcing me to kill the emperor! How could I let him have his way!"

"Send men to watch the city gates. If the emperor is brought out, we will retreat. If the emperor does not appear, we will immediately attack the city."

"I'd like to see who has more patience and who can hold out longer!"

……

Zhang Yun, pale-faced, was carried into the palace on a wooden plank by his personal guards.

Last night, a fierce battle raged in the palace, resulting in countless deaths and injuries, and the stench of blood lingered for a long time.

The severely wounded General Zhang could no longer move and lay on the imperial bed. When Zhang Yun was carried in, the imperial physician was changing the dressings and treating the unconscious General Zhang.

With the help of his personal guards, Zhang Yun managed to walk to the bedside.

He didn't know anything about medicine, but he could tell his father was seriously injured. The Pei family army was lurking outside the city, ready to launch a full-scale attack at any moment. He was still recovering from his injuries, and now his father had collapsed. Even if he managed to stay alive, he wouldn't have the strength to go back to the city gate.

Bohai Army's morale was already low, so how could they possibly stop Pei Family Army?
Even if Emperor Jian'an were pushed to the city gate, how many days could he survive?

A personal guard came to report: "The Pei family army has retreated! The Emperor has fainted from the heat! General Shen has sent someone to ask how to take care of the Emperor next."

General Zhang had several fierce generals under his command, but several of them had died in battle over the past two months. Among the remaining generals, General Shen was the most valiant and skilled in battle. Now, they could only rely on him to lead the troops to defend the city.

Zhang Yun gritted his teeth and said, "Feed him a bowl of water and a steamed bun every day, don't let him die too soon."

(End of this chapter)