Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 387 Blood Feud (Part Two)
After a night of fierce fighting, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The palace was littered with mutilated corpses, blood flowed everywhere, and the stench of blood was so thick it was nauseating.

Bound like a dead dog, Zhang Yun was in a sorry state and had no strength left to struggle. He lay on the ground, watching helplessly as Pei Qinghe, her eyes cold and filled with murderous intent, approached with a knife.

The immense fear of impending death made Zhang Yun tremble all over. He finally pleaded, "General Pei, please spare my life. I'm willing to surrender!"

"The Bohai Navy has been defeated, and Bohai City will belong to you, General. I will help you reunite the Bohai Navy, and then your power will be known throughout the world. I only ask for a way to survive..."

Pei Qinghe didn't listen to any more, coldly swung her knife, and cleanly severed Zhang Yun's head.

Blood debt must be paid with blood!
Zhang Yun's skull rolled several times, his eyes wide open in death.

This battle is not over yet.

Pei Qinghe first sent troops to occupy the palace, then issued a military order for his soldiers to search for deserters and defeated soldiers of the Bohai Navy within Bohai City. Those who surrendered by throwing down their weapons would be spared, but anyone who resisted would be killed without exception.

The generals and soldiers readily accepted the order and led their respective troops to search for the deserters.

Finding deserters isn't difficult. Just go to any house with an open door, and you'll catch a few deserters eight or nine times out of ten. Other doors may be tightly locked, but cries and screams may be coming from inside. Kick the door open, and you're sure to find something there too.

Some of the fleeing soldiers were exceptionally cunning, hiding silently in the cellars of ordinary people, thus escaping the first wave of pursuit by Pei's army. However, these fleeing soldiers couldn't show themselves at all; as soon as they did, they were mercilessly killed.

For the people of Bohai County, this night was exceptionally long. Countless people died under the swords of fleeing soldiers, and countless women were violated. The Pei family army soldiers rushed in to kill deserters, and the people waited in despair to be slaughtered along with them.

This is what is meant by the ravages of war and chaos. The common people are like cattle and sheep awaiting slaughter, utterly powerless to escape or resist. If the Bohai Army can wreak havoc on the people, does that mean the Pei family army won't kill?

However, they were all wrong.

Pei's army pursued and killed deserters, or tied up surrendered Bohai soldiers and men and took them away, but did not lay a hand on the civilians.

The people who had narrowly escaped death hurriedly locked their doors again, then shed tears of joy at surviving the ordeal.

The chaos in Bohai County gradually subsided two days later.

In the past two days, no fewer than three thousand deserters have been executed, and even more deserters have chosen to surrender. Adding to this the large number of soldiers who surrendered when the city fell earlier, the number of surrendered soldiers is quite substantial. It's difficult to count them all at once.

Pei's army successfully took over the city's defenses. Yang Hu led troops at the city gates, while Li Chi, Lü Feng, and others led troops to patrol the city and continue searching for any remaining enemies.

Pei Qinghe, carrying the two heads, found the burial place of the Li and Lu families.

Released from the imperial prison, Minister Qin had lost a great deal of weight due to the ordeal. The emperor had died, the empress and the crown prince were dead, and the Grand Duke was gone.

Qin Shilang seemed completely drained, his back slightly hunched, his voice trembling: "General Pei, this is where Madam Li and Madam Lu were buried."

Out of loyalty to the deceased emperor, he couldn't help but say a few more words: "This tragedy was truly unexpected. The emperor wanted to save people and went to the Zhang residence in person. Unfortunately, he was too late. By the time he arrived at the Zhang residence, Madam Li and the others were all dead."

The tragedies of the Li and Lu families were truly no one's fault but Emperor Jian'an's.

Pei Qinghe looked at Minister Qin expressionlessly: "I led troops to seek revenge against the Zhang family, with no intention of forcing the emperor to abdicate. The emperor died at the hands of the Zhang father and son. When I led my troops into the palace, the empress and the crown prince also died at the hands of the Zhang family's personal guards."

Thinking of Emperor Jian'an's tragic death and the humiliation he suffered after his death, the loyal Minister Qin's eyes reddened and tears streamed down his face.

Pei Qinghe ignored the weeping Minister Qin.

She placed the two heads in front of the grave, then knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Pei Yun, Pei Yan, Pei Zhi, Pei Xuan, Pei Feng, Pei Yue, and all the other direct descendants of the Pei family knelt down and kowtowed together. "Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, the blood feud of our Pei family has been avenged." Pei Qinghe's nose suddenly stung with tears, and her vision blurred. "You can rest in peace now, even in the afterlife."

Pei Yan, who was usually carefree, suddenly burst into tears.

Everyone cried.

From receiving the devastating news to issuing a proclamation and sending troops, and now kneeling before the grave to pay our respects, nearly half a year has passed.

The spirits of the Pei family elders can finally rest in peace.

Pei Qinghe also cried bitterly.

So what if we killed the Zhang father and son? Our kind and generous great-aunt, our hypocritical and stubborn grandmother, and Fang and the others, are all forever buried underground, never to come back to life.

The greatest pain in the world is the separation of life and death.

As if sensing the grief of the Pei family's descendants, dark clouds gathered, a cold wind howled, and a light rain began to fall, which soon intensified.

"Qinghe, my cousin," Pei Yun said softly, her eyes red, "let's go back!"

Pei Qinghe wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded: "It's time to go back. When the army returns in a few days, we will bring our elders back to Pei Family Village for burial."

Soaked by the rain, Minister Qin pleaded in a low voice, "I wish to kowtow before the Emperor's tomb. Please grant me permission, General!"

Pei Qinghe finally looked at him properly: "Minister Qin is a true loyal minister, just like Prime Minister Pang. I respect loyal ministers like you the most. You may go if you wish, and you can stay as long as you like."

Vice Minister Qin bowed deeply in gratitude.

Emperor Jian'an died a gruesome death; his body was never properly buried and was left to dry on the city wall for several days, bound with wooden sticks. Only after the Pei family army breached the city gates was Emperor Jian'an's body finally carried down. By the time of burial, his body was already rotting and stinking, a truly pitiful sight.

Empress Zhang and the young crown prince were also buried together.

A family of three, all together.

Qin, the Vice Minister, knelt before the emperor's tomb, weeping uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, I advised you not to blindly trust the Zhang family. You refused to heed my advice and stubbornly insisted on your own opinion. As a result, you were killed by the Zhang family."

"Jingchao thus perished."

"With the Emperor gone, leaving behind so many loyal ministers in the court, where are we to go now?"

The dozen or so civil officials who were considered loyal ministers of the emperor and had been imprisoned along with Minister Qin also knelt before the emperor's tomb. Listening to Minister Qin's heart-wrenching cries, all the civil officials shed tears like rain.

The rain intensified, soaking everyone to the bone. A biting chill seeped into their very bones.

“Minister Qin, we should go back now.” A civil official supported the swaying Minister Qin and cried softly, “Let’s all go to your residence to discuss our next steps.”

Prime Minister Pang never returned and was detained in Pei Family Village. The civil officials in Bohai Commandery were then led by Vice Minister Qin.

Minister Qin rose shakily: "Let's go back!"

……

(End of this chapter)