Volume 4 Chapter 77: Ceremony
In this battle, although the main force of Western Xia put up a fierce resistance for a while, it eventually collapsed due to lack of strength and various subjective and objective conditions, and the battle ended very quickly.
Among them, the Xixia commander Weiming Chago was killed in the battle, and the Black Bull Banner was seized. When his body was found, he had been hit by at least seven or eight arrows from the Shenbi bow and his blood was almost drained.
The leader of the Poxi army, Wei Mingji, was killed in battle, the general of the Zhuosheng army, Wei Mingyu, surrendered, and the leader of the Tieyaozi, Wei Mingyie, led a small number of Tieyaozi to break out to the south.
In response, Yue Fei only sent several thousand light cavalry to pursue, and ordered the entire army to clean up the battlefield and prepare to rest for a day, and then cross the river to take Lingzhou when they were ready.
Unexpectedly, on that afternoon, before the battlefield was cleaned up, someone from the other side suddenly crossed the river here. They represented several large foreign tribes and were willing to serve as an insider and offer Lingzhou... Qu Duan personally interrogated them, but found the reason why the other side was so eager to surrender extremely funny.
It turned out that there was a large tribe in the city on the opposite bank who came to support from Hengshan Yanzhou. They were not from Xingling at all, so they had been uneasy about the movements in Hengshan early on. Today, this army took advantage of the opportunity when Cha Ge crossed the river and the large number of Song troops pressed forward, and suddenly took control of the defense of Lingzhou City in a semi-mutiny way.
Weiming Renli and Weiming Yunge who stayed on the other side of the river were caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos. Seeing this, many other tribes also took the opportunity to give up crossing the river. This was the incredible scene that Chage saw this morning. At this moment, as the other tribes outside that tribe watched Chage's army being annihilated on the west bank of the river with mixed emotions, they finally realized that the situation was difficult to change, so they simply surrendered.
"Let me ask you." In the afternoon sun, Qu Duan sat on the ridge in front of the iron elephant and continued to face him coldly. "Since you don't control Lingzhou City and are blocked outside the city, how dare you tell me that you want to surrender the city? If you want to surrender the city, it should be the one who controls the city, right? Besides, since they control the city, they will naturally want to surrender. Tomorrow when our army crosses the river and arrives at the city, they will naturally open the gates. Why do you want to take advantage of me here?"
"So that we can let Commander Qu know," the foreign general answered hurriedly in panic. "That being said, there is another theory... The family in the city was originally the garrison commander of Yanzhou, and at this time, Yang Zheng, the governor of Huanzhou opposite Yanzhou, has already led the light troops to chase from the old Great Wall road north of Hanhai. If they travel day and night, they may arrive early tomorrow morning... If you say that these two families have no connection, do you believe it, Commander?"
Qu Duan finally narrowed his eyes slightly.
The foreign general who was fluent in Chinese and good at speaking was overjoyed when he saw this, and he didn't care about his face at all: "General, the current situation is that Chago's main force is gone. Although there are 20,000 soldiers on the other side, they are divided into three groups, and they are all frightened birds... At this time, as long as the Song Dynasty's royal army arrives, no matter who arrives first, it will be a situation of taking everything! When Yang Zheng arrives, all the credit for the other side of the river will go to the imperial camp's rear army!"
Qu Duan sneered but did not answer. He just jumped on his horse and rode towards Yue Fei's banner.
Upon hearing about the situation on the other side of the river, although Yue Fei didn't care much about such things, since the situation was like this, there was no reason for him to reject Qu Duan, with whom he might have closer cooperation in the future, especially when Qu Duan suggested that Wang De's troops, which had the least merit in this battle, could take the lead in this matter... So he agreed immediately, but asked the other party to be careful and not to be greedy for merit and fall into an ambush.
Since Yue Fei had given him face, Qu Duan of course returned the favor and took the initiative to promise to cross the river and launch a surprise attack at night.
Without further ado, let's not talk about the fact that the war here was over and Qu Duan and others couldn't wait to go and fight for the merit of Lingzhou at night. Let's just say that on the afternoon of that day in late April, the Zhao Song official, who didn't even know that a war had just broken out, finally arrived at his loyal Youzhou City after two days of travel.
It can only be said that although Hu Yin was not with them to arrange everything properly, the proactive Lü Benzhong, with some eunuchs, was able to take care of some miscellaneous affairs. In addition, Jie Yuan and Yue Chao who were accompanying them were both veteran generals, and Dong Xian and Zhai Cong had already isolated themselves from the danger in the east, so there were no emergencies on the trip to Youzhou.
The Tangut leaders still flocked to the city, and Emperor Zhao still came out to put on an act to calm people's hearts.
"Your Majesty, most of the people who came today are the tribal leaders of Yinzhou, Shizhou, and Zuoxiang Junsi..." After the general meeting outside the city was over and the king and his ministers entered the city, before the dinner began, Lu Benzhong reported in a serious tone. "But the people who came are only the second sons of the tribes and the old patriarchs who are no longer in charge. It seems that the people who are in power in the year of the year have not come."
"Why is it so?" Zhao Jiu, who had just changed out of his armor and put on a red robe, frowned slightly.
"I think it's because the three places in the east are adjacent to Suide and Jinning, and the Jin army still has tens of thousands of people there." Lu Benzhong quickly offered his answer. "They are cowardly and have no vision, so even though they submitted a surrender letter and allowed Generals Dong and Zhai to enter their city, they still dare not bring their clans to make a decision."
Zhao Jiu took the hard-winged futou from the flustered Liu Yan, put it on himself, and then asked, "So, today seems to be lively, but there are actually no important people?"
"That's not the case..." Lu Benzhong immediately mentioned a name. "Rendo Baozhong is here. He is the old man with a white beard who was the first to take the lead in bowing to the emperor and offering a camel ten miles outside the city today."
After putting on the hard-winged futou, Zhao Jiu was reluctant to move, but he was still a little surprised: "Is there anything special about this person? I thought he was in the front just because he was older... But the white camel is good, docile and majestic."
"Your Majesty." Lu Benzhong laughed immediately. "It's normal that your Majesty doesn't know this person. This is a poor and remote place. Even the most outstanding hero in the seven states is nothing in front of the world. Besides, even if this person has some ability, it's a thing of the past."
Zhao Jiu began to tie the golden belt around his body, while Lu Benzhong continued to explain.
It turns out that the Jinda tribe was originally a large tribe of Yokoyama, but its tribe gradually became famous throughout the world and gradually stood out, all thanks to two people.
One of them was the military supervisor of Hengshan in Western Xia during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, named Renduoweiding. He was a cunning man and fought many battles with the Song Dynasty. He was mostly the one who planned for the Song Dynasty and took the initiative to attack the Song Dynasty. But as the saying goes, those who are good at swimming drown, and those who are good at attacking die in battle. During one of his last attacks on Huanqing Road, he was blocked by the Song army and died without a burial place.
But even so, after decades of efforts, this man finally made the Jinda tribe stand out and become the representative tribe of the Yokoyama tribe.
Hearing this, Zhao Jiu, who was wearing a golden belt, finally smiled and said, "I understand. Emperor Shenzong was the main warlord against Xixia, and this man was the military supervisor of Xixia's most important Hengshan front, so his reputation must have been mentioned a lot in the Imperial Song Dynasty... Not to mention, half of the literary talent of this dynasty was during Emperor Shenzong's reign, and there were many celebrities, so the things that happened at that time were inevitably mentioned a lot, and he became famous as well."
"That's exactly the reason." Lu Benzhong also relaxed and said.
"As for the other person, it should be this Renduo Baozhong." Zhao Jiu finished dressing and stood in the distance, slightly serious. "I guess, although I don't know who he is to Renduo Weiding, but judging from his age, this person should have gained some fame in the wars during the reign of King Cheoljong. Can he be regarded as a local general whose name can be recorded in the history books?"
"That's right." Seeing that the emperor was well prepared, Lu Benzhong spoke faster. "However, the reason why this person is famous is that there are two major events that have nothing to do with military affairs... One is that he helped the young queen Liang to kill Liang Yibu; the other is that there are rumors that this person, probably because the military power was taken by Cha Ge, planned to surrender to the Song Dynasty thirty years ago. After the incident, Li Qianshun did not kill him, but only dismissed him. I didn't expect that he is still alive now... Of course, this kind of person is not worth mentioning in the final analysis. It's just that he is the most senior and pompous person at the banquet today, so I came to remind the emperor."
It sounded like a conspirator who was more eager for political power than the general. Zhao Jiu had wild thoughts in his mind, but he just nodded, then said nothing and just glanced at Liu Yan.
Liu Yan understood and led dozens of soldiers out first. Lu Benzhong also hurriedly followed. Emperor Zhao, under the protection of more than a dozen imperial guards, stopped for a while before slowly walking out.
Outside was a hall that seemed very simple to the people of the Song Dynasty. There was no one in the hall except a few guards. After leaving the hall, the open space in the courtyard was suddenly bright. Many soldiers stood at the base of the courtyard wall, and nearly a hundred tables were neatly arranged in the empty courtyard, with some wine and vegetables.
This was the former base of the Xixia Jianing Army in Youzhou City. Next door was a temple of an unknown sect. Emperor Zhao chose this temple as his residence, but because the lobby was too narrow, he simply gave up the hall and held the banquet in the courtyard where he could have appointed generals.
It was the time of the year when the day was the longest. Although it was a dinner party and it was indeed late in the evening, the light was still very sufficient. Zhao Jiu came out of the hall and could be seen clearly at a glance.
The one hundred and eighty people who were qualified to attend the meeting in the courtyard included several ministers and generals who had accompanied him here, as well as the foreign tribes of Hongzhou, Longzhou and Xiazhou who had led their troops to Jintang City a long time ago, and the local people and the chieftains of the foreign tribes at the east end of Hengshan who had just met Emperor Zhao Song for the first time ten miles outside the city this afternoon. Including the leader, the seventy-year-old Ren Duo Baozhong, they had already made preparations when Liu Yan, Lu Benzhong and others left. When they saw Emperor Zhao in a bright red robe, they were even more shocked. Nine out of ten of them knelt down and kowtowed to greet him with great ceremony... This made several accompanying civil officials who had originally just bowed a little embarrassed.
Of course, there were no eunuchs around, and Emperor Zhao was too lazy to pretend. He just waved his hand and asked everyone to stand up, then sat back in his seat.
The banquet began immediately.
But to be honest, this banquet in the northwest, in the former land of Western Xia, with the Dangxiang people as the guests of honor, and in front of the emperor, so it is not easy to compose poetry, and drinking games are basically impossible... Emperor Zhao can only speak up, ask about everyone's well-being, and make some political promises.
However, although it was a political commitment, no one dared to ask the official about the specific arrangements after the war, including whether the foreign households should be relocated inland, whether the foreign soldiers would be retained, what treatment the foreign soldiers would receive, whether the foreign chieftains would be given actual assignments after the dust settled, and how the administrative divisions of these places would be reconstructed. No one dared to ask the official about these serious issues, and the official did not mention them on his own initiative.
This made the whole banquet seem a little bland and boring.
Of course, this is understandable since the war is still undecided.
"His Majesty."
After three rounds of drinks, the white-haired and white-bearded Nita Baozhong, who was sitting in the front row on the right, slowly stood up with a wine glass in his hand, as if he was going to propose a toast, but still no one paid any attention.
And sure enough, this person first proposed a toast to Emperor Zhao to wish him a happy birthday, but after drinking he did not sit down. Instead, he took the opportunity to raise the cup and bowed to ask for speech.
"General Renduo, please speak." Zhao Jiu didn't care, especially because his clothes made it difficult for him to make any unnecessary gestures, and it was difficult for him to express his importance.
"I was born in a wild land and have long admired your rule. Today I am honored to see you, Your Majesty. So I have two gifts that I would like to present to you. I hope you will accept them." Jinduo Baozhong first lowered his head with difficulty to put down the wine glass, then stood up again and bowed his head slightly. His movements were slow and sluggish, and it was obvious that he was really old, and not pretending to be old.
When this person stood up just now, Zhao Jiu was a little concerned because of his reputation, but when he saw this, he also felt it was a little ridiculous, but he didn't show it on his face, just calmly said:
"Hasn't General Renduo already given me that white camel? I like it , why is there another gift?"
"Let your majesty know that the camel was sought by the local county officials. I was only asked to present it because I am old and my hair and beard match the color of the camel's fur, so it looks good to lead the camel... This thing cannot show my loyalty, nor can it be considered as my gift." Nita Baozhong replied slowly. "The two gifts I am talking about now are what we have worked hard to prepare for your majesty's trip."
Zhao Jiu immediately responded: "In that case, bring it up!"
Upon hearing this, Nida Baozhong raised his eyebrows slightly and turned back to look in the direction of the courtyard gate... For a banquet like this, everyone would naturally be searched, and gifts could only be sent after inspection.
Liu Yan went down personally, and a moment later two armored soldiers came in. Liu Yan also quickly turned back and whispered something in the official's ear.
Ren Duo Baozhong forced himself to be alert and stared at the reaction of Emperor Zhao Song. Under his gaze that did not waver for a moment, Emperor Zhao did not show any surprise or discomfort when he heard his words, and even the hard wings on his head did not shake at all... At this moment, Ren Duo Baozhong secretly cursed himself for being ridiculous, and then returned to normal.
When the gift was presented to the emperor, the soldiers opened it and took out a bloody head, which had not even been preserved with lime. When this thing was revealed, Lu Benzhong and Zheng Zhichang, several civil officials, turned pale, while the rest of the people, including Emperor Zhao, showed no extra expression, and were just curious at most.
Renduo Baozhong did not keep anyone in suspense. He walked out slowly and knelt beside the head.
"Sir, this is the head of little Ju Delu... Previously, the three departments of Yin, Shi, and Zuoxiang discussed returning to the right path, but they felt that they had done nothing to save their lives, so they came to ask me. I suggested that they take this man's life and make sure to present his head before your arrival today as a token of their gratitude... The leaders and soldiers of the three departments have not arrived yet, as they have all gone to fight for your sake."
Zhao Jiu rarely shook the hard wings on his fu hat, but he glanced at the pale-faced Lu Benzhong. When Lu Benzhong heard this and was looked at by the emperor, his face turned even paler.
"Who is little Ju Delu?" Zhao Jiuqing knew that this was not the time to worry about Lv Benzhong's incompetence in these matters, so he kept his expression unchanged and did not ask any further questions.
"Reporting to the emperor." Renduo Baozhong continued to answer seriously. "This man is a Dangxiang, but he is a Dangxiang from Liao. He is the Liao's Southwest Recruiting Envoy... A few years ago, the Jin people went south and the world was in chaos. Just like General Li Yongqi and General Li Shifu, father and son, entered Xia from Suide, this man also led more than 100,000 Khitan, Xi, Bohai, Mengwu, and Dangxiang people from Liao to Xia. He originally disdained to surrender to Xia, so he first attacked Zheshi Fengzhou and Linzhou, preparing to establish a career there. As a result, he was defeated and fled, leaving only 30,000 to 50,000 Khitan people. He could only surrender to Li Qianshun through the Xiazhou commander Weiming Heda, and thus obtained support from Hengshan. Only then did he gain a foothold in the area behind Xiazhou and Yinzhou, and also captured Jianning Village in Linzhou as his base. Li Qianshun used him to serve as a barrier to the northeast of Western Xia and isolate the Jin people."
By the way, Lu Benzhong on the side was actually a smart man. After hearing that this man led more than 100,000 former Liao people to escape to Western Xia, he suddenly realized that this gift was exactly what Emperor Zhao really needed!
The situation of Western Xia was actually settled after Yue Qu Hu and his three men succeeded in their surprise attack on Xingqing Prefecture. After Wu Jie took advantage of the situation and pressed into Hengshan, the situation was irreversible. However, the battle that followed was still very interesting, especially how to arrange Yelu Dashi, contain Yelu Dashi, and control Yelu Dashi as an ally...
The remnants of the Liao Kingdom were the weak spot of Yelu Dashi, who had a large territory but a small population. Before, Xiao... Zhao Heda had 70,000 to 80,000 people, and now Xiao Ju Delu had another 30,000 to 50,000 people. Together, they were enough for Yelu Dashi to take advantage of. Obviously, Ren Duo Baozhong, who was old and experienced, had sensed something from the expulsion of Zhao Heda, and had forcibly found a real credit for the tribes at the eastern end of Hengshan from the situation of being forced to surrender.
But thinking of this, Lu Benzhong became more and more uneasy... He thought that this time he came here was the first time to do serious work after his father retired and he became an official, but he was outshined by an old man in his seventies. It was really embarrassing. He didn't know if the emperor would still think he was useful after this incident?
On the other hand, Zhao Guanjia certainly didn't care about Lv Benzhong's worries. He was overjoyed when he realized his mistake, but he didn't show it on his face. He just nodded slightly and made a joke with a straight face:
"If the first gift is a human head, then the second gift could be a map?"
Renduo Baozhong was stunned for a moment, obviously not understanding the low-brow joke of Emperor Zhao. Not only that, he was a little uneasy because Emperor Zhao did not show any joy. He just said seriously: "Reporting to the emperor, the second gift is not a map, but a city..."
This time it was Zhao Jiu's turn to be stunned, but only for a moment before he blurted out, "Is it Lingzhou? I remember Wu Jie had a military report saying that your nephew Ren Duoshitai was the commander of Yanzhou and was the first one to be sent to Lingzhou by Cha Ge. That's why he asked Yang Zheng, who was familiar with your nephew, to pursue him."
"Your Majesty has spoken the truth." Bao Zhong became more respectful. "I have an agreement with Shi Tai... Cha Ge entered Lingzhou, and there was no way forward. This is a dead end in the art of war. We dare not delay, and can only cross the river hastily to fight. I asked him to contact the rest of the army, and then communicate with Wu Dutong and Yue Dutong, and make sure to take Lingzhou City for the Majesty, and stop Cha Ge's thoughts."
"Wouldn't Brother Cha suspect your nephew?" Lü Benzhong finally couldn't hold back and questioned. "You must know that you were dismissed because you were planning to return to the Song Dynasty."
"So that this superior officer knows." Bao Zhong turned around and said, "Although I am a recognized traitor to Xixia, my brother, Shi Tai's biological father, died under the sword of the Emperor Song, so Cha Ge will not doubt him."
Lu Benzhong was stunned for a moment, obviously unable to adapt to the thinking and style of these border tribes.
Zhao Jiu, however, remained calm and unhurried: "Then I ask you, did you communicate with your nephew before Cha Ge went west, or after?"
Baozhong hesitated for a moment, then bowed to the ground: "It was later... The decision to attack the Xiaoju tribe was made after Weiming Heda was driven out."
Zhao Jiu sat still, only nodded slightly, causing the two hard wings on his head to sway slightly: "Then I ask you again, do you know what your actions are in the eyes of the world?"
"I don't understand many things, but I know that I am a treacherous villain... because my actions are indeed opportunistic." Bao Zhong's hair and beard were all pressed to the ground, revealing a tense scalp, but there was no hesitation in his words. "If Your Majesty kills me now, people in the world will only say that I have brought this upon myself."
"Considering your behavior during the Xixia court dispute, you almost looked like an eagle watching a wolf." Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged. "If I really want to kill you, I will... Renqing, I have some vague plans for the Tanguts. The details will have to wait until this battle is over, and then I can discuss it with the prime minister and the envoys."
"Yes." Renduo Baozhong didn't seem to realize that Emperor Zhao called his surname wrongly.
"Let's not talk about other places. The seven states of Hengshan are too cramped. I plan to merge them into two states, or two states into one army. The details will depend on the situation later."
"yes."
"As for the Dangxiang people, I can only tell you some of my definite ideas, so as not to break my promise to you... First, I will not move inland, but I will change my surname and customs. After the dust settles, all Dangxiang tribes will have a Chinese surname. As for Li Yuanhao, he kept his head but not his hair, or kept his hair but not his head. I am going to do the opposite here. Keep your hair and keep your head, or abandon your hair and abandon your head... The root cause of the hundred-year rebellion of the Western Xia was that the Dangxiang could not return to the Han Dynasty. In the future, I do not want to see the Dangxiang people regard themselves as an ethnic group, which will separate the Han people from the Han people."
"yes."
"The locals are good at fighting, and they are half herders and half farmers. Most of them are good at riding, so I will definitely use Tangut soldiers... First , we need to expand the imperial cavalry. Those selected into the cavalry are no different from the regular soldiers of the imperial camp. The leaders of each tribe cannot stop the warriors from acting on their own; second, we do need some auxiliary soldiers who know how to take care of camels and war horses... But the so-called leaders are between the Han system and the Tibetan system. I only recognize the Han system and official positions, not any tribal leaders. If you use this identity to talk to me, it will work for now, but after this battle, you will be courting death."
“…Yes.”
"But I also know that the two countries have been feuding for a hundred years, especially here in Hengshan, which has been in rebellion for more than 150 years. If you return to the right path today, you will be restrained by the people of the Western Army in the future. You will feel uneasy." Zhao Jiu finally replied with a sigh. "If you make trouble again and annoy people again and again, it's fine. I'm afraid that with this marginal land, the country's plan to conquer Jin will be lost... Renqing, you are sitting idle in Hengshan. If you really have any intention, you should know that my intention is actually very easy to guess. That is, in a thousand words, I can tolerate anything in order to conquer Jin and unify! For this matter, I tolerated powerful ministers, Confucian scholars, bureaucrats, military customs, the separation between the north and the south, landlords, monks and Taoists, powerful and wealthy businessmen, and the return of the two emperors to the south. I am afraid I will also have to tolerate Yelu Dashi... Then of course I can tolerate you a little bit!"
Renda Baozhong kowtowed repeatedly: "The tribes of Hengshan will never hinder the emperor's great cause of conquering Jin! I hope the emperor will have some sympathy for the hardships of the people here!"
"They all deserve pity." Zhao Jiu said disapprovingly. "Guanzhong suffered too, the Central Plains suffered too, at least you didn't experience large-scale wars, as for taxes, Bashu, Jiangnan, Jingxiang are all more difficult than the other... I remember them all! I can only guarantee to treat everyone equally!"
"That's enough!" Nita Baozhong raised his head slightly.
"But you should also remember that if someone does something weird and delays the conquest of the Jin Dynasty, I will never tolerate it... Especially in recent years, when the situation has improved, my temper has become worse and worse, and I am not as easy to talk to as before." Zhao Jiu finally made a conclusion slowly. "In the next few days, you will stay by my side and be a waiter at the gate, specializing in the affairs of the Tangut tribe... You know what a waiter is, right?"
"I know." The white-haired and bearded Renduo Baozhong was surprised, but at the same time, he looked awe-inspiring like Lu Benzhong who was sitting aside and watching this scene.
As for the local bureaucrats and chieftains of the foreign tribes, including the officers and eunuchs accompanying the imperial camp, most of them were stunned by what they had heard, probably because of the huge difference in level between them.
After receiving the two gifts, Zhao Jiu was too lazy to continue to entertain him. He just drank another glass of wine and as it was getting dark, he went back to the next door temple to settle down.
Hundreds of miles away, as the sun set, chaos suddenly broke out inside and outside Lingzhou City.
Weiming Yunge also chose to wait until dark, and then launched a surprise attack on the city in order to rescue Weiming Renzhong, Wang Shu, Cao Guozhang and others. However, the surprise attack was not smooth, and many tribes did not work hard, and the tribe that occupied the city, that is, the Renduo Shitai tribe, also reacted quickly after the initial confusion and fought with Weiming Yunge's men at night.
In the darkness, people's hearts were in turmoil, their positions were divided, and many people had ulterior motives. The raid quickly evolved into street fighting, and the street fighting turned into melee and looting... It didn't take long before the second largest city in Western Xia was engulfed in flames.
And this firelight also served as a signal to alert the Song army in various locations.
On the other side of the river, Yue Fei saw the chaos on the other side with his own eyes, and knew it was not fake, so he immediately urged Qu Duan and Wang De to lead their troops across the river to capture the city, in order to control the situation while sweeping away the remaining Western Xia troops.
On the other side, in a small stronghold next to the Great Wall in the northeast of Lingzhou City, Yang Zhengyao, the governor of Huanzhou, saw the fire and did not hesitate to order the entire army to abandon their baggage and attack Lingzhou.
Just like that, at just the second watch, the infantry of Wang De's imperial camp poured in from the defenseless west of the city. Qu Duan then led the cavalry to sweep the main streets, capturing the looting, killing and raping Dangxiang rebels, and drove the surrendered foreign soldiers to fetch water to put out the fire.
In the chaos, after learning that the Song army had entered the city, dozens of Han officials including the Western Xia prime minister Wang Shu and Cao Guozhang who were guarding the government office died. Pu Wang Weiming Renzhong, who was also in the government office, stayed behind. After making sure that everyone was dead, he personally set fire to the firewood and other miscellaneous items that he had ordered his subordinates to pile up outside the government office during the Broadday Mutiny. Not only did he burn the government office down to the ground, he also buried himself.
When the fire started, Weiming Yunge couldn't tell whether he was sad or relieved, but there was no reason for him to sit in the city and wait for death, so he fled the city with the remaining thousand people. Then, he didn't dare to go north along the river, so he had to turn to the desert.
In the darkness of the night, perhaps because there were too few soldiers, Brother Yun and his party did not cross paths with Yang Zheng and managed to escape.
However, after finally stopping in the desert to take a short rest and looking back at the Lingzhou City where the fire was gradually dying down, he turned around and was shocked to hear the news - the most senior figure in the team, Shu Wang Weiming Renli, whom he had saved twice, had committed suicide on the camel with a dagger.
It seems that he chose to commit suicide shortly after leaving the city.
Brother Yun said nothing and sat down beside Renli's body. He didn't shed any tears, but just felt confused and terrified.
The sky was about to brighten, and smoke was still rising from Lingzhou City. What was waiting for this city was an execution - Qu Duan, commander of the imperial cavalry, sat upright on an iron elephant, standing in front of the government office in the city which had become a ruin. On his left, Wang De was standing beside him, sneering. On his right, Yang Zheng, the governor of Huanzhou, did not dare to ride a horse at all. He just stood with his hands crossed in front of the old superior's horse, looking solemn. If you didn't know better, you would think he was a guard leading the horses.
On the street ahead, about a hundred Tangut chieftains and officers, some burned, some wounded, some soaked in dew, were in a state of utter disgrace, but could only stand trembling on both sides of the street, heads bowed and silent. Farther down the street, thousands of Tangut soldiers were tied up tightly, thirty in a row, and were continuously escorted to the street among these chieftains by Song soldiers, and then beheaded in public.
These are the criminals who took advantage of the chaos last night to loot, kill, burn and rape. They are to be killed in name only.
In this way, the fighting continued until the morning. As thousands of soldiers' heads fell to the ground, Emperor Zhao, who was far away in Youzhou, finally received his second gift.
"Lü Sheren."
Just as the city of Lingzhou was in a state of panic, Ren Duo... the new gatekeeper who had officially changed his name to Ren Baozhong, could not wait to come and see the only person who could be considered his superior among the people.
Lu Benzhong, who was drinking millet porridge, looked up in surprise. He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that Ren Baozhong looked much younger, and even his scalp was much tighter... Obviously, this man was much older than his father, okay?
"Ren... Sheren." Lü Benzhong was from a famous family, so he was well-mannered. Although he was wary of this, he still stood up and bowed, using the honorific title of Zhihou. "Do you have any advice?"
"Yes." Ren Baozhong clasped his hands. "In fact, I would like to present another gift to the emperor... If this gift is presented, the people of Xixia will be more stable, but this matter must be decided by Lu Sheren."
"Oh?" Lu Benzhong immediately became interested. "If you have such a generous gift, why didn't you present it yesterday?"
"I just found out about this today." Ren Baozhong was full of energy. "It turns out that the emperor has traveled west for half a year and didn't even bring a concubine with him! And when I asked, I found out that the emperor only has two concubines, but he has enough children, so it's just right... What do you think... Is this a good thing for both the public and the private?"
Lü Benzhong instantly realized what the other party meant. Out of some instinct, he immediately wanted to refute him, but for some reason, when the words came to his lips, he was speechless. On the contrary, after thinking about many obstacles, this Lü Sheren was actually moved.
