Chapter 20: Punitive Expedition
The Yuanliao Wei Zhen Army advanced in force into Huinan. Before even engaging the rebel army in direct combat, the city defender of Huinan was thrown into prison along with all the male members of his family for failing to suppress the uprising effectively. The female relatives were thrown to the ravenous soldiers to serve as rewards for the troops. The commanding general didn't even bother to hide his actions as he pushed the city defender's youngest daughter into his tent.
The vanguard commander Gao Xuan expressed slight dissatisfaction with the commanding general's actions and secretly said to Si Hu: "His Majesty gave no orders. General Xia punished the city defender's entire family on his own. This doesn't seem right, does it?"
Si Hu replied: "General Xia has been in a bad mood lately. Don't say anything more."
Lieutenant General Tai Qingduan wore an indifferent expression and patted Gao Xuan's shoulder, advising: "What are you afraid of? When has His Majesty ever punished General Xia? He wouldn't dare!"
Si Hu said coldly: "Did you not hear what I said? Everyone shut up."
Among this group, although Si Hu was the youngest and usually modest and easygoing, his martial skills were ruthless, and his status was second only to the commanding general and the Protector of the Realm. Thus, when they saw his cold face and heard his sharp tone, everyone forced a smile and stepped back.
A woman's heart-wrenching scream suddenly echoed from the commanding general's tent, then abruptly stopped.
Everyone wore expressions of horror. No one dared to approach that tent.
Only Zhong Shan hesitated not even a moment before pushing aside the curtain and walking in.
After a long while, Man Cheng emerged covered in blood and walked directly into Zhong Shan's tent.
Zhong Shan then strolled out and said casually: "Have someone clean up inside."
Xiu Yi dismissed her maids and served dishes to Zhang Zhou herself, persuading: "It's rare that you came to my estate. Don't keep such a long face."
Zhang Zhou remained silent.
Peng Hong smiled bitterly: "Xiu Yi, don't try to comfort him. Just eat yourself."
Xiu Yi shot him a glance, then asked: "How's the situation in Huinan?"
"You, a woman, meddling in such matters? These are all male..." Peng Hong started, then saw Xiu Yi's白眼, so he stopped.
Zhang Zhou still didn't utter a word.
Xiu Yi's frustration built up inside her, and she muttered to herself: "Ah, isn't this the spiced lamb chops that Man Cheng loves most? I wonder if Zhong Shan will have the Wei Zhen Army's chef make them. Well, he probably won't let Man Cheng eat them anyway. The weather's getting drier and drier—eating this would cause excessive internal heat. Zhong Shan is really so considerate and attentive..."
"Xiu Yi!" Peng Hong lightly called out.
Xiu Yi stabbed her silver chopsticks onto the table, then picked up food into her own bowl, and continued: "Unlike some people, who took advantage of my little brother when he was young and didn't know any better, now that he's someone entirely different, naturally they want to嫌弃 my brother..."
Zhang Zhou's expression grew even more grim.
"Man Du just died, and immediately someone secretly sent my poor little brother to Huinan. I'm not sure what the weather is like there in Huinan—what month is it already? Why is it still so hot? I heard Man Du say that his brother got prickly heat all over his back when he returned from Youlian Mountain—when did this child start getting prickly heat every year? How can someone so old still be like a child? Really makes one worry... Ah, Your Majesty, why aren't you eating?"
Peng Hong found it both funny and exasperating.
Xiu Yi ate a few bites nonchalantly. "I just remembered, Your Majesty has been dining at Rongxi Garden these past few days. I suppose the dishes at the Prince's mansion don't suit your taste. The Queen Consort is such a wonderful woman—unfortunately, whenever I look at her belly, my heart feels uneasy, so I haven't visited these past few days. Your Majesty, how's your precious child?"
Zhang Zhou finally couldn't hold back anymore and slammed his bowl and chopsticks onto the table.
Xiu Yi had watched Zhang Zhou grow up, always treating him like a little brother, without the slightest fear of his status. When she saw him lose his temper, how could she stop? Instead, she spoke even more harshly: "That child is the lifeblood of Yuanliao. You must take good care of him. As for Man Cheng, don't worry—Zhong Shan is there anyway..."
"Xiu Yi Jie!" Zhang Zhou cut her off, his voice cold: "The reason I've been taking such good care of Weiyang is because that child belongs to Man Cheng."
Xiu Yi was stunned.
"I hope that when this child is born, Man Cheng might change a little..." Zhang Zhou said dejectedly: "I know I owe Man Cheng... If that child is a boy, I will make him Crown Prince. When he grows up, I will hand over Yuanliao to him."
Peng Hong's face showed shock.
"What else can I do?" Zhang Zhou sighed. "I really don't know how to face Man Cheng now. He makes me more and more afraid. This time in Huinan, he privately executed the entire family of the Huinan city defender, implicating over two hundred people..."
The chopsticks in Xiu Yi's hand clattered twice onto the table.
Backstory
A black shadow quietly entered the Queen Consort's palace, Lian Sen Garden, from the back courtyard.
In that familiar room, someone was crying softly. He pushed open the door and tightly embraced the person who was crying.
On the bed, there was a child sleeping soundly, with a face full of innocence and worry-free innocence.
The child's mother trembled all over, struggling to break free from the person holding her, and softly rebuked: "Zhang Shun, what are you doing here?"
"I've come to take you both away." Zhang Shun held her hand, his face full of hope and sincerity. "I've arranged everything... Qu Nuo, you just need to hold Zhouzhou..."
"No!" Qu Nuo refused outright. "If I leave, my reputation will be completely destroyed. Never mind about me—His Majesty will punish my father and mother, will punish my brother and Zhenlie!"
Zhang Shun knelt at her feet. "Qu Nuo, it's been so many years. You always use this as an excuse! Can't you ever think about yourself for once? I gave up everything for you—can't you think about me for once? Even if not for me, think about Zhang Zhou! Tomorrow he's being sent to Anqing. We'll never see him again in this lifetime. He's still so small..."
Qu Nuo was in tears, straining with all her strength to pull her hand free from Zhang Shun's firm grip. "He... he's an illegitimate child. He never should have remained in the palace!"
"On what grounds?" Zhang Shun's grief and indignation were overwhelming, tears pouring unstopped. "On what grounds is my child an illegitimate child? I didn't compete with the eldest brother for anything. He secretly killed my sister, and I still went out to battle and kill enemies for him—it's only to protect you and your child. I've waited for you all these years. How long are you going to make me wait? Today, you must come with me!" As he spoke, Zhang Shun took a large step forward, wanting to grab Qu Nuo.
But Qu Nuo kept retreating. She fell and sat on the floor beside the bed, sobbing: "His Majesty knows about our relationship but not only did he not punish me, he kept awarding and honoring the Qu family. I should be grateful to His Majesty..."
"Bullshit! He's sending Zhang Zhou to be a hostage. And you still thank him?" Zhang Shun roared in a low voice: "He has so many sons. I only have one Zhang Zhou. Why does mine have to be sent away!"
"Zhang Shun, don't do this! You..."
Ignoring Qu Nuo's plea, Zhang Shun walked over and seized her. "Today, no matter the cost, I'm taking you both away!"
Qu Nuo couldn't break free from his grip. Suddenly, she pulled out a hairpin from her hair and stabbed it toward her own chest.
Zhang Shun was so startled his soul nearly left his body. He quickly grabbed the hairpin.
Qu Nuo let out a startled cry. Her heart ached so much her hands trembled as she held Zhang Shun's fist, her voice hoarse with crying: "Stop following me! If... if you follow me, I'll just die..."
Bright crimson blood seeped slowly from Zhang Shun's fist. "You..."
He collapsed in despair, all strength leaving his body. The pain in his palm was barely noticed—just his heart, bleeding outward.
Qu Nuo held him, begging: "Stop being stubborn... Forget about me. In the future, you... you can marry concubines and have many more sons. Just pretend Zhang Zhou died young, just pretend you never had this son. I beg you..."
Zhang Shun knelt on the ground, his heart dead beyond recovery, tears flowing平静ly and endlessly.
The child on the bed was awakened by the commotion. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up.
"Oh... Uncle, why are you here?"
Zhang Shun held back his tears with effort, took a deep breath, and said: "I heard you're going to Anqing to play tomorrow, so I came to see you."
Zhang Zhou giggled, grabbed Zhang Shun's hand, then was startled. "Uncle, why is your hand bleeding?"
"I..."
"When I was making you a hobbyhorse, I pricked my hand." Qu Nuo was sobbing beside them, said softly.
Zhang Zhou blamed himself: "Uncle, I don't want the hobbyhorse anymore. Sorry—does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Zhang Shun pulled him into his embrace, tears pouring endlessly, his voice shaking: "Zhang Zhou, when you go to Anqing, remember your uncle."
"Of course I will. When I come back, I'll bring you something fun."
"..."
"Uncle, why are you and Mother crying?"
"Because... we're going to miss you."
Zhang Zhou had a childlike face, comforting him: "I'm coming back in a few days. Father didn't even cry, so you two shouldn't cry either."
"..."
"Uncle, this is the first time I've seen you cry. Didn't you say men can't shed tears?" Zhang Zhou reached up to wipe away his tears, acting like a little adult comforting him: "Stop crying. You've broken my heart."
"Silly boy, learning my words from me." Zhang Shun tried to force a smile, but the tears never stopped.
Backstory
"There are two roads to attack Yuanliao. One is to pass through the Kingdom of Deng. As long as we breach Anqing and then break through the Pingbei stronghold, the Yuanliao capital lies ahead. This route was originally the nearest and most convenient one. However, now Zhang Shun has concentrated all his forces here, and Deng Kingdom is wary of Zhang Shun, so they refuse to cooperate with us..." Lu Tong said. A sound of "smacking smacking" could be heard in his ear. He pretended not to hear it and continued: "Therefore, at present we only have this remaining route—to forcefully cross the Cun Jiao River beside Jingcheng. On the opposite bank of the river is the Gang Shou Gorge of Yuanliao. However, this natural barrier is easy to defend but hard to attack. I'm afraid..."
"Ptooey ptooey..." Watermelon seeds were flying everywhere.
"If we can fortunately seize Gang Shou Gorge, the subsequent Pinliu County also has treacherous terrain. If we can dispatch a force to flank Pinliu County from behind while our main army attacks from the front, we might still have some chance of victory..."
Everyone listened to this grim situation, and worry appeared on their faces.
Zhang Zhou asked humbly: "Master Lu, what do you think?"
Since Lu Tong—a genius knowledgeable in astronomy, geography, and skilled in strategy and military tactics—joined Zhang Zhou, the question Zhang Zhou asked most often was this one.
Lu Tong, his great talent being put to use, was grateful to Zhang Zhou and would do anything for him, holding nothing back. Of course he wouldn't disappoint Zhang Zhou now, so he said: "Your Highness the Third Prince, the city defender of Gang Shou Gorge, Zhang Yuanhao, was originally a loyal general of Your Highness's father. After Zhang Shun usurped power, he volunteered to guard this border. Probably he was also afraid of Zhang Shun's suspicion. From the information I've collected, this man is greedy for wealth and power. If we give him some benefits, perhaps he will open Gang Shou Gorge..."
"Cough... cough cough cough..." Someone who had been专心 eating watermelon might have taken too big a bite and got choked, coughing repeatedly, spraying watermelon flesh and juice everywhere.
Zhang Zhou couldn't scold or coax him, so he signaled to Peng Hong.
Peng Hong had been wanting to curse for a long time. Now he immediately shouted: "Man Cheng! Go eat over there! What are you doing here to join the crowd?"
Man Cheng glanced at Zhang Zhou aggrieved, carried the remaining half watermelon, and walked dejectedly to the corner to crouch.
Lu Tong thought amusedly: I really don't know why the Third Prince and the son-in-law brought this little burden along.
Zhang Yuanhao opened Gang Shou Gorge wide to welcome the Dudong Army that had come to punish Zhang Shun.
Zhang Zhou and Peng Hong divided into two armies, intending to breach Pinliu in one decisive strike, but they were repeatedly blocked. Fortunately, Lu Tong devised another plan and secured aid from Xiongzhou, a neighboring kingdom of Yuanliao.
The Xiongzhou army arrived directly behind Pinliu and, together with the Dudong Army attacking from the front and rear, quickly captured Pinliu.
To gain Xiongzhou's support, Zhang Zhou readily promised that if he ever took the Yuanliao throne, he would return the Yuanliao territories that Zhang Shun had seized to Xiongzhou.
The two armies got along harmoniously. The King of Xiongzhou was also very pleased and dispatched Crown Prince Yang Daochun to assist Zhang Zhou in completing his great enterprise.
The punitive army against Zhang Shun gained even more momentum. Neighboring countries all watched and waited, not knowing into whose hands the wavering Yuanliao regime would ultimately fall.
However, only Zhang Shun alone knew that the one coming to punish him was his only son.