novelAbuy Chapter 117 Hiding in Another's Home - Execution
Chapter 117 Hiding in Another's Home - Execution
For Gao Xingzhou, it was just a minor matter of dealing with a brawl in the army. If he couldn't even handle a few thugs, then he would have wasted his more than 30 years of military career.
For the generals of the expeditionary force, the real trouble had only just begun.
The various armies, numbering in the tens of thousands, were stationed in various locations outside Taiyuan City. Every morning, the commanders-in-chief and other generals would come to the central army camp to see the commander-in-chief, Zhang Jingda, to discuss and decide on battle strategies.
Zhang Sheng, the Iron Man, lives up to his name; his skin is taut, like a solid iron plate.
"Our army has been bogged down at the city walls for over a month. His Majesty has issued an edict urging us to advance and attack. What strategies do you gentlemen have?"
Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Commander of the Cavalry and Infantry Yang Guangyuan, Commander of the Cavalry and Infantry Zhang Yanqi, Commander of the Cavalry An Shenqi, Commander of the Infantry Xiang Lijin, and Gao Xingzhou, the Commander of the Formation and Pacification Commissioner, remained silent.
Over this period of time, the generals had become familiar with Zhang Jingda's deliberation style, so they didn't really need to offer their opinions.
Seeing that the generals were silent, Zhang Jingda called out by name, "Wu Tinghan, as the commander of the fortified camp, why is the construction of the long siege still not completed?"
Wu Tinghan wore a bitter expression, and the generals looked at him with sympathy.
During this period, the weather was uncooperative, forcing the workers to use their ingenuity and exhaust their earthworks. Whenever the supervisors attempted to construct something, a violent storm would break out, causing the water to rise several feet deep on the flat ground, and the city walls would collapse, making it impossible to close the long siege.
Zhang Jingda knew he couldn't blame Wu Tinghan, but he needed to set an example and establish his authority. Seeing that Wu Tinghan didn't defend himself, he didn't pursue the matter further and instead asked about the progress of the siege.
Gao Xingzhou led his troops as the vanguard and reported in a deep voice: "The morale of the defenders has not waned, and their fighting spirit is quite resolute. Moreover, the city's defenses are complete, and they have ample weapons and arrows. Our army has been unable to breach the city walls."
They then reported their losses: nearly two thousand of their own men had been killed or wounded, while they had killed or wounded about three to five hundred enemy soldiers and used more than three hundred thousand arrows.
Attacking a fortified city is a long-term war of attrition. Before the city is breached, the attackers exchange their lives and resources for the wear and tear on the defenders' resistance and will. Such a casualty ratio is not surprising.
"Our troops have gradually assembled, numbering up to 60,000. It would not be unreasonable to intensify the siege, but we cannot afford to waste our strength in just a few rounds."
A strong attack on a city can quickly weaken the defending forces, but it will also cause a large number of casualties on your own side.
Several years ago, during the attack on the rebels in Dingzhou, a single reckless advance resulted in 3,000 casualties. As Gao Xingzhou said, 60,000 men may seem like a lot, but they couldn't withstand several such attacks. Unless the military situation is extremely urgent and a last resort is unavoidable, few commanders would make a gamble that could shake the morale of their troops.
As expected, Zhang Jingda shook his head and said, "The reinforcements from Hebei and Youyan have not arrived yet, so it is not advisable to launch a fierce attack at this time. Even if the Khitans send troops to help, we still need to reserve our strength to deal with them."
The topic finally turned to the Khitan.
Unable to completely encircle and cut off Taiyuan from the outside world, Shi Jingtang, in dire straits, would inevitably seek help from the north, a prospect that did not surprise his generals.
"Then we will continue with the original strategy: first defeat the Khitan reinforcements, and cut off any hope of anything happening in the city."
Several years ago, Wang Yanqiu used the same strategy when he attacked Dingzhou Wangdu. The two groups of Khitan troops that came to the aid suffered heavy losses, with almost none of them able to leave the border. Abaoji's youngest son and dozens of generals also came to the Central Plains as guests and have not yet been released.
Most of the generals present had fought against the Khitans, and they had no objection to Zhang Jingda's statement. No one believed that the Khitans' participation in the war would change the outcome of the battle; at most, it would only add some trouble.
Fu Yanqing, who had just arrived, raised a question: "I traveled south from Yizhou, passing through Yanmen Pass, and found no ambushes at any of the strategically important and dangerous locations. If the Khitan army were to advance unimpeded, how should we prepare for it?"
He was unaware of the recent events, and Zhang Jingda's face remained ashen, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Yang Guangyuan glanced at An Shenqi, coughed, and recounted how An Shenxin and An Yuanxin, along with six hundred Xiong Yidu men who were garrisoning Daizhou, had defected to Taiyuan.
"Daizhou is struggling to defend itself and has no spare strength to guard key locations. The Hebei troops have not arrived as scheduled, and our own forces cannot spare any troops to go to Yanmen to set up an ambush."
Zhang Jingda made the decision: "The best course of action now is for our army to wait in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out. If the Khitan army dares to penetrate too far, we will defeat their morale in one battle under the walls of Taiyuan."
He looked around at everyone: "When the time comes, the Youyan army will outflank them from behind at Feihu Pass, and together with the armies of Daibei, they will cut off their retreat. The Khitans' morale will surely waver, and Yelü Deguang will raise a large army. How can they not be defeated? When the Hebei army arrives, we will launch a general offensive and surely capture Taiyuan!"
All the generals rose in unison, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Commander-in-Chief, your insight is brilliant!"
……
In late June, the heat in Luoyang was oppressive.
Gao Huaide was listless and lacked energy. Ruhua lay in the shade in front of the hall, unable to withstand the heat wave, sticking out her tongue, just as listless as her master.
Lu Qian and Fu An noticed that Gao Huaixuan and Gao Huailiang were not there. They exchanged a glance and tiptoed closer.
Gao Huaide already knew that these two were no ordinary people, but having grown accustomed to their obsequious manner, he treated them with normalcy and was not particularly polite.
Seeing their furtive movements, he laughed and scolded, "Just say what you have to say, why are you sneaking around like this?"
Fu An took out a book from his bosom and respectfully held it above his head: "I have recently acquired a remarkable book, written by Bai Xingjian, the younger brother of Bai Letian, and I present it to you, sir."
Upon hearing that it was a book, Gao Huaide immediately lost interest and did not reach out to take it.
"Was Bai Letian's younger brother also a poet? Give it to my book-loving, silly younger brother, or you can give it to my sister."
Lu Qian coughed and said, "Young Master, you don't need this book for the time being, and as for presenting it to a young lady, that's absolutely out of the question."
"What kind of strange book is worth all this trouble, with such elaborate rules? Sister Xuan and Brother Liang can't even read it?"
Gao Huaide became slightly interested and picked up the book, flipping to a page at random. He had a basic understanding of writing, and a description immediately caught his eye.
"What kind of crap is this?"
Gao Huaide only half understood what he read, and then turned a few more pages.
"The beauty removed her silk skirt and embroidered trousers; her cheeks were like flowers, and her waist was like a bound ribbon..."
As you read on, the entire text is filled with obscene and indecent language.
Gao Huaide's expression changed drastically. He flipped the cover back over and saw nine large characters written on it: "Ode to the Great Joy of the Union of Heaven and Earth Yin and Yang!"
"Why would you send me this book? Are you all out of your minds?!"
He tossed the book back, which Lu Qian caught, carefully choosing his words, afraid of hurting Gao Huaide's pride.
"When we see a young master experiencing the first stirrings of love, it is common for him to be unable to restrain himself. But with time, he will get used to it and naturally be able to guard his secrets without any leaks."
"Wait, Lu Qian, what are you saying? I don't understand."
Lu Qian thought he was young and naive, so he pretended to be ignorant and subtly pointed out the tricks of the trade.
"The young master's act of seeking out courtesans in Yanzhou that day was actually too hasty. Those women had been in the world for a long time and had seen many men; how could the young master's virgin body possibly compete with them? In my humble opinion, it would have been more appropriate to start with young girls."
"Don't be so clever!"
Gao Huaide finally understood what Lu Qian meant and felt extremely embarrassed and annoyed: "Come with me for a walk."
After reading a few pages of this so-called extraordinary book, he felt a bit hot and thought it was probably due to the weather. Since staying at home couldn't escape the heat, he might as well go out for a walk to clear his head.
Lu and Fu realized they had made a fool of themselves by flattering him, so they quickly put away their precious books and followed closely behind.
……
Gao Huaide strolled along the Luo River, where willows lined the banks and merchant ships stood in rows. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the place where he had abandoned the Fu sisters on the Lantern Festival.
When Lu Qian mentioned the young girl, he couldn't help but think of Fu Yun and Fu Rong. They should have gone to Yizhou with Fu Yanqing, and now they are probably worried about the safety of their father who is going to war.
Hmph, girls are just girls, making a fuss over nothing. The old man fought so many wars, what could possibly happen to him? I, on the other hand, don't worry. Life's so carefree when no one's watching over me, haha.
After a moment of elation, he remembered that the residence of the target of his attack was nearby, and on a whim, he decided to go to Shi Jingtang's mansion to see if his home had been ransacked.
Two days ago, the emperor issued an edict ordering the confiscation of the property of fourteen people, including Zhao Ying, the military governor and judge of Hedong, causing quite a stir in the city.
"Shi Jingtang was shrewd enough to transfer his family's wealth out in advance. If he had decided to rebel, not only would he have had to run away, but he would also have had to find a way to take his money with him."
As Gao Huaide was accumulating so-called "experience in rebellion" in his wild thoughts, he heard screams and pleas for mercy coming from the other side of Shi Jingtang's mansion. Dozens of soldiers in full armor stood at the gate, dressed exactly like the emperor's personal guards from that night.
"They've already emptied the place. No matter how much you torture them, you won't be able to squeeze any more money out of them."
Gao Huaide was secretly mocking the Imperial Guards for arriving too late when two soldiers came out and reported to a commanding officer: "Someone couldn't withstand the torture and confessed where they were hiding."
The officer sighed, "A Right Guard General and a Deputy Envoy of the Imperial City—they were once our superiors. We cannot disobey the imperial decree; arrest them immediately."
Upon hearing that someone was to be arrested, Gao Huaide, not wanting to miss out on trouble, became even more curious about who would be captured, and followed the Imperial Guards all the way.
They meandered through the city, crossing the Luoshui Bridge from the north, where officials lived, and arrived at the south, where commoners resided.
This place is quite peculiar, with the remains of two small towns that have not yet been completely demolished, and the moat has not been filled in. The trickling stream from the Luoqu Canal ripples gently.
"Strange, how can the capital city have a city within a city?"
"Young master, you may not know this, but when Prince Qi, Zhang Quanyi, first took over Luoyang, the city was in a state of disrepair. So he took the area of Nanshi Cao and expanded one or two wards to build street barriers to set up the government office."
Eager to redeem himself, Lu Qian quickly explained the situation.
When Li Cunxu entered Luoyang, Zhang Quanyi submitted a memorial stating that the old city walls and gates should be demolished. The memorial was approved.
The imperial edict stated: "The old streets and alleys of Henan Prefecture shall be divided up, and the city moat shall be filled in by the people at their own discretion, so that they may build houses. The existing alleys on the city foundation shall remain alleys, and no one shall arbitrarily encroach upon them."
However, due to limited manpower and financial resources, and Li Cunxu's death not long after, the project was shelved and became an unfinished project. Today, many poor families live here, making it a truly difficult-to-discover hiding place.
The imperial guards dispersed, blocking the gates of the neighborhoods and sending men to monitor all sides to prevent the escapees from climbing over the walls. A group of people then rushed in.
"Not here!"
"It's not here either!"
"I've searched there, but it's not there!"
How big could a neighborhood be? They quickly searched the entire area, but found nothing, so someone called out.
"General Shi, Vice Envoy Shi, please come out yourselves and leave each other some dignity."
"Shi Jingwei, the commander of the Zhangsheng Army, has already killed his wife and daughters and committed suicide. Do not live on in disgrace and become a laughingstock."
"You two are the Empress Dowager's grandsons, so you should be able to keep your lives. You won't die, so please come back with us."
After shouting for a while to no avail, the Imperial Guards went from house to house, arresting people and interrogating them one by one. After a few blows of fists, kicks, and clubs, some people couldn't take the beatings and confessed that they had seen a house with unfamiliar faces coming and going recently.
That family had no connection with Shi Jingtang; they only hid him in their home because they were greedy for a little money.
He thought he was just an ordinary fugitive, but he was unexpectedly implicated in a treason plot, which led to a huge disaster. He was so frightened that he fainted and hurriedly pointed out the specific location of his hiding place in an attempt to escape punishment.
"Found it, it's down in the well!"
Soon, Gao Huaide saw two boys being escorted out by soldiers. Both were under twenty years old and their faces were covered in dust and dirt, probably from hiding in the well, so his expression was not visible.
One of them was distraught, muttering to himself. Upon closer listening, it was clear that he was calling out a woman's name, "Ah Lin."
It was probably his wife or lover, Gao Huaide guessed.
Sure enough, just as he was about to be taken away, the man shouted, "Feng Lin, I, Shi Chongyin, will be your husband again in our next life!"
Immediately afterwards, the entire family that had hidden the two were also captured. The family, young and old, wept and begged for mercy.
The Imperial Guards ignored it.
An elderly couple with white hair, presumably the family's grandparents, suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly until their foreheads were covered in blood. They said they were willing to accept their punishment, only asking that their grandson be spared.
Gao Huaide looked at the child and saw that he was about the same age as his younger brother Gao Huailiang. He was still quite childish. Although he felt scared, he was not terrified.
One of the Imperial Guards sneered, "You probably don't know what crime it is to harbor a traitorous criminal, do you? Not only you few, but the master will also have to run errands to arrest your relatives and clansmen."
Upon hearing this, the two elderly people turned ashen-faced and collapsed to the ground.
The Imperial Guards weren't kind enough to lift them up; they kicked and beat them to force them to their feet, then dragged the desperate family away, their steps faltering.
Witnessing the horrific scene of the arrests and ransacking, Gao Huaide shook his head, thinking that Shi Jingtang's two sons were not only cowardly and afraid of death, but also dragged their entire family down with them. They were no heroes.
"If I were in that situation, I would kill as many as I could, and the higher the rank I killed, the more I would profit."
Gao Huaide had this idea for no reason, but immediately realized he was overthinking it. His father was on the side of the court, so how could he be a traitor?
A few days later, he passed through Taipei and saw dozens of severed heads hanging from the city tower, their hair disheveled and suspended high.
Gao Huaide inherited his father's sharp eyesight and could clearly see that apart from the two heads of Shi Chongying and Shi Chongyin, which were marked with names, the rest of them did not have any names.
There was a boy's small head, with an expression of horrified despair as he faced death. (Note 1)