Chapter 433
Chapter 433
Inside the Marquis Zhenyuan's estate.
Zheng Tuo had slept with all of Su Nan's beautiful wives and concubines, and then with all of Su Jianting's. It was truly a life of paradise. After several days of debauchery, it was time to attend to business. The time had come to send a memorial to the king.
But why hadn't he reported to the king as soon as he took the Marquis Zhenyuan's estate? He couldn't. If he had reported immediately, it would have been too close to the time the victory report was sent from White Night Commandery. Everyone would have suspected that the marquis's fortress had been taken too easily. So, he had to create the appearance of a great battle that had raged for several days and nights.
Not only that, but the walls of the Marquis Zhenyuan's estate had to be smeared with bloodstains and piled with numerous corpses. In any case, he had to create the illusion of a fierce battle. Zheng Tuo was a military man, so when sending a memorial, he didn't need to use flowery language or worry about word count. He just had to pretend he had never read a book in his life and write the memorial.
After writing the memorial, the two men sent two groups of cavalry to deliver it to the king and the crown prince.
Zheng Tuo said.
“Besides sending it to the king and the crown prince, we should send out more than ten groups of men to proclaim our victory in all directions and publicly announce the news. Let the whole world know that Zheng Tuo and Yang Yongnian have annihilated Su Nan's rebel army and pacified the rebellion in the western part of the State of Yue. As if we have single-handedly propped up a collapsing building and turned the tide!”
Yang Yongnian nodded. Zheng Tuo continued.
“Lord Yang, congratulations on this unparalleled achievement. From now on, you are a pillar supporting the State of Yue.”
Yang Yongnian returned the congratulations.
“You are too kind. The primary credit for annihilating Su Nan's rebel army belongs to Count Zheng Tuo. The Count of Pingxi is the true pillar supporting our State of Yue. But won't His Majesty know that it was Shen Lang and Zhang Chong who destroyed Su Nan's main army?”
Zheng Tuo sneered.
“What army did Shen Lang use to destroy the Su clan's main force? The Qiang cavalry. That was an ambitious act of bringing a barbarian army into our territory, so how is it any different from Su Nan's actions? We must vividly describe how he harbors treasonous thoughts in his heart. The disaster caused by the barbarians entering our territory a hundred years ago is still fresh in our minds.”
“Right, right! He had the support of the Qiang cavalry, and despite being a mere sixth-rank official, he acted insolently towards us. Not only did he disobey the order to attack the Marquis Zhenyuan's estate, but he also hindered us several times, helping Su Nan to escape!”
Zheng Tuo added another point.
“Furthermore, he unleashed the Qiang cavalry within the borders of Yue to murder, burn, and pillage wantonly. Even if he has merits in the battle of White Night Commandery, his faults far outweigh them.”
Yang Yongnian was taken aback.
‘He didn't do that.’
“If he didn't do it, we'll do it for him.”
Hearing those words from Zheng Tuo, Yang Yongnian understood his intent. To impersonate the Qiang cavalry, pillage everywhere, and kill people to frame Shen Lang—what a brilliant scheme it was. At critical moments, one had to be ruthless and decisive.
* * *
Two days later.
A group of Qiang cavalry appeared in White Night Commandery, murdering, burning, and pillaging everywhere. They attacked one city after another in succession; except for Zhenyuan City and White Night Commandery City, all the other cities were plundered and massacred. White Night Commandery was truly an unlucky place to be so brutally pillaged twice. The first time, Shen Lang had led people to plunder foreign merchants, but this time, the victims were the common people. Countless heads rolled on the ground, and several carts carried their severed heads away. A great number of houses were burned, and a great deal of money was plundered.
Every time the Qiang cavalry invaded a city to kill and plunder, they loudly proclaimed that they were doing so under Shen Lang's orders. They said that Shen Lang had borrowed ten thousand troops from the Qiang Queen but had yet to pay. The Qiang cavalry had helped Shen Lang defeat Su Nan's army, but in the end, they hadn't received a single gold coin. So, Shen Lang had allowed them to pillage freely within White Night Commandery, and whatever they took would serve as their military pay and reward.
How could the common folk possibly know the truth? All they knew was that the ones pillaging, murdering, and burning were dressed as Qiang cavalry and carried the Heavenly Wolf banners of the Qiang. And they knew for a fact that Shen Lang had used Qiang cavalry to defeat the Su clan's army. In an instant, countless people in White Night Commandery began cursing Shen Lang.
“That pretty-boy lord won't die a natural death! I used to say good things about him because he led people to plunder foreign merchants but never touched the common folk. But now that he's out of money, he's plundering ordinary people like us? Heavens, why don't you strike a man like Shen Lang with lightning? May heavenly punishment fall upon him!”
Because of the merciless slaughter carried out by Zheng Tuo and Yang Yongnian, almost every village in White Night Commandery was in mourning, with funeral clothes seen everywhere. And some people began to secretly expose the grave crime of Shen Lang's wanton killing of innocent people. In an instant, a crowd gathered and began to file accusations against him one after another. Some went to White Night Commandery City to file complaints, while others went to the prefectural office. Some went to the Third Prince in Lang Commandery to file their accusations. Still others went to Zheng Tuo at the Marquis Zhenyuan's estate. There was even a retired official who led a hundred scholars to the capital to file a complaint before the imperial court. The just-pacified White Night Commandery was once again thrown into turmoil.
* * *
Currently, Zheng Tuo was stationed at the Marquis Zhenyuan's estate, while Yang Yongnian was stationed in Zhenyuan City. The city's main administrative building had temporarily become the Central Commander's headquarters. Every day, countless people knelt and wailed before Yang Yongnian.
“Commander, please stand up for us common folk. My parents were both killed by the Qiang soldiers, and my wife was violated by those beasts.”
“Commander, please stand up for us. My entire family was killed by the Qiang soldiers, and my house was burned down. Now I have no home to return to. Shen Lang, that scoundrel, condoned the Qiang barbarian soldiers, bringing disaster upon us. Commander, please punish him.”
Thousands of people knelt outside Yang Yongnian's temporary headquarters, crying out in grief. Yang Yongnian, the Central Commander of Tianxi Province, trembled all over, shed tears, and shouted as if he had made a firm decision.
“Shen Lang, you scoundrel! How dare you bring a barbarian army into our State of Yue to murder, burn, and pillage, killing our people and their parents! I cannot live under the same sky as you! Shen Lang, you are truly vicious. Su Nan was the one who rebelled, but what crime have the people of White Night Commandery committed? How dare you order the Qiang cavalry to kill them? You have committed a monstrous crime! Elders and countrymen, rest assured. I, Yang Yongnian, will seek justice for you, even if I have to give up my official post! I will never forgive that scoundrel, Shen Lang!”
Hearing Yang Yongnian's words, the thousands of kneeling people wailed.
“Please be our fair and just judge!”
* * *
Soon, Zheng Tuo and Yang Yongnian used all their power to write memorials impeaching Shen Lang, and a wave of accusations against him flooded the capital. The contents stated that Shen Lang had brought a barbarian army into the territory of Yue, leading to a tragedy as horrific as the one that had occurred a hundred years ago. The people of the State of Yue still harbored a deep fear of the barbarian attacks and plundering from a century ago, and this incident painfully struck that most vulnerable nerve.
Yang Yongnian laughed loudly.
“With this, the great merits of that scoundrel Shen Lang will vanish like smoke. However, Princess Ningjue is still in White Night Commandery, so we won't be able to deceive the king.”
Zheng Tuo replied.
“There's no need to deceive the king; we only need to deceive the world and the officials at court. Besides, everyone will believe that the ones who pillaged, murdered, and burned in White Night Commandery were the barbarian Qiang army. They won't even consider that it could be the army of the State of Yue or our own troops. After all, we represent the court of Yue! Moreover, Shen Lang has a history of leading mobs to plunder, which makes it perfect for pinning this dirty crime on him. Shen Lang must be feeling smug right now after achieving such an unparalleled feat. Being hit with such a vile accusation at a time like this will surely send him into a panic. Hahahaha!”
* * *
Escorted by over two thousand Qiang cavalry and carrying several carts loaded with the heads of the Su clan's army, Shen Lang entered the territory of the State of Yue with an imposing air. However, not long after entering the lands of White Night Commandery, a scout reported spotting enemy activity. Shen Lang was startled.
‘Enemy activity?’
A moment later, a large crowd arrived, beating drums and gongs. An army of over five thousand soldiers blocked Shen Lang's path. It was the army of Yang Yongnian, Central Commander of Tianxi Province, and behind them followed thousands of commoners. The ones beating the drums and gongs were the commoners.
“Shen Lang, don't you run! You damnable fiend, give us back our families! Let's tear Shen Lang to pieces!”
“Commander, please kill the Qiang beasts and kill Shen Lang to avenge our grievances.”
The thousands of utterly furious commoners glared at Shen Lang with a bone-deep hatred, as if they regretted not being able to skin him alive.
Thump, thump, thump!
The intense beating of drums echoed as a man in full armor, exuding bravery, stepped forward from the crowd. It was Yang Yongnian, the Central Commander of Tianxi Province. He shouted loudly.
“Shen Lang, do you know your crimes?”
Shen Lang narrowed his eyes, spread his hands, and gave a slight shrug as if he didn't understand.
Yang Yongnian continued.
“A hundred years ago, barbarians entered our territory, murdering, pillaging, and burning. Five of our commanderies in the State of Yue fell, and more than a hundred thousand of our people were slaughtered. The memory of their numerous crimes is as fresh as if it happened yesterday. Yet today, you have once again brought the Qiang cavalry into our State of Yue, and because you failed to pay their military expenses, you allowed them to plunder our people. In recent days, the Qiang cavalry have murdered, pillaged, and burned in various cities of White Night Commandery, resulting in countless casualties and a scene too tragic to behold.
Shen Lang, don't you know these are innocent people? Even if Su Nan rebelled, what have they done? Your actions are worse than those of a beast! Everyone, look closely. Weren't these the Qiang cavalry who went to your homes to plunder, murder, and burn?”
The commoners looked closely at the Qiang cavalry and shouted.
“That's right, it's them. They wore those clothes and carried that banner.”
The Qiang banner, with its conspicuous Heavenly Wolf emblem, was unmistakable. Shen Lang instantly understood the situation. Yang Yongnian and Zheng Tuo had ruthlessly done something even Su Nan had not. They had impersonated the Qiang cavalry, rampaging, pillaging, murdering, and committing crimes, not only enriching themselves but also pinning the blame on Shen Lang.
How many people had they killed?
Just then, several carts rushed forward and were overturned. Countless heads rolled out from the carts. The heads of a full thousand people.