Chapter 666
Chapter 666
Did Scholar He have a grudge against Shen Lang? Yes, he most certainly did. This Scholar He had passed the provincial examinations at the age of twenty, a success in his youth. However, for more than a decade afterward, he failed to pass the metropolitan examinations and remained in the capital, hoping for a chance to climb the social ladder. Around that time, Princess Ningyan would often cause a stir in the capital, dressing as a man to drink in the brothels and demand female companionship.
When Scholar He saw this, he thought his opportunity had arrived. He assumed Princess Ningyan's behavior meant she was a debauched woman. Believing himself to be rather handsome and talented, he sought to win her favor, hoping to become her paramour and achieve a meteoric rise in status. One day, he brazenly presented her with a poem he had written. But how could he have known that despite her outrageous facade, the princess was as pure as jade? Upon receiving the poem, Princess Ningyan glanced at it and flew into a rage.
‘What is this piece of trash? Daring to try and seduce me? I’ll have this man beaten to death!’
He was then beaten half to death by Princess Ningyan’s female warriors, suffering three broken ribs. He never dared to approach her again. But later, he heard that Princess Ningyan had broken off her engagement with the son of Prince Yan of the Great Yan Dynasty for Shen Lang’s sake, and had even secretly become his concubine. The news sent Scholar He into a towering rage, making him feel as if his own woman had cheated on him.
‘Shen Lang, what makes that pretty boy any better than me? Princess Ningyan, I told you how I felt, but you paid me no mind and had me beaten half to death! And then you turn around and throw yourself at Shen Lang? Where is your dignity as a princess, shamelessly becoming his concubine?’
From that day on, he considered Shen Lang his greatest enemy.
“It is said that when a nation is about to fall, monsters appear. Our State of Yue is doomed to fall at Shen Lang’s hands. He is the very harbinger of our ruin!”
Scholar He ground his teeth, spoke those words, and left the brothel. Two hours later, he left the capital in disguise, heading straight south.
‘I will pledge my allegiance to Prince Gong. In the future, I will rise to a high position, while you, Shen Lang, will be a prisoner in chains. Then, I will make you wish you were never born!’
***
The people always expressed their will through action. After the King of Yue’s negotiations with Prince Gong’s envoy failed, a flood of refugees erupted from Tiannan Province. Countless people headed north, trying to escape the flames of war. Of the six million people in Tiannan Province, the well-off fled to the capital or Tianbei Province, while the less fortunate fled to the countryside. They had all heard rumors that the barbarian army was incredibly savage, committing all sorts of atrocities and even practicing cannibalism.
Shen Lang and Ning Zheng, leading ten thousand guards, encountered these streams of war refugees as they marched south. The crowds grew larger and larger, eventually blocking the roads. Countless families were on the move, the adults in despair and the children in tears. It was a scene straight out of the apocalypse. Hamo asked Shen Lang.
“Young Master, should we help them?”
She now weighed 130 jin and had become quite beautiful. It had been over half a year since she married Madman Nan, but she and Wuyue still served as Shen Lang’s personal guards. Madman Nan was probably fraught with anxiety, likely telling himself ten times a day that Hamo loved him dearly and would never betray him.
Hamo still looked at Shen Lang with adoration, like a fan gazing at their idol. Her happy married life had softened her heart, and she found the tragic sight of the refugees unbearable. But Shen Lang shook his head.
“There’s nothing we can do.”
As the countless refugees headed north, Shen Lang and Ning Zheng led their ten-thousand-strong army south. The two groups passed each other, until one day, an old man blocked Shen Lang’s path.
“Are you that Shen Lang?!”
He was a man in his seventies with a full head of white hair. From his well-kept appearance, he seemed to be a scholar, the kind who made a living by teaching. At a time like this, Shen Lang should have shown respect for the elderly, but he did nothing of the sort. He remained on his horse and spoke calmly.
“I am Shen Lang.”
The old man said, “Young Master Shen, I am seventy-five years old. I have grandsons and great-grandsons, a family of fifteen. We were living a stable life, but now, because of you, my entire family has been forced to flee. My wife died on the road just the other day. We don’t know where to go or how we will survive. What grudge do you hold against us, that you would make us lose our homes and families?”
Hearing this, Hamo immediately retorted.
“Sir, we are going to stop Prince Gong’s army. This is for the defense of our nation.”
The old man said angrily, “Who asked you to defend the nation? Our home is in Anping Prefecture, which was not among the five prefectures to be ceded. His Majesty was originally going to sign a truce with Prince Gong and cede the five prefectures, so why did you stop him? A war could have been avoided, but because of you, we have been left wandering and homeless, about to lose our homes and families!”
Shen Lang watched him in silence. The people in the capital did not openly blame him; their feelings were more complex, as the flames of war had not reached them directly. In contrast, the people of Tiannan Province, especially those living outside the five prefectures to be ceded, resented Shen Lang to the bone.
‘All he had to do was cede five prefectures. It wasn’t our homes being given away. But now, you, Shen Lang, have brought this disaster upon us.’
“Waaaaah!”
A child, who looked to be about eight years old, burst into tears. He was likely the old man’s grandson. The old man, his heart filled with sorrow, pointed at Shen Lang and said, “Go to Prince Gong, admit your fault, and surrender. Tell them you will not fight and will cede the five prefectures. Young Master Shen, I am begging you. Do not forsake the lives of millions for your own selfish desires. Please, save my family!”
The old man fell to his knees, kowtowing and weeping bitterly before Shen Lang. Hearing his words, the many refugees nearby knelt down in unison.
“Young Master Shen, please show us mercy. Please accept Prince Gong’s terms and cede the five prefectures. Please save us! We want to go home. Please, Young Master Shen, admit defeat and cede the five prefectures to Prince Gong!”
Seeing this, the eyes of Hamo and Wuyue reddened.
‘Can the people of this world truly not tell right from wrong? Is it wrong to risk one’s life to defend the nation?’
Shen Lang looked at the refugees. It was meaningless to blame them. Besides, those who blamed him for not surrendering were only a portion of the crowd. Other, younger people stood their ground, unmoving, their gazes fixed on Shen Lang’s army with fervor. Some even looked as if they wanted to join Shen Lang and fight. The world was always like this. Just as there were those who had lost their spirit, there were also those whose blood ran hot.
“Young Master Shen, please save us. Admit defeat to Prince Gong and cede the five prefectures!”
The old man clung to the leg of Shen Lang’s horse, weeping desperately.
“Get lost. If you don’t move, I’ll have your entire family killed!”
Shen Lang shouted, raising his hand. Dozens of warriors behind him drew their bows and aimed at the old man’s family.
“If you have the courage, then you’ll have to go over my dead body. I’ve already lost my home and family because of you, so you might as well trample over my corpse!”
Shen Lang’s warhorse then truly trampled past him. A warrior stepped forward, grabbed the old man, and threw him to the side of the road. No one could bind Shen Lang with concepts like morality.
“Draw your swords!”
At Shen Lang’s command, the ten thousand guards drew their swords, exuding a palpable killing intent.
“No one is to come within ten zhang of the army. Anyone who does will be killed without mercy! Brandish your blades!”
At Shen Lang’s command, the ten thousand guards began to march, swinging the sabers in their hands. In an instant, all the surrounding refugees scattered. The guards could finally march unimpeded, but in the hearts of those refugees, Shen Lang’s reputation had hit rock bottom. Soon after, they would spread rumors about Shen Lang, painting him as a vicious demon who had committed every evil deed imaginable.
***
A few days later, Prince Gong’s envoy returned to the capital of the State of Nanguo and reported that the negotiations had failed. Prince Gong gave the order, and the attack on the State of Yue began. An army of one hundred thousand advanced north with the momentum to swallow the State of Yue whole. Everything in their path was destined to be scorched earth. Tiannan Province had no power to resist. Nangong Ao advanced from the east, and Su Nan from the west. Every city in the State of Yue in their path surrendered at the mere rumor of their approach. Wu’an Prefecture fell, followed by Ningshui Prefecture and Yangwu Prefecture.
On the nineteenth day of the first month, Su Nan’s army of fifty thousand attacked and besieged Tiannan City, the capital of Tiannan Province. It was the third-largest city in the State of Yue, home to hundreds of thousands of people. Commander Yan Wuqi did his utmost to gather twenty thousand militia to defend the city, but in less than half a day, they were all but annihilated. To be precise, they held out for about a single shichen. Tiannan City fell, and Prince Gong’s two armies, as if competing with each other, crushed all resistance with unstoppable momentum. On the twentieth day of the first month, Lu River Prefecture fell. Yes, the very prefecture where Shen Lang’s home was located. On the twenty-third, Jing’an Prefecture fell, and on the twenty-fifth, Bailan Prefecture fell.
***
On the second day of the second month, the dragon raised its head. With the exception of Yangge Prefecture in the far north, the entirety of Tiannan Province had fallen. In just half a month, Prince Gong’s one-hundred-thousand-strong army had conquered twelve prefectures of Tiannan Province, and the State of Yue had lost a quarter of its territory. Prince Gong’s army had met no resistance on its advance, save for the twenty thousand militia in Tiannan City, which had ended in a one-sided slaughter. Millions of refugees poured into Tianyue City, Tianbei Province, and Tianxi Province. But the refugees of the State of Yue would likely find themselves with nowhere to go. Because on the second day of the second month, another dragon raised its head, and another war began.
The State of Chu’s three-hundred-thousand-strong army marched east, launching a war. The Crown Prince of Chu himself took command, leading a war of revenge for the humiliation suffered at the hands of the State of Yue. Like the State of Danan, the three hundred thousand troops attacked with unstoppable momentum, conquering fifty li of Yue’s western territory in just three days. Zhong Yao tried his best to hold them back, but with only one hundred and twenty thousand troops under his command, it was not enough to defend a border that stretched for hundreds of li.
Zhong Yao mounted a defense, then made the painful decision to abandon all frontline fortresses. The disparity in forces was too great. With only one hundred and twenty thousand men, if he spread his troops across the border fortresses, he would be left with fewer than sixty thousand to defend Zhenxi City. How could sixty thousand men stand against the three-hundred-thousand-strong army of Chu? Moreover, the Chu army’s morale was sky-high, as if they had gone mad. This was a war of vengeance, a war to destroy the State of Yue. With the promise of great merit before them, who would not fight with all their might?
Abandoning all border fortresses, the entire army of one hundred and twenty thousand defended the line at Zhenxi City. Zhenxi City was the Zhong clan’s base of power, the fourth-largest city in the State of Yue, and the true capital of Tianxi Province. The fall of this city would mean the fall of Tianxi Province. Zhong Yao’s army gathered all its soldiers to hold the line at Zhenxi City, while the Chu army advanced dozens of li each day. The western territories fell continuously, losing dozens of towns and prefectures one after another. By the ninth day of the second month, four prefectures and twenty-three towns in the western region of the State of Yue had completely fallen. The three-hundred-thousand-strong army of Chu advanced with tremendous momentum, their killing intent piercing the heavens.