Chapter 555
Can war truly bring peace and stability?
No.
Then we can’t keep fighting. The blade of Dayan’s unification was something Western Qiang could not withstand. There was no reason to keep using the people’s lives to fill the gap.
Some of the defeated soldiers from Feng Yuan’s army gradually made their way back to Jincheng, bringing news of the defeat at Jishi Gorge—and two even more alarming reports.
The first was that General Feng Yuan had disappeared, presumably blown to death by the Dayan army’s gunpowder, leaving no remains behind.
As for the second, the Dayan army had not killed any prisoners at the gorge entrance. Not only had they spared them, they had also given the surrendered Western Qiang soldiers dry rations and water. They had not released them to go home, but neither had they taken their lives.
Thanks to the radio, news of the great victory at Jishi Gorge reached Dayan even faster than it reached Jincheng.
“It ended that quickly?”
[What else did you expect? With gunpowder clearing the way, even a naturally defensible place like Jishi Gorge couldn’t withstand coordinated infantry-and-tank operations!]
“It looks like the war will be over soon. We need to start preparing for what comes next.” Their work was not over just because the war had ended. Only after the territory had been reclaimed and unified, and the people’s hearts had been won, could they truly consider their mission complete.
[As long as the army continues its advance and takes Jincheng and the Huaqiang tribes, Western Qiang will have been completely incorporated into Dayan.]
“Jincheng? The Huaqiang tribes? That won’t take long either.”
Yue Fuguang’s words proved prophetic.
After the defeat at Jishi Gorge, the morale of the troops on Jincheng’s walls visibly plummeted. The soldiers keeping watch atop the walls looked listless, the patrol formations had become lax, and officers had to shout several times before anyone responded when they ordered a change of guard.
More than ten thousand men had died in the battle at Jishi Gorge. The scattered soldiers who fled back kept talking about how powerful the Dayan army’s thunder bombs were and how swift its cavalry was. Their words spread through the garrison like a plague, inflicting more damage than any attack by the enemy.
Xi Yan heard the news of the defeat at the palace. He smashed his teacup on the spot and cursed Feng Yuan—who was already dead and reduced to bones—as a useless pretty face. He spent a full quarter of an hour pouring out every insult he knew without pause.
But once he had finished cursing, he realized there was very little he could actually do.
Jincheng’s garrison had originally numbered fifty thousand. Feng Yuan had taken thirty thousand with him, and fewer than three thousand had returned. Including the troops stationed in the city and the private forces contributed by the various families, there were fewer than thirty thousand men in total.
Not a single reinforcement force had arrived. They had not been delayed on the road—they had never set out in the first place.
After hearing that Jishi Gorge had fallen, those lords became even more determined to remain on the sidelines.
The Dayan army was already at their doorstep. Sending troops now would simply be sending them to their deaths, wouldn’t it?
The Huaqiang tribes to the west did send someone, but not to offer support. They had come to name their price. Their representative said, “Your Majesty, if you want us to send troops, please deliver the gold you promised first.”
Xi Yan was so furious that he wanted to have the man beheaded, but ultimately restrained himself. He ordered the treasury to provide three hundred taels of gold and sent the man away.
He knew that even after receiving the gold, the troops would never come. The Huaqiang people would only play tricks. They were even more shrewd than the Western Qiang nobles and would never place a bet on a battle they were certain to lose.
Sure enough, after waiting several days, Xi Yan saw no sign of them. He was so enraged that he fell ill.
However, the gossip circulating through Jincheng claimed that their king had not fallen ill from anger. His health had already been poor, and being provoked by the Huaqiang tribes had merely pushed him over the edge.
The princes, including Xi Yuanshan, therefore entered the palace to attend to the ailing king and were kept there. Meanwhile, Xie Zhiyao, who was still at the Prince Yi’s residence, took advantage of the opportunity to leave the estate, slip out of Jincheng, and head toward the Huaqiang territory.
By the time Xi Yuanshan received the news and sent people after her, she had already vanished without a trace.
After several days of rest, Shen Jian’s army arrived at the eastern outskirts of Jincheng on the fifteenth day of the ninth month.
More than forty thousand soldiers formed ranks outside the city, their banners blotting out the sun and their weapons standing like a forest of steel.
The catapults were pushed to the front lines, thunder bombs loaded onto them and aimed directly at Jincheng’s eastern gate. The cavalry spread out on both wings. The horses snorted, pawed at the earth, and kicked up clouds of dust.
The infantry formed ranks that stretched from outside the eastern gate all the way to the distant riverbank.
Shen Jian sent a master archer to shoot a letter onto the city wall. Its contents were simple: the Dayan army would not slaughter the city or kill surrendered soldiers.
If Jincheng opened its gates and surrendered, both the officials and the common people within the city would be spared. They had one day to respond. If they refused to surrender after that deadline, the army would attack, and the Dayan army would not be responsible for civilian casualties within the city.
The letter was delivered by the defending soldiers to Xi Yan. Chancellor Zhao Chongli, who had also received Shen Jian’s reply, was in the palace at the time.
Still lying in bed, Xi Yan finished reading the letter. His hand trembled slightly—not from fear, but from rage. Yet he did not know whom to be angry with. Dayan? Shen Jian? Feng Yuan, who had died in defeat? The tribal leaders who had refused to send reinforcements? Or himself?
He handed the letter to Zhao Chongli.
“Minister Zhao, you should read it too.”
Zhao Chongli took the letter and read it from beginning to end. His expression did not change in the slightest. He placed the letter on the table and said calmly, “Your Majesty, Shen Jian’s terms are already quite generous.”
“Generous?” Xi Yan’s voice suddenly rose. “He has marched all the way to my city and is ordering me to surrender. You call that generous?”
“Your Majesty, you should be able to imagine what the situation will be if you refuse and the city falls.” Zhao Chongli ignored his king’s unreasonable outburst, his voice remaining calm. “The Dayan army maintains strict discipline within Dayan’s borders. But if we truly follow the Princess Consort Yi’s suggestion and incite the people to resist, then once the city falls, no one can guarantee that the Dayan army will continue to refrain from harming even the smallest thing.
“Shen Jian is Emperor Mingxi’s nephew. Even if he fails to follow military orders, His Majesty the Emperor would likely overlook it.”
Seeing that the king, who had been persuaded by the Princess Consort Yi the previous day, remained unmoved by his words, he gave Xi Yuanshan a subtle glance.
Xi Yuanshan pressed his lips together. Knowing that this was his own princess consort’s fault—and that he would have to bear the consequences—he spoke up. “Father, Xie Zhiyao has disappeared. Her words cannot be trusted, and neither can her plan.”
He glanced at his father, who had lowered his eyes, and continued, “If things truly unfold as Chancellor Zhao says, then once the city falls, the people within it will suffer, the imperial family and royal kinsmen will suffer, and the common people will not be spared either.
“If we surrender now, the terms Shen Jian has personally offered will serve as our protection. He is the emperor’s nephew, so he can be trusted. Therefore, Father, this really does count as generous.”