The author

Chapter 545: In troubled times, a gentleman changes into a leopard (asking for monthly tickets)
The purpose and reason why He Ruoqinhu was summoned into the palace by the emperor was not anything else but that the emperor Jiang Yuan was a little panicked because of the smoke and fire everywhere - although the total number of these rebels would not exceed 100,000.

But it is too dense and too frequent.

It looked horrifying.

He Ruoqinhu was also disappointed. He wanted to just walk away, but he couldn't. His daughter had come to his home and cried, telling him that she was pregnant with the emperor's child and hoped that her father would not just stand by and watch.

Empress He Ruo cried with tears in her eyes, "Does father want to let his daughter and your grandson die in this chaotic world just for the sake of so-called fame?"

Even though He Ruoqinhu had a heart of steel, he could not turn a blind eye to his daughter's condition.

This is his youngest daughter, the most favored since she was born. With such a thing happening, and the bloodline of offspring, even though He Ruoqinhu was annoyed by Jiang Yuan's actions, he had to continue to obey his orders.

The emperor was extremely respectful and polite to him.

He was offered a seat and served tea personally. When He Ruoqinhu held the tea, he was in a trance. It seemed as if the Canglong in his twilight years was still full of ambition, with a heroic and calm smile. He was the great emperor of Ying State.

Only a few years have passed since then.

Canglong's corpse and Lie Lie's blood grew cold in this chaotic world.

He Ruoqinhu looked at the emperor who was wearing the same clothes, young and handsome, but with a pleading look on his face.

Between this trance and reality, it was as if looking at the wise and capable king, and suddenly he became Jiang Yuan. For some reason, his heart felt as if it was pierced and hurt so much.

Human beings are not such simple beings.

There are despicable people, as well as heroic talents. There is bravery for the world, courage to die for the country, hesitation for the sake of interests, and soft-heartedness due to the pleading of his children. But for He Ruoqinhu, the most unforgettable time in his life was when he met Jiang Wanxiang when he was a teenager.

Bold and open.

A decade of war and smoke on the battlefield seems like a dream.

He Ruoqinhu thought of what Jiang Wanxiang had said several times before his death.

They said that he was entangled with too many personal connections and that he should not be burdened by this. He fell silent suddenly. Thinking of the king's look at that time, He Ruoqinhu could not help but doubt that Jiang Wanxiang at that time had already seen the possibility of today.

"So, these damnable rebels who deserve to be killed can only be handed over to the general."

He Ruo came back to his senses and said, "...Yes."

"Leave it to me. Your Majesty, please mobilize the troops. I will go to the battle."

It was only at this time that He Ruoqinhu saw a look of hesitation and embarrassment on Jiang Yuan's face, and said, "General, can you not leave this place? The world is in turmoil, and the queen is pregnant. What if a traitor comes here?"

He Ruoqinhu looked at Jiang Yuan.

He was also a brave and heroic general on the battlefield. At this moment, he almost wanted to laugh out loud and expose Jiang Yuan's fear of death in his heart, but he could only hear himself answer in silence:

"Most of the rebels are civilians, who were driven by hunger and thirst. They lack armor and crossbows, and are not good at military formations. They may seem to have a force of 100,000, but 3,000 Tiger Cavalry can easily defeat them."

"The only trouble is that these thieves are too scattered."

"Leave aside Dou De and Shan Xiong."

"The rest of the bandits are nothing to worry about. We only need to send the country's younger generation, fifth- and sixth-level generals, to easily defeat them."

Jiang Yuan was overjoyed, stepped forward, grabbed He Ruo's arm with both hands, and said:

"So good!"

"The affairs of my country and family are all entrusted to General He Ruo."

He Ruoqinhu just nodded and agreed. After all, he was one of the top five generals in the world. In the previous fierce and turbulent times, he was invincible. The only time he was defeated by Chen Fubi was because he underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly.

At this moment, they calmed down and deployed their troops. If the army of Ying State went to fight against the powerful elite troops such as Qin State's Qilin Army, Canglang Guard, and Beiwei Army, they would naturally be no match.

But what are the so-called rebel soldiers? !

There were just chivalrous warriors who were not good at forming battle formations, and there were starving common people who could not bear the hunger and thirst and took up knives to grab food. In this chaotic world, the gap between the armies was as huge as mountains and seas.

Three thousand heavily-armored Qilin soldiers can disperse tens of thousands of ordinary border troops.

But ordinary border soldiers holding swords are the bravest among the soldiers defending the city.

Even if the army was just gathered around the troops for defending the city and searching for thieves, they were still wearing armor, holding swords, with heavy shields, bows and crossbows, and were led by some cavalry, archers, and core generals of the fifth and sixth levels.

A regular army that is good at forming battle formations and understands battle formations and military tactics.

It’s too easy to deal with the people.

Soon, many "rebels" were wiped out. General Baili Chen of Ningyuan sighed: "They are just hungry people. Fortunately, they are just hungry people. If they were like the people in Qin State, with some martial arts skills, it would be difficult to fight such a large group together."

"The Emperor Qin was born a peasant after all."

"You actually gave the [Sword] to an ordinary peasant."

"How stupid! How could you be so easily able to win the battle and gain military merit like us?"

He tied these people up and prepared to hand them over to His Majesty for punishment. When Jiang Yuan learned of the great victory, he was ecstatic and laughed out loud, "Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"

"How can these bandits defeat our Great Ying Heavenly Army?"

Baili Chen said respectfully: "This is exactly what happened to your Majesty, who is favored by heaven. With the might of heaven, all people in the four directions are submissive. These people, then..."

Jiang Yuanfeng rewarded the general who had led the army to victory. When he heard about the rebellion, he said, "Where did the people come from? They are just rebels. If we don't kill them, how can we stabilize the four directions?"

The general was speechless. Just as he was about to report, he saw Jiang Yuan pace back and forth twice and said, "We can't do this. If people in the world see this, they will resist even more fiercely. Wouldn't it be embarrassing for us?"

"Obey my orders!"

Jiang Yuan personally issued the imperial edict. After seeing the edict, the generals had complicated expressions and were in disbelief. However, under the huge reward and the emperor's wrath, they still had to bow their heads and accept the imperial edict.

After Baili Chen and his men defeated several "bandit armies", the rest of the people were terrified by what they saw of these armies. Even though they had several times as many troops as themselves, they had no power to resist the heavy infantry in armor and armed with crossbows, and were slaughtered like melons and vegetables.

I was terrified.

There was no will to fight anymore, so naturally some people wanted to surrender.

Some even dropped their weapons, secretly left the gathered troops, threw away their rebel robes, pretended to be ordinary people, and sneaked back home.

And more of them were blocked by the regular army of Daying State.

You can’t escape by running; you can’t win by fighting.

They could only watch from the mountains and fields as the regular army, which had been stationed outside, advanced in a stable and efficient manner. They were terrified and panicked. Baili Chen sent the cavalry forward, shouting:
"Your Majesty, I know that you were just confused for a moment and were coerced by others. Now, if you are willing to surrender, you can come back. Your Majesty will forgive your mistakes."

"Put down your weapons, return to the countryside, and you will still be my people."

"Still be blessed by my great power!"

"If you still refuse to change your ways, then the heavenly soldiers will be everywhere. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

So everyone was tempted, but the leader of this "bandit army" was a martial arts hero at the peak of the fifth level, who could condense his energy into weapons, had excellent swordsmanship, and had rich internal strength. Even a hundred or so ordinary people would not be his match.

But the man remained silent for a long time, watching the sharp and murderous swords outside.

He knew that if he continued, his people would either be trapped in the mountains and starve to death, or be slaughtered by swords. He remained silent for a long time, holding his weapons, and said, "The people have come to this because of me. How can I just sit there and watch them do this?"

"And I survive by relying on my martial arts?"

So he shouted to Baili Chen: "How do we know that what you said is true!"

Baili Chen raised the bright yellow jade scroll in his hand and said loudly:

"There is a decree from His Majesty the Great Emperor of Ying State!"

"How can such a statement be false?!"

Jiang Yuan issued an order to summon those who surrendered first to burn incense and swear an oath in front of the auspicious statue in Tongxuan Temple.

Those who surrender will not be killed.

Even this hero was not killed. When many other rebel troops who were forced into desperation heard the news, they surrendered within a few months.

Jiang Yuan dug all of them up in Huangting Stream.

More than 30,000 people died.

The dead shouted: "Your Majesty, how can you go back on your word?!"

Baili Chen replied with Jiang Yuan's answer: "Don't you know what the Art of War says, that all is fair in war?!"

The leader of the rebel army, who had surrendered for the sake of the common people, was filled with grief and indignation. He threw away his sword and angrily said, "It is true as the world says, he is not the Son of Heaven, but a [fake emperor]!"

Baili Chen was horrified, and the officers and lieutenants around him stopped their ears and lowered their heads, not daring to look. Baili Chen personally took the bow and arrow and shot the man who said such treasonous words to death, and then buried him with earth.

More than 30,000 people were killed in pits.

Upon hearing this, Dou De remained silent for a long time and said, "Now I understand what the Qin Emperor meant. Peaceful days cannot be obtained by surrender and promises, but only by swords." After this incident, the words "fake emperor" were spread like wildfire throughout the world.

What happened to this bandit army afterwards will be recorded in history books, with the pen of history being as sharp as a knife.

The historian Saatanti said:

[As a result, the remaining members of the gang gathered together again and became bandits, and the government troops were unable to suppress them, leading to great peace in the country].

In the Ying Kingdom's palace, Jiang Yuan was very proud of his own strategy. He drank happily, entertained all the officials, and laughed loudly, "All is fair in war. I also understand the principle of military strategy."

"Everyone in the world says that I have inherited the world from you. If I were chosen by other heroes, I would be the emperor!"

Wei Yiwen was indignant and just walked away, while He Ruoqinhu remained silent for a long time.

Kill the surrendered, although it is to kill the surrendered, but, but...

His fists clenched slowly, and his joints creaked.

He heard a soft voice: "Father..."

He Ruo's fist that was meant to capture the tiger, and the flame of anger and unwillingness that belonged to a military general, froze at these two words. He raised his head and saw his daughter, the mother of the country, standing beside the emperor, looking at him with a look of desire.

After a long time, He Ruo's fist slowly loosened and he dropped his palm.

He dropped it heavily on the table, then picked up the wine glass and drank from it.

Killing the surrendered soldiers may be a bit shameless, but it is still a battlefield after all.

But is that really a drop?
After all, it was a huge country. Jiang Yuan drove out all parties and wiped out some of the country's rebels. Then he issued an order - [When the Wolf King besieged the Eastern Capital, he opened the warehouses to give relief to the people. Anyone who received rice was buried in the south of the capital].

When this order was passed down, many people felt reluctant, but they just couldn't bear it.

After all, those who needed to accept the food from the Wolf King were just people with nowhere else to go. Wei Yiwen suddenly overturned the table and shouted angrily: "Ridiculous, ridiculous!!!"

He finally couldn't stand it anymore.

What a bullshit Wen Zheng!

Fuck Wen Zheng!

He rode on horseback to find He Ruoqinhu, but He Ruoqinhu was invited by the Queen to attend a banquet in the palace. Wei Yiwen stood in front of the general's mansion, but he felt his hands were cold and his whole body had lost strength.

He Ruo catches the tiger!

He wrote a letter to Grand Tutor Jiang Su, who received the letter.

The god of war had just withdrawn his troops from a battle with the Emperor of Qin. A scout handed over a letter from Wei Yiwen. Jiang Su unfolded the letter, and the intact eye and the eye carved from mechanical jade both reflected the words.

Wei Yiwen is famous in his time for his sharp writing style and the style of a great writer.

But the ink of this letter was trembling.

One can imagine how painful, struggling, and unwilling Wei Yiwen felt when he wrote this volume of letters.

Wei Yiwen hopes Jiang Su will come back.

He looked for He Ruoqinhu but got no response, so he had to look for Jiang Su.

He said that he would delay the matter at all costs, even if it meant angering Jiang Yuan and dying, and ask Grand Tutor Jiang Su to return, or at least ask the Grand Tutor to write a letter to stop Jiang Yuan's misbehavior.

Jiang Su calmly placed the letter on the flame and lit it. The flame was reflected in his eyes. The deputy general beside him remained silent and asked, "Grandmaster, is it because the battle with the Wolf King that led to the current situation that you want to implicate the people?"

Jiang Su's eyes reflected the firelight and he said, "No."

"The people accept the food from the wolf king because they cannot have enough food."

"It's our fault. How can we blame them for accepting food from the Wolf King and dying for their country? It's absurd to demand food from the people who can't even get enough to eat."

The deputy general was also a famous general of the seventh heaven, ranked nineteenth, and said puzzledly:

"But if that's the case, why doesn't the Grand Master return?"

Jiang Su looked into the distance, at the scarlet Qilin-patterned army flag between heaven and earth. The firelight reflected on the edge of his sight, and it seemed to blend with the Qilin Army's flag, blazing like a raging fire. Jiang Su said:

"I'm waiting..."

The fire in Jiang Su's eyes was bright and flickered.

…………

Jiang Gao was reminded by Wei Yiwen to go and stop the Ying army.

Wei Yiwen kowtowed, tears streaming down his face: "You are the only one who can stop these soldiers at this moment, Your Highness. How can you swing your swords at the heads of the people just because they want to have a full meal?"

This broke the old minister's heart and he burst into tears. He wanted fame, but he also yearned for Jiang Wanxiang's ambition. Now he was struggling, but he finally made a decision after Jiang Yuan did something ridiculous again and again.

"I, your honorable servant, will also do my best to stop it. Your Highness, please do your part."

Wei Yiwen came and went in a hurry, trying to interfere in the matter through the power of the prime minister, at least to suppress the matter and delay it. Jiang Gao personally led his remaining confidants and rushed to one side of the capital, where they saw a scene that was like hell on earth.

I saw the people being tied up and pushed into the pit.

The bottom line in the heart of this gentleman who had always been gentle and mellow and longed for family affection finally collapsed. A surge of anger and blood boiled. He instinctively grabbed the bow and arrow on the side of his horse, drew the bow and shot an arrow.

The flag with the blue dragon pattern was actually cut off by this arrow.

slam-la-

The large flag with a blue dragon pattern fluttered down and knocked down many people. The noise was loud enough to attract everyone's attention. They turned their heads back and saw Jiang Gao holding a bow and arrow, his face flushed and his eyes almost spitting fire.

"What are you going to do!!!"

The general in the lead bowed and replied: "The death of the previous emperor was all due to what Chen Fubi did back then, and these lowly people!" He pointed at the people who were tied up and thrown into the ditch, and said: "They actually followed Chen Fubi and attacked the city."

"Open my Daying State's granary and move it away without knowing whether to live or die."

"If such behavior is not severely punished, how can the world know the national prestige of our Great Ying country?! I am following the order of Your Majesty to deal with such people."

"deal with.!"

These two words are not that pleasant to the ear.

It could even be considered extremely harsh. Jiang Gao slowly lowered his gaze and looked at these people, men, women, old and young, all with panicked expressions, hugging each other, the cries of children, the sobs of women, the roars of men, all combined into one.

It is the flame of troubled times.

All these things were reflected in Jiang Gao's eyes, and finally, his heart began to beat angrily. The sorrow of all people gathered into a torrent, and Jiang Gao's forehead was twitching. When he looked over, the general was actually frightened.

It's like facing an angry dragon.

"What a ridiculous statement!"

"Since the late emperor never issued such an order, how can you do this?"

The general cupped his hands and said, "It is your Majesty's order."

Jiang Gao took a deep breath and said, "Stop."

The general simply said, "If I stop without your Majesty's order and a written imperial decree, I am afraid my entire family will be buried alive. I cannot agree to this."

Jiang Gao said: "Even if it's me, it can't be done?"

The general bowed and replied in a low voice: "You can stop for now. Please go back to the palace and get the letter from His Majesty, and then I will stop. To be honest, burying people alive is not a good way to die, especially burying a group of hungry people alive."

"If Your Highness wishes to persuade His Majesty to change his mind, please do so as soon as possible."

He stretched out his finger, pointed to the sky, and said, "It will be buried at noon."

Jiang Gao's eyes were cold as he turned around and looked at the imperial city in the capital of Ying State. After the incident with Qin Yulong, he never went to the palace again. He was wary of his younger brother after all, but at this time, he had no choice but to go.

He looked at the captured people and whispered, "Don't worry, don't be afraid."

"Even if I die."

"I will also bring this imperial edict!"

He turned around and rode his horse into the palace, galloping away all the way. His originally gentle and mellow gentleman's heart began to fission and he was angry. Those who seek fame are controlled by fame, and those who seek beauty are controlled by beauty.

As for those who serve the people, the fission is due to the suffering of people all over the world.

This was the first time Jiang Gao was so angry since he was born. When he broke into the palace, he heard the banquets and laughter inside, which sounded so harsh to his ears. He walked slowly up and saw his brother wearing the imperial robe and laughing there.

He was surrounded by his close ministers and officials whom he promoted.

Jiang Gao clenched his fists, his sleeves rolled up, and strode in. Jiang Yuan saw his brother early and laughed, "Who is coming? Isn't this my good brother?!"

"Hahahaha, King Zhao, you and I have not seen each other for several years."

"If future generations knew about this, they would think that I wanted to kill you."

Jiang Gao said: "Why do you want to bury the people alive?"

Jiang Yuan said: "They are all rebellious bandits, only tens of thousands of households. Killing the chicken to scare the monkey can bring peace to the world."

Jiang Gao was so angry that he almost laughed. He had no interest in talking to his brother, no interest in talking about big principles. He already knew that some people could not be persuaded, or in other words -

One can never convince another.

He just said, "I know what you are thinking."

"Leave the people alone, and I will do whatever you want with me."

Jiang Yuan looked at Jiang Gao and said, "Okay!"

"I think there is no need for us to be so distant from each other. After you leave, I will live in the imperial palace. I will prepare maids and servants for you. We are brothers from the same mother, so we can see each other every day."

"And drink to your heart's content!"

Jiang Yuan waved his hand, and a servant brought a glass of wine.

Jiang Yuan pointed his finger at the rosewood tray and the beautiful jade wine vessel on it and said:

"Please drink this cup to the full."

Jiang Gao looked at the glass of wine. His intelligence had already guessed that there must be something wrong with the wine. He slowly stretched out his hand and said, "Write the imperial edict immediately. When the imperial edict is issued, I will drink to celebrate the safety of the people."

Jiang Yuan said: "Okay!"

He immediately wrote the imperial edict, threw the pen casually, picked up the edict and handed it to the side, saying: "Go and issue the imperial edict!" An eunuch hurried away holding the imperial edict, and Jiang Yuan raised his hand to invite Jiang Gao to drink.

Jiang Gao already understood.

This person is killing the people for his own sake.

Otherwise, why would they have to kill these people in the south of the capital? The reason for doing such a thing near the capital was to prepare a trap for Jiang Gao, so that Jiang Gao, who had been hiding for several years, could come to the palace in person.

My younger brother is smarter than what the world sees.

Much smarter.

He promoted new close ministers, suppressed and won over Wei Yiwen, and captured the tiger with He Ruo. Almost the entire court was in his control.

But this cleverness is only focused on these things.

But this world.

It's not just Ying State!

It’s a pity, lamentable and hateful.

Jiang Gao put the wine glass to his lips.

A slight smile appeared on Jiang Yuan's face.

Everyone around him was looking at him, even the sound of stringed instruments stopped. Jiang Gao closed his eyes, and everything that had happened in the past few years flashed before his eyes - Qin Yulong, sending troops, the canal, the people, killings, traitors, gentlemen, gentlemen...

A fire was burning in my chest.

This fire, the desire for family affection, and the cute appearance of his younger brother when he was young, came together and finally turned into a ball of chaotic fire. That was everything Jiang Gao cared about.

That kind of gentlemanly spirit shattered in his body bit by bit.

All the ministers were watching this scene. The next moment, just when this gentle gentleman was about to drink, Jiang Gao grasped the wine cup and moved his wrist.

The wine glass was as hard as a rock, swung forward violently.

He suddenly smashed towards Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan stepped back in shock, avoiding the wine cup. The wine fell to the ground, emitting a fishy smell. However, Jiang Gao had already rushed forward, raised his hand to grab the guard's sword, and pulled it out suddenly. The sound of the sword being unsheathed was as loud as a dragon's roar.

Candlelight flame.

People are not static, never are.

The light from the flames reflected in Jiang Gao's eyes.

It was like the fire in troubled times, like a raging heart, and like the flame that Jiang Su had been waiting for for four years.

Jiang Wanxiang's fire.

Finally, it was completely ignited in Jiang Gao.

In times of troubled times, a gentleman changes dramatically.

(End of this chapter)