Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 703 It’s time to hit the road

Yang Zheng took the medicine bowl. The medicine soup was dark brown and smelled very bitter.

Yang Zheng seemed to have gotten used to it, and he had no strange feeling when drinking it.

After drinking a bowl of medicine, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and waved to the doctor who was serving the medicine.

The doctor understood, packed up the medicine bowls, and under the supervision of two of Yang Zheng's personal soldiers, he carried the medicine box and left the bedroom.

Yang Zheng was diagnosed with liver cancer at the end of last year. According to the doctor's diagnosis, this is a terminal illness. If it were someone else, he would have died by now.

Yang Zheng has a good physical condition and sufficient financial resources to recuperate, which is why he has managed to hold on until now.

Yang Zheng also developed from early anorexia and diarrhea to persistent abdominal distension and pain.

However, he had to hold on, at least until he could arrange his funeral.

But he didn't know how long he could hold on. Seeing that he couldn't convince the generals, he decided to use thundering means to achieve his goal.

This doctor is a famous doctor from Xichuan. Since he was hired by the government, he has been under strict control.

Yang Zheng was worried that if his illness were leaked, it would cause unexpected changes.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. Yang Zheng frowned and asked unhappily, "Who is making the noise outside?"

However, the guards who were supposed to be guarding outside the bedroom failed to respond in time as usual, and there was a clear sound of swords clashing outside.

Yang Zheng's face changed and he got off the bed wearing only a small piece of clothing.

He was not wearing any shoes, he ran to the wall barefoot and snatched away his Seven Star Sword.

There were flashes of swords and sabers everywhere in the courtyard.

Yang Zheng has been in business for many years and still has many soldiers loyal to him.

Of course, these troops are not stationed in the general's mansion, but the more than 200 guards in the mansion are absolutely loyal.

Pan Hongyue led his troops to the Marshal's Mansion smoothly.

This was originally a border town, and the highest leader was not the prefect or the governor, but Yang Zheng, the commander-in-chief of all the imperial armies in Xingyuan Prefecture, who was the military government.

The movement of troops is common.

What's more, there are Shi Han, Zhou Wuyi, Liu Ruxi and others who are secretly supporting them.

However, once you enter the Marshal's Mansion, you have to fight your way in head-on.

The mansion was filled with the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers. Pan Hongyue led dozens of his personal soldiers and charged directly to Yang Zheng's bedroom.

When Yang Zheng walked out of the bedroom with a knife in hand, he saw his guards, each outnumbering three or four, engaged in a fierce battle with swords and sabers.

Pan Hongyue, surrounded by more than ten guards, was walking slowly towards him, passing through small groups engaged in fierce fighting.

Yang Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Xiao Pan!"

Pan Hongyue stopped, holding his sword, and bowed, saying, "General."

Yang Zheng said coldly: "Are you... planning to rebel?"

Although Yang Zheng is old, his influence is still there. Even though Pan Hongyue has already made up his mind to die, he still can't help but feel awe when he sees him.

He said in a deep voice: "No, I will only oppose the Grand Commandant, not the Song Dynasty."

Yang Zheng thought for a moment and asked slowly, "What went wrong that made you take such a risk?"

Pan Hongyue said, "What Secretary Chen Zhuoguang was going to do at Dingjun Mountain? The Grand Commandant knows better than anyone else. Why ask when you already know the answer?"

Yang Zheng suddenly realized and chuckled.

Pan Hongyue said: "I have followed the Grand Commandant for more than 20 years and have always respected him. Now that things have come to this, Grand Commandant, why don't you save some dignity for yourself."

Yang Zheng laughed loudly, and then he stopped laughing when he started to cough. He slowly drew his sword and said in a deep voice, "Yang was born to fight and prove his truth by killing. If I die by the sword, it will be considered as a military death.

Now that I have the knife in my hand, there is no reason for me to just sit there and wait. Come on, little Panzi! Let me see how much you have improved over the past few years."

Pan Hongyue shook his head slightly and slowly drew his sword.

The old general was a person he respected. If he had to send the old general to death, he had to do it in person. How could he let the old general Yang be hacked to death?

That was not the way this aging hero should have died.

But at this time, Yang Fu and Yang Lu were pushed and escorted over.

"father!"

"grandfather!"

The shouts of his son and grandson immediately made Yang Zheng and Yang Zhifu, who were already emaciated but still had fierce eyes, lose their murderous intent.

Turning his head to look at his only son and eldest grandson, Yang Zheng slowly lowered the knife he had raised.

Pan Hongyue looked at Yang Zheng with pity and whispered, "General, I guarantee that your son and grandson will never be implicated."

What is there to worry about? A mediocre and cowardly Yang Fu, a drunkard with many concubines but no children, and a little fool with an IQ of no more than 11 or 12 years old...

The general has a great reputation throughout his life. He rose from a nobody to a king today, but his descendants are so disappointing. What future can we expect from them?
After hearing what Pan Hongyue said, Yang Zheng closed his eyes and sighed to the sky.

The knife fell to the ground with a thud.

They have known each other for decades, and he believes in Pan Hongyue's promise.

Now that things have come to this, what other choice can he make?

Yang Zheng killed so many people in his life that he was called the "Tiger General". This tiger is called the Western White Tiger, a divine beast that specializes in killing.

However, no matter how unpromising his children and grandchildren were, in his old age, they were above all else and must be protected.

……

Yang Yuan arranged everything in Dingjun Mountain and ordered Han Jinxun to temporarily take over Qiu Pi'er's power. He then escorted Madam Xu and the Qiu family back to Nanzheng.

Chen Zhuoguang, who was still seriously injured, rode in a car, and the convoy of Qiu family members stretched all the way.

Chen Zhuoguang wanted to fly back to Nanzheng immediately, because the commander-in-chief had to know that the frame-up was successful before taking action.

But he couldn't tell Yang Yuan this motive directly.

Even if Yang Yuan was really the Taiwei's cousin, and he was just a newly acknowledged relative, and the other party was an imperial envoy, he did not dare to trust him easily and tell him such a secret.

But in this case, Yang Yuan felt that he was seriously injured and needed to rest and not travel around, so he had no reason to refuse Yang Yuan's kindness.

Well, going back like this would only delay me by two days at most, so I'll still be in time.

Chen Zhuoguang could only comfort himself in this way. They could walk slowly, but Yang Yuan didn't want to walk slowly with the group.

He needs to meet with Yang Zheng as soon as possible to discuss what happened in Dingjun Mountain.

Yang Yuan felt that with what happened at Dingjun Mountain and the letter discovered by Chen Zhuoguang, he should be able to convince Yang Zheng to give up his plan to fight the Wu family.

He already knew about this, so Yang Zheng could no longer retaliate against Shi Han and others who were conspiring with each other, but the relationship between the two sides would inevitably deteriorate as a result.

In this situation, as long as he makes the pros and cons clear to him, General Yang will assess the situation and make a wise choice.

Doesn’t the old commander just want to make plans for his descendants?
As Yang Zheng's uncle, he just took on the responsibility of taking care of these younger generations.

Yang Yuan did not suspect that Yang Zheng had forged the family tree, so he now truly believed that he and Yang Zheng had the same ancestor.

However, even if he believed it, he would not be influenced by it.

But he liked the young man Yang Shou very much.

Moreover, becoming Yang Zheng's cousin would at least allow him to partially inherit Yang Zheng's political legacy, which would be beneficial rather than harmful.

Yang Yuan gave the task of escorting the Qiu family and taking care of Chen Zhuoguang to Yang Shou.

He could see that the child's IQ was not high enough, but there was one advantage: no matter what you asked him to do, he would do it seriously and without fail.

This time when he went to Dingjun Mountain, he had only thirty-six guards. Chen Zhuoguang brought a whole army led by Yang Shou.

Yang Shou has more than a hundred people on his side, so it would be just right to let them escort the convoy.

After Yang Yuan made all the arrangements, he took his men and rode fast horses to Nanzheng City first.

……

Nanzheng City, in the Taiwei Mansion.

Generals Shi Han, Zhou Wuyi and Liu Ruxi originally went to the Taiwei Mansion to visit Yang Zheng, but they were all killed by Pan Hongyue who launched a mutiny.

However, Pan Hongyue’s slogan was “kill the traitor Yang, and do not rebel against the Song Dynasty”, so the three were only placed under house arrest and their lives were not in danger.

In the next room, Yang Fu and his son Yang Lu were imprisoned.

The battle only took place in the Taiwei Mansion. After the incident, Pan Hongyue falsely passed on the commander's order and took over the defense of Nanzheng city.

Therefore, the city of Nanzheng was peaceful.

Outside the Taiwei Mansion, no one knew that a mutiny had occurred in the Marshal's Mansion, and no one knew that Taiwei Yang had become a prisoner.

In Yang Zheng's bedroom, Pan Hongyue rejected Yang Zheng's request to see his children and grandchildren, and said in a deep voice: "General, you know what kind of person Pan is. I promise you that I will not hurt anyone in your family, and I will definitely do it. General, please go on your journey with peace of mind!"

If the two of them fought, and the general died under his sword, he would not have any psychological burden.

However, Yang Zheng had already surrendered his weapons by then, and he could not get over the psychological barrier of picking up a knife and killing his former master whom he had followed for decades.

He hoped that Yang Zheng would die with dignity, with his body intact.

So, he prepared a white silk for Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng had already suggested that he could watch from the side, but Pan Hongyue still refused to let the father and son meet.

Yang Zheng also knew that it was impossible to achieve this wish.

He held the white silk in his hands and thought about his life...

When he was seven years old, his father died in battle at the hands of the invading Xixia people, and he was raised by his widowed mother and his clansmen.

At the end of the Xuanhe period, he joined the army and became an archer.

In just six years, he rose from a humble soldier to the rank of Right Military Officer...

In the end, his life was buried with three feet of white silk.

Hey!
Pan Hongyue couldn't help feeling disappointed when he saw Yang Zheng holding the white silk with a look of mixed emotions and hesitation.

Could it be that this brave general whom I have followed for so many years has become so afraid of death when he is old?

Pan Hongyue could not help but sneer and said: "General, you are brave and good at fighting on the battlefield, and you are known as the White Tiger Killer God. You have killed no less than a thousand enemies in your life.

How come, now that you are old, you have lost your manly determination and are so afraid of death?"

"Humph!"

Yang Zheng squinted at Pan Hongyue and scolded him with a smile, "You little bastard, when I was the commander of the four wings of the Dragon Guard, you were just a soldier who had just joined the army, and you actually tried to provoke me."

He threw the white silk onto the table and said coldly, "I still have one thing on my mind. If I don't resolve this, I won't be able to leave with peace of mind."

Pan Hongyue frowned. He was not being unkind and not letting Yang Zheng and his son meet. Since he had promised not to kill Yang Zheng's descendants, he really wanted to do it.

In this case, he was afraid that Yang Zheng would give his son secret instructions and leave some instructions.

Although Yang Zheng asked him to watch from the side, the father and son had such a tacit understanding that they might have completed the handover inadvertently.

Pan Hongyue said in embarrassment: "General, I promise that I will never kill your offspring, but... we cannot meet."

Yang Zheng snorted coldly: "I naturally trust your promise, but I don't want to see them."

"So, what wishes do you have yet to fulfill, Commander?"

Yang Zheng recalled the time when he led his troops back home and saw the women in his family lying naked in a pool of blood, including his elders and sisters...

They were humiliated, but also tortured and killed, unable to escape death.

There are also those relatives and women who are afraid of death and are willing to serve the thieves. Even if their parents are killed or their children are murdered, they will smile servilely and enjoy the pleasure of the thieves just to survive. I can't help but feel the pain in my heart again.

Yang Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "I will not be at peace until my concubine dies!"

"I see!"

Pan Hongyue suddenly realized.

He thought for a moment, then ordered in a deep voice: "Come here, bring all the concubines of the commander-in-chief here."

After a while, all twenty-one of Yang Zheng's concubines were brought into his bedroom.

Pan Hongyue took off his sword, placed it in front of Yang Zheng's desk with both hands, stepped back to the outside, and closed the door with a bang.

Pan Hongyue lifted his skirt and knelt on the steps, saying loudly: "I am Pan Hongyue, the last general, respectfully sending the general on his way!"

He put his hands on the ground and bowed his head deeply.

(End of this chapter)