sjar Chapter 401 Acting According to the Law
Chapter 401 Acting According to the Law
At the east gate of Qingzhou Prefecture, more than 40,000 soldiers of Pingzhou Army stood in formation.
People and horses trampled each other, and dust rose up on the official road. Standing downwind, the choking dust made it difficult to even breathe.
At this point, Qingzhou City was completely safe, and the people could leave or stay as they pleased.
Within three days, a total of 300,000 troops from Jinzhou, Dingzhou, and Yanzhou poured into the battlefield through Qingzhou Prefecture.
Wen Chengjie took over as the prefect of Qingzhou, and in charge of the allocation of grain and supplies, he transformed Qingzhou into a rapidly operating war machine.
The large banner bearing the character "Shen" fluttered in the wind.
The city gates opened wide, and Wen Chengjie, dressed in white armor, led his men forward quickly to greet them and pay their respects.
"Wen Chengjie, the garrison commander of Qingzhou, respectfully welcomes General Shen and all the soldiers of Pingzhou Army to our aid."
Shen Yue reached out and took a letter from the adjutant beside her, then dismounted and stepped forward to help Wen Chengjie up with her left hand.
"Commander Wen was appointed to a critical mission and, with the strength of an isolated city, managed to stop 200,000 Jin dogs at Qingzhou."
"Such achievements are unprecedented and will surely be recorded in history. I, Shen, cannot accept your bow!"
"General Shen is too kind." Wen Chengjie nodded and sighed, "The fact that Qingzhou Prefecture is safe and sound is due to the concerted efforts of the generals and people of Qingzhou in defending the city. I would never dare to take credit for it."
Shen Yue chuckled softly upon hearing this.
"Commander Wen, please don't be modest. When His Highness passed through Pingzhou, he already informed me of the battle situation in Qingzhou Prefecture."
“During the march these past few days, I have been constantly rehearsing in my mind, and I believe that I could not possibly have commanded the troops more effectively than you.”
Wen Chengjie smiled bitterly to himself upon hearing this.
This isn't a matter of him being modest or not; it's a fact.
Wen Chengjie was extremely arrogant and believed that his military strategy was second to none. Indeed, he played a significant role in the defense of Qingzhou City.
However, many of the turning points that changed the course of this war did not occur in his life.
In the past two days, as more and more Jin soldiers have been captured, the overall battle situation has become increasingly clear.
At Sanhuai Slope in the south of the city, two commanders at the Transformation Realm, Zhuo Lubin and Hui Tehanu, died of poisoning, and the heads of dozens of generals at the Inner Strength Realm and above disappeared without a trace.
This was a major reason why the three detachments of the southern army were unable to organize an effective attack. According to the Jin soldiers who were captured, it was the work of the Three-Eyed Leopard Goddess.
Then a pack of leopards charged into the enemy forces west of the city, disrupting the Jin soldiers' formation and even delaying and scattering the attacking squads.
Afterwards, Wu Quanwen led his men to sabotage the catapults...
Lu You, through her transformation, ordered Lan Tu to sound the retreat...
In the end, Lantu was killed, completely shattering the morale of the Jin soldiers...
These turning points all occurred outside the city, and none of them were part of Wen Chengjie's plan.
According to Wen Chengjie's plan, the city might be saved, since he still has some trump cards up his sleeve.
However, without the desperate defense of the city by Lu You, Wu Quanwen, Xu Chu, and other martial artists, even if they managed to hold Qingzhou City, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory.
Even...
The entire city was destroyed!
This plan was known only to Wen Chengjie and a group of Wen family loyalists in the city's garrison.
Before the battle began, Wen Chengjie dispatched four squads to guard the four gates. The order at the time was not just to guard them, but also to prepare a lot of oil.
Once the Jin army occupied the city walls and began to storm the city, the hinges of the four city gates would be smashed, and oil would be poured on them from the inside and set on fire.
Not only that, but people will be arranged to set fires throughout the entire Qingzhou prefecture.
There's no need to leave a dead person in the city.
Wen Chengjie's plan to eliminate all his descendants was to ensure that after the city fell, the Jin soldiers would have no one to capture, no arrows to repair, no supplies to use, and no rice to eat!
Only in this way can the mighty city of Qingzhou be prevented from falling into the hands of the Jin army and turning into a ferocious beast that devours the soldiers of the Wu Kingdom.
What prevented his plan to exterminate his offspring from succeeding was the unexpected turn of events involving Lu You.
He wanted to report the truth, but by then he was no longer in control of his own destiny.
In this war, Xijiang Prefecture fell, and half of Qingzhou Prefecture was swallowed up.
Two county magistrates in Qingzhou were infiltrated by the Jin people, and the generals of Xijiang Prefecture and Qingzhou suffered successive defeats. The imperial court urgently needed to create a hero to stabilize the hearts of the people of Wu Kingdom.
And he was the one who was pushed to the forefront.
By this time, he had already become a disciple of the Third Prince, and the only thing he could do was to go with the flow.
Wen Chengjie smiled as he looked at the disciplined Pingzhou army.
"General Shen, the soldiers have had a long journey. I have already ordered people to prepare food in advance. Please let them come in, have a meal and some tea, and rest well."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yue waved her hand gently, and the deputy commander behind her immediately understood and gave the order.
"Pass down the order: enter the city for rest and reorganization. All soldiers must strictly adhere to military discipline. Anyone who dares to leave the ranks without permission or disturb the people will be executed!"
"Pass down the order..."
The messenger spurred his horse and galloped backward to relay the deputy general's order.
The Pingzhou army quickly entered the city, and despite the chaos, they were remarkably orderly.
Strict discipline and unyielding discipline; a fierce and powerful army...
As Wen Chengjie watched the procession entering the city, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"General Shen, let's go into the city too!"
"No rush." Shen Yue handed the letter in her hand to Wen Chengjie: "It is an imperial edict."
These four simple words startled Wen Chengjie so much that he trembled slightly and tried to kneel down.
"Your subject, Wen Chengjie..."
Shen Yue grabbed Wen Chengjie's wrist.
"His Majesty sent someone to tell you that this is not an imperial decree, but merely some expectations, so there is no need to kneel in welcome."
"Yes."
Wen Chengjie straightened up and bowed as he handed over the letter.
Shen Yue's personal guards, after standing around Wen Chengjie, all turned to face away.
"Read it here, and then burn it."
Shen Yue said with a smile, then turned her head to look at the Pingzhou army entering the city.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Wen Chengjie already had some guesses in his mind, but with the Emperor's edict in hand, how could he dare not read it?
Taking a deep breath, Wen Chengjie carefully opened the letter.
Open the white paper inside; there are only four simple words on it.
Act in accordance with the law.
Wen Chengjie's fingers trembled slightly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, which he tried to keep calm.
"Commander Wen, have you finished reading?"
Shen Yue's questioning voice rang out, along with a tinderbox handed to her.
"finish watching."
Wen Chengjie took the tinderbox, opened it, and blew on it a few times to light the letter.
The letter quickly turned to ashes in the firelight, while Wen Chengjie seemed oblivious, letting the rising flames scorch his fingers until only the corner of the letter remained, which he was holding between his fingers.
Shen Yue turned around, and only after seeing Wen Chengjie's burned fingers did she slightly clasp her hands in a fist salute.
"Commander Wen, I'll have my men cook a meal. We can rest and regroup in an hour. Is that enough time?"
That's enough!
Wen Chengjie nodded slightly, then turned and walked into the city.
The Pingzhou army entered the city to rest and reorganize, and Wen Chengjie summoned the officials of Qingzhou Prefecture for a meeting.
An hour later, Wen Chengjie, dressed in the official robes of a prefect, led officials of all levels from Qingzhou Prefecture to the platform at the west gate of the prefectural city to issue a proclamation.
"A urgent report from a thousand miles away left its mark at the post station. This is the Jin army's invasion. The urgent report was cut off at Pingchang Post Station."
"Furthermore, the counties of Pingchang and Qingning colluded with the Jin people, resulting in the wrongful deaths of more than 80,000 soldiers of the Qingzhou Army."
"This is a grave crime that delays military operations and undermines the very foundation of the Wu Kingdom."
"To repel foreign aggression, we must first pacify the internal situation. There are still remnants of Jurchen spies in Pingchang and Qingning counties. We must thoroughly eliminate them in order to stabilize the hearts of the military and civilians."
"Since Wen is temporarily acting as the prefect, he should act in accordance with military law."
"We now request the Pingzhou army to leave the city and, on behalf of Qingzhou Prefecture, pacify the two counties of Pingchang and Qingning, in order to uphold the prestige of the Wu Kingdom..."