nycdaug Chapter 169 The Foundation of a Nation is the People
Chapter 169 The Foundation of a Nation is the People
Yaoan Pass was broken.
The food and military supplies that Lu Ruiguang had collected with so much effort finally became good things to fill their stomachs.
What Monkie liked most was to go straight to the granary after conquering a city. Since they invaded Qing Kingdom, they had gained nothing and had not picked up any good things. The general had ordered them not to cause trouble to the people and rob the civilians of their surplus food.
There is nothing we can do but hope that there are some good things left in the granary of the army guarding the pass.
"We're rich, we're rich!" Monk led his soldiers to seize the grain and grass inside Yao'an Pass. When they opened the granary and saw the mountains of grain and grass, their eyes lit up.
"Lu Ruiguang is a man who knows how to save money." Gongsun Pu and others laughed when they saw the huge warehouse full of food and supplies, with a teasing tone in their voices.
"Allow some food and grass to be used for disaster relief, set up a military flag in front of the gate, and provide porridge for three days to help the victims." Zong Yanli raised his eyes slightly and said, "Praise the grace of the emperor of Wu State, and let the people of Qing State know the reputation of our army."
Gongsun Pu, Zhan Haoyue and others turned to look at Zong Yanli after hearing this, their eyes full of admiration as they bowed and said, "General, you are so righteous."
Zong Yanli nodded slightly and asked everyone to count the food and military supplies and record them in the accounts so that they could be rewarded according to their merits.
Meng Qi seemed puzzled and asked, "Didn't the general decide not to distribute porridge to help the disaster relief before? Why is he distributing porridge now?"
Pei Liang shook his head and smiled: "General, you are not distributing porridge, you are making a name for yourself, winning the hearts of the people, and destroying the foundation of the Qing Kingdom."
Why didn’t you provide free porridge before?
Because of their different positions, they are the "invaders" and the attacking party. No matter what they do, they will be judged as having a conspiracy and a strategy to break through the pass and attack the city. But now it is different. Zong Yanli has already captured Yao'an Pass.
Now they are the winners and the leaders.
In a situation where they control life and death, performing good deeds is also telling everyone that their original intention of invading Qing Kingdom has not changed, which is to save the country and the people!
Providing porridge at this moment is enough to make Wuguo the savior of the world in the eyes of the people, and make Zong Yanli a good man instead of a bad man who invades the territory.
"The general's strategy is far superior to yours and mine, and the general's far-reaching thoughts are beyond our reach." Gongsun Pu understood Zong Yanli more and more clearly when he saw with his own eyes that Zong Yanli did not take off his armor or sword, but went to Guanmen to provide porridge to the people.
He suddenly felt an infinite hope. He wanted to see whether this chaotic and turbulent world could really be unified.
The people of Yao'an Pass were also in disbelief. The enemy army broke into the city and entered the pass. It would have been fine if they didn't kill or rob, but they actually confiscated the food and fodder of the Yao'an Pass army and gave them porridge?
The people were terrified, and many wondered if the porridge was poisoned. Was this a trick played by the enemy?
But so what?
Even if I am going to die, I would rather die with a full stomach.
People flocked to the scene but stood outside the gate, not daring to move forward. The fragrance of the porridge seemed like a dream to them.
Fu Jia Shi led his brothers to maintain order before closing the door, and ordered the people to line up into three teams and give each person a bowl of porridge. The porridge in the pot contained more water than rice, but even so it was a rare delicacy.
No matter how anxious the people were, they dared not rush forward in front of the soldiers armed with swords. They just swallowed their saliva with difficulty and lined up honestly. When it was finally their turn, they looked at the porridge in the bowl and couldn't control their tears.
"Oh, heaven and earth..." The old man held the bowl and was reluctant to drink it. Tears streamed down his face and he said sadly, "Our general wanted us to die, but the enemy gave us food to save us..."
At this moment, it seemed that everyone of them was Yuan Heng, and they finally felt a sense of sorrow for their country's survival.
Porridge was provided outside the city gate for three days, and Zong Yanli watched from the city wall for three days.
As autumn deepens, the fallen leaves blown by the wind seem to foreshadow the end of the Qing Kingdom.
"General, what are you looking at?" Gongsun Pu, wearing his armor, saw Zong Yanli standing on the city wall from afar, and walked up to stand beside Zong Yanli.
"Our army has passed two passes in a row. I originally thought that Baofeng Pass was close to the imperial city of Qing and might be difficult to capture. We would need to use heavy crossbows to attack the chariots." Zong Yanli glanced at Gongsun Pu and said, "But now it seems that Baofeng Pass may be the easiest pass to break through."
"Why do you say that, General?" Gongsun Pu asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Sir, haven't you seen that the foundation of Qing Kingdom has been destroyed?" Zong Yanli raised his lips and smiled, his black eyes seemed to hold a bit of the arrogance of a winner.
Gongsun Pu was still trying to figure out what Zong Yanli meant by this. In his opinion, Qing was already doomed, but...
What does this mean?
Soon Gongsun Pu understood what Zong Yanli meant.
After Yao'an Pass was captured, news of what the Wu army did when entering the Qing State Pass spread, and the oppressed people finally woke up. Even the enemy army could treat them so well, but the monarch they supported was exploiting them so much?
The accumulated public grievances finally erupted, and in countless towns across Qing, uprising armies were called upon to fight back.
At this moment, Zong Yanli ordered Fu Jiashi to dispatch people to spread rumors everywhere, win over the rebel forces in various places, and bribe them with food.
He also ordered Zhan Haoyue to go to various bookstores in the city to incite students to criticize the ten major crimes of the King of Qing and to stir up passionate words to eliminate evil and purge the emperor's side.
This completely undermined the people's support step by step, turning the Qing emperor into a completely isolated man with no one to follow him.
The foundation of a country is the people!
"Come, let's play two hands of chess." Zong Yanli had some rare leisure time. She took off her armor and set up the chess pieces in the tent. Her loose hair seemed to have grown a little longer. With an unruly smile on her face, she waved at Gongsun Pu.
"General." Gongsun Pu looked at Zong Yanli in a daze for a moment. Many years had passed, and Zong Yanli seemed to have not changed at all.
"Sir, what's your old illness?" Holding the chess piece, Zong Yanli played chess just like she arranged an array, with sharp blades trapping and killing. It was the first time that Gongsun Pu played chess with Zong Yanli. He was still thinking about the move when he suddenly raised his eyes in surprise when he heard Zong Yanli's question.
Zong Yanli's eyebrows fell calmly, and his tone was also gentle: "Sir, there is always a smell of medicine on your body. I thought it was the calming medicine that Doctor Xiao prepared for you."
She pointed to the medicine bag on Gongsun Pu's waist and continued, "But I noticed that as autumn and winter approached, the smell of medicine on your body became stronger and the fragrance of medicine disappeared."
"I guess the medicine bag can't hold it anymore." Zong Yanli raised his hand and made a move. He looked at Gongsun Pu calmly and said, "I once heard you talk about having a family but now we are strangers. Your words were full of regrets."
"With your talent, why do you ask for no one to recognize you?"
"Sir, you have to go through such a rough road. Are you...unwell?"
With just a few words, Zong Yanli blocked all attempts of Gongsun Pu to quibble.
He was somewhat speechless, opened his mouth for a long time, revealed a bitter smile and said: "The general is very meticulous, Pu is ashamed of himself."
Zong Yanli said nothing, signaling Gongsun Pu to make his move. Gongsun Pu then lowered his eyes to look at the chessboard. He was already confused and held the chess piece in his hand, but he didn't know how to make his move. Finally, Gongsun Pu withdrew his hand, sighed slightly, stood up, and said to Zong Yanli: "General, please forgive me. I didn't mean to hide it."
Zong Yanli straightened up slightly, looked at Gongsun Pu and raised his hand and said, "Sir, please sit down and talk. Since I called you here today, I am not here to hold you accountable."
Gongsun Pu then sat down. Zong Yanli looked at Gongsun Pu and asked, "Sir, is your illness serious?"
Gongsun Pu shook his head and said, "It's just a stubborn disease. The pain of childhood coincided with the old disease left by the injuries sustained while fleeing. Although it's not fatal, it's tormenting."
"It seems that Doctor Xiao has been treating you for many years." Zong Yanli looked at Gongsun Pu and said, "Sir, don't worry. When Qing Kingdom is stabilized and we return victorious, I will ask the emperor to find famous doctors for you."
"General, I am extremely grateful that you have thought so much about me." Gongsun Pu bowed his head in thanks.
"Sir, don't think too much. The march is difficult and steep. Since you have taken this road, you must have a mountain you want to reach."
"I won't stop you. I just hope you remember that Qing is just one of the countries we conquered."
"The world is so big, I want to see it all with you, sir."
Zong Yanli looked at Gongsun Pu sincerely and deeply and said, "Sir, please don't show off. If you feel uncomfortable, please don't hide it from me."
Gongsun Pu felt his heart shaken when he heard Zong Yanli's words, and he couldn't help but wet his eyes with tears. Having such a lord, he would have no regrets in this life.
Gongsun Pu stood up and bowed to Zong Yanli. This bow seemed to be a sincere entrustment. From now on, he would never choose another master in his life. At this moment, he finally achieved the same state of mind as Pei Liang. I will live with you and die with you. What is there to fear? ?
As Zong Yanli made his plans, more and more rebels rose up in resistance, and the Qing Kingdom was completely plunged into war.
After a long rest, Zong Yanli finally broke camp again and headed towards Baofeng Pass.
Baofeng Pass is the last pass outside the imperial city of Qing State. The guarding general guarding this place must be a confidant of the emperor. His surname is Zou and his given name is Mao.
Zou Mao can be simply called a running dog of Zhuo Kangshun. He had been a general under Zhuo Kangshun since before he became emperor. Later, after Zhuo Kangshun became emperor, Zou Mao was sent to Baofeng Pass to guard the pass.
Some people say that this shows the emperor's trust in him, while others say it is just a trick of promoting him in public and demoting him in secret.
I don’t know what Zou Mao himself thinks.
Zong Yanli left Yao'an Pass and headed towards the imperial city of Qing State. The scenes he saw along the way were almost the same as before, with the only difference being that there were no longer any people walking on the streets. Perhaps they had heard the news early on and all had hidden themselves away.
As Zong Yanli got closer to Baofeng Pass, he often encountered ambushes and harassment along the way, which seemed to be the work of Zou Mao.
Zou Mao's ambush was of no concern to Zong Yanli, but it made her feel a little funny. In the current situation, could Zou Mao still spare the time to set an ambush against her?
"The rebels, why are there another rebel army!?" Inside Baofeng Pass, Zou Mao was indeed worried about this matter just as Zong Yanli had thought. Those rebels were like mosquitoes to the prisoners, who could not be caught or killed, and would bite you if you were not careful.
"General, it's not just the outside of the pass that is causing this unrest. I've noticed there are signs of unrest inside the pass as well." The wind of the uprising finally blew to Baofeng Pass. The general who came hurriedly said anxiously, "General, I thought we should stabilize the interior first!"
"It's just some powerless refugees making trouble under the name of the uprising army." Zou Mao frowned and said coldly: "Let Liu Chunlin take people to suppress and deal with them."
"This uprising is of great importance. I am worried that the rebels will grow bigger and bigger and endanger our army in the end." The deputy general did not give up and continued to persuade: "Why not send a large number of troops to suppress Zong Yanli before he kills Zhibao Fengguan?"
Zou Mao turned his head to look at Zhang Hongyi and directly rejected his proposal, firmly believing that the most powerful enemy they needed to face was Zong Yanli.
If Zong Yanli was allowed to march straight to Baofeng Pass, something terrible would happen, so he continued to act as he pleased and secretly dispatched troops to ambush and kill him, as if this would be enough to stop or consume Zong Yanli.
Zhang Hongyi was unable to persuade Zou Mao. Seeing Zou Mao so stubborn, he felt dejected and could only turn around and leave.
Over there, Zong Yanli's marching speed was indeed delayed due to the successive ambushes, but this delay was not a bad thing for Zong Yanli. It gave the rebels more time, so she simply ordered to slow down the march.
They walked and stopped like this until the Mid-Autumn Festival when they finally arrived outside Baofeng Pass.
"General, look!" Who would have thought that they had just walked outside Baofeng Pass, but saw smoke rising from the city wall, and flames flying up, and the flags of the Qing Kingdom were burned.
"Who captured Baofeng Pass before us?" The Wu army soldiers who had come along the way were all stunned when they saw this scene.
"Let's go and take a look." Zong Yanli rode away and led the army to the city. He saw that there was a fierce battle on the wall of Baofeng Pass, and the gate was not broken at all. Was this a fight that started from inside the pass?
Jie Hu's sharp eyes noticed the abrupt yellow flag erected on the city wall. There was no pattern on the flag.
He immediately exclaimed, "General! It's the rebels! The rebels inside the pass have taken action!"
Zong Yanli's eyes suddenly lit up, and with a look of joy on his face, he immediately ordered: "Brothers, let's lend a helping hand to the rebels! Attack the city!"
The sudden sound of the siege horn was like a thunder in the sky, and the rustling of the flags in the autumn wind was dazzling. The rebels who were still fighting hard, and the barefoot people who made armor out of grass, burst into tears when they saw the Wu army.
"Here they come! The Wu army is here!" The cheers were filled with joy, and for a moment it was hard to believe that the Wu army was the enemy?
"Kill! Kill these lackeys of the tyrant!"
"Let's fight them! For our compatriots, for our families--!"
"Kill——!!!"
The killing was without fear of life or death. Almost everyone used their bodies as shields. Some even hugged the soldiers guarding the city and jumped off the city wall to their deaths.
Their determination was so awe-inspiring that Zong Yanli couldn't help but be moved as he witnessed people pushing and shoving themselves off the city wall one after another.