bookrandom Chapter 23: Forged with Blood
Chapter 23: Forged with Blood
The heavy snow that had fallen for several days suddenly stopped the next morning, and rare sunshine shone on the city walls, but the cold wind was still biting.
The residents of Beining City, who had just stepped out of their houses, suddenly discovered that rows and rows of Jurchen prisoners of war were kneeling neatly on the city walls early in the morning.
Seeing these executioners who ruthlessly trampled on their homes and harmed their relatives, the people's suppressed emotions suddenly erupted.
Some people picked up stones from the ground and threw them, while others cursed loudly from below.
Soon, more and more people gathered at the city gate.
"Your Highness, it's about time."
Guan Xingsheng arrived at the camp on the city wall and informed Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan, who was looking at the city defense map, nodded slightly and then strode out.
At the same time, a large number of Shence Army soldiers appeared behind these prisoners.
Each of them held a steel knife in their hand, its blade gleaming with a blinding, cold light in the sunlight.
"Does anyone still remember these people's faces?"
Qin Xuan stepped forward and shouted, "It is these Jurchen soldiers who destroyed our land, humiliated your wives and daughters, and killed your kin."
"Today, the Shence Army will behead all ten thousand Jurchen prisoners right here on this city gate, to comfort the spirits of those who died in battle and our dead people."
As soon as Qin Xuan finished speaking, the people below began to cheer loudly.
"Kill! Kill these beasts!"
"May they never be reincarnated!"
"Give me back my son's life!"
"Beheading! Beheading..."
"..."
The people's emotions were instantly ignited, and the deafening shouts of battle terrified the Jurchen soldiers who were about to be beheaded, causing them to beg for mercy.
Some soldiers were so frightened that they fainted and collapsed to the ground, their crotches getting wet.
Qin Xuan quietly observed everything before him, then gave the order: "Execute!"
At this command, hundreds of heads rolled to the ground.
But the people were still shouting "Kill them!" as if they wanted to vent all the persecution they had suffered over the past ten years.
Batch after batch of Jurchen soldiers were brought up, and then the Shence Army, with swift and merciless strokes of their blades, like ruthless and numb machines, mercilessly harvested the heads of those enemies.
This massacre lasted for three hours before it finally ended.
By this time, the entire city gate was already a river of blood.
The original gray stone bricks had been soaked and turned dark red, and the flowing blood stretched from the city gate into the main street for a full ten miles.
Yet, at this very moment, not a single person has left.
They wished they could chop off the heads of these beasts with their own hands, so why would they be afraid at this moment?
"Prefect Wu, do you see the hideous faces of these people?"
On the city wall, Wu Renxin and others were pushed up.
Wu Renxin had resigned himself to his fate after his legs were broken, but seeing the 10,000 prisoners in front of him being beheaded one by one, his instinct for survival made him terrified again.
He was paralyzed on the ground because both his legs had been broken, but ignoring the excruciating pain all over his body, he tried to crawl towards Qin Xuan like a maggot:
"Your Highness, I know my crime. I beg you, Your Highness, give me a chance to reform..."
"I know all the wealthy merchants in Beining City. I can help Your Highness obtain countless gold and silver treasures..."
"Your Highness, believe me, I can even help you lure the Tulan army here."
"Your Highness, as long as you don't kill me, I'm willing to be your slave, no, even your dog!"
In his struggle to survive, Wu Renxin has gone mad.
Even if what he said was true, Qin Xuan would not let this heinous corrupt official go.
“You don’t need to be afraid. Look, there are so many people accompanying you on your journey.” Qin Xuan pointed to the other prisoners kneeling in a neat row to the side, his eyes filled with coldness.
If the Jurchen soldiers were cruel, it was because of the war between the two countries and their sense of duty.
But beasts like Wu Renxin are truly heinous.
He harmed his compatriots and betrayed the country. If such a person is not killed, how can Qin Xuan face the Shence Army soldiers who died in battle?
"kill."
Qin Xuan wasted no more time, uttering a single word, and the Shence Army soldiers immediately brought their blades down.
This time, the cheers from the crowd below grew even louder.
Not long after, the city garrison's ruffians and most of the generals were also brought to the city gate.
The same swiftness, the same head falling to the ground, only this time there was undoubtedly a cry among the crowd.
The people of Beining City are ultimately kind-hearted. Even though those who were beheaded were traitors, they still felt that these people were their own countrymen.
So they cried, but at the same time their hearts were filled with resentment.
After killing the last batch of people, Qin Xuan was exhausted.
No one is born a butcher, but today Qin Xuan must be ruthless.
This is Beining City, a city once soaked in blood and trampled by iron cavalry. Therefore, the backbone of its people must also be forged with blood, and their will must be awakened by the rolling heads.
"Effective immediately, the entire city is placed on Level 1 alert! City gates are closed and a curfew is in effect!"
Qin Xuan gave the order, and then the Shence Army rode on horseback to announce it throughout the city.
Perhaps the execution during the day had an effect, because this time not a single person in Beining City panicked.
At this time, the follow-up troops of the 150,000-strong Daqi Allied Army finally arrived.
Liushi Town is a small town about fifty miles outside Beining City. It was named after a meteorite that fell from the sky.
But the once prosperous town had been trampled by the Jurchen cavalry five years ago and turned into ruins.
Now, amidst these ruins, the 150,000-strong allied army of the Great Qi is setting up camp.
Inside the command tent, Commander Sun Wei sat in the center, with General Liu Zhizhong on his left and Vanguard General Zhang He on his right. All the other generals from various routes had already arrived.
A middle-aged man who looked like a scholar, wearing a mink-fur cotton-padded coat and with sharp eyes, was Cao Xueguang, the Vice Minister of War, who was the envoy sent by the Emperor of Daqi to the Jurchen Kingdom.
"Gentlemen, I'm afraid I don't need to say much about the current situation; you all know it perfectly well."
Cao Xueguang’s voice was low and cold: “His Majesty has already been angered by the previous setbacks. If we fail again this time, not only me, but all of you will lose your heads.”
Upon hearing this, many people subconsciously shrank back.
But most people turned their attention to Liu Zhizhong.
Liu Zhi cursed inwardly, "Damn it! It's like I'm the one who missed the opportunity in the battle!"
“My lord, the allied forces will go all out in this battle to wipe out Qin Xuan and the Shence Army in one fell swoop,” Sun Wei said, his tone firm.
Cao Xueguang glanced at everyone noncommittally: "Commander Sun, you don't need to say anything to me. His Majesty only wants to see the results."
"Moreover, although I am the supervisor, I will never interfere in any military arrangements, so how this battle is fought is entirely up to you."
"But I must remind you that the Jurchen Kingdom will send 100,000 troops to attack the south gate of Beining City. If they break through the city while we do not, we will also lose our lives."
After saying this, Cao Xueguang indeed said nothing more, letting Sun Wei and other generals discuss the war on their own.