Chapter 478
Ji Yuan's Death
These women from the state of Qi sang folk songs of Qi while sobbing.
Because most of them were farmers who had migrated with their husbands, and their sons were also serving in corvée labor, as laborers or soldiers. Some were even inside this encirclement, trying to resist until the frost and snow arrived under the emperor's leadership.
They didn't know whether their son and husband were still alive; they would only find out after the war ended.
But when will the war end?
We are indeed fighting against the traitor Yu, but is our enemy really Song Shi'an?
We've never even met Song Shi'an, so why should we stop him from achieving his ambition?
Confusion and despair spread rapidly throughout the army, accompanied by the chorus of voices.
They originally thought that Song Shi'an would use these strange flying machines to send down karmic fire from the sky, burn the food, and cause them to die from starvation.
Now, we have enough food, but we've lost our will to fight.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have scrambled to grab the Qi Bing (a type of flatbread).
They weren't fighting over food; they were fighting over fragments of memories about home.
In everyone's heart, one voice is crying out—I want to go home…
Qi Jun's psychological defenses collapsed at that moment.
The men and boys began to hug each other and weep.
Chen Xing hurriedly came out of Wu Lei with his guards, intending to suppress his negative emotions, but he found that everyone around him was trapped by Qi Yin and could not move.
He himself was surrounded by singing, making him dizzy and completely disoriented, unsure of which way to go.
Your Majesty, our Majesty, we should go to him; he must have a plan.
Chen Xing was so superstitious about Ji Yuan that he thought he was omnipotent, so he fully supported everything Ji Yuan did.
It was the right thing to wait until winter.
We have plenty of food, while Song Shi'an's side definitely can't feed that many people. Isn't that reason strong enough?
But who could have imagined that Song Shi'an would break through their army's formation in this final battle without using knives or swords?
The Qi troops stationed at the outermost edge of the camp completely collapsed.
Because the voices of these women were too close to them.
They didn't know if their wives were still alive, just as the other woman didn't know if her husband was still alive.
However, only by going out can we prove it.
Is life a broken despair, or a beautiful glimmer of hope?
A spearman abandoned his spear and, like a walking corpse, walked out of their camp and headed towards the army of the Great Yu.
His actions drew the attention of those around him.
They watched that side nervously.
Then, they watched helplessly as the man was shot dead by an arrow a dozen steps from the camp.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Because this arrow did not come from the Great Yu.
"Deserters in the face of battle will be executed without mercy!"
A captain on the watchtower drew his bow and shot the deserter dead. His neck flushed red as he roared that he was trying to hold up the crumbling foundation of the empire with his own bare hands.
"We didn't die at Song Shi'an's hands, but at Ji Yuan's. Which side is our country after all!"
After one of them shouted, he and several Qi soldiers ran out at the same time.
Seeing this, the others also ran.
Having lost their weapons, they headed towards Song Shi'an.
"Shoot them!"
The captain drew his sword and gave a loud command.
The soldiers on the watchtowers held bows in their hands, but they didn't raise them. They just stood there, frozen in place, and not one of them responded to the orders of their superiors' supervisory team.
Those soldiers who ran to the opposite side of Song Shi'an's camp were ordered to remove their armor upon arrival. Completely rendered incapable of fighting, they were directly recruited by Yu's army.
Those who surrender will not be killed, and the number of those who surrender will be accepted.
At this point, the outer guards completely collapsed.
This wasn't just happening at a particular defensive line; it was happening everywhere, with everyone surrendering en masse.
The elite soldiers' armor fell to the ground piece by piece, returning them to their most basic state.
The soldiers inside the round towers also abandoned their safe situation and surrendered en masse.
In the end, only two black bases remained.
Because the gates were tightly closed, and Ji Yuan and Chen Xing were stationed there, the soldiers were only temporarily still in the city.
But their hearts, too, left with their comrades who faced the sun.
Now, if Song Shi'an were to arrive with his army, even with Ji Yuan behind them, they would likely face a massive wave of changes in household registration.
Chen Xing returned to his home in Wulei in despair.
Because he had lost all control over the situation, Ji Yuan did nothing and simply let everything happen.
He understood that even the emperor was out of options.
"Lord Chen."
At this moment, one of Ji Yuan's personal guards came before him, his face filled with immense sorrow.
"What did His Majesty say?" Chen Xing asked anxiously.
"..." He paused slightly, then choked up and said, "Lord Chen is very talented. If he were to take Song Sheng as his subordinate, he would surely be treated very well."
Chen Xing closed his eyes, a tear sliding down his cheek.
He slowly turned around, walked to the sword rack, and picked up the sword bestowed upon him by Ji Yuan.
He drew his sword and committed suicide.
At this moment, two hundred and forty-four warriors gathered in the open space in the center of Ji Yuan Fortress.
To be precise, only a few things responded to his signs.
These soldiers were all his most loyal and devoted followers.
Ji Yuan, on horseback, surveyed his army with his gaze for a long, long time without uttering a single word.
He drew his sword, reined in his horse, turned around, and headed out of the city.
"I will take you home."
.........
"Let him come over here! Let him come over here!"
From the highest watchtower in the camp, Song Shi'an watched as more than two hundred cavalrymen galloped toward him. He quickly waved his hand, ordering the soldiers at the front to move aside and not to block their way.
“Ji Yuan should be among them!” Xin Yue saw the imperial banner on the opposite side and clenched her fists.
Song Shi'an was also watching that side with great interest.
As they got closer, those people became clearer and clearer.
That figure was indeed him.
A true emperor is never a slave.
Having reached this point, Ji Yuan did not choose to resist stubbornly or make a final desperate gamble, but instead decisively brought the war to a close.
Although his heart was filled with sorrow, Song Shi'an slowly raised his hand. Pulling the reins, Ji Yuan stood at the very front of the cavalry, facing Song Shi'an's camp, drawing ever closer.
Until I saw the other person's face.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
After that, arrows flashed before his eyes like wheat awns in the sky.
My life has been a failure.
.........
"The entire Qi army has surrendered, and Ji Yuan has also been shot and killed by the young Grand Secretary!"
A cavalryman excitedly reported the news to Wei Wusheng's main tent.
Immediately, the generals and commanders inside the tent burst into laughter with joy.
"We won!" Wang Dalong clenched his fist, extremely excited.
"It's really not easy." Zhu Qing, a grown man, had tears welling up in his eyes.
"I never thought Ji Yuan would actually die here."
"I thought this battle would last for several more months."
"If he were to break out with his army and retreat back to Wuwei, we might not be able to kill him."
Everyone felt that all of this was so unreal.
It's like the singing voice of that Qi woman, dreamlike and ethereal.
Is peace real or not?
Wei Wusheng, with his eyes closed and a pleased smile playing on his lips, looked at the generals and said, “Ji Yuan is dead, but the war is not over. You must take in all the Qi soldiers and people. Do not mistreat them, do not kill them indiscriminately, and do not rape the Qi women. I entrust this to you, my lords!”
"Yes!"
Besides Wei Wusheng, Xiao Qun's side is also stepping up disarmament and clearing the battlefield.
The atmosphere was slightly more relaxed in Song Shi'an's camp at the northernmost point.
Ji Yuan's body, riddled with arrows, was carried to the main camp.
Everyone was laughing heartily, completely releasing the pent-up emotions of the past few days.
Song Shi'an didn't spoil the fun by criticizing the generals. He also had a relaxed expression, but he didn't show any contempt for his opponent. After everyone had finished laughing, he said, "San Gou, remove the arrows from Ji Yuan's body, put it in a coffin, and don't let anyone get close."
"Yes." San Gou clenched his fist to receive the order and immediately went to carry it out.
Song Shi'an continued, "The news of Ji Yuan's death won't spread so quickly. The Qi army is still heading this way. But they are mostly new recruits, and there aren't many cavalry. General Xiang Ping, I'm giving you all the cavalry in this army. You have only one mission: to defeat them."
Qi did send another 30,000 men, but these were new recruits going to the battlefield. They were fine for defending a city, but in open field battles, it was almost always one-sided, especially when cavalry arrived. They were like rabbits in the field, running around aimlessly.
Xiang Ping was also an experienced general.
This is a battle with a 100% chance of winning.
"I obey your command."
Xiang Ping clenched his fist, accepting his military order.
Just then, an excited clerk rushed into the tent and said to Song Shi'an, "Young Grand Secretary, Ji Yuan gave the order to burn the granaries before charging into battle. But his men did not carry it out. The grain in the two Wulei fortresses was completely unharmed!"
Good news keeps coming one after another, it just won't stop.
Song Shian played the best game of his career.
While the tactic of singing from all sides is ruthless, it's not something you can use all the time. If you're not mentally broken, singing here just makes the other side feel like you're provoking them.
Therefore, the key to this battle was that Wei Wusheng's first few steamed buns were absolutely necessary.
And just like that, the battlefield was completely cleaned up.
Sixty thousand Qi soldiers completely surrendered to Song Shi'an.
After being disarmed, these people were placed in concentration camps under centralized custody.
The newly acquired 30,000 sets of armor were equipped into Song Shi'an's army, making them even stronger.
After Xiang Ping took away nearly 20,000 cavalrymen, Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng joined forces, bringing their total strength to 100,000 combat-ready soldiers.
The two, who were so close, finally met.
It was one night.
The two walked together by a campfire.
Xin Yue was also standing nearby.
“We finally did it.” Wei Wusheng looked at Song Shi’an with an indescribable sense of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Yes, we decisively defeated that Ji Yuan," Song Shi'an remarked with a sigh. "He was our most formidable opponent."
“I’m a little curious,” Wei Wusheng asked, “Why didn’t Ji Yuan burn the last of the grain supplies? He could have set it on fire himself instead of having his men do it after leaving the city.”
Song Shi'an smiled and said, "Emperor Ji's domineering nature is to order the burning of the granaries as a final sacrifice for his crown prince. Emperor Ji's benevolent nature is to entrust the impossible task to others, leaving a way out for the people of Qi."
The order to burn the grain was merely a statement of our stance: Qi will fight you to the death.
“This Ji Yuan is really quite respectable,” Xin Yue remarked.
Being able to accept defeat and let go of it.
"Thanks to him for doing this, we have been relieved of a lot of burdens," Song Shi'an said. "As long as we can peacefully liberate Wuwei and get the court to procure some more grain, we should be able to get through this winter easily."
"Can the imperial court still provide enough grain?" Xin Yue asked. "Those aristocratic families are extremely stingy."
"We wouldn't give a penny if we didn't win, but now that we've won, we're naturally eager to add to the glory," Song Shi'an said with a smile. "You don't need to worry about the food at all."
"The problem now is..." Wei Wusheng said, "How do we persuade Wuwei and Tongmen Pass to surrender? If we can easily take those cities, the entire Qi state can muster no more than 30,000 troops to fight us. By next spring, we should be able to reach Leyang."
The unification of the world took place around that time.
“Your Highness, I have a suggestion,” Song Shi’an said to him. “Let an army, dressed in mourning clothes, carry Ji Yuan’s coffin into Wuwei City and hold a funeral for him with propriety and benevolence.”
To subdue the enemy without fighting.
“Good idea,” Wei Wusheng nodded, then said, “But who should we send to do it?”
“Wei Le,” Song Shi’an said.
These words stunned Wei Wusheng.
Wei Le was an ordinary general, but he was also not an ordinary general.
Because he was a member of the imperial clan, a relative of the emperor, and the eldest son of the emperor, his status was extremely noble.
The fact that the Wei family was in mourning for the emperor of Qi was not a humiliation, but it was still quite a sensitive matter.
But soon, Wei Wusheng made up his mind and said, "Okay, let's do it this way."
Everything is for the sake of the world.
Is not it?
"You are truly a benevolent ruler." Song Shi'an bowed to him.
When Wei Wusheng saw him doing this, he also bowed to him, saying, "You are truly a virtuous and capable minister."
After a brief moment of flirtation, the two exchanged a smile.
Together, they looked up at the moonlit night.
News of the resounding victory was spreading far and wide.
However, before even arriving in Sheng'an and Leyang, Kang Xun, who was particularly concerned about the matter, was the first to learn of the news.
In the pitch-black night, a lone figure sat in the flickering lights of the royal palace. Kangxun remained silent for a long, long time, his mind replaying the events described in the military reports. Suddenly, his eyes widened, as if possessed, and he murmured in terror, "Singing from all sides…how terrifying!" (End of Chapter)