Chapter 500: The Zhou Family Has a Daughter Named Ehuang

"Brother Dang!" Hearing Dang Jin's muttering, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly turned around, looking at him with unusual seriousness: "You and I have served together, though not for long; since the southern campaign began, through battles great and small, we have faced life and death together, braved hardships and dangers. The bond of comrades-in-arms runs deep indeed! I, Zhao, treat you as a brother of my own flesh and blood. There are some words I would speak to you plainly—I hope you will heed them well!"

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin speak so gravely, Dang Jin was taken aback, then replied: "Brother Zhao, please speak."

Beckoning Dang Jin to walk with him along the ramparts of Yangzhou's outer city, Zhao Kuangyin said slowly: "Since the end of the Tang, the realm has been in great chaos, with warlords carving up territories. In a few decades, the Central Plains has already changed four dynasties—truly turmoil beyond measure. Yet since ancient times, there has never been endless chaos; in such declining times, a heroic sovereign will inevitably arise in response to the times and usher in a new era of peace.

As I see it, the current Son of Heaven of the Great Han is precisely such a wise and strategic lord. Reforming corrupt governance, reining in the military provinces, centralizing authority, rectifying the imperial army, repelling the Later Shu, pacifying internal rebellion, resisting the Khitan, striking the Southern Tang—step by step, all of it displays his wisdom, strategy, and martial prowess.

At this moment, the realm is turning from chaos to order. In this time of great transformation, we who have met this era should go with the current and not cling to the bad habits carried over from the last three dynasties..."

"Brother Zhao, just speak plainly!" Dang Jin's head was spinning; he scratched his head and bared his teeth in a grimace.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin felt his efforts were wasted, and gave a faint bitter smile, speaking more directly: "Think on the root of the chaos in the late Tang—it was nothing more than the military provinces holding too much power and military men being hard to restrain. The current Son of Heaven wishes to turn chaos into order, so he must restrain military officers. In recent years, the discipline of the imperial army has grown ever more detailed and strict—that is proof. And we too must restrain our own conduct to reap good results!"

After these words, Dang Jin was still somewhat confused, so Zhao Kuangyin said bluntly: "Yangzhou is a great city of Huainan. Since we have taken the city intact, we should present it whole to His Majesty and the court, stabilize order, and soothe the people's hearts—thus we will surely earn great merit. But if, as you suggest, we let the soldiers run loose and plunder the scholars and common folk, Yangzhou will be destroyed. Not only would we lose the people's hearts, but a ruined Yangzhou city would earn us no merit in the Son of Heaven's eyes—rather, it would become our crime!"

At last, Dang Jin finally understood, and said: "So Brother Zhao's meaning is still that we should not loot Yangzhou. Just say so directly—would we ever refuse to follow orders..."

Seeing Dang Jin's reaction, Zhao Kuangyin himself was amused, and shook his head helplessly—clearly, he had been preaching to the wrong person. Raising a finger, he said: "This is not my order; it is the imperial decree of His Majesty. In a war of invasion, it is hard to guarantee that the people of Huainan will not suffer harm. With an army of over a hundred thousand marching south, whatever the other troops do, I, Zhao Kuangyin, will strictly follow His Majesty's decree! Whoever disobeys—executed!"

In truth, for the feudal army of the Northern Han to be completely scrupulous in not harming the people was basically impossible, especially for the southern-marching Han army with its mixed composition. Even with the Son of Heaven's strict orders, the various units below could hardly avoid sneaky misdeeds.

After all, fighting in a foreign land as conquerors, the proud and fierce generals and soldiers of the Northern Han could hardly refrain from indulgence. At Haozhou, Zhao Kuangyin had personally witnessed an incident: a squad of Han soldiers resorted to a ruse, disguising themselves as defeated Tang troops, plundered villagers, and slaughtered over a hundred people. When Guo Rong heard of it, he had that entire squad of Han soldiers executed.

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's ruthless, resolute expression, Dang Jin could only answer: "Yes!"

"Ah!" Even as he acknowledged the order, he could not help but ask doubtfully: "But if we're not allowed to plunder and not allowed to kill wantonly, then what are the soldiers fighting and dying for? If this continues, I fear the troops will grow resentful!"

"You've been in the imperial army this long—haven't you taken in what those pacification commissioners said?" Zhao Kuangyin countered.

Then, not waiting for an answer, with a solemn expression, he said earnestly: "Soldiers go to war for the state, for the sovereign, for the people—for the unification of the realm!"

Seeing that Dang Jin seemed unimpressed, Zhao Kuangyin added: "As for the soldiers' military merits, His Majesty and the court have their own rewards and compensations. After all these years, has His Majesty ever shortchanged the soldiers in that regard?"

"That's true enough!" Dang Jin replied, stroking his chin.

What Zhao Kuangyin admired most about Liu Chengyou was his years-long control and reform of the Great Han's imperial army. A clear-headed, sharp-eyed sovereign of action was worth following.

"Yangzhou—all this wealth in the city—doesn't it tempt Brother Zhao at all?" Dang Jin clicked his tongue in admiration and couldn't help looking at Zhao Kuangyin.

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin's face was utterly calm, and he looked at Dang Jin with a light smile: "To speak frankly, even if we truly plundered Yangzhou and let the flames of war fill the city, when it reached the Son of Heaven, he would not be too harsh on us. He might even still commend us for the merit of taking Yangzhou!

But after that, you and I, brothers, would have lost our future!"

"The wealth of a whole city cannot move your heart—I am no match for you!" Dang Jin said.

While the two were conversing, a junior officer suddenly came to report: "Reporting to the Military Commissioner, the Yizhou troops have mutinied and are plundering the inner city!"

Hearing this abruptly, Zhao Kuangyin's expression changed at once, fury surging, and he ordered: "Notify Governor Chen to bring men and suppress them—otherwise, don't blame me, Zhao, for being impolite!"

In the end, Yangzhou city could not completely avoid the scourge of war. It was the largest city in territory, population, and wealth that the Han army had taken since coming south—riches dazzled the eyes and confused the heart.

It wasn't only the Yizhou troops who caused trouble; the Suzhou troops couldn't hold back either, and some surrendered Tang soldiers were the most eager of all. Even the city's ruffians and scoundrels, all sorts of lowlifes, jumped out to join in.

Faced with such a situation, Zhao Kuangyin naturally showed no mercy whatsoever—he personally led men to suppress them, and it came down to one word: kill. Fortunately, the response was timely and stern measures were taken, so the chaos did not spread further.

The inner city was the main area of the mutinous soldiers' rampage, for that was where most officials, wealthy merchants, and property owners resided.

As for the residence of the Regent of the Eastern Capital of the false Tang (likewise: 'The Regent of the Eastern Capital was named Zhou Zong' and 'the hall of the Regent's residence'), Zhao Kuangyin had given strict orders upon entering the city to station troops and guard it, forbidding any disturbance—yet it still could not be avoided. The Eastern Capital Defender was named Zhou Zong, advanced in years, an old minister of the Southern Tang with considerable seniority and prestige.

The family gathered in the hall; the women and children were all terrified, sobbing without cease. Zhou Zong had a head of white hair, but his spirit seemed vigorous. As the head of the household, he stood at the front, showing no fear, gazing coldly at those wolf-like Han soldiers as they put down their plundered goods and retreated shamefacedly from the hall.

Zhao Kuangyin stepped up into the hall, swept his gaze across, advanced two paces, and bowed to Zhou Zong: "Elder Zhou, you were alarmed—this is my fault. Are your family members unharmed?"

"I dare not accept that!" Zhou Zong straightened himself, smoothed his robes, returned a simple bow, and pointed at the soldiers outside, saying flatly: "Is this what Governor Zhao calls an army of righteousness? With strict discipline? Such violent tyranny—in my eyes, no different from any brutal soldier under heaven!"

"It is my failure to control my men; I beg Elder Zhou's forgiveness!" Facing his mockery, Zhao Kuangyin remained very calm, saying: "I, Zhao, will surely give Elder Zhou, and the scholars and people of Yangzhou, an accounting!"

At this moment, Chen Sirang also arrived; he and Zhao Kuangyin had been suppressing the riots separately. Looking thoroughly vexed, he sighed upon seeing Zhao Kuangyin: "Governor Zhao, I have failed to command my troops. The officers and soldiers who plundered—I have brought them all here, at your disposal!"

Zhao Kuangyin turned, his eyes flashing cold, and directly ordered: "Whether they belong to the Suzhou or Yizhou militia units, all officers of squad-leader rank and above are to be beheaded; the remaining soldiers receive twenty strokes of the rod. As for the surrendered Yangzhou soldiers who took part in the rioting, and those ruffians and scoundrels—take them all to the canal bank and execute them!"

"Yes!"

Hearing Zhao Kuangyin give the order that would send over a thousand heads to the ground without his expression changing, Chen Sirang truly felt some admiration for this man.

"Elder Zhou, Yangzhou will certainly not fall into chaos!" Zhao Kuangyin turned again, gave a slight bow, and said respectfully: "However, I must trouble Elder Zhou—I intend to move your family to another place!"

"We are the fish and meat on the chopping block; do as you please!" Zhou Zong had heard Zhao Kuangyin's orders and knew this was no kind man. His old face paled slightly, but he still answered stubbornly.

"Pass the order: Elder Zhou is an elder; no officer or soldier may insult him lightly—whoever disobeys will be executed!" As he led his men out, Zhao Kuangyin ordered in a loud voice.

Dang Jin followed Zhao Kuangyin: "Weren't you too courteous to that old man?"

"Send men to escort Zhou Zong's family and that Yao Feng to the field headquarters together, to be presented to the Son of Heaven!" Zhao Kuangyin raised his hand and gave the instruction.

Back in the hall of the Defender's residence, only after the Han soldiers had withdrawn did Zhou Zong's family relax. Zhou Zong too—faced with a pack of rough soldiers, there was truly nothing he could do. Fortunately, the Han army's commanding general, Zhao Kuangyin, was at least reasonable.

"Father!" A light, clear call sounded.

Behind Zhou Zong stood a young woman of striking beauty and gentle temperament, in the bloom of youth, dressed in a pink gauze gown, standing gracefully. On her flower-like face lingered traces of fear.

Gently pressing her hand, Zhou Zong comforted her: "It's all right!"

Among Zhou Zong's womenfolk was also his concubine—plump of figure, with a seductive air—holding a little girl in her arms who was babbling, her bright eyes darting about, utterly unaware of the hardships of the world.

That old fellow Zhou Zong was rather interesting—he had a daughter in middle age, and another in his old age. His constitution was truly good.

Seeing all these womenfolk and children in the hall, Zhou Zong silently resolved that he could not fall. Otherwise, these women and children would surely come to harm. Especially his eldest daughter—she had not been easy to raise, and he had always been proud of her. Without his protection, in this time of national ruin and war, how could she be kept safe?

"Have the servants tidy up the things; you should each pack your luggage and valuables..." After soothing his family, Zhou Zong, as head of the household, gave his instructions.

Zhou Zong's daughter, Zhou Ehuang, was sixteen years old.