Chapter 411: Execute on the Spot

The Prince of Shangdang Commandery felt torn—on one hand he couldn't lose face, on the other he thought that not even passing through Gaodu counted as giving him face, leaving him quite conflicted.

He ended up writing a letter to the Prince of Qinghe to gauge the neighbor's opinion. Having a reference point is good; fortunately he wasn't the only one suffering.

The Qinghe Commandery received the same treatment: they violently smashed the gate and passed through, likewise bypassing the Qinghe capital.

If you say there's courtesy, there is, but it's very limited.

The magistrate of Fuyang County in Qinghe was especially stubborn, refusing to open this convenient gate, so the Snow Cavalry simply charged straight through and smashed Fuyang's city gate.

You open it yourself, I'll stay silent and just pass through; if you don't open it, I can break it open myself.

All the way like lightning, moving at a speed far surpassing that of cold‑weapon era warhorses, they reached the vicinity of Fanyang; the scouts ahead reported that they had arrived just in time, the city was still under siege.

Changli laughed, "These bandits are fairly cooperative. Let's go surround them too, rest a bit, then talk."

Chen Hu had actually lost his patience long ago, but his Dog‑headed Strategist simply wouldn't let him assault the city, saying those scholar‑families were so proud that if a deadlock dragged on, they'd never lift a finger for the State of Lu.

Besieging Fanyang put enormous pressure on Chen Hu; before the autumn harvest he was already running low on food, and he had withdrawn some of the troops surrounding the city, leaving only about five thousand. With no reserves, he truly couldn't sustain it any longer.

He had been worried for two days, but the strategist said these two days were the critical point, promising the stalemate would soon end. According to the strategist's analysis, the defenders inside Fanyang should also be unable to hold out much longer.

Chen Hu had been pleased these past two days, planning to absorb the Lu clan within these two days and then ruthlessly scour Fanyang to replenish his supplies—doing it without losing a single soldier would be even better.

Outside the city, the Snow Cavalry quickly arrived, stopping about a hundred meters from Chen Hu's forces, and began to rest in place.

The scouts sent out had not yet returned, and both the men and horses of the main force needed to catch their breath and recover.

Changli leisurely raised his spyglass to observe the chaotic rebel forces ahead, then snorted in disdain.

Such a rabble mob—using them as a whetstone for the Snow Cavalry would be giving them far too much credit.

Chen Hu never expected a yellow oriole to appear behind him, and moreover a deluxe‑edition oriole.

The opponent's gleaming silver armor and white horses almost blinded his eyes; in comparison, their 'Lu State army' looked like a bunch of beggars—no decent warhorses, no proper armor, their clothes were ragged and filthy, and even the weapons they held were hardly uniform.

The Dog‑headed Strategist panicked even more than Chen Hu; he still had a bit of discernment and knew the arriving troops were regular forces. Obviously they had come for them, the column stopped a hundred meters away and began resting silently.

"Where did this cavalry come from?" Chen Hu exploded in fury.

"Subordinate, subordinate doesn't know either!"

"Then go find out!"

It was just a coincidence that at noon there wasn't a breath of wind, while they were craning their necks to see which deity was approaching, when a slight breeze suddenly sprang up. The 'You' banner behind Changli unfurled halfway…

The character 'You' is complicated enough; showing half of it is sufficient.

Chen Hu couldn't read a character; seeing the strategist open his mouth made his chin start to tremble, and he wanted to lose his temper.

"Come on, tell me—what did you see?! Who scared you like this?!"

"You, the You banner—it's the Black Armor Cavalry of Youzhou!"

"You're blind—this isn't silver armor?!"

Never mind what color the cavalry is; the important thing is that it's definitely from Youzhou. Chen Hu panicked for a moment, then quickly steadied himself—what's there to fear? If they dare provoke him, he'll fight to the death; he's gotten this far by sheer ruthlessness.

This cavalry may look intimidating, but Chen Hu isn't afraid.

Everyone, cheer up and get ready—don't be fooled by their flashy appearance; that only shows the emperor's spoiled son has silver! It's all sucked from the blood of us commoners; once we take them down, their horses and armor will be ours!

Chen Hu held his troops in place, only sending someone to tell the Snow Cavalry not to meddle in his feud with Fanyang and to mind their own business.

He wasn't sure whether the Prince of the Northern Border had marched south to fight here or had come specially to meddle in Fanyang's affairs. Putting on a show—that's his forte.

Meanwhile, far off, Changli—whose scouts sent out had not yet returned—waited as they trickled back, and the more he heard, the angrier he became.

Chen Hu had seized Pengcheng, not a wealthy big city, and later occupied several nearby counties. The manpower of the Lu state he'd defined had been greatly depleted by his ravages; forty‑to‑fifty thousand able‑bodied men no longer farmed but spent every day studying how to kill and loot.

His provisions were never abundant to begin with; he initially led ten thousand men to besiege Fanyang, and the consumption of ten thousand was no small matter. He soon couldn't sustain it, seeing that Fanyang offered no resistance, and sent back five thousand after just two days.

What did the remaining five thousand eat? They pillaged the surrounding villages and towns.

The villages outside Fanyang were completely ransacked by them, the worst of which was nearly wiped out.

In this world, the common folk's lives are already hard; having their grain stolen makes survival difficult, and there are plenty who resist stubbornly. Chen Hu's bandit‑origin outlaws slaughter civilians without hesitation.

"…Moreover, Chen Hu's men abducted several women from Xiaoping Village; to this day they haven't returned home, their fate unknown. As for more distant villages, we haven't yet had a chance to check—we don't know the situation."

The scout tasked with watching Chen Hu's main camp, who had arrived a day early, added on the side: "They're probably being made into military prostitutes."

Changli fell silent for a while before exhaling.

My lord, I'm sorry your hopes are about to be dashed.

These people can't be kept.

"In half an hour we move out—execute them on the spot, not a single one of these five thousand is to be spared!"

"Yes!"

★

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