Chapter 118: Only More Straw-Bags

They had previously mocked Temujin and the other Mongol tribal leaders as incapable, having been driven from the grasslands by a force composed of slaves and commoners.

But now, they felt a certain admiration for Temujin.

Damn, this is too exaggerated; they thought a weapon capable of piercing armor at four hundred meters was already extreme, but what is this artillery fire flying in from who knows where? How are they supposed to fight this?

They cannot win; they simply cannot win.

The Revolutionary Army advanced like a steady giant wave, slowly approaching the city walls; before the storm of a siege battle could even erupt, the Western Xia defenders scattered like withered leaves swept away by the autumn wind. Facing the sharp guns and cannons in the hands of the Revolutionary Army, they felt as if trapped in endless darkness, their hearts filled with despair, unable to devise any effective countermeasure.

Without expending the slightest effort, they easily captured Xingqing Prefecture. The city gates were breached in an instant, and the enemy surged in like a violent tide, instantly flooding the entire city. Facing this sudden invasion, countless Western Xia people were terrified; they painfully closed their eyes, as if trying to escape this cruel reality.

The time that followed was a carnival for these Mongols; everything in this city was at their mercy to plunder. The money, cattle, sheep, and women in the city all belonged to these people.

Anyone who defied their will, anyone who caused them even the slightest inconvenience, was to be subjected to their bloody slaughter.

Facing these armies charging forward in orderly formation, everyone was so frightened they did not know what to do.

"Citizens ahead, please make way; we are about to capture Li Chunyou at the Western Xia royal palace. The Revolutionary Army takes not a single needle or thread from the common people. Combat may occur within the city shortly; please, citizens, evacuate the city for safety. We have prepared food and water for everyone outside."

The polite tone of the Revolutionary Army left these people somewhat overwhelmed with surprise; why would soldiers speak to them so politely?

Shouldn't they be holding knives, threatening and intimidating them, forcing them to get out?

And they even say the Revolutionary Army takes not a single needle or thread from the masses; surely they mean they will take everything except a needle or thread.

They were very afraid the Revolutionary Army would enter their homes to rob them of money and grain, seizing everything they had accumulated over these years, but they were even more afraid of the guns in the hands of the Revolutionary Army.

Facing these black-mouthed weapons that could easily kill, they had no choice but to obey; otherwise, these men would likely kill to establish their authority.

Countless Western Xia people, under immense fear, followed the Revolutionary Army in an orderly withdrawal from the city, while the Revolutionary Army, while organizing this evacuation, conducted a carpet search of the Western Xia royal palace.

Now that they had captured Xingqing Prefecture, there was absolutely no intention of letting Li Chunyou, the ruler of Western Xia, escape.

Soon, they captured Li Chunyou in a civilian house. This fellow had intended to flee when the Revolutionary Army breached Xingqing Prefecture, but unfortunately, the Revolutionary Army had surrounded the city completely. This fellow had disguised himself as a commoner trying to leave, but unfortunately, the Revolutionary Army had their own methods of search, directly isolating anyone with smooth skin, slender fingers, and an upright spine.

After all, common people exposed to wind and sun all day long could not possess these traits. Looking at the current ruler of Western Xia, Guo Jing jumped down from his horse and asked, "Li Chunyou, ever since I learned you borrowed troops from Temujin to launch a massive campaign against us, I have been deeply confused as to why you would attack us. Now, not only did you fail to defeat us, but you have been captured alive. I truly do not know what you were thinking."

After Guo Jing finished speaking, all the officers burst into laughter. Li Chunyou turned his face away and snorted coldly, "If I do not go now, you will have to trouble yourself to lead troops here personally later."

Guo Jing nodded and said, "I truly did not expect that your Western Xia, with a population of three million and an army of five hundred thousand, would be so easily swept away by our few tens of thousands of troops. Very well, take him away. Feed and house him well; he must attend the upcoming trial in person."

Hearing this, Li Chunyou's pupils instantly contracted, as if seized by an invisible fear. His face instantly turned pale, and a layer of fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Struggling desperately, he shouted loudly, "No, you cannot treat me this way! I am the ruler of Western Xia! I am a descendant of the great Emperor Yi Zong! Even if you do not treat me with courtesy, you cannot subject me to the judgment of slaves and herdsmen! What you are doing violates propriety and law!"

Hearing this, Guo Jing laughed in anger. Seizing Li Chunyou's collar, he coldly interrogated, "Propriety and law? You dare speak of such feudal dross to a proletarian revolutionary fighter and materialist like me? Let me tell you, the purpose of our army is to sweep this dross into the historical garbage heap."

"You nobles and generals enjoy grain and wealth exploited from the working people. Relying on the working people to sustain you, what right do you have to look down on them? Without them, could you stand high above, enjoying fine clothes and rich food?"

Guo Jing's tone was cold, his eyes like daggers staring at Li Chunyou. Li Chunyou, the ruler of Western Xia who had lived in luxury and high status in his daily life, now felt as if he were beneath the fangs of a primordial beast, a fear unlike any he had ever felt surging in his heart.

Grabbing Li Chunyou's lapel, Guo Jing felt an indescribable smell of urine instantly hit his nose. Frowning slightly, he looked down and saw a pool of yellow urine on the ground, glaringly obvious under the sunlight.

Li Chunyou's face instantly turned deathly pale; he could never have imagined that he, the noble ruler of Western Xia, would be so terrified by Guo Jing's presence that he lost control of his bladder.

Guo Jing, with a face full of disgust, flung Li Chunyou away as if touching something unpleasant. Frowning, he took a piece of tissue from his pocket and carefully wiped his hands, as if trying to completely erase that nauseating sensation.

He could hardly believe that the former ruler of a generation was such an utterly useless straw bag. He had originally thought that even if Li Chunyou was not a brave warrior, he should at least possess some firm conviction and backbone. However, reality had slapped him hard in the face.

Li Chunyou had been scared into urinating himself by just a few words; such a performance was simply unbelievable. Disgust and disappointment surged in Guo Jing's heart like a tide.

This straw-bag ruler really had no potential at all; looking at him made one feel ashamed on his behalf.

"Hurry and take this fellow away; do not let him stay here and obstruct my view."

After Guo Jing finished speaking, he could not help but sigh. To be fair, even a straw-bag ruler like the ruler of Western Xia was better than the Great Song; after all, even such a straw bag could lead Western Xia's three million people to fight the Great Song, a great nation with tens of millions of people, to a standstill.

How straw-bag-like must the monarchs and scholar-officials of the Great Song be? Yet, in the past, he had always harbored illusions about such straw bags. Guo Jing felt he could not think further; if he did, he feared he might not be able to restrain himself from killing all the scholar-officials of Western Xia to vent his anger.

He must remain calm; these people must be executed according to the law.