Chapter 140

But on the battlefield, those who fear neither death are not only Wanyu Hu Ke and his personal guards—the revolutionary soldiers charging forward have their own honor too; under the People's Government, where one family sends a soldier and the whole family gains glory, soldiers are no longer noble killing machines of the past but warriors and heroes defending the people.

Since its founding, they have followed Guo Jing to unify the steppes and destroy the Western Xia, conquering all who stood against them and subduing all who resisted; across the world, who could match them? And they believe that after they die, the government will remember them, the people will remember them, and their families will be cared for by the state.

If you fall in battle, then all of us revolutionary soldiers will become filial sons to your mother—revolutionary soldiers are all fearless of death; how could a few hundred fearless personal guards possibly stop three hundred thousand fearless revolutionary soldiers?

Hundreds of men were like a handful of insignificant sand swallowed by a roaring flood; at the moment he fell, Wanyu Hu Ke realized how absurd it was to think that the two hundred thousand Western Xia troops who had just surrendered were weak in combat.

He could not understand how Guo Jing, in such a short time, had made another ethnic group set aside their prejudices, travel thousands of miles, and fear neither death to fight for him—something the Great Jin had failed to do in over a century of occupying the Central Plains, yet Guo Jing accomplished in only four months.

He scoured the historical records and found that only Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang had such ability.

A man from Chu arrived in a foreign land and within less than a year made the Qin people compete to make him their king—such talent even Tiankehan Li Shimin, who built the Tang Dynasty's golden age, could not help but admire.

Observe Emperor Gaozu and Yin Tang; admire their virtue—like the harmony of yin and yang, the alignment of the four seasons, fair laws, and the people's joy, the qilin appears as an omen. Were Emperor Gaozu and Yin Tang not of the qilin's kind?

In Li Shimin's eyes, Liu Bang could be ranked alongside the legendary qilin and the ancient sage kings like Tang of Yin—submission of hearts was far, far harder than defeat or conquest.

Facing such a formidable figure, would the Great Jin become history?

The sun set in the west, its fiery afterglow spilling over the city walls just after fierce battle, warming the once hard and cold stones with radiant heat; the sun's glow flowed like a golden river, leaving mottled traces in every corner of the ramparts.

Upon the ramparts, the smoke of battle had not yet cleared, and the air carried a unique scent.

At this moment, the ramparts appeared both solemn and dignified, yet full of life and vigor.

Witnessing this, Guo Jing could not help but sigh: "One general's triumph rests on ten thousand bones—individual strength is utterly insignificant before an army of thousands."

"Indeed, war always brings sacrifice. Though our assault succeeded, deaths were inevitable," said Zhe Bie, commander of the Third Army, beside him, then shifted tone: "But if we don't fight this battle, we and our descendants will return to the old days—being ridden roughshod over, oppressed and starved."

"Compared to dying of hunger or oppression, dying in battle is honorable; after a glorious death, our families and children will never starve or be abused again—one generation bears the burden so the next few generations may enjoy peace. This deal is worth it."

Guo Jing smiled and patted Zhe Bie's shoulder: "Don't worry—I'm just momentarily moved, not as fragile as you think. By the way, after our troops enter the city, they must strictly follow the Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention—we are the people's army and must never harm civilians."

"Rest assured, Commissar, we will never harm civilians," Zhe Bie saluted and went to arrange the city entry.

Meanwhile, Guo Jing opened the system chat group to ask others about their current status.

Guo Jing: "Everyone, I'm now leading my army into the Jin's Guanxi region—how are things on your end?"

Nie Huaishang: "With Zhang Chu'an's inside man, Hengzhou—the Jin's horse-breeding ground—is already in my hands. I'm about to reach Yehu Ridge. I originally planned to engage the Jin's forty-thousand-strong army there, but now even ten thousand there would be too many."

Zhang Chu'an: "Ten thousand? Where would ten thousand come from? Most of Yehu Ridge's troops have been recalled to rescue Zhongdu. With the political center besieged, all armies are leaderless. At least five to six hundred thousand troops from across the Jin territories have rushed to rescue Zhongdu—all landowners and gentry have abandoned their homes to support these armies against us."

Guo Jing: "Abandoning their homes and businesses? Do these landlords and gentry have such awareness? Didn't the Yuan Mongols destroy the Song and the Manchus enter the pass, yet these people never abandoned their homes—they just embezzled military funds?"

Zhang Chu'an: "No choice. For these landlords and gentry, changing emperors means they keep their wealth and glory—but we're seizing their land. The Duke of Yansheng in Shandong personally wrote a proclamation calling all gentry to exterminate us."

Zhang Xiaofan: "It's worse—they're chanting 'Grass must pass through fire, stones must pass through knives, people must be replaced' and massacring civilians in our base areas, even children aren't spared. Our pressure is immense—we're organizing civilian evacuations while fighting them. Civilians won't survive if they fall into their hands."

Zhang Chu'an: "We haven't used ambushes at all this time—we've gone straight head-on."

Guo Jing: "Good, good, good—I've learned something."

On the ramparts now, the sky was dark and gloomy, as if a thick cloud pressed down on the entire heavens; occasionally, lightning split the sky, accompanied by deafening thunder.

This extreme weather created an overwhelming pressure, as if an invisible force was quietly eroding everyone's spirit. People throughout the city, wherever they were, felt this oppression and unease—as if the whole world had grown heavy and stifling.

In his fury, Guo Jing unconsciously activated the Five Thunder Orthodoxy—if a man has spent his entire life believing in Confucian filial piety and loyalty, strictly governing his words and deeds by those ideals, only to one day see his faith in Confucianism shatter completely, then the greater his former devotion, the deeper his hatred.

Guo Jing realized these people were even more despicable than he imagined—their mouths spoke of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness, yet they were the least loyal, least benevolent, and least righteous of all.

Their words preached righteousness, their hearts were full of self-interest; when others seek profit, they scold them fiercely, but when they seek profit, it's just human nature—you've done splendidly.

Grass must pass through fire, stones must pass through knives, people must be replaced, is that it? If you do this, don't blame me for burning books and burying scholars alive.

At this moment, Guo Jing's hatred surged like a roaring fire, reaching an unprecedented peak.

His eyes glowed with icy cold light, his chest heaved violently.