Chapter 850: Easily Taking You Province

The next day, after eating breakfast and giving instructions to the defecting commoners, it was already past ten o'clock when they set off.

The commoners bid farewell to General Wang, carrying his exhortations and beautiful hopes for the future. They all took up weapons, and many wore armor stripped from the corpses they had processed the day before, walking back in groups.

These people were mostly from Yuyang, Guangyang, Dai Commandery, and Zhuo Commandery. Because those places were far away, they were less affected by Liaodong. This was mainly because they dared not easily take risks; even after hearing about how Liaodong was, they dared not easily make up their minds to defect. Furthermore, they were not able to leave just because they wanted to; they were all rooted in their villages.

The current Great Han had only declined; it had not yet perished. Moreover, the grassroots Three Elders, village chiefs, landlords, and so on, did not allow them to run around. It could only be said that the upper-level rule had almost vanished, but that did not mean local rule had disappeared. If not for this, how could Liu Yu and his subordinates have had the ability to raise several tens of thousands of men to fight Wang Yan to the death? It was simply that from top to bottom, their thinking had been unified.

This time, after they returned, they would no longer be bullied. Because in You Province, from fourteen to forty, every healthy man with productive capacity had been included in this conscription. Another characteristic was that people from the same village were basically kept together. So, when they returned to their villages, if anyone dared to be overbearing, there was no need to think—they would surely draw their swords and kill.

Last night, Huang Zhong also sent a messenger to report the news. Upon receiving Wang Yan's message, Huang Zhong directly led his army to attack. Following instructions, he shouted the slogan for surrender three times, but fighting still broke out. It collapsed at the first touch. Huang Zhong also had a hard time stabilizing the routed soldiers, not letting them scatter everywhere, and killed the enemy generals and high-ranking officers. Today, following the same actions as Wang Yan, he sent those commoners who had abandoned darkness for light back to their villages and made a forced march toward Ji County.

As for Juyong, although it was closer to Ji County and had greater defensive strength, and the soldiers might have had higher combat effectiveness, relatively speaking, Taishi Ci and Zhou Cang had two guards totaling 15,000 troops. With more manpower, fighting the two or three tens of thousands of defenders was almost like chopping melons and vegetables.

Wang Yan led his men to the front line and experienced the surrender call; it had only been five days. The messenger who had traveled from the grasslands to pass the message to Zhou Cang and Taishi Ci, riding at full speed, had also arrived at Zhou Cang's location by this time. Afterward, Zhou Cang mobilized his troops, arriving at Juyong in two days, and could launch an attack after joining forces in three days.

Therefore, if there were no accidents, when Wang Yan slowly arrived at the walls of Ji County, he should happen to encounter the routed soldiers beaten by Taishi Ci and Zhou Cang.

These small adjustments were all done in accordance with the trend. Wang Yan had also given a certain amount of importance to his previous arrangements. Before the fight, no one knew what it would be like. Although he was sure to win, the price of victory was also different.

But the development of events was very smooth. He only had people shout the surrender terms, and the army of over twenty thousand collapsed without a fight, killing their officers at all levels. Although this did not quite match his plan to tie people up and work them to death, he also understood that the difficulty of capturing them alive was too great.

But regardless, scattering the enemy's great army without drawing a sword felt too easy. It was just that such things would be hard to handle in the future because it had already happened once; by then, others would pay extra attention. The hearts of the people leaning toward him was fine, but the knives were in the hands of others—what could leaning toward him do? Even later, it would be difficult for people south of You Province to head north to defect; he would have to kill to establish authority and cut off the commoners' thoughts.

It would not be easy to encounter such instances of defecting in the face of battle again...

Wang Yan led his army to march rapidly toward Ji County. He didn't even glance at the cities along the way. The current goal was to take Ji County and the surrounding areas, because this was the seat of You Province. According to later terminology, this was the provincial capital area, and because of his encroachment, the powerful clans of You Province were basically hiding here.

He wanted to blockade the Ji County area; not a single powerful clan that hadn't run away would be able to escape, and their family fortunes would all have to be confiscated clean. As for the other cities, as long as Ji County and the surrounding areas were taken, it would basically be easy. Sending people to shout and let the soldiers and civilians in the cities know that Ji County had fallen, they would likely tie up the county officials and offer the city themselves. There were too few who would stubbornly resist to the death.

In the previous battle, in the Lingzhi area, they were four hundred li from Ji County. Wang Yan led his army one hundred li a day. On the fourth day, near dusk, he joined forces with Huang Zhong and very arrogantly set up camp directly under the city walls, and also dispersed his troops to patrol and blockade the surrounding areas.

The reason for doing this was nothing else, just because the front line collapsed too quickly, the officers were all killed, and the routed soldiers hadn't returned yet. Inside the city of Ji County, apart from a few thousand garrison troops, there was no other military strength.

Furthermore, it was also because Wang Yan's time estimation was correct; he arrived here just in time to encounter the routed soldiers returning from Juyong. If he were any later today, Taishi Ci and Zhou Cang would have brought their troops over.

Never mind that there were three thousand troops surrounding the four gates; even if only Wang Yan had come alone to call for the gates to open, they wouldn't have dared to leave the city. Suspicion was not exclusive to Cao Cao; people were all suspicious. Especially now, the people in the city had no way to control their own lives and were even more afraid. At least there was grain in the city, so they could hold out for a year or a year and a half. Out of fear of death, they naturally were unwilling to risk opening the city gates.

Today, the sky was already late, and it had been a forced march all the way. Wang Yan had no other instructions; he told the soldiers to eat, arranged for night watch patrols, and then ordered the soldiers to rest early.

As expected, in the middle of the night, a messenger came to report that Taishi Ci and Zhou Cang had already arrived three li north of the city. Wang Yan didn't see them either, only instructing them to blockade the villages so that thieves wouldn't take the opportunity to cause chaos, and then he slept comfortably in his military tent until the next day.

After eating breakfast, General Wang didn't even put on armor. Dressed in his daily attire, a green shirt, his disheveled hair tied casually with a white jade hairpin, and wearing the eight-faced Han sword at his waist—which he had replaced many times, each one more precious than the last—he strolled alone to the walls of Ji County and walked within arrow range.

He looked up and shouted loudly: "I am Wang Yan. I seek Liu Yu to come out of the city for a chat."

It was still early, and the people in the city certainly hadn't slept well. Yesterday, Wang Yan's army arrived at the city walls and arrogantly set up camp outside to rest; the people in the city must have experienced a period of panic, followed by discussions on countermeasures, and then habitual shirking of responsibility. An army of one hundred thousand couldn't beat Wang Yan; not even half a month after sending troops, they were blocked in the city by Wang Yan. They must have been cursing in all sorts of ways.

After that, they spread their hands, sighed at their helplessness, tossed and turned, and couldn't sleep all night.

Watching someone on the city wall go to notify others, Wang Yan didn't just wait. He continued to shout: "You garrison soldiers, your origins must be the same as mine—all commoners. Do you know why an army of one hundred thousand could not stop me for half a month, leading to today's arrival at the city walls? It is because we share the same origins, the same fate, and are all poor brothers. Since we are brothers, weapons must not be turned inward. They understand the great righteousness and are now returning to their villages. When I take Ji County and stabilize You Province, we will seek prosperity together.

People say I treat the people very generously, but I feel it is not enough and am often ashamed because of it, all because what I have done is still not enough. You must know my Liaodong methods, and now I say them again: those I kill are all the unrighteous who bully, abuse, and oppress the people. Who are those who bully, abuse, and oppress the people? They are the powerful clans and officials. You are soldiers, perhaps you have done bad things and plundered the villages. But today I promise you: as long as no commoners report you, you will be fine. If commoners report you, I will not kill you either; laboring for a few years will be enough to atone for your crimes.

You are all people from outside the city, and your families are all under the hooves of my army. Although I do not do such things, your families enjoy my generous treatment, yet you resist from within the city—what kind of logic is that? Even if you have never read books or studied, you should understand such shallow principles.

You should pass on what I have said into the city; it is better to tie up the unrighteous people in the city and open the gates to surrender. I will govern You Province sooner, and you will enjoy happiness sooner. My words have been spoken; you should think about them carefully to avoid the disaster of war, keep your useful bodies, and together with me, build our homeland and seek wealth together."

At this point, Wang Yan's speech actually didn't need much incitement to be highly inciting. This stemmed from his status today; for a person like him to run alone to the city walls to shout, this in itself represented extremely strong sincerity.

What he said was not groundless; it was the policy he was currently implementing, and even more so, rumors these people had heard long ago.

Therefore, the hearts of the people on the city wall were in chaos. Wang Yan looked at an officer on the wall who was cursing angrily and just shook his head and smiled. The hearts of the people on the city wall were in chaos; how much longer could the hearts of the people inside the city last...

At this moment, with a creaking sound, the drawbridge outside the city gate slowly lowered onto the moat, and the heavy city gate also slowly opened. Three riders emerged from the city.

The leader wore a brocade green robe and a seven-inch long crown on his head. Whether it was his hair or his short beard, both were streaked with gray, and his old face had many wrinkles. His eyes were still quite spirited, just with some dark circles...

This was Liu Yu, the You Province Governor.

As for the two people beside him, they were wearing armor, burly and very heroic. The armor they wore was also black iron fish-scale armor, which looked like high-ranking military generals at a glance. Such people, according to the current Liaodong standards, were basically dead. After all, generals with good conduct were rare to see these days; even the loyal and righteous Zhang Fei loved to drink and curse. If they hadn't known each other early on, according to Zhang Fei's original conduct, by the day they surrendered, Zhang Fei would also have been dead.

After the three of them dismounted, Wang Yan cupped his hands: "Greetings, Governor Liu."

Liu Yu straightened his body and returned the salute: "Greetings, General Tianwu."

The old fellow was still giving him face...

Wang Yan smiled and said: "Your three armies have all been broken, and the forcibly conscripted soldiers have all returned home. Now that the army is at the city walls, I have troops within a hundred li of Ji County. You are stubbornly defending a lonely city; even if your grain and resources are abundant, what can you do? I have surrounded the city and obtained the land of You Province. You can hold out for one year, but can you hold out for two or three years? May I ask Governor Liu, what is your intention today? You should speak clearly."

Liu Yu smiled bitterly: "The General's troops are strong and his horses are sturdy, and his momentum is hard to block. An army of one hundred thousand was broken in less than half a month, and you surrounded the city with divine speed, leaving us nowhere to hide. You are trapped in a lonely city, governing the world on horseback and commanding the army on horseback—the General is truly a hero."

"What the General said is all true, and I should also speak the truth. The civil and military officials in the city are not ignorant fools, but people who understand the situation clearly. Now that the General is at the city walls, they indeed have the intention to offer the city, but unfortunately, the General's laws are harsh, and they feel they cannot survive, so they have no choice but to resist stubbornly. It is truly a helplessness for survival."

"I have no fear. I feel I treat the people with generosity and kindness, and I am also very amazed by the General's extraordinary actions. Previously, when the General sent a letter to persuade surrender, I already stated that excessive killing would eventually lead to harm. Now that Ji County is in front of you, the General has already tasted the fruit. I believe that everyone has a heart to repent. If the General is lenient and does not investigate the past, taking You Province should be today. General, please think thrice."

"I have heard that Governor Liu loves the people and cherishes talent, and cannot bear to hurt a single brick or tile of the commoners. Why are you pleading for them today? They treat the people like cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs, cleverly seizing the people's farmland, forcibly bullying the people's wives and daughters, suppressing grain prices in good years, and raising grain prices in famine years, making the people slaves and servants. They treat me like cattle and horses, so I should treat them like enemies. What is wrong with killing them?"

"Governor Liu says I am tasting the evil fruit today, but I do not think this is the evil fruit. It is just the flash of light before death for a dying person. Trapped in a lonely city, what can they do? If one day doesn't work, then a year; if a year doesn't work, then ten years—they will surely die. Moreover, the city is full of commoners and soldiers who lean toward the light. Governor Liu, do you think they can make the soldiers and civilians last for a few days?"

"Governor Liu is not sincere and is unworthy of being called a gentleman. I am talking to you with sincerity; are you and these two generals trying to kill me?"

It turned out that the two generals who came out of the city with Liu Yu, listening to Wang Yan's words, were now furious, their eyes splitting. They had already formed a pincer formation, one in front and one behind, their hands tightly gripping the swords at their waists, ready to act.

General Wang showed no fear, his words full of mockery, his eyebrows slanted, not even looking at them directly.

Just as his voice fell, the enemy general in front shouted: "Kill!"

The two generals didn't have much nonsense; they didn't even care about Liu Yu, who was inches away from Wang Yan. With two clangs, they drew their swords, one hacking at the neck and one stabbing at the waist, directly taking Wang Yan's life.

At this moment, on and off the city walls, both enemy and friendly armies were watching the movement here. Even so, they still disregarded faith and righteousness, wanting to take advantage of Wang Yan being alone to simply and cleanly get rid of him.

Today's disaster lay entirely in Wang Yan alone; as long as they got rid of him, everything would be easy to talk about. Although disregarding faith and righteousness would make it hard to gain a foothold in the future, if they got rid of Wang Yan, they could all survive.

Their eyes flashed with excited light, as if once the swords were drawn, they could take Wang Yan's life, and they could survive.

General Wang was calm and composed, the curve of his mouth widening slightly. This was actually the first battle since heading south.

Seeing the General ignore the sword behind him, he leaned in toward the sword hacking at his neck, and with a clang, suddenly drew his sword to block it horizontally. In an instant, only a cry of pain was heard, and the sword in the enemy general's hand had already fallen. Along with the sword falling, there were also four fingers and dripping blood.

It turned out that the General's horizontal block had hit the hilt of the sword, and as the enemy general hacked down, his four fingers holding the sword hit the General's blade. The General's sword was presented by the Mi clan of the East Sea, made of meteorite iron from the nine heavens, forged by skilled craftsmen over forty-nine days, exceptionally sharp and indestructible—truly a divine weapon. The enemy general carried resentment, his strike was ruthless, and he didn't leave any room for himself. Unable to pull back in time, his four fingers hit the blade with great force and were almost severed at the root.

The General didn't stop his movements. After blocking this head-taking sword, he kicked the enemy general flying with one foot, and then turned around and flicked lightly, using a soft force to deflect the sword body of the enemy general who was sneaking an attack. Then, with an elegant step, he closed in, and with a light wipe of his vibrating sword, he severed the enemy general's hand tendons, then turned sideways and kicked horizontally, kicking the enemy general flying again, where he lay on the ground rolling.

The General performed a sword flourish, flicking drops of blood onto Liu Yu's face, and with a clang, sheathed his sword.

"Thief, how dare you! General, Huang Zhong comes to help." Only then did Huang Zhong's angry shout ring out from the military formation, but his action was to suddenly rein in his horse, which had only charged two steps.

The horse's front hooves were raised high, neighing incessantly...

The people on and off the city walls were all stunned by the General's martial arts, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Wang Yan smiled and cupped his hands, saying to the stunned Liu Yu: "I know this is not Governor Liu's intention; it is truly because you are held hostage by the officials and powerful clans in the city. Whether Ji County surrenders or not, Governor Liu cannot decide alone. I will not make things difficult for Governor Liu. These two people do not speak of faith and righteousness and have already lost the foundation of their standing. Usually, they must have harmed the people greatly. I will definitely make these two people beg for death. Governor Liu, please return."

As the You Province Governor, the two subordinates Liu Yu brought out of the city didn't even care about his life; even just now, there was horror in Liu Yu's eyes, which showed that Ji County was no longer under Liu Yu's control.

In fact, Liu Yu realized this. If not for this, he wouldn't have said just now that he had no fear, thereby separating himself from the people in the city. This was a subconscious remark; he was already unable to control himself.

Originally, this muddled wise man Liu Yu was of no use; otherwise, Wang Yan wouldn't let him go back now, but would have captured him directly. Once Liu Yu was captured, in less than ten minutes, not a single one of Liu Yu's family members in the city would be alive.

Liu Yu shook his head with a bitter smile, and finally let out a long sigh, turning around in desolation. He didn't even ride his horse, just walking toward the city like that.

General Wang didn't care about Liu Yu's desolation. He drew his sword again, held it high above his head, and shouted loudly toward the city tower: "Why haven't you acted yet? Are you really going to resist to the death with the powerful clans and officials in the city? They are huddled in the city, eating big fish and meat, with beautiful wives and concubines. You are guarding the city walls, but you might not even get a few full meals. Why die for them? I just saw that officer beating soldiers. You have knives and swords in your hands, and you are many in number—why fear him? Kill! Kill him!"

Liu Yu turned his head abruptly, looking at the shouting Wang Yan, and looking at the soldiers further back who were eager to move. He sighed again and walked forward staggeringly.

Huang Zhong in the rear saw this and turned to the messenger: "All troops, shout to kill!"

Then the command flag waved, and the drums sounded loudly. The soldiers waved their weapons and shouted angrily.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The soldiers at the south gate, numbering less than a thousand, shouted with a killing intent that shook the sky; that was their unyielding will.

The officer pointed at by Wang Yan had his eyes wide open, and the powerful clans and officials on the city wall who were watching the situation at close range couldn't help but stare. They looked at the soldiers behind them who were gripping their knives and guns, suppressing their anger.

They felt danger; they couldn't help but start cursing, their voices harsh but weak.

Finally, a soldier holding a gun got angry. With red eyes and blue veins bulging on his neck, he shouted "Kill!"

This shout shouted out the humiliation and unwillingness of his ancestors for a hundred years. With a ferocious face, he gripped the long gun in his hand tightly, stepped forward, and using the military formation stabbing method he had learned from being beaten and scolded by officers, he stabbed a gun straight into the stomach of the official who was cursing in front of him.

This shout and this stab finally awakened the sleeping people.

More shouts rang out, and more people died under knives and guns.

Chaos broke out on the city walls. Wang Yan laughed with gratification, looking at the open gate and the garrison soldiers at the entrance who had thrown away their weapons and were leaning against the wall honestly. He turned back to look at Huang Zhong leading men to charge over, not forgetting to give each of the two thief generals lying on the ground, who had already eased up a lot, a kick to keep them rolling.

At this point, Ji County was broken! You Province was obtained...

A city in chaos was not worth looking at; there was blood everywhere, and corpses everywhere.

The soldiers in the city killed the powerful clans and officials in nests, killing them all, from seventy-year-old elders down to infants not yet a month old, not letting a single one go. They naturally learned what it meant to eliminate evil completely and cut the weeds and dig up the roots. If Wang Yan were in charge, he would at most leave the young and strong men and women to work to death, and the rest wouldn't survive either.

As for saying that killing infants hurts the harmony of heaven—without fathers or mothers, without relatives or friends, growing up was difficult anyway. Who knows when, from where, they would learn about the past of their family's destruction and treat him, General Wang, as an enemy, vowing to kill him to avenge their hatred. A small body bearing such great pressure—even if they grew up, seeing the Wang thief living so comfortably and for so long, they might feel even more uncomfortable. This was not something that should happen.

Dying early to avoid suffering while alive seemed to be better for them; this might be an explanation of great kindness appearing heartless.

This was of course shameless, but the knife was in his, General Wang's, hands; he didn't even bother to shed crocodile tears...

It was just that there were still many innocent people who died unjustly, such as some of the servants of the powerful clans and officials. There were also soldiers in the city and thieves taking the opportunity to cause chaos, looting money and raping women. Or perhaps they were so blinded by killing that they couldn't control themselves at all, hacking at anyone they saw.

This was caused by Wang Yan, but there was no other way. Liu Yu couldn't control himself, and the officials and powerful clans in the city certainly wouldn't surrender. If the soldiers didn't rebel either and really held the lonely city for a year or two, then the situation in the city would definitely be even more miserable.

This was a truly man-eating era; that would be the real human tragedy.

The control now was considered appropriate. At the first moment of the outbreak, Huang Zhong rushed to the north gate, opened the city gate to let Taishi Ci and Zhou Cang's troops enter the city, and controlled the four gates in a very short time. Using a group of twelve people as a base unit, they scattered throughout the city to control the situation. At the moment, the situation in the city had been brought under control.

Those who caused chaos were either captured or killed. Those captured wouldn't live long either; You Province wasn't warm, and freezing or starving to death was common.

Wang Yan led his personal guards, riding horses, walking slowly through the city until he reached the most luxurious Liu Yu mansion in the city.

This was both Liu Yu's residence and the location of the highest administrative agency in You Province, occupying a large area. The decoration couldn't be called magnificent, but it was absolutely noble and elegant, matching the specifications of Liu Yu as a member of the Han imperial clan and the You Province Governor.

Moreover, the windows here were all glass windows. This was normal; You Province was closest to Liaodong, and commercial exchanges were the most frequent, so this place naturally experienced new things first.

After strolling around, Wang Yan was still very satisfied; it could be used after some modifications, saving a lot of money.

In the front hall, Wang Yan saw the dejected Liu Yu, as well as Liu Yu's panicked family members, servants, and others, totaling over a hundred people.

"I didn't expect to see Governor Liu again so soon. Governor Liu has always had a reputation for loving the people. Looking at it now, the officials do not respect you, and the people do not respect you either; the reality is hard to match the reputation." Wang Yan smiled and sprinkled salt on Liu Yu.

Liu Yu sighed: "Now that I am a fish on the chopping block, General, do not mock me. Whether you want to kill or carve me, I will listen to your disposal."

His words had a feeling of being tired and wanting to be destroyed quickly. Because the scene now was indeed a big blow to him; what he used to be proud of was all an illusion, and he suddenly felt it was meaningless.

When Gongsun Zan held him hostage as a puppet, he didn't think about seeking death, but now he didn't want to live anymore. The complexity of human beings was vividly displayed on Liu Yu.

"I will not kill you; you were also deceived by treacherous people and have done no harm. You have always been learned and like to talk about purity; my Wenchang Pavilion is a good place for you. You will go to Liaodong to live for a while first, and when the new pavilion in Ji County is built, you can return to You Province. Your wealth is truly the people's fat; I will give you some money to settle down in Liaodong, and your descendants can farm for a living. If you have any achievements in the future, you can also join the army or become an official to benefit the people and redeem your muddledness."

"Your servants will be screened for loyalty and treachery and then disbanded. You should pack your luggage today and set off for Tuhe early tomorrow morning. Governor Liu, you should concentrate on your studies and not have other thoughts. I truly have no fear; I am considering the lives of your whole family."

"I thank the General."

Liu Yu was already shedding two lines of clear tears. He cupped his hands toward Wang Yan and took a group of wives and children to pack their things.

Wang Yan also arranged for a military secretary to distinguish the loyalty and treachery of Liu Yu's servants; there were always people who bullied others and acted as accomplices. Liu Yu's status was so muddled, and there were definitely not many good birds among his subordinates; they all had to be cleaned up.

Huang Zhong, Taishi Ci, Zhou Cang, and others were no longer in the city. Only three thousand troops were left in the city to listen to Wang Yan's orders to clean up the mess. They were leading the great army to attack cities and seize land, completely controlling You Province.

At this point, it had been exactly half a month since You Province raised an army of one hundred thousand to try to destroy Liaodong... ===== CHAPTER 851 =====