Chapter 1199: The Minor Official Yu Qian

Although he said it that way, in truth, the general was also feeling a bit guilty.

After all, the garrison he had here was truly too small.

Because the South Gate was not currently under threat from the Mongolian Army, the defensive forces here had all been transferred to the other gates; the South Gate had fewer than two thousand defenders.

And, if a conflict were to actually break out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

How many people were in the entire Jinghua?

Several million!

How could they possibly hold them back!

"Move aside!"

"Let us leave!"

"We don't want to die here!"

Human nature is just like this.

In normal times, they could enjoy all the various benefits of Jinghua.

But, as soon as Jinghua was in trouble, it was impossible for them to live and die with Jinghua.

What's more...

Is it worth it?

High-ranking officials and nobles felt it was not worth it.

The common folk felt it was even less worth it.

In this world, they just wanted to survive.

This should not be a luxury...

The commoners marched forward in unison, while the soldiers kept retreating.

The pressure kept increasing, and in the end, the City Guard Official could no longer hold out.

"Open the gates, let them out."

"General..."

"Let them out. Keeping them here will only add to our troubles."

Even though the soldiers were unhappy in their hearts, there was no other way; they were soldiers of Longyan, and they could not possibly raise their hands against their own countrymen.

The city gates slowly opened, and this group of high-ranking officials and nobles hurriedly rushed out with their servants.

With the gates wide open, the crowd seemed to see the hope of life, and they rushed out regardless of anything else.

The originally spacious gate instantly became incomparably crowded.

A stampede ensued; the gate area was filled with crying and wailing. Even though there was no fighting here, the situation was even more cruel than in places where there was fighting.

Now, most people in Longyan had already given up, but there was one person who had not.

That person was Yu Qian.

Yu Qian, a successful candidate in the first Imperial Examination of Longyan, was currently an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a sixth-rank official.

In Jinghua, a sixth-rank official was just a small-fry, but this Yu Qian was quite famous.

Because he was the representative figure who opposed the Constitutional Monarchy at the time!

At that time, he had even written an article titled "Stealer of the State".

The protagonist of this "Stealer of the State" was the current Chief Minister, Liu Zheng.

Although the entire piece did not scold Liu Zheng once, the whole text very cleverly compared Liu Zheng to Wang Mang of the Western Han Dynasty and Caocao of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, using the past to satirize the present, stating that Liu Zheng was a thief who stole the state, using the name of a constitution to seize the reality of imperial power!

Although Liu Zheng later changed the views of some who opposed the constitution through his actual actions, he could never sway Yu Qian.

At first, Liu Zheng thought he was one of Xie Ming's people, but later, through investigation, he discovered that this Yu Qian had nothing to do with Xie Ming.

Yu Qian was the head disciple of a Confucian Scholar of Eastern Zhejiang, and at the time, Liu Zheng concluded that this was a Confucian scholar rotten to the bone.

And...

Yu Qian...

This name was naturally still thunderous to the ears.

But later, when Liu Zheng investigated the Ministry of Revenue, he discovered that...

Could it be him?

After a careful investigation, he found out.

The ledgers and records that Yu Qian was responsible for were all very clear, and his colleagues also evaluated him as a "capable official".

Liu Zheng also realized that although this Yu Qian was pedantic, he was a talent, so he kept him in the Ministry of Revenue, hoping he would slowly shine and contribute.

Although he still opposed Liu Zheng, he did not slack off when working. There were many who opposed Liu Zheng, but he was the only one still highly valued by Liu Zheng.

Therefore, his fame was very great.

His fame was great, but his sense of responsibility was even greater. Seeing the chaotic Jinghua today, he knew he had to stand up.

Yu Qian walked up to the city gate general and questioned him directly.

"Why open the city gates? Don't you know this is very dangerous? What if the Mongolian Army attacks right now? What will you do?"

The City Guard Official was already in a bad mood, and being lectured by a civil official made his mood even worse.

"So many people are rushing out, what do you expect me to do? Kill them? Besides, who do you think you are? Is it any of your business?" the general said in a fit of rage.

At this time, it seemed like everyone wanted to add to the chaos!

"I am the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Yu Qian."

"Ha, I wondered who it was, so it's you. I say, you'd better go back to the Ministry of Revenue and manage the silver; you have no say in matters here."

The general gave him no face at all.

Just kidding, Jinghua was already in such a mess. Even those Viscounts wanted to use his connections to slip out of Jinghua.

A mere Sixth-Rank Official, what does he amount to?

"You!"

Yu Qian was so angry his eyes widened; it was true, he was a civil official, and a Junior Official at that, there was no place for him here.

Perhaps, out of a desire to watch the spectacle, the city defense general still very much wanted to see how a "corrupt scholar" like Yu Qian would handle such a situation, and whether he would keep going on about "Viscount this, Viscount that" to—

"I say, Master Yu, it's no use talking to me; you have to control them. As long as you can stop them, won't you be able to close the city gate? Looking at the state of this mob, I'm afraid they won't calm down without seeing some blood. If you really want to close the gate, don't just stand here spouting hot air; go down there and kill one or two of them. If you have the guts for that, I'll even hand over the command of the border defense troops to you."

"Is that a promise?" Yu Qian asked, frowning.

This sudden question caught the city defense general off guard; he hadn't expected this corrupt scholar to take his joke seriously.

"A promise, if you dare to kill," the general chuckled.

The general also turned serious. In truth, he also wanted to close the city gate, but these high-ranking officials and nobles were pushing him too hard, and he had no Method. Jinghua was just such a complicated place; if he went all out today to hold the gate, wouldn't he be finished when these people settled scores after the autumn harvest?

Since he was finished either way, he might as well be finished in a spectacular fashion!

But now it was different...

The defense general looked at Yu Qian and gave a cold smile.

If this Yu Qian could really finish off a few, it would be like killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. First, it would allow the gate to be closed; second, if the defense held, when these people came to settle scores later, they would only go after Yu Qian and not him.

Two birds with one stone, why not do it?

"Fine, bring me a blade!"

A sharp glint flashed in Yu Qian's eyes as he shouted fiercely.

Suddenly, an aura of slaughter erupted from his body.

A scholar killing...

Who had ever seen such a thing?

After saying this, the city defense general gave him a blade, and Yu Qian didn't dally, charging straight to the front of the city gate.

"Everyone, do not take another step forward! Anyone who resists the order shall be executed without mercy!"

Yu Qian shouted.

As a mere Confucian scholar, he appeared somewhat comical at this moment.

Compared to the stream of people fleeing for their lives, Yu Qian, alone, truly appeared a bit thin.

The general watched Yu Qian's actions; seeing a frail scholar blocking the stampede of fleeing people, he was filled with deep emotion.

He never expected that, as a city defense officer, he would ultimately pin his hopes on a scholar.

Thinking about it, it was truly laughable. Oh well, since there was hope, he would hope to the end; he should also give him whatever help he could.

"You, take a squad and bolster his presence. Use the Firearm."

"Yes."

The Small Flag (the lowest rank of military officer, equivalent to a squad leader) acknowledged the order, then led his soldiers and stood behind Yu Qian.

Although Yu Qian was shouting, the people at this moment were focused on fleeing for their lives and paid him no heed at all. There were even those who, seeing a scholar daring to be so presumptuous, cursed him roundly, insulted him, and mocked him, all of which were commonplace.

Seeing this, the Small Flag ordered his soldiers to fire into the sky.

The sound of the Firearm was quite loud; after a few shots, the previously noisy crowd suddenly quieted down.

Now, Yu Qian finally had a chance to speak.

"The Mongolian Army is about to attack, the city gate will be closed immediately; all of you, return to your residences!"

The common folk still took Yu Qian's words seriously; after he finished speaking, they stood to the side in silence, waiting for further developments.

However, the high-ranking officials and nobles did not hold this Sixth-Rank Official in any regard.

"Hurry and move aside for this official, do not delay my departure from the city! I have urgent matters; if you cause a delay, you will not be able to bear the consequences!"

One prince after another, one noble after another, began to clamor.