Chapter 466: All for the Great Ming Realm

"What else do you have to say?" Luo Feng's spear tip was only an inch away from Si Wushuang's throat.

"General Luo!"

Si Wushuang's voice carried a hint of fatigue after the dust settled, "A defeated commander has nothing to say! I have only one request."

Luo Feng's brows knit tightly, his eyes fixed on Si Wushuang.

"Speak!"

"I request an audience with the Ming King."

Si Wushuang explained, "I still harbor some doubts that only the Ming King can resolve. After the audience, you may deal with me as you wish; I will have no complaints."

Luo Feng, after hearing this, surveyed Si Wushuang from head to toe, seeing that he bore no weapon, his clothing was thin, the wound on his arm still oozed blood, truly a figure ready to be beheaded.

He quickly calculated in his mind; his elder brother always liked to extract something from an opponent's mouth, and Si Wushuang's cunning was profound, perhaps he could indeed pry something out of him?

Moreover, the overall situation was already settled; an unarmed Si Wushuang could not stir up any trouble.

"Hmph!"

Luo Feng let out a cold snort, slowly withdrew his spear, "You show some sense! Take him away! Guard him tightly! Report to the Ming sovereign before making a final decision!"

He waved his hand to issue orders, and several personal guards immediately stepped forward, binding Si Wushuang tightly.

Si Wushuang made no struggle, allowing the rope to bite into flesh, but he cast one last glance toward the forest where Wei Wenlie had vanished.

Luo Feng wasted no more time, flipped onto his horse, pointing his spear toward the direction of Wei Wenlie's retreat, "Brothers! Wei Wenlie is ahead! Follow me! The living must be captured, the dead must be seen! Take down this beast, and the Lord will reward handsomely!"

"Kill!"

The Ming Army cavalry roared in unison, sweeping again toward the depths of the forest.

Two days later, on a rugged mountain path, Wei Wenlie was slumped on his horse, panting heavily.

Around him, only a scant ten or so personal guards remained, plus dozens of soldiers trailing behind, each wounded, armor tattered, their faces marked with terror and exhaustion.

"Faster! Even faster!"

Wei Wenlie shouted hoarsely, striking his mount hard.

Yet the mountain road grew steeper, and the forest grew denser.

Finally, they were forced onto an isolated mountain peak. Three sides were sheer cliffs dropping into the abyss, with only a narrow ridge leading there, now tightly blocked by the relentless Ming Army.

"Prince! No way out!" a personal guard shouted in desperation, his voice trembling with sobs.

Wei Wenlie tightened his reins, scanning the surroundings.

Including himself, fewer than a hundred remnants remained at his side, each wounded, morale sunk to the lowest point.

He looked up at the sky, a gray haze pressing down, making it hard to breathe.

"Is it over? Is it really over like this?"

He was unwilling! He was the King of Xiliang! He still had Xiliang! His reinforcements… his reinforcements would surely arrive!

"Form a formation! Use the rocks for cover! Hold them for me!"

Wei Wenlie drew his waist sword abruptly, its blade pointing at the swarming Ming Army below, "My reinforcements are on the way! Hold firm! We shall turn defeat into victory! Anyone who dares step back will be cut down without mercy!"

The remnants glanced at each other, eyes full of despair, yet under Wei Wenlie's fierce gaze they instinctively gripped their broken weapons, backs against the rocks, forming a precarious defensive circle.

Below the mountain, the Ming Army had completed the encirclement.

Luo Feng rode his horse to the front of the formation, while Zhang Honghong brandished a spear, murderous aura radiating as she stood beside him.

"Wei Wenlie!"

Luo Feng gathered his inner Qi, his voice booming, "You are at the end of the road! Surrender quickly! Perhaps we will spare your whole corpse!"

On the mountaintop, Wei Wenlie leaned on a massive stone, forcing himself upright, "Luo lunatic! You think I would surrender? Dream on! I am the King of Xiliang! I'd rather die than kneel!"

He inhaled deeply and continued shouting, "Where is Jiang Jinshi?! Let him come out! I must speak with him!"

He needed time, even if it meant delaying another moment! His reinforcements… his reinforcements…

A moment later, the Ming Army formation split, and Jiang Jinshi, clad in a dark violet cloak, surrounded by his personal guards, slowly rode his horse to the front.

Two days of pursuit brought Jiang Jinshi with a large army! Not to mention that Wei Wenlie now had only this few troops, even if Xiliang's reinforcements arrived, Jiang Jinshi was undaunted!

"Wei Wenlie! You called for me?" Jiang Jinshi halted his horse.

"Jiang Jinshi!"

Wei Wenlie stared at him intently, "You have won! But do not be smug! My Xiliang iron cavalry is now racing through night to aid us! When my main force arrives, I will…"

"Xiliang iron cavalry?"

Jiang Jinshi interrupted, "You mean the tens of thousands of troops setting out from Xiliang's old stronghold, intending to take the ancient Tongguan road?"

Wei Wenlie's heart sank sharply at the words, a foreboding feeling rising within him.

Jiang Jinshi's voice shattered his last illusion: "Han Xiao leads a hundred thousand troops, already having laid a heavenly net and earthly net on the inevitable path; you are unlikely to see any reinforcements!"

Wei Wenlie's final hope was instantly shattered, yet he was not willing to concede.

He had painstakingly built Xiliang for years, poured in so much effort; how could he simply admit defeat…

"No… impossible…"

"Nothing is impossible."

Jiang Jinshi's voice remained calm, though his tone had lost patience, "Wei Wenlie, your road ends here."

Wei Wenlie jerked his head up, his blood‑red eyes fixed on Jiang Jinshi, "Jiang Jinshi! Even as a ghost I will not let you go! Kill!"

Before Jiang Jinshi could issue a command, Luo Feng had already moved to protect him and gave an order.

"Loose the arrows!"

At Luo Feng's command, arrows fell like rain over the Xiliang troops, the ones at the front instantly turned into a mass of spines like hedgehogs.

Zhang Honghong led the charge, her spear like a dragon, taking her elite unit up the narrow ridge with a fierce surge.

The battle was brief yet brutal; the cornered Xiliang remnants fought with ferocity beyond expectation, but against the Ming Army's overwhelming superiority, their resistance was futile.

Wei Wenlie swung his long sword, cutting down two Ming soldiers who rushed before him in succession.

But his personal guards grew fewer and fewer, until at last only he remained, leaning against a massive rock.

Zhang Honghong is drenched in blood, brandishing a long spear that drips crimson, advancing step by step.

"Wei Wenlie, meet your death!"

Wei Wenlie leans on his sword, panting heavily, his body bearing several deep wounds that expose bone, blood staining the tattered royal robe scarlet.

He watches Zhang Honghong pressing in, then glances at the army below the mountain, and a smile suddenly appears on his face.

"Jiang Jinshi… this realm… is yours for now… but I… would rather die than kneel!"

Before the words finish, he summons his last ounce of strength, slams his long sword across his own throat, and yanks hard!

Puff—!

The Xiliang King Wei Wenlie, once a storm‑ruling warlord who held a region, sways his body and crashes to the ground with a thunderous thud.

……

A few days later, inside the Huang Gong of Chang'an City.

Jiang Jinshi sits at the head of the hall, while core commanders Luo Feng, Han Xiao, Bai Ting, Zhang Honghong, Wang Hou, Jiang Ze and others line the two sides.

"Bring Si Wushuang."

Two personal guards escort Si Wushuang inside; his bindings are undone, he wears a clean plain robe, yet his complexion remains pale, and the wounds on his arms are simply bandaged.

He stands upright, his gaze calmly sweeping the hall's occupants before settling on Jiang Jinshi's face.

"The defeated army's commander Si Wushuang, I have seen the Ming King," he bows slightly, his manners impeccable.

"Si Wushuang!"

Jiang Jinshi looks at him, "Luo Feng said you wished to see me once before death, to clear doubts?"

"Yes."

Si Wushuang lifts his head, staring straight at Jiang Jinshi, "In my heart there are indeed two doubts that I cannot resolve after endless pondering. If I receive no answer, I shall not die in peace."

"Oh?"

Jiang Jinshi raises a corner of his brow, "Speak, then."

Si Wushuang inhales deeply, then slowly says: "First, having perused the histories, I understand that the way to govern a nation lies in balance."

"The Scholar-Gentry, the nation's pillars, though flawed, also have benefits. They hold knowledge, land, connections, maintain localities, and transmit culture."

"Through successive dynasties, even when suppressed, they were never eradicated, let alone by a Ming King who, with thunderous methods, clears fields, curbs annexation, abolishes patronage, even implements imperial examinations to have commoners and Scholar-Gentry tested together?"

"This is digging at the foundation of the Scholar-Gentry, disturbing the interests of the world's gentry. Si Wushuang does not understand, how does the Ming King possess such boldness? Is he not afraid the foundation will be unstable, the realm turbulent?"

"Could it be… truly believing that those illiterate mud‑foot soldiers could support this vast empire?"

His question is blunt, his gaze locked onto Jiang Jinshi, trying to find any sign of wavering on his face.

The commanders in the hall hear the words, their expressions varied. Luo Feng frowns, Zhang Honghong pouts, Han Xiao looks thoughtful, and Wang Hou's eyes narrow slightly.

This question touches the core of the new policy and the doubts deep in many hearts.

Jiang Jinshi falls silent for a moment, his gaze deep and seemingly seeing far beyond.

He does not answer directly, but in a tone almost nostalgic says, "Boldness? Perhaps!"

"But Si Wushuang, do you know there was a great man who stood in a realm even broader, and shouted to his people, 'Long live the people'?"

"He once taught us that history is created by the people. He told me to stand on the side of the greatest number of laboring folk."

He paused, then said word for word, "I am neither saint nor founder."

"The path you doubt, which seems unorthodox, has already been paved by a forerunner, and I am merely a… clumsy imitator."

"As for whether mud‑foot soldiers can uphold the empire?"

Jiang Jinshi chuckles, "Look at my Beijiang soldiers, look at the people under my rule; they wield swords and spears, sweat, and a yearning for peace—haven't they already provided the answer?"

Si Wushuang's face is full of confusion! Great man? Forerunner? Imitator?

Jiang Jinshi's answer completely exceeds his comprehension! Who is the 'great man' he mentions? An ancient sage‑king? Or… something beyond his understanding?

He tries to find any hint of deceit or concealment in Jiang Jinshi's eyes, but only sees openness and a near‑faithlike resolve.

This answer not only fails to resolve his doubts, but also stirs even greater turmoil within him.

He suppresses the turmoil within and poses the second, also his greatest, doubt.

"Then… Si Wushuang's second doubt. The Ming King rose from Beijiang, a place known for its bitter cold and poverty."

Si Wushuang examined the grain and supply movements in the south over the past ten years, even uncovering numerous instances of officials' embezzlement!

Yet he could never find traces of massive food shipments to Beijiang, while the Ming King's stores remain plentiful!

Si Wushuang exhausts his calculations; Beijiang's financial and material resources could not possibly allow it!

Si Wushuang daringly asks, behind the Ming King, what divine entity truly supports him? An overseas immortal mountain? Or… a deity above the Nine Heavens?

He had mulled over this question for too long; after all, his original proposal to seize the south was to fight Jiang Jinshi in a war of attrition!

Although Da Qian fell to the Ming Army, its granaries were empty at the time, so the Ming Army's acquisition became a burden, only increasing consumption of supplies.

But… Jiang Jinshi's provisions seemed abundant; he covertly employed the Wind and Rain Tower to investigate, yet still found nothing!

The moment Si Wushuang's words ended, Jiang Jinshi's pupils contracted sharply, though barely perceptible.

Jiang Jinshi did not anticipate that Si Wushuang would discover a clue; his ample stockpiles truly could not be explained!

Luo Feng and the others sensed the subtle shift in atmosphere and instinctively held their breath.

They all know their lord possesses some supernatural aspect, but no one dares to ask, nor knows what it is.

Even the "divine power" on their bodies cannot be explained, let alone the supplies!

Jiang Jinshi fell silent; he did not answer immediately, merely watching Si Wushuang quietly, as if evaluating something.

Finally, Jiang Jinshi slowly spoke, "Si Wushuang, you are clever, but the answer to this question, this king… cannot be disclosed."

Si Wushuang understood! He guessed correctly!

All the persistence and unwillingness, at this moment, seemed to vanish into nothing.

He slowly took a Wind and Rain Token from his bosom, made of neither metal nor wood, bearing wind‑and‑rain engravings.

"This is the Wind and Rain Token! Whoever bears this token may command the Secret Pillar assassins of the Wind and Rain Tower that are spread across the world."

"This is the power I have cultivated for years, specializing in assassination, intelligence, and infiltration. Its organization is tight, its personnel are elite; though not as extensive as under Lord Wang Hou, it may surpass them in shadowy cunning."

He gently placed the token on the ground and pushed forward.

"Si Wushuang uses this token to barter for the Ming King's answer. Though the answer is not complete, … Si Wushuang already knows his destiny."

Having spoken, Si Wushuang said no more, slowly closed his eyes, and straightened his spine.

Jiang Jinshi stared at the Wind and Rain Token on the ground, then at the eyes‑closed Si Wushuang awaiting death, paused in silence, and waved his hand: "Take him down! Give him… a dignified end."

Two personal guards stepped forward; instead of dragging him roughly, they lifted Si Wushuang's arms.

Si Wushuang did not resist, allowing them to lead him out of the great hall.

……

Months later, atop the former Huang Gong site in Chang'an City, a brand‑new palace rose from the ground; though not as grand as the old palace of the previous dynasty, it brimmed with a fresh aura.

In the plaza before the palace, banners fluttered and armor shone brightly.

Elite units of the Beijiang Ming Army, representatives of various allied forces, and newly selected officials of the new dynasty stood solemnly.

Jiang Jinshi, clad in a dark‑black robe embroidered with golden dragon patterns, wearing a twelve‑tassel crown, stepped under the gaze of civil and military officials and countless soldiers, one step at a time onto the white‑jade stairs that symbolize supreme authority, finally turning at the highest point.

"Since the internal chaos of the previous dynasty collapsed, the world has been turbulent, the common people have been in despair, for several years now!"

Jiang Jinshi's voice rang with authority, "Thanks to the soldiers who gave their lives, the people's hearts have returned, we have swept away the evils and cleared the world! Today, I, Jiang Jinshi, following Heaven and the people, assume the Emperor's throne! The state shall be named—Great Ming! The era shall be—Hongwu!"

"Long live our Emperor! Ten thousand years! Ten ten thousand years!"

The thunderous, sea‑like cries of "Long live!" surged across the plaza like a tide, soaring into the heavens!

Countless soldiers were moved to tears, and countless citizens far away looked up with hope, their eyes filled with yearning for a new life.

Jiang Jinshi slightly raised his hand, silencing the crowd's cheers:

"From today onward, wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, shall belong to Great Ming! All Great Ming subjects, regardless of birth, shall be protected by law and enjoy peace! I swear here that the tillers shall have fields, the dwellers shall have homes, the laborers shall have food! I will ensure Great Ming enjoys calm seas and clear rivers, a prosperous nation and a peaceful people!"

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, shall be Great Ming territory!"

——The End——