Jiuxi

Chapter 323 Chapter 321 [Character]

For most of the dignitaries in Heluo City, the current palace is already a place that smells of death.

At that court meeting more than half a month ago, Emperor Yan Zhang Can made a desperate move and used the blood of the emperor to activate the imperial guards' ferocity, killing nearly two hundred courtiers on the spot.

Almost all of these people come from wealthy families in the city. Even if they are not the head of the family, they are still the pillars of the family.

After a bloody feast, there were mourning sounds in almost every high-end mansion.

If the Huaizhou Army had not conquered Heluo on that day and immediately implemented martial law throughout the city, Heluo would have been full of guilt during this period.

Therefore, the official position in the court that they once dreamed of has become a nightmare for these families, but today they have to set foot in the palace again and come to the square outside Tai Chi Hall.

Around the square, the warriors of the Ruishi Battalion formed a circle, with bright armor, swords and guns, and a murderous aura.

One after another, the heads of aristocratic families walked into the square cautiously and stood at the designated position under the surveillance of the soldiers.

At three o'clock in the morning, the square was already full of people, more than a hundred people.

"Brother Wang, what on earth is going on?"

A middle-aged man looked at Wang An next to him and asked solemnly.

This man's name is Meng Ying, and he is the head of the Meng family in Longgang. The Meng family has a strong foundation in the Weinan Road area. In recent years, it has made huge profits through business dealings with the Dai Kingdom in the northwest continent.

Although Meng Ying did not seek an official position in the Beiyan Court, he was very close to several important ministers. Unfortunately, those few had died at the hands of the imperial guards more than half a month ago.

He was fairly familiar with Wang An, after all, both families were among the top families in the North.

Yesterday, Meng Ying received a notification from a captain of the Qi Army. He stayed up all night and did not dare to let people go out to inquire about the news. Therefore, when he saw Wang An, he couldn't wait to ask.

Wang An glanced at the solemn-looking soldiers of Qi around the square, and whispered: "Brother Meng, don't blame me, my stupid brother really doesn't know."

Meng Ying sighed softly.

After the fall of Heluo, the most fearful people were the aristocratic families like them, because before and after the Yuanjia Incident, they chose to surrender to the Jing Dynasty, which led to the rapid collapse of the Qi Dynasty's rule in Jiangbei and was unable to stop the Jing army's cavalry from moving south.

After the Qi army entered the city, they seemed to have a sharp knife hanging over their heads, feeling uneasy and unable to do anything.

The city had been quiet for more than half a month, and some people couldn't help but have some illusions, thinking that Qi Jun would not settle the old accounts. But the day finally came, and the hundreds of middle-aged men in the square looked pale, as if they were mourning for their heirs.

"Greetings!"

A Qi military captain suddenly roared angrily, almost frightening these people to death.

Then all the soldiers were seen saluting with one hand and looking towards the south uniformly.

Several generals of the Qi Army arrived in armor, and the one walking in the middle was Lu Chen. Next to him were Duan Zuozhang, the chief general of the Lai'an Army, Song Shifei, the chief general of the Feiyun Army, and Liu Jiangdong, the chief general of the Panlong Army.

There was chaos in the square.

If it had been back then, they might not have even taken a serious look at these military men, but now that everyone is a swordsman and others are a piece of fish, how can they continue to maintain the dignity of the family?

Some people bowed, some bowed their heads, and even some timid people knelt on their knees, sparsely showing all kinds of expressions.

Lu Chen and the generals walked to the north steps and stood there, looking down at these giants who controlled countless wealth and land, and scanned the whole place with cold eyes.

Almost no one dared to look at him, and some people caught by his gaze couldn't help but swallow nervously.

In the gentle spring breeze, Lu Chen slowly opened his mouth and said, "In my opinion, all of you stupid rats and bugs deserve to die."

One sentence made many people break into cold sweat, but some people's eyes lit up.

Just because they are afraid of each other's swords and guns does not mean they have lost the most basic ability to judge. Lu Chen's words undoubtedly set the tone for today, and maybe they were just a slap in the face.

Lu Chen raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "I express my kindness to the Emperor. Remembering that you may have been coerced and had to seek refuge with Jingren, it would be inappropriate to go on a killing spree. Therefore, you should thank the Emperor for his kindness and you can continue. Just trying to survive in this world."

Wang An and Meng Ying looked at each other and immediately took the lead and shouted: "The sinners bow to express their gratitude to His Majesty Da Qi for his grace."

"The guilty people bow down to thank His Majesty Daqi for his holy grace."

There was a rather neat sound in the square.

"but--"

A sneer appeared on Lu Chen's lips, and he continued: "But I know that some people were not forced to have flirtations with the northern foreigners more than 20 years ago, secretly passing on information and reselling goods. After getting the emperor's permission, I decided to use The blood of these people is a tribute to the countless heroic souls of Daqi. Come, bring Meng Ying, Ji Tongshun, Guo Yan, Zhang Junsi, Tang Anliang, Zeng Chunzhi and other six people forward!"

The warriors from the Ruishi Battalion who had been well prepared rushed into the square. Two people dealt with one person, and they directly picked up the other person's arms and dragged them to the right side of the steps.

The place was immediately in chaos. These pampered dignitaries looked panicked and subconsciously wanted to escape to the side. However, they only heard the burly Bao An roar angrily. The soldiers of the Rui Shi Battalion unsheathed their steel swords and immediately forced everyone back. Stand obediently.

Among the six people, Guo Yan was the former Deputy Privy Envoy of Beiyan, Zhang Junsi was the former General of Dongyang Road, and the other four were all heads of clans, but at this moment they were dragged over like pigs and dogs. They seemed to already know their fate. At this moment, they didn't even have the strength to beg for mercy and were almost paralyzed on the ground.

Only Meng Ying looked in the direction of Wang An and cried out sadly: "Brother Wang, save me!"

Wang An looked troubled. Although he had led the officials of Yan State to assist the Qi army in maintaining the stability of the city during this period, no one knew that he was also a clay Buddha crossing the river and could not protect himself.

When he was hesitating, someone suddenly stepped forward and shouted: "Captain Lu, please show mercy!"

Song Shifei, who was standing on the steps, immediately frowned and unconsciously touched the handle of the knife at his waist with his right hand.

Lu Chen looked up and saw a thin, middle-aged man, who was the Second Prime Minister of Northern Yan, Yu Chongchen.

On that day, Yu Xinchen was one of the few ministers who was spared by the Imperial Guards during the massacre at the Taiji Palace. Perhaps Zhang Can thought of him because of his devotion to protecting the Yan Kingdom.

Lu Chen raised his hand to block Song Shifei's murderous intention, took a step forward, and said calmly: "Why?"

Yu Xinchen looked at Lu Chen, who was several dozen years younger than him, and sighed: "Captain Lu, nearly two hundred people died in the palace half a month ago, and the order in the city is on the verge of collapse. If the bleeding continues, Heluo will probably fall into chaos. Chaos. Furthermore, even if Meng Ying and others die, it is not a pity to die, but their family connections are very deep, so Captain Lu should think twice!"

Lu Chen sarcastically said: "Xiang Yu is so righteous, how about you die for them?"

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

Yu Xinchen's lips moved, and after a moment he said in a deep voice: "If the death of a certain Yu can calm the anger in Captain Lu's heart, I would like to ask for the sword and axe!"

Song Shifei looked at this Beiyan civil servant with some surprise, but Duan Zuozhang frowned.

"What a man of integrity and a benevolent prime minister."

Lu Chen spoke unhurriedly, his eyes scanning the side of the Northern Yan dignitaries who were waiting to be killed and with hope of survival in their eyes.

Yu Xinchen showed no fear on his face and stood tall.

Lu Chen took another step forward and said, "But I'm a little curious. Prime Minister Yu is so ready to die. Fifteen years ago, when the Jin army invaded Heluo, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of evil, where were you?"

Yu Xinchen's expression changed slightly, and all the generous speeches he had prepared were stuck in his throat.

Lu Chen raised his eyes and looked like a knife: "You know that Jing's army will not give up Heluo. You are sure that our army will not stay long and will withdraw from the city sooner or later. By then, Jing's country will still have to rely on you people to govern Heluo. You Do you think you can use your righteousness to block me at this time, save these treasonous beasts, and easily win over people's hearts and clear your name?"

"Captain Lu, please don't use——"

As soon as Yu Xinchen's words came out, Lu Chen said sternly: "Zhang Can is dead and has no heirs. Do you also want to sit on the dragon throne and enjoy the pleasure of ascending to the throne?"

Yu Xinchen was speechless, his body trembling involuntarily.

Lu Chen sneered and said: "There are many loyal ministers in this world, such as the border army commanders Xiao and Li, and the two prime ministers at the center of Daqi. If they were standing in your position at this moment, I would be willing to listen to them no matter what they say. But you are like this How can a traitor who betrayed the interests of his country and the country in order to gain a meteoric rise have the face to act like a character in front of me?"

"Since your name is Yu Xinchen, in my opinion, it's better to change it to the name of Renren, Kefuzhen. This name will be more in line with your despicable life!"

In the silent square, Yu Xinchen's body was shaking more and more, and his face showed a strange red color.

"puff!"

A few moments later, the man looked up to the sky and spurted out a cloud of blood, and his body fell backwards.

The people standing next to him were all dumbfounded. After a moment, they discovered that the Prime Minister of Beiyan had died, and his eyes were still wide-eyed after death.

Just a few words made an old official angry to death, and everyone looked at Lu Chen as if they were looking at the devil in Jiuyou Purgatory.

Lu Chen glanced at Yu Xinchen's body indifferently, and an inappropriate thought came to his mind. Did he die of myocardial infarction or cerebral hemorrhage?

He calmed down and looked at the others, and said slowly: "Suppress these six people, confiscate their property, and escort all their relatives to the capital to be handed over to the emperor."

Bao An said loudly: "Follow the order!"

Several miserable howls sounded, and then six bloody heads appeared in everyone's sight.

Lu Chen said coldly: "I would like to advise you, even if the current situation forces you to change your stance, you must think about whether you are a Qi person or a Jinglian person. You may be forgiven if you succumb to the enemy, but you will definitely die if you act as an aide to the tiger! Yu Xinchen Although he and his ilk are detestable, he is right about one thing. Our army may not be able to defend Heluo, but——"

He glanced at the audience coldly and said in a serious tone: "I can lead troops to invade Heluo this time, and I can do the same in the future. You must think clearly when making every decision in the future, whether your head can bear it or not. The steel sword of the Qi frontier army!"

"Do you understand?!"

Faced with his murderous tone, everyone in the square replied fearfully but neatly: "Remember the captain's order!"

(End of this chapter)