Dawn of the Empire

Chapter (7:57)

After escaping from the boundary of Shenzhou, the six sons of Wang rode wildly all the way, and the two horses almost died of exhaustion. Two days later, the news reached Suzhou.

The commander-in-chief of the Han army also summoned the generals to discuss revenge for the massacre of the Liao army.All the Han generals scolded their mothers in unison, gearing up to kill the Khitan people to vent their anger. Wang Xuansu was clear-headed, and said in a deep voice: "This matter is quite strange. The Liao Dynasty issued a decree to enslave Han children. It stands to reason that these strong men have already It is the property of the Khitan people, so it is unreasonable to kill their lives for no reason." Whether it is the Liao army or the Han army, if they capture the people of the other side, the first choice is not to be a slave.The slaughter and looting were all done by the soldiers below, and the scale would not be too large. The Liao army let it go, and the generals of the Han army also turned a blind eye.But gathering and killing four or five thousand strong men like this is really appalling.

"It's nothing strange." Xiong Renyue said furiously, "We rebelled, and the Khitan court can't wait to kill all the Han children." He slapped the table thickly and roared, "Du Er Er is like this If I don't kill thousands of Khitan people, I can't finish the count." Just last night, Xiong Renyue ordered his subordinates to take care of the hundred and ten Khitan male slaves under the Tongzhou camp, and prepared to slaughter them to pay homage to Du Lao. two.

"Yes!" "Revenge, revenge!" Kill the Khitan people! "The generals of all the villages roared loudly.

Seeing this turbulent scene, Wang Xuansu didn't say any more.Zhao Xingde looked at this scene, a look of worry flashed in the corner of his eyes.

The generals quarreled for a long time, their eyes were red with anger, and finally someone said: "Marshal, what do you say? Everyone listens to you."

Han Ningshuang looked around at the generals in the tent of the Chinese army, she said in a deep voice: "The Liao Kingdom slaughtered our people for no reason, if they don't retaliate, they will think that we are weak and can be bullied." Her eyes fell on Zhao Xingde's face, she hesitated for a moment and then He quickly moved away, and his tone became more chill, "The captured Khitan population, [-] people were picked out and beheaded in each village, and the heads were sent to Shenzhou. Xiushu told the guards of Shenzhou that our army decided to fight with a tooth for a tooth without reason. Kill one member of my family, and I will kill one member of the other family. If he does not know how to repent and continues to act perversely, in the future when the city of Shenzhou is destroyed, our army will definitely slaughter the city in return, and there will be no Khitan in the city, no matter men, women or children."

Zhao Xingde suddenly turned pale with shock.He was extremely angry at the massacre of the people by the Khitans, and he really couldn't accept such a tragic means of revenge.He also captured many Khitans in the Battle of Kaizhou. Ordinary men, women, old and children, after being taken as slaves, most of them obeyed their master's arrangement fearfully, working as cattle and horses, just like the situation of Han slaves in Liao Kingdom.Zhao Xingde also thought about giving freedom to these slaves gradually after the end of the war, but now these Khitan people who are lingering on their last legs died immediately because of the brutality of their clansmen.

The generals of the Han army in the Chinese tent cheered loudly together: "Kill the Khitan people!" "Yes, do that!"

The anger and the joy of killing that had been accumulated for a long time, like the strongest storm on the northern grassland, erupted at this moment, mixed with deafening shouts and table-slapping sounds.Zhao Xingde's voice was so weak that he could hardly hear him, "Marshal Han! This must never happen!" He shouted loudly, stood up and looked at Han Ningshuang.All the generals of the Han army stood up at this time, each of them drew out their waist knives, and shouted together with red eyes. "Kill the Khitan!" "Blood for blood!" "Life for life!" "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" The resoluteness brought about, the joy of revenge and killing, constantly whirling, conflicting and agitating, mutually reinforcing each other and becoming more and more intense.Zhao Xingde seemed to fall into a huge vortex involuntarily.This violent vortex of revenge quickly swept through the entire camp of the Chinese army, and the monstrous hatred smashed any objections to pieces, and it was impossible for any general of the Han army, including Han Ningshuang, to stand up and object again.

The guards of the commander's mansion guarding outside heard the call from the tent, and shouted loudly at the same time, and this wave spread from the tent of the Chinese army.The news quickly spread throughout the entire Guannan area of ​​Suzhou. Whether it was near or far, sooner or later, almost all the soldiers and civilians knew about the decision to demand blood for blood from the Khitan people.Many people were worried and fearful because of the killing by the Khitan army yesterday.Now most of the people were so excited that they couldn't understand, and the cheers for the execution of the Khitan slaves became louder and louder.After the generals delivered the definite news, the soldiers and civilians in each village celebrated by knocking on shields and clay pots, and even set off firecrackers. It was ten times and a hundred times more lively than the usual execution of criminals by the government. The New Year is lively.The Khitan slaves assigned to them are the private property of the soldiers and civilians of each village, and they can usually do a lot of hard labor. Now the villages drive them like cattle and sheep to the confinement place designated by the commander-in-chief. Shuai's mansion no longer accepts.

For those Khitan males who were sent to the forbidden area, a few rebels were killed on the spot, and most of them cowered in the rough wooden fence. These people had done a lot of labor in the Han village, and now they are also pale and emaciated. ' Pale and trembling.Around the fence, many soldiers and civilians threw stones and spat at them.

............

"What does it mean that a rabbit bites in a hurry?" Du Chuijiao leaned on the wall of the village and looked outside, and sighed, "I finally figured it out today." Several sergeants next to him looked out with complicated expressions like him.Because the people in Guannan, Suzhou were excited, and in order to avoid trouble, and did not want to be involved in the killing of Khitan slaves, the Xia Guoying soldiers guarded the camp tightly.The sergeants were a bit conflicted. The Liao court committed atrocities first, and the Suzhou side retaliated afterwards, but they could not be said to be completely blameless.

"We don't care about this matter. Why did Captain Zhao ask to see Marshal Han? Asking for trouble." Someone muttered.

"Dutou, why hasn't the captain come back yet? Is there something wrong?"

"Bah, don't talk nonsense," Du Chuijiao's face darkened, "Shhh—" he pretended to be mysterious and lowered his voice, and several sergeants came over, "I'll tell you, the lieutenant of the school and the leader of the League Han The friendship is extraordinary, and it is possible to keep Captain Zhao to talk all night. Do you believe it or not?" The sergeants said in a mess, "How is it possible?" Your character is much better than Dutou." "We will report you to the captain." No one believed it, and Du Chuijiao also withered, lying obediently behind the wall of the village, and continued to monitor the movements of the Han army.

............

In the military tent of the commander-in-chief's mansion, Han Ningshuang avoided his gaze, her face seemed calm, but her chest rising and falling with her breathing revealed the fierce contradictions and struggles in her heart.

After the generals of the Han army left, Zhao Xingde stayed and repeatedly told Han Ningshuang not to kill Khitan slaves without reason.He listed various reasons, such as the murderer was the court of the Liao Kingdom, not these ordinary poor Khitan people.If the Han army wanted to settle accounts, they should also find someone responsible. It should be Yelu Dashi, the emperor of Liao, or the Liao army of Shenzhou.It shouldn't be so indiscriminately killing people.These Khitan slaves are considered the property of the Han army, and now killing them just to vent their anger is no different from smashing their own things in a rage, and it is not a wise person to do it.Moreover, once the Han army started to kill, it would inevitably lead to retaliation from the Liao Kingdom. Both sides wielded butcher knives, and it was innocent people who suffered.At the beginning, Li Guang only killed hundreds of Qiang captives, so he left a saying that "killing captives is ominous".The whole Han army was filled with righteous indignation. For this resolute matter, there is a long history. How can people in the future know the current situation? I am afraid that Han Ningshuang and the generals of the Han army will be scolded as cruel and murderous people in the history books.

Sometimes she was silent, and sometimes she refuted in a few words. ...... "What's 'unlucky to kill captives'? Huo Qubing repeatedly raided the desert and broke up so many tribes. I don't believe that Wei Huo's hands are much cleaner than Li Guang's? Han Gaozu slaughtered fewer cities?".... .. "A tribe can't even take revenge, so it's better to surrender."... "My tribe was killed by the Khitan people. If the commander-in-chief doesn't take revenge, everyone will be terrified. How can we use our lives to fight against the Khitans?" People fight wars?"..."It's enough to defeat the Liao Kingdom now, I don't care what scholars will write in the future!"... But every time Zhao Xingde said one more reason, Han Ningshuang's face turned pale , biting his lip with white teeth, as if being pricked by a needle.

Zhao Xingde spoke dryly, even out of breath.He knew in his heart that with the current situation in Guannan, Suzhou, even Han Ningshuang could not take back his life.But there is a vague hope of redemption in my heart, and I always have to argue hard.It was only at the end that Zhao Xingde said dejectedly: "All that needs to be said has been said, since the Commander's Mansion has made up its mind, I will take my leave." He stood up dejectedly.

When his back was about to step out of the tent, Han Ningshuang suddenly said: "Mr. Zhao stay."

Zhao Xingde paused and turned around.

Han Ningshuang was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "The golden soldiers will soon arrive at the cities of Shenzhou and Liaoyang. The battle is imminent. The Han army is between tigers and wolves. Mr. Zhao and Xia Guoying should still be on our side?" Asking casually, although the tone is pretending to be relaxed, the mood is a little nervous.

"Mr. Han is too worried." Zhao Xingde took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "This is what Zhao is responsible for."

"Oh,..." Han Ningshuang was slightly taken aback. She didn't expect him to answer so simply. She breathed a sigh of relief, with a flash of joy in her eyes, and smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Zhao." Both of them were silent for a moment. , Zhao Xingde said in a low voice: "Marshal Han has no other orders, so Zhao left." Turning around and leaving, Han Ningshuang watched his back lift the curtain and leave, with a complex and incomprehensible look of loss flashing in his eyes.

Zhao Xingde walked more than ten steps away, looked back for a moment, as if a big stone was pressed on his chest, he couldn't breathe, and his heart was still aching.