Chapter 227 (1/2)
Chapter 227
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Chu Qiao's suspicions were finally confirmed. The chaos in Tang finally broke out at the imperial mausoleum in Meishan after ten peaceful years. It came out of the blue, like a pot of cold water. Before the people inside could react in time, the pot of water was heated to its boiling point, implicating everyone within.
At Hanshui, the conflict had escalated. After a few groups of cavalry troops trampled on the land, the city was destroyed. Homes were torched; the fertile land was instantly turned to a barren wasteland. The prosperity of the city went up in smokes. On both sides of the roads, corpses of the civilians littered the ground. A pungent smell of blood could be detected amongst the decomposing bodies.
The king of Luo had started a rebellion in Meishan. The residents, who did not want to be branded as rebels, brought their families and migrated towards Hanshui, only to realize that Xu Su, one of his brothers-in-law, had taken over command of Hanshui Pass. The water crossing leading towards the east had been duly sealed off. The Tang troops located west of Hanshui Pass were disorganized and were heavily defeated by the king of Luo at the city of Hong. The life of the Tang Empire hung by a thread.
Chu Qiao and her party's journey was delayed as a result. Along the district of Hanshui, the civilians gathered in large numbers. As it was in the middle of summer, diseases were rampant within the city. In less than half a month, an epidemic broke out there. The noble aristocrats stayed in their houses, sending their servants to keep watch and patrol the areas. The inns and restaurants closed for business, causing rations to be in short supply. Chu Qiao and her party had no choice but to head towards the outskirts of the city. Luckily, they had prepared themselves for the long journey ahead; their rations and tents were sufficient to tide them over.
As the days passed, they heard all kinds of different rumors. When Pingan and the rest went into the city to gather intel, their efforts did not come to fruition.
The rumors were diverse in nature. Some people claimed that Li Ce had gathered an army of 800,000 elite cavalry troops in the east, and that he was headed towards Hanshui for a rampage. Some people claimed that the king of Luo had massacred the Nanhuai Army at Junshan a few days ago. The areas around Jiangzhe, the city of Fei, Nanwang, Anxi County and the Sunset Mountains had been heavily affected. The army of the royal capital had suffered heavy casualties, while the survivors had surrendered. In less than five days, the army of the king of Luo was to conquer Hanshui. Others claimed that the big households in the southwest rendered support towards the Luo King's rebellion in the form of donating money and rations towards the cause, due to their displeasure with the current fatuous ruler. They sent out their private troops to join the Meishan Army, causing the king of Luo's army to be almost 1,000,000 strong. More absurd theories claimed that Li Ce was no longer in Tang Jing, and that he had fled to Xia with his concubines. The Song Empire had constructed a boat for him, for him to escape to the seas.
The people along Hanshui waited with bated breath. Although the rumors were not entirely valid, the army of the Luo King slowly approached Hanshui as each day passed. As the number of refugees entering the city decreased, it meant that the Luo King's army was starting to surround Hanshui. A major battle was about to ensue.
After seven days, the Luo King's army finally arrived at Qibai Slope, less than 40 kilometers away from Hanshui. However, they stopped there, showing no signs of a head-on confrontation with General Xu Su. On the other side, Hanshui did not show any signs of defecting towards the Luo King either. The war suddenly entered a stalemate.
Suddenly, the Xishuo Army of the royal capital detected that something was amiss. General Xu Su was a general of the royal army, who had followed Old General Murong in his early years. If he stood on Li Ce's side, their hopes of victory would have been greatly boosted.
After four days, the commander of the Xishuo Army, Lu Bingkuan, led 30,000 troops towards Qibai Slope, engaging in a fierce battle with the Luo King's army. Although they suffered heavy casualties, they managed to breach the defense line of their enemy to advance towards Hanshui. Evidently, they sided with the Hanshui troops—they wanted to protect the royal capital of Tang.
However, another twist in the tale occurred that night. Out of the blue, a massacre, which shook the entire continent of West Meng, broke out in Hanshui. All of Lu Bingkuan's 13,000 soldiers were slaughtered by Xu Su that night, their blood staining Hanshui River red. Bloodstains were even visible at the undercurrents of the river, located more than 15 kilometers away. The mountain of corpses was sufficient to form a tall dam.
Vultures congregated in the districts of Hanshui. In the middle of the night, they let out their sharp cries as they feasted on the decomposing corpses. It was a nightmarish sight.
Three days later, the king of Luo, seemingly convinced by Xu Su's loyalty towards him, entered Hanshui with his army of 150,000. The day after, with the support of his troops, the king of Luo proclaimed himself as the ruler of the place as he conducted his rituals to ascend the throne. He became known as the king of Jingheng.
Two days later, the Meishan Army, consisting of 200,000 troops, arrived at Hanshui to side with the king of Luo. Together with Xu Su's army of 180,000 troops, the military forces of the king of Luo approached 600,000 people. With this, the Tang Empire had been split into two, with each part colonized by a different ruler.
Ten days later, the Tang Emperor, Li Ce, could no longer stand such an unprecedented humiliation. He finally issued a declaration of war, with many scathing statements written within. He would be leading his troops personally to fight the war. His army consisted of the Central Army (90,000 people), the Southeastern Army (110,000 people), and local provincial troops (200,000 people). After gathering them in one place, he headed swiftly towards Hanshui. A big battle loomed on the horizon.
On the ninth day of the eighth month, the king of Luo stood atop Zhaoyang Platform and paid his respects to the ancestors. Thereafter, he led his troops and 150,000 other troops from the Meishan Army across the river, leaving 50,000 troops from the Meishan Army and Xu Su behind to guard Hanshui. Li Ce's army stayed in their own camp, not daring to fight head-on. For five days, only small skirmishes broke out, resembling more like a minor riot compared to a battle of armies. In that instant, Li Ce became a laughing stock in Tang. The Tang Emperor was scared of the king of Luo, as he did not dare to fight head-on. This news became known to the whole world.
As everyone thought that Li Ce was about to lose his empire, Chu Qiao instructed Meixiang to pack up and enter Tang Jing. Meixiang was perplexed as she questioned her motives.
Chu Qiao looked at Xu Su's camp towards the east, her sight suddenly becoming a little blurry as she thought of the massacre that had descended upon the Xishuo Army the other night. She remembered the non-stop cries of agony vividly.
”This war is about to end.”
On the 17th day of the eighth month, the Tang army brushed off all their cowardice, finally engaging in combat with the Luo King's army at Hulin Plains. The battle lasted one day and one night, with both parties showing no intentions to compromise. Both parties knew that this was a battle for supremacy over the empire; a bright future awaited the winner. As for the loser, his entire family would be exterminated.