Looking at this, Li Yue was stunned. Although he tried his best to remain calm, his heart was pounding and his legs were trembling.
The magistrate looked at him and bowed, "Your Excellency!"
"Well?"
"Shall we go to a secluded place in the wall to talk?"
Li Yue stared at the magistrate for a long time before nodding. He then followed the magistrate to the next room and was surrounded by his soldiers.
"Your Excellency Li!" The magistrate stopped and said, "Do you know what I want to say?"
Li Yue also stopped and stared at the magistrate. After a long time, he said, "It's not a good thing to surrender and then rebel. No one will tolerate you."
The magistrate smiled bitterly, "It's better than dying."
He then looked at Li Yue, "When Ji Bei Hou's army arrived, my county had few soldiers and had no choice but to surrender. Now that the imperial army has arrived, they are much stronger."
"General Li, think about it. How many soldiers do you have? Seven hundred? Eight hundred? How many veterans are there? Although I don't know much about military affairs, I can see that there are only fifteen hundred soldiers. "
"With these fifty soldiers and a few hundred new recruits, how long can they resist the imperial army?"
"Two hours? Or a day?"
"When the time comes, we will all perish together, and your clan will be exterminated. Are you really that loyal to Ji Bei Hou?"
"I asked you to speak to me alone because I want you to open the gates and surrender. The imperial court has decreed that if you open the gates without a fight, you will be spared from death. You will also have the opportunity to redeem yourself."
Li Yue's body trembled as he bit his lips, "But Ji Bei Hou promoted me from a platoon leader to a guerrilla. I am indebted to him."
The magistrate smiled and said, "Ji Bei Hou had no one else to use, so he made an exception and promoted you. But for the general, this is a good thing."
"Now that the general has seven or eight hundred soldiers, I will give the general another two or three hundred. That would be a thousand."
"If you surrender to the imperial court, even if you redeem yourself, you will still be a commanding general. As long as you continue to follow the imperial court, you will not be able to escape."
"General, do you really want to die? If you do, then please hang my head in the city. "
"It's not killing me, it's loving me. At least I'll die because I failed to be a traitor. Even if I'm not a martyr, I can still be absolved of my crime. My family can live on." The county magistrate sighed.
Li Yue's body shook as he said, "Let me think about it, think about it."
"General, please, but time is limited." After saying that, the Magistrate didn't say anything else.
Not long after, a white flag was waved from within the city, and the clanging sound could be heard from afar. The city gate slowly opened, and a dense mass of people came out to welcome them, arriving on both sides.
"Perfected Being, Qing Shui County has surrendered." Someone hurriedly reported to Pei Zi Yun. Pei Zi Yun glanced at the report and smiled, "I saw it."
"In front is the county magistrate, and on the other side seems to be guerrilla warfare."
"He's just a fake general!" One of the officers spoke out in a dissatisfied tone. In order to gain the support of the people, Ji Bei Hou had been promoting and promoting his men without restraint. Pei Zi Yun led his troops closer and closer to the city. The county magistrate and a dozen other officers knelt down and greeted him in unison, "The guilty official welcomes the Imperial Army."
As he spoke, he greeted them one by one.
"Although everyone here is a traitor, your hearts are still loyal to the Imperial Army. Today, you have raised your flag and set an example. You may atone for your crimes and return to your original positions." Pei Zi Yun looked at them and ordered, "Where is the Magistrate?"
"The guilty official is here!" An officer stepped forward and knelt down.
"You shall take charge of the county. I shall send a battalion into the county to maintain order."
"Yes!"
"County Magistrate, and Li Yue, gather your troops and follow me. When we reach the next county, you shall lead by example."
"Yes!" Li Yue and the County Magistrate looked at each other and acknowledged.
Wu Yu County
Within seven to eight days, the army had grown from ten thousand to fifteen thousand men. At this point, more than ten men stepped forward and shouted.
"I am the county magistrate of Qing Shui County."
"I am General You Ji, Li Yue."
"I am the county magistrate of She Ya County."
"I am the county magistrate of the town."
"The Imperial Army has arrived. They have fifty thousand men. Your county only has a thousand men. How can you resist them? Look, we have surrendered. The Imperial Army has shown us mercy. Not only will we not be punished, we will be able to atone for our crimes. Don't hesitate, hurry up and surrender!"
These County Magistrates were full of confidence. Especially the County Magistrate of Qing Shui County. He had the support of the Imperial Army. With the Imperial Army behind him, he could lead by example. Every county he reached had surrendered. These few days, he had already done a lot of good deeds.
All of a sudden, he heard a 'pu' sound. The County Magistrate of Qing Shui County instinctively dodged to the side. He then felt a sharp pain in his body. An arrow had pierced through his shoulder, and he screamed out in pain.
Two of his personal guards hurriedly rushed back to support him.
Seeing this, all the Generals were enraged. One of them stepped forward, "Dao Master, this county only has a thousand soldiers. Our army is ten times larger than theirs. As long as Dao Master gives the order, we can destroy this county in a day. We can capture this traitor and behead him."
Pei Zi Yun looked at the city, "Who is the commander of this city?"
"It's Luo You!"
"I've heard that he's a direct descendant of Ji Bei Hou. No wonder." Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Now's not the time. Yang Yan, I'll give you three thousand soldiers. Set up camp here and continue the standoff. Wait for me to return after I've conquered the entire county."
"Yes!" Yang Yan was a short but strong general. When he heard Pei Zi Yun's order, he immediately obeyed.
The old Daoist led Ji Ai Guo to the peak of the mountain and looked down. His face was solemn, "Eh?"
Ji Ai Guo asked, "What's wrong, Master?"
"Nothing!" The old Daoist sighed, "Ji Bei Hou has five counties under him. However, the Qi of the five counties is dim. It's obvious that he's been suppressed. As for this county, all five counties have surrendered. Only Wu Yu County is still resisting. The other two counties are dim. It's obvious that they surrendered the moment the army arrived."
"This Wu Yu County is filled with blood. I'm afraid Pei Zi Yun has already made up his mind."
"Ji Bei Hou's luck has really run out. The last time he was conferred the title of Duke, he was punished by the heavens. His Imperial Qi has weakened greatly. Now that this county has fallen, it's a chain reaction. How long can he last?"
"Luckily, Holy Jail Sect hesitated, and did not get involved too deeply."
The next day, the army arrived. Nan Rong County surrendered. On the fifth day, the army had yet to arrive. Red Rock County surrendered. At this point, out of the eight counties in Qi Bei County, seven had surrendered.
The army returned. Seventeen thousand men gathered outside Wu Yu County. It was a dark mass, and it was a sight to behold.
Pei Zi Yun was heavily protected by his soldiers. He rode his horse to a distance away and observed the situation. Although the county wasn't very tall or sturdy, there were soldiers shouting and cheering from within.
A lieutenant reported, "According to our intelligence, the magistrate wanted to surrender, but Luo You killed him. There were a thousand soldiers inside. Should we try to persuade him to surrender again?"
Pei Zi Yun observed for some time before a cold smile appeared on his face, "We've come up with a plan. If he betrays us before the army arrives, we will retain the officials. If he surrenders when the army arrives, we will not punish him, and he will retain his position as an official. Now that he's been given the chance to surrender, it's obvious that he wants to be Ji Bei Hou's loyal subject.
"Command all the generals to prepare to attack the city. No one will surrender. Kill all the officials and soldiers within the county. Behead them as a warning to the public."
"Kill all the officials of the ninth rank and above. Reward the entire army!" Most of the wealth in the city was in the hands of the officials. With such a reward, it was enough to raise the morale of the soldiers. Pei Zi Yun laughed, "However, the confiscation of property cannot be done by the soldiers. You shall wait for the magistrates to take charge."
The seven magistrates who had surrendered shouted out in agreement. A chill ran down their spines. Initially, when Pei Zi Yun had persuaded them to surrender, they felt that he was being lenient. But now, he didn't even bother to persuade them to surrender. Instead, he gave the order to kill every single one of them. They couldn't help but shudder in fear. They were secretly glad that they had made the right decision.
Since there was an order, the bugle sounded immediately, the war drums started beating, and dozens of chariots were pushed up. This county town was no more than a zhang (five meters) high, the chariots themselves were more than a meter high. When they reached the corner of the wall, a ladder was set up.
"Shoot!" Someone behind the chariots gave the order. At once, a rain of arrows rained down on the county. Cries of agony could be heard.
"Kill kill kill!" Hearing the shouts, some soldiers climbed up the ladder.
"Pour the golden liquid!" Someone on top of the city walls gave the order as well. Streams of water poured down, reflecting the sun's rays. Only then did the soldiers collapse. Cries of agony could be heard. More than ten soldiers raised their shields, but to no avail. Their armors sizzled as they fell to the ground.
These people rolled on the ground screaming in agony. Such severe burns were corroded by the feces, and their wounds were infected. Unless a Daoist healed them, there was no way they could survive. Seeing such a tragic sight, the people behind them revealed looks of fear.
"Whoever dares to retreat, kill without mercy!"
As the saying goes, 'Mercy does not lead soldiers'. A lieutenant shouted out as a group of archers stood by, urging the soldiers to charge forward.
"Kill kill kill!" Screams of agony could be heard as people fell to the ground. The battle had reached its climax. The soldiers ran in and out, carrying the injured soldiers off the battlefield. The entire scene was like a scene of carnage.
Pei Zi Yun sat on a high platform and watched the battle. He listened to the reports coming in.
"The second battalion, attack!"
"The third battalion has been ordered to stand by."
"The fourth battalion attacked the city walls, but was unable to take the city. Retreat …."
These reports were accompanied by the sound of arrows piercing through the air. Cries of agony could be heard. Occasionally, there would be loud cheers. However, there were not many soldiers in the county. After fighting for an hour, the county was starting to show signs of collapse.
Pei Zi Yun calmed himself down and sat down to watch the battle. On top of the city walls, Luo You's eyes were bloodshot. Arrows and crossbows flew towards him as a large number of soldiers charged forward.
Before long, the soldiers were cheering, "The traitor has been killed! The traitor has been killed! Open the city gates, open the gates!"
Luo You looked and knew that his assistant had been killed. He laughed maniacally, "Old Qian, it's good that you're dead. Take care on your way to the afterlife. I'll catch up to you!"
At the same time, a loud boom could be heard as the city gates opened. A large number of soldiers swarmed in, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.
"The city has been breached." Pei Zi Yun said plainly. The sounds of battle grew deeper and deeper. Cries of agony could be heard. There might not be only enemy soldiers inside, but Pei Zi Yun was unfazed.
After some time, the sounds of battle died down. A group of people were tied up and brought in. The leader was Luo You. He had sustained several injuries, and his left arm had been chopped off. His entire body was covered in blood.
"Dao Master, we've captured all the officials of the ninth rank and above."
The officials and soldiers were all kneeling on the ground. Luo You stood up straight and refused to kneel. A soldier kicked him, and he was forced to kneel. Luo You cursed and spat out a mouthful of blood, "Pei Zi Yun, when I die, I turn into an evil spirit. I'll take your dog life."
Pei Zi Yun did not even lift his eyelids, "Since that's the case, I shall grant you your wish. Men, execute him."
Luo You did not resist and only shouted, "Your Highness, Luo You has tried his best!"
Before he could finish speaking, a blade flashed, and his head fell to the ground. He spat out fresh blood, and died with his eyes wide open.
"Kill them, kill the rest of them." Pei Zi Yun shouted out as he looked at the scene before him.
"Yes!" Tens of blades flashed. Whether they were loyal or treacherous, brave or cowardly, their heads rolled to the ground, leaving nothing behind.
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