As soon as Gao Delai spoke, the seaside fell silent. The commoners in the distance heaved a sigh of relief when they realized that the enemy wouldn't do anything to them. Some were still nervous in the face of the army, some were afraid that they wouldn't keep their word, and most were worried about their families in the army.
They had already lost a lot of their families and homes because of the war. Now that they were facing a powerful enemy, they had no chance of winning at all.
Ishikawa Fusei's subordinates knew this as well.
As soon as they saw the foreign army, they became wary and unconvinced. On the other hand, they waited expectantly for Ishikawa Fusei's decision.
Ishikawa Fusei sensed that everyone was sizing him up, and his face turned even redder.
Did he want his reputation, or his life?
But from the looks of it, even if he risked his life and fought, his reputation wouldn't be any better once all of his subordinates died. Once the enemy took over Water Swamp Country, wouldn't they spread the news of what had happened all those years ago?
It wasn't even a question of whether the commoners would believe him.
The right to speak was always in the hands of the strong!
Ishikawa Fusei thought that since he had already lost his life and his reputation, he might as well preserve his life and think about the future.
But he had always been known for his bravery. If he were to admit defeat in front of others, it would be difficult for him to speak.
Sweat dripped down from his head through the cracks in his armor, and the golden light of the setting sun was so blinding that he couldn't open his eyes. The thousand-plus soldiers still stood with their backs to the setting sun, completely silent. Ishikawa Fusei's heart suddenly turned cold.
He even wondered in bewilderment, how did he end up where he was today?
Was it because of what had happened to Sakurai Hideaki?
Qin Yining said, "Ishikawa Daimyo, what is your decision?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Ishikawa Fusei's face.
Ishikawa Fusei's lips trembled, and he couldn't say a single word.
Qin Yining raised his hand and made a gesture.
"Ha!" The guards of the Prince's Mansion standing in great numbers on the dock immediately roared.
Then, the thousand-plus guards all got into position and roared, "Ha!"
This unified roar brought a great shock to the people of the Water Swamp Nation, causing them to huddle together in fear. Among the two hundred or so soldiers, some of the younger ones even fell to the ground on their butts.
Shichuan Fusheng shuddered and almost fell off his horse. In his panic, he blurted out his choice.
"First option, first option, I choose the first option!"
Gao Delai translated Ishikawa Fusei's words to Qin Yining. Qin Yining smiled and said, "Alright, then I will keep my promise. Please do the same. Tomorrow morning, I want you to bring your subordinates and family members to personally welcome Sakurai. I want you to gather all the citizens of Water Swamp Country and have at least one person from each family to attend Sakurai Hideaki's funeral! "
She wanted him to kowtow to Sakurai and admit his guilt in front of the entire country?
Shichuan Fusheng was enraged. "Don't push your luck!" he growled.
What answered him was another thunderous roar from the guards of the Prince's Mansion.
Ishikawa Fusheng's mount was so frightened that it started to pace restlessly. It took him a great effort to stabilize himself.
In the face of absolute power, he had no right to choose, much less reason.
Shichuan Fusheng felt extremely embarrassed for a moment and only wanted to escape from this place. He didn't have time to think about it and turned his horse around. He didn't care if there was anyone in front of him and directly urged his horse to rush out in the direction of the mansion. It was as if there was a fierce ghost chasing after him.
The samurai and nobles hurriedly urged their horses to give chase.
Seeing that the daimyo and samurai had all fled, the two hundred or so Water Swamp Country soldiers lost all will to fight and scattered like birds and beasts.
Qin Yining sneered. When he thought about how Sakurai had been banished by such a despicable person, he felt a pang of disappointment and regret.
"Alliance Master, it's so satisfying this time!" Liao Zhibing and Gao Delai laughed heartily. This kind of overt scheme, open saber and spear, and the feeling of using strength to crush the enemy was simply too exhilarating!
At that moment, a small boat slowly approached the shore. Xu Weizhi and Xie Yue walked onto the dock with the help of the guards.
Qin Yining also disembarked from the boat. When he saw the two of them, he smiled. "Sirs, your timing is just right. Sooner or later, the threat to Ishikawa Fusheng will be halved. Thank you for your hard work. "
"The princess consort's signal came just in time. Otherwise, it would have taken us some time to get here."
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi smiled as they looked around. The two of them walked around a few times. "It's been so long since we've had our feet on the ground. After getting off the boat, this old man feels like he's swaying. "
Qin Yining chuckled. "I felt the same way when I got off the boat. Even now, I still feel like I'm floating. I think it'll take us some time to get used to it."
Qin Yining turned around and instructed Ji Dashun and the others, "Tell the brothers to set up camp here and cook. It's rare that we have the chance to go ashore, so let's not stay on the boat. Did you leave a helmsman on the boat? "
"We left a helmsman behind. Don't worry, princess consort." Xie Yue said, "Since the princess consort and Ishikawa Fusheng said that they wouldn't disturb the commoners, then our troops shouldn't enter the city."
"I think so too. However, we should replenish the food and fresh water on the boat. We'll leave a small group of people to transport water and bring some people to buy rice and grain. "
"That's good." Xu Weizhi agreed. "Wang Ye's military is strict and impartial. In the past, when he was fighting, he never disturbed the commoners. If we maintain this style, it'll be a good habit for our troops in the future. The princess consort said something very well just now. War is a matter between soldiers. It has nothing to do with commoners. "
Qin Yining smiled. "This is what Wang Ye always says. I'm just influenced by him."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
After everything was arranged, Xu Weizhi said, "I wonder how Wang Ye is doing now. He followed Your Majesty back to the capital. I wonder if everything went smoothly. "
Qin Yining thought of Pang Xiao's beating, and the smile on his face faded.
"His life is probably not in danger. Your Majesty still has to keep Wang Ye alive to interrogate him about the whereabouts of the treasure. However, he'll definitely suffer. We had no choice but to go out to sea this time. Since it's for Sakurai's matter, isn't it also to avoid the limelight? Once everything is settled, we'll go back. "
Qin Yining didn't feel at ease leaving Pang Xiao alone in the capital.
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi also nodded. Seeing Qin Yining's frown, they smiled and comforted, "Princess Consort, you don't have to worry too much. First of all, Wang Ye's ability to adapt to changes is extremely strong. He also has imperial bodyguards protecting him. It's enough for him to protect himself. Second of all, things might not be as bad as we think. Moreover, this trip went smoothly and we'll be going back soon. At that time, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. As long as we work together, there's nothing we can't solve. "
Qin Yining nodded in agreement.
She also thought the same.
Although the reasoning was simple, it was impossible for her not to worry about Pang Xiao.
At this time, Pang Xiao, who was being worried about by Qin Yining, wasn't actually living as badly as she imagined.
After Li Qitian returned to the capital, he listened to Pang Xiao's suggestion and set up camp outside the city. After the officials respectfully welcomed the Emperor, he was completely tied down by government affairs for the next few days.
He was busy dealing with the remnants of the Lu Family and had to deal with the famine after the flood. He was also in a hurry to find the treasure. He was so anxious that he couldn't tell what day it was.
As a result, Li Qitian naturally didn't have time to deal with Pang Xiao.
Pang Xiao returned to the residence bestowed by the Emperor. Originally, there was a large family, but now he was the only one at home. Naturally, his heart felt empty.
Fortunately, he knew that Qin Yining would return soon and that the entire family would be living peacefully in Xi Yue. His heart felt slightly better.
In addition, Ji Zeyu often secretly came to see him. The two exchanged information and advice on the court. Occasionally, they would chat. Pang Xiao's mood was much better.
At night, Ji Zeyu still avoided the guards and came to the study in the outer courtyard.
As soon as he pushed the door open and entered the room, he saw that the table by the window was already prepared with wine and dishes. Pang Xiao sat cross-legged on one side and smiled as he pointed to the opposite side. "I knew you would come at this time."
Ji Zeyu smiled faintly. His fair and handsome face was reflected in the dim light like a top-notch flawless jade.
"Are your injuries better today?" As he spoke, he sat cross-legged across from Pang Xiao and took two mouthfuls of wine.
"They're all better. They're just superficial wounds." Pang Xiao poured Ji Zeyu a cup of wine and said, "Don't drink on an empty stomach. We're just chatting. Eat more. This roast chicken was specially made according to your taste."
Ji Zeyu liked sweet things, so the roast chicken tasted sweet.
Pang Xiao tore off two drumsticks and placed them in Ji Zeyu's bowl.
Ji Zeyu did not stand on ceremony and took a big bite of the drumstick. After a while, he sighed. "My men found that there are more and more starving people along the river. We have roast chicken to eat, but they can't even eat a single meal a day. "
As he spoke, he put down the drumstick and sighed heavily.
Pang Xiao put down his wine bowl and said in a low voice, "You know that Sister Yi has some business. To be honest, more than a month ago, Sister Yi had already ordered the head shopkeeper to go to the south to provide relief. At this time, he has almost run out of money. However, with so many mouths to feed, it's not possible to rely on one person's wealth to feed them. I had to give some money to Sister Yi to make up for the shortfall, but my power is limited. To do this, the best way is for Your Majesty to do it. "
There was no need to elaborate on the rest. It was enough to make one sigh.
How could Your Majesty be in the mood to do it? He was on the verge of going crazy over the treasure. Even if he was targeting the Lu family, it was because of the treasure.
Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu both knew that Li Qitian's thoughts were not on the common people.
The two of them were silent for a long time before Ji Zeyu remembered something else.
"That's right, I heard some news. Your Majesty's spies were released before you returned to the capital. I heard that they were investigating the whereabouts of the Qin Clan. Do you have enough men by the Qin Clan's side? If you encounter Your Majesty's spies, what are your chances of winning? "
Pang Xiao frowned when he heard this.
"Your Majesty arranged for them before I returned to the capital?"
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