Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2829 Master Qingsong 47.0
After Song Yaojia finished speaking, the entire warm hall fell into silence, with only Xia Jiu and Shen Jiu's steady breathing remaining.

Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Song Yaojia all knew about this result. Song Yaojia had read the case file, while Shen Haolin and Shen Cha had heard the old Duke tell them about it several times. Every time they read or heard it, they were shocked. As a result, in the past few years, they have more or less, intentionally or unintentionally, avoided talking about it because it was just too tragic. Every time they talked about it, their mood was more or less heavy.

But this was the first time Jin Miaomiao and Meilin had heard this story. Having spent many years on the battlefield, they knew very well how cruel war was and how many innocent people would be affected and lose their lives. But those were all unavoidable circumstances, and it was completely different from what She Nanqi had encountered. This matter had far exceeded their imagination.

Song Yaojia glanced at Jin Miaomiao and Meilin, who were still engrossed in the story and hadn't come back to their senses, and then looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, whose faces were very pale, and helplessly spread her hands.

They didn't urge Jin Miaomiao and Meilin, but simply waited quietly for them to calm down.

Jin Miaomiao and Meilin didn't keep them waiting too long. After Shen Cha ate two pieces of candied fruit, Jin Miaomiao let out a very angry but low voice.

"A bunch of beasts!" She looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and then at Song Yaojia, her voice tinged with anger and a hint of a sob. "How could they...do that?"

"Exactly!" Merlin wiped his eyes, wiped away his tears, and said bitterly, "Before, I thought She Nanqi was too cruel and ruthless, but now I think that if it were me, I might be even more ruthless than them. Not to mention killing them, I could burn them down."

“Yes!” Jin Miaomiao wiped away her tears as well. “I take back what I said about She Nanqi. I support him in doing this.”

"Really?" Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow. "This story isn't over yet, so don't jump to conclusions so easily. If you haven't forgotten, there's also the bandit's wife. Why don't you guess what role she played in all of this?"

"What is her role?" Jin Miaomiao blinked, first looking at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, whose expressions were both very cold, revealing nothing about them. Then she looked at Song Yaojia, who had a cold smile on her lips. "She should be among the group of people who have been tied up, right?"

“Of course,” Shen Cha nodded. “She wouldn’t make herself look that special, after all, she also wants to hide herself.”

"Hidden?" Jin Miaomiao narrowed her eyes. "You mean... this was her suggestion?"

“What that lady did was not just a simple suggestion.” Shen Cha’s face grew increasingly grim. She sneered and said, “I never imagined that anyone could be so ruthless.”

“She’s more than just vicious!” Song Yaojia sighed and said, “If those rebel soldiers were beasts, then she was the beast of beasts.” “According to the testimonies of the survivors and the evidence they provided, this lady was the true leader of the rebels.”

"What?" Jin Miaomiao exclaimed in surprise, "She's the leader?"

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “The bandit leader on the surface is one of her many confidants, and also the most capable one. She chose him because he could command respect, and as it turns out, he did live up to expectations and managed the bandit stronghold very well. But this lady is not someone who is content with just occupying a few hilltops; she wants Liuzhou City, or even the entire Great Xia.”

"What is her background?"

“According to her own account, her great-great-grandfather was the last princess of the previous dynasty. When the war broke out, this princess was not in Xijing City, so she escaped and lived in seclusion in Liuzhou Prefecture. The princess’s greatest wish was to return to Xijing City one day. Actually, I guess her great-great-grandmother wanted to have the opportunity to return to the place where she spent her childhood and adolescence, but the younger generation interpreted it as wanting to revive the glory of the previous dynasty.” Song Yaojia sighed and said, “So, from her great-great-grandmother to her generation, every generation has worked hard for this. In the early years, they occasionally wanted to raise an army, but they were suppressed as soon as they emerged. Later, they had to lie low and wait for a more suitable opportunity.”

Is now the most opportune time?

“Yes, because now, apart from the border, there is basically no place where war is being fought. Although there are quite a few bandits, they are not very powerful.” Shen Cha sighed softly and said, “As everyone knows, combat strength can gradually fade if it is not used for a long time, especially generation after generation, which may lose the ability to fight.”

“That’s true.” Song Yaojia nodded. “So, they thought Liuzhou Prefecture was weak, so they decided to attack it.”

"They even deliberately chose a time when General She Nanqi of Liuzhou was away training his troops. She Nanqi took most of his soldiers with him, leaving Liuzhou city with a sparse military presence, which became their perfect test," Shen Cha sighed. "They knew it was a high-stakes gamble, and some people advised the bandit leader that it wasn't the right time to attack. But the bandit leader's word was law; his wife's was. She insisted on attacking Liuzhou at this time, and he had no choice but to comply. In fact, they initially progressed very smoothly, almost capturing Liuzhou. But She Nanqi's reinforcements arrived faster than they expected, and the resistance in Liuzhou was also stronger than they anticipated. So, although things went smoothly, they quickly fell into a stalemate. And it was this stalemate that sealed their fate."

"That lady will try to find a way to change this situation, won't she?"

“That’s right.” Shen Cha nodded. “There are many women who have been captured in the bandit stronghold. Their ages range from ten to forty, and there are also many older women, such as fifty or sixty. The first thing this lady wants to do is to gather these women together and send them directly to the battlefield to serve as the vanguard and charge into battle.”

"What the hell?" Jin Miaomiao frowned. "What kind of brain could come up with such a disgusting and vicious idea?"

"She Nanqi asked the same question in the main hall. When the lady saw that the situation was hopeless, she stopped arguing and admitted that she was the bandit leader and that she had planned everything. She said that she had come up with the idea of ​​sending all the women to the front lines because they could not eat and drink for free in the stronghold. They had to pay something for it."