Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1342: A Thought of Life and Death

Boom boom boom!
The mighty drumbeats made people's ears swell, but the turbulent emotions in the hearts of the disciples in Linchuan Palace were even more intense than the sound waves in their ears.

Not long ago, the Tang army soldiers outside the mansion led the Zhenzhou governor Shen Ke to the bottom of the wall. Through Shen Ke's shouting, they learned the inside story that they had been abandoned.

Although many people had already confirmed this situation in their hearts, when one of the decision makers of this matter stood in front of them and announced the truth, these people still couldn't help but feel waves of grief, anger and despair in their hearts.

They all gathered here at the call of King Linchuan, and were full of enthusiasm and fighting spirit to defend their country. But when the danger really came, King Linchuan, whom they regarded as the savior of Jiangdong and swore to follow him to the death, actually abandoned them!

There were many people in the palace who had anticipated it but were unwilling to face it. Now Shen Ke, the right-hand man of King Linchuan, was standing outside the wall, standing on the side of the Tang army and calling on them to surrender. He undoubtedly regarded this cruel truth as a sharp knife, piercing their hearts again and again!
"The great Tang army is benevolent and compassionate to the people. In this great victory, they are willing to rein in their horses and draw swords to recruit your followers. All of you villagers must not be stubborn anymore. Leave your homes as soon as possible, throw away your weapons and surrender. The right thing to do is to return to your homes!"

Facing the eyes of the villagers inside the wall, which were either sad, angry, surprised, or contemptuous, Shen Ke's heart was extremely complicated, but he had no choice at the moment.

Even if he wanted to sacrifice his life, he had to consider the livelihoods and well-being of thousands of his clansmen, families, soldiers and disciples. Now that the Tang army had already taken control of the situation, he could only choose to bow his head and obey the Tang army's demands.

To put it another way, if he kept this useful body for now, when the spring flood arrived and the King of Linchuan led the Kuaiji Division to the north to launch a counterattack, he could also take the opportunity to call on the local people to support the resistance. However, if he was just upright and unyielding, it would not only be of no benefit to the current situation, but there would be no possibility of reversing the situation later.

Shen Ke's words did indeed destroy the defenses of many villagers in the mansion. After his words of persuasion, the villagers who were still resisting in the mansion, although still unwilling and frightened in their hearts, chose to lay down their weapons and surrender one after another.

The fences outside the palace were temporarily opened, and three drum beats were used to give the people inside an opportunity to think carefully and make a choice.

When things developed to this point, for the group of people who were still defending the palace, the only way to survive was to surrender. However, a considerable number of people were still hesitant because they were worried that the Tang army would go back on their word, lure them out of the palace, and then kill them.

After all, in the information and cognition they received in the past, they had already formed a stereotype about the northern barbarians. These people would only commit all kinds of evil when they came to Jiangdong, so they had to fight to the death. Even if they were unable to fight now, would the evil nature of the Tang army change?
People's ideas are very difficult to change, especially those who were willing to fight for the ideas in their minds at the cost of their lives. Even if the bloody reality is already in front of them, they will still inevitably hesitate.

The drums continued to beat, and the Wuzhong villagers in the palace continued to march out one after another. However, the faces of these people who surrendered did not show much relief for surviving the disaster. Some were still afraid and doubtful, or chose to surrender to the Tang army out of hatred and revenge for Linchuan King Chen Qian who abandoned them and fled.

But no matter how rich their inner feelings are, the room for choice left for them is not much, especially when the situation is already determined. Even if their different choices mean the difference between life and death, in the end they are just a speck of dust that rises or sinks in the current situation.

The Wuzhong villagers who were still hesitating in the palace at this time did not know that the drum sound was a death note for them, and the closer it got to the end, the closer it was to the end of their lives.

Finally, after three drum beats, the drum sounded abruptly. In the end, more than 3,000 Wuzhong villagers chose to surrender before the drum sounded. However, there were still a similar number of villagers in the palace.

It has to be said that the Tang army's repeated calls for surrender also made them secretly feel lucky. They thought that the Tang army might not dare to kill people, so they chose to delay and wait and wait until the Tang army was willing to give them more guarantees and promises before surrendering.

Regardless of how the Tang army soldiers felt when they saw this scene, Shen Ke felt quite sad. Even at this point, many people still had not changed their minds. On the contrary, these carnivores who were afraid of the enemy and cowardly fighting should really feel ashamed.

However, he did not dare to speak out his thoughts. Instead, he deliberately revealed a look of sorrow and distress. He walked heavily in front of Ruo Ruo Feng, bowed deeply, and then said, "Dai Gong has a heart of benevolence and righteousness, which makes people admire him. It's a pity that those stubborn people in the palace still don't feel this righteous thought. Please come into the palace in person and announce the righteous will to influence the people. They will definitely change their ways and obey the king's orders!"

When Ruo Feng saw the result of the surrender, he sighed in his heart. When he heard Shen Ke's initiative to enter the palace to continue to persuade them to surrender, he shook his head with some disinterest. Then he pointed at the villagers who surrendered and said to Shen Ke: "I have my own way to deal with those who are stubborn and refuse to surrender. However, these followers who have already surrendered still need to be incorporated and appeased, and they still need Shen Jun's assistance."

As he spoke, he ordered his generals to lead the surrendered people to a nearby camp that had already been cleared, and then he walked into the camp with a team of personal soldiers. At this time, the stove had already been lit in the camp, and rice was being cooked on the stove. The smell of fireworks was the most soothing to the heart, especially for these surrendered people who had not eaten for a long time. Seeing that the Tang army was ready to distribute food to them in front of the stove, they immediately felt relieved. Even if they were about to suffer an accident, at least they could fill their stomachs first.

Ruo Ruo Feng walked out of the camp slowly and waved his hand to signal that they could serve the meal. Upon seeing this, some of the surrendered people knelt down and thanked Ruo Ruo Feng: "Thank you, General, for the food and for saving our lives!"

Ruo Ruofeng raised his hand to suppress the voices of thanks from the crowd. When the scene quieted down, he shouted to the crowd again, "The living must have food. Those who do not allow you to eat and live in peace are the most heinous criminals! You have come to righteousness, so you should have food. This is not a gift to you. The king's army will reward those who have returned to righteousness, and there will be various rewards later."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and beckoned Shen Ke to come closer, then pointed at Shen Ke and said to the surrendered people: "You should know who this disciple is? The one who persuaded you to leave your homes and gather here to fight against the king's army must be this disciple. If resisting the king's army is a crime, then this disciple should be the culprit. The villagers were generous and righteous, and responded to the call enthusiastically, but they were abandoned by the traitors and had no control over their life and death. Now I give this disciple to you, how to retaliate and punish him, you can do it yourself!"

Shen Ke was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that this was what was meant by his assistance in pacifying the surrendered people. He was about to argue and beg for mercy, but several strong soldiers nearby tied him up and threw him directly into the team of surrendered people.

The surrendered people naturally hated Shen Ke and other officials in the royal palace who abandoned them. Many of them had been glaring at them and gritting their teeth in hatred since they surrendered.

But when Shen Ke was really pushed in front of them, looking like he was at the mercy of others and being humiliated, they became a little at a loss. Perhaps it was because of the accumulated power in the past, or they were not used to the Tang army's style of doing things. For a while, they just whispered to each other, but did not dare to really go up and beat Shen Ke in retaliation to vent their resentment.

The surrendered people's reaction did not surprise Ruo Feng. Many concepts about human affairs cannot be easily changed. Then he said, "You will stay here to eat and rest. You are not allowed to leave the camp. Anyone who disobeys the advice and leaves the camp without permission will be killed!"

After saying this, he turned and walked out of the camp. After watching him leave, the surrendered people felt a little relieved. Although they still couldn't help glaring at Shen Ke, few people came forward to talk to him. Instead, they all lined up to get their meals and fill their stomachs first.

When Ruoyu Feng returned to the outside of the palace, there were already hundreds of people outside the palace ready to surrender, but because the barriers had been set up again, they could not go out. They could only stand in front of the palace and shout loudly: "We are willing to surrender, and we beg the general to accept us!"

Ruo Ruo Feng turned a deaf ear to the shouts and just raised his hand to signal the infantry and cavalry that had already lined up to advance. Then the horns sounded and the horses immediately galloped away. The knights wandered around the palace, constantly drawing their bows and shooting inside, killing those followers who had not yet surrendered.

At the same time, the infantry team also pushed aside the fence and rushed straight into the palace. Seeing this, the villagers in the palace were terrified. They had never expected that the Tang army was still calling for surrender tenderly the moment before, and would start a massacre the next moment. Those who were originally hesitating whether to surrender naturally threw down their weapons and begged for surrender. However, the time for surrender had already passed, and the Tang army entered the palace only to kill people, not to surrender!

"What happened? How, how could this happen..."

The camp for accommodating the surrendered people was located in front of the palace, and the situation in the palace could be seen clearly from the camp. At this time, most of the surrendered people had received their meals and started to eat, but they saw the Tang army suddenly rush into the palace and start killing people. They were shocked and gathered to the front with their eyes wide open, wanting to see it clearly.

"Back off, back off! Dai Gong has ordered that you villagers should rest and eat in the camp. Anyone who dares to leave the camp without permission will be killed!"

Outside the camp, soldiers stood in a circle. The commander-in-chief looked at the panicked surrendered people and shouted, "The king's army has entered the country to spread his power and teach. Those who obey the doctrine and return to justice will live, and those who refuse to change and resist the order will die! Those in the palace who stubbornly resist the king's order will be killed without mercy! You who have returned to justice, I guarantee that you will not be harmed at all."

After hearing this, the surrendered people were naturally confused and their food tasted dull. They just stared at the Linchuan Palace opposite them, which had turned into a hell of hell, with blood, flesh and corpses all over the ground. Although this camp was not a paradise on earth, it was completely different from the palace at that moment.

"Shen Ke is a bastard. He framed his fellow villagers and brought disaster to our hometown! He deserves to die!"

Suddenly, an angry roar rang out from the crowd, and a villager waved his fist and rushed directly to Shen Ke, who was still left there, and started beating him. After seeing this, the other villagers swallowed their food and immediately joined in beating Shen Ke.