The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 441 This is how things have always been.

The cold wind howled across the wilderness on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains, whipping up the trampled snow that mixed with the still-wet blood and mud, forming a murky snow fog.

The wind and snow swept across the banks of the Hutuo River, turning the frozen black army formation into a cluster of ice-covered reefs. Only the large banner bearing the character "Xiao" fluttered in the wind, becoming the only restless presence in this deathly silent world. Each tearing sound of the cloth struck the hearts of thousands of Jin soldiers, which were already stretched to their limit.

Some soldiers from Zhao's army rode out on horseback, carrying stretchers and driving carts to bring back the remnants of Wen Tao's troops who were besieged by the Jin and Dingzhou armies to Zhao's army for resettlement.

Supported or carried on stretchers by several night scouts, Bago and Li Cunren staggered toward the carriage that symbolized safety. Their figures appeared exceptionally thin in the wind and snow, yet they carried the exhaustion of someone who had survived a calamity. Throughout the entire ordeal, the Jin army and the Dingzhou army simply watched, none daring to make a single move.

Li Siyuan lay prone in the snow and mud, trampled and stained with blood by horses' hooves. The biting cold seeped through his brocade robe and pierced his very bones, but it paled in comparison to the abyss-like fear that gripped his heart. He could clearly feel the gaze of thousands of eyes behind him, eyes filled with terror, humiliation, and a sense of utter bewilderment, as if divine wrath had descended upon him and his life hung by a thread.

What terrified Li Siyuan most was that the wooden box containing Zhang Wenli's head seemed to constantly exude an invisible stench of blood and death.

His ten fingers dug deep into the frozen earth, his knuckles turning deathly pale from the force of his grip. His throat bobbed violently, a metallic sweetness filling his mouth—the blood seeping from his bitten tongue as he suppressed fear and humiliation. But hearing the two key figures, Bago and Li Cunren, slipping away from his grasp in the distance, he abruptly raised his head, the veins in his neck bulging with the sudden movement, like a cornered beast driven to the brink of despair.

"Your Highness, please understand!" Li Cunyuan's voice was hoarse from the wind and snow, and filled with a desperate urgency, as if he was trying to use the volume to drown out the panic in his heart that was about to devour him.

"We, your subjects, had no intention of offending Your Majesty. It is truly that Bago and Li Cunren stole the Tiger Tally and Seal of our Jin Kingdom, and colluded with Yelü Lage, the rebellious king of the Northern Desert. This is an unforgivable crime. The King of Jin has personally issued an edict to execute these two traitors to uphold the law. We...we were merely acting under orders, and dared not shirk our duty even at the cost of our lives. We had no idea...we had no idea that they would be so audacious as to use the pretext of obtaining the protection of Your Highness's royal army, and we were even more unaware that Your Highness had personally arrived in Zhenzhou. Even if Your Highness is the ruler of all under Heaven, it is inappropriate...it is inappropriate..."

His argument, tinged with a desperate struggle, was clearly an attempt to put on a show. However, this final struggle was immediately cut off by a colder, harsher voice.

Xiao Yan merely turned his head slightly, his dark cloak fluttering in the wind, stirring up a cloud of snow. He seemed not to hear Li Siyuan's desperate explanations at all, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Li Siyuan's mud-covered head before landing on Li Cunli, who remained in a bowing posture.

"Lord Xue".

Li Cunli's body trembled slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and maintained the bowing posture, bending his waist even deeper, almost breaking down, his voice carrying a suppressed calmness: "Your subject, Cunli is here."

Xiao Yan looked down at Li Cunli's lowered turban, his voice still not loud.

"Years ago, you entered Bianjing with imperial credentials, seeking peace with me."

Li Cunli lowered his head even further, cold sweat beading on his forehead, instantly chilled by the cold wind: "...Yes."

"The King of Jin, by submitting to the throne and paying tribute, presented a memorial to show his sincerity, in exchange for my consent and the cessation of hostilities." Xiao Yan spoke steadily, each word crystal clear. "Is that so?"

“...Yes.” Li Cunli’s voice was even lower, with a hint of barely perceptible difficulty.

"Then how did I explain things to you?"

Li Cunli clasped his hands together, his knuckles turning white, and forced himself to say, "Your Highness said that after I return to Taiyuan, I should advise the Prince of Jin to treat the people of Hedong well and share their joys and sorrows, only then can true peace between the two countries be achieved..."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly, as if confirming a trivial matter. Then, he changed the subject, his tone carrying an indescribable, almost interrogative quality: "I have heard that Marquis Xue has always been a man of vast knowledge and profound learning, a leading figure in the Tongwen Academy of Jin."

Li Cunli's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition gripped him instantly. He could only bury his head even lower and say, "Your Highness is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise."

"In that case, with Lord Xue's learning, he should understand the principles of loyalty between ruler and subject, and be familiar with the etiquette of a state. Since the State of Jin has already submitted to Liang, presented a memorial to show its sincerity, and adopted the legitimate calendar of our Great Liang, then, in terms of right and proper conduct—"

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Li Siyuan, who was lying prostrate in the snow and looking up in astonishment, before finally settling on Li Cunli: "What law should be followed in the Jin state?"

Upon hearing this, cold sweat poured down Li Cunli's forehead, mingling with the snow. He knew all too well the answer to this question, and he knew all too well that every word was a complete denial of the dignity of the Jin state and his own. But he also knew that at this moment, with the Jin army behind him already exhausted, any sophistry or hesitation in front of this man was utterly futile.

Under Xiao Yan's palpable pressure and the deathly silence of the thousands of Jin soldiers behind him, Li Cunli uttered the answer that made his soul tremble, word by word with difficulty.

"Since the State of Jin has adopted the legitimate calendar of the Great Liang, the laws of the State of Jin... should follow... Your Highness's... laws..."

Every word uttered was like a dull knife tearing at Li Cunli's heart and lungs. This was not merely an admission, but a complete surrender of the last remaining independent legal system of the Jin state to the feet of the man before him.

Xiao Yan got the answer he wanted and stopped looking at Li Cunli, who was almost collapsing. He nodded slightly and glanced at Li Siyuan beside him again.

"Li Cunren."

The color drained from Li Siyuan's face again, turning ashen: "Your subject, Cunren is here."

"Is Lord Xue's statement correct?"

Li Siyuan felt another chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head. His gaze was fixed on the wooden box containing Zhang Wenli's head. That head, which had once been intimately connected with him, now solidified with death and warning, its empty eyes seemed to pierce through the wind and snow, staring blankly at him.

His Adam's apple bobbed, he opened his mouth, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "What Lord Xue said... is... entirely true..."

Xiao Yan asked no further questions. He glanced at the two people before him again, then his gaze fell upon the deathly silent black military formation behind them, and said calmly, "In that case, I declare them innocent—"

"That is to be innocent."

Every word struck Li Siyuan's heart like a hammer blow. His mouth was open, his throat making a "hoarse" sound, but no sound came out. The taste of blood between his teeth grew stronger. He clenched his teeth tightly, forcing back the surging blood and the resentment that threatened to burst through his chest. As if all life and dignity had been completely drained, he buried his head deeply and desperately in the cold, filthy mud and snow. His body convulsed violently a few times like a dying fish, leaving only suppressed, whimpering breaths.

"This sinful subject... obeys!" The voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, trembling with submission and deep-seated hatred.

Li Cunli, who was trying his best to come to his senses, could easily tell that something was wrong with his elder brother's tone, so he finally bowed down. Fine snowflakes dampened Li Cunli's meticulously combed sideburns. He stood upright, holding the most standard bow, his voice clear and fast.

“Your Majesty, we two have obeyed Your Majesty’s command. There is no objection from the people of Jin. Our disturbance today was caused by our eagerness to pursue the traitors, and was by no means intended to offend Your Majesty’s majesty. We beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness. The misunderstanding has been cleared up. We ask Your Majesty to allow us to lead our troops back to inform the King of Jin…”

Xiao Yan glanced at him, took the Qi Wang sword from his waist, but did not draw it. Instead, he gently touched Li Cunli's shoulder, which was tense from bowing for a long time, with the end of the scabbard. His voice, for the first time since he appeared today, showed a hint of emotion as he sneered, "I know you are loyal to Jin. Enduring humiliation at this moment is true loyalty."

Instead of being pleased by the praise, Li Cunli felt a chill run down his spine, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped out uncontrollably, quickly condensing in the biting wind and bringing a tingling, numbing pain.

He could feel a strange sense of unease enveloping him.

Loyalty to Jin? Humiliation? Was the man's words praise or criticism? Was it a warning or... some kind of implication? Countless thoughts churned in his mind, but he dared not reveal them in the slightest. He simply said, "I humbly beg Your Majesty, for the sake of friendly relations between our two countries and the millions of people of both nations, to grant my request."

Li Siyuan glanced at Li Cunli almost imperceptibly, then spoke earnestly again, this time with genuine sincerity: "Your Highness, please grant our request."

Xiao Yan ignored the two and glanced at the black iron torrent behind Li Siyuan, whose morale, fighting strength, and combat effectiveness were practically at their lowest point—the elite cavalry of the Crow Army. He raised his whip, not pointing at any specific person, but rather drawing a line in the snow, encompassing the entire Jin army.

"You have crossed the border to kill and ravage Zhao territory, destroying farmland. This crime must be paid for. Your Jin army will remain in Zhenzhou for ten days. All provisions and military supplies will be supplied by your Jin state from Taiyuan. You may only leave the camp and return home after ten days." Li Siyuan was once again terrified and flustered, both shocked and angry. Just as he was about to raise his head to speak, Li Cunli, who was beside him, almost immediately interjected, his voice carrying a hint of urgency: "We obey the order. We will immediately send a fast horse to Taiyuan to allocate provisions. We will not dare to make any mistakes."

Li Siyuan, who was lying on the ground, immediately realized what was happening, and his body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Ten days of delay? Depletion of provisions? This is certainly a painful blow, but compared to the dying wish in Xiao Yan's hands that could lead to his utter ruin... provisions can be raised again, military supplies can be prepared again, as long as he is alive, as long as the dying wish is not made public, there is still room for maneuver.

This thought was like a lifeline, forcing him to suppress his humiliation and resentment. He lowered his head even further and mumbled, "This sinful subject... obeys!"

In the oppressive, suffocating silence, on the front lines of the Dingzhou army, Wang Yu, the eldest son of the Prince of Beiping, was terrified to see two high-ranking officials from the State of Jin begging for their lives like chickens and dogs before the King of Qin. Overwhelmed by fear, he only wanted to escape this snow-covered battlefield, a veritable hell on earth.

He looked around. The wind and snow were fierce, and visibility was poor, but there was some cover. Although his own several thousand troops were intimidated and their formation was not very stable, they were only a few miles away from the official road leading to Dingzhou City.

Taking advantage of the fact that Xiao Yan's gaze seemed not to be on him, and the Jin army being completely silent, it was a good opportunity to quietly withdraw from the battlefield. At the very least, the entire army should have retreated to Dingzhou City to hold it. Wang Yu even felt a sliver of hope; perhaps... he really could slip away.

"Retreat! Retreat back to Dingzhou immediately!" Wang Yu ordered urgently to his trusted generals behind him, whose faces were also deathly pale. He abruptly turned his horse around, no longer caring about the terrifying standoff in the center of the battlefield, only wanting to escape this deadly place as quickly as possible.

However, just as he turned his horse around and the rear guard began to stir in preparation for a retreat.

Behind Xiao Yan, within the quietly standing formation of a hundred cavalrymen, two figures galloped out almost simultaneously—Tian Daocheng and Li Si'an. Both were cavalry generals, and at this moment, as if by telepathy, they understood each other's intentions with just a glance.

They didn't charge straight at Wang Yu's central army. Instead, like two black lightning bolts skimming the ground, they moved along the arc of the battlefield's edge, splitting into left and right flanks, and slanting towards the inevitable retreat route of the Dingzhou army. Their movements were astonishingly fast; their warhorses left clear hoofprints in the snow, yet strangely, they didn't emit a deafening roar, only a dull and rapid "thump-thump," like the drumbeats of death striking the hearts of the Dingzhou army.

Wang Yu's heart sank to the bottom instantly.

He had only rushed a few dozen steps when he was horrified to find that Li Si'an's towering figure had already moved ahead like a ghost, blocking the entrance to the official road directly in front of his retreat route. The man held a heavy iron halberd, pointing it diagonally at the ground, the tip gleaming coldly in the wind and snow. Behind him, dozens of lightly armored knights lined up in a row, blocking the path of thousands of riders without the slightest fear, completely sealing off the most convenient escape route.

On the other side, Tian Daocheng's dozens of cavalrymen had also subtly blocked another possible fork in the road.

"Damn it!" Wang Yu was furious, a fierce aura of being driven to the brink of despair instantly surged to his head. He subconsciously gripped the sword at his waist, glancing around at the thousands of Dingzhou soldiers behind him, all of whom were elite troops from Beiping.

At this thought, Wang Yu's ferocity was instantly unleashed. He drew his sword and roared at his terrified subordinates behind him, "They are no more than a hundred riders. As long as we break through the breach, there will be a reward upon our return to Dingzhou!"

But the instant he roared, his gaze involuntarily turned back to the center of the battlefield. There he saw the Xiao banner still standing firmly, and behind it, in the previously silent Zhao army formation, the front rank of infantry had advanced more than ten steps.

Further away, the cavalry on both flanks of the Zhao army were also slowly adjusting their formation and began to maneuver left and right.

The Dingzhou army was indeed an elite force under the command of Wang Chuzhi, the Prince of Beiping, but the infantry and cavalry formation before them was also the entire elite force of the Zhao state. Moreover, under Xiao Yan's personal command, they seemed to have gained some inexplicable advantage, appearing quite formidable. It seemed that with just a gesture from Xiao Yan, the Zhao army could completely crush this Dingzhou army.

The Dingzhou army under Wang Yu's command had already been completely shocked by what had happened earlier, and their morale had plummeted to rock bottom. When they heard Wang Yu's order to "charge forward," there were indeed a fair number of soldiers whose fighting spirit was ignited, but the majority were instead gripped by even greater panic and confusion. Their formations were in complete disarray, and they had lost all will to fight.
Charge at those hundred cavalry? Not to mention that the enemy is the mighty Qin King's elite cavalry, their momentum unstoppable, the tens of thousands of Zhao troops pressing in from behind are enough to overwhelm them from both sides. If they were to engage in battle now, how many could possibly retreat back to Dingzhou?

Li Siyuan, lying prone in the snow, was keeping a close eye on Wang Yu's movements out of the corner of his eye. When he saw Wang Yu grip the hilt of his sword and charge into battle with a shout, Li Siyuan's heart suddenly raced, and a twisted expectation flashed in his eyes.

Do it! Do it now! As long as that idiot Wang Yu dares to charge into that Qin King's cavalry, even if it only causes a little chaos, it can distract the entire battlefield and perhaps... perhaps he will have a glimmer of hope!
Li Siyuan held his breath, his fingers digging deep into the frozen soil, waiting for the anticipated conflict to erupt.

However, Li Siyuan's expectations were instantly dashed.

The fierce glint in Wang Yu's eyes flickered like a candle in the wind, vanishing completely under the invisible pressure of the Xiao banner and the silent, overwhelming force of the encirclement. It dissolved into utter despair. Immense fear utterly crushed his last shred of courage to resist. What was the eldest son of the Prince of Beiping? What were the elite troops of Dingzhou? Before absolute, destructive power, they were all a joke!
Resistance? It would be nothing more than a foolish act that would hasten the destruction of himself and these thousands of people, and would even bring about the annihilation of Wang Chuzhi and the thirteen counties under his jurisdiction.

"Pfft."

Wang Yu practically tumbled off his saddle, his silver helmet and gold armor crashing into the snow with a dull thud. Li Si'an, though somewhat disappointed, quickly spurred his horse forward, lifted him up with one hand, and tossed him onto the horse's back. He then rode back to the banner bearing the character "Xiao" and threw Wang Yu in front of Xiao Yan's horse.

With Wang Yu gone, the entire Dingzhou army completely lost its will to fight. Wang Yu himself was thrown in front of Xiao Yan, but he immediately crawled forward a few steps on the cold snow, then clasped his hands and spoke earnestly.

"Your Highness, I, Wang Yu, was ordered by the Prince of Beiping to patrol the border. I had no idea that Your Highness's troops were here, nor did I know that the Jin army was so audacious as to commit such atrocities in Your Highness's vassal territory. If I had known earlier that Your Highness was here, I would have led the men of Dingzhou to protect you to the death, and would never have allowed such villains to disturb Your Highness's majesty. I am innocent! I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"

By the end, he was almost incoherent, wanting nothing more than to distance himself from everything. His golden armor was smudged and filthy on the snow, making him look utterly disheveled.

Xiao Yan's gaze didn't even fully turn to him, as if sweeping over something insignificant. He merely raised his chin slightly towards the Dingzhou soldiers behind Wang Yu, whose faces had turned deathly pale because of their commander's posture.

"Tied up."

Two burly armored soldiers immediately stepped forward like wolves and tigers, and without any politeness, twisted Wang Yu's arms.

Wang Yu felt a chill run through his body instantly. His strong will to survive made him unleash his last bit of strength as he struggled and screamed desperately.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, spare my life! This humble general is willing to surrender! This humble general is willing to serve Your Highness like a dog or a horse! I am willing to pacify Jinbei for Your Highness! I will serve you faithfully, even unto death! Your Highness, have mercy! Your Highness—!"

His screams abruptly ceased. A tattered cloth, covered in mud and ice, torn from somewhere, was roughly shoved into his mouth by an armored soldier, leaving him only able to utter muffled "oohs." He was then roughly lifted up by several armored soldiers, dragged like a lifeless piece of cargo, leaving a long, humiliating trail in the snow, and quickly disappeared into the snow-covered Zhao army formation, leaving behind a deathly silent Dingzhou army formation.

Li Siyuan, lying on the ground, watched Wang Yu being dragged away like a dead dog. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes was extinguished, leaving only deeper despair. He swallowed the saliva mixed with blood and mud with difficulty, as if trying to swallow the overwhelming humiliation along with it. He buried his head deep, never raising it again, like a hibernating snake, only seeking a moment of survival under the cover of ice and snow.

Xiao Yan's gaze finally turned to Wang Rong, who was barely able to stand in the wind and snow, almost being supported by two burly guards. This Prince Zhao, who had ascended to the throne as the military governor of Chengde at the age of ten, was deathly pale. His face, excessively plump from years of obsession with cultivating immortality and alchemy, twitched uncontrollably. Watching Wang Yu being dragged away in such a miserable state, he seemed to see his own fate reflected in his eyes.

“This scoundrel,” Xiao Yan casually pointed to the direction where Wang Yu had disappeared, “is sowing discord between Liang and Zhao, and harbors treacherous intentions. Hand him over to the King of Zhao for his own disposal.”

Wang Rong shuddered, meeting Xiao Yan's dark, piercing eyes, and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. "Dispose of it yourself?" What did this mean? Was there some other explanation?
Wang Rong was actually very intelligent, but he lacked political foresight. Moreover, his adopted son Zhang Wenli was killed in front of him in Zhao Prefecture, with his head still in front of him, which made him lose his composure. At this moment, he had no doubt that if he did not handle the situation to Xiao Yan's satisfaction, he would be the next one to be dragged away.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty obeys. This scoundrel will be executed in the fullest! " Wang Rong's voice trembled so much that it was almost a sob. In truth, even he, after saying these words, knew all too well that the last vestige of hope in his heart for the so-called Hebei Alliance and the re-establishment of the Three Towns had been extinguished like a candle flame blown away by a gale, leaving not even ashes behind.

In fact, he should have understood long ago. When Xiao Yan's figure appeared silently in front of the Zhao Prefecture Palace like a divine soldier descending from the sky, when Zhang Wenli's head was casually cut off, when General Li Honggui surrendered to Xiao Yan almost unconditionally, and when the most elite army of Zhao was easily taken over, the so-called re-establishment of the Hebei warlords was already a complete joke.

Since Wang Rong, along with the Zhao region under his rule, did not contact Wang Chuzhi earlier to completely side with the Jin state, but instead still tried to waver between the two powers, he was already a fish on the chopping block. The only difference was whether he would be cut off with a single stroke or slowly boiled in warm water.

Those who can mediate a major battle with a hundred cavalrymen and quell chaos in a chaotic world are usually as unrestrained as Zhu Wen. However, his six months in Bianjing, living and resting with the people, seems to have made people forget that he also had the sharp edge of conquering Qi and Shu in the same six months.

As for the so-called vassal states, without the geographical advantages, material resources, and human resources of Hedong, they are inherently powerless in every aspect.

That's just how things have always been.

(End of this chapter)