Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 385 You are all traitors, you are all traitors!

The city of Hanyang was in complete chaos, with the 18,000 elite Western Army soldiers fighting their own battles and seeking their own safety.

Some people have already led their troops out of the city, but no one knows what they're going to do...

Some people were quick-witted and simply guarded and occupied many of the city's warehouses...

Some people climbed onto the city walls and occupied one or two city gates, preventing anyone from entering or leaving at will...

Some people seemed to have nothing to do either, sitting in the military camp inside the city with their soldiers, preparing good food and drink, and waiting...

Liu Yanqing and Wang Yuan, together, led a force of three or four thousand men, along with Cheng Wanli, and headed north out of the city. They set up a camp outside the city, claiming it was to form a pincer movement with the city.

In the southern part of the city, near the Yangtze River waterway, the area was still crowded with soldiers who hadn't managed to get a boat to cross the river. There were people everywhere, so they walked up and down the riverbank like headless flies...

The Emperor...

Who knows where the emperor is...

Of course, Qin Hui knew where the emperor was. The emperor was furious, and half an hour had passed without him seeing Wang Yuan send someone to bring the boat to the Hanyang Gate ferry...

After waiting for a long time, no ships appeared from the left or right...

The emperor cursed, "Traitors and villains, traitors! If we find those generals again, they must be executed!"

The emperor had already sent his officials back to the government office to urge them to come, but they still hadn't arrived for a long time.

The emperor cursed as he strode away towards Hanyang City, heading to the government office. This time, he was determined to unleash his power and punish those responsible!
Soldiers are used to this; if you don't show them some ruthlessness, they'll just muddle through, even going so far as to deceive their superiors and subordinates...

The emperor was in excellent health; though he was somewhat tired from walking, his temper was raging, so he moved with incredible speed...

They traveled from the south city to the prefectural government office, only to find it completely deserted. Not only were there no soldiers, but even the officials who were supposed to be on duty at the prefectural government office were nowhere to be seen…

Everyone has disappeared. Just now, as soon as Liu Yanqing, Wang Yuan, and the others left, they all went home, some even taking their families with them to hide. The situation is hopeless...

The emperor stood in the empty government hall, momentarily stunned.

Qin Hui stood there, stunned, a strange feeling creeping into his heart...

Even the emperor, in his exalted position, has been tricked? Like a cunning merchant swindling customers on the street…

This imperial court, this empire, this nation...

Qin Hui stared blankly, only to see a flag fluttering in the wind in the courtyard of the yamen...

The emperor, regaining his senses, asked, "What happened?"

Qin Hui was momentarily at a loss for words when asked the question. After a moment's thought, he said, "Your Majesty, perhaps they have all gone out of the city to meet the enemy..."

"Is that so?" the emperor asked.

Qin Hui nodded: "That must be it, the military situation must be urgent!"

"Then..." The emperor looked around and asked, "Then we should be able to win, right?"

"The Western Army has deployed its elite forces, totaling 18,000 men. If they can take on the enemy's vanguard, they will surely win. The enemy must not allow too many of their men to cross the Han River in the short term!"

Qin Hui deliberately added a touch of certainty to his words, which was also a way of comforting himself.

"Good, good, good, it's good to win..." The emperor started walking and headed out of the government office. As he walked, he said, "We still need to find a boat. Maybe the boat has already been sent over. We've already entered the city, and if we miss it, we should hurry back to the Hanyang Gate ferry!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Hui was overjoyed: "Yes, yes, that must be it!"

The group hurriedly ran towards the ferry. Fortunately, the officials accompanying the emperor were all quite young, like Qin Hui; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to keep up with all the running around...

Has Su Wu arrived?
They're really on their way...

Even faster than Su Wu arrived was a batch of manually copied "Proclamation Against Zhao Ji," and by this time, many scouts in disguise had already entered the city...

At several busy street intersections, signs have been posted at some unknown time...

This naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Since there are many illiterate people and few literate people, there will naturally be those who like to read aloud and listen to others.

Amidst the chaos of war, the city's residents seemed less fearful, watching the soldiers rush about in a detached, almost spectator-like manner...

It inevitably comes down to the same old saying: I've heard it countless times before, that the Prince of Yan was a man of unparalleled righteousness...

The emperor was passing through a street corner when he overheard someone reading: "The enemy cavalry knocked on the palace gates, yet you abdicated in favor of the crown prince and fled, abandoning millions of lives to the blade..."

Qin Hui was startled upon hearing this, but he remained silent, pretending not to have heard, and continued walking quickly.

But the emperor, who was standing before him, suddenly stopped in his tracks, raised his hand, pointed at the surrounding crowd, and asked, "Are you talking about me?"

"Your Majesty has misheard. Just hurry up and leave..." Qin Hui subconsciously lied.

Then I heard: "Zhao Zhao... has been a traitor to China for 160 years, and now he has lost all face and has no shame..."

"How dare you!" The emperor turned and went to the crowd, shoving his way around and shouting, "Who dares to be so bold!"

All eyes turned to Zhao Ji, whose entourage of about twenty people stepped forward to clear a path for him. Each of them was dressed in fine clothes, and their imposing presence was overwhelming. The path itself parted, allowing Zhao Ji to reach the wall where the proclamation was posted.

Zhao Ji naturally went to see which one was so audacious. He didn't see the one he was looking for, but the large proclamation was right in front of him. He looked at it and immediately flew into a rage: "Who wrote this? Huh? Who wrote this? So audacious! This traitor should be skinned alive and have no place to be buried!"

Qin Hui looked embarrassed and pointed to the proclamation: "Your Majesty, it's Wang Fu!"

The Emperor was probably too angry to think straight just now...

Looking back now, the proclamation begins and ends with Wang Fu, and it feels like being struck by lightning and stabbed by an axe. How could one not feel pain in one's heart?

"I have treated these people with the greatest kindness, yet they are so heartless and cruel, they are not human, they are truly not human!" The emperor felt all the blood rushing to his head, and he was momentarily dizzy and excited.

If anyone else had written it, the emperor wouldn't have been in such a distress.

And the emperor kept saying, "We must capture these people, skin them alive, skin them alive!"

As he finished speaking, even the emperor's tone became somewhat somber...

Qin Hui then realized what was happening, and hurriedly went forward to peel off the large piece of paper, tore it several times, crumpled it up, and threw a large ball of paper on the ground.

Then he gently supported the emperor's arm: "Your Majesty, hurry on your way, don't keep the ferry boat waiting..."

The emperor's steps were moving, but his eyes were filled with disappointment. After walking for a while, the emperor suddenly asked, "I have treated him well, so why does he spread such rumors and slander?"

Qin Hui had no intention of answering, and simply said casually, "Then he was coerced!"

"That's just being greedy for life and afraid of death!" the emperor muttered to himself. He then asked, "Since I ascended the throne, I have worked diligently and devoted myself to the country. Only in my spare time have I indulged in some private entertainment. Is this a sin?"

"Then he is innocent!" Qin Hui simply helped the emperor walk away quickly.

"Do I not love my people?" the emperor asked again.

"Your Majesty's love for the people is beyond compare!"

"Am I not diligent in governing?"

"Your Majesty's diligence in governing is rare throughout history..." Qin Hui's words were somewhat thoughtless.

"Is the country under my rule not prosperous and powerful?"

"Comparable to Emperors Wen and Jing, and also like Emperors Kaiyuan!" Although he no longer used his brain, Qin Hui still answered fluently and effortlessly.

"Then how could they use such vicious words to attack me?" The emperor seemed truly troubled by this.

"He is heartless, disloyal, and unjust!"

"Those who do not know me, those who have never seen me, should they truly be misled by him?"

Even at this moment, Zhao Ji knew that such a proclamation would surely be issued throughout the land, and once issued, its power could be great or small.

If the power is weak, that's fine...

If its power is great, and everyone in the world believes it, wouldn't it seem unbelievable...?

This is why proclamations have been used for all actions since ancient times.

How could the emperor not be worried at this time? Did Cao Cao really have a headache from reading the proclamation? That's a joke...

Qin Hui simply said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, all the people under heaven are bathed in Your Majesty's grace and are deeply grateful!"

"It must be so, it must be so!" The emperor himself nodded repeatedly, his face full of certainty.

Even if the emperor lacks confidence, why is he not confident? Just ask, which sentence in the proclamation is false?
Everything else was fine, but the phrase "He actually abdicated the throne to the crown prince and fled, abandoning millions of lives to the blade" made him most uneasy...

Even more so, there are those words: "The elders of Kaifeng still hang swaddling clothes on the city walls, and the righteous men of Hebei still shed their blood on the desolate streets..."

At this moment, the emperor had no choice but to ask himself: had he done right by the elders of Kaifeng? Had he done right by the righteous men of Hebei?
This makes one wonder, why among the more than one million soldiers and civilians in Bianjing, not a single righteous man truly fought bravely to kill the rebels? Why did the generals allow the rebels to open the city gates without firing a single arrow?
Is that the reason?

The emperor dared not think too deeply, so he had to be even more certain, otherwise, the sky would truly collapse.

Just hurry up and get on the boat to cross the river...

They only waited for everyone to leave the city and go to the ferry. In fact, they didn't need to go to the ferry. They could see the river from afar. On this side of the river, there wasn't a single boat left.

But the emperor did not stop; he continued toward the great river, until he reached the water's edge and saw the summer waters rising and the waves surging. Only then did the emperor stop...

He was momentarily stunned, gazing at the mighty river flowing eastward.

Unbeknownst to them, when they angrily tore down the proclamation, a group of more than a dozen men had been following them at a distance...

At this moment, the leader was overjoyed and went to his men to say, "Quickly go up the river and report that, according to the plan in the tent, General Hu is leading his troops down the river to rob ships. Hurry up, hurry up! This place may be the Emperor's, it may be the Emperor's!"

Before Su Wu set off, he had no idea that Hanyang would be in such chaos. In his plan, Hu Cheng led the fast cavalry to seize all the river crossings and boats, hoping to block the emperor. That's how the plan was made.

This group of a dozen or so men who entered the city ahead of time were disguised scouts, and they were the ones who posted the proclamation. There were more than a hundred scouts in the city, and this was just one of them.

Having just posted the proclamation, I was also watching from the shadows. I happened to see the emperor's entourage. They came and went in turns, following them from afar and eavesdropping up close. After analyzing the situation, I noticed their clothing and accents, and I finally figured out that it was the emperor's entourage.

Even if someone were rushing west, there would still be horses they had hidden in the distance.

They also heard the leading man say, "We also need to inform Commander Yan. Hurry up and go!"

Yan Qing was in the city and came in person.

Then another man rushed back.

Only after the two groups of men were sent out did the leader exclaim with joy: "Brothers, we're about to achieve a great feat! The emperor has no boat and cannot cross the river..."

This is something that can be seen at a glance.

The emperor stood by the water, seemingly lost in thought, unable to process many things at once...

How dare Wang Yuan?
How dare they really treat the ruler of the world like this, making fun of him?
Having lived for forty-three years, when has Emperor Zhao Ji ever been tricked or made fun of?
This feeling left Zhao Ji in disbelief and disbelief for a moment!

The Son of Heaven, the Emperor, isn't he the Son of Heaven? Isn't he the ruler of the world? Isn't he the sovereign and father of all people?
How could people treat the emperor like this? How could this possibly happen?

The emperor turned his head slightly to look at Qin Hui, intending to ask, "What happened? Where is the ship? Wasn't it supposed to have arrived already? Did we miss it just now?"

Qin Hui was also bewildered and couldn't say anything. After a moment's thought, he blurted out, "Your Majesty, the ship must have come but didn't see you, so it left. It might come back in a little while..."

The emperor nodded and looked down the river. In front and behind, the view of the great river was unobstructed. Where were the boats?

Only on the other side of the river, countless sails drifted by...

Many boats were even drifting downstream, as if no one was operating them. It must have been that the soldier had disembarked and fled without paying any attention to the boats...

No one was thinking of bringing the boat back, so they could make a few more trips...

No one even considered that the emperor was still on the north bank... and that they should be loyal to the emperor...

"Will the ship come again?" the emperor asked softly.

Qin Hui was still nodding: "They will come, they will come, they will definitely come..."

"Will they really come?" the emperor asked.

Qin Hui suddenly thumped his chest: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the ship will definitely come!"

The emperor gazed at Qin Hui with a deep look. Even though Qin Hui was in a state of panic, he still maintained a resolute gaze, as if comforting and flattering the emperor was a skill ingrained in his very being...

"What if they don't come?" the emperor asked again.

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, how can you cross the river without a boat? Rest assured, Your Majesty, crossing the river is a piece of cake!"

The emperor turned around, his steps slow and somewhat weak, perhaps exhausted from going back and forth so many times...

He turned to look at the twenty or thirty people behind him, including officials from the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Three Departments...

"Will the ship really come?" the emperor asked everyone.

Surprisingly, most people were nodding in agreement.

The emperor was momentarily dazed, and turned to look again at the waves on the river...

I felt a wave of stuffiness, followed by a few wisps of river breeze that brought some coolness. Looking up, I saw dark clouds on the opposite bank of the river, moving northward...

Like a summer rain, it will come soon...

In a daze, the emperor felt that this world was truly bizarre, so bizarre that it was incomprehensible. There were clearly no boats, and looking to the left, he couldn't see how many miles it stretched, nor could he look to the right, and he couldn't see any boats even to the north of the river...

Why do all the people around me say that a ship will definitely come?
How is this going?

At this moment, Qin Hui was also extremely anxious. He looked around, not at the boats, but at what else could be used to cross the several miles of the great river...

Driftwood? Door panels? Or something else...

Where are these things left at the Hanyangmen ferry crossing? Even if they were, countless people would have already used them. How many of those men from Jinghu who are skilled swimmers could have waited until now?

Why are there no fleeing soldiers at this ferry crossing at this moment?
That's because there's nothing left here to cross the river...

They would have to search upstream, and if they couldn't find it, many men would risk their lives to swim across the river...

The only question is whether the emperor and Qin Hui and their ilk possessed this ability?
Or perhaps, if there really were a piece of driftwood, would the emperor dare to climb onto it and swim into the waves?

Unable to find it, Qin Hui was also disappointed and gave up. With his spirit gone, he became hunched over and powerless...

Suddenly, a person came to mind: Su Wu, the Prince of Yan.

Qin Hui pondered this repeatedly...

Thinking what?
Is the King of Yan a benevolent man?

Surely they wouldn't actually kill Qin Hui?

At the time, it was a last resort, not out of any real intention of ingratitude or betrayal. It was simply a matter of being under someone else's roof and having no choice but to submit; the emperor's authority was not to be defied...

The Prince of Yan should be understanding... so he probably won't resort to violence, killing, or other forms of punishment...

My father-in-law has a very close relationship with the Prince of Yan, and there's also the scholar Li Yi'an, and the Li and Zhao families of Jingdong. There will surely be many people who will plead on my behalf...

It's okay, it should be fine...

As he pondered this, Qin Hui glanced at the others, and it seemed that they weren't actually that terrified...

Yes, don't panic...it's nothing, nothing...

After Qin Hui pondered for a while, he looked up at the emperor again, only to find the emperor's face covered in tears. The emperor exclaimed, "You, you all dare to deceive the emperor!"

His words were not angry, but rather conveyed a sense of melancholy.

Qin Hui bowed instinctively: "How dare I deceive the Emperor! I would never dare!"

"There are no more boats! Can't you see? There are no more boats!" The emperor suddenly became agitated again, waving his arms left and right.

"They will come, they will come!" Qin Hui suddenly became somewhat fearful, for the emperor was indeed angry.

"I want to cross the river! I want to cross the river!" the emperor whispered excitedly, and took three steps forward to wade through the water. As for swimming, Zhao Ji actually knew how to swim when he was a young, carefree prince, as he used to play around.

But after he ascended the throne, no one dared to let him go into the water anymore. Once, he really wanted to swim in the pond in the imperial city, which alarmed many people who came to persuade and coax him. Even Grand Tutor Cai Jing rushed to the palace...

Later, even censors from the censorate submitted a memorial to advise against it…

They are, after all, of noble birth, bearing the weight of their nation's fate and the well-being of its people...

At this very moment, Emperor Huizong of Song was indeed already walking amidst the waves, repeatedly saying, "I am about to cross the river!"

Qin Hui immediately took a step forward, but stopped after only one step. He instinctively reached out to pull him back, but the movement didn't finish...

The emperor continued walking. The riverbank, now flooded, had a gentle slope, and it took several steps before the water reached his thighs...

For a moment, everyone felt a sense of sadness...

There is also a phrase, how could it not be a dead end?
I wonder if the emperor really intends to cross the river by swimming with his hands and feet?

But then the emperor stopped again, gazing at the surging waves of the great river, and cried out to the heavens: "I want to cross the river! You traitors, you rebellious ministers, you treacherous villains, you all claim to have extraordinary talents, to be learned in ancient and modern times, and to be capable of anything, bowing and scraping before me every day, talking back and forth. But today, I only need a boat to cross the river, and you deceive and play tricks on me!"

No one answered...

The emperor ultimately remained where he was, and did not move forward.

Dark clouds indeed came from across the river, blocking out the sun, darkening the sky, and it seemed like rain was about to fall...

The river roars and flows on and on...

How similar it was to the sound of the army's hooves...

From the west, along the river embankment, a small band of cavalry galloped by; only about a thousand riders...

They're almost there, but no one has realized it yet...

Everyone is watching the emperor...

There were no other thoughts, only the question of whether the emperor would cross the river or not.

The emperor stood in thigh-deep water, looking up at the sky, tears streaming down his face.

Before long, one of them turned his head and looked west, exclaiming, "So many knights!"

Everyone turned to look, some were shocked and frightened, but not many; most sighed deeply...

The emperor could see it too, but he was terrified. He took several more steps into the water, but the river had already reached his waist. He lost his balance and fell forward, his head submerged in the water. He immediately stood up and wiped his face...

Looking again at the mighty river rushing forward, the emperor's steps could no longer move forward.

Then he turned to look at the approaching knight...

They arrived as soon as they were told, with the leader shouting, "Quick, that's it! It must be that group of people, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

In what seemed like an instant, a hundred paces later, the lead knight, named Hu Cheng, dismounted while his horse was still galloping. He stumbled and staggered, barely managing to stay upright, and charged forward, shouting, "Which one is the Emperor? Which one is the Emperor?"

No one spoke; all eyes were fixed on the person in the water.

The man was looking in front and behind, as if he wanted to take a step, but he couldn't move at all.

Hu Cheng shouted urgently, "Get some people who can swim! The Emperor is going to jump into the river! The Emperor is going to jump into the river! Quickly, get him out!"

Several fast riders rushed towards the water...

Did the emperor really intend to drown himself in the river?
The emperor remained motionless, and Xu Xin truly wished, but alas, he could not move his feet.

The soldiers were also anxious, so they rushed off, some pulling, some dragging, grabbing whatever they could get their hands on, just to drag the emperor back to the shore.

The emperor was dragged to the shore, where he sat on the ground, soaking wet, with river water and tears mingling on his face...

Hu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and went around praising, "Good, good, well done, everyone deserves credit!"

Then a soldier, soaked to the bone, replied, "Commander, it doesn't look like the Emperor jumped into the river..."

"Not drowning? Then..." Hu Cheng was also dumbfounded.

"I don't know, but it certainly wasn't suicide by drowning..."

Hu Cheng nodded and looked at the emperor, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

But then the emperor suddenly stood up and said, "Where is Su Wu? I want to see him!"

Hu Cheng quickly replied, "I sent someone to inform the King before I left, and the King will arrive here soon..."

Even the emperor was taken aback and asked, "Are there fierce battles in the north and west?"

Hu Cheng shook his head...

"Traitors! Traitors! They are all traitors!" the emperor cursed, his face filled with grief and his heart ashen. They were all traitors; the people of the world were all traitors.

There wasn't a single loyal and righteous person among them!
Once the cursing started, it was unstoppable. The emperor raised his hand and pointed at Hu Cheng, saying, "You are a traitor too!"

Hu Cheng stood there dumbfounded, still unsure of what to do. He decided to just keep an eye on things and see what happened...

But then the emperor pointed again, hysterically, pointing at Qin Hui and at everyone else: "You are all traitors, you are all traitors!"

Qin Hui was at a loss for words, but he managed to utter one more sentence: "Your subject is incompetent..."

"That Su Wu is the ringleader of traitors! I shall personally kill this villain! I shall personally kill this villain!" the emperor shouted, gesturing wildly and turning around...

Everyone stared...speechless...

(End of this chapter)