Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 435 Amitabha!
Duan Heyu was on his way, and even though he wasn't good at riding, he rode away at breakneck speed.

Inside Weichu City, Yang Hu stood atop the city wall with a furrowed brow and ordered, "Quickly, open the city gates and gather back our comrades!"

The goal was to gather as many remnants of defeated troops as possible, thus increasing the strength of the city's defense.

The city gate creaked open, and Yang Hu stood atop the city tower, his eyes filled with longing and his heart filled with anxiety. He was anxious because no one had returned yet, and even more anxious about the Yang family members, wondering if they were dead or alive, or even where they were...

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance. Yang Hu was not surprised, but his heart was filled with more and more distress. He could only shout, "Quickly, close the city gate!"

In fact, the city gate had not been truly opened yet. After the soldiers went down, the city gate was creaked shut again.

Human legs can't keep up with a horse's speed...

More than a thousand riders arrived almost immediately, nearly at the same time as Yang Hu. At most, the king Duan Heyu had only ridden his horse two or three miles westward.

Commander Yang issued a series of orders: "Quickly, gather all able-bodied men in the city and collect their weapons from the treasury!"

There were really no soldiers left in the city, only about seven or eight hundred men...

The cavalry arrived at the city walls, and Lu Junyi was no longer in a hurry. He began to set up camp. He had been fighting countless enemies along the way and was exhausted, but fighting was not the main thing. The main thing was to get here as quickly as possible...

By blocking the area here and sending out some scouts to patrol around, we can deter the remaining troops and prevent them from returning to Weichu Prefecture.

These details go without saying...

Once the infantry arrives, this city will be nothing but a piece of paper.

Yang Hu remained standing atop the city wall, his heart filled with an indescribable sorrow. For centuries, the Yang family had been a prominent local clan, dating back to the Nanzhao Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty. Their history was far longer than that of the Gao family, and even more ancient than that of the Duan family. Yet today, it seemed as if they were on the verge of extinction…

They said they would write a letter of state and a letter of surrender...

Yang Hu turned and summoned pen and ink, intending to write something. Firstly, he knew that this defeat had ruined Dali's fortunes, leaving no other way out. Secondly, he hoped that this writing could slow down the Yan army's advance.

He also knew that once the soldiers entered the city in battle, they would inevitably plunder; he wanted peace…

The letter of surrender was written, but Yang Hu suddenly discovered a problem: the seal of the monarch was missing.

He hastily had someone carve a square out of hard clay, not caring about anything else. In the past, such a thing would have been a capital offense...

With the letter of surrender in hand, they immediately sent someone to deliver it, and it was delivered to Lu Junyi right away.

Lu Junyi was truly a good man. After seeing the item, he immediately sent someone on horseback to deliver it to the rear, as the emperor was on his way.

Halfway there, Su Wu received the letter of surrender.

Admitting guilt, pleading guilty, explaining, pleading guilty again, and so on...

After Su Wu finished reading it, Wu Yong read it, and after Wu Yong finished reading it, he also handed it to Gao Liangcheng to read...

Gao Liangcheng immediately noticed the problem and simply said, "Your Majesty, this seal is fake."

Su Wu wasn't angry; instead, he smiled and said, "It seems Duan Heyu has run away..."

Gao Liangcheng nodded in reply: "That must be so. When Shanshan Prefecture was besieged by bandits, the king fled the city immediately, leaving my elders to fight the bandits to the death. The scene was tragic... alas..."

Gao Liangcheng felt a pang of pain in his heart. He hadn't witnessed it firsthand, but he had heard countless stories. When the city fell, those who died in battle were one thing, but many others were captured and subjected to various forms of torture and murder. As for the women and children...

How could Gao Liangcheng not feel pain in his heart? Every time he thinks about this, he is filled with heartache and indignation!
I once thought of serving my country with utmost loyalty...

Looking back now, isn't it incredibly ironic?
This is even more heart-wrenching!
The timer returned to Su Wu's hand. He glanced at it again, then casually tossed it to the person next to him, saying only, "Speed ​​up and move forward!"

Su Wu seemed to have a remarkable habit in his military campaigns: he marched extremely fast, sometimes even without sleep. He himself never reflected on this, but it is likely that later generations will.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and few armies can accomplish this.

How could Su Wu have done it?
This is the cohesion of an army. The soldiers never complain about hardship or fatigue; it's simply because their hearts are united.

Wu Yong chimed in from the side, "When a country is about to perish, it will inevitably produce people like this. If there are still virtuous and capable people in the court, perhaps it can hold on for a while. But if they continue to ostracize the virtuous and capable, what else can happen but the country's demise..."

Wu Yong was talking about the affairs of the Song Dynasty, as well as the affairs of Dali at present.

Gao Liangcheng nodded: "What the scholar said makes sense."

Behind Gao Liangcheng was Gao Shouzhen, who had no right to interrupt, yet he also looked at the person in front of him, and seemed to be somewhat moved as well...

The next day, Su Wu arrived at Weichu Prefecture, where more than 10,000 troops also arrived, with even more on the way.

Su Wu gave the order to send Yang Hu out to negotiate in person, or else he would immediately attack the city, with a time limit of one hour.

He then ordered the soldiers to cut down trees on the spot without rest.

The soldiers were tired and weary, but if they did as instructed, they would know that each battle would bring them merit and reward.

This time, I'm not afraid of war, I'm afraid of no war.

Every battle we fight is one less we can fight; there are no more enemies left in the world to fight...

On the city wall, Yang Hu's face was ashen. Looking at the able-bodied men standing on the city wall, and seeing their terrified eyes, he knew that this city could not withstand a single battle. Once the Yan army scaled the walls, the city would surely fall...

It is now known that the rumors I had heard before were true; the Yan army's skill in battle was unparalleled...

Should we leave the city or not?
Are there any other options?
If we leave the city, perhaps we can preserve some or all of the Yang family's centuries-old history...

It would also be good to find out the final outcome of the battle and whether any of the family members had any chance of escaping alive...

The most important thing is to see if we can persuade them to back down in person, and ideally, get the Yan army to stop...

Let's leave the city!
How to leave the city? He had read about a certain scene in a book, which was part of the ceremony for surrendering to the Central Plains.

Dressed in white, with their hair loosened to cover their face, and a piece of jade held in their mouth, they loaded the coffin onto the cart, then bound their hands, and left the city in this manner...

Su Wu rode his horse just outside the city wall, and was also amazed by the sight, for he had never seen anything like it before...

It's done quite professionally!

After all this... for some reason, Su Wu felt a little soft-hearted...

Feeling the softness in his heart, Su Wu suddenly understood: could this be the meaning of this ritual?
Yang Hu walked up to Su Wu and knelt down to kowtow. Su Wu softened and had his hair fixed and his hands untied...

Su Wu sighed, "How could it have come to this? General Yang, how could it have come to this?"

Theoretically speaking, at this moment, although Yang Hu was a subject of Dali, he was also a subject of Yan, since Su Wu had accepted the surrender document.

“A defeated general who has defied the superior nation deserves such punishment!” Yang Hu’s attitude was very serious.

"I'm not referring to that matter. You are a subject of King Duan Heyu. The crime of disobedience is the king's fault, not yours! What I'm saying is, how did it come to this point of swords and mountains of corpses? It was a small matter, just a small matter..."

Su Wu himself seemed heartbroken, as if he was a million times unwilling to do this, but it was a helpless act.

Yang Hu then spoke, saying, “Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. The throne in the Central Plains has changed hands, and we, people from remote and impoverished countries, are unaware of the details. This is one reason. Secondly, Dali has received imperial favor for generations, and their loyalty and righteousness are as clear as the sun and moon. Such acts of loyalty and righteousness should not be punished. Today, by honoring Yan, we know that Yan has succeeded to the rightful throne, and we will continue to serve them with the same loyalty and righteousness in the future!”

That's not wrong...

Yang Hu is quite a character!

But Gao Liang, enraged, said, "Why are you forcing my Gao family like this? Not long ago, countless members of my Gao family died in the battle of Shanshan Prefecture. They were so loyal to the country and died without regret, protecting your wealth and safety. How can you betray us like this!"

Su Wu glanced at Gao Liangcheng; this was the significance of bringing him along.

Gao Shouzhen, standing behind, also spoke angrily: "Even if I kill you all, it will not quell the hatred in my heart!"

Yang Hu said, "If the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die! If you want to kill me, then kill me!"

Wu Yong frowned and quickly looked at the emperor.

The emperor's expression remained unchanged as he spoke softly, "Everything in the world has its reason. Dali is the land of Buddha, and it believes most in cause and effect, and retribution is inevitable. Your king has fled back to Yangjumei City, and you are still here loyal to the king. To kill you would be somewhat unreasonable. Get up and come with me to Yangjumei City."

Yang Hu could not rise, and kowtowed again: "Please forgive Dali's crimes, Your Majesty!"

Su Wu sighed softly...

In fact, Su Wu truly disliked this so-called tributary system of the Central Plains dynasties, which he considered superior. Just like at this moment, when facing Dali, the superior nation had to act as a very well-mannered parent, while the inferior nation was like a child.

When a child makes a mistake and admits it, it seems the superior nation will forgive him...

What may seem insignificant actually involves a huge hidden cost: the hidden cost of maintaining the tributary system of the superior state. This is what Su Wu disliked.

Just like right now, Su Wu spent so much manpower and resources to get here, and if Dali just admits his guilt and makes a mistake, Su Wu has to forgive him and let him go...

Fortunately, this was no longer the Song Dynasty. If it were the Song Dynasty, and if Su Wu were merely a general leading troops, the Song court, its officials, and the emperor would surely have issued an edict ordering a retreat...

So what was the point of this arduous battle?
Just so someone can apologize?

Su Wu remained silent, but turned his head and said, "Order the cavalry to advance quickly to Yangjumei City. Order the main army to continue its march without stopping! Leave two thousand soldiers here to garrison!" With that, Su Wu spurred his horse forward, about to enter the city.

As the horse passed by Yang Hu, Yang Hu suddenly stood up and reached out to grab Su Wu's leg, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Clearly, everything was beyond Yang Hu's expectations; he had only thought that this approach would actually succeed.

How could his principles of conduct not be the most consistent with Confucian values?
How could it have absolutely no effect?

Having miscalculated, Yang Hu became truly anxious.

However, Yang Hu couldn't get close to Su Wu at all. The guards on the left and right were not to be trifled with; they kept coming forward to block and pull him.

There were also rebukes: "Offending the emperor is a capital offense!"

Yang Hu suddenly stopped moving...

There's also Su Wu's saying: "Give him a horse, and he'll come with you!"

The military order was given, and the cavalry, who had rested for a day, roared up again, filed into the gate, and headed west along the central street.

On both sides of the street, countless people, their faces filled with panic and uncertainty, watched as the tall, strong northern horses galloped across the street.

Clearly, they didn't understand why their own Dali Kingdom had suddenly become engaged in war with a powerful nation in the Central Plains...

The Gao family will come to do the work, making sure the people know the whole story. This is how to win people's hearts and minds, and lay the foundation for Dali's long-term stability and peace.

Su Wu then entered the city and carefully examined the city of Weichu Prefecture. It wasn't much different from the Central Plains, except perhaps that it was a bit cramped, with narrower streets and houses...

The Chinese characters on the street are exactly the same.

As the emperor's banner passed by, countless people stared in disbelief. Those with more experience knew that the emperor had arrived, while those with less experience would, after this day on, know that they had seen the emperor before...

Su Wu, tall and imposing, with a cold expression and piercing, focused eyes, was deliberately portrayed to present a good image. The soldiers around him were also meant to resemble tigers and wolves, so that people would know the emperor's might and power.

This way, the common people around him would be terrified at the mere sight of it.

If this were in the Central Plains, the Jingdong region, or the Jiangnan region, Su Wu would have done the same.

The transformation of an emperor into a tiger, as seen in the Central Plains, was not meant to intimidate anyone, but rather to reassure the people, letting them know that their emperor was an exceptionally powerful and trustworthy figure.

This represents the basic character of a country.

The seriousness of politics is also included.

Politics, both domestically and internationally, must never lose its seriousness; otherwise, there will be a chain reaction. The entire country, from top to bottom, will lose its seriousness and rigor, and everything will become frivolous and everyone will act casually. The country will be in danger at any time. This is something Su Wu repeatedly examined himself about.

With the army passing by, Su Wu's stern face could finally relax.

The cavalrymen ahead are galloping, and if they go again in a day, there will still be quite a distance to Yangjumei City.

Duan Heyu had already entered the city. In his haste, he went straight to the imperial palace to summon people and issue orders.

Duan Heyu was exhausted, but he dared not delay in the slightest.

Meanwhile, at Zhao Gou's residence, Cao Cheng rushed over and hurriedly reported: "Your Highness, something bad has happened. Just now, the King Duan Heyu, with only a dozen or so riders, rushed into the city with a worried look on his face!"

Needless to say, Zhao Gou was living in constant fear while he was here, sending people everywhere to keep an eye on things, and he needed to know about every little thing that happened. In particular, he had people keeping a close watch on this major battle.

"Really?" Zhao Gou bounced up and grabbed Cao Cheng's hand.

"It's absolutely true. At this moment, there are no horses left around the city. As the news came, people rushed over and entered the palace. The guards at the gate greeted the king with their salutes."

Cao Cheng was extremely meticulous.

"Go!" Before Zhao Gou could even be shocked or panic, his first reaction was to leave immediately.

No matter what, leaving first is always the right thing to do, even if things go wrong, even if the Dali army wins a great victory, Su Wu is beaten and flees in terror, or even if Su Wu dies... leaving first is always the right thing to do.

Go out and travel several dozen miles first, then see how things go. Even if you have to come back, it won't hurt.

Horses were prepared at the gate; they mounted and rode off.

More than four thousand soldiers were already stationed outside the city, and Zhao Gou recently ordered preparations to be made so that they could be deployed at any time...

In war, there are only two outcomes: victory or defeat. How could Zhao Gou not make preparations?

Inside the palace, the messenger rushed out, mustered his men, and went to apprehend Zhao Gou, only to find nothing. He went to inquire, but could only report back first, then muster more men and go after him.

Duan Heyu, who lived a life of ease and comfort, could hardly compare to Zhao Gou, who had experienced the fall of his country and lived in constant fear.

Zhao Gou was like a panicked rabbit, while Duan Heyu was worlds apart from him.

If Duan Heyu had considered the worst-case scenario before setting out on the expedition and taken precautions in advance, Zhao Gou would not have escaped so easily.

With things having come to this point, Duan Heyu sent men to pursue them while heading towards the Buddhist hall.

Master Liuxuan and Master Miaocheng were also in a panic, not knowing what to do.

All I can ask is what to do?

The two masters actually started chanting scriptures while looking at the wooden fish.

Duan Heyu, standing to the side, also began reciting scriptures...

Inside the Buddhist hall of the imperial palace, the golden statue of Buddha was truly dazzling, and the various ever-burning lamps consumed an unknown amount of oil every day.

Duan Heyu could do nothing but seek peace of mind and pray for Buddha's protection.

After several recitations of the scriptures, Duan Heyu said, "Our Duan family of Dali has been a Buddhist family for generations. Dali is a Buddhist kingdom. From our Duan family to the common people, everyone accumulates virtue and does good deeds, and everyone has a kind heart. The eminent monks of Dali are all highly proficient in Buddhism. Such a kingdom is unique in the world. When His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty comes here, he will surely feel the grandeur of our Buddhist kingdom and will not be too harsh! When the soldiers of the Yan army come here, they will surely feel the peace and tranquility of the people of Dali and will not mistreat them!"

After saying these words, Duan Heyu suddenly felt a sense of lightness in his body and mind, his worries disappeared, and his expression became much more gentle, as if he truly resembled a high-ranking monk.

As the scriptures continued to be recited, the devotion to the Buddha grew ever stronger.

They stay up all night and work without rest for half a day, worshipping Buddha for generations; may Buddha have divine power.

As for the matters that Yang Hu had instructed him to attend to—mobilizing the various armies and mobilizing the able-bodied men—Duan Heyu had long since forgotten about them…

Perhaps he knew that all of this was in vain...

Perhaps it's the same as what I said before: Dali, the Buddhist kingdom, is peaceful and undisturbed...

Until someone came to report: "Your Majesty, the Yan army has arrived outside the city..."

The king opened his eyes and said in one breath, "It's alright, nothing's wrong, no need to panic, bring out the food and wine..."

The person who reported it was not surprised and quickly turned around and left.

The king then slowly rose from the prayer mat, looked up at the towering golden Buddha statue, and uttered, "Amitabha!"

After saying that, he turned and went out; he had to go and greet the emperor!
Before welcoming the emperor, Duan Heyu had one more thing to do: two eminent monks came to perform the ceremony of ordaining him as a monk.

Isn't that a brilliant plan?
Surely the emperor wouldn't kill a monk?

Whether out of necessity or voluntariness, countless members of the Duan family throughout history have become monks or nuns; is this not a family tradition?
After the tonsure was completed, he didn't wear the robes of a high-ranking monk, but just the robes of a novice monk. With his hands clasped in front of him, he left the palace and exited the city gate...

Outside the city gates, numerous knights, like wolves and tigers, waited, having heard that the King of Dali was about to surrender...

After waiting and waiting, one monk came out, then three monks...

The two looked like highly accomplished monks, and the other looked... like a novice monk...

The novice monk walked in front, while the two enlightened monks walked behind.

Even Lu Junyi was somewhat confused. The novice monk approached him, put his palms together, bowed, and said, "Amitabha, I am Duan Zhengyan, Dharma name Guanghong, greetings, General!"

Yes, this novice monk was none other than the king, Duan Heyu.

Lu Junyi was a little stunned. What... what was going on?

The novice monk continued, "Where is His Majesty the Emperor of Great Yan? This humble monk has come to pay my respects to the Emperor!"

"The Emperor has not yet arrived..." Lu Junyi replied, somewhat at a loss for words. He looked at the open doorway, then at the bald man in front of him, and asked, "Where is Zhao Gou?"

"Even ants have a chance to survive, but he fled for his life..." Duan Heyu, or perhaps the monk Fahong, could he not be an enlightened high monk?
Lu Junyi's expression immediately changed, and he simply said, "Let's go, into the city!"

Duan Heyu remained calm, bowed respectfully, and escorted Lu Junyi into the city. He then set off eastward to greet the Emperor again...

Perhaps we should also use Buddhist teachings to influence the emperor, or even chant sutras to deliver the souls of those who died in battle. Who knows, it might also help the emperor alleviate the calamity of years of fighting...

(End of this chapter)