Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 290, The Zhejiang Affairs Concluded

Although these temporarily recruited young men were given weapons, they were essentially no different from ordinary people because they had not received any training.

If we can proceed step by step, first resisting some mountain bandits and outlaws to hone our combat skills, or fighting against some ragtag armies, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

However, they immediately engaged in battle with the Huaiyin Army, a powerful force in the land, where the disparity in strength between the two sides was enormous. This despairing disparity shattered the soldiers' morale in an instant.

Seeing this, Xu Gui realized that the city could not be defended.

He rushed home immediately and told his family about it.

His grandfather, Xu Long, made a quick decision after learning the news.

It was clearly unrealistic for the entire clan to flee.

He ordered Xu Gui and other young members of the Xu family to escape from behind the city with a portion of the silver notes.

The rest of the people surrendered to him, offering up their family wealth and shifting all the blame onto Xu Gui!

Behind Quzhou City.

Lin Lin and Ji Quan each led their troops and ambushed each other on the various key routes for their departure.

Xu Shaobao was the first to escape from the city.

Having traversed most of Zhejiang, he was already quite adept at escaping.

His hundreds of soldiers were all veterans who had followed him in his escape.

They weren't very vigilant.

Because the Huaiyin army had never ambushed them along the way.

Therefore, they instinctively assumed that this time would be the same as before.

Outside Quzhou city flows the Qujiang River, which is the upper reaches of the Qiantang River. Although it is not a large river, it is still about 200 meters wide on average.

Once you cross the Qujiang River, there's a mountain range that leads directly to Jiangxi.

To cross the river, Xu Shaobao and his group found a narrow section of the river, about a hundred meters wide.

The group had no boats, only about ten small farm boats they had stolen from nearby.

Xu Shaobao and some high-ranking officials sat in small boats, while the rest carried bamboo rafts or pieces of wood. Those who were good swimmers went bare-handed.

The group began to cross the river.

It was late May, and the river was still quite turbulent. Several people were swept away by the current due to exhaustion. Fortunately, they chose a narrow section of the river, only a little over 100 meters wide, and with their best efforts, most of them managed to cross successfully.

When we reached the other side, we weren't fully ashore yet; half of our bodies were still in the water.

Suddenly, a large group of Huaiyin soldiers rushed out from both sides and started firing arrows without saying a word.

These soldiers, who had just crossed the river and were exhausted, had no chance to resist.

Ahead lay endless arrows, behind them the raging river. Soldiers fell one by one, their blood soaking into the water, carried downstream by the current...

Xu Shaobao hid at the bottom of the boat, holding his breath.

Hearing the screams of his brothers outside, and recalling how he had been chased around by the Huaiyin army these past few days, Xu Shaobao couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

Perhaps dying like this would be a kind of relief.

Xu Shaobao let out a deep breath, allowing the river water to rush into his mouth, and sank to the bottom of the water.

Glug glug... Oh my god, dying is so damn painful!
The feeling of drowning is like being pricked by countless needles.

Xu Shaobao, his veins bulging, struggled desperately as he swam toward the surface, fighting for that last bit of oxygen.

Emerging from the water, Xu Shaobao gasped for breath, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

It's good to be alive!
Then, he was surrounded by a group of Huaiyin soldiers...

Lin Lin strode forward, sizing up Xu Shaobao, who had been captured.

Xu Shaobao stood up proudly.

He said, "The victor is king, the loser is a bandit! Kill me or torture me, do as you please!"

Lin Lin looked at Xu Shaobao, raised his hand, and slapped Xu Shaobao hard across the face.

"Who do you think you are? You dare call yourself king!"

Lin Lin was also skilled in martial arts, so his strength was naturally considerable.

With one slap, Xu Shaobao was completely stunned.

Even the water that got into his ears was knocked out.

Lin Lin wasn't finished yet; he slapped her again, then another, and another...

He slapped her more than a dozen times, but that wasn't enough, so he whipped her with a horsewhip.

Xu Shaobao could no longer hold on and began to beg for mercy.

"Stop fighting, stop fighting..."

On the other hand, Ji Quan was unlucky and didn't encounter Xu Shaobao.

However, he encountered Xu Gui and his men who were fleeing. None of Xu Gui and his dozen or so cousins ​​escaped; they were all captured.

When Ji Quan's team escorted Xu Gui and the others back to the city, they happened to see the 317 members of the Xu family, young and old, hanging on the city wall of Quzhou.

Xu Gui's eyes instantly turned red, and he couldn't hold them back as he shouted:
"Wei Xing, damn it..."

Wei Xing didn't care at all and said calmly:
"Hang those up too!"

Xu Gui and the others were sent to the city wall, ropes were put around his and several of his cousins' necks, and then they were kicked off the city wall.

The rope tightened instantly, and Xu Gui's cursing stopped abruptly. After struggling for a while, he helplessly let his hands fall to his sides.

The people below the city watched this scene with a mixture of joy and fear.

What they were happy about was the destruction of the Xu family.

What they feared was not knowing what the Huaiyin Army would do next, or whether they would oppress them even more severely than the Xu family.

However, these concerns completely disappeared a few days later.

The Huaiyin army distributed land to them.

Nothing brings more peace of mind than the land in one's hands.

In the hearts of the people of Zhongxia, having land means having everything!
Any hardship can be endured little by little...

Kaifeng, Henan.

A somewhat miserable and down-on-his-luck person arrived here.

The city guard looked at the man coldly and said:

"You worthless beggar, get out of here!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty's decree!"

Gao Jing cried out weakly, and then immediately fainted.

Upon seeing this, the city guards hurriedly went forward to investigate.

They found a white jade pendant with dragon patterns and a somewhat tattered blood-written letter in Gao Jing's arms.

Upon seeing the two items, the two immediately realized that this was no ordinary matter and quickly reported it to their superiors.

The people in the shadows waited until Gao Jing was picked up by officials before leaving.

Soon after, Gao Jing slowly woke up and found himself in a luxurious room.

When the maid saw that Gao Jing had woken up, she quickly went out to report.

A short while later, an elderly man, who looked rather frail, strode in.

"Lord Gao, you're awake!"

The old man said impatiently.

Gao Jing breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the old man's appearance and said:

"Lord Tian, ​​His Majesty, His Majesty... Waaaaah!"

Gao Jing burst into tears, clutching her head.

Tian Tianrui quickly stepped forward to comfort Gao Jing and asked her what had happened.

Gao Jing then realized what was happening and began searching all over himself.

"Imperial edict, jade pendant?"

Tian Tianrui solemnly took out the blood letter and the jade pendant.

Gao Jing took the blood-written letter and solemnly declared:
"Governor of Henan, Tian Tianrui, receive the imperial decree!"

Tian Tianrui hurriedly knelt on the ground and bowed:

"Your subject, Tian Tianrui, receives the imperial decree!"

Gao Jingnian said:

"Heaven has forsaken us! Our Great Xi, with its millions of people, has been cursed with the birth of a treacherous and false king, with the heart of an owl and the nature of a wolf..."

As Gao Jing began to read, Tian Tianrui below, listening to the content, was already sobbing uncontrollably.

However, halfway through the reading...
"Through countless hardships and near-death experiences, I have faced the wrath of the heavens. I have traveled far and wide, my sincerity shining like the sun. I have wandered aimlessly through the universe, weeping as I recount my tale..."

Gao Jing's voice stopped abruptly because the writing that followed had been eroded by rain and sweat along the way, becoming illegible.

Gao Jing collapsed, utterly exhausted, his face filled with despair, and said:
"Alas! I, Gao Jing, have failed His Majesty's expectations. I have been unable to rid Your Majesty of the traitor. How can I face the world again? Your Majesty, I depart!"

After saying that, Gao Jing straightened up and rammed into the corner of the bed without hesitation.

Before Tian Tianrui could stop him, Gao Jing slammed his head against the corner of the bed, bleeding profusely from his head.

"Master Gao!"

(End of this chapter)