Love Lock

Chapter 247 Winning Over the Army's Hearts: Simple and Brutal

At that moment, he already understood why Qinghe treated him this way.

The Wei imperial family is using the pretext of attacking Cangzhou to uproot all the centuries-old aristocratic families!

The four great families—Sun, Wei, Su, and Song—had deep roots and their influence was enough to shake the imperial court. The first two emperors could only respect and appease these families.

Now that the Wei family has produced an emperor, they want to take the opportunity to kick the other three great families out of the court and carry out a major purge.

The three powerful families were either killed or exiled for their crimes, thus dismantling their foundations and securing imperial power cleanly in the hands of the Wei family.

The Su and Sun families no longer pose a significant threat, while many members of the Song family's ancestors still hold official positions in the imperial court, making their power as solid as a rock and thus a key target for elimination.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Song Yuanqing's eyes.

He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to Old Meng.

"I am very grateful to Brother Zhao for saving my life today. Please tell Brother Zhao that I will do my best to serve him in the future."

Old Meng smiled slightly, "General Song, you flatter me. I wouldn't dare to give you orders, but there is something I need to tell you."

Song Yuanqing said solemnly, "Please speak, brother."

Old Meng turned off the high-powered loudspeaker, hung it on his waist, and surveyed the 100,000 troops below the stage.

He sighed, but his voice was firm: "General Song, do you know how my lord has fought bloody battles on the Northern Pass battlefield all these years?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yuanqing shook his head slightly.

As the sun began to set, it cast a long, slender shadow of him.

"The Prince followed the old Duke of Zhenguo to the battlefield when he was twelve. At fifteen, he fought until he was exhausted before finally driving the Turks three hundred li north of the Yin Mountains." Old Meng's rough fingers stroked the wooden railing of the command platform. "When he was eighteen, the Prince personally led light cavalry to cut off the enemy's supply lines, ambushing them in the snow for three days and three nights..."

Song Yuanqing nodded slightly, "These military achievements are all recorded in the Ministry of War's official gazette."

"But does the general know the prince's current predicament?" Old Meng suddenly stopped, and as if venting his anger, he forcefully pried a piece of wood off the railing with his five fingers.

"Last year, rumors circulated in the court that the prince's achievements were too great and that he was becoming too powerful with his troops. After the autumn battle, which drove out the Turks, the court issued twelve imperial edicts in succession, ordering the prince to relinquish his military power!"

Song Yuanqing's pupils contracted slightly, his heart felt heavy.

He remembered the vermilion document he received that day, the five characters "Promoted to the title of King of Cangzhou" on it stinging his eyes.

He felt sorry for Zhao Zun at the time and even complained a few times. As fellow military officers, he therefore felt a sense of kinship with Zhao Zun.

He had always admired Zhao Zun. Both were from noble families, and the Duke of Zhenguo had taken the twelve-year-old Zhao Zun to Beiguan for training.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zun was brave and daring. After the Duke of Zhenguo died in battle, the young man used his life and supreme strategy to fight for many military achievements, succeeded the position of Marshal of Beiguan, and became a great hero in the hearts of the people who protected their home and country.

And he was just a general.

“That would be fine, but in March this year the Turks attacked again…” Old Meng’s throat bobbed, “Those guys in the court who only know how to talk have remembered the prince who is retired at home again.”

His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles cracking. "General Song is also a commander. Have you ever fought a battle with two thousand against an army of one hundred thousand? What a pity for the brothers of the vanguard, what a pity for General Ma Cheng..."

His words abruptly stopped, leaving only heavy breathing.

Song Yuanqing stared into Lao Meng's complex eyes, his voice strained: "Who is the chief commander?"

"Li Gang, under the command of the newly appointed Marshal of Beiguan," Old Meng sneered. "Hmph! Right now, he's mining coal at the Yinshan Mine!"

Song Yuanqing said nothing, but his brows furrowed even more.

Due to poor communication, Zhao Zun was suspected by the court and stripped of his military power after being granted the title of king. He received a notice from the court and heard rumors in the city, but he was completely unaware of what happened afterward.

Old Meng's rough fingers slowly stroked the cold barrel of the M16 automatic rifle on his chest, the metal surface reflecting a dazzling cold light.

Old Meng continued speaking, but seemed to be suppressing some kind of emotion.

“That night, the Prince led two thousand vanguard soldiers in a surprise attack on the camp of the 100,000-strong Turkic army, and they were discovered,” his eyes suddenly sharpened, “If it weren’t for the Princess Consort arriving with such powerful weapons, my Prince would probably already be… The Prince was heartbroken, so…”

Upon hearing this, Song Yuanqing was jolted. He grabbed Old Meng's shoulders, his voice hushed, as if afraid the soldiers in the distance would hear. "So, the Prince of Cangzhou's rebellion... is true?"

"Yes!" Old Meng looked directly into Song Yuanqing's eyes and nodded frankly.

He then countered, "Shouldn't we rebel against such a court that treats meritorious officials this way, frames loyal ministers for the sake of imperial power, ignores the suffering of the people and only knows how to play power games, and disregards the lives of the common people?"

Having just experienced being framed, Song Yuanqing could completely empathize with Zhao Zun's experience.

He nodded thoughtfully, “It is truly regrettable that the court has become so corrupt! Meritorious officials and veteran generals have all been suspected, and loyal and virtuous people have all been framed. Those in the imperial court are still living in a drunken stupor, never looking down to see the suffering of the people. Now that the court has lost its way and the people are suffering, the King of Cangzhou has risen up in rebellion, which is truly acting on behalf of Heaven.”

Seeing that Song Yuanqing had this idea, Old Meng smiled slightly. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect before speaking the rest of his words.

"I am not speaking to General Song today to persuade him to join me in this conspiracy. Rather, my lord has said that although the Song family is one of the four great families, their conduct is completely different from the other three. General Song is a reasonable man. Therefore, I ask that you decide for yourself what to do next."

Song Yuanqing pursed his lips, his mind a complete mess. He said, "Let me think about it!"

Old Meng nodded. This matter was too sudden; he needed time to consider it.

He then pointed to the ten soldiers lined up below the command platform, "Now that the Wei family has gained power, the Song family is also in a difficult situation. My lord said that these brothers will remain under the general's command for the time being. Although the ten of them cannot be worth ten thousand soldiers, they can protect the general in times of crisis."

Song Yuanqing looked at the ten soldiers standing ramrod straight and sighed inwardly.

He gratefully cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Please convey my gratitude to the King of Cangzhou for his kindness."

"I will certainly deliver it." Old Meng took out a bronze tiger tally from his pocket and placed it in Song Yuanqing's palm. "His Highness said that the Song family has been loyal for generations, but their loyalty should be to all the people under heaven."

The tiger tally was still warm from his body and glowed faintly in the darkening sky.

After saying that, Old Meng glanced at Marshal Qinghe lying on the platform and took off a pair of gleaming handcuffs from his waist.

"His Highness said this person is still useful, so I'm taking him away." He skillfully gripped Qinghe's wrist, and the metal mechanism clicked shut.

Old Meng clasped his hands in salute again, the clanging of his armor producing a resounding sound: "I take my leave now, General. I hope you will reconsider."

Song Yuanqing had his personal guards bring him a carriage, carried Qinghe onto it, and then Old Meng took his leave, gradually disappearing into the blood-red sunset.

After Lao Meng took Qinghe away, an eerie silence filled the training ground.

Song Yuanqing's mind was in complete turmoil, and Old Meng's words were still echoing in his ears.

"General." The voice of his deputy, Gu Haixing, pulled him back to reality. The deputy, who had followed him for many years, knelt down on one knee deftly: "This humble general requests permission to reorganize military affairs."

Song Yuanqing closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he spoke: "Go and do it."

His mind was in turmoil, and it was most appropriate for his deputy to step in and reorganize the military affairs at this time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the ten guards, wielding strange weapons, were still standing straight, their dark, shiny surfaces gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

Gu Haixing turned around, strode towards the center of the training ground, and suddenly drew his sword and cut off the flagpole of the command platform.

"Listen up, all of you!" This loud shout startled the birds perched under the eaves. "You've all seen it. Qinghe embezzled military pay for his own enrichment, and today he's been executed by a reclusive master according to the laws of nature!"

A murmur of discussion immediately arose from the crowd below.

One of the soldiers suddenly spat out, "Serves him right! My pay from the past few months combined isn't even enough to support my family..."

Before he could finish speaking, his companion grabbed him. Gu Haixing's sharp gaze swept over them, but he deliberately lingered in that direction for a moment.

"From this day forward, the entire Xuzhou army will be temporarily under the command of General Song until the imperial court appoints another marshal to take over."

It's unclear whether Gu Haixing had just secretly instructed his personal guards on something, but as he spoke, he suddenly raised his voice, and his sword slammed into the wooden board of the command platform with a clang.

At the same time, more than ten of his personal guards behind him seemed to have been switched on simultaneously, kneeling down in unison and pounding their breastplates, shouting: "We are ready to obey General Song's orders!"

They were originally under Song Yuanqing's command, so it was only natural for them to obey Song Yuanqing's orders. However, there were other soldiers here who were brought by Marshal Qinghe.

Marshal Qinghe suddenly collapsed, and now he happens to be in Song Yuanqing's military camp. The soldiers he brought with him don't know whether they should be under Song Yuanqing's command and obey his orders.

The soldiers looked at each other, bewildered.

Just as they hesitated, the mysterious youth did a somersault and leaped back onto the command platform, casually slinging the black box weapon that could hit anything he wanted over his shoulder.

This action caused the soldiers who were nearby to take a half step back in unison, as they had all just witnessed the power of this weapon.

The boy suddenly spoke, his clear voice completely out of place with the terrifyingly powerful weapon.

"You people really can't tell the difference between loyalty and treachery. You don't obey the orders of loyal and good people. Are you in cahoots with that old scoundrel who embezzled military pay?"

As he spoke, he patted the black box weapon slung over his shoulder, "Don't blame me for not telling you, this M16 of mine is specifically for dealing with villains."

These words were like a red-hot iron thrown into a snowdrift, and the soldiers who had brought him immediately stirred up, with countless burning gazes fixed on Song Yuanqing.

Song Yuanqing glanced at the mysterious young man, pursing his lips as if to smile. He didn't have any significant military achievements, making it extremely difficult for him to win over the hearts and minds of these people.

Gu Haixing just had his guards lead the way in shouting, but it had no effect whatsoever.

Unexpectedly, this young man's method of winning over the troops was so simple and brutal. Could this be the reason why King Zhao Zun of Cangzhou kept them here?

Gu Haixing seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. He quickly jumped onto the drum platform, picked up the drumsticks, and struck the drum three times.

He shouted, "General Song said that the back pay will be paid within three days! Whatever amount is owed will be paid, and it will come from... Qinghe's private treasury!"

These words finally ignited the entire drill ground. Someone shouted first, "We obey General Song's orders!"

"I obey General Song's orders!"

"I obey General Song's orders!"

Soon, the calls for help merged into an overwhelming wave of voices.

Song Yuanqing glanced at the vast sea of ​​people who had suddenly knelt down, then turned his head and saw the boy winking and mouthing to him, "Not bad."

Gu Haixing stood on the high command platform, looking down at the massive army of 100,000 men, his palms already sweating.

He had just finished speaking passionately, but now he felt a tightness in his throat.

He subconsciously turned to look at Song Yuanqing beside him and asked in a low voice, "General, what... what should we do next?"

Song Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, he had 100,000 troops in his camp to command, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

The Xuzhou garrison consisted of three military camps, located in Ganluo County, Guangyuan County, and Shehong County respectively.

Song Yuanqing's military camp in Ganluo County was the smallest, capable of holding only 20,000 soldiers. The camps in Guangyuan County and Shehong County, however, were much larger, each holding 50,000 soldiers.

Song Yuanqing's gaze swept over the restless military formation below the stage. The drill ground in Ganluo County was only so big, and it was now packed with soldiers. Even the surrounding fences had been dismantled, and it simply couldn't accommodate them all without being divided into smaller groups.

Song Yuanqing thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said loudly, “Soldiers, Qinghe has embezzled military pay and framed loyal officials. He claims that the Prince of Cangzhou is plotting a rebellion, but this is unbelievable. If the court already knows about the rebellion, such a large-scale operation should have already caused a great stir in the streets. We are only separated from Cangzhou by a river, but to this day, I have not heard any news about the rebellion in Cangzhou.”

He then looked at the soldiers of Ganluo County and asked, "Has any of you heard about this?"

"no!"

The soldiers of Ganluo County answered in unison.

At this moment, the murmurs from the audience gradually grew louder.

A captain with a full beard shouted, "That old scoundrel Qinghe has been embezzling our pay for a long time, and now he's suddenly saying that the King of Cangzhou is plotting a rebellion? I've been stationed in Shehong County for five years, and I've never heard of such a thing!"

“Exactly!” a young soldier chimed in. “Last month, our pay was reduced by another 30%. The centurion said it was a government allocation, but now it seems it ended up in some people’s pockets!”

Another soldier speculated, "Hey! Do you think that traitor Qinghe might be forging an imperial edict, his purpose being to send troops here to capture General Song?"

"How can you say for sure?"

"I think so! He was pretending to show us the imperial edict on stage just now, but from so far away, how could we know if it was real or fake?"

……

Upon seeing this, Song Yuanqing suddenly pressed down on his hand, and the entire room immediately fell silent.

He proclaimed loudly, “Fellow soldiers! Qinghe falsely claimed to have issued an imperial edict and secretly mobilized troops with treacherous intentions. Fortunately, a wise man appeared and stopped him, otherwise you would all have been caught up in his schemes. It is late today, so let’s rest here for the night and return to our respective camps with your commanders tomorrow!”

At this point, Song Yuanqing suddenly shouted, "Where are Generals Zhou Wu and Tang Youming?"

The entire hall fell silent, all eyes searching for the positions of the two generals.

Among the crowd, the two generals whose names were called exchanged a glance.