Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 216 The Emperor's Majesty, Traitors Submit to Death

"Your Majesty, just as Zhao Charioteer predicted, Sun Quan has secretly sent an envoy to Shangyong!"

Cuan Xiong, who was promoted to General Who Annihilates Wu for his merit in Xicheng, climbed to the top of the city wall, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the emperor and Zhao, who were standing side by side, and looked somewhat excited.

"Oh? When were you captured?" Liu Shan was in a good mood and smiled with interest.

"This very morning! He was mingling with a group of woodcutters. My subordinate Sima, fearing something might happen, arrested them all!"

"However, apart from his coarse clothes, the Wu envoy was not at all like a woodcutter or farmer. A quick interrogation revealed that he was indeed a Wu envoy!"

"Has the woodcutter been released?" Liu Shan asked.

"Your Majesty... I fear there may still be people from Wu among them, and therefore I have not released them!"

"General, your meticulousness is truly commendable," Liu Shan praised Cuan Xiong.

After a moment's hesitation, he gave the order:

"Even if there are Wu people mixed in, it doesn't matter, just release them all."

"By the way, the clerk in the army explained the reason to them, and they were given two bushels of millet as a token of their gratitude."

Cuan Xiong hesitated for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "Yes, sir!"

"Where is the Wu envoy now?" Liu Shan asked.

"Still in my camp!"

Liu Shan nodded: "Release the woodcutter and bring the Wu envoy back."

General Tianwu accepted the order and left.

At that moment, Yao Jing, Zheng Ta, Li Fu, and Zhang Liang, who had surrendered with their bodies exposed, were escorted by Gao Xiang to the top of the city wall.

"Your Majesty, we are guilty! Your Majesty!" Yao Jing and Zheng Ta, who had surrendered to Wei just a few months ago and abandoned the Ming Dynasty for the dark side, knelt down on the ground, not daring to even raise their heads.

The two men were originally local tyrants in the western city. The Han Dynasty adopted a policy of appeasement towards them, granting them the title of general and ordering them to guard the Dingyuan Fortress west of the western city. Their total number of men was more than 7,000.

What does it mean to have more than 7,000 people?
According to the household registration book handed over by Shen Yi, the total number of registered households in the entire West City was no more than nine thousand. Zheng and Yao had more than seven thousand followers, which was roughly equivalent to each household in the West City having one male servant under their command.

"I am in a dilemma, unsure of how to deal with you. Could you offer me some advice?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng and Yao were so frightened that their backs turned cold and their hair stood on end.

Looking up, they saw that the incredibly young emperor of the Han Dynasty was not looking at them, but was gazing thoughtfully at the mountains. Although he showed no anger, he still brought them an unprecedented sense of oppression.

In fact, the two generals had long known about the successive defeats of Cao Zhen, Zhang He, and Sima Yi in Guanzhong, and had also anticipated that the Han army would most likely take this opportunity to seize the three eastern commanderies.

At that moment, the two generals were already terrified.

Fortunately, according to common sense, the imperial court was unlikely to allow these opportunists to guard Shangyong again. However, Sun Quan's navy cut off the Han River, causing them to completely lose all contact with the central government.

They had nowhere to go and nowhere to escape.

Furthermore, the presence of Shenyi to the west as a natural barrier gave them a glimmer of hope.

When they learned that the Wu Kingdom was advancing on Xicheng, they had another kind of wishful thinking.

They have a grudge against Shu, so surrendering to Han is not an option. If Wu is capable of taking Xicheng from Shen Yi and then besieging Shangyong, they can surrender to Wu, and Sun Quan will surely give them a good place to go.

The three eastern commanderies were located in the middle of the three kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Wu. They were easily defended and difficult to attack due to their mountainous terrain. They were a place that all three kingdoms wanted to win over but were unwilling to wage war against.

However… they never expected that Wu generals such as Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin would join Shu Han in besieging Shangyong.

What's even weirder is.

They deliberately surrendered to Wu but not to Shu.

But the Wu people didn't ask any questions and directly brought them here.

—Before the Han emperor.

Seeing that the two remained silent for a long time, the emperor, who stood with his hands behind his back facing the mountain, slowly spoke:
"Since you two have nothing to say, then we can only proceed according to my will. Guards..."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life!" Yao Jing was so frightened that her bones went limp, and she prostrated herself on the ground, sobbing and begging for mercy.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Killing surrendered soldiers is an ominous sign!" In his desperation, Zheng Ta blurted out whatever came to mind.

Yao Jing placed her hands on the ground and looked up at the emperor, only to see that the emperor's brows were slightly furrowed, as if he had no intention of changing his mind.

In his terror, the man racked his brains, trying to think of something to beg the emperor for mercy, but he couldn't come up with any words and could only cry out woodenly for mercy.

"Killing surrendered soldiers is an ominous sign?" Liu Shan frowned.

Do you all know Lü Bu?

When Cao Cao executed Lü Bu, did anyone in the world have any objections?
"Your talents are inferior to Lü Bu's, yet you are all the same in your ways. Even if you were killed, the people of the world would only applaud and cheer."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, both generals Zheng and Yao turned pale, their faces ashen.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...please spare our lives, considering that we surrendered the entire city without harming a single Han soldier!"

"Yes...yes, Your Majesty, I am still useful. If Your Majesty spares my life, my three thousand troops will surely serve Your Majesty and the Han Dynasty to the death!" Zheng Ta pleaded in a trembling voice.

Liu Shan couldn't help but chuckle.

When Yao Jing begged for mercy, she used "we," but when Zheng Ta came over, he simply used "I."

Just as Liu Shan was inwardly grumbling, Zheng Ta saw that the emperor's expression had finally softened, and he grasped at a straw as if it were a lifeline:
"Your Majesty...it's all his fault!"

"It was all his idea!"

"It was all his doing that forced and seduced me, leaving me no choice but to surrender to Wei!"

Yao Jing was immediately dumbfounded, and then she started cursing at Zheng:

"You bastard Zheng! What do you mean I forced you or seduced you?!"
"I just mentioned it casually at the time, but I hadn't made up my mind yet!"

"And yet you resolutely drew your sword and rebelled!"

"Now, in order to survive, it's become me forcing and seducing you, right?!"

"How can a person be so shameless!"

"Pah!" Zheng spat in Yao Jing's face unexpectedly. "I'll fuck your mother!"

The two generals continued to hurl insults at each other.

If they weren't bound, they might have started a fight right here.

Seeing that Zheng Ta and Yao Jing were behaving in a disgraceful manner, and that the Han emperor remained unmoved, Li Fu and Zhang Liang, who were also bound here but had not uttered a word from beginning to end, looked at each other.

From each other's eyes, Li and Zhang could keenly sense the complex emotions of unease, fear, and hope that coexisted.

Needless to say, they were filled with anxiety and fear.

As for hopes?

—If the Han emperor were to execute Zheng and Yao, then their lives would undoubtedly be spared.

Otherwise, it would be just as Zheng said.

—Killing those who surrender is an ominous sign; from now on, no one will dare to surrender to the Han.

Just as Zheng and Yao were hurling insults at each other, General Cuan Xiong, who had annihilated Wu, escorted Wu's envoy up the city wall.

"let me go!"

"You bunch of Sichuan dogs!"

"Deceitful and treacherous! A traitor!"

"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune! Short-sighted!" "..."

"..."

The Wu envoy was pushed and shoved to the top of the city wall, without uttering a single kind word, which made the surrounding Han generals frown.

Cuan Xiong couldn't stand it anymore, so he punched the Wu man on the head twice, knocking him over. Then he grabbed him, cut a piece of rag, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Your Majesty, the Wu envoy has arrived." Cuan Xiong bowed to the emperor with clasped hands.

The Wu envoy, who was still dizzy and disoriented, was stunned when he heard the Han general's words. His eyes widened in disbelief.

The mouth that had been babbling and cursing finally stopped moving.

His Majesty?

The Emperor of Shu Han?
Why...is he here?

The young man addressed as "Your Majesty" didn't even glance at him, but instead spoke slowly to the two bound figures on the ground:

"I originally intended to spare your lives."

"But if there is no price to pay for defection, then everyone will dare to harbor the thought of defection."

"So...you're all doomed."

"When I passed through Xicheng, the Zheng and Yao families had already submitted to the Han."

"The elders of your clan have already removed you two and all your relatives within five degrees of kinship from the clan genealogy."

After the emperor finished speaking, Yao Jing and Zheng Ta, who had been hurling insults at each other, were completely dazed and lost their senses. Their faces were ashen, no more curses came out, their bones went limp, and they were several inches shorter than before.

As the emperor, his word carries immense weight.

Once the golden mouth opened, it not only announced their deaths, but also ensured that their souls would have nowhere to rest after death, and that their blood offerings would cease forever.

Not only the two of them, but also their direct relatives within five degrees of kinship will have their ancestral worship cease and become lonely ghosts in the underworld.

The people of Chu were fond of witchcraft and ghosts.

The three eastern prefectures are located deep in the mountains and forests, and the people are "simple and honest". The customs of witchcraft and ghosts in Chu are far more prevalent than those in the Jingchu prefectures on the plains.

The Wu envoy looked at the Han emperor's expression, listened to his words, and then looked around at the group of solemn and dignified old generals standing around the emperor. The anger on their faces had completely disappeared, replaced by an indescribable sense of bewilderment.

The Han emperor still didn't glance at him, but simply shook his head slightly at the two naked, bound men on the ground, and said:
"You two have no way out in life."

"But I am now giving you both a way out: death."

Yao Jing and Zheng Ta, who were kneeling on the ground with their faces ashen, were stunned upon hearing this.

The Wu envoy, whose mouth was stuffed with cloth, was also stunned, not understanding why.

But then the emperor looked at Generals Zheng and Yao and spoke slowly:

"If you two calmly face death, then your relatives within five degrees of kinship can all be reinstated in the family genealogy."

"Your children may also serve as officials in the Han Dynasty."

"As long as they are talented and capable, I will treat them all equally. But if they have made contributions to the country, they can be promoted to high-ranking officials or generals."

Upon hearing this, not only were Zheng Ta and Yao Jing stunned.

Even the two Wei generals, Li Fu and Zhang Liang, the Wu envoy who could not speak, and even military generals such as Zhao Yun, Gao Xiang, Guan Xing, and Zhao Tong, as well as civil officials such as Meng Guang, Zhang Shao, and Xi Zheng, all changed their expressions.

Prior to this, the emperor had not discussed with anyone how he would deal with Generals Zheng Ta and Yao Jing.

Moreover... many civil and military officials do believe that these two men voluntarily surrendered the city, and that there are seven thousand troops that can be used by the Han Dynasty.

Although His Majesty will not keep them in the army like he did with Tang Zi, he will most likely spare their lives and use them to control their seven thousand troops.

The trouble with the military system lies precisely in this.

Many vassal states have been dependent on their master for generations. Large families like Shen Yi, Zheng Ta, and Yao Jing have been entrenched in the three eastern prefectures for hundreds of years.

Their retainers, who had been under the control of these powerful families since their ancestors, had no idea who the Han emperor or the Wei emperor were.

For example, just as there cannot be two suns in the sky, the heads of the Shen, Zheng, and Yao families are their emperors.

This is also a key reason why the Shen, Zheng, and Yao clans were able to occupy the three eastern commanderies, and why all three kingdoms—Han, Wei, and Wu—tried to win them over rather than fight them to the death.

These retainers are extremely dependent on and trusting of their former masters, and generally have deep feelings for them. If their master is killed, it will arouse righteous indignation and cause considerable turmoil.

Even if the riots were quelled by force and execution, these troops would hardly be of any use to the Han Dynasty.

For example, after Meng Da died, all of his more than 7,000 followers moved with his nephew Deng Xian to the harsh and cold land of Youzhou.

These troops, whose instincts for combat power were essentially rendered useless after the death of their master, could only serve as military slaves.

The Han Dynasty is located in the west of the world. It is a small country with a small population. The six or seven thousand troops under the command of Generals Zheng and Yao are a force that the Han Dynasty can win over. It would be a great waste to use them as military slaves to cultivate land.

Moreover, many of these troops were strong and capable.

Poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people, and the elite infantry of the world, the "Danyang Soldiers," were born in the mountains of Yangzhou.

Similarly, the Taishan soldiers, the Bazhou Cong people, the Nanzhong barbarians, and the Wuling Wuxi barbarians were all fierce and valiant soldiers who often regarded death as nothing.

The three eastern prefectures are located in the Qinling Mountains, and the mountain people there are also like this.

Give them a capable general, and they can become an invincible army.

Time passed, and only after Liu Shan gleaned something from the silent eyes of Generals Zheng and Yao did he finally speak again:
“If you two confess your crimes and accept your punishment, I will not bestow upon you wine made of gold dust.”

"And you two will be bound at the gate and executed in front of ten thousand soldiers, as a warning to the world."

"If one cannot be a hero in life, can one not be a ghost of valor in death?"

"To die generously in the face of punishment is to know righteousness."

"To die by drinking wine containing gold dust is to be a disgrace to one's husband."

After a long silence, Yao Jing and Zheng Ta, both naked and bound, looked at each other.

At this moment, the fear of death they had felt at the beginning was gone from their eyes; instead, there was a sense of relief and resolute acceptance.

"The guilty general Yao Jing is willing to face execution and thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness and favor!"

"I, Zheng, am willing to accept my punishment and thank Your Majesty for your great kindness and generosity!"

Upon hearing the sound and seeing the situation, Liu Shan nodded slightly:
"Very well, you may go home during this time and reunite with your wives and children for a few days. You may also give your last words properly. I hope you can do so with dignity, and I hope your descendants can understand your good intentions and my good intentions."

Zheng Ta and Yao Jing remained silent for a moment, then resolutely nodded.

Zhao Yun, Gao Xiang, Meng Guang, Xi Zheng, and the others looked at the resolute expressions of Generals Zheng and Yao, and then at the majestic and solemn emperor, their hearts were stirred.

The two confessed their crimes and accepted death, and the tens of thousands of followers of the Shen, Zheng, and Yao families were all brought under the control of the Han Dynasty.

If Generals Zheng and Yao can truly ensure that their offspring are loyal to the court, then the Han Dynasty will gain several thousand more fierce soldiers to serve the country.

As for Shen Yi, he had no sons, only a daughter. Now that he had surrendered to the Han, the Han only needed to treat him and his daughter with some preferential treatment and to understand the loyalty and interests of his subordinates. Soon, several thousand more troops could be brought to serve the Han.

After these two battles, the three biggest local bullies between Xicheng and Shangyong were all eliminated.

Since the chaos that ensued, the three eastern commanderies, which had been holding their ground and maintaining their own armies, and had repeatedly shifted between Zhang Lu, Liu Biao, Cao Cao, the late emperor, and Sun Quan, were no longer able to cause any trouble.

With this victory, the battle was finally won.

The Wu envoy looked at the Wei general, who was shirtless and bound, resolutely facing death, and then looked at the majestic and solemn Han emperor, his expression becoming increasingly complicated.

(End of this chapter)