Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

More than twenty officers and generals were already seated in the hall, including the military commanders, captains, yamen runners, and judges of Fengxiang and Longyou, each according to their rank and seated at their respective tables.

Several others of slightly lower rank sat respectfully at the end of the table, each one sitting upright, eyes fixed straight ahead, not daring to make the slightest mistake.

Seeing Peng Jingrou emerge from behind the screen, everyone quickly stood up, raised their wine cups, bowed, and said in unison:

"The military supervisor invites you to drink."

Peng Jingrou, beaming with joy, nodded in acknowledgment and walked slowly, exchanging pleasantries with each of the generals and officials.

He held a cup in his hand, sometimes taking a sip, sometimes patting the other person's arm, saying "thank you for your hard work" and "thank you for your trouble," as if he truly had a comradeship with these military and civil officials.

The candlelight in the hall shone brightly, illuminating his purple robe and making him appear even more dignified.

Before long, he walked up to Li Cenji, who was sitting at the end of the table.

Li Cenji had already risen, holding the cup with both hands, his back slightly bowed, and respectfully said:

"Lord Peng".

Peng Jingrou stopped, looked him up and down, her smile unwavering, and asked in a gentle, spring-like tone:

"Jingzhi, how is Duke Zheng's condition now? Has it improved at all?"

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji's face immediately showed a hint of sorrow. He sighed deeply and replied in a low voice:

"In reply to Lord Peng, even before I left the mansion, Lord Zheng was still unable to speak or move his hands, and needed to be served with food and medicine."

Upon hearing this, Peng Jingrou's spring-like smile vanished instantly, replaced by a worried expression.

His brows furrowed, he shook his head repeatedly, and sighed:

"Alas, Lord Zheng is a pillar of the state, a bulwark of Longxi, upon whom the entire army relies. Now he has fallen ill to this state, unable to speak or write... What will become of the military and government affairs in the future? What will become of him!"

As he spoke, his voice choked with emotion, and he raised his sleeve to wipe his eyes, as if he were truly overwhelmed with grief and sorrow.

Li Cenji watched Peng Jingrou's behavior and secretly sneered in his heart.

Peng Jingrou and Zheng Tian, ​​the military governor, were two different people. Peng Jingrou was a eunuch sent by the emperor to supervise the army, while Zheng Tian was a military governor who held the imperial axe and commanded a large army. The two of them had a lot of open and covert struggles and had tried to trip each other up.

To say they have a friendship is somewhat true—the friendship being one of those who have clashed.

As for heartfelt friendships and mutual support, that's a pipe dream.

However, despite having this thought in his heart, Li Cenji dared not show it on his face.

He sighed as well, lowered his eyelids, a sorrowful look on his face, and whispered:

"I am deeply grateful for Lord Peng's kindness towards Lord Zheng. Once Lord Zheng has recovered somewhat, I will convey Lord Peng's concern for him today."

Peng Jingrou waved his hand and sighed:

"There's no need to trouble the captain to convey my message. I will personally visit you at your bedside another day."

He paused, then suddenly focused intently on Li Cenji's appearance, his gaze intense, looking him up and down, before breaking into a smile:

"Lieutenant Li, I have only seen you from afar in the hall before, and have never looked closely. Only today, when I got closer, did I realize that you are such a handsome and extraordinary man. At such a young age, you have already become a brave and resolute captain. You are truly a promising young man with great potential."

Li Cenji felt a chill run down his spine under the old eunuch's smiling eyes. He instinctively tensed up and quickly bowed again, saying:

"Lord Peng is too kind. I am but a lowly soldier. I am only able to achieve what I have today because of Lord Zheng's promotion. I am truly unworthy of such praise."

Peng Jingrou, however, persisted, taking another half step forward and lowering her voice to continue:

"I have served in the palace for many years, attending to the emperor, and have seen countless sons of noble families and military scions. But to find someone like the Commandant, who possesses both heroic spirit and refined elegance, is truly a rare find. What a pity, what a pity..."

When he said the word "what a pity," he deliberately dragged out the tone, shaking his head and looking regretful.

Li Cenji's heart stirred slightly, knowing that this old fox had been laying the groundwork for a long time, and the real show was about to begin.

He feigned ignorance and asked, puzzled:

"What did Lord Peng regret?"

Peng Jingrou sighed, her voice extremely low, almost touching Li Cenji's ear, and said:

"It is a pity that a talent like you, Captain, is confined to the small place of the military governor's mansion, serving as a guard. Although you have five hundred elite imperial guards under your command, you are like a dragon trapped in shallow waters in Fengxiang City. What great things can you achieve? In my opinion, if you could be sent to a military town to lead an army, with your talent and courage, given time, it is not impossible for you to be able to stand alone, establish your own government, and build your own headquarters."

He spoke in a very low voice, and in the noisy surroundings, only Li Cenji could hear him clearly.

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji remained expressionless, only slightly twitching the corners of his mouth to reveal a faint smile. He neither nodded nor shook his head, remaining silent.

But he thought to himself:

I, Li Cenji, am naturally unwilling to spend my whole life guarding someone else's gate, but when these words come from the mouth of a military supervisor eunuch like you, they take on a completely different meaning.

Seeing that Li Cenji only smiled and remained silent, without making any move, Peng Jingrou wasn't annoyed. She simply stretched out her withered hand and patted him heavily on the shoulder twice, then smiled and said:

"Good, good. It's a good thing that young people can keep their composure. Come on, let's drink, let's drink."

Having said that, he picked up his wine cup and walked toward the next officer with a smile on his face.

Before long, Peng Jingrou walked around the room, greeting everyone, before leisurely strolling back to the head seat and turning to face the crowd.

He looked around and, seeing that the hall was now empty, coughed lightly and said in a loud voice:

"Generals and colleagues, everyone is here. I have prepared a simple feast today, firstly to discuss the current military and administrative affairs with you all, and secondly to express our camaraderie as comrades. Let the feast begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the servants waiting under the eaves filed in, carrying all sorts of delicacies, which were then arranged on the table in a continuous stream.

In an instant, the aroma of wine and meat filled the hall, and the sounds of clinking glasses were incessant. People toasted each other, their faces gradually turning red and their ears becoming warm, and the atmosphere became much more lively.

After several rounds of drinks, five more dishes were added.

A flush rose on everyone's faces, and they gradually became more talkative.

Some whispered among themselves, discussing the rumors of Chang'an's fall and the emperor's exile.

Some sighed with regret, lamenting why the government troops were so easily defeated.

Some remained silent, simply lowering their heads and chugging down one glass of wine after another in their solitude.

Peng Jingrou sat at the head of the table, a faint smile always on his face, chatting idly with the two military commanders beside him.

However, his gaze inadvertently swept quickly down to the lower head, and then he nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Yuanxian, the registrar sitting at the lower end, had been waiting for this signal.

Upon seeing it now, I immediately understood.

He stood up, raised the wine cup with both hands, bowed deeply to everyone present, and said loudly:

"Lord Peng, I, Zhang Yuanxian, have a question that I would like to ask you. I wonder if I should speak?"

Everyone was enjoying their meal when they suddenly saw him stand up so solemnly. They had no idea what he was up to, so they all stopped eating and turned their attention to him.

Peng Jingrou put down his wine cup, stroked his beard, and smiled:

"Registrar Zhang, please speak freely. There's no need for such formalities."

Zhang Yuanxian then turned to Peng Jingrou, bowed again, and said:

"Lord Peng, this grand banquet today, gathering the officers and generals of both garrisons together, I humbly believe, is not merely for drinking and feasting. May I be so bold as to ask, Lord Peng, is there some important military matter you wish to discuss with us?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

Everyone here is a seasoned veteran of officialdom; who wouldn't understand the underlying meaning in those words?

Upon hearing this, Peng Jingrou's warm smile gradually faded, replaced by an extremely solemn expression.

He slowly put down the jade chopsticks in his hand, sighed deeply, and said:

"Zhang Lushi's question is excellent, and it has touched upon my heart. The reason I have invited you all here today is to discuss a matter of life and death concerning the entire city of Fengxiang, including its soldiers and civilians."

As he spoke, he stood up, put his hands behind his back, paced back and forth a couple of times in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present, and slowly began to speak:

"I'm sure you all know the current situation. The traitor Huang Chao has gathered a large following and his forces are overwhelming. He captured Luoyang, the eastern capital, in November, and then Tongguan, a natural stronghold, in December. The Emperor... the Emperor had no choice but to flee to Shu for a western hunt. Now, Huang Chao's army has occupied Chang'an and is sending envoys everywhere to persuade others to surrender. Many prefectures and counties in Guanzhong have surrendered at the mere sight of him."

He paused, his voice growing increasingly heavy:

"Now, in our city of Fengxiang, Lord Zheng is gravely ill, unable to speak or write, and military affairs have come to a standstill. The scattered imperial troops from various parts of Guanzhong have either fled to Sichuan or simply retired to their fields, making them extremely difficult to regroup. Meanwhile, Huang Chao's army could march westward at any moment, heading straight for Fengxiang. Gentlemen, given this precarious situation, what is the best course of action?"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

The officers and generals looked at each other, some with furrowed brows, some with their heads down and no words, and some looking around blankly.

After a long while, someone tentatively whispered:

"Perhaps... we should seek help from the Imperial Palace in Chengdu?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone loudly retorted:

"The imperial court? The emperor himself is barely able to protect himself. In his hasty westward flight, he abandoned even his officials. Where would he find reinforcements to send to rescue us?"

Someone else slammed their fist on the table and said:

"It's better to rely on ourselves than on others! In my opinion, we should reorganize our troops, defend Fengxiang to the death, and fight that Huang Chao traitor to the bitter end!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a cold laugh came from the corner:

"Defend to the death? What can we use to defend? We couldn't even hold Luoyang, the eastern capital, nor could we defend the natural barrier of Tongguan. Our small city of Fengxiang, with its few soldiers and generals, and its insufficient supplies, how many days can we hold out? I'm afraid that by then, we'll all perish, only increasing casualties!"

Everyone argued back and forth for a long time, each with their own reasons, and no one could come up with a solution that would convince everyone.

The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heavy, as if an invisible boulder was pressing down on everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe.

Just then, Zhang Yuanxian, the registrar, stepped forward again, bowed to the arguing crowd, and said loudly:

"Generals and colleagues, please calm down and listen to what I have to say. We have been discussing this for a long time, but we have been unable to reach a decision and have not been able to come up with a perfect solution. I would like to say one more thing: since Lord Peng has taken the initiative to bring up this matter, he must already have a plan in mind. Why not ask Lord Peng to explain it to us, so that we can all have a clear idea and not be like headless flies?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned their gaze to Peng Jingrou, who was standing at the head of the table.

Li Cenji sat at the end of the table, holding a wine cup in his hand, quietly watching the scene before him.

He knew perfectly well that Peng Jingrou and Zhang Yuanxian were putting on a show, one throwing out a brick while the other darts out a jade, clearly a pre-arranged charade.

First, let everyone discuss it amongst themselves until they reach a conclusion, then solemnly present Peng Jingrou's "brilliant plan." Only in this way can it be shown that his idea is what everyone wants and the only way out.

Not everyone present was a reckless brute; many had already noticed something amiss.

The reason no one pointed it out was twofold: firstly, due to Peng Jingrou's status as military supervisor, and secondly, because the two towns of Fengxiang and Longyou were indeed at a critical juncture of life and death.

If Peng Jingrou could come up with a way to survive, even if it was something less than honorable, it would be better than waiting to die.

Li Cenji brought the wine cup to his lips, took a small sip, and continued to observe coldly.

Seeing everyone staring at her expectantly, Peng Jingrou sighed heavily, a look of difficulty and helplessness on her face, and slowly said:

"I... I have been worrying day and night these past few days, and I have indeed come up with a plan that may provide a way out for you all, for the soldiers and civilians of this city. Moreover, this way out may not only save your lives, but it might even allow you to rise in rank and be promoted. However..."

He stopped talking after saying the word "only," his brows furrowed, and he shook his head repeatedly, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to.

Some of the more impatient garrison commanders, seeing Peng Jingrou's hesitant and stammering manner, grew anxious and could no longer contain themselves.

He immediately slapped his thigh, stood up, and said in a deep, gruff voice:

"Lord Peng! We're at the point of no return, what can't we say! To live is a blessing, let alone the prospect of promotion and advancement! As long as these two men of the town can be saved, I would gladly face any danger, even death!"

Other officers and soldiers echoed this sentiment:

"Zhao Yuhou is right! Lord Peng, please speak freely!"

"Yes, in this situation, we're lucky to even have a way to survive!"

"Peng Gong, please speak quickly, and we will certainly not blame you!"

Seeing everyone's reaction, Peng Jingrou sighed again, as if he had made a great decision, and said:

"Since you all say so, then I will be bold and speak frankly. However, I must make it clear beforehand that if my method is unpleasant to hear or contradicts what you all think, you cannot blame me."

The crowd shouted in unison:

"Don't blame me! Don't blame me! Lord Peng, please speak quickly!"

Li Cenji thought to himself:

"The show is finally about to begin."

Peng Jingrou took a deep breath, his expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:

"My idea is this: we should all surrender the city to the Great Qi and become vassals of Huang Chao."

As soon as he said that, the room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproar!

"What?!"

The officer surnamed Zhao suddenly jumped up, his tiger-like eyes wide open like copper bells, staring intently at Peng Jingrou.

Sun Chu, the chief clerk sitting in the civil service section, suddenly turned gloomy. The wine cup in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered, splashing wine onto the hem of his robe, but he didn't even notice.

Li Changfu was still young and wanted to slam his fist on the table, but his elder brother Li Changyan held him down firmly.

The remaining officers and soldiers erupted in chaos, as if a ladle of cold water had been poured into a pot of boiling oil.

Some slammed their fists on the table and stood up, their eyes wide with anger.

Some cursed under their breath, gritting their teeth.

Some were stunned, as if struck by lightning, unable to move.

"Surrender to Huang Chao? Submit to that salt merchant?!"

"Lord Peng! You...you want us to bear the name of traitors and be infamous for eternity?!"

"Absolutely not! My family has been blessed with imperial favor for generations, and our tradition of loyalty and virtue is passed down through generations. How can we stoop to serve a traitor!"

"Even if we die on the city walls, our bodies shattered to pieces, we cannot dishonor our ancestors!"

In an instant, chaos erupted in the hall, with shouts, questions, and lamentations all mingling together.

Peng Jingrou, however, remained calm and unmoved.

He simply stood there quietly, letting the crowd make their noise.

After a while, when everyone's emotions had calmed down and their voices had gradually subsided, he raised his hands and pressed them down lightly to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Gentlemen, please calm down and listen to what I have to say."

His voice was high-pitched, yet carried a unique sense of oppression born of accumulated power, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

Although the crowd was still indignant, they had no choice but to suppress their anger and gradually quiet down because of his status.

Peng Jingrou glanced around and slowly said:

"I know that the words 'surrender to the enemy' are easy to say but harsh to hear. All of you here are people of importance; who would want to bear such a stigma? But I must ask you all one question: why did we... surrender?"

He held up one finger and said earnestly:

"Firstly, it is not that we are disloyal, but that the Emperor abandoned us first. When the Emperor fled to Shu, the six armies followed him, leaving with such decisiveness. He abandoned Chang'an, forsaken the ancestral temples, and abandoned the entire court. When he left, did he utter a single word of decree instructing us, the officials left behind in Guanzhong, on how to conduct ourselves? Did he send a single soldier to support us? No! The Emperor only cared about his own life; how could he care about ours!"

Although this statement sounds somewhat outrageous, it is an undeniable fact.

Hearing this, everyone felt a pang of pain in their hearts. They were unwilling to admit it, but they were powerless to refute it, and they all lowered their heads.

Peng Jingrou then extended a second finger and said:

"Secondly, Lord Zheng is critically ill, unable to speak or write, leaving the city leaderless. Lord Zheng is a high-ranking official personally appointed by the Emperor, overseeing the two towns of Fengxiang and Longyou. He is the backbone and stabilizing force of this city. Now that he is bedridden and can barely get up, we are like a heap of loose sand, each acting independently. How can we possibly organize a proper defense to meet Huang Chao's hundreds of thousands of fierce and ruthless troops?"

As he spoke, his voice grew increasingly heavy, and he extended a third finger:

"Thirdly, the troops in the various towns of Guanzhong are already on the verge of collapse. Huang Chao's army, which boasts a million men, is coming in a mighty force, riding the wave of their recent capture of Chang'an. We, with only two towns, are besieged in this isolated city, which is no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Once the city falls, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Peng Jingrou paused, her gaze sharp as she swept across everyone's faces, and said, word by word:

"Gentlemen," I say, "I do not speak to embolden Huang Chao or diminish the prestige of our court. Every word I speak is the truth of the situation! In this predicament, if we do not adapt to the circumstances and submit to the Great Qi, we will all face certain death. Not only will we perish and our clans be wiped out, but tens of thousands of ordinary people in Fengxiang City will also perish with us! You are all surely familiar with Huang Chao's temperament; wherever his army goes, if there is resistance, he will massacre the entire city, leaving no one alive! Can you bear to watch these women, children, and the elderly perish and their blood stain the streets because of our momentary anger?!"