vrcanaries Chapter 242: Wang Quan’s End
Chapter 242: Wang Quan’s End
This was a comfortable and enjoyable journey. If we hadn't seen the tragic scenes of the villages that were burned, killed and looted by the Liao army when they retreated, we would have been in a very happy mood. Fortunately, after walking a few hundred miles south, we saw a peaceful and tranquil scene, and everyone's indignation was relieved and happy.
Siyu sighed, "For ordinary people, a little hardship and fatigue is nothing, as long as they can live a life without war and disasters! How great it would be if there were no wars in our Song Dynasty forever?"
Luo Li thought of the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty more than a hundred years later, when countless Han people were slaughtered by foreign butchers. The Southern Song Dynasty, which was in a corner, had a prosperous economy, the best in the world, but it was destroyed by the Mongolian cavalry in just over two hundred years. Seven out of ten of tens of millions of Han people were brutally massacred. The Yuan Dynasty almost destroyed the once brilliant Chinese civilization.
All of this is closely related to the policy of suppressing military power and promoting culture initiated by the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty.
"Peace is won by fighting." Luo Li blurted out this sentence with a heavy heart. She explained, "Even if the people of Song don't want war, as long as they live a prosperous life, won't the foreign rulers who live in poverty want to eat this piece of fat meat?"
"No!" Little Mengqian said firmly: "They are robbers at heart. They will bring people and weapons to rob."
Luo Li smiled. Such a young child could actually see through the essence of things.
: "Humans are intelligent primates, and they keep fighting for the survival and reproduction of their tribe. Meng Qian, Meng Xue, have you ever thought about what you want to do when you grow up?"
Meng Qian lowered his eyes shyly, "Originally, I wanted to join the army when I grew up and kill the Khitans to avenge my parents.
But Grandpa Ghost Hand wants us to be doctors when we grow up, and I...I have already promised him."
Ghost Hand Poison Doctor is interested in this pair of siblings and wants to take them as his disciples? Luo Li thought of this and asked with a smile, "It's not bad to be a famous doctor instead of a general. Can you let go of the matter of revenge for your parents?"
Meng Qian looked up at Luo Li, his eyes showing no hatred but only peace. "Princess, Grandpa Ghost Hand has taken my sister and I to personally kill four Khitan nobles, and my parents' revenge has been avenged."
"When did it happen?" Luo Li asked in surprise.
Hong Gu interrupted, "After picking them up in Yizhou, the Ghost Hand Poison Doctor took them out for a day and a night."
"Yes, we went to Zhuozhou City. Grandpa Ghost Hand took us to Zhuozhou City and asked us to kill four Khitan nobles with knives to avenge our parents." Meng Qian explained.
Little Mengxue looked up at Luo Li and said, "Princess, my hands were shaking when I held the knife. Grandpa Ghost Hand said, think about the tragic death of your parents. I... remembered the death of my mother and father, and my hands stopped shaking so much, and I stabbed the beast in the eye with the knife. I just... I had nightmares for a few nights, and in my dreams I used a knife to kill that evil ghost."
[What a sin! This cruel and cunning old man, Guishou, let such a young child kill someone with his own hands. His heart is really hard.]
Luo Li secretly complained about the old disciple's cruelty and cunningness. Looking at the state of the two children in front of her, she was not frightened by the bloody hands. Instead, she felt a sense of peace after her parents' revenge. This is probably what the ghost hand wants! ………
Wang Quan knelt on the ground trembling with fear, not daring to raise his head. He and Pan Mei had tried their best to push the King of Qin into the dangerous fire pit, but he relied on his strength to remain unscathed, and even used his elusive "guerrilla warfare" to repeatedly inflict damage on the enemy behind enemy lines. This can't be blamed on me!
The mission of killing the King of Qin was not completed. He had thought that after returning to the capital, he could be promoted one or two levels in official rank even if he had no merit but for his hard work. However, after meeting the emperor with high hopes, he angered the emperor instead.
The emperor's voice was filled with anger. "Wang Quan, I trusted you and gave you the important task of supervising the army. How could you be such a bastard!"
These words were too harsh. The emperor, the supreme ruler, actually cursed. Wang Quan was so frightened that his whole body trembled. He felt the urge to urinate in his lower abdomen. He barely held back the dripping in his crotch, but he still didn't know where he was. He kowtowed and confessed his guilt: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die!"
"Although Yang Ye was a surrendered general of the Later Han Dynasty, he has always been loyal to me. You actually dared to plot and almost killed him, causing me to almost lose a loyal and capable general.
Wang Quan, don't you have a brain? At that time, the Liao army was in high spirits and our army was in decline. If you killed Yang Ye and Huoshan Army who were able to fight, how dangerous would the situation on the front line be?
Wang Quan, you actually dared to harm Yang Ye and the Huoshan Army at such a critical moment, you really deserve to die!"
Wang Jie'en secretly complained, "If our army had not been in a critical situation due to the disadvantageous battle, Wang Quan would not have died if Yang Ye had been tricked to death. If Wang Quan had tricked the King of Qin, he would not have died."
Wang Quan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the emperor was angry and spoke harshly, Yang Ye was still alive, so his head should be safe. He could forget about promotion or reward. If things went wrong, he would be demoted and have his salary fined.
"Your Majesty, I know my crime! The strategy I and Marshal Pan came up with was inappropriate. We shouldn't have let General Yang Ye lead only 3,000 Huoshan troops to take the initiative to fight the main force of the enemy.
I should not have led 10,000 elite cavalry and 3,000 archers to ambush at the entrance of Chenjia Valley, mistakenly believing that Yang Ye's Volcano Army had been wiped out. I wanted to preserve the strength for the Song Dynasty, so I led more than 13,000 elite soldiers and retreated without meeting Yang Ye.
Your Majesty, I know my crime and am willing to be punished."
Pan Mei next to him was almost angry to death!
It was you who came up with the idea of forcing Yang Ye to lead 3,000 Huoshan troops to attack the main force of the Liao army. I just had some small thoughts and did not speak up to stop it. How did it become the strategy we decided on?
It was you who took the initiative to lead 10,000 elite cavalry and 3,000 archers to Chenjia Valley to support Yang Ye. You ran away early because you were afraid of death. How dare you say that you wanted to preserve the strength of the Song Dynasty?
What a black-hearted and shameless villain!
Pan Mei spoke calmly and pleaded for Wang Jianjun: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I will report the details to you before you punish Wang Jianjun.
General Wang always boasted that he was well-versed in military books and that his talent was comparable to that of Zhuge Liang. The idea of sending Yang Ye with 3,000 Huoshan soldiers to take the initiative to attack the Liao army's main force of more than 40,000 was a brilliant plan he came up with after thinking hard all night.
Although I felt it was a bit risky, Yang Ye agreed, and proposed that after his defeat, we should lure the enemy to Lianglang Mountain, where the terrain was suitable for ambush. Our elite cavalry and archers would ambush at the entrance of Chenjia Valley, support the Huoshan Army, and ambush the main force of the Liao Army.
I also feel that as long as this battle is carried out according to plan, we will be able to turn defeat into victory and reverse the situation caused by our army's ineffectiveness.
General Wang volunteered to lead 10,000 elite cavalry and 3,000 archers to ambush in Chenjia Valley to support the Volcano Army in ambush the main force of the enemy.
However, General Wang only stayed in Chenjia Valley for half a day before he guessed that the Huoshan Army had been wiped out and retreated with his troops.
Wang Jianjun was also kind-hearted in order to save the lives of his soldiers. He loved his soldiers like his own sons. However, Yang Ye and the soldiers of the Huoshan Army were a little disappointed and hated Wang Jianjun. Yang Ye was so angry that he punched Wang Jianjun a few times to vent his anger on behalf of the soldiers who died unjustly.
Your Majesty, I dare not lie or conceal the details of this matter. Please judge clearly. "
Pan Mei's words were ostensibly a plea for mercy, but in reality they were an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility. He also sued Wang Quan, which made Wang Quan angry and resentful. However, he did not dare to fight back, as Pan Mei, a powerful man, was the father-in-law of the Third Prince and a member of the royal family.
The Privy Councilor Chu Zhaofu was already staring at Wang Quan angrily with fire in his eyes! If this kind of talentless and shameless villain, who is greedy for life and afraid of death, is entrusted with the important task of supervising the army next time, how many lives of the Song Dynasty soldiers will be killed on the battlefield?
"Your Majesty! Wang Quan was afraid of death and fled from the battlefield, harming his allies. His crime is unforgivable! I ask Your Majesty to sentence him to death, so as not to discourage the soldiers who are fighting on the front lines."
Cao Bin, the commander of the Eastern Army, and Gao Huaide, the deputy commander, who had lost the battle at Qigou Pass due to a mistake in command, had not dared to speak. At this moment, they also echoed in indignation: "I beg the emperor to sentence Wang Quan to death!"
Wang Quan was shocked! Death penalty? Damn, you military officers are going to rebel? I am a civilian official. Although I made some mistakes as a military supervisor on the battlefield, I will be demoted at most. You crude soldiers actually want to kill me?
"Your Majesty, although I have made inappropriate command, my crime is not punishable by death! Taizu left a will that the empire should be ruled together with the literati, and Your Majesty has shown great care and favor towards civil officials. I am a Jinshi from the two imperial examinations, not a military commander, so please show mercy, Your Majesty."
Wang Quan got anxious and blurted out what was in his heart. In the Song Dynasty, civil officials cannot be put to death for committing crimes, only military generals will be put to death for making mistakes.
The emperor was so angry that his face turned blue. He picked up the inkstone beside him and threw it at him, "Pass on my decree. Take Wang Quan to the Ministry of Justice and execute him in three days!"
Wang Quan was so frightened that he peed his pants. He kowtowed desperately and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please spare my life!... Your Majesty, please have mercy. I know my crime. Please spare my life!"
Wang Quan was dragged out by the guards, kicking his legs desperately and crying for the emperor to spare his life. His body was soaked with water and the smell of urine was everywhere...
The emperor glanced at Pan Mei coldly, and Pan Mei shuddered in his heart.
"Pan Mei, as the commander-in-chief, made a mistake by not paying enough attention, which disappointed me. I will fine him one year's salary."
Pan Mei heaved a long sigh of relief, knelt down and apologized. "I know my crime, thank you for your grace."