The Qin family, after all, was not to be trifled with.
Lieutenant General Lu had probably already aroused Old Madam Qin's suspicion earlier, so he hadn't dared to move his family away. It wasn't until the day of battle that the Lu family fled north.
To the outside world, it was said they were returning to their ancestral home—the Lu family's ancestral home was in Linjiang Prefecture. Linjiang Prefecture was close to Qin Prefecture, and past Qin Prefecture was He Prefecture.
Lieutenant General Lu had planned it well. Once Old General Qin was dead, the Qin army would surely fall into chaos. As long as he and the Chao Kingdom army kept the entire Qin army trapped at Yanhe Canyon Ridge, his Lu family would be safe. But to be certain, the night before he departed, he still sent a letter home instructing his family to leave Hengyang. Once out of Hengyang, someone would meet them.
The Lu family wouldn't be heading toward the Chao Kingdom, so the Qin family likely wouldn't suspect a thing. Besides—because the journey was long, every three years at this time, the Lu family would return to their ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors. Departing in the eleventh month, they could reach Linjiang Prefecture before New Year's Eve.
Da Xia mostly conducted ancestor worship on four festivals: New Year's Eve, Qingming, Double Ninth, and Hungry Ghost Festival. Hengyang was accustomed to holding ancestor ceremonies on New Year's Eve and Qingming, and Linjiang Prefecture was the same. Everyone knew this. This year happened to be the third year. The Lu family departing now aroused no suspicion. This was exactly what Lieutenant General Lu had been waiting for.
[Qingming Festival (清明節): a spring festival (around April 4–6) when families visit ancestral graves to sweep tombs, offer food, and burn paper money to honor the dead.]
[Double Ninth Festival (重陽節): held on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month; people climb mountains, drink chrysanthemum wine, and honor the elderly, while also remembering ancestors.]
[Hungry Ghost Festival (中元節): held on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, when ghosts roam the earth and families honor ancestors and appease wandering spirits with offerings.]
But earlier, Old Madam Qin had already vaguely sensed something was off about him and secretly had people watching the Lu family. Now that the family was returning to their ancestral home, heading north, Old Madam Qin indeed hadn't suspected anything. But when she heard Qin San's report that the Lu family's second daughter-in-law was also going along, Old Madam Qin sensed something was wrong.
The Lu family's second daughter-in-law was close to giving birth...
This time, Lieutenant General Lu and his three sons had all gone to battle with the army—so Old Madam Qin immediately ordered Qin Hengyi to lead troops after them.
By then, Old General Qin had already led his troops out.
After Qin Hengyi's last collapse, when he woke up, his entire condition was even more off than before. So this time, Old General Qin hadn't let him join the battle.
The border between Da Xia and Chao Kingdom stretched over twenty li. The longer it was, the harder it was to defend. At that moment, Lieutenant Generals Lin and Feng had taken troops out on patrol. Old Madam Qin didn't feel at ease entrusting it to anyone else, so in the end she sent Qin Hengyi himself to lead the reinforcements.
By the time Qin Hengyi arrived, Old General Qin was already severely wounded, barely breathing, desperately protected by Qin Er and the others.
If Old Madam Qin hadn't brought it up beforehand, and if the only people in the tent when this was discussed were Old General Qin himself, Qin Hengxuan, Meng Ruqing, and the three lieutenant generals Lu, Lin, and Feng—just those few—then who could have leaked the information?
It couldn't have been the Qin family. So it could only be one of the three lieutenant generals.
Old General Qin immediately grew wary of Lieutenant General Lu and stayed on his guard. Years of battlefield experience had sharpened his instincts—the moment Lieutenant General Lu launched a sneak attack from behind, he keenly dodged aside. Otherwise, that spear would have struck him straight through the heart. Even so, he was still wounded—the spear had nearly pierced through his entire chest.
Qin Hengyi personally led troops to the rescue, and in the end, the Chao Kingdom army failed to keep Old General Qin there.
Knowing Lieutenant General Lu had defected, the Lu family was surely doomed.
Everyone connected to the Lu family by marriage or kinship was arrested. But the Lu family had already left Hengyang. No one knew where they were now. If they received news, they would likely go into hiding.
With the two kingdoms at war, the Qin family truly couldn't spare any extra manpower. So Qin Hengxuan sent official documents to several surrounding towns and cities, ordering strict inspections of all commoners entering and leaving the city.
Not a single member of the Lu family could be let go.
Fearing unrest among the people, the matter of Old General Qin's severe injuries could not be spread.
When Yan Shizheng learned that the man was indeed wounded but still unconscious, he let out a long breath of relief. At the same moment his legs nearly gave out beneath him, and the steward caught him just in time.
"Master, are you all right!"
"I'm fine." Yan Shizheng didn't dare delay. According to the letter, it had only been six days. Based on the travel distance, the Lu family had probably already left Shangyang. But all the Lu men over eighteen had gone to the battlefield; the rest were almost all the elderly, weak, women, and children. They might be slower on the road. He didn't dare delay. "Pass down my order..."
The Lu family had twenty-three members. Their portraits were posted throughout the city.
"What's going on?"
"Oh my, you still don't know? I heard Lieutenant General Lu defected."
"What? Really?"
Everyone was afraid they'd misheard, unable to believe it.
Though Lu Zhanqin's reputation didn't match Old General Qin's, he was still fairly well known.
The man had fought alongside Old General Qin on the battlefield, protecting Da Xia for decades. How could he possibly defect?
One man ground his teeth, eyes bloodshot: "The government has already ordered his arrest—how could it be fake? I heard our Old General Qin led troops into battle and got encircled by the Chao Kingdom army at Yanhe Canyon Ridge. Lieutenant General Lu leaked military intelligence, causing nearly two thousand casualties among the Qin family soldiers! Over two thousand people!"
The border was only six days' travel from Shangyang. Those with good information networks already knew what was happening at the front.
Though it was over two thousand wounded and dead combined, they heard the wounded had been burned beyond recognition. Their hair and clothes were completely burned away, they couldn't speak, and their bodies were burned to a pulp. It was impossible to tell who was who. Though they had been carried back, with injuries that severe, could they survive?
They didn't survive. Some died on the way. Some couldn't endure the pain and passed away in agony.
Over two thousand lives!!
But Lieutenant General Lu had fought alongside Old General Qin for years—why would he do this!
Some still refused to believe. But they had no choice. Once the news spread, the people of Hengyang were furious and in disbelief. They immediately rushed to the Lu residence, only to find its gates tightly shut. They shouted, but no one answered. The crowd smashed the gates and stormed inside, only to be stunned — the Lu family was gone, the house empty.
Lieutenant General Lu's defection was completely confirmed.
The crowd stood dazed for a moment before their rage erupted. The fire inside them burned so hot they felt they themselves might ignite. Eyes brimming with tears, they cursed the Lu family portraits with righteous fury.
The Lu family deserved to burn in hell, to be thrown into boiling oil—beasts!
Traitors and villains—report them and receive a reward. Never mind the silver; even without it, if these people saw them, they absolutely would not let them go.
Traitors — their crime was punishable by death. The common people were furious. If the Lu family ever dared show their faces again, they'd skin them alive and rip out their tendons.
No one asked why Lieutenant General Lu had defected, or what his reasons were. None of it was forgivable.
Over two thousand dead and wounded! Even the entire Lu family's lives couldn't make up for it.
The incident caused an instant uproar. The common people cursed without end, passing the word everywhere: hurry to the yamen and the city gates to "identify the people" — memorize the faces of those beasts of the Lu family. If you run into them in the future, just beat them up. If you can't win, shout for help.
After issuing his orders, Yan Shizheng had no heart to return to the banquet.
No comments:
Post a Comment