Chapter 1045: Abandoning the Capital to Protect the North

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

The Liang resistance army was too caught off guard. Due to the Marquis of Yongle’s rebellion, Thief Liang did not suffer too many losses in this battle.

They even obtained a batch of good weapons and equipment, as well as a large amount of rations.

Thief Liang had struck while the iron was hot and attacked Henan. It could be said that he had caught the Imperial Court off guard. If the Imperial Court reacted again, they had already missed a good opportunity to resist. Yu Zongshen closed his eyes and said weakly, “Escape south!”

He said the last two words with extraordinary difficulty.

The King of Dongning was not a good person. There would definitely be the flames of war in the East Sea again. Currently, the only area that no one dared to touch for the time being was the Jiangnan area, which was under Ye Hanyuan’s control.

Jiangnan was rich in resources. Only by escaping to the Jiangnan area could the refugees survive.

Elder Yu sighed softly. “It’s still too early to say that. The 200,000 troops under Duke Duan are guarding the Rehe area. We can’t surrender without a fight. Right now, the hearts of the people in the court are wavering. Rest well…

Yu Zongshen coughed a few more times. Every time he coughed, his saliva contained traces of blood. “Since Henan has been lost, how can Hebei be preserved? Get— Get the Marquis of Zhenguo to command the capital’s camp. Surround— Surround those aristocratic families in the capital and confiscate 70% of their wealth. Then, send— send them to the North. We’ll abandon the capital to protect the north.”

Elder Yu was shocked. “How can you have such thoughts? Do you know that you’ll be infamous for doing this?”

“Death is like a lamp going out. When I die, 1 won’t know how my descendants will scold me. Why should I care?”

Yu Zongshen chuckled. Unlike usual, he seemed to be wearing a mask. This smile revealed a hint of arrogance and carefreeness, making him look extremely real.

Elder Yu did not agree. “Do you have the intention to die? You’re still so young. Imperial Physician Hu also said that your illness is anxiety. If you can relax, your body might be able to recover. It’s been so many years. Why do you have to suffer?”

As early as after Old Madam Yu t s death, there was a problem with Yu Zongshen’s health. At first, no one in the clan knew about it. When they discovered it, his condition became even more serious.

After helping out and returning to the court, everything was complicated and tiring. His condition worsened.

Yu Zongshen said calmly, “I’ve also thought about letting go, but no one gave me this chance.’

In the past, he had also been a high-spirited young man. He had gone south alone, lifted the sea ban, benefited the people, and met a delicate woman. He had dreamed of making contributions and asking the emperor for an imperial edict to welcome her into the family gloriously. From this, they would grow old together and never leave each other.

However, fate made a fool of him. The girl he had been looking for became his eldest sister-in-law.

He hated and resented the situation, but he did not know who to hate or blame.

His heart was crushed.

He had thought that Madam Xie was such a good woman. After marrying his eldest brother, the couple would definitely be able to treat each other respectfully and be loving as husband and wife. As long as Xie Roujia lived well, he should be able to let go of it and try to accept the good wife his mother had chosen for him. Even if they couldn’t be loving for the rest of their lives, they would at least be respectful to each other.

However, he watched helplessly as someone he couldn’t get what he wanted was mocked, treated coldly, despised, and even betrayed by his eldest brother. In the end, she ended up with a poor life.

He hated it!

He also wanted to let it go and dismiss it from his mind.

However, no one had given him this chance.

He also wanted to accept Madam Yao, but every time he looked at her, she would put on the airs of a scholarly woman and pretend to be gentle and polite. She kept saying that she was at odds with Xie Roujia, comparing and pitting herself against her. In other words, she looked down on the Xie family’s merchant background to show how n.o.ble she was.

This point happened to hit a sore spot.

If it weren’t for his mother’s prejudice, how could Xie Roujia have become his eldest sister-in-law?

He was heartbroken and disappointed.

His mother had crushed his heart and made him unable to get her. The “good wife” she had found for him was nothing much. She was not even half as bright and beautiful as Xie Roujia.

He had seen such an open, bright, and lively woman. Was there anyone else in this world who caught his eye?

NO!

He was carrying the hope of his widowed mother mixed with blood and tears. He was carrying the heavy responsibility of his father’s prosperity when his father was on his deathbed. He was carrying the honor and decline of his family, which had been pa.s.sed down for hundreds of years. He had lived his life for responsibility. Xie Roujia was the only reckless thought in his life.

This was because Xie Roujia was his light!

His heart faced the sun.

She was bright and beautiful.

If he lost the light.

He would descend to h.e.l.l.

It was fine even if he died.

If there was a next life, he would definitely have to guard beside the Bridge of Helplessness and wait for the delicate girl he had been longing for his entire life. If she did not come for a lifetime, he would wait for a second life. If she did not come for a second life, he would wait for another lifetime…

It seemed that he would be able to wait for a long time.

The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

At this point, there was no need to mention the past. Elder Yu finally sighed.

“It’s a serious matter to abandon the capital to protect the north. You have to consider it carefully.”

Yu Zongshen’s expression was calm. “Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety can’t be mixed. Duke Zhonglie killed the king and welcomed the new emperor for the sake of the people. However, he failed to uphold his loyalty and righteousness. He stabbed himself to death and used the lives of his family to fulfill his loyalty. Now, I’ll walk the path he’s once walked again. I’ll abandon the capital to protect the north and for the descendants of China.”

Elder Yu did not say anything else. It was also the truth that there were not enough troops in the capital. The Marquis of Yongle’s rebellion had given the Imperial Court a fatal blow. The Imperial Court had lost all its dignity, the morale of the army had been greatly damaged, and the hearts of the people had been lost.

Thief Liang obtained a large number of troops and military supplies from the Liang army. They replaced the old with the new. They were no longer the same as before. Now that they were striking while the iron was hot, they would definitely lose Henan.

This battle would also become clear.

There were less than 300,000 people in Rehe and the capital. Meanwhile, the more Thief Liang fought, the more people they would gain. It was probably only a matter of time before they captured Rehe and invaded the capital.

At that time, the first thing that Thief Liang would do was to target the aristocratic families in the capital. If the aristocrat families were sensible, they could still save their lives if they handed over their wealth. If they were not sensible, Thief Liang could send troops to surround the residence and raid the aristocratic families’ acc.u.mulated wealth.

Thief Liang was still the one who benefitted.

If they searched the houses of the aristocratic families now and sent money and supplies to the North, they could at least cheer on King Yue Fei to stop the cavalry of the Northern Barbarians and protect the Han people’s territory.

Elder Yu said, “It’s appropriate to hand this matter over to the Marquis of Zhenguo. Their family has followed Emperor Gaozu since their ancestors were born. They’re a family that has contributed greatly to the country. They’ve been cherished by the Imperial Court for generations and have received the emperor’s grace. Theyre loyal to the Imperial Court. Once Thief Liang enters the capital, they have to start with old n.o.bles like them.”

Most of the n.o.bles who were t.i.tled Zhenguo, Weiguo, Anguo, Ningguo, and so on were families whose ancestors had contributed greatly. Their descendants were demoted, but the Imperial Court was still grateful for their ancestors’ contributions, so they did not change their names and conferred t.i.tles to them. As long as they did not court death, the previous emperors treated them very well.

In the face of a country’s calamity, they had to live and die with the emperor. Only then could they be loyal for generations. If they changed their sects and joined another sect, they would not be placed in an important position by the new emperor. Their generations would suffer infamy. Even if they joined another sect, they might not be able to save their lives.

There was no choice..