Chapter 61: The Fall of the Capital

Chapter 61: The Fall of the Capital
When Li Qi entered the main camp of the Imperial Guards, he saw hundreds of Imperial Guards soldiers kneeling before the battle flag. Only Jiang Shouren stood beneath the flag, looking up at the Imperial Guards battle flag.
The kneeling individuals include all the Feather Forest Army generals who have not died in battle, as well as the personal guards of the generals.
Hearing footsteps, Jiang Shouren turned around and looked at the young Li Qi, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Who are you?"
Li Qi withdrew his gaze and bowed to Jiang Shouren.
"Li Qi from the Li family of Tieshan, greets General."
"The Li family of Tieshan? The second son of Li Hu?" Jiang Shouren recalled, although Li Hu had left the capital, news of the Li family of Tieshan still attracted attention, after all, they were the main force of a border army battle group and had a great reputation in the southern frontier."
"Indeed." Li Qi looked at Jiang Shouren and respectfully replied.
"Young hero, remarkable." Jiang Shouren praised.
"General, you flatter me."
"The Imperial Guards have never had a surrendering general. I will go with them later. If it's not too much trouble, please bury me with them." Jiang Shouren said calmly.
Li Qi remained silent for a moment and replied, "Okay!"
Jiang Shouren silently took off his helmet, stroking the golden feathers on top, and sighed, "The Imperial Guards have been established for hundreds of years and have fought in tens of thousands of battles. Now, because of me, this junior, they are humiliated!"
Slowly shedding his armor, Jiang Shouren unsheathed his long sword and knelt down on one knee beneath the banner of the Imperial Guards.
"In my next life, I vow to rejoin the Imperial Guards and cleanse the shame I brought upon them with my own blood."
Quietly making a vow, Jiang Shouren stabbed himself in the heart with his long sword and looked up at the fluttering battle flag, silently chanting "Yulin!".
Li Qi, Wu Shilun, and other generals silently watched as Jiang Shouren took his own life, filled with deep emotion in their hearts.
The Yulin Army, as a powerful force of the Great Xia, has achieved great military feats over the years, but its reputation has been ruined due to General Jiang's selfish motives.
"General Jiang deserves to die!" Wu Shilun couldn't help but curse.
"Damn it, so let us be the ones to send him on his way!" Li Qi withdrew his implement and said loudly.
"Collect their bones, find a hilltop to bury them, bring the banners of the Feather Army, and tell the soldiers of the Feather Army that I will take them to cleanse their shame. Those who are willing, we will incorporate them all into the Feather Battle Group."
The soldiers carefully collected the bodies of the officers and soldiers of the Feathered Guard, and Li Qi looked at the battle flag of the Feathered Guard, his thoughts surging.
Is this Feathered Guard a good force? It's hard to say.
They betrayed their lord and started a rebellion, causing the entire country to fall into crisis.
If they hadn't joined the rebels, the noble families wouldn't have dared to act. Although the rebel force was large, very large, the Imperial Guards remained steadfast, and the Great Xia Dynasty would not have descended into chaos.
The rebels need time to gather and their fighting power is not strong. The 120,000 Yulin Army can clear them one by one. Therefore, the noble families did not dare to act before General Jiang made a statement.
But when General Jiang chose to stand with half of the Yulin Army on the side of the noble families, they gained the confidence to start the rebellion.
Is the Imperial Guards Corps a failure? It's hard to say.
This is how this era is. They were promoted by General Jiang. Many of them come from civilian backgrounds and owe their positions to the support of the Jiang family. Therefore, when General Jiang ordered, most of them could only comply. But for the glory of the Imperial Guards Corps and for the survival of more soldiers, they chose to sacrifice themselves, after all, it was just a civil war.
"Let it be, let future generations judge the right and wrong." Li Qi sighed, withdrew his gaze, and looked at Wu Shilun beside him.
Wu Shilun was looking up at the sky, lost in his thoughts.
"Shilun, what do you think of this battle?" Li Qi asked.
Wu Shilun turned his head to look at Li Qi, a smile formed at the corners of his mouth, and respectfully replied, "Congratulations, Lord, for gaining fame in the military. One strategy defeated ten thousand soldiers!" Ding Shixuan on the side also smiled as he looked at Li Qi.
Li Qi was startled and looked around at the bodies of the soldiers. They were all ordinary soldiers. These soldiers occasionally looked at him, and when they saw him looking at them, there was a sense of recognition.
Li Qi couldn't help but lower his head and bitter smile, originally thinking that he had calculated Wu Shilun, but he didn't expect that it was Wu Shilun and Ding Shixuan who teamed up to calculate himself.
In the past, in the military, subordinates naturally respected oneself, but in the warfare of the state, one's reputation is not prominent.
But after this battle, ordinary soldiers also knew their own names and had a sense of self-identity.
"You guys! You haven't given up yet," Li Qi smiled bitterly.
"Da Xia is in turmoil, with corrupt officials and powerful families constantly annexing land. Our lord is also traveling through the Nine Provinces of Da Xia, knowing the suffering of the people in this world. It's time for a change, heaven must change."
Nowadays, there is turmoil in the noble families, and Dalí is eyeing their opportunity. It is said that Beiliang is also eager to move. It is a perfect opportunity given by the heavens.
If Lord continues to hesitate, waiting for Dalí to march north and Beiliang to advance east, the suffering of the people will only increase. Please make a decision early, Lord," Ding Shixuan stepped forward to advise.
"Let me think about it again!" Li Qi sighed.
On the fourth of August, with the persuasion of Wu Shilun, twenty-seven thousand soldiers from the Imperial Forest Army joined Li Qi's command. Li Qi selected more than twelve thousand as subordinates and supplemented them with officers from other brigades, forming five combat units.
The next day, a hundred thousand troops marched southwards, and the state armies along the way surrendered at the sight of them. Even the main camp of the Ge family in Jinzhou City fell under the fierce attack of the Imperial Guard's battle formation and was captured within a day. All the members of the Ge family were beheaded.
August 20th, less than seven days away from Tianzhou, the news of the disaster arrived.
August 15th, the northern capital was captured.
August 7th, the three thousand city guards stationed at the south gate suddenly rebelled when the rebels attacked the city. At this time, the Feather Forest Army, which had been fighting for several days, was resting outside the city. Over 100,000 rebels rushed into the city, along with 100,000 city guards and 20,000 Feather Forest Army soldiers. 10,000 Feather Forest Army soldiers who were sleeping were surrounded and all died after three days of fierce fighting.
The remaining garrison of the other three sides of the city wall was surrounded and cut off, and the remaining 30,000 Imperial Guards fought desperately to gather together and retreated into the imperial city. The rest of the soldiers and horses were all annihilated or surrendered. The Chancellor's Office and the Ministry of Defense were massacred.
Li Long's three children were taken away in advance by family members, and their whereabouts are unknown. Li Biao and his first wife Jiang sacrificed themselves generously.
Wu Chang'an happened to be discussing matters in the palace and escaped the disaster. Prime Minister Wu Xi committed suicide, and the Wu family perished.

On August 12th, Grand Eunuch Li Jin opened the city gate with 2,000 Imperial Guards, and the Imperial City was breached.
On August 15th, Li Long and Wu Changan led the remaining 30,000 troops, fought their way out, and escorted the Empress out of the city, but all 30,000 troops perished. The whereabouts of the Empress, Li Long, and Wu Changan are unknown.

Looking at the letter in his hand, Li Qi felt a mix of emotions.
Li Biao is his grandfather, and Jiang Shi is his grandmother. Both of them were killed by the rebels, but Li Qi had never seen them since he was born. Last time he went to the capital city, he wanted to go and visit them, but after much hesitation, he decided not to. However, he never expected that he wouldn't even have the chance to meet them.
Li Long is my eldest uncle, but now his whereabouts are unknown, and I also have no idea where my three cousins are.
Quietly placing the letter down, Li Qi asked, "How far has the army from Huanzhou advanced?"
"The eldest son has left fifty thousand troops to block Xuzhou, while leading sixty thousand troops to capture the last county of Xuzhou. They are currently resting and awaiting orders on the border of Tianzhou. It is only three days' journey from the capital city." replied Ding Shixuan.
"Order the army to immediately set off and arrive at the North Guard City within twenty-five days. Send a message to the eldest brother, asking him to meet me at the North Guard City on the twenty-fifth day." Li Qi felt very restless and a strong desire to destroy emerged from the bottom of his heart.
Ding Shixuan and Wu Shilun looked at each other and silently withdrew.
Li Qi stared at the map on the table, but his gaze was unfocused. After a while, Li Qi spoke and said, "Li Ao, find me a set of linen clothes."
Li Ao responded with a nod and silently walked out of the tent. Ding Shixuan, who had been waiting outside the tent, handed him the ready-made linen clothes and white cloth. At this point, the soldiers' arms had already been tied with white cloth strips.
Li Juesheng's eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent.
Unlike Li Qi, who spent two years in the capital, Li Juesheng often stayed at the Li Mansion. His grandparents treated him extremely well and told him many things he didn't know.
After Li Long returned from the Yunxiao Corridor, his temperament changed greatly. He had constant conflicts with his previously beloved younger brother. In order to avoid conflicts, Li Biao had no choice but to let Li Hu separate and arranged for him to serve in the distant Iron Mountain away from the capital.
Originally it was a kind act, but young Li Hu cut off contact with the Li family from then on, except for his connection with Jiang Shi, and did not return home for more than ten years.
Li Jue cannot interfere in the elders' affairs, but the two elderly people's love for themselves is genuine. Perhaps to make up for it, the two elderly people treat themselves better than the other three grandchildren who have always been with them, and they can even be said to be always ready to help.
After two years of getting along, the relationship between Li Jue and the two elderly people was very deep. Now, the grandparents have been killed by the rebels, and Li Jue is eager to rush to the capital and kill all the rebels immediately.
However, there are still over 200,000 rebels, and I have only 60,000 troops in my hands, so I am really not confident.
Fortunately, Li Qi's letter has arrived, and the 100,000 troops led by Li Qi are about to arrive in the capital. When the two armies meet, we will have a total of 160,000 troops, which is enough to deal with the remaining 200,000 rebels.
On August 23rd, the Li Jue army temporarily stayed in Fenghua County, and they would be able to reach the capital in two days. Li Jue needed to slow down the pace and let the army rest.
"General, there is someone outside the camp who wishes to see you. They claim to be an old acquaintance from the capital," the voice of a soldier outside the door came in.
"Who is this old friend? Did he mention his name?" Li Jue has made some friends during his two years in Beijing.
"No, but he gave me a token and said the General would recognize it at a glance," the soldier reported back.
"Bring it in," Li Jue said wearily, in a low voice.
The personal guard walked into the tent and handed over what he was holding.
It was a jade pendant, not very exquisite, but Li Jue remembered it vividly - it was the one he personally gave her.
That year, when Li Jue just arrived in the capital city, he was taking a break and strolling around the city. The two of them coincidentally met by the lake.
She was wearing a veil and had a sadness in her eyes. Somehow, Li Jue approached her and struck up a conversation.
The girl was probably bored, so she chatted with him and they got along well. They planned to meet again.
Later, they kept seeing each other, but it wasn't exactly meeting because she never took off her veil, and he didn't even know her name. However, it didn't stop them from getting along.

One day, Li Jue gathered up her courage and gave her the jade pendant she always carried with her.
That day, she seemed conflicted, but in the end she accepted the jade pendant. However, since that day, I have never seen her again.

She drove herself crazy searching for her, even begging her grandfather, but she still couldn't find her. She seemed to have evaporated from the world, leaving no trace of her existence.
From then on, Li Jue never had any contact with any woman again.
Today, this jade pendant appears in front of me again.
"Seven years have passed, things have changed, is it really you?"
(End of this chapter)