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Chapter 2553 Ruthless

Now, the outer city of the capital has been breached, and the emperor is sitting in the Golden Palace, lost in thought.

He hadn't slept for several days; his eyes were sunken, his face was sallow, and he was so thin he was just skin and bones.

The head eunuch beside him knelt on the ground, trembling all over, not daring to raise his head. "Your Majesty, the rebel army has entered the city. The outer city has fallen completely. Prime Minister Wei has died for his country, and Grand Tutor Li has also died in battle. There are only three thousand guards and a few hundred eunuchs left in the imperial city. What do you think we should do?"

The emperor remained silent, sitting blankly on the dragon throne, staring at the empty hall.

Previously, this place was filled with ministers, a dark mass of them, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Now there's no one left. Those who were supposed to run away have run away, those who were supposed to surrender have surrendered, and those who were supposed to die are dead.

He was the only emperor left, sitting on this cold dragon throne.

The emperor suddenly laughed, then burst into tears, like a madman, "My empire, my empire, is it all gone just like that? The empire built by my ancestors, destroyed in my hands?"

The chief eunuch knelt on the ground and kowtowed, his forehead thumping loudly: "Your Majesty, as long as we're alive, we can always rebuild. You should retreat first! Go out through the north gate and run north. Once we reach the Northern Frontier, we can make a comeback."

The emperor shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Run? Where can I run to? I am the emperor, and I will die in the palace."

Then he stood up, straightened his dragon robe, put his crown on properly, and stepped down from the dragon throne. He stood in the center of the hall, looked up at the caisson ceiling, and stared at it for a long time.

"Issue the decree: Imperial guards and eunuchs, hold the city and defend it to the death. I will stay here and not go anywhere."

The chief eunuch accepted the decree while crying and crawled out.

Although it is called the Imperial City, it is nothing compared to the outer city walls.

The walls of the imperial city were three zhang high, much shorter than those of the outer city, and thinner, so they could be blasted open with just a few cannon shots.

With three thousand guards and several hundred eunuchs, the total number is less than four thousand. They simply cannot defend such a large part of the imperial city.

But they still stayed.

The guards blocked the city gates, archers climbed the city walls, and eunuchs brought in logs and stones, and boiled hot oil and soup, preparing for a desperate fight.

Outside the imperial city, the rebel army had completely surrounded it.

An army of 150,000 surrounded the imperial city in several layers, so much so that not even a fly could escape.

He Jingyuan rode his horse and stood outside the imperial city, looking up at the red walls and yellow tiles, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He recalled the days when he followed Marquis Wu'an in his campaigns, never dreaming that one day he would stand here, outside this imperial city, ready to storm in.

In the past, they would only bow down and submit to slaughter, never considering the possibility of raising an army in rebellion.

……

Wei Qilin also arrived. He looked at the imperial city, his eyes reddening.

Sixteen years have passed. He and his family have been hiding for sixteen years, and today they have finally stood here.

Thinking of Marquis Wu'an, thinking of Meng Shuyuan, thinking of those brothers who were unjustly killed, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Su Ning rode his horse, but his face remained expressionless.

Because he felt nothing for this imperial city, nor for that emperor.

He only knew that out with the old, in with the new.

This imperial city, this imperial court, this emperor—all are doomed.

He Jingyuan turned to look at Su Ning and asked, "My lord, shall we proceed with the surrender?"

Suning said, "Attack directly! Leave no royal family members alive."

He Jingyuan was stunned for a moment: "Not a single one left?"

Suning nodded: "Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, leave no one alive."

He Jingyuan was silent for a moment, gritted his teeth, and waved his hand: "Send down the order to surround and attack from all sides, and launch a fierce assault on the imperial city. After you enter the imperial city, leave no one alive. Do not leave a single guard or eunuch alive."

Wei Qilin listened from the side without saying a word.

He knew Su Ning was right; the people in the capital were all the emperor's loyal followers, and keeping them around would only bring trouble.

But he still felt a little guilty.

Many of those eunuchs came from poor families and were forced into the palace.

But he also knew that there was no room for soft-heartedness on the battlefield.

Being soft-hearted is being cruel to your own people.

The war drums sounded.

The rebel army launched an attack from all four sides simultaneously.

The cannons roared, and the shells pounded the walls of the imperial city, creating hole after hole.

The walls of the imperial city were not thick to begin with, and a large section collapsed after just a few cannon shots.

The infantrymen, carrying ladders and shouting commands, charged forward.

The imperial guards fought desperately, archers fired arrows, and eunuchs threw down logs and stones, and poured hot oil and soup on them.

But there were too few of them; they couldn't hold them off at all.

The rebel army surged up like a tide, wave after wave, unstoppable.

In less than an hour, three of the four walls of the imperial city had been breached.

The rebels rushed in through the breach and killed anyone they saw.

The imperial guards fought desperately, but they were outnumbered and fell one after another.

The eunuchs were terrified and ran around in all directions. Some knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, but the rebels ignored them and killed them one by one.

He Jingyuan gave the order: "Leave no one alive, not even chickens or dogs." That meant leaving no one alive.

No one is an exception.

Su Ning rode his warhorse and entered the imperial city through the east gate.

Su Ning looked at the guards and eunuchs lying in pools of blood, his face expressionless.

This is war, and war is cruel.

Being kind to the enemy is cruel to yourself.

Wei Qilin followed behind, looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, and sighed.

I wanted to say something, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out.

……

Meanwhile, the arrest teams dispatched by He Jingyuan have been searching the entire city for imperial relatives and nobles.

The list was prepared in advance by Li Huai'an, clearly listing which family was a prince, which was a duke, which was a marquis, and which was a prince.

The arrest team, armed with the list, searched house to house, leaving no one unchecked.

The residence of the King of Wei was surrounded.

The King of Wei was the emperor's uncle. He was over sixty years old, and his hair and beard were completely white.

Hearing the commotion outside, he came out of the house and saw the courtyard full of soldiers. His legs went weak with fear. "You...you traitors! How dare you trespass on my residence?"

The leading officer sneered: "King Wei, by order of my lord, all members of the royal family are to be arrested without exception."

The King of Wei turned pale and pointed at the officers, cursing, "You traitors! The court will not let you get away with this!"

With a wave of his hand, the officers sent soldiers rushing forward, pinning the King of Wei to the ground and binding him tightly.

None of the King of Wei's concubines, sons, daughters, or grandsons escaped; they were all captured, strung together with ropes, and escorted out of the mansion.

The Duke of Zhao's mansion was also surrounded.

Duke Zhao was a veteran official of the court, serving three reigns. He had cultivated his influence in the court for decades, and his protégés and old friends were all over the country.

Upon hearing the news, he knew he couldn't escape, so he dressed neatly and sat in the lobby to wait.

The officer led his men in and was somewhat surprised to see the Duke of Zhao sitting there properly. "Duke of Zhao, come with us."

Duke Zhao stood up, straightened his clothes, and said calmly, "Let's go! I have been waiting for this day for a long time."

He neither resisted nor begged for mercy, and followed the soldiers out.

His family members were not so calm; some cried, some shouted, and it became a chaotic mess.

A young nobleman knelt on the ground, clinging to the officer's leg and crying, "Spare me! I don't know anything! I didn't do anything! Please, let me go!"

The officer kicked him away: "Enough nonsense! None of you royal relatives will escape. Take them away!"

The operation lasted all day.

……

From morning till night, the resistance in the imperial city was completely suppressed, and the imperial guards and eunuchs were wiped out.

The imperial relatives and nobles were also all arrested. Princes, dukes, marquises, earls, and hundreds of families, totaling thousands of people, were all imprisoned in makeshift jails.

In the Golden Palace, the emperor still sat on the dragon throne, looking utterly dejected.

He heard the shouts of battle outside getting closer and closer, and knew that the situation was hopeless.

All the eunuchs and guards around him had run away, leaving him all alone.

He sat on the dragon throne, holding the Imperial Seal of the State in his hand, looking at the magnificent palace, recalling the day he ascended the throne.

He was only a teenager at the time. Sitting on the dragon throne, watching the court officials shout "Long live the Emperor!", he felt both nervous and excited.

He thought he was the Son of Heaven, and that his empire would last forever and never fall.

Looking back now, it's really laughable.

The palace doors were pushed open, and several soldiers rushed in. They were stunned to see the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, then raised their swords and prepared to charge forward.

"Wait." Su Ning walked in from behind and stopped the soldier.

He walked up to the emperor and looked at the young man sitting on the dragon throne.

The emperor also looked at him, and the two stared at each other for a long time.

The emperor asked, "Are you Su Ning?"

Su Ning nodded: "Exactly."

The emperor gave a wry smile: "I've heard of you. You helped conquer Fengzhou and Mingzhou. You dug tunnels and blew up city walls, you besieged and attacked reinforcements, and you got the people to build temples for you. You are a capable man."

Suning remained silent.

The emperor then asked, "What do you intend to do with my imperial relatives?"

Su Ning said, "Not a single member of the Qi royal family will be spared."

The emperor's hand trembled, and the jade seal in his hand almost fell to the ground.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, tears were already streaming down his face. "I have a request for you."

"You said."

"My son is only three years old and doesn't understand anything. Can you spare him? Give him a way out and let him live as an ordinary person."

Su Ning was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No. If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring. Not a single member of the Qi royal family can be spared."

The emperor's face fell completely; he knew that nothing he said would make a difference.

He lowered his head, looked at the jade seal in his hand for a long time, then placed the jade seal on the dragon throne, stood up, straightened his dragon robe, and put on his crown properly.

"I am the emperor of the Great Yin Dynasty, and I will die with dignity."

He pulled a dagger from his sleeve, drew it out, and the blade gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

He stared at the dagger, his hand trembling, but in the end he gritted his teeth and plunged it into his heart.

Blood spurted out, splattering on the dragon throne, the imperial seal, and the floor tiles of the Golden Palace.

The emperor swayed and collapsed beside the dragon throne with a thud. His eyes were still open, staring at the caisson ceiling above him, his mouth slightly open as if he were trying to say something, but no sound came out.

Su Ning stared at the emperor's corpse for a while, then turned and walked out.

He Jingyuan stood outside the Golden Palace and saw Su Ning come out. "My lord, where is the emperor?"

Suning said, "He committed suicide."

He Jingyuan nodded without saying anything.

He walked into the Golden Palace, looked at the emperor lying in a pool of blood, at the blood-stained dragon throne, at the blood-red jade seal, and remained silent for a long time.

Wei Qilin also walked in. He looked at everything, his eyes reddened, but he didn't cry.

At this point, he also felt confused, unsure whether what he was doing was right or wrong.

"Brother He, what should we do with the remaining imperial relatives and nobles?" Wei Qilin asked.

He Jingyuan said, "My lord is right. We must eliminate them completely. Leave no one of the Qi imperial family alive. As for the nobles, investigate thoroughly. Those who followed Wei Yan in committing evil deeds should be killed. Those who did not commit evil deeds may be spared, but their property will be confiscated and they will be demoted to commoners."

Wei Qilin nodded and went out to relay the order.

……

That night, the capital was filled with the sound of weeping.

The imperial relatives were escorted to the execution ground, kneeling in rows on the ground, and were killed one by one with a knife, their heads rolling all over the ground.

Blood flowed like a river, staining the soil of the execution ground red.

The people hid in their houses, listening to the commotion outside. Some were afraid, some felt relieved, and some sighed.

Someone whispered, "The Qi family has been emperors for so many years, abusing their power and oppressing the people. Today they've finally gotten their comeuppance."

Someone chimed in, "That's right! Back then, Marquis Wu'an was wrongfully killed, and the entire Xie family was executed. Who spoke up for them? Today it's their turn. They deserve it."

Some people sighed, "But what did those children do wrong? Why kill three-year-olds?"

The person next to him glared at him: "What do you know? If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring. If you leave one, it'll be a source of trouble later. That's how war is; you can't be soft-hearted."

The killings at the execution ground lasted all night.

By daybreak, all of the thousands of members of the Qi royal family had perished under the sword.

He Jingyuan stood on the city wall of the palace, watching the sun rise from the east. The golden sunlight shone on the red walls and yellow tiles of the imperial city, making the entire city shine with a golden glow.

"Pass down the order: post the proclamation to reassure the people, and tell them that from today onwards, the world is at peace. All the previous exorbitant taxes and levies are abolished, and the poll tax is merged into the land tax, with only 10% tax to be levied from now on. People can continue farming or doing business as they please, and no one can bully them."

The generals responded in unison, "Yes!"

He Jingyuan added, "Furthermore, arrest all of Wei Yan's cronies; none of them should escape. Those who have followed Wei Yan in committing evil deeds over the years should not be allowed to escape."

"Yes!"

Once the order was passed down, the rebel army began a new round of arrests.

Wei Yan had cultivated his influence in the court for over a decade, and his protégés and former associates were scattered throughout the court and the countryside. This arrest affected hundreds of families. Some were beheaded, some were exiled, and some had their homes confiscated.

Wei Yan's power was uprooted overnight.

The people in the capital were initially afraid, but later they found that the rebels did not loot, kill, or burn, spoke politely, and even paid for their purchases, so they felt relieved.

Some people started going out on the streets, some started doing business, and some started visiting each other's homes.

The capital city came alive again; the streets were filled with the sounds of people, vendors, and children's laughter.

Su Ning stood at the palace gate, watching the streets gradually become lively.

Next up were the Prince of Changxin from Chongzhou and the Northern Jurchen Tartars...

...(End of this chapter)