Chapter 297: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 297: I Will Not Go Back on My Word
“These sixty thousand prisoners of war were taken by me from the Battle of Bian River. They are captives under my command — neither you nor General Li Xian have any authority to dispose of them.”
As the faces of He Shan and the others stiffened, that voice continued, each word resolute:
“If anyone wishes to take them away, then go to the Holy Emperor and request an imperial decree. Once I see the decree, I will naturally not stand in the way.”
Request an imperial decree from the Holy Emperor?
The two Luoyang officials’ expressions changed.
Let alone the floods cutting off the roads — even if they sent a messenger to the capital immediately, it would take at least ten days for a round trip. By then, the rain might have already stopped, the damage already done, and no matter how many prisoners they slaughtered afterward, it would all be meaningless.
Besides, how could the Holy Emperor ever issue such an edict?
Though it was the killing of captives, to sacrifice living men to the heavens would surely draw condemnation. In their desperation, such a measure could be excused, but if the Holy Emperor openly decreed it, would that not hand her enemies a perfect weapon for slander?
An emperor must win hearts and avoid reproach. Many things cannot be said aloud, many deeds cannot bear her name — they must be done through the hands of her ministers.
Only madmen would request such a decree; and only a mad sovereign would grant it.
Thinking of the destroyed Fengxian Palace and the rumors that had spread like wildfire against the Holy Emperor, one of the Luoyang officials clenched his jaw.
Only by shifting the blame for this flood onto these prisoners could they silence the whispers against the Holy Emperor completely.
They were only prisoners — what harm in killing them?
Had not this Ningyuan General slain countless enemies on the battlefield?
So was she truly seeking to protect these meaningless captives, or was she, young and arrogant from recent victories, flaunting her power before them?
To their minds, it was clearly the latter.
Such martial generals who rose through battle were all the same — once exalted, they grew arrogant, overbearing, impossible to reason with.
Facing her outrageous demand for an imperial edict, He Shan’s voice tightened.
“General Ningyuan, do you not understand the gravity of this matter?”
“You—what gutter weed are you that dares to question my General’s judgment?”
Jiang Cai rode forward two steps to stand beside Chang Suining, her brows arched sharply.
“When my General risked her life at Bian River, where were you? Hiding in some corner of Luoyang? My General was the greatest hero of that battle! Who are you, nameless pawn, to bark before her?”
Jiang Cai’s thinking was simple — since she wore armor, her General’s merit was her greatest weapon.
He Shan’s face darkened. The Luoyang official beside him, unable to bear her insolence, jabbed a finger toward Jiang Cai.
“Where did this ignorant shrew come from?”
Jiang Cai sneered.
“Ignorant? You high lords know everything, don’t you? You even knew that before this rain became a flood, my General had already ordered us to ride through the night to Luoyang to warn you! But you ignored it — and because of that, the Fengxian Palace was destroyed the moment the waters came!”
“You refused to bear responsibility, so now you would shift the blame onto these captives — use their lives to patch your own hole! What kind of governors are you? Even the King of Hell would yield his throne for you lot!”
She might not have understood the deeper political struggles among the Luoyang clans, but her words struck truer and cut deeper for it.
“Utter nonsense!”
The officials nearly trembled with rage. At last, pretending lofty restraint, they turned to Chang Suining instead.
“Does General Ningyuan permit her woman soldier to spew such insolence? Or does her tongue speak the General’s own mind?” one asked sternly, his tone thick with official authority, as if to remind her of her place.
Yet the weight of his presence seemed to vanish before the girl on horseback, as though it could not reach her at all.
Chang Suining looked at him coolly and said,
“She is no ignorant woman. She is a soldier under my command — a soldier of merit.”
“I believe I have made myself very clear. The army has its own laws. Such reckless slaughter of captives for sacrifice — without an imperial decree, I will not permit it.”
Her gaze swept over the men behind them.
“And if you think to take them by other means, you are welcome to try.”
No sooner had her words fallen than He Wuhu and the others at her back drew their blades, radiating the wild menace of men who had lived and killed too long in battle.
The soldiers around her readied themselves instantly — the air grew taut, one spark away from violence.
The two officials instinctively stepped back, their faces paling.
“Do you wish to try?” the girl on horseback asked lightly — and smiled.
“Is it not said that nothing in this world is difficult, if one has the will?”
That smile sent a chill down their spines.
If one has the will… one might also have no life left to see it through!
They were not fools — no one would walk into a blade willingly.
One official stopped He Shan, who was still seething, and said coldly,
“Since General Ningyuan refuses us this courtesy, we shall take our leave for now.”
With that, they turned their horses and left.
Once out of Chang Suining’s sight, He Shan’s face darkened.
“How are we to answer to the Grand General now?”
“Could you not see?” the other official sneered. “That girl is reckless and insolent. If we truly fought her, who knows what might happen—”
“…” He Shan looked down at the arrow still lodged in his arm. What did they mean ‘if she acted’? She already had!
She dared to wound him — and dared to demand that his General seek an imperial edict from the Holy Emperor herself!
Truly, a few victories had gone straight to her head…
By defying him, she had also indirectly defied the Holy One. Such arrogance — let us see how long she remains in favor!
“Do not stoop to her level, General He,” said the calmer of the two. “Your wound comes first. After all, she is not truly in command. The one who holds real authority in this army is still Xiao Min.”
That reminder made He Shan’s eyes flicker.
Indeed — the girl was not worth his time. Xiao Min, however, should know better.
He immediately ordered his men to find out where Xiao Min was stationed — and sent a fast rider ahead to Luoyang to report everything to General Li Xian.
Chang Suining leapt down from Guiqi’s back, splashing mud under her boots.
Captain Bai stepped forward, lowered his voice, and explained the sequence of events—how the prisoners of war had seized blades and rebelled.
The corpse of the man whom He Shan had shot through the chest had already been carried away.
Chang Suining approached the group of subdued prisoners. “Who led the uprising just now?” she asked.
“It was me!” A burly man with his hands bound behind him admitted without hesitation.
Chang Suining looked at him. “Your name?”
“Huang San!” The man’s sun-scorched, freckled face was taut. Staring at the young girl before him, he seemed compelled to explain, “They killed Shunzi first! We only fought back because we didn’t want to die!”
There was no trace of sympathy on the girl’s face. Her tone remained calm. “You are a prisoner of war. To incite a mutiny is a breach of military law.”
The man clenched his jaw, abandoning all hope.
He closed his eyes. “It was I who led the rebellion. Kill me alone!”
Her clear, emotionless voice rang out, “Twenty strikes of the military rod, as a warning to all.”
“Yes!”
Before the man could react, he was dragged aside and pressed onto the punishment bench. When the first rod struck his back, pain flared through him; he grunted, finally realizing what awaited him.
Chang Suining watched from not far away as he endured the punishment.
Whether prisoner or soldier, those within the army must abide by its laws.
Just as in brawls among soldiers, the reason for a fight mattered less than the act itself—if one side could escape punishment, others would test the limits of discipline.
And military law could not be tested or challenged.
Even though she knew that the prisoners had been provoked by He Shan and the others, she had to enforce punishment—to preserve the army’s authority.
After twenty blows, Huang San lay motionless on the bench, trembling in agony.
Twenty strokes were far from light; a weaker man might not have survived.
Sweating profusely, teeth chattering, he lifted bloodshot eyes to look at Chang Suining.
Her gaze swept over him, then over the other prisoners. “Considering your recent good conduct and the special circumstances today, this matter will be lightly punished and thus settled. But if another revolt occurs, all participants will be executed and their heads displayed. There will be no leniency.”
The prisoners answered in fearful unison.
“And another thing—” Chang Suining continued, “I have promised that those who surrender will not be killed. I will not break my word. Once this flood subsides, I will take you all back to Jiangnan.”
—Back to Jiangnan?!
The prisoners stared at her in disbelief. Their filthy faces lit up with sudden, desperate hope.
Chang Suining went on, “I know that most of you were forcibly conscripted by Xu Zhengye. Your families were plundered or slain by his soldiers. Joining his army was never your choice—
“But the empire has its laws, and the army has its rules. Following Xu Zhengye in rebellion was treason, and must be punished. Once we return to Jiangnan, you will serve as laborers to atone for your crimes. The cities you once helped destroy—you will rebuild them with your own hands.”
“We… we are willing!” a prisoner sobbed. “We are willing to serve and atone!”
They had never followed Xu Zhengye willingly. Among the refugees of Jiangnan were their parents and wives and children.
When Xu Zhengye’s forces fell by the Bian River, they had even felt a grim relief—this nightmare was ending at last.
They surrendered only to survive, never daring to hope they might one day return home.
Even if they returned as prisoners—to atone—it was enough. Home was still home.
Tears streamed down several faces as they cried, “We’re willing! We’re all willing!”
No one had asked their consent, but still—they couldn’t help it. That was how they felt.
A few began to sob outright.
The man who had received the twenty strokes was dragged forward again. Looking at Chang Suining, he asked hoarsely, “...General Ningyuan, is this true?”
Chang Suining met his gaze. “What would I gain from deceiving you?”
Hope flickered in his eyes, but he still dared not believe. “Can General Ningyuan truly decide this matter?”
Hearing that, the girl’s expression grew thoughtful.
The man held his breath, watching her closely.
After a moment, she smiled. “I think I can.”
“My General killed that traitor Xu himself!” He Wuhu declared proudly beside her. “His Majesty said she could name her own reward!”
At that, the man bit his lip, tears welling in his eyes.
As Chang Suining turned and left with Captain Bai and the others, he twisted to watch her figure fade into the fine drizzle.
“Will the General truly take them back to Jiangnan?” Captain Bai asked softly. “Or was that only to calm them, to prevent another mutiny?”
“Jiangnan lies in ruins,” Chang Suining replied. “It needs countless hands to rebuild. If manpower is needed, why not use them? And most of those drafted by Xu Zhengye were the able-bodied men of Jiangnan. Many are dead already—only these sixty thousand remain. Some of them can even read and write.”
Unlike Xu Zhengye’s elite soldiers, these were once common folk.
She was not a soft-hearted person—she had slaughtered prisoners before, especially those of foreign tribes. Against them, cruelty was strength.
But these were her own people of the Da Sheng Dynasty. They had been forced to rebel. They deserved punishment, not slaughter.
And with both internal unrest and foreign threats looming, killing sixty thousand able-bodied men would only weaken Da Sheng’s defenses. That would be folly.
That was one reason for her decision.
Chang Suining did not explain further. Instead, she said, “Where is the Commander now, in the flood relief efforts? Send a trusted man to warn him—keep out of sight and don’t let anyone find him.”
These prisoners she would never hand over to Li Xian. She herself was best suited to deal with the matter—she’d always been headstrong and defiant anyway.
But Xiao Min’s position was different; she would not drag him into this.
In times of flood, messages traveled slowly. It would not be suspicious if they failed to locate him for several days.
Captain Bai understood immediately and went to make arrangements.
Yao Ran followed Chang Suining back to the command tent in silence.
Chang Suining changed into dry robes, her damp hair loose behind her. When she emerged from behind the screen, Yao Ran still stood motionless, soaked through, her expression uncertain.
Seated cross-legged behind a low desk piled with military documents, Chang Suining finally looked up.
“What is it?” she asked.
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