474: Chapter 474 The Good Days Are Over

The news that the Princess of Zhenbei was the Empress of the fallen Western Shu Kingdom swept through the entire Northern Border like a frantic tsunami!

The shock it caused among the common people of Great Gan was even more intense than the sudden passing of Emperor Hong!

After all, Emperor Hong had long since lost control of Great Gan, and anyone with eyes could see it.

Whether he died or not was just a formality.

But the Prince of Zhenbei was, in everyone's eyes, the undisputed number one man in the world!

And now they were being told that the Prince of Zhenbei's wife was the Empress of the Western Shu Kingdom, which had been destroyed by Great Gan?

The implications behind this were endless!

Did the Prince know about this?

If he didn't, was the Princess harborings sinister intentions, trying to use the Prince of Zhenbei?

If he did, had the Prince intended to usurp the throne from the very beginning?

Was a legendary God of War being manipulated by a woman?

No matter how one looked at it, Xiao Qingxuan's identity would damage the Prince of Zhenbei's illustrious reputation.

Almost all the commoners who supported the Prince of Zhenbei looked forward to the next day's Northern Daily, hoping for an explanation.

But in fact, the next day's front-page headlines didn't mention a single word about Xiao Qingxuan.

The lead story was that General Zhao Kuan had already assembled the Zhenbei Army in Cang Province and was heading straight for E Prefecture to resist the Khitan people.

Whether it was the commoners or the nobility of the Northern Border, everyone was surprised that the Zhenbei Army could execute military orders so methodically.

Little did they know that as soon as the news of Xiao Qingxuan being the Empress broke, the Supervisory Colonels within the Zhenbei Army had become very busy.

The Supervisory Colonels immediately gathered the soldiers below them and held pre-battle guidance meetings.

They clarified a frequently mentioned key principle—serving in the military is about being responsible to the people, not for the Prince!

Once this point was understood, the identity of the Prince's wife became irrelevant.

The most immediate problem at hand was the Khitan invasion; as soldiers, they should go to resist the foreign enemy and protect their homes and country.

Any news attempting to disturb military morale was an enemy plot and should be guarded against!

After this psychological counseling from the Supervisory Colonels, the entire Zhenbei Army was exceptionally united, and their morale grew even stronger!

Indeed, as long as they had enough to eat, a place to live, and work to do, did the name of the dynasty really matter?

Besides, regardless of the Princess's identity, she had always been working diligently for the Northern Border.

Many people had seen with their own eyes Xiao Qingxuan leading the way in farming, providing relief to refugees, and rushing to the front lines during epidemics.

Therefore, most soldiers, upon learning that Xiao Qingxuan was a fallen Empress, didn't reject her; instead, they felt more at ease!

It made sense; only the status of an Empress was worthy of the Prince of Zhenbei they admired!

E Prefecture.

Hanyang Commandery.

The Khitan cavalry suddenly abandoned their horses and chose to cross Alimu Mountain to strike directly at the heart of E Prefecture.

This incredible military maneuver immediately threw Feng Yuzhang and other E Prefecture officials into a panic!

Firstly, most of the E Prefecture troops with combat experience were in Jingzhou.

Secondly, the steppe cavalry had even abandoned their horses and brought no provisions or supplies; this meant they didn't intend to retreat—they were planning to fight to the death!

In the past, everyone would have thought the Khitans were seeking death.

After all, if a bunch of cavalrymen didn't ride horses and came to attack a city barehanded without bringing food, who else would die if not them?

But this time, no one would laugh at the Khitans because they truly possessed extraordinary combat power!

On the second night after the Khitans were discovered, three counties and over a dozen villages outside Hanyang Commandery were brutally slaughtered.

Even though the government had organized the evacuation of the people after discovering traces of the Khitans, the Khitans' speed was simply too fast.

They seemed tireless, marching rapidly all the way after crossing Alimu Mountain!

Almost none of the troops sent out to rescue the people survived.

The few survivors who returned to report were on the verge of mental collapse, crying out that the Khitans were not human, but a pack of evil ghosts!

On the third day, a Khitan Army of about three thousand men arrived outside Hanyang City.

On the city wall, Feng Yuzhang and several provincial officials looked with grim expressions at those Khitans, who were covered in blood, travel-worn, with disheveled hair, looking like wild beasts.

"Sir, they look strange. What are they all standing there waiting for?"

"They should be waiting for nightfall. The battle reports from the Yan Region all say that the Khitans now prefer to attack cities at night."

"But they haven't even brought siege equipment. How will they attack the city?"

"Haven't you heard? The city walls of He County are twenty-five feet high, and those Khitan dogs climbed the walls with their bare hands to get in!"

"What?! Then... then our city walls are only a little over thirty feet. How... how can we block them?"

Feng Yuzhang said with a solemn face, "Don't panic! General Zhao of the Zhenbei Army has already led ten thousand troops to support us!"

"We still have five thousand garrison troops in the city, and so many commoners who support us. We only need to hold out for two days at most!"

But several officials were clearly not very optimistic.

"But with the matter of the Princess being the Empress of Western Shu just coming out in the Zhenbei Army, can they really come in time?"

"The key is that the Prince is not here. Grand Marshal Lu and Commander-in-Chief Zhao are in Mobei, and General Mu and General Zhao Caiwei are both in the Yan Region!"

"It's not that I look down on General Zhao Kuan, but while he's okay at managing troops, as for fighting... sigh..."

Feng Yuzhang glared at them. "All of you, shut up!! Stop boosting the enemy's morale and undermining our own!"

"I'm telling you, fear is useless now. Only by defending Hanyang City to the death will we have a glimmer of hope!"

"If anyone dares to be a deserter, I will execute them first!!"

After lecturing his subordinates, Feng Yuzhang walked down from the city tower.

He was met by a large group of city residents gathered near the city gate, looking at him with deep concern.

"Lord inspector general, I heard those Khitans are possessed by evil ghosts and eat people's hearts and livers. Is it true?"

"When will the Zhenbei Army arrive? Can we hold out?"

Feng Yuzhang raised his hand to signal for silence and consoled them, "Elders of Hanyang Commandery, I know you are very afraid right now."

"But do not listen to rumors. The enemy has only three thousand men, while we have over five thousand garrison troops and over a hundred thousand citizens!"

"Everyone just needs to do their duty and not cause chaos. I swear I will live or die with Hanyang Commandery!!"

Since Feng Yuzhang's prestige was usually high, the people dispersed after his words of comfort.

At this time, a servant ran to Feng Yuzhang's side and whispered a few words in his ear.

Feng Yuzhang's face turned dark, and he hurriedly rode back to his residence.

As soon as he entered the backyard, he heard the sound of "thwack, thwack" from whipping.

"Sister! Sister! Stop hitting me! If you keep hitting me, I'll really be crippled!"

The one wailing was none other than Hu Wengui, while Lady Hu, who was nearby, was vigorously whipping her younger brother with a rattan cane.

The supposedly wealthiest man in E Prefecture was currently in a very wretched state.

Hu Xinyi, the apple of their eye, stood to the side with a cold expression, having no intention of helping her father.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, come quickly and stop my sister! I'm being wronged..."

Seeing Feng Yuzhang arrive, Hu Wengui rushed over and hugged one of his legs.

Feng Yuzhang's face was like ice as he asked with a trembling voice, "You... did you really raise the prices of rice, flour, grain, and oil?!"

The servant had just told him that Hu Wengui had ordered all his merchant firms in E Prefecture to sell rice, flour, and other goods at double the price, or even more than triple.

Evidently, Lady Hu had found out her brother was profiting from the war and was taking action to punish him.

"Brother-in-law, you can't blame me. Those other bosses raised their prices first."

"If I don't raise mine, they'll buy my goods and become middlemen, and I'll be the fool!"

"I promise you, brother-in-law, I didn't raise them the most..."

Feng Yuzhang was furious and kicked him away!

"Unacceptable! You want to earn this kind of blood money too?! How much have I helped you all these years? Have you not earned enough?!"

Hu Wengui looked innocent and aggrieved. "Brother-in-law, there's a war, so the price of grain should go up. It's only natural. Why make such a fuss?"

"Idiot! It's fine if others raise prices, but you specifically cannot!"

"Why?!" Hu Wengui was defiant.

Feng Yuzhang was so angry he couldn't speak. Lady Hu, standing nearby, took over the conversation:

"My foolish brother, do you still not understand what kind of person our Prince of Zhenbei is?"

"When he was still a general and came to E Prefecture, he didn't even give your brother-in-law face and refused your banquet. What did you think the reason was?"

"I'll tell you the truth: if you dare to take advantage of the war to earn this black-hearted money, the Hu family's good days are over!"