The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 330 Differential Treatment

With the help of the monks from Land Buddhism, Li Siben could escape if he wanted to. However, he insisted on fighting to the death on top of the city wall. Thus, he met with death.

Li Sien was not the commanding general of Yizhou city, so he had less responsibility. Even if the war failed, he could comfort himself that he was not any better than Li Cunxiao, on the excuse that he was not the one who arranged and organized the troops. So, he left.

Li Ye saw from the air that Shangguan Qingcheng had killed Li Siben. He also saw the route that the elites led by Li Sien broke away and escaped. However, he did not chase after them because he knew that Li Sien could not have fled to Taiyuan city.

While attacking Yizhou city, he ordered the Zhaoyi Army in the three counties in the northwest of Yizhou city to block the road and forbade them to let the defeated Yizhou soldiers flee to Taiyuan city.

Li Ye took a look at the northwest. According to Kang Chengqian’s report, he had led the Zhaoyi Army to take up positions, to wait at ease till the enemy was exhausted, on the northwest arteries. Li Sien brought over 10,000 Yizhou officers and soldiers, but only less than 1,000 people returned to Taiyuan city.

In contrast to Qinzhou, the scene after the Imperial Army captured Yizhou city was not much different. The only difference was that Li Ye did not ask the Yizhou Inspector General to locate the many branches of all the families, and of the squires in the city, and get them to obey orders.

Li Ye did not do that because he did not need to do that. Before the Imperial Army conquered the city and Li Ye came to Inspector General Mansion, Yizhou Inspector General already led local officials, representatives of noble families and squires to wait at the door.

Upon seeing Li Ye, a dense mass of people showed obsequious smiles and saluted eagerly. They all bowed and proclaimed that they were willing to be loyal to the court and obey Prince An’s order.

Holy Child, the Son of God, and others along with him, as well as Li Ye’s civil official advisors, involuntarily cast his eyes at Li Ye. Even the rebellious cultivators of the demon clan looked at Li Ye with awe.

Seeing an important person kneeling in front of him, Li Ye’s face was expressionless.

There was no surprise or joy in his eyes.

It seemed to him that nothing could be more normal.

With the lessons learned from others’ mistakes in Qinzhou, the officials in Yizhou naturally knew what to do.

He gave the Qinzhou officials a chance to start with a clean slate, in order to affect the thoughts of the Hedong forces. In other words, if such an effect could not be obtained in Yizhou, what he did in Qinzhou would be in vain.

Since it was a matter that was taken for granted, there would not be any fluctuations in Li Ye’s heart.

He did not say a word, but walked through the crowd and went straight into the Inspector General’s Mansion.

All the influential officials, who had bowed, dared not to stand up because they did not hear Li Ye saying “Raise.” They looked at each other in speechless despair and saw confusion in each other’s eyes.

Would Prince An deal with them?

Did Prince An blame them for not acting earlier and not collaborating with the Imperial Army to break into the city?

After all, Prince An issued a proclamation to induce all to capitulate. It was directed at defending officers and soldiers, as well as those influential officials in the city.

Thinking of those things, many of the powerful men sweated profusely and became uneasy. If Prince An wanted to, they would immediately be beheaded. A word from him could bring about the extermination of their entire families. After all, the consequences of rebellion was to execute the entire clan.

When everyone felt scared and anxious, Li Ye’s indifferent voice came from the gate, “Come in, everybody!”

The bigwigs quickly got up and scrambled to squeeze through the gate.

Seeing those influential officials’ pathetic behavior, similar to homeless dogs, the Pinglu guards on both sides of the street showed contempt. Their evaluation of the Hedong officials and generals had gone down a lot. Their confidence to win the battle virtually reached a new peak.

In the political hall, Li Ye ignored the influential officials, who were bowing. His fingers slowly tapped on the table and he appeared to be lost in thought, as if there was no one else present.

He had different attitudes towards the officials and generals from the different states and counties in Hedong. Without this difference, there was no direction.

He was easy-going toward the Qinzhou officials and generals because the war was just starting. However, he was indifferent toward the Yizhou bigwigs because the war had been going on for some time. They did nothing in the war. After the war, they thought that they could maintain status and power in front of Li Ye, as long as they made an effort at the last moment and had a better attitude. They did not take him seriously.

Li Ye would treat them coldly. He wanted to let the officials and generals from other states and counties in Taiyuan and Hedong know that he would give everyone a chance not to be held accountable after the war. But as the war went on, everyone needed to strive for the chance, actively.

When the Imperial Army attacked a new city, if the powerful men in the city wanted to save their lives after the war, they must know that they should be loyal to their homeland, during the war. They should help the Imperial Army to deal with the defending Hedong Army and reduce the damages, when the Imperial Army tore the city apart.

That was a necessary strategy to break down the morale of the Hedong troops and the support of the people.

After a long while, Li Ye roused himself and looked at the Yizhou bigwigs, who were still bowing. He said lightly, “You’re all rich and influential families in Yizhou city. Presumably, there will be no shortage of talents in your clans. Now, the court needs talents to subjugate the rebels. All cultivators of the right age in the Tang Empire are responsible for serving our country. What do you think about that?”

That was Li Ye’s first sentence he uttered after he treated them coldly. No one dared to say no but agreed repeatedly.

Li Ye nodded, “Now I will issue an order that ‘All cultivators above the Warrior Mentor Realm in Yizhou city, has to report to the army within three days. Anyone who fails to observe this order shall be regarded as disrespectful to the court and in collusion with the rebellious Li Keyong, and the entire clan will be executed.”

Everyone raised their heads in surprise, and many people felt uneasy.

They never expected that Li Ye would be so tough as to ask the cultivators to join the army. Those cultivators above the Warrior Mentor Realm were the backbone of each family. If they joined the army and came to a bad end, the roots of each family would be destroyed.

However, they raised their heads and opened their mouths, without saying anything. And then, they suddenly lowered their heads and made no sound.

Everyone who saw Li Ye felt stressed. They had to resist with all their cultivation. Otherwise, they would immediately fall to the ground.

Many people were trembling and could not hold on.

Li Ye saw everybody’s reactions, smiled casually, and stopped his coercion. He said, “Since no one has any objection, then it is settled. It seems that you know what’s right and wrong. You have not disappointed me.”

Everyone felt less stressed now, but more anxious.

They remembered that Prince An was distinguished and second only to the emperor. Moreover, his cultivation was abnormally profound, so that they could not contend with him. If he wanted to, their families would be executed in a flash.

Considering this, they kowtowed and said, “Prince An, we will observe your order!”

...

It was drizzling, and water had accumulated in the courtyard, and the flowers and leaves were scattered in the earth.

Li Cunxiao stood under the eaves and looked at the scene, with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked as gloomy as the rainy weather. His pent-up Qi was so strong that his original killing spirit was covered up.

“General, you’ve been standing here for three hours. Come in and sit down.” A beautiful woman came to Li Cunxiao, and tried to persuade him, with concern.

Li Cunxiao looked away after he cast his eyes on his wife, without speaking or moving. The beautiful woman sighed lightly and stopped trying to persuade him, then stood with him.

After an hour, the woman could not stand it anymore. Seeing Li Cunxiao had no desire to move, she turned away quietly.

Li Cunxiao stood alone for a long time.

At nightfall, an inferior military officer rushed into the courtyard and came to Li Cunxiao, like the wind. He fell on his knees and said sadly, “General! Yizhou is lost!”

Li Cunxiao was motionless for a short while. His eyes looked straight, and the corners of his mouth twitched. As his body shook, he took two steps back and could hardly stand.

“General!” the officer became frightened and immediately rose to help him.

When Li Cunxiao steadied himself, his eyes were already scarlet red. He clenched his fists and the veins bulged on his forehead. Like a beast, he exuded danger.

“I’m going to see the Prince!”

When Li Cunxiao came to the Prince’s Manor, people were hurrying to and fro. Civil officials and military generals, as well as patriarchs of noble families in Taiyuan city, were among them.

Seeing Li Cunxiao in a hurry to depart, most of them stopped and looked. However, no one came forward to greet him, and all of them had strange looks on their faces.

Li Cunxiao did not understand the meaning in their eyes. He felt uncomfortable, because he never met encountered this before, as if he was not the same as them.

After a moment, he realized that all the eyes of the others were full of doubt and rejection.

Now, nobody believed in him, in Hedong. Even if someone trusted him before, nobody trusted him now, after Yizhou city was invaded in a day.

Li Ye had quickly conquered Yizhou city, in which there were two Grand Guardians who assumed personal command. It showed that Li Ye was able to break through any city.

However, when Li Cunxiao assumed personal command in Yizhou city, Li Ye never started a big war, but besieged the city.

Did he have an ulterior motive for Li Cunxiao?

They were at a stalemate for a long time, and they did not have any fights. After Li Cunxiao left, Li Ye filled the trenches and began to attack the city. His behavior was so abnormal. Did they gang up with each other?

Or rather, was Li Cunxiao was so powerful that Li Ye dared not fight with him?

It was indeed impossible.

If Li Cunxiao was so powerful, who else in Hedong could match him? All the other Grand Guardians could not compare with him? If he was so powerful, would not the others be mediocre and good-for-nothing?

No one would admit that he was mediocre and good-for-nothing.

Li Cunxiao felt his comrades and colleagues’ hostility. Those generals who were closest to him and even those warm-blooded men who were loyal to Li Keyong, looked at him with the deepest hatred.

Li Cunxiao was dazed and felt bewildered.

He had never experienced this before. Before, he had always been praised and flattered because he was the bravest general in Hedong; he had made significant contributions in battles; Li Keyong relied heavily on him.

But now, everything was different.

Li Cunxiao lowered his head and braced himself to walk past the crowd, to ask to see Li Keyong.

Yizhou was lost. If Fenzhou failed to be recovered, Li Ye’s troops would advance in two directions, and Taiyuan city would be under siege soon. He wanted to plead to fight against the enemy and recover Fenzhou, which was under Liu Dazheng’s attack.

He could do that.