Iron Dynasty Chapter 663

The gunshots gradually thinned, and the battle within Qingzhou City was nearing its end.

The drawbridge lowered, and the remaining artillerymen and musketeers streamed into the city along it. Seeing more and more of Prince Qi's soldiers appear, the morale of the Liang Wang's army within Qingzhou City plummeted further.

"Liang Wang, surrender at once! "

Lu Fei and Qi Guangyi surrounded Liang Wang and his three hundred Royal Guards. Among these guards, Liang Wang, in his royal robes, was particularly conspicuous.

Qi Guangyi recognized him at a glance. Upon spotting Liang Wang, he immediately led his cavalry to surround Liang Wang and his retainers.

Liang Wang cast a fleeting, indifferent glance at Lu Fei. He did not reply directly but countered with a question: "What of Yan Wang? What of the Second Prince? "

"Yan Wang is dead, and the Second Prince is dead too. " Lu Fei's tone was like the biting frost of winter.

In that moment, Liang Wang seemed to age several years. Having no sons of his own, he had always treated the Second Prince as his own flesh and blood.

Now, the one who could inherit his legacy was dead, and Yan Wang, who had joined him in assaulting Qi, was also dead. It seemed he had nothing left.

"The victor is king, the vanquished a bandit. Is this truly destiny? This realm, after all, still belongs to the Xiao clan," Liang Wang said despondently.

Pausing for a moment, he said to Lu Fei, "My death alone should suffice. I only hope the General will not implicate the innocent. "

Liang Wang knew full well that he was doomed. With Xiao Ming ascending to the throne as Emperor, they were nothing but rebels and traitors.

Lu Fei scoffed softly. "Whether they are innocent or not, this general has his own judgment. There's no need for Liang Wang to trouble himself. "

No matter how pitiful Liang Wang appeared now, Lu Fei felt no sympathy. If not for Liang Wang and Yan Wang instigating the three princes to attack Qi, how could he have lost so many soldiers in the Battle of Yuzhou?

The thought of it made him wish he could personally strike down Liang Wang. This hypocritical man was nothing but a villain.

First, he colluded with the Barbarians, then he raised an army in rebellion. What need was there for mercy toward such a traitor?

A flicker of anger crossed Liang Wang's eyes. In times past, how could a mere Lu Fei have dared to shout orders in front of him?

"Take them all down," Lu Fei commanded, without waiting for Liang Wang and his men to react.

The soldiers surrounding Liang Wang immediately leveled their bayonets and tightened the encirclement. Some of Liang Wang's Royal Guards immediately shielded Liang Wang in the center, while others charged towards Lu Fei, attempting to break out and escape through the fallen bodies.

Lu Fei sneered. Liang Wang had not truly cared for his Royal Guards just now; he had merely said that to provoke them into fighting to the death to get him out of the city.

But Liang Wang had clearly miscalculated. Now, the Qingzhou soldiers within the city had either died in battle or surrendered. Even if he broke through this encirclement, he would receive no aid from other soldiers.

Furthermore, these three hundred men could not possibly ensure his safety.

"Open fire! " Lu Fei said indifferently, looking at Liang Wang, who was hiding among his Royal Guards.

"Bang, bang, bang. . . "

Muskets spat smoke and fire, and Liang Wang's Royal Guards, who had charged forward, fell one after another.

As the soldiers before him fell one by one, Liang Wang finally revealed a look of terror. Yet, Lu Fei seemed to have no intention of ordering his soldiers to stop.

When only Liang Wang remained within the encirclement, Lu Fei commanded another round of fire.

"Bang, bang, bang. . . "

Muskets fired, and rounds exploded in crimson mist upon Liang Wang's body. Spitting out fresh blood, Liang Wang collapsed, disbelief etched on his face.

Even in death, he couldn't believe Xiao Ming would allow a mere general to simply kill him off.

He had merely forgotten that even the Second Prince had perished at the hands of this very army, let alone a mere Liang Wang.

"General, now that Liang Wang is dead, will His Majesty be displeased? " Luo Hong asked, a hint of worry in his voice. "After all, Liang Wang was a Hereditary King, and simply executing him like this might lead to impeachment by officials in the imperial court. "

"His Majesty couldn't be bothered to deal with Liang Wang himself. This general killed him for His Majesty's sake, and His Majesty will only be pleased. " Lu Fei understood Xiao Ming's temperament well.

Xiao Ming had always held no fondness for these Hereditary Kings of a different surname.

With Liang Wang dead, many tasks remained, the most crucial of which was occupying Juyong Pass.

Juyong Pass was the gateway for the Barbarians to pass through the State of Liang. If it wasn't secured promptly, the Barbarians could advance unimpeded. Xiao Ming had specifically instructed him on this matter before his departure.

After a moment's thought, Lu Fei said to Qi Guangyi and Bai Mu, "With Qingzhou City fallen, the State of Liang will be without a leader. The general commanding Juyong Pass is very likely to defect to the Barbarians. You two are to immediately lead the cavalry to Juyong Pass. Luo Xin and Luo Hong will lead a contingent to support you in taking Juyong Pass. "

"Yes, General," Qi Guangyi and Bai Mu replied in unison. In this western campaign, Lu Fei's military rank was higher than theirs.

After issuing that command, Lu Fei turned to Ye Qingyun and said, "Though Liang Wang is dead, there are still powerful aristocratic clans within the two states who supported him. This group of clans must be eradicated. "

Ye Qingyun nodded. This was something they had to do every time they captured a city: eradicate the powerful aristocratic clans loyal to Liang Wang and support those loyal to Xiao Ming, only then would the region stabilize.

Having given these instructions, Lu Fei dispatched someone to send news of Qingzhou City's capture back to Qingzhou. Then, he looked towards Chang'an, a city now occupied by Prince Zhao.

Now that the State of Wei, the State of Yan, and the State of Liang had all been pacified, only Prince Zhao remained in the north.

If Prince Zhao were also defeated, the north would finally achieve unification.

From then on, they could focus wholeheartedly on dealing with the Barbarians to the north. In the hearts of Qingzhou's generals, the true enemy of the Great Yu Kingdom had always been the northern Barbarians.

This nation, whose strength was formidable, whose people were warriors on horseback and civilians dismounted, was inherently cruel. As long as the Barbarians remained, the Great Yu Kingdom would face a constant threat from them.

Once the Great Yu Kingdom fell into decline, the Barbarians would seize the opportunity to dominate the Central Plains, and that was something none of them wished to see.

In fact, during this period, they had constantly worried that the Barbarians would take the opportunity to move south and harass the northern regions. However, according to Xiao Ming, the Barbarians seemed to have their own troubles now and were unable to spare the resources to move south.

However, this was no reason for them to lower their guard. Seizing this opportunity, they should instead secure control of the northern passes and keep the Barbarians beyond the national borders.

After all, for more than a year, the northern regions of the Great Yu Kingdom had been embroiled in war, with common folk displaced and agriculture severely impacted.

They needed a period of recuperation, as years of continuous warfare had placed immense financial pressure on Qingzhou. Countering the Barbarians with the wealth of Qingzhou alone would be difficult to achieve.

As he pondered, a cavalryman in Liang army armor galloped swiftly north, out of Qingzhou City.

His destination was precisely Juyong Pass.

Now that Qingzhou had fallen, he had to relay this news to Zheng Chengwen, the garrison commander of Juyong Pass. This Zheng Chengwen was Liang Wang's third younger brother.

It was precisely for this reason that Liang Wang had entrusted this crucial pass to his command.

Qingzhou City was only two hundred li from Juyong Pass. Two days later, the cavalryman arrived at Juyong Pass and immediately relayed the news to Zheng Chengwen.

"Qingzhou City has fallen! " Zheng Chengwen exclaimed in shock, his eyes darting about. He then said, "I must go see Wushugu Tayiji immediately. Now, only the Golden Horde can save our State of Liang. "

P. S. : Staying up all night writing has exhausted my body. I have a low-grade fever and feel unwell. I've been listless all day. I'll try for three chapters tonight, but if I can't manage, it will just be two. My apologies. I'll make it up with five chapters tomorrow.