The news came back three days later.
Early in the morning, before the sky had even brightened, someone knocked on the door of Shu Changyu’s residence. When the butler opened it sleepily, he saw a scout rush in hurriedly. Without even stopping to greet him, the scout went straight toward Shu Changyu’s quarters.
At that time, Shu Changyu had just gotten up and was about to have breakfast. The scout hurriedly announced himself before rushing straight inside.
Shu Changyu had arranged scouts like this in places such as Zhaojing. Whenever there was any news, they would send it to him by carrier pigeon so that, even while he was in Huzhou, he could keep track of developments in the capital. But this time, the scout had personally returned. It must have been an urgent matter important enough to make him race back on horseback.
“Lord Shu…” The scout had not even caught his breath. “The north… the north is in chaos!”
Shu Changyu frowned at the words, put down his chopsticks, and raised a hand, signaling Kongqing to carry the sleepy Shu Xunzhi out.
“Where is in chaos?” he asked with a frown. “Zhaojing?”
“Shandong!” the scout said. “The disaster victims in Shandong were originally going to head north, but halfway there, His Majesty learned of it. He insisted that the disaster victims’ turbid qi might damage Great Qi’s dragon vein, so he issued a strict order and sent people to drive those disaster victims back to Shandong!”
Shu Changyu frowned.
In his previous life, Emperor Qian Ning had been somewhat muddleheaded, but he had never had the face of such a harsh and tyrannical ruler.
Shandong was currently suffering from such severe drought that not even a blade of grass could grow. If the disaster victims remained there, they could only starve to death.
Whenever a disaster struck somewhere in ordinary times, it was perfectly normal for the local people to flee and scatter elsewhere. How could there possibly be any reason to drive them back to the disaster area?
“What happened afterward?” Shu Changyu asked in a low voice.
“After that, the disaster victims in Shandong were incited by a local junior military officer named Zhuo Renyue and formed a rebel army! Once Zhuo Renyue took the lead, the disaster victims responded one after another. They now have more than a hundred thousand followers and are burning, killing, and looting throughout the surrounding provinces!”
At this point, the scout swallowed and said, “The scholars from Huzhou who traveled north by waterway… their lives are now uncertain as well!”
Shu Changyu froze.
Traveling by water was very fast. Judging by the timing, Fang Yuqian was probably right in Shandong by now.
Moreover, this group of disaster victims was enormous, and every one of them had been driven to the end of the road. Once they rebelled, they needed food, so they had to rob the surrounding areas.
Although the people in those surrounding regions had enjoyed favorable weather and harvests, their lives were not easy either. If this group robbed people indiscriminately, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, the entire region would likely descend into chaos, leaving misery and devastation everywhere.
Before Shu Changyu could ask another question, the scout continued, “This group has been burning, killing, and looting all the way here. They have already captured four cities of Great Qi and are heading toward Huzhou!”
Shu Changyu frowned.
“If he intends to rebel, why is he coming to Huzhou?”
The scout replied, “The rebel army is now full of rumors that you… are a celestial star descended to the mortal world. If the dynasty is to be changed, only you are qualified. Zhuo Renyue is coming for you this time. He intends to… make you the new emperor and divide Great Qi along the river, ruling the northern and southern territories separately.”
Shu Changyu immediately stood up. He did not bother with the breakfast on the table any longer and turned to leave.
“You, go to the Huzhou government office immediately. Bring the Huzhou city defense general and the Huzhou Prefect to the office.”
Great Qi had always placed greater emphasis on civil officials than military ones. Aside from defending against foreign enemies along the borders, the defenses of the various prefectures and commanderies were extremely weak.
The founding emperor of Great Qi had made this arrangement because he feared that excessive local military power might lead to internal rebellion.
But now, it was not the local military that had rebelled. It was the people of an entire region.
Thus, these weak local forces were even less capable of dealing with the situation.
When Shu Changyu had controlled the Yellow River, he had requisitioned the Huzhou city defense army. He remembered that there were only thirty thousand men in total. They were not drilled very diligently either, normally doing nothing more than standing guard and arresting local thugs and bandits.
This was precisely why this group had been able to capture four cities in succession as though there were no one there to stop them.
These disaster victims had nowhere left to go, and every one of them was unafraid of death. Their leader was a junior military officer, so he also understood military tactics.
They robbed their way along, saving themselves the need to carry provisions. Instead, the disaster victims who followed the rebel army now had food to eat. It was likely that every one of them had become exceptionally fierce.
The more Shu Changyu thought about it, the tighter his brows furrowed.
He had just walked out the door when he saw Kongqing standing there holding Shu Xunzhi’s hand.
Shu Xunzhi still looked sleepy. When she saw him come out, she called to him in her soft, sweet voice.
Shu Changyu did not even have time to stop walking. He instructed Kongqing, “Take Miss to eat.”
As he spoke, he snatched a cloak from a maid nearby, wrapped it around his shoulders, and quickly walked away.
Shu Changyu normally only knew how to busy himself with official affairs, and he was rather absentminded by nature. Shu Xunzhi had long since grown accustomed to him being this way.
She rubbed her eyes and looked up at Kongqing.
“Brother Kongqing, it isn’t even light yet. Where is Daddy going?”
Kongqing raised his head.
Under the star-filled night sky, only a faint whiteness had begun to appear on the horizon.
Shu Changyu, dressed in a blue cloak, walked quickly through the night, carrying a sky full of stars upon his shoulders.
That figure seemed almost as though he were protecting the entire world behind him.
“Daddy has business to attend to,” Kongqing said gently, lowering his voice as he took Shu Xunzhi’s hand.
“Come on. Let’s go have breakfast.”
——
As soon as the sky began to brighten, the Huzhou city defense general and the Huzhou Prefect hurried over one after another.
The city defense general was already over fifty. Half his beard had turned white, and he was panting heavily when he rushed inside.
Shu Changyu did not waste any time and told the two of them what had happened.
The city defense general was already struggling to catch his breath. Upon hearing the news, his face turned deathly pale.
“More than a hundred thousand…!” he exclaimed.
“And that doesn’t even include those who join them afterward. By the time they reach Huzhou, there may well be more than two hundred thousand! The Huzhou garrison currently has only twenty-eight thousand men. Even if every one of them has military experience, if we are to resist…”
At this point, his throat tightened, and he could not continue.
After a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh and fell silent.
Looking at his aged appearance, Shu Changyu increasingly felt that this man could not be put on the battlefield.
At his age, and having come from the military examination system, all he had managed to do was guard a single city. He truly was not capable of much.
Shu Changyu said to the Huzhou Prefect, “Please inform all the people in the city and have them prepare accordingly. Ideally, they should pack their belongings and take the elderly and children in their families south to avoid the fighting.
“Those living in the surrounding villages must either enter the city or move south. No one is to remain behind. Once the war is over, they can return home.
“Post notices throughout the city calling for grain. All wealthy farmers and above must donate grain and money. The money collected is to be used to purchase provisions from the people outside the city. When the time comes to defend the city, we must have sufficient food.”
The Huzhou Prefect agreed to each instruction.
“In a moment, I will send letters to Yumen Pass and the capital, asking my elder brother and His Majesty to dispatch reinforcements,” Shu Changyu said.
“The round trip will take at least half a month. If we can hold out for that half-month, we can wait for the reinforcements and then turn from defense to offense.”
Shu Changyu then turned toward the general.
“Gather the entire Huzhou garrison, fully equip them, and have them stand ready. Guard Huzhou City strictly.
“You will also send one of your subordinates to seek reinforcements from the various prefectures and commanderies in the south.”
He paused.
“Actually, General, please go personally. You must be quick. You are familiar with the generals of the various southern prefectures and commanderies. It will be much easier to mobilize troops and deploy them then.”
“But if I leave, who will defend Huzhou?” the general asked tremulously.
Without hesitation, Shu Changyu looked at him.
“I will.”
That day, once the notices were posted, the entire city immediately exploded into an uproar, with people discussing the matter everywhere.
Yet there was surprisingly little resistance when it came to collecting grain and money in Huzhou.
After the people’s brief panic, many generously opened their purses, and some even donated most of the money and grain in their homes.
This was also partly thanks to what Shu Changyu had accomplished in Huzhou over the past few years. He had rescued the region from a dire crisis, and naturally, the people of Huzhou remembered it in their hearts.
At this moment, however, Shu Changyu was locked in an argument with Lin Hong, a deputy general of the Huzhou garrison.
“The Yellow River itself is a natural barrier, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Judging by the current speed at which the Shandong rebels are capturing cities, they will reach the Yellow River within two days.
“We can set an ambush here and attack them when they cross the river. At the very least, we can cause them to suffer significant losses.”
Shu Changyu had already made these plans while on his way to the Huzhou government office that morning.
But Lin Hong’s attitude was unexpectedly conservative.
The moment he heard this, he repeatedly shook his head.
“Lord Shu, under the present circumstances, we should defend the city to the death. Huzhou has walls several zhang high. If we leave the city to fight them, I’m afraid those who go out may never return, and we will only suffer unnecessary casualties.”
Shu Changyu frowned.
“The enemy is in the open while we are hidden. They don’t know that we are prepared. Wouldn’t striking them by surprise at this moment be exactly what we need?”
Lin Hong firmly shook his head.
“Lord Shu, you cannot make the soldiers of Huzhou follow us and throw their lives away for nothing. This is an extremely dangerous move. Forgive me, but I cannot obey.”
Shu Changyu’s brows furrowed even deeper.
During their argument just now, he had already explained the troop deployment, battle formations, and order of attack to Lin Hong in meticulous detail, yet Lin Hong simply refused to agree.
Shu Changyu could no longer be bothered to waste his breath on him.
“General Lin, first, my official rank is higher than yours. Soldiers are supposed to obey orders without question. Whatever I say, you are to do.
“Second, soldiers are born to protect their homeland and defend the nation. Dying while resisting the enemy is a worthy death. How can you call that throwing their lives away for nothing?
“If your cowardice causes Huzhou City to fall and the people to suffer, that will be the true failure of both you and me.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Hong suddenly stood up.
“Lord Shu, are you really doing this for the people of Huzhou, or for your own reputation?” he sneered.
“If you truly care about the people of Huzhou and don’t want them to suffer, then simply surrender.
“They originally came for you, not Huzhou. Lord Shu, I’m afraid you are only afraid of earning the reputation of a traitor, which is why you are ordering us to fight and bleed, aren’t you?”
Shu Changyu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Leaving aside the fact that the rebels numbered more than a hundred thousand and had to resort to robbery simply to feed themselves, they needed legitimacy. That was why they had put forward Shu Changyu.
Once they obtained Shu Changyu, they would treat him as nothing more than a powerless figurehead, using his reputation as a banner while they burned, killed, and looted.
But Shu Changyu could not be bothered to explain any of this to him.
It was a habit he had developed in his previous life.
His time should be spent on more useful things, rather than arguing reason with an obstinate stone.
If you wanted to curse him, then curse him.
He would simply see who was actually the one whose words carried weight.
He gave a cold laugh.
“We do not need a general who surrenders without fighting,” Shu Changyu said.
“Guards, bind Lin Hong and drag him out. Take him before the garrison and execute him publicly.
“Anyone who retreats, anyone who wishes to surrender, and anyone who refuses orders will meet the same fate as this man.”
The guards on either side stepped forward and seized Lin Hong.
The Huzhou city defense general had always had a mild temperament, and he was also old. As a young general, Lin Hong had grown accustomed to throwing his weight around within the Huzhou military.
Thus, when he saw a frail scholar like Shu Changyu, he had not been afraid to confront him at all.
He had never expected that Shu Changyu would actually order him executed.
“Shu Changyu!!”
Lin Hong struggled frantically.
“I am an official appointed by the imperial court! How can you kill me?! His Majesty will never forgive you!”
But Shu Changyu showed not the slightest trace of panic.
He merely curled his lips into a faint smile.
“With a great enemy before us, there is no room to worry about such things.”
His voice was light and airy.
The words drifted out like a spring breeze.
Yet when they fell softly upon everyone’s ears, they immediately formed a layer of ice.