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墨書 Inktalez
The soldiers of Tokyo City cheered loudly, filled with an unusual joy as they once again drove back Jin Bing.
"Victory for the Song State! Victory for the Song State!"
"We have repelled the arrogant Jin people and protected Tokyo City. This is truly wonderful, truly wonderful."
They lowered their weapons, with red blood still dripping down.
All the Jin Bing on the City Wall had been killed, their bodies thrown down in hatred!
There were still thousands of Song State soldiers' corpses, including those of higher-ranking Military Officials.
They lay scattered on the upper floor, their deaths tragic, but they had indeed defended Tokyo City, making their sacrifice worthwhile!
Many soldiers began to carry their bodies down to the City Wall for a proper burial.
Qin Feng witnessed the brutality and bloodiness of war; in a short time, over a thousand people had died in battle. Life was so fragile yet even more resilient!
Looking out, many Jin Bing corpses lay below the City Wall. The army's sudden retreat trampled the bodies into a pitiful state, like soft mud, a sight too gruesome to bear.
The deaths of the Song Army soldiers were not in vain; they had protected Tokyo City and driven back so many Jin Bing.
The Generals were also very pleased. After years without battle, they had achieved a great victory and were extremely happy!
"Good! This is truly wonderful. Our Song Army is so powerful that we could drive back over a hundred thousand Jin Bing."
"The Great Song has become stronger; it has truly become stronger!"
Qin Feng and the Generals were smiling as they hurried towards the city gate, waiting for Zhong Shidao and Old General to return. However, the first great contributor must be welcomed outside!
Before they reached the City Wall, a commotion erupted a few dozen meters away; someone was causing trouble!
They quickly rushed over to see what was happening, as the common people were disturbing the officials.
Li Bangyan was surrounded by dozens of soldiers, yet there were two to three hundred angry citizens around them, wielding long poles as if they intended to beat them.
The citizens were furious, their faces twisted in rage, as if they were facing an enemy and wanted to attack.
Many women and elderly people threw rotten vegetable leaves at them, hitting their faces and bodies, leaving them in a state of embarrassment and unable to escape.
Li Bangyan and his soldiers were useless; they usually lazed about, but when faced with real danger, they shrank back in fear of being beaten to death, standing there helplessly.
Several citizens shouted, “Li Bangyan, you worthless piece of trash! You’re supposed to be the Chancellor of the court. The Jin Army is at our gates, ready to attack the city, and you don’t dare take action. What a disgrace! Why haven’t you been killed yet? You traitorous scum!”
“You even killed the traitorous Thunder Cannon Operator! The morale of the soldiers above is in disarray; they almost couldn’t hold the city. You traitors should all be executed!”
Some citizens swung their long poles at them, causing cries of pain.
Two elderly men pointed angrily at Li Bangyan and shouted loudly.
“Li Bangyan, you useless thing! You’re only a few years younger than us. It’s one thing to be greedy for Silver, but now you’re afraid for your life and refuse to defend the city. Fleeing instead of fighting makes you a great sinner of the Song State; you deserve to be beaten to death!”
Li Bangyan was truly infuriated; he had brought this upon himself. If he had known better, he wouldn’t have rushed back to claim credit.
With rotten vegetable leaves stuck on his head, he said, “I am the Chancellor of the court! You unruly commoners better stop this nonsense; otherwise, I won’t spare you in the future!”
Several eggs were smashed on his face, and the yellow yolk dripped down, making him look like a beggar.
A long stick also struck him, causing him to scream in pain, while rotten vegetable leaves kept falling around him.
His loyal followers nearby were surrounded and beaten by hundreds of commoners, covering their faces in defense, which was even worse.
Qin Feng learned from the soldiers who came running that they understood the general situation.
Li Bangyan was a useless coward, afraid of death, weak and incompetent. When Jin Bing launched a strong attack, he fled with his men.
Hearing from someone that Jin Bing was about to be defeated, he returned with those people, wanting to claim the greatest credit and seek rewards from the emperor.
The commoners also heard this and could see from afar that his men had beheaded the Thunder Cannon Operator. They were furious and wished they could make him pay as well.
Upon discovering that he had returned with so few people, hundreds of commoners broke through the door and chased after them, refusing to let go.
Qin Feng found it very amusing; Li Bangyan, the incompetent minister, finally got his comeuppance, which felt satisfying.
However, they couldn't let it escalate to murder; otherwise, he would have an excuse to kill more commoners.
With over a hundred soldiers approaching, all dressed in black armor and carrying Great Longswords at their waists, some even held long spears, exuding a murderous aura!
They shouted, "Stop fighting! That is the Minister of Personnel, Left Chancellor Li Bangyan. He is weak and incompetent; it is not for you to punish him. Withdraw immediately or face severe consequences."
Seeing more soldiers arriving, the commoners dared not strike anymore and hurriedly fled.
Soon, they ran away until not a single shadow could be seen. There was nothing wrong with punishing corrupt officials of the court.
Li Bangyan screamed, angrily looking at Qin Feng and the others, clearly believing they were mocking him on purpose, but there was nothing he could do about it.
His loyal subordinates fared even worse; some were lying on the ground, while others stood holding their heads, looking disheveled with bruised faces.
After a while, the old general Zhong Shidao entered Tokyo City with some men, while the remaining elite of the Western Route Army stationed outside the city to guard against Jin Bing's attack.
Qin Feng, Zhong Shidao, and several generals hurried to the palace to report the military situation to the emperor.
Along the way, the common people looked down on Li Bangyan, continuously throwing rotten vegetable leaves at him, leaving him covered in them, looking more like a beggar than a beggar himself.
Not far from the palace gate, Li Bangyan quickly dismounted and cleaned off the rotten vegetable leaves. It took quite a while before he managed to get himself presentable, though his hair remained in disarray.
Upon arriving at the grand hall for political discussions, many civil officials were already standing there, seemingly discussing important matters.
The group hurried in and performed a formal greeting.
After Li Bangyan knelt in a deep bow and stood up with a face full of smiles, he thought he would be recognized for his significant contributions as the defender of Tokyo City. He felt shamelessly proud.
"Your Majesty, under my brave command, the soldiers of Tokyo repelled Jin Bing's forces, which outnumbered us by tens of thousands!"
"Although Zhong Shidao brought fifty thousand Western Route Army troops to assist us, he did not command the army. At most, their merits and faults should balance out. Your Majesty must see clearly; according to the Minister's opinion, we must reward contributions to stabilize troop morale!"
Qin Feng became furious, his face twisting with anger; how shameless could he be? Did he even command anything? He was only concerned about saving himself.
Zhong Shidao merely smiled; there were plenty of useless civil officials like this one who had claimed undeserved credit. He didn't care!
The Qin Emperor, dressed in the Golden Dragon Robe, was furious. He suddenly stood up from his chair, jumping up in rage.
With his right hand pointing fiercely, he began to scold as if he were reprimanding a disobedient dog.
“Li Bangyan, you old fool, do you really think that just because I stay in the palace, I know nothing? Let me tell you, you have been dismissed from your position as Chancellor and demoted to a commoner. Go home and retire! No need to attend court anymore.”
“I appointed you as the Defense Commander of Tokyo, responsible for the military authority in Tokyo. It was not meant for you to wait for death while letting Jin Bing shoot at you. You should have fought them in negotiations; if that failed, then defend the city with your life. Yet you wanted to surrender Tokyo City and ordered no resistance.”
“You even killed the court's Thunder Cannon Operator just to please Jin Bing. This is absurd! The people are complaining loudly and cursing you. Do you really think I haven’t heard any of it?”
“Li Bangyan, you have been dismissed from your position as Chancellor. You will no longer attend court and will be demoted to a commoner. Go home and retire!”
Li Bangyan was terrified, his white hair flowing as he appeared disheveled. How could he lose his position as Chancellor like this?
Was he destined to follow Bai Shizhong's path? After Bai was dismissed from his position as Chancellor, he fell seriously ill and nearly died.
He shouted, “Your Majesty, please reconsider! I have served the Great Song for decades with utmost dedication. Do not listen to the slanderous words of treacherous officials; that is a false accusation!”
“The Minister has always commanded from the City Wall! I contributed at least half of the effort in repelling Jin Bing.”
Some of his supporters were still pleading for him, hoping to retain his position as Chancellor.
However, most of his allies had already abandoned him. They had just been discussing his situation; selling out the country for personal gain was too blatant. The Emperor would surely dismiss him.
Most were sycophants; whoever offered more benefits would be the leader, regardless of this old man.
The War Faction was very pleased to see this useless Chancellor dismissed. Fighting would be much easier now; they could fight fiercely and protect their homeland with enthusiasm.
Qin Feng looked at him with some disdain, "Li Bangyan, you are also something! You have harmed the country and its people, seeking peace out of fear, wasting countless opportunities for battle while Jin Bing marched south."
"It was time to dismiss those useless people, appoint wise individuals, and strengthen the War Faction's power to resist the Jin."
He wanted to say a few more truths to expose his crimes, but looking around, it was no longer necessary.
The Qin Emperor was extremely angry. He had trusted him, yet he committed such acts—this was nothing short of treason!
"Li Bangyan, I have made my decision and will not change my mind. From now on, you will be a commoner and will not be allowed in court; otherwise, you will face punishment!"
"I truly misjudged you. I thought you were an elder in the court, devoted to the country. Although you belong to the Peace Faction and still have a heart for serving the nation, I was completely wrong. You are just a useless old man."
Li Bangyan was paralyzed with fear, collapsing to the ground like a beggar.
The Emperor then ordered the Imperial Guards to carry him out; he was simply too much of an eyesore. The meeting quickly came to an end.
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