Free Web NovelChapter 1136: Chapter 1079: Countermeasures (Part 2)
This is not an exaggeration. Didn’t you see that the Commander, leading a group of officials, had been waiting outside the city gates early on?
Upon seeing the large army, he greeted them with a smile and came toward Lin Yi.
As the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling face, and with such an attitude and reaction from the other side, Lin Yi found it hard to make a move against them for the moment.
Thus, these guys could be said to have picked up a life.
Otherwise, according to previous cases, almost all city commanders were executed on the spot.
After all, which one of them is clean?
Whose hands are not stained with blood?
And Lin Yi was known for his disdain for those corrupt officials, so naturally, he would show no mercy towards them.
However, the current situation was quite the opposite. No matter what these people were like before, the way they acted in front of Lin Yi left little room for criticism, thus temporarily sparing their lives.
Of course, the reason they acted in this way was entirely due to the pressing circumstances.
The opposing force was approaching with nearly 100,000 troops, while they had only a few hundred guards here.
Expecting these few hundred people to hold the walls is something even a fool wouldn’t do. Once the walls are breached, how could their lives be spared?
At that time, even if they chose to surrender, the other side’s attitude towards them would be completely different. At the very least, survival would be extraordinarily difficult for the Commander.
As it is with this preamble, naturally, many shared the same thought.
Before long, Lin Yi led the large army straight towards the Capital City.
At this moment, the army of 70,000 had swelled to a vast 100,000, thanks to reinforcements along the way.
Yes, each city provided personnel reinforcements to him.
As for the loyalty of these reinforcements, Lin Yi was without doubt.
After all, with the old man present, and the fact that the essence of this army was not that of an enemy nation, it greatly reduced their psychological pressure, allowing them to join this army with comfort.
Moreover, King Zhao’s actions over the days had been quite harsh. It could be said that he showed no mercy towards these people either.
This led those guys to betray him without the slightest hesitation.
Just as Lin Yi was leading a large force close to the Capital City, chaos had already erupted inside, especially among the officials, who were becoming increasingly restless.
During the court assembly, various arguments broke out, whether among ministers or royal nobles, they were undoubtedly all in a panic at this moment.
Listening to the noise below and seeing the expressions and demeanor of these people, King Zhao was already infuriated to the extreme. Slamming the table violently, he loudly reprimanded them:
"All of you, shut up for me. At this point, what you need to think about is how to defeat the enemy and eliminate that traitor.
Not endlessly bickering here!
Currently, we have only one path before us, and that is to rise in rebellion.
Only by defeating them all, only by eliminating that traitor, do we have a slim chance of survival.
Otherwise, should he breach the city, would you or I still have lives?
Once he finished saying this, all of a sudden, everyone below fell into silence, although their minds began to stir.
Those who usually did not get along with the old man were now the most panicked, thinking that once this guy breaches the city, the first thing he would do is eliminate them all.
As for those who usually had decent relations with the old man, they were more and more contemplating how they could get in touch with him, then convey their willingness to act as insiders.
In other words, they were willing to pledge allegiance to the Grand General.
And they firmly believed that with their usual relations, the other side would not refuse them.
After all, once Zhao Country was taken, it would still need people to govern, and they already had experience managing this country. Therefore, the other side should not reject those who voluntarily pledge allegiance.
As for those who usually had a neutral relationship with the Grand General, they were now worried about whether to take a stand.
At this moment in time, placing their bets on the Emperor would evidently not be a wise move.
After all, the total number of the Young Army inside and outside Capital City was only over 20,000.
Confronting the opposing force of 100,000 was like striking a stone with an egg.
Not to mention engaging in a battle. Even if the enemy were to stand still and let them attack, they wouldn’t be able to overcome them.
At this point, they were considering more how to build good relations with those officials who were in favor with the Grand General.
When those officials surrendered, they could also express their willingness to submit, and thus secure their own path to survival.
After all, these officials were not foolish and understood that the fall of imperial power would undoubtedly cause a major upheaval, but it would not affect too many people.
Especially for those ministers of state, they were less likely to face severe repercussions.
Since the country wouldn’t simply cease after being taken.
It needed to continue to function.
Reassigning officials or retraining them couldn’t be accomplished overnight.
The best scenario was to continue employing them, a lesson learned from history—after all, with every dynastic changeover, there were officials from the previous regime who were treated not indifferently but perhaps even with more favor.
Of course, as for whether they would be oppressed after a decade or so, that’s a given, as every Emperor builds their own trust, hence the saying, "a new monarch, a new court of officials".
But that would be a matter for a decade later, and there was plenty of time for them to maneuver.
Seeing their expressions, King Zhao naturally understood what they were thinking. Although he might have been a bit dim-witted, he was not stupid. He fully understood the implications.
At the same time, he knew deeply that relying on his current power to resist the other side was clearly unrealistic, as the old man’s leverage had been seized by the opposing side. Their families and kin were not in his control, making it impossible for him to leverage them.
Fortunately, apart from the old man, other military generals’ families and relatives were all in the Capital City. So long as they were there, events could take a turn.
With their presence, placing them on the frontline, on the walls, he imagined those below would not initiate an attack.
At that time, even if the old man attempted to suppress them, it would be ineffective.
Thinking of this, King Zhao finally showed a trace of relief on his face while also letting out a sigh, perhaps the first comfort he felt in a long time.
Immediately, he called out to the Guard beside him to give orders:
"Now, take some people and gather all the kin of those generals for me.
Then bind them tightly and transport them to the walls.
Place them right at the forefront. I don’t believe those brats would dare lay hands on their own families!"
Unexpectedly, after he uttered these words, the ministers who had been somewhat wavering were instantly taken aback.
[To be continued....]
