Chapter 228 Celebrities, a lifetime of humiliation
Li Yan took the kit and glanced at Xu Shu doubtfully.
…
At the end of the day, a white flag was erected on the top of the ancient Xiangyang City. Li Yan and Han Song, with a few followers, came out of the city gate holding a white flag. A pair of empty eyes looked at them from behind.
There is no need to raise a white flag when offering surrender, at least not before surrender, but now the Sichuan army will shoot people who come out of ancient Xiangyang indiscriminately. Li Yan and his party can only hold up the white flag. Even so, several followers are still trembling with fear.
"Why are you shaking? What are you talking about?" Han Song felt deeply ashamed of the white flag and shouted loudly.
The Sichuan army bent their bows and strings behind the grassy slope, and the metal reflection of the arrows shone into Li Yan's eyes, but the Sichuan army did not release the arrow in the end.
Everyone at the city gate looked pale, as if they were starving ghosts. Their eyes were staring at the footsteps of Han Song and Li Yan. Li Yan and Han Song walked fifty steps and were still safe. At this moment,
The people at the city gate didn't know who took the first step and rushed out of the city gate.
Even if they haven't eaten or drank for several days, they still burst out with amazing strength. Hundreds of people rushed to charge outside the city gate. You pushed me and trampled on each other. Everyone was red and followed Li Yan and Han Song.
When I went out, my mind was empty.
"Run quickly." Li Yan shouted to Han Song.
"Why are you running? Are you so timid?" Han Song dismissed it.
"If we don't run away and are overtaken by those common people, the Sichuan army will definitely fire arrows and we will all die." Li Yanji said.
"Humph, those are our people. Are we still afraid of being dragged down by them, so we have to run away regardless of our ugly appearance? Are we going to push them into the arrows of the Sichuan army?"
"piss off."
Li Yan couldn't help but swore, ignored Han Song, and ran away. When the following followers saw him, they also ran towards the main Sichuan army formation.
"Run quickly."
"Run quickly."
"ah."
The mixed crowd of civilians and soldiers swarmed in, fifty steps, forty steps, thirty steps. Han Song's steady steps could no longer be steady. At this time, he heard the dull sound of pulling a bowstring, and Han Song said "Hey"
With a sound, he ran towards the Sichuan army.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."
The sharp arrows of the Sichuan army flew into the sky, and a black cloud pressed down on the running crowd. Following a series of screams, countless refugees were nailed to the ground, and those who could move, regardless of whether they were slightly or seriously injured, trampled over their bodies.
"hair."
Yan Yan shouted. Hundreds of powerful crossbowmen pulled back their finger-thick crossbow strings, and hundreds of sharp arrows were fired straight at the refugees. Those who rushed in front were pierced by the crossbow arrows, fell back several meters and fell to the ground, and rushed out.
Thousands of people were killed. After several rounds of shooting with bows and crossbows, only a few were left wandering among the corpses, hesitant and helpless.
Han Song was the second to run in front of the Sichuan Army formation. Ancient Xiangyang was like a dead city, with toxic smells everywhere, toxic sewage flowing, and the smell of death lingering. Now that he came out of the city, he realized that the air outside was...
So fresh.
"Welcome the envoy from Jingzhou." Zhang Ren smiled. He opened his palms flat to the level of his chest and raised them sharply. The Sichuan army formation behind them quickly separated, leaving a meter-wide road. The spearmen stood on both sides. They held their chests out and raised their heads, looking straight.
ahead.
The Sichuan Army was much stronger than the Jingzhou Army. Especially since Zishui entered the city, the Jingzhou Army could no longer be called an army. Except for some personal soldiers, most of the soldiers had mixed into the refugee ranks.
Han Song and Li Yan walked between the Sichuan army formations. Li Yan looked left and right from time to time, while Han Song looked calm and stared straight ahead, but his steps were a little frivolous.
Liu Zhang sat on the stone platform and looked at the refugees who were shot in the distance.
"Li Yan, Sima Li Yan of Jingzhou's auxiliary army (Han Song, a lieutenant in Jingzhou), pays homage to Uncle Liu, the shepherd of Yizhou."
Liu Zhang stared into the distance, watching a girl in yellow wandering among the corpses of refugees, holding a corpse and crying bitterly. He took a breath and asked the general next to him: "Did the girl in yellow really enter the city last night?"
"That wild girl was going to the city, but I stopped her and sent two soldiers to take her home," Gao Pei said.
"Nice job." Liu Zhang praised. After all, Xu Zhaoxue had helped him before. Although he was nagging her, Liu Zhang was not willing to watch her die. "Go back and collect the two hundred reward."
"Gold?"
"Copper coins."
Han Song watched Liu Zhang talking to the generals on the stage without even looking at them. He couldn't help but look angry and said in a deep voice: "Is this how the dignified Yizhou Shepherd treats the envoys? It's really disappointing."
Liu Zhang glanced at the dim sun in the sky, and then looked at Li Yan. The hoeing farmer was much thinner than when he was in Baichuan. He was surprised and said: "Isn't this Li Sima? We meet again, what are you doing here?
?Are you here to give me a gift again?"
The generals around laughed.
Yan Song's face turned red and white, while Li Yan looked as usual and said, "Uncle Huang, you guessed it right. Li Yan is here to give gifts to Uncle Huang this time. Just like last time, there is no need to repay him."
Li Yan glanced at the cold military appearance of the Sichuan army behind him and said, "Uncle Liu Huang's military power is at its peak. Li Yan is here to surrender to the emperor uncle on behalf of Mr. Xu Yuanzhi and tens of thousands of Jingzhou soldiers and civilians in the city. He will give the entire ancient Xiangyang to the emperor uncle. Please also ask
The emperor allowed us to abandon our weapons and leave the city."
"Please surrender?" Liu Zhang sat lazily on the stone bench and said casually: "Since you asked to surrender, why didn't Xu Yuanzhi come out on his own? What can you, a little Sima, represent? It's clearly a false surrender. Go back and tell Xu Yuanzhi that you want to surrender.
Just do it by yourself, a small Sima, a middle-level man, and you don’t have the right to talk to me."
Liu Zhang had already guessed the intention of Li Yan and Han Song, and had no intention of accepting the surrender of the Jingzhou army, so he adopted such an attitude, which made celebrities like Li Yan and Han Song lose face and retreat.
Let Xu Shu surrender on his own. If Xu Shu really comes, Liu Zhang has his own plan.
"Liu Zhang, don't bully others too much." Han Song said angrily.
Li Yan hurriedly stopped Yan Song. He was in a stronger position than anyone else, and said in a deep voice: "Uncle Liu Huang, you have a distinguished status. We, the junior officials in Jingzhou, are indeed not qualified to talk to you on an equal footing. However, surrender is different from negotiation, and equality of status should not be required."
Right? What's more, Mr. Xu Shu has been attacked by the emperor's ingenious attacks. He is exhausted, sick and unable to move. Please forgive me, uncle."
Li Yan said the last two words stiffly. Han Song was very disdainful of Li Yan's groveling, and Li Yan turned a blind eye.
"Sick? Don't you know how to carry me?" Liu Zhang said coldly: "No need to waste words, go back quickly. Unless Xu Shu comes personally, I can't see any sincerity of the Jingzhou Army to surrender, and would rather throw away the Sichuan Army's
Blood will also destroy the city of Xiangyang, let ancient Xiangyang be destroyed by ashes, and completely pass away."
Liu Zhang's words were arrogant, but Li Yan was indifferent. He now knew that Liu Zhang was deliberately insulting the Jingzhou army and that there was no hope of surrender.
He bowed to Liu Zhang and turned to leave. Suddenly he remembered Xu Shu's bag of tips and turned to Liu Zhang and said, "Uncle Liu Huang, Mr. Xu asked me to bring this to you. If uncle Huang has time, take a look."
Li Yan handed the kit to the soldiers, turned around and left. He had already guessed this outcome, but when it actually happened, it was still a little hard to accept.
Despite refusing to surrender, Liu Zhang indeed remained calm at all times.
Li Yan glanced at the desolate ancient Xiangyang City, and felt that he was going back to that hell again. He was so unwilling to sacrifice his life for a mediocre master like Liu Biao, but in this situation, how could he say surrender to Liu Zhang?
"Wait a minute." Liu Zhang suddenly stopped Li Yan, his tone completely different from the arrogant tone at the beginning.
Li Yan turned around in confusion. Liu Zhang took out the silk in the brocade bag and read it twice. Xu Shu nagged something on it and made three suggestions. Liu Zhang read it carefully, raised his head and said to Li Yan: "Have you read it?"
This letter?”
Li Yan said loudly: "Uncle, don't look down on me, Li Yan. Since my husband told me not to open it, I won't open it."
Liu Zhang nodded and said solemnly: "Zhengfang, are you willing to surrender?"
Liu Zhang called him Li Yan, not "Little Sima".
Li Yan was stunned in place, and after a while, he slowly said: "Yes."
He spoke clearly and resolutely. In this short moment, thousands of thoughts flashed through Li Yan's mind, but he finally came to the conclusion that he was willing to surrender, and that he had endured it for too long.
He stayed in the Jingzhou army because of Xu Shu, and Liu Zhang looked at Xu Shu's brochure and asked him to surrender. This means that Xu Shu must have made an explanation in the brochure, Xu Shu acquiesced, and Li Yan was no longer bound.
"You come from a noble family, aren't you afraid of being criticized by the world and your clan?" Liu Zhang asked.
Many civil and military officials in Yizhou came from aristocratic families, but these people were different from Li Yan. Before the Jiangzhou massacre, they were already Yizhou officials. Some of them were to tolerate it, and some of them were because Liu Zhang did not push the aristocratic family into despair.
Officials can also seek benefits for the family, and there are very few left because they are loyal to Liu Zhang.
If these officials are still serving as officials in Yizhou, the world will only think that they have no choice but to be forbearing. If Li Yan surrenders midway, the world will think that he is betraying him. Knowing that Liu Zhang harmed the family and knowing that Liu Zhang was cruel and unkind, he surrendered so easily.
It means betrayal and standing on the opposite side of social morality.
"Don't be afraid." Li Yan said solemnly.
Han Song looked at Li Yan angrily, but Li Yan still turned a blind eye.
"Okay, I will grant you the title of Xiangyang Order now. When Xiangyang City is captured, Xiangyang will be yours."
"Thank you, Lord." Li Yan bowed.
"You are shameless." Han Song puffed out his cheeks and looked at Li Yan.
Han Song felt both indignant and desolate in his heart. After all, he was also a famous person, but he seemed to have been spending his whole life in humiliation.
At first, he could have been one of the three princes of the imperial court, but due to Dong Zhuo's rebellion in the capital, he could not become an official. He was afraid of being persecuted by the Xiliang army, so he hid in the mountains in humiliation.
Liu Biao took control of Jingzhou. Although he put down the rebellion of clan traitors, his Cai family and Kuai family were not yet full-fledged. They needed highly respected people to calm the situation. Liu Biao actually forced himself to take office and humiliated himself to accept his order.
It was also from that time that my own integrity was trampled on for the first time. In the face of life, death and integrity, I bowed to fate.