lovenovelstory #143 - Chapter 143: Offering Prisoners and Heads to Sacrifice the Heroic Spirits
#143 - Chapter 143: Offering Prisoners and Heads to Sacrifice the Heroic Spirits
Zheng Tianxiong stroked his beard, his eyes slightly narrowed.
He gazed at the handsome man sitting upright on his warhorse, pondering in his heart.
For him, the most reasonable approach was to try and win over this talented Li Yuan.
Offer him high-ranking positions, generous rewards, and beautiful concubines that he couldn't refuse.
Turning him into a loyal dog under his command.
However, for the Assistant National General, he valued family lineage and bloodline above all else, including talent.
Li Yuan was merely from a humble soldier's family, the lowest of the low in the Great Liang.
For Zheng Tianxiong, the head of the aristocratic families, he had no interest in him, no matter how talented he was.
A mere soldier's son actually seized military achievements that should have been the preserve of nobles.
He even felt a hidden sense of disgust towards Li Yuan.
Watching Li Yuan wave to the people, full of spirit and vigor.
The Assistant National General's eyes turned cold.
Li Yuan's origins were humble, and he didn't want to take him into his service.
But this man's talent and the uncertainty he might bring were real.
With his help, that girl Bai Jing might become a hindrance to him in the future.
Instead of that, it would be better to eliminate this insignificant soldier's son before he became a threat.
However, looking at the well-disciplined and imposing Dragon Legion.
The Assistant National General was still somewhat apprehensive.
But his eyes darted around, and an idea instantly popped into his head. Why should he personally eliminate Li Yuan?
Why not use a borrowed knife to kill someone?
Thinking of this, the corners of Zheng Tianxiong's mouth curled into a smug arc.
He quickly summoned a subordinate, carefully instructing him in his ear, and the man obeyed, disappearing into the street.
As the Dragon Legion marched into the square in front of the imperial city.
Suddenly, the sound of drums thundered in their ears.
Immediately afterward, the drumming grew more and more intense.
After three rounds of drumming, the Dragon Legion stood in solemn silence, and the people were quiet.
With the sound of footsteps, a master of ceremonies walked to the high platform and shouted loudly.
"By the order of the Assistant National General."
"Announce to Marquis Longxiang."
"The ceremony of presenting captives and heads, begin!"
As soon as the words fell, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments and drums from the four prefectures rang out.
This was the Great Liang's [Triumphant Captive Presentation Music], the music was exciting and vigorous.
Immediately afterward, hundreds of court musicians and dancers from the Taichang Temple sang.
"Iron cavalry tramples ten thousand miles of sand, banners flutter across the frontier, the general enters the palace in triumph, presenting captives in the golden hall, glorious achievements."
Along with the melodious music.
Many were Tiele warriors, and even a few were minor nobles.
Unlike those enslaved soldiers, these people were nobles among the Tiele people, and they would never surrender to the Dragon Legion.
So they became the prisoners used for today's palace captive presentation.
At this time, these Tiele prisoners were chained hand and foot, and all of them were hunched over, having long lost the brave appearance of grassland warriors.
These people were naked from the waist up, and their beards, hairstyles, facial features, and tattoos were enough to prove their Tiele identity.
The people of the capital often heard rumors of the Tiele people's brutal killings and were very curious about them.
The appearance of these prisoners caused the people of the capital who were watching the captive presentation ceremony to talk about it.
"This... these are the Tiele barbarians?"
"They don't look like much."
"What do you know? That's because these barbarians have been taught a lesson by the Dragon Legion."
"Look at their faces, they really are all covered in fierce flesh."
"It's all thanks to the Dragon Legion."
"Otherwise, how many Great Liang people would have been ravaged by them."
"Humph, beat these damned barbarians to death!"
Someone took the lead, throwing stones and rotten vegetable leaves at the prisoners.
As a result, many people started throwing things.
Rotten eggs, bricks, tiles, and even shoes.
For a time, the scene was a bit chaotic.
However, Marquis Longxiang did not send anyone to stop it, after all, it was good to let these people who had been threatened by the Tiele people vent their anger.
These prisoners would be sent to the capital's prison, as for how the court would eventually deal with them, she, Bai Jing, would not care.
The prisoners were taken away by the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and the captive presentation ceremony was completed.
After that was the head presentation ceremony.
At this time, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments changed again, and the court musicians and dancers of the Jiaofang Division began to sing the [Beheading and Head Presentation Song].
"The blade chills beyond the frontier, the general beheads the enemy's head, the enemy chief's head is already hanging, the triumphant song shakes the nine heavens."
The master of ceremonies walked to the high platform and shouted loudly.
"By the order of the Assistant National General."
"Announce to Marquis Longxiang."
"The head presentation ceremony, begin!"
Immediately, dozens of Dragon Legion personal guards dressed in colorful clothes walked out of the ranks, each holding a wooden box, and came to the altar.
They opened the wooden boxes one by one, and inside were hideous heads.
These heads had been treated with lime, although their eyeballs appeared gray-white and their skin was dry, it was still possible to identify their facial features before their death.
The heads in the boxes were taken out by the personal guards and then placed on the altar in order.
The three heads placed in the top row.
Naturally, they were the three commanders of the Tiele expeditionary army, namely, Sangdu, Barker, and Abu.
After that, dozens of Tiele chiliarchs' heads were placed on the altar.
Although they were now only heads, each of them had their beards and hair spread out, and their faces were hateful, which still made many onlookers terrified.
Dozens of enemy chiefs' heads were placed on the altar, solemn and shocking.
Some people said that since the Dragon Legion had beheaded 27,000, why not transport all 27,000 heads to the capital.
The reason was simple, because there was simply not enough time to process them.
On the battlefield, the basic treatment of heads was salt and quicklime.
Except for the 1,400 heads captured earlier that had been simply processed, they were all distributed to the generals of the four prefectures.
Most of the corpses found in the Gourd Valley afterward were broken, and many of the heads were also damaged.
In addition, there was not much salt and lime left in the army, and finally, Marquis Longxiang ordered that, except for the heads of dozens of Tiele generals.
The other Tiele soldiers who were killed only took their waist tags as proof of their military achievements.
Some people also suggested building a Jingguan on the north bank of the Chishui River with the heads that could not be taken away to deter the northern barbarians.
But it was rejected by the female marquis.
The reason was nothing else, Cuisong Ridge on the Chishui River was within the territory of the Great Liang and was also an important commercial route.
If the corpses and heads were not handled properly, it might cause a plague in the Beichuan Road, which would outweigh the benefits.
Looking at the dozens of Tiele generals' heads on the altar.
The onlookers in the capital were all sighing, in the past, mentioning the Tiele people could frighten children into silence.
But today, those terrible Tiele people had become corpses for everyone to watch.
The people of the capital all praised the bravery of the Dragon Legion.
At this time, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments changed, and the music became particularly desolate and mournful.
This was the Great Liang army's [Sacrifice to the Heroic Spirits] song.
Along with the low and desolate music, hundreds of Dragon Legion personal guards carried wooden boxes and walked onto the high platform, taking out thousands of Dragon Legion waist tags from the wooden boxes.
The lower half of these waist tags were wrapped in white silk.
On closer inspection, many of the waist tags had knife and axe marks, and some had indelible blood stains on them.
In the Battle of the Chishui River, the Liang army had nearly 915 Dragon Legion soldiers killed in battle, and nearly 3,000 military households were killed or wounded.
At this time, nearly 4,000 waist tags of the Great Liang soldiers were densely placed on the long table in front of the altar.
Each waist tag represented a Liang soldier who died on the battlefield.
Seeing this shocking and solemn scene, tens of thousands of onlookers in the capital were all moved.
Behind the Dragon Legion's beheading of 27,000 enemies was also the tragic scene of thousands of Great Liang soldiers staining the battlefield with blood.
At this time, Marquis Longxiang and the Dragon Legion generals had taken off the red silk ribbons on their bodies and replaced them with white plain ribbons.
The female marquis picked up the sacrificial incense, lit it, and inserted it into the incense burner in front of the long table in order.
The hundred court musicians and dancers of the Jiaofang Division had also begun to sing the desolate [Sacrifice to the Heroic Souls] song.
"The vast sky, guards my border, bid farewell to the high hall, with swords and spears on our shoulders, kill the captives to protect the country, bravely be the first, if we can achieve peace, this is my life's wish."
"Return to the army without me, do not grieve or complain, men guard the land, and have turned into green mountains, my son do not cry, my wife do not resent, the country needs pillars, this body has been donated."
This song has been sung in the Great Liang border for a hundred years.
Hearing this song, all those who had participated in the Battle of the Chishui River could not help but think of their comrades who had died on the battlefield.
Marquis Longxiang had long been in tears, Bai Yuxuan lowered her head to hide her face, and even Li Yuan had tears in the corners of his eyes.
The mournful melody stirred everyone's hearts.
An image of killing enemies to serve the country and protecting the homeland was as if it were right in front of them.
He may be the honest big brother next door.
Perhaps he was the most beloved youngest son of the widowed mother in the village.
Perhaps he was the clumsy young man who bid farewell to his new wife and couldn't say sweet words.
They embarked on the journey to guard the border for the country, but there was no return date.
Leaving their parents, wives, and children looking at the door, but never able to see that familiar figure again.
Many people were infected by the lyrics and couldn't help but burst into tears.