In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 749 Broken City

Yang Zheng had said that he would execute the ringleaders after entering the city.

What is the chief culprit?

Naturally, these were court officials such as Zhu Changhe and Wang Li.

Furthermore, Zhu Yinghao and Chen Ge, as commanders of ten thousand men in the Qingzhou Army, held high positions and wielded great power, and would certainly be classified as the chief culprits.

In other words, once the city is breached, both of them will be in grave danger.

In order to save themselves, the two must do something.

The surrender of the prefectural city was something the two of them had agreed to do!

As long as they can open the city gates and let the Yang family army into the city, even if Yang Zheng is ruthless, he will not punish them in consideration of their merit in surrendering the city. On the contrary, he will reward them handsomely.

Perhaps... they can still retain their position as commanders of ten thousand.

"Brother Zhu is right."

Chen Ge nodded in agreement: "If we have the merit of surrendering the city, we will be able to save our lives and will not have to be buried with the city!"

After speaking, Chen Ge asked with a serious expression, "Brother Zhu, what do you plan to do?"

“You and I each have two thousand soldiers under our command. In the past, such a small force would have been insufficient to accomplish anything, but now…”

The two whispered amongst themselves, gradually completing their plan to surrender the city.

…………

…………

Before they knew it, it was the evening of the second day.

That night, just as the hungry soldiers and civilians of Qingzhou were fast asleep, a premeditated uprising suddenly broke out.

Flames soared into the sky inside the city. Chen Ge and Xie Yinghao each led 2000 troops to kill the soldiers responsible for guarding the city and opened the city gates!

It is worth mentioning that during the capture of the city gate, Chen Ge and Xie Yinghao encountered another force, none other than Xu Xiaoma and others who rebelled out of dissatisfaction with Zhu Changhe.

Xu Xiaoma gathered over a thousand soldiers, who joined forces with Chen Ge and Xie Yinghao, forming a total force of five thousand. They easily captured the city gate by surprise, and then... opened it!

Yang Zheng, who had been prepared outside the city, naturally would not miss this opportunity. He immediately led his troops into the city, and the fall of Qingzhou Prefecture was now a foregone conclusion.

Upon seeing the Yang family army pouring into the city, countless soldiers, awakened by the sudden arrival of the army, offered almost no resistance and chose to kneel and surrender.

While sending men to gather the surrendered soldiers, Yang Zheng said to Chen Ge, Xie Yinghao, and Xu Xiaoma, who had contributed to the surrender of the city, "You have done well. After this battle is over, I will reward you according to your merits."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ge and Xie Yinghao were overjoyed. Wasn't the reason they surrendered the city precisely because of Yang Zheng's words?

With Yang Zheng's words, at least the lives of the two of them and their families were no longer in danger.

Perhaps they could even transform themselves into generals in the Yang family army. If Yang Zheng were to conquer the world in the future, they might even be able to claim credit for their role in supporting the emperor's rise to power...

Thinking of this, the two of them couldn't help but feel excited.

On the contrary, Xu Xiaoma, perhaps out of ignorance and fearlessness, or perhaps because he simply did not care about his own interests, knelt before Yang Zheng and said, "I beg General Yang to keep his promise and not harm a single soldier or civilian in the city."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zheng glanced at Xu Xiaoma in surprise. Chen Ge and Xie Yinghao had been in contact with him privately for some time, so he knew that the two would open the city gates tonight.

Xu Xiaoma was an unexpected surprise. Yang Zheng never imagined that a low-ranking soldier in the Qingzhou Army would dare to do such a big thing.

What surprised Yang Zheng even more was that Xu Xiaoma, who had accomplished such a great feat, did not seek credit but only hoped that he would keep his previous promise...

"Your name is Xu Xiaoma?"

"Yes, General Yang!"

"Rest assured, I always keep my word and will never go back on my promise! As long as the Qingzhou army in the city does not resist, I will not harm them!"

As for the common people… I have never intended to harm them!

"Thank you, Yang Family Army."

After making a promise to Xu Xiaoma, Yang Zheng arranged for people to take the three away, while he himself led his troops to take over the entire prefecture city.

Because the Qingzhou soldiers did not resist, Yang Zheng took over the prefectural city quite smoothly. Of course, there were also incidents of resistance during this period.

Officials within the city, including generals like Zhu Changhe, knew that Yang Zheng would never let them go, so they either led their personal guards or their household servants in rebellion.

However, their resistance was doomed to failure.

Faced with the ravenous and ambitious Yang family army, both the personal guards of generals like Zhu Changhe and the servants of officials were quickly slaughtered.

As for generals and officials such as Zhu Changhe and Wang Li, some were beheaded on the spot, while others were imprisoned.

The shouts of battle echoed throughout the city all night, and the people lived in fear all night long.

Fortunately... the Yang family army was disciplined and did not harm the people in the city in the slightest, which reassured the people in the city.

As dawn broke, the dust settled.

All resistance forces within the city have been eliminated, and the vast prefecture is now completely under the control of the Yang family army.

As Yang Zheng led his troops through the empty streets, he could almost hear the rapid breathing from the houses on both sides.

He knew that with the shouts of battle continuing all night, the people in the city couldn't possibly be sleeping. Most were probably in a state of anxiety, perhaps even...

Yang Zheng could feel many eyes watching him nervously from both sides.

Seemingly sensing something, Yang Zheng suddenly stopped and said, "I know you are all worried, but don't be afraid! I have said that I will not harm a single citizen in the city. You do not need to worry about me or the Yang family army harming you. If any soldiers or generals of the Yang family army break into your houses and rob your money, you can report it to me. I will definitely punish the murderers severely!"

After saying that, Yang Zheng didn't linger and walked forward without looking back.

Behind him, the soldiers of the Yang family army quickly followed.

After Yang Zheng left, the people in the houses along the street who had heard what he said all felt a sense of relief.

They were indeed worried that soldiers from Yang's army would break into their home and harm them, but after hearing Yang Zheng's words, they immediately felt much more at ease.

At least Yang Zheng kept his promise. After the city fell, he did not harm the surrendered soldiers or the common people.

"mother."

In a private house, a boy named Han Tong, about ten years old, pressed himself against his window, looking through the crack at the departing Yang family army outside the city. He turned to his mother and said, "Those soldiers are all gone."

"Great!"

Han Tong's mother, Sun Yue, stepped forward and hugged Han Tong tightly, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.

The shouts of battle echoed throughout the city all night, and she lived in fear all night, afraid that soldiers of the Yang family army would break into her home...

Although she had no property or food, as a woman and a widow, she knew all too well what fate awaited women during times of war…