Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 36: Totally Defeated

　　"Your Majesty had no intention of granting the marriage, but the daughter of Zhu clan was arrogant and willful, promising to marry recklessly. Your Majesty did not want to break the agreement with the Hu people, so he could only bestow the marriage, but the daughter of Zhu clan backed out and did not want to marry. The situation now is that the Yelu tribe changed their mind and said they wanted to marry the Seventh Princess. His Majesty wanted to recover Liangzhou.... As for you all...."

　　Duke Pei's eyes swept one by one past the faces of the ministers.

　　"You remember the benevolence of Zhu clan and do not want to see Zhu clan's daughter marry far away. Since the Yelu tribe took the initiative to ask to substitute, you are naturally overjoyed. Therefore, you encouraged His Majesty to agree to the Yelu tribe's proposal to marry his own daughter off instead, no?!"

　　He let out a powerful shout, startling the ministers that they almost kneeled down.

　　Duke Pei looked at Li De and said word by word: "Your Majesty, dare I ask whether the surname of this Wei Dynasty is Li or Zhu? Zhu clan's daughter is noble and precious while Li clan's daughter is dirt? The Zhu clan's daughter treats diplomatic relations as a child's play, and all civil and military officials let her run amok just because her surname is Zhu. Do you only have the Zhu clan in their eyes and hearts? Is there an emperor, the Son of Heaven, in your hearts?"

　　The ministers' hearts were thumping, sweating like pulp. When they heard the last sentence, they fell to the ground with a thud.

　　"Your Majesty, be clear! This minister does not have this intention!"

　　Duke Pei laughed coldly: "This matter was all because of the Zhu clan's daughter. If not for the Zhu clan's daughter, how could the Yelu tribe have the courage to ask to marry the Li clan's Princess? If Great Wei wants to recover Liangzhou, could it be that we need to rely on the Yelu tribe?"

　　The ministers were unable to respond.

　　Duke Pei scanned the circle of minsiters and slowly said: "The Xie family has been operating in Jingnan for generations, and the family is full of loyal and righteous people. Their sons of civil merit have become ministers, and the sons of military merit became generals. From early on, they have sacrificed their lives for the country without hesitation. When the Hu tribes went south, the people of the Central Plains were slaughtered. The Xie family, far away in Jingnan, resolutely led troops north to help the Zhu clan resist. Four generations, from great-grandparent to great-grandson, 100,000 heroic souls, all buried in the yellow sand.

　　"Twenty five years ago, famine broke out along the great river. People everywhere starved, and the plague was rampaging. Wherever the victims fled to, the local magistrates would drive them away. Only Jingnan's Xie Wuliang opened the city gates to accept and treat the victims, setting up porridge stands and medical centers. Countless people, people from all over, fled to Jingnan, but he took them all in without exception. When the epidemic was over, he sent men to escort the victims back to their hometowns, not forcibly detaining any of them.

　　"Twenty one years ago, His Majesty was defeated in Fuzhou. Tens of thousands of Wei troops were killed in the river valley. Wei County was also occupied by the enemy. Xie family sent troops to relieve the crisis in Wei County, offering their stored grain to help His Majesty raise a large army. For His Majesty, he help recruit the great clans of Jingnan. In just one year, he helped His Majesty recover all the lost land, and set up alliances for His Majesty.

　　"Eleven years ago, the Chu army attempted a sneak attack. The Xie family, in order to hold back the Chu army, in order to protect the civilians crossing the river, in order for His Majesty to realize his great cause, died defending Jingnan. Xie Wuliang, a weak scholar, faced the well-equipped and superior Southern Chu army and, for more than a month, defended the city until his last breath!