Chapter 88

Black clouds press down on the city, as if to crush it.

The Zhao Hao of the past could only appreciate this line from Li He's poetry, but when he truly witnessed such a scene, he realized that words could not describe even a fraction of it.

Those who have never been on a battlefield cannot understand this feeling.

At a certain moment, Zhao Hao felt a slight suffocation.

Below the Xiangyang City walls, a vast sea of black dots advanced relentlessly.

Zhao Hao knew that was the Mongol army.

Their offensive power was unparalleled in the world, and their numbers were no less than those defending the city.

In his ears, the Song soldiers were shouting, "Close the city gates tightly!" Every face was devoid of joy, filled only with the solemnity and tension of facing a formidable enemy.

Zhao Hao, dressed in military attire, stood atop the city wall, his red cloak fluttering in the wind.

Beside him stood Meng Gong and Guo Jing, similarly armed and ready for battle.

Zhao Hao watched the approaching crowd below, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"As expected," Zhao Hao muttered.

Guo Jing sighed and said, "The Mongols often drive our Song civilians to the front lines before each attack, allowing Mongol soldiers to mix in. If we shoot arrows, the most casualties will be among our innocent Song civilians. If we do nothing, the Mongol soldiers will surge forward and take the city. This is a straightforward strategy, and even if we know it, we cannot counter it."

Zhao Hao's fists clenched quietly.

"Meng Dajun, what do you plan to do in this situation?" Zhao Hao asked.

Meng Gong's expression was equally grim.

He was not lacking in decisiveness, but there were some orders he did not want to give as long as he retained his humanity.

"Forget it, you can't bear this responsibility. I'll do it," Zhao Hao said.

"Your Highness, think carefully."

"These are all our Song civilians."

Meng Gong and Guo Jing bowed simultaneously.

Zhao Hao raised his right hand, signaling them to be silent.

He stared intently at the Mongol battle flags in the distance. At the center, Kublai Khan was clearly leading the charge, with Jinlun by his side.

A cruel smile curled the corners of Zhao Hao's mouth.

"Yang Guo," Zhao Hao called out suddenly.

"Here."

"Bring them out."

"Yes."

Meng Gong's expression changed, and he said to Zhao Hao, "Your Highness, let me do it."

"Xiangyang still needs you, and you can't bear the blame," Zhao Hao said calmly.

In just a moment, Yang Guo led a group of soldiers, driving over a hundred Mongols to the top of Xiangyang City.

"Kublai Khan, I am the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty. Do you see these people clearly?" Zhao Hao shouted.

Zhao Hao used all his strength, and even Meng Gong, who was closest to him, felt a buzzing in his head.

Despite the noise, Zhao Hao's voice still spread across the battlefield and reached Kublai Khan's ears.

Kublai Khan's expression changed, and he asked, "Master, what is Zhao Hao saying?"

Jinlun focused his gaze and saw a group of Mongol civilians, including the elderly and women, awaiting execution beside Zhao Hao.

Jinlun's hands trembled slightly. He did not know when Zhao Hao had captured these people.

"Prince, they are our Mongol people, unarmed civilians," Jinlun said shakily.

Kublai Khan's face changed, and he said to his men, "Temporarily halt the attack."

"Yes, Prince."

With the sound of Mongol horns, the Mongol army's advance halted, and the Song civilians at the front had already reached the base of Xiangyang City.

"Master, ask Zhao Hao what he intends to do," Kublai Khan said.

He did not have Zhao Hao's ability to project his voice across the battlefield.

Jinlun asked as instructed.

At some point, Zhao Hao had a long sword in his hand.

He raised the sword high and shouted, "Execute."

As Zhao Hao spoke, the sword fell, and heads rolled, blood flowing like a river.

A hundred Mongol civilians died suddenly.

Guo Jing's expression changed, and he was about to speak, but Meng Gong held him back.

"Kublai Khan, do you see clearly?" Zhao Hao shouted.

Kublai Khan's face turned ashen.

Of course, he saw clearly.

He never expected Zhao Hao to dare do this.

"Kublai Khan, I, the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty and the leader of the Power Gang, formally inform you that from now on, for every Song civilian who dies in this war, I will kill one Mongol. For every hundred Song civilians who die, I will kill a hundred Mongols. The hundred people just now were a gift to you. This is just the beginning, and you had better believe me. If I cannot do it, the disciples of the Power Gang will make up for it."

"Swear to follow the leader to the death."

Zhao Hao's voice and the oaths of the Power Gang disciples spread across the battlefield, and the tens of thousands of people fell silent.

No one had ever made such a declaration.

The Central Plains, considering itself the supreme nation, treated others with courtesy.

No matter how the enemy treated us, we would treat them like honored guests.

So Kublai Khan had no qualms.

The Mongols had no qualms.

They acted without restraint, massacring at will.

They knew the Song would not imitate them, nor dare to do so.

For thousands of years, Confucianism had become a universal culture, deeply ingrained in every aspect of the Central Plains.

With these words, Zhao Hao almost guaranteed that the world would be in turmoil.

He would become a controversial figure, and even centuries later, history books would harshly criticize him.

Otherwise, why would Ran Min, with his great military achievements, remain obscure throughout the dynasties?

But Kublai Khan never imagined that within the Song, someone would dare to defy such a taboo and make such a strong decision.

Even more outrageous, he had a group of followers.

The Power Gang indeed had the ability to turn these words into reality.

After saying this, Zhao Hao no longer paid attention to Kublai Khan. Instead, he knelt on the city wall and shouted to the Song civilians below, "I, Zhao Hao, am ashamed and unworthy of you. When you suffer, I cannot even lend a helping hand, and I must even issue the order to execute you."

"This is my shame, the shame of the Song. You may curse me, and if you have descendants, seek revenge on me alone."

"But I am sorry, you are people, you are innocent. But the soldiers defending the city, the disciples of the Power Gang, and the millions of Song civilians behind Xiangyang, they are also innocent."

"I cannot sacrifice their lives for yours. That would be unfair to them."

"I know my decision is also unfair to you, but I can only do this: for every one of you who dies, I will kill one Mongol. I will continue until there are no more Mongols to kill, or until the Song is destroyed."

"This is the limit of what I can do. I apologize, citizens."

Zhao Hao knelt and solemnly bowed three times to the civilians below.

Behind him, all the people of Xiangyang knelt and bowed to the civilians below.

When they stood up, some were already in tears.

Zhao Hao raised his blood-soaked sword and shouted, "Brothers, anyone who approaches the walls of Xiangyang, kill without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!"

At that moment, the sound split the sky.

...

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