Xiao Chang let out a dry laugh, "My son said he needs more time to prepare..."
Liang Xiao said in a deep voice, "He needs fifteen days? And he wants this marquis to publicly promise not to touch the assets of his few families?"
Xiao Chang swallowed with difficulty, not daring to make a sound.
Nan Jiyun frowned, "The assets of your families were squeezed from the common people's sweat and blood. The imperial court is counting on distributing your families' gold, silver, and land to the people of Jiaozhou. It's already an exceptional grace to spare your lives! If you remain ungrateful, don't blame our marshal for dispatching the army to confiscate your property and exterminate your clans!"
Xiao Chang hurriedly said, "I'll write another letter to persuade him?"
Liang Xiao said in a deep voice, "This marquis wants him to surrender immediately, without a moment's delay!"
"Alright! I'll write a letter to emphasize it now..." Xiao Chang meekly agreed, nodding like a pecking chicken.
Liang Xiao shook his head and ordered, "No need. A few of my generals will escort you to the city walls to persuade him to surrender."
"To the city walls?" Xiao Chang was startled.
"This marquis wants you to persuade him to surrender in public, understand?" Liang Xiao said with a smile.
Xiao Chang had no choice but to agree.
One hundred Great Qian heavy cavalry, carrying long spears, escorted Xiao Chang and dozens of others towards the city walls.
After Xiao Chang left, Zhuo Ying reminded him, "Marshal, why not equip these captives with armor, just in case?"
Liang Xiao smiled, "Guess why I didn't give them armor?"
The generals did not understand his intention.
Zhuo Ying suddenly understood, "The marshal is indeed scheming..."
Zuo Wuji explained, "If Xiao Feng is sincere about surrendering, why would he dare to harm them? If he is insincere, then these people are of no use. If Xiao Feng still dares to shoot them, then it's perfect, the Southern King's family will be killing their own kin! Our army can kill with a borrowed knife, and it will also let the Jiaozhou generals on the city walls understand that these beasts can even harm their own fathers. Regardless of the outcome, it will help our army recover Jiaozhou."
The generals suddenly understood. Shi Liuyun smiled, "These rebellious ministers and wicked traitors deserve to die. If they die by their own people's hands, it is the greatest irony, a source of endless laughter for future generations!"
The Great Qian heavy cavalry, using ropes to tie up the bound Xiao Chang and others, arrived at the foot of the city and called out to Xiao Feng.
Upon receiving the news, Xiao Feng's face turned extremely grim. He had no choice but to ascend the city walls with Du Guxiao and others.
"Father!"
Du Guxiao and He Andi looked at Du Guqun and He Wanli below the city walls, their faces filled with terror.
"My son, the general trend is gone. Quickly persuade the Crown Prince, surrender and your life will be spared. Do not remain stubborn!" Du Guqun urged anxiously.
Du Guxiao remained silent, looking at Xiao Feng.
Xiao Chang looked up and said, "My son, the Southern King's family will cease to exist from now on. Quickly, surrender the city immediately, do not remain stubborn!"
"Didn't I say in the letter to prepare for half a month?" Xiao Feng said unhappily.
"Marquis Anguo said you must surrender immediately, without any hesitation!" Xiao Chang urged.
Xiao Feng patiently shook his head, "We haven't finished dealing with our family's assets yet!"
"These assets will all be confiscated. Originally, we should have had our property confiscated and our families exterminated, and we would have been executed by slow slicing. Marquis Anguo showed extraordinary leniency, sparing us our lives and even agreeing to leave our family ten thousand taels, which is enough for us to live on..."
Xiao Feng took a deep breath and trembled, "Only ten thousand taels of silver left, and the rest all confiscated? Our family spends tens of thousands of taels a month, how can this little money be enough to fill our teeth!"
"Foolish child! Don't you understand the situation yet?" Xiao Chang was almost angry enough to spit blood, as he earnestly tried to persuade him again and again.
At this moment, Yan Shiming, the Prefect of Panyu Commandery, who had been silent all along, sighed, "Your Highness, the Southern King speaks wisely. We are indeed no match for the Great Qian army. Why not surrender..."
"He only specifically mentioned confiscating the assets of our Southern King's family, and the Gongyang clan, the Du Gu clan, the Ouyang clan, the He clan, and the Helian clan. You are not involved, so it's easy for you to say!" Xiao Feng said angrily.
Yan Shiming obediently retreated to the side, safeguarding himself.
Xiao Chang and Du Guqun and others, seeing that their sons had no intention of surrendering, became anxious.
"Stubborn child! If you don't surrender soon, I'm afraid our entire family will not be safe!"
Xiao Feng ignored them, and instead looked at Du Guxiao, Ouyang Sheng, He Wanli, as well as Gongyang Qiu's cousin Gongyang Ting, and the current head of the Helian family, Helian Peng.
"Do you wish to surrender?"
Everyone gritted their teeth and shook their heads.
The members of the Helian family angrily declared, "Our hatred for Liang Xiao is irreconcilable, we must not surrender!"
"Even if we cannot defend the city, escaping to the Peacock Dynasty, or crossing the ocean, and living as wealthy men in leisure, would be better than being prisoners here!" Du Guxiao clenched his fist and said resolutely.
Xiao Feng asked a few of them repeatedly and found that everyone's stance was surprisingly consistent. He then asked, "Then, what about your fathers, elder brothers, and clansmen?"
"Fate decides life and death. The victor becomes king, the loser perishes!" He Andi sighed.
Xiao Feng was finally relieved.
No matter how much Xiao Chang and the others pleaded, Xiao Feng insisted on needing half a month to prepare.
"Stubborn child!!" Xiao Chang, furious, clutched his chest and roared, "I am the head of the family, the ruler of Jiaozhou! Listen to me, and your family can be preserved!!"
Xiao Feng saw that the Jiaozhou generals around him looked troubled. He hardened his heart and said in a deep voice, "Shoot them with arrows!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience was shocked, "This..."
Du Guxiao and the others wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads and fled the scene.
"Shoot!"
With Xiao Feng's order, countless arrows rained down from the city walls.
The Great Qian heavy cavalry were startled and quickly used their shields to protect their vital parts.
Xiao Chang and the others, without armor to protect them, were killed on the spot by the volley of arrows!
The ambitious schemer of the past, the Southern King who had been lying low in Jiaozhou.
The former Minister of War and Minister of Personnel of the Great Qian...
Met a violent end, utterly humiliated.
"A bunch of beasts, utterly rebellious!"
The Great Qian heavy cavalry below the city cursed incessantly. They dismounted, threw the bodies of Xiao Chang and the others onto their horses, and brought them back to the camp.
Liang Xiao, upon receiving the news, fell silent. The generals were even more shocked and dismayed.
"What the hell?"
Shi Liuyun even swore.
Xiao Feng had actually shot his own father to death!
Yet, for some reason, everyone felt an indescribable sense of relief.
The people of Great Qian admired Liang Xiao greatly, and they also knew that he had his less-than-serious moments.
Their marshal was, after all, still that cunning marshal.
Xiao Chang and the others were guilty of heinous crimes. Since they had lost their use value, they might as well "die appropriately," and also vent the anger of the Great Qian soldiers and civilians who had suffered and died unjustly over the past century.
They could already foresee how history books in the Great Qian would record the deeds of Xiao Chang and the others in the future.
Upon learning that Xiao Feng refused to surrender, the Jiaozhou generals were all enraged.
"Where does such a traitor place the people of Jiaozhou!!"
These two hundred thousand Jiaozhou soldiers had their families in Jiaozhou, and many of them were in Panyu, whom they missed dearly.
All the Jiaozhou soldiers from Panyu expressed their desire to attack the city to their superiors.
"Do not rush, surround the city first. Everyone, please prepare," Liang Xiao personally went to the army camp to appease the Jiaozhou soldiers.
The news of Xiao Feng shooting the Southern King spread like wildfire throughout Panyu Commandery, causing a great shock throughout the city!
Xiao Feng himself was also extremely dejected, hiding at home and drowning his sorrows in wine.
"How is the preparation of gold and silver going?"