Chapter 555: Glory
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Qin family's rebel army was stopped by the situation. The riders were forced to pause. The figures trapped by the Jingdou streets fell into an involuntary panic. Suddenly, a number of roars came from within the army, giving orders in a clean and powerful voice. It steadied the vanguard of the attack.
Immediately after, the soldiers holding shields caught up from the back and stepped into the bloody puddles on Chang Street. Courageously, they broke through the wooden doors of the private residences on either side of the street and charged into the dimly lit space. For a moment, the sounds of killing came from the left side of the street, but the actual situation could not be seen.
With a crash, a large hole appeared in one of the residences. A rebel soldier covered in blood was stabbed and fell out. There were an indeterminable number of soldiers fighting viciously with the Overwatch Council officials lying in ambush.
The order of hierarchy in the rebel army was strict. When Qin Heng coldly gave the order to carry out a counterattack on both sides of the street with a large number of soldiers' lives as the price, the rain of arrows around them naturally decreased.
Bright knives flashed past as the dozen sinister tripwires on the street were quickly cut through. These black tripwires were like a venomous snake with their head chopped off. They lay motionlessly on the ground while the poisonous needles with a metallic sheen were like the shiny fluids on a snake's skin.
Qin Heng sat on his horse below the flag and fixed his eyes on the front. Raising the horsewhip ferociously in his hand, he brought it down forcefully.
A fierce general at his side grunted and lifted a long spear in his hands. Roaring in a loud voice, he said, "Kill!" He squeezed the horse with his legs and led hundreds of riders once again through the long street. For a moment, all that could be heard were the crashing of hooves like rolling thunder. The aura was imposing.
More wretched cries rang out on Chang Street, as well as sounds of knives sliding into flesh in the private residences. Bodies fell to the ground with a muffled thud. It was difficult to see the figures of the Overwatch Council officials. They only knew that these people in the neighboring residences were carrying out killings.
Gradually, blood seeped out from under the wooden door.
The fierce general in the Qin family's vanguard did not pay it any attention and led his subordinates in a charge. His long spear stretched out and sent up a gust of wind. With a screech, it pierced through the wooden door beside the man and horse.
With an earth-shattering roar, the fierce general drew back the spear to find a black-clothed man at the end of it. Fresh blood flowed from the spear as it pierced through the chest of the Overwatch Council secret agent.
The fierce general under the armor gave a cold snort and shook his shoulder, tossing aside the body on the tip of the spear like a paper bag.
He rode his horse ahead and once again stepped past the puddles of blood on the street and rode ahead quickly. The black spear in his hands was completely cast from metal. It was ferocious and struck fiercely. Along the street, he stabbed five wooden doors and quickly killed a number of people.
In the back, Qin Heng coldly watched his general. Waving his hand, he ordered the army to follow in order. He planned to use their superior military power to suppress the attack from the Overwatch Council from the sides of the streets. Although they had lost 200 soldiers earlier, there was still not a single tremble in Qin Heng's heart. He never believed that the dark and sinister methods of the Overwatch Council could truly stop the progress of a large army.
An official of the Overwatch Council, with a crossbow in his hands, appeared on a tower to the front and left. He took aim at the general in the lead. Unexpectedly, he didn't have to time to pull the trigger because an arrow had already pierced through his eyes. The official gave a muffled groan and fell off the tower.
Immediately following that, a number of whistling sounds came after the fierce vanguard general. It came from a dozen soldiers with bows in their hands riding wildly on horses. They fired from the left and right. Their arrows moved quickly.
Immediately, many holes appeared on the towers of the residence buildings on the two sides of the street. The Overwatch Council officials, who lay in ambush and were about to fire their crossbows at the general, were all hit by the arrows. Of the three great powers in the world, the Qing army's riding archers were the most powerful. At this time, the riders moved down Chang Street with powerful bows in their hands. In just a moment, the Overwatch Council officials no longer showed themselves.
Even when the occasional crossbow bolt flew out, it wasn't well aimed. The ones that landed on the general's armor were unable to penetrate deeply and only caused some light bleeding.
Only an instant was needed for the Qin family general to lead the guard in charging forward about 300 meters. Behind him were the majestic riders. In front of him was wide open land with nothing between them and the Royal Palace.
A chilling signal arrow went up in Chang Street. With a series of bangs, the windows on all of the homes on the two sides of the streets were closed. Although the killing continued in the homes, Chang Street recovered its unusual calm.
The general's face was covered with blood stains. He wore a baleful expression. He drew back the long spear and placed it behind him. He then charged straight to the opening of the street like a mountain-splitting ax. Although he noticed the strange behavior on the sides of the street, he didn't feel a glimmer of fear. The surprise attack was already complete. How could the Overwatch Council stop the progression of the army with their ghostly tricks?
Scoundrels. He thought disdainfully.
Qin Heng led the army down Chang Street. He looked at the suddenly peaceful Chang Street with an icy expression and thought mockingly that, in the end, the Overwatch Council still could not bear to see the light.
At this time, an order suddenly rang out on Chang Street. The order was only one word.
"Wait!"
This word was simple and clean, but it contained boundless danger. Qin Heng's eyes narrowed slightly as his brow twitched.
The rebel soldiers drew their bows and sent countless arrows flying out toward the place the order had come from. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. It sounded like heavy rain was hitting the city. Immediately, the wooden tower was pierced with countless holes. A long arrow broke through the air. There was only a muffled groan. The Overwatch Council member who had given the order had died.
Immediately after, there was only the sound of horses' hooves and killing. An arrow flew through the air. The order rang out again.
"Wait!"
Qin Heng's face became gloomy. He held the reins and charged along Chang Street. He didn't know what the Overwatch Council's call of "wait" meant. At this time, he could have chosen to split his soldiers and go around Chang Street, which was heavily ambushed by Overwatch Council soldiers, or chosen a more dependable method. However, military orders were as weighty as a mountain. Since his father had commanded him to be the first to reach the Royal Palace, he had to maintain this speed—even if he had to pay a larger price.
He ferociously waved the horse whip in his hand. The thousands of rebel soldiers on Chang Street cried out uniformly, "Kill!" Like a flood, the lightly armored rebel soldiers surged toward the seemingly empty but dangerous Chang Street.
They broke through to the tail end of Chang Street. Zhengyang Gate, which was behind him, was lit up by the rising sun. In front, the wide and expansive land called to him. Faintly, he could see that the Royal Palace was still waiting for him to attack it. He was filled with heroism and courage.
He suddenly heard the thundering of horses' hooves and saw 200 or so riders appear at the empty space at the end of Chang Street. He didn't know when these riders had appeared. They wore light armor and were fitted with long swords. They waited silently and coldly for the rebel army's arrival.
Beside these riders, there were over 10 random bodies. These were the bodies of 10 or so scouts the Qin family had sent out. Not only where the scouts dead, even the horses had fallen onto the ground.
The vanguard general of the Qin family narrowed his eyes. He knew that these riders had to be powerful to catch and kill over 10 of his subordinates without them making any sound.
It was the Imperial Army.
At this time, there was no way to stop. The general of the vanguard held his spear tightly in his hands. The roughness and coldness of the spear made him feel boundless confidence. He squeezed his heels and led the dozens of riders behind him straight into the Imperial Army.
The general of the Imperial Army was enveloped in armor. Only his eyes were exposed. These eyes held no other emotion other than calm, indifference, and determination. They showed indifference for his own life and determination to complete the mission the Commander had given him.
He raised his saber high. The blade glinted with light, making one shiver in fear. Squeezing his heels, the warhorse beneath his body moved forward like an arrow from a bowstring.
Hundreds of riders charged forward like this with boundless courage. It was like two different colored floods about to crash into each other.
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Another Overwatch Council command suddenly rang out over Chang Street, which had just fallen silent. "Release!" The Qin family general of the vanguard watched with red eyes as the imperial riders charged toward him at a high speed. With a roar, his horse suddenly accelerated. Just as he was about to charge out of the street, his ears suddenly heard the cry of "release!"
His state of mind was determined. There wasn't a glimmer of panic or any reduction in his speed. He didn't care at all about the scoundrels of the Overwatch Council. He only cared about the valiant Imperial Army in front of him. He had to make a path of blood for the Commander that led toward the Royal Palace.
A black shadow suddenly flew out of the residences on the side. It just happened to appear in the air in front of the vanguard general's horse.
The fierce general squeezed his elbow and poked out with his spear. The tip of the spear flashed with light. With a series of tears, the black shadow was immediately torn apart. The cloth flew wildly while the powder contained within flew into the air. Some of it scattered onto the general's body but most of it landed on the horse.
He cut off his breath. Both his eyes were red as blood. He knew the Overwatch Council had powerful poisons, but he was not afraid at all. As long as the poison couldn't reach his heart, for now, he would be able to fight back the imperial soldiers getting closer to him. He was worried about his stead. Hardening his heart, he struck the rump of the horse with the rear of the spear. The horse was startled and once again accelerated.
Tu. Tu. Tu. Tu. A series of springs rang out. Crossbow bolts once again flew through the long silent street. The vanguard general of the Qin army huffed coldly and swung out with his long spear to protect his vital regions and the head of his horse. The spear whirled as he knocked countless arrows to the ground. Occasionally, a few arrows would strike his armor and fall to the ground with a crisp ding.
The fierce general suddenly realized that there a few smears of inauspicious red amongst the rain of arrows.
Red?
Fire?
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…
With a thud, three arrows struck the heavy armor of the vanguard general and head of his horse. There was fire cotton wrapped around the arrow. It sparked with flames. The red was not very noticeable in the rising sun, but it was particularly fatal.
The spark touched the powder on the heavy armor and burst into flames with a whoosh. From the horse's head to the heavy armor to the helmet, wherever there was powder, the spark would immediately extend to there. In just a moment, the fire was burning hotly and enveloped the entire general within the fire.
A wretched roar came from the blazing fire. At this moment, the still valiant vanguard maintained their charging posture while he had already become a flaming torch.
He gave a horrifying cry and threw down the spear in his hands as he tried to smother the flames on his body. It was something he would never be able to accomplish. A fire by the Overwatch Council could not be put out so easily. The general knew it was over for him. He felt incomparable fear in his heart.
The horse was in great pain and running wild. The rider and horse enveloped by the flames charged toward the front of the Imperial Army.
The general of the Imperial Army stared indifferently and mockingly at the man on fire charging toward him. As the two riders passed each other, the general of the Imperial Army pulled out his long knife with a shing. The knife moved without sound. It passed through the fire, and sliced through the vanguard general's neck.
With a crack, the head was severed. Held in by the neck armor, it burned in the flames.
The burning horse gave a wretched cry and charged blindly with its headless master on its back. It ran straight into a wall on the side of the street. With a heavy crash, the man and horse fell to the ground with a tragic cry.
No one looked at them. The 200 or so riders in imperial armor maintained their present speed. They passed the bodies of the vanguard soldiers, who had been shot full of holes or burned to a crisp, and headed straight for the middle of the army to Qin Heng.
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…
Qin Heng had no idea what kind of shameless and sinister murder the vanguard he valued had suffered through. When he heard the Overwatch Council's second cry of "wait," he had already ordered his army to begin pressing forward toward the two sides of Chang Street because the Overwatch Council's second attack had already begun.
After a long silence, the two cold cries of "wait" rang out. The rain of arrows falling on the rebel soldiers grew denser. More of them were aimed at the center, where the battle standard was, particularly where Qin Heng was among his camp.
"It's a repeating crossbow!" Finally, a rebel soldier yelled out in fear. A batch of arrows flew through the air. The cry seemed particularly startling. A dense row of strikes rang out. One arrow could be blocked, but what about the second or the third?
A dozen or so soldiers bravely stood in front of Qin Heng's horse. They only had shields in their hands. They were woefully inadequate for blocking such dense and quick arrows. Using their own bodies and the large bodies of their warhorses, they made a shield of flesh around Qin Heng.
Chang Street was filled with people falling and horses tumbling. Wretched screams rang out endlessly. Countless rebel soldiers had an arrow in their faces. The fresh blood mixed with the sweat. Chaos was everywhere.
In an instant, half of the people around Qin Heng died. Qin Heng knew that the target of the Overwatch Council was himself. His face was covered in bloodstains. Under the blood, his face was unusually calm. It was not until this moment that he finally confirmed why Fan Xian had the Overwatch Council lie in ambush at Zhengyang Gate. It was not only to retaliate and stall for time. Fan Xian was fighting desperately to make sure that he left this life here.
Although he didn't know why Fan Xian placed such an importance on his life, he was still not afraid. He looked at the initially peaceful Chang Street, which was now filled with the loud twangs of crossbows, and at his subordinates bravely and pointlessly doing battle with the poisonous powder and hidden crossbow bolts. A tendon rose near his temple as a rage-filled his chest. These scoundrels only knew how to fight with such lowly methods. Did they dare think that it could hold him?
He pulled out the sword at his side and squeezed his heels. His horse leapt forward like a dragon and into the arrows. He roared out, "For Qing Kingdom, kill!"
The main general was risking his life in a charge. This revitalized the rebel soldiers greatly. They uniformly cried out "kill" a number of times and pushed toward the two sides of the streets, despite the rain of arrows. Using their bodies and lives, they suppressed a large portion of the Overwatch Council's second wave of attack.
The rebel army still had the advantage of numbers. As long as they could come into contact with the Overwatch Council officials hiding in the darkness, they would win the final victory.
At this time, the Imperial Army at the other end of the street had already charged over. It was only 200 soldiers, but it seemed like thunder from 2,000 soldiers. The aura of killing was strong. Their power could not be stopped.
Like a flood, they charged into the forcefully scattered Qin family army. Both sides wore armor, held blades in their hands, and were filled with bloodlust. Although the Qin family army's shape was slightly messy, the narrow Chang Street was a direct clash without any possible paths to retreat from.
The two groups of riders moving forward at high speeds carried out the first direct clash. It was like two large metal hammers crashing ruthlessly together. A horrifying and ear-piercing crash rang out.
In an instant, countless metal riders fell from their horses and were tragically trampled. The people on the horses were stabbed, squeezed, chopped, and shocked to death.
Weapons, armor clashed, and auras clashed.
Qin Heng watched all this with an ashen expression. He wondered just how many people Fan Xian and the Great Prince had to be able to lay so many people in ambush by Zhengyang Gate.
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…
"I stashed all units that could move inside Zhengyang Gate."
Fan Xian stared at the wisps of smoke inside Jingdou and said with a heavy expression, "Although we had not guessed that their forces would be so large and come through all nine city gates, since I placed them within Zhengyang Gate, I have to make sure they make some noise!"
The Great Prince glanced at him and then looked at the rebel army's standard in the streets as it came gradually closer. Unable to stop his eyes narrowing slightly, he said, "In the end, it is only one path. The larger picture cannot be changed. Earlier, if you had charged against the flow in Zhengyang Gate, you might actually have had a chance to break out."
"The Eldest Princess would certainly have a backup team outside Jingdou," Fan Xian said. "Break through? With what?"
"Didn't Jing Ge disappear with 200 Black Knights into Jingdou?" The Great Prince glanced at him.
Fan Xian didn't reply. He only looked at the square below the Royal Palace with a heavy expression. This square was big. Back then, when the troops were reviewed, it had held tens of thousands of soldiers. At this time, he could faintly feel the shaking of the earth. Presumably, the rebel army of the eight different routes were about to surround this area. Even if he had long seen through the words of "life" and "death," he still couldn't help his heart trembling.
He raised his head and looked in the direction of Zhengyang Gate. He knew that most of his and the Great Prince's forces outside the Palace had been gathered on that path. Regardless of who wanted to reach the Palace through there, they would probably have to pay a heavy price.
If he knew that it was the second generation military figure of the Qin family who was, at this moment, moving with great difficulty through the arrows and poison, he would probably have laughed out loud. Fan Xian had always remembered the Qin family's attack in the valley. He didn't know how many of the loyal Overwatch Council subordinates or how many of the riders, from what was essentially the suicide squad of the Imperial Army, would still be alive after a moment.
As the Great Prince said, a mere city gate was not enough to change the larger picture.
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…
At the foot of the palace walls, a rider appeared at the opening of a street near the side of the square. The imperial soldiers had long retreated back into the Palace. There was not a single person on the square outside the palace gates. Thus, the appearance of this rider was abrupt. It was like an inharmonious black spot appearing between the expansive heaven and earth.
Amidst the clip-clopping of the horse's hooves, the rider did not rest at all. He headed from the side of the square directly into the center of the square and came to a stop outside the Royal Palace.
Behind this rider, there were thousands of riders from the Qin and Ye armies. After the eight roads were swept clear of all resistance, they used a method called dark clouds to bear down on the city and come to a stop in front of the Royal Palace.
The dense rebel soldiers slightly surrounded the entire Royal Palace. The silence and speechlessness emanated an air of murder. This heavy atmosphere made the imperial soldiers on the palace wall tremble in their hearts without reason.
Fan Xian and the Great Prince finally stopped using conversation to cover the tension in their hearts. They silently watched everything in front of them.
A moment later, the banner that had been snapping in the morning wind appeared in the people's field of vision. This banner came around the corner from Chang Street. There was a giant "Qin" character on the banner.
Another rider rode up quickly from the other side of the palace. He held a large banner in his hands, which had the "Ye" character inscribed on it.
At last, there was a bright yellow banner without a single character on it. There was only a dragon flying through the clouds embroidered with gold thread. The golden claw grasped the shattered auspicious cloud and stepped into the sky.
"Even the dragon banner is openly displayed." Fan Xian finally spoke after a long silence. The Qin and Ye family armies were too powerful. Although he was a ninth-level ace and endlessly determined, when faced with the dense army, he couldn't help but feel numb on his scalp.
"You're afraid?" The Great Prince looked at him expressionlessly.
"Too much anything will always appear scary."
Fan Xian then summoned a subordinate and said a few words.
The three large banners slowly moved forward. They approached the front of the Royal Palace under the heated gazes of the rebels around the square and under the slightly fearful gazes of the imperial soldiers in the Royal Palace. It came to a stop behind the first rider to enter the square and fluttered in the wind.
"You refused to break through the barricade. I always thought you had kept back some trump card." The Great Prince's eyes narrowed at the riders and banners in front of the Royal Palace.
"My trump card is gone," Fan Xian said without any change in expression. "I had always thought that those old men wouldn't stand by and do nothing. I always thought that since the rebel army had already entered the city, they would jump out and play the part of a super Saiyan person. It's a pity. I think I guessed something wrong."
"What is a Saiyan?" The corner of the Great Prince's lips twitched. "I am also very confused. Has Director Chen really been poisoned?"
Fan Xian looked at the mountain-like army in front of the Royal Palace and suddenly took a deep breath. Slapping the bricks of the palace wall, he said, "It is just us, so what?"
The Great Prince looked at him deeply and said, "I don't want to die with you."
As troubles approached, the building was filled with worry. The corner building of the Royal Palace had two worried people, but they were joking with each other. The leaders of the Imperial Army around them stole looks at this sight. They heard the young master's and Commander's easy laughter. For some reason, they felt that the rebel army in front of the Royal Palace was not as scary as they had thought.
The Great Prince looked at the lonely three banners and the foremost rider. He smiled slightly. "They are using an imposing aura to suppress us and trying to scare the Imperial Army. How could my subordinates be so timid?"
"We played all our cards against Zhengyang Gate for what?" Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked at the four riders standing in front of the Royal Palace.
"So that we could kill off some of their spirit and intimidate their hearts."
"Then how could we allow these four riders to stand so arrogantly in front of the Royal Palace as a sigh of power?"
"According to military tradition, the first rider to reach the enemy would win endless glory."
Fan Xian stared at the rider that looked like a black dot. A moment later, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Then we will give him his glory."
The Great Prince furrowed his brows. As a Commander of the Western Expedition Army, he had a natural respect for Qing Kingdom's military traditions. Although he loathed the riders standing silently in front of the Royal Palace and showing off their strength, he hadn't thought of doing anything. Furthermore, the other side stood in a good position. It was difficult for an arrow to reach them.
Fan Xian said resolutely and decisively, "I am not a military man. And, I don't understand glory. I only know that this is a matter of life and death. To stand in front of me at this moment, then that is…"
He hadn't even finished speak when his hand had already waved down. The city guarding crossbow, which had been silent for countless years in the corner of the Royal Palace, suddenly gave a chilling cry as if waking up all the resentful spirits that had once died within the Royal Palace.
Crack! After a large spring lock sound passed, a crossbow bolt the thickness of a child's arm left the crossbow like lightning and traveled along a pre-destined path.
The riders and banners stood alone in front of the Royal Palace arrogantly. Coldly, they looked disdainfully at the imperial soldiers atop the palace walls and conveyed a powerful force of suppression and pressure.
All of this was broken by the sound of the crossbow.
The first rider to enter the boundaries of the Royal Palace didn't even have time to raise his head before the giant crossbow bolt went through his body and entered his warhorse's body. Accompanied by a large spray of blood, the man and horse were pinned viciously against the stone pavement of the square.
Fan Xian then finished what he was saying. "Stupid."
Chapter 556: Stealing The Banner, Stealing Power, Stealing Heart
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The city guarding crossbow bolt was like a short spear. It pierced through the bodies of the person and horse before being deeply embedded in the gaps between the pavements in the square. The metal arrow, which was as thick as a child's arm, vibrated endlessly and gave off a buzzing sound. Blood flowed out freely from the body of the rider pinned underneath the arrow.
Many people realized what had happened, including the rebel soldiers and imperial soldiers on the palace walls. Tens of thousands of people stared dumbstruck at this sight and didn't dare to believe their eyes. Such a large crossbow bolt had pierced through the rider's body. It was like a punishment from heaven or hammer that fell down from beyond the clouds.
Deathly silence and icy fear spread out through the square.
The three officers holding the flags didn't realize what had happened. They stared stupidly at the rider turning into bloody bubbles in front of them and at the intestinal juices that had been squeezed out, unsure of how to respond.
Horses were different from people. Even though they were carefully selected warhorses, after the three horses saw this sight and felt the terror of the arrow, their instincts made them neigh in unison. They began to run wildly toward the rear.
A moment later, two of the military banners fluttered in the morning wind and returned miserably to the rebel army military camp. The bright yellow dragon flag fell tragically to the ground and rolled into a ball, looking pitiful.
The soldier holding the banner had been shocked by the city guarding crossbow, and the warhorse he was sitting on ran wildly in fright. His grip loosened slightly and dropped the dragon flag to the ground.
The tens of thousands of soldiers standing on and below the palace walls were still in a death-like silence. Their gazes had moved from the puddle of blood to that flag, which represented the dignity of the Qing royal family. The dragon flag represented the Qing army's invincibility in battle. The flag that seemed like it should forever fly in front of the army and could never fall was lying pathetically on the ground.
The emotion in the tens of thousands of gazes was complicated, angry, and not right.
On the palace walls, Fan Xian watched this scene with narrowed eyes. He smiled at the Great Prince beside him and said, "It is quite effective, right?"
The Great Prince did not reply. He thought to himself that the Crown Prince had raised an army today, but, at this moment, he had lost the dragon flag. It was truly embarrassing.
The imperial soldiers on the palace walls suddenly cheered in unison. This cry was, without a doubt, a powerful whip across the face of the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers standing below the palace walls.
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…
At this moment, the empty-handed rider who had lost the flag had already returned to the rebel army camp. He sat on his horse with his head lowered and body trembling. He knew that he would certainly face strict punishment by military rules. A flag-bearer was an honorable position. He had slipped up and allowed the dragon flag to fall to the ground.
The hundreds of riders in the rebel army camp gradually stepped aside. The Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, slowly walked out in a bright suit of armor under the escort of a few major generals. He only glanced at the rider and didn't say anything.
The Crown Prince's gaze was warm, but that rider felt incomparable shame. He gritted his teeth and turned his horse around, preparing to go to the square to steal back that dragon flag. It wouldn't matter even if he died.
Unexpectedly, a general at the Crown Prince's side urged his horse forward and came to the rider's side. "When two armies exchange blows, the one who loses the flag is beheaded!"
When the word "beheaded" was uttered, the rider's entire body trembled. He unconsciously closed his eyes but did his best to keep his body upright. Then, he felt the chill on his neck.
The general pulled back his knife and didn't even glance at the body that fell to the ground next to him. He huffed coldly from his nose and squeezed his heels. The horse beneath him leaped forward like lightning. He had ridden out of the rebel army camp in an instant, heading straight for the center of the square below the palace walls.
He directly faced the dragon banner rolled up on the ground.
Of the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers, not all of them knew this general. They all knew what he was going to do. Involuntarily, their hearts trembled and hot blood surged to their heads. Tens of thousands of people roared out with rhythm and in unison.
Amidst this iron-blooded cheer from tens of thousands of people, the warhorse beneath the general flew like a dragon. Its four hooves seemed to float above the ground. He moved like an arrow straight toward the Royal Palace.
The lone rider passed through the square under the gaze of tens of thousands of people. He rode toward the city guarding crossbow on the palace wall, appearing heroic.
The horse moved quickly. The equestrian skill of the rider was incredible. It seemed like he was charging in a straight line toward the palace walls. In reality, he was following a strange path. Although it was a bit roundabout, it was powerful. He only needed a moment before he reached the center of the square.
Up until now, the city guarding crossbow on the palace walls had yet to fire an arrow.
The imperial soldiers and Overwatch Council officials beside the giant city guarding crossbow felt cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads. They had no way of mapping the rebel soldier's forward trajectory. At such a high speed, the enemy seemed to keenly know the speed and defensive boundaries of the crossbow.
Fan Xian watched this scene with narrowed eyes. He felt that he had only blinked and this rebel soldier had already charged to the foot of the palace wall and to the front of the dragon banner.
The powerful city guarding crossbow had just demonstrated its strength, yet this rebel soldier still charged over. Such vigor and courage were truly admirable. For some reason, Fan Xian suddenly thought of Thirteenth Wang. His heart jumped slightly.
His hand was about to raise. With great willpower, he commanded himself to lower it slowly. This small movement was not noticed by the Great Prince because his eyes were filled with astonishment as he watched this one-man show while the two armies fought for power.
When two armies confronted each other, an imposing manner was of the utmost importance. The banner was the power. Thus, stealing the banner was stealing power.
The rebel soldier was about to ride past the dragon flag but didn't reduce his speed. Instead, he used a remarkable riding technique. He hung off the stirrups with one foot and reached his hand down to easily lift up the dragon banner.
Although Fan Xian had lowered his arm, the unit responsible for operating the city guarding crossbow was not about to let go of such a good opportunity. They triggered the crossbow's heavy spring lock.
With a metallic clang, the thick palace walls seemed to fire out with that arrow and shake slightly.
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A loud neigh rose into the sky. The rebel soldier at the foot of the palace walls seemed to have guessed when the arrow would be fired. Half a moment before, he raised the horse whip and kicked his heels against his horse's abdomen. He had it rise onto two legs with a crazed roar.
The war horse's front legs hovered in the air. Its large body was forcefully twisted. It even remained in hovering in place for an astonishing moment.
The rebel soldier held the bright yellow dragon banner in one hand and raised the horse whip in the other. He rode crookedly on the warhorse and was lit up by the rising sun, appearing heroic without compare.
The massive arrow suddenly arrived before him. It brushed passed his warhorse's abdomen and pierced down viciously.
The metal arrow pierced into the tiles on the square, shattering stone and sending shards awry. It did not damage a hair on the rebel soldier's head.
The rebel soldier twisted his left elbow and pulled in his reins. Below him, the horse's head turned to the left. His hooves landed on the ground with a neigh. All the muscles in its body loosened and tightened. It ran like a streak of smoke and headed easily straight back to the camp, back to the Crown Prince's side.
The rebel soldier did not dismount. Instead, he stuck the bright yellow dragon banner heavily into the ground. The pole of the banner entered the dirt and held firm. The dragon banner once again fluttered in the morning breeze, emanating glory.
Then, he turned his horse's head and stared without words at the two little black dots on the palace wall.
In just a moment, this rebel soldier had done something that most people would not be able to do. From the moment he leaped out of the camp, tens of thousands of soldiers had cried out. Now that he had stolen back the dragon banner and returned to the camp, the cheers from the tens of thousands of people grew louder and louder.
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…
"Brave…" Fan Xian gently wiped the cold sweat in the palm of his hands. He expressed an attitude that he should not have as one of the commanders. "The Qing Kingdom indeed has countless brave warriors. No wonder it could move across the world unhindered and not have any enemies."
Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "It is Gong Dian. He had been the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army for so many years. He has a much better knowledge of the city guarding crossbow than you or me. He is also an eighth-level ace. He risked death to bravely steal the banner despite his important position as a general. Such courage truly made one admirable.
The Great Prince furrowed his brows slightly and said, "Ah, so it is him. No wonder. General Gong grew up near the edges of Dingzhou and had been tending to horses since he was young. A self-taught Hu rider, he was known as the best in the army."
This was not the first time Fan Xian had heard of Gong Dian's background. He calmly watched the rebel army's camp and found that the Crown Prince was surrounded mostly by generals from the Qin family, while there seemed to only be Gong Dian from the Ye family in Dingzhou, Gong Dian, the previous Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army, once the Qing Emperor's trusted aide. Because of the Qing Emperor's suspicions toward the Ye family, he had chosen to use the Hanging Temple matter and imprisoned Gong Dian on a groundless excuse.
Fan Xian had been involved from the beginning to the end in the Hanging Temple matter. He had been heavily injured, yet there were still many secrets within it that he did not understand. He knew that the Emperor had drawn a great deal of terrifying opposition to Jingdou in the present day because of his paranoia.
Fan Xian's heart jumped again. The Eldest Princess, Chen Pingping, and Lin Ruofu had all said at different times that the Emperor did not have any major weaknesses other than his paranoia and that he would fall to that.
The Great Prince abruptly raised his head and said, "It's a draw."
Fan Xian nodded. The rebel army had surrounded the Palace and was powerful. Given the present defensive power in the Palace, it was impossible to hold out for more than a few days. Thus, they had to take the first opportunity and use the most direct method in striking the rebel army's imposing manner. Although they could not hope that stealing the banner would be like stealing their courage, it would at least stop the other side from charging in on a spurt of energy. This turned it into a relatively slow process.
That was why there was such a brutal massacre in front of Zhengyang Gate and the city gate guarding crossbow was used again for the first time in years. Even if they killed only one person, they had to do it in a way that chilled the hearts of the rebel soldiers.
Gong Dian's careless retrieval of the banner turned the situation around again. Fortunately, although the rebel soldiers' spirit rose again, it did not seem that they would attack at once.
The rebel army clearly had the advantage, but Fan Xian could count a few reasons as to why they didn't attack immediately. The Palace defenses had natural advantages. The walls were tall and thick, the arrows were sharp, and everyone was united in purpose. The strength in the Palace was stuck in a death trap. If the rebel army attacked, this power destined for death and rebirth would not give the Crown Prince time to reconsider.
However, the more important question was, who would attack who?
"The superior forces I anticipated have yet to arrive," Fan Xian smiled warmly at the Great Prince and said. "I am sure that the rebel army also has a headache. They are not all of the same boat. Nominally, the Ye and Qin families both support the Crown Prince, but what would the Crown Prince think? Ye Zhong is the Second Prince's father-in-law…"
He raised his hand and pointed at a military horse far in the distance to the right, "The Second Prince and Ye Zhong should be over there. Do you think the Crown Prince would let the Ye family charge into danger and allow the Second Prince to reap the rewards?"
The Great Prince spoke heavily, "Of course, the Second Prince would not allow his father-in-law to ride out. He thinks about a lot of things. If he completely loses the gamble in the end, he knows how Chengqian would deal with him in the future."
"Exactly." Fan Xian gently patted the green tiles of the palace walls and looked at the Imperial Army right in front that was slowly coming toward the Royal Palace. In a quiet voice, he said, "These two of our brothers both have an agenda. Before they negotiate properly, nothing will happen."
"Of course, no matter how you look at it, they are the lions, and we are the antelopes. But, they won't want to lose too many people, so they are certain to encourage a surrender." Fan Xian lowered his head. "The Crown Prince is a gentle person."
The Crown Prince was fighting under a banner of righteousness. He was not there to start a rebellion. If he didn't say some imperial and imposing words before fighting, it would be like trying to welcome guests before the welcoming arch was completed.
Fan Xian was certain that was something no rebellion would do. Thus, he calmly waited for Crown Prince Li Chengqian to speak.
…
…
The tens of thousands of rebel soldiers continued to gather and form into arrays as they slowly forced their way toward the Royal Palace. The black and oppressive clouds moved toward the city and made one fearful. The Imperial Army, which was like a black cloud, stopped two arrow flights away from the palace walls. Amongst the sea of people, a number of people slowly rode out. It was the Crown Prince with important generals at this side.
Beside the Crown Prince was a general of the Qin family. Gong Dian, who had carelessly showcased his skills, was two riders away.
Fan Xian watched this scene with narrowed eyes and clearly saw a great deal. Gong Dian, following the Crown Prince, was certainly the Ye family showing their loyalty. However, the Crown Prince did not have much trust in the Ye family.
To the Crown Prince's right-hand side was old Master Qin. This old man had put on his armor again and rode onto the battlefield. There was a murderous air on his old face that had accumulated from countless years on the battlefield. His usually muddy eyes stared like an eagle at the juniors on the palace wall. Not a single sign of aging could be seen.
Given old Master Qin's position and power in the Qing Kingdom, he was, without question, the true nucleus and lead of this mission. The Empress dowager trusted him, and the Crown Prince trusted him. He had also reciprocated with sufficient support for the empress dowager and Crown Prince.
A few wisps of his white hair seeped out from under his armor and was blown in Jingdou's morning wind. They appeared somewhat lonely.
Fan Xian's eyes sight was good. He silently watched that Qing Kingdom military elder. For some reason, he thought of the 1998 world cup in his previous life. After Brazil and Holland's final match, Zagallow walked against the wind at the side of the field. His meager white hair was blown with great mournfulness.
He wasn't letting go or letting his mind wander, he only unconsciously thought of this scene. Fan Xian sucked in a deep breath thinking to himself, Zagallow had accumulated merit over many generations. After winning that game, he still had a gloomy ending. How could the old Qin Master be an exception?
At this time, the old Qin Master, who had been cursed by Fan Xian, glanced at the Crown Prince and slowly opened his mouth to speak to the imperial soldiers on the palace walls. "You are all soldiers of Qing Kingdom. How could you help Fan Xian, the traitor who killed the Emperor? Prince Heqing, listen to the announcement…"
When the old Qin Master opened his mouth, all the air above the palace walls began to buzz.
Fan Xian's pupils constricted. He met the Great Prince's eyes, recognizing the shock and fear in each other's eyes. The old Qin Master's cultivation was powerful, and his martial skill profound.
Fan Xian quietly wiped the sweat from his palm on the green bricks. He had long wondered who was the strong warrior in the Qin family. No matter what, he would never have guessed that the ninth-level ace hidden deeply in the Qin family would be the old Qin Master himself.
This reality charged into Fan Xian's mind and turned his face an ugly color. There was indeed no lies beneath that famous reputation. The Qin family had held sway across the world for dozens of years. The old Qin Master had long been in the position as the first ranked person in the Qing army. There was indeed a reason why even the incomparably proud Yan Xiaoyi had been respectful toward him.
Fan Xian's right index finger trembled slightly from excitement, not fear. When he had killed Yan Xiaoyi, it had been difficult. Now, it would probably be an even more powerful feeling of satisfaction to kill this old man.
As he glanced silently again at Gong Dian in the rebel army's camp, his right index finger recovered its calm. Toward the bottom of the palace walls, he yelled, "Qing Ye!"
The old man had not finished speaking his first sentence when Fan Xian yelled down these two words. These two words contained his Tyrannical zhenqi. Although it was not as rich and grand as the old Qin Master's tone, it was especially explosive. Instantly, it suppressed the old Qin Master's voice.
The tens of thousands of people on and below the palace walls all turned their gazes toward Fan Xian on the wall.
The old Qin Master furrowed his brows slightly. It seemed he had not expected the Tyrannical zhenqi in Fan Xian's body to be so powerful. He had further not expected to hear the name he had not heard in a very long time at the foot of the palace walls.
Qin Ye? In this world, who else dared to call him by this name other than the empress dowager?
Fan Xian dared. Angry expressions appeared on the faces of the Qin family generals next to the Crown Prince.
"Qin Ye!"
Fan Xian cried out explosively once again. The sound spiraled throughout the Royal Palace. It intimated everyone's minds and drew the attention of the old Qin Master.
Separated by a vast distance and under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, Fan Xian looked at where the old Qin Master was and faintly said, "You have only one son. Where is he?"
Qin Heng entered through the Zhengyang Gate and was the closest. At this time, the rebel army had already surrounded the Palace, yet he had still not arrived. The generals of the rebel army had long been worried about this matter. Hearing Fan Xian speak of this, they couldn't stop a leap of fear in their hearts.
The old Qin Master narrowed his eyes but did not have an overly shocked expression.
After pausing a moment, Fan Xian said coldly, "You should have guessed some of it yourself. Correct, your eldest was stabbed to death by my subordinate Jing Ge in the camp. Today, Qin Heng was killed by the Overwatch Council at Zhengyang Gate!"
"Since you dare to betray the Emperor, I will make the Qin family lose their heirs and bloodline!"
Such poisonous words and such piercing thorns plunged the battlefield once again into a suffocating silence. The Great Prince glanced at him and said in a lowered voice, "It does not seem like a good idea to drive the old man into a crazed rage right now."
Fan Xian's gaze was calm as he stared at Crown Prince Li Chengqian's position. Faintly, he said, "I just want to see if there will be problems between the old man and Crown Prince if only the former is driven to a crazed rage and the latter is not."
The situation did not develop in the way Fan Xian imagined. The old Qin Master heard Fan Xian's poisonous words and only slowly lowered his head. He then slowly raised it again. His face, enveloped by the armor, was indifferent. There was not a single change in his expression.
"Fan Xian, first, I need to thank you for resolving a question I've had for many years," the old Qin Master said slowly as his voice spread in all directions. "My eldest son was killed in the camp. That murderer should have died in prison. When I checked the files later, it was so, but I never found that murderer's body. Now I know that he had been taken in by that old black dog."
This military elder spoke slowly, "I will leave your corpse whole. As for Chen Pingping, I will have him suffer death by a thousand cuts."
"As for Qin Heng, I have confidence in this child. Even if you can stop him for a moment at Zhengyang Gate, you cannot hold him," the old Qin Master said coldly. "Even if he died, so what? It is not uncommon for generals to die in battle. If he died to your tricks, then he has died gloriously."
"End my heirs and bloodline? I've never been afraid of your evil birth mother. Do you think you can anger me with these words?" The old Qin Master gazed at the junior on the palace walls with mocking eyes.
"The old man has already gone crazy. Let's see how long he can keep up the pretense. When a person grows old and is about to die, there appears to be far more nonsensical things."
Just like the old Qin Master, Fan Xian finally learned a secret that he had guessed at for a long time. He sighed in his heart and transferred his gaze, looking sincerely at the Crown Prince beside the old Qin Master. Speaking before the Crown Prince could open his mouth, he spoke with true feeling and sincerity.
"Chengqian, surrender."
Chapter 557: Placing Three Idols On The Palace Walls
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Chengqian, surrender…"
Fan Xian's gentle words instantly astonished the tens of thousands of people inside and outside the Royal Palace. They felt it was absolutely absurd. The rebel army had surrounded the Palace. There was nowhere for the people inside to escape. Yet, Sir Fan junior was shamelessly urging the Crown Prince to surrender.
Dressed in martial attire and on his horse, the Crown Prince sucked in a cold breath. He thought to himself that An Zhi's skin was indeed getting thicker and thicker to be able to say such a thing so naturally. If someone unaware of the situation had heard it, they would probably think that it was Li Chengqian who had been chased as pitifully as a rabbit today and not Fan Xian.
Speaking of which, it was rather remarkable. In just one night, Fan Xian had changed from a criminal of the court to the so-called regent of the country. He had left behind his life of exile, abruptly entered the Palace, and almost captured the Crown Prince in one action, successfully turning the tables. However, in the early hours of the morning, the Crown Prince had luckily escaped and the army had entered the city. They had trapped Fan Xian inside the Palace.
Li Chengqian raised his face to look at his two brothers on the Palace walls. After smiling bitterly, he shook his head and thought self-mockingly that after the old Qin Master had spoken, it should be he who sincerely urged his elder brother to surrender. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian had stolen his words and caused his words to be stuck in his mouth. Fan Xian was indeed wily to an extreme.
Scattered horse hooves rang out to the right side of the square. Li Chengqian unconsciously twisted his head to see the Dingzhou army entering the capital from the western city gate. It was slowly coming closer to the central troops where he was. He furrowed his brows as he saw the Second Prince's handsome face at the head of thousands of soldiers. A faint chill rose in his heart. His second brother's thoughts were not simple. His face was extremely like Fan Xian's, and his secret agenda was just as sinister.
The Dingzhou troops slowly stopped to the right of the rebel army and carefully maintained a polite attitude toward the rebel army camp.
"Brother, you and I…" The Crown Prince Li Chengqian glanced at the Second Prince and finally opened his mouth. He couldn't wait for the Second prince to speak, but he had no internal strength for support. He had to shout to be heard by those on top of the palace walls. Although he still had the royal dignity that he had nurtured for over 10 years in the Eastern Palace, in comparison, he was not as valiant as when Fan Xian viciously attacked the Qin family.
…
…
Fan Xian dug his finger into his ear and glanced at the Great Prince but didn't say anything because the Great Prince was listening intently. Everything the Crown Prince said had been within his calculations. It was nothing more than an attempt to persuade the Great Prince through brotherly affection and, at the same time, place the blame of what happened on Dong Mountain on Fan Xian's shoulders.
Although the Crown Prince knew the Great Prince would not believe that Fan Xian was the culprit who assassinated the Emperor, he still had to say it. Any brotherly affection had to be built on the foundation of some reasonable logic.
The Great Prince's expression darkened. The Emperor had five sons. If one discounted Fan Xian, who had grown up in Danzhou, and the Third Prince, who was the last to be born, he, the Crown Prince, and Second Prince had grown up together. Although the Crown Prince's status was venerated, the affection between the three brothers was good. Before the Emperor showed favor to the Second Prince, the three prince's relationship was far more worthy of being treasured than the bloody stories of conspiracy in the history books.
Everyone had thought it, but no one had dared to imagine that there would eventually be a day when these three brothers would meet with swords and soldiers.
The Second Prince, who had stayed silent since the Palace was surrounded, also opened his mouth. He gently kicked his horse with his shoe and allowed the horse to bring him within three meters of the rebel army. Gazing up at the Palace walls, he began to sincerely call up to the Great Prince following the Crown Prince's words.
It had to be said that the Second Prince was quite adept at capturing people's hearts. He didn't bring up the matter of having the Great Prince surrender. He only talked about their past affections. Using a depressed tone, he narrated his discontentment of having the Great Prince help Fan Xian. He faintly raised the matter of the Qing Emperor's attitude toward the Great Prince and that it was actually not how a father should be to his son.
Fan Xian glanced at the Great Prince and saw his expression was becoming darker and darker. He was not worried that the Great Prince would fall into the enemy's side because of the pressure of the situation and the Crown Prince and Second Prince's emotional attack. When he analyzed something, it always started with the person's personality. He knew that the Great Prince's personality was like a blazing fire.
He turned to look at the still yelling Second Prince and furrowed his brows slightly. He recognized the general beside him as Ye Zhong.
Thirty years ago, Ye Zhong had been the Commander of the Jingdou Garrison. Now, he was someone in his 50s. However, he didn't look old at all or have the air of severity that other famous Qing generals had. His figure was slightly short and fat.
Fan Xian would not underestimate him. He knew that this person had long become a ninth-level ace. Ye Liuyun's favorite nephew, and the man who had once fought against his terrifying mother, were both remarkable people. To be able to become the Commander of the Jingdou Garrison at 20 was not something the word "remarkable" could adequately covered.
Fan Xian's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, but his eyes became brighter and brighter. They were like a star that refused to retreat despite the illumination of the rising sun.
…
…
The Great Prince suddenly called down the rebel soldiers below the palace walls in a loud voice, "Enough!"
The Second Prince gave a helpless smile and stopped talking.
The Great Prince said solemnly, "Look at the current situation, yet you still remember to frame Fan Xian! I know you can do whatever ugly thing it is for the sake of the throne, but don't forget there are some things I cannot do! If you're going to attack, then attack. There is no need to learn from those fishwives and be so chatty!"
These words were said resolutely and decisively with great vigor. It left absolutely no room for the Crown Prince and Second Prince to turn around in.
The Second Prince's usually gentle expression immediately became dark. Becoming angry for some unknown reason, he roared toward the top of the Palace walls, "Brother! Don't you forget that it is us who are brothers!"
"Brothers?" The Great Prince had been worried for days about the security of the Royal Palace, as well as making major plans with Fan Xian. His energies had been depleted. His eyes were deeply sunken. However, this made his gaze appear very sharp.
He looked at the Crown Prince and then at the Second Prince He suddenly said in a severe voice, "Brothers? You two aren't even willing to be sons, much less brothers!"
Silence. These words had exposed too many things. The imperial soldiers on the Palace walls had long learned of this matter from the posthumous edict. Their eyes immediately filled with rage and pain. However, the expressions of the rebel soldiers below the palace walls became very strange. Although the Emperor had died on Dong Mountain, his imperial might remained. As soldiers in the Qing army, shouldering the Crown Prince's standard was actually being part of the shady business of committing regicide to seize the throne. Who wouldn't be fearful? Whose heart wouldn't be drumming wildly?
The Great Prince stood between the crenels on the palace walls and furrowed his brows tightly. Looking at the Crown Prince, he sorrowfully said, "The Dong Mountain matter was done by the Eldest Princess. I know you don't have this power, but you must have known of it! Even if father was going to depose you, you are still his son. How could you act so immorally?"
The Crown Prince's expression was dim. He maintained his silence, allowing the Great Prince to criticize him angrily. At his side, the old Qin Master furrowed his brows and waved his hand. The rebel soldiers behind him began to make preparations for an attack. Gradually, the tooth-aching sound of bows being drawn could be heard from the rear.
While the three princes were energetically speaking of royal secrets above and below the Palace walls and being angry at each other, no one noticed that Fan Xian had left the wall. He followed the long stone steps into the interior of the Royal Palace and walked through the empty and expansive square toward Taiji Palace.
Along the way, Fan Xian looked around intently. Although the Great Prince specialized in battlefield operations on open fields, Fan Xian realized that he was also very knowledgeable about defending a city. Everywhere was prepared. Two towers had been taken apart near the entrance of the stone steps with rocks and heavy logs piled up. It looked like it was to deal with the attack about to happen.
Beside the three palace doors, there were some strangely shaped rocks prepared. There was even moss on them.
Fan Xian looked at it narrowed eyes and wondered if the rock gardens in the Palace had also been dismantled by the Great Prince. As he thought this, a group came toward him. Under the escort of a number of imperial soldiers, hundreds of exhausted-looking eunuchs were using a cart to push moss-covered rocks. It was indeed the Palace's rock gardens.
The front side of the Royal Palace had three gates. Usually, only one was ever open. When the rebel army attacked, they didn't just choose one place. Fan Xian knew that the Great Prince was going to use the rocks from the rock garden to block off these three gates. This work had probably started long before dawn.
Blocking the rebel soldiers outside the Palace and sealing themselves in the Palace was the so-called defending to the death. Fan Xian sighed and knew that the Great Prince had already firmly made up his mind.
All along the way, he saw very few imperial soldiers. Compared to the empty and vast Royal Palace, they seemed very sparse. There was truly little power.
Fan Xian sighed again. He knew that 1,000 imperial soldiers had been moved to the area of the Palace where the eunuchs and serving girls usually lived. It would suppress any disturbances and be the easiest place to break through.
Entering Taiji Palace, he saw the worried officials, the heavy-faced Lady Ning and Yi Guipin, and restless Third Prince. Fan Xian sighed for a third time in his heart. He bowed to the scholars Hu and Shu and pushed a smile onto his face as he said to the Third Prince, "Chengping, the battle is about to begin .Do you feel excited?"
The Third Prince was, after all, in a child. After learning that the Royal Palace was surrounded, he had begun to feel fearful. Although he forcefully suppressed the expression on his face, after hearing Fan Xian's words, he couldn't help but flatten his mouth. There was a glimmer of a smile at Fan Xian teasing amongst the fear. He appeared very funny.
Fan Xian turned and bowed to the pale-faced empress dowager opposite and then glanced at the disheveled empress. In low voice, he said, "I cordially invite Your Highnesses, the empress and empress dowager, up to the palace walls to watch the battle."
…
…
The work of elucidating one's righteousness and labeling oneself as the correct side was a necessary part of a rebellion. It had been completed amidst the Great Prince's angry criticism and the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's depression. The rebel soldiers below the palace walls had already come closer, particularly the thousands of archers in the rear of the army. They began to make preparations to fire together.
At this moment, there were only 1,000 imperial soldiers on the Palace wall. After this rain of arrows, they might lose a large number of them.
The Great Prince held a longsword in his hand and walked silently atop of the palace wall. Occasionally, he gave a signal, ordering the soldiers to be ready to meet the attack of the rebel army. This was the Qing Royal Palace's first baptism by arrows. Who knew what bloody developments they would be able to stand against after this rain of arrows? They had not anticipated that they would have to guard the Royal Palace. Since they did not gain control of the city gate department, the Imperial Army's defense was already disadvantaged in terms of battle strategy. They also did not have enough bows. They only had the support of the four city guarding crossbows atop the palace walls. However, there were tens of thousands in the rebel army. Using these four city guarding crossbows was the same as hitting a mosquito with a cannon. How many could be killed?"
"Get ready!" The Great Prince grasped the sword tightly in his hands and stared down at the mass of black below the palace walls. Endless sounds of bows being drawn reached his ears. Involuntarily, his heart also tightened.
Thousands of archers pulled on their bows at the same time. The fearful creaking sounds seemed to pierce into the ears of everyone in the Royal Palace, shaking through everyone's thoughts.
The imperial soldiers on the walls were hidden behind the shields. The soldiers holding them also waited behind the Great Prince.
The battle could start at any moment. Everyone was waiting for the moment the skies to be filled with screaming arrows.
Fan Xian didn't let any of this happen. He didn't have the interest in appreciating the scene of an attack. He was such a pretentious prick that he would wait until the Imperial Army had suffered heavy losses before offering up either his remarkable or evil help.
On the stone steps, there came the sound of hurried footsteps. Following these footsteps was Fan Xian's arrival, as well as a dozen old and puffing officials and a number of women being half escorted and half supported by the eunuchs.
These women were originally the most respected in the world. Now, they had become the lowliest and most humiliated.
Fan Xian held the Third Prince's hand and stopped behind the Great Prince. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the waiting arrows of the rebel army and his heart gave an involuntary leap. He thought to himself, If this many arrows came their way, there was no way they could hold onto this Royal Palace. They only heard him activating his zhenqi and calling out in a loud voice toward the rebel soldiers below, "Chengqian, Second Prince, quickly stop what you are doing."
The Crown Prince and Second Prince started at the call and raised their heads to look in the direction of the Royal Palace. Then, they saw a sight that made their hearts drum endlessly.
"Mother!"
"Mother!"
"Empress dowager!"
Seeing the women that suddenly appeared on the walls of the Royal Palace, the Crown Prince and Second Prince couldn't help but cry out in shock. Even the old Qin Master and Ye Zhong couldn't help but furrow their brows. They heard Fan Xian call down to them from beside the women.
"Don't rush to attack yet. I've brought your mothers, grandmother, and brother to see you two…"
Hearing these words, many people felt the urge to throw up. No one would have thought that Fan Xian, who had the reputation of being an immortal poet and widely demonstrated the Overwatch Council's power of darkness, would say such shameless things.
Only Fan Xian knew that after experiencing the life and death struggle in the meadow that his life had undergone a joyful change. He had walked away from the darkness that had accumulated over his two lives. He was gradually leaning closer to the past and becoming one with the young boy in Danzhou who yelled from the rooftop for the laundry to be taken in as the rain came down.
This kind of Fan Xian was a loveable Fan Xian, a suspicious Fan Xian, a shameless Fan Xian, and a scary Fan Xian.
No matter how shrewd the Crown Prince and Second Prince were, they couldn't help but feel anger as they watched this heart-stopping scene. The Second Prince criticized him harshly in a severe voice, "Fan Xian! You're so shameless!"
Fan Xian glared back and said, "You've only just realized?"
The Crown Prince was also incomparably angry in his heart.
At the first instance, he had urgently said to the old Qin Master at his side, "Don't release the arrows!"
The old Qin Master furrowed his brows and thought, It was expected that Fan Xian would use these nobles in the Palace to threaten him, had the Crown Prince not thought of this problem? The old general sighed in his heart. The Crown Prince was kind-hearted, the timidity that had gradually disappeared these two years had finally appeared again.
For a soldier, at such a life and death moment, they shouldn't be any hesitation at all. Taking no action against an evil for fear of harming innocents was nothing but timidity.
However, the old Qin Master did not understand that sometimes another name for timidity was humanity.
…
…
Without question, Fan Xian was not demonstrating any humanity at this moment. He had only accurately calculated the Crown Prince's personality and was standing calmly and with a slight smile at the Great Prince's side. "I just don't want to be turned into a hedgehog."
"Why did you bring Chengping here? He is only a child," the Great Prince sighed and said with disapproval as he looked at the officials, empress dowager, empress, and Lady Shu beside him.
"As the future ruler of Qing Kingdom, he must see this scene at hand personally." Fan Xian gently squeezed the Third Prince's shaking hands. The Third Prince had been thoroughly scared at seeing so many rebel soldiers personally.
Fan Xian smiled at his trusted aides beside him and ordered, "Have Lady Shu stand in the left corner tower, have the Empress stand in the right corner tower, have…" He glanced at the pale-faced but unspeaking empress dowager and said, "Have the empress dowager stand by my side."
"I am putting these three idols here. I want to see just how accurate their arrows are."
Hearing these words, the people on the Palace walls felt a chill in their hearts.
…
…
After a moment of chaos, Fan Xian gazed at the people in the rebel army, who were fiercely arguing about something, and said, "Regardless of what compromise the Crown Prince and the old Qin Master reach, they will presumably be very unhappy with each other."
The Great Prince sucked in a cold breath and looked at him. "You've even included this in your calculations?"
Fan Xian twisted his head to glance at the grave and stern Second Prince and the short iron tower-like Ye Zhong next to him. "There are still many things I am calculating."
"If the person in charge today had been the Second Prince, the rain of arrows would probably have already arrived. Although the empress is not as likable as Lady Shu, her luck is much better than Lady Shu's because her son is much better than hers."
"Even if they aren't releasing the arrows, the rebel army is still going to attack." Fan Xian lowered his head slightly. "Go get ready. I want to think through a problem."
The Great Prince glanced at him and ordered his subordinates to heavily protect the Third Prince. Then, he glanced at the unspeaking empress dowager and felt confusion in his heart. He couldn't say anything, so he left.
Fan Xian let go of the Third Prince's hand and picked up the empress dowager's old and slightly rigid hand. He then walked a few steps to the left. It looked like a filial grandson supporting his grandmother. He allowed the yellow-phoenix robed empress dowager to appear on the palace walls. She was like a bright lantern hovering high in the sky, reflecting in the eyes of all the rebel soldiers.
The rebel archers unconsciously relaxed their bowstrings, although the order from above had not come down yet. However, their arms were beginning to grow sore. Furthermore, everyone had guessed who the old woman in the phoenix robe was: the Emperor's mother, the Crown Prince's grandmother, the only remaining senior of the Li royal family. She was a respected person. Even talking about them was blasphemy much less pointing an arrow at them. What if they accidentally hurt her? Who could shoulder such a result?
The people of Qing Kingdom were not willing to harm the empress dowager. Thus, when Fan Xian led the empress dowager up the Palace walls, the Great Prince felt a bit uncomfortable. After the scholars Shu and Hu could not stop him, they could only sigh. Those who knew the details of the revolt in the Palace last night knew that Fan Xian never shied away from using the evilest methods to defeat the most respected person.
The sword mark on the empress dowager's neck was the most powerful evidence.
Fan Xian gently helped the empress dowager tidy the high collar of her phoenix robe and carefully plucked away a hair. In an even voice, he said, "Indeed, you only look imposing enough when you're wearing formal clothing. At least the time I wasted earlier asking the nannies to help you dress was not in vain."
The empress dowager suddenly turned her head. A boundless poison abruptly appeared in her old and tired eyes. It was as if she wanted to swallow Fan Xian.
Fan Xian didn't even glance at her gaze. He said quietly beside her ear, "I know how painful it is to have things you cannot say. Swallowing this pill is also very painful. But if you think about it, the old Li family has received such retribution… This is me helping my mother punish you."
Chapter 558: No Peace While Sitting In The City
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The medicinal pill Fan Xian forced the empress dowager to swallow tasted sweet and sour. Even after all the life and death situations over these two years, from the depths of the ocean to the summit of a mountain, even with a body full of injuries, Fan Xian had not lost this pill because he knew it was very important for him.
It had been a dozen years ago in Danzhou when Fan Xian's teacher Fei Jie had formally stuffed the medicinal pouch into his little hands. He had been afraid that the Tyrannical zhenqi Fan Xian was learning would suddenly burst forth and cause him to die a tragic end.
Fan Xian never took the medicine. After he killed the Second Prince's ally Xie Bi'an and had a direct fight with the Shadow, his zhenqi had finally exploded within his body and rendered him a cripple. Even in such circumstances, he still did not take the medicine because he knew how powerful it was. It could dispel his martial abilities.
Fan Xian didn't want all his martial abilities to be dispelled, so he shouldered the pain of the destruction of his meridians and rigidity of being unable to move. Fortunately, Haitang secretly brought the Heart of Tianyi Dao to Jiangnan, which remarkably made his heavy injuries slowly recover.
Now, he had finally delivered this medicine into the empress dowager's mouth. The medicinal properties of this pill were powerful. It penetrated with unusual directness straight into one's organs and gradually submerged one's life force.
The empress dowager was already old and weak. She only had very few years of life left. Taking this medicine gradually drained her remaining life force, accelerating her rate of death. Her life force was gradually dimming and become weaker. Her old and weak body was unable to endure and already at its limit.
Fan Xian was afraid of the aftermath, so he could not openly poison the empress dowager. This medicine was not a poison. No matter which doctor came to do an examination, they would not find anything strange.
At this time, the empress dowager was already unable to speak and soon would feel her body becoming heavier and heavier. She would not be able to raise her arm if she wanted to. Unless another Great Grandmaster appeared in the world and forcefully used the purest zhenqi to turn back time, the empress dowager could only tragically become a cripple who could not speak or move. Then, she could only slowly wait for death's arrival.
It was not that Fan Xian was vicious or consumed by his desire for revenge. Under the present situation and with his own secret concern, this was all he could do to ensure the safety of the present and future.
The rebel army surrounded the city. The empress dowager could weaken the rebel army's attack as a shield, but what about their future safety?
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The empress dowager did not know what sinister poison was contained in that medicine. She only thought that it was a pill to make her mute. She still stared at Fan Xian with resentment and hatred. Fan Xian did not acknowledge the empress dowager's angry gaze. He turned his cold gaze on the two factions below the lofty palace walls. He looked intently at Ye Zhong beside the Second Prince. As he looked at the short and sturdy general, a strange light flashed through his eyes. It seemed like he was continuously thinking about something.
The Dingzhou army was presenting prisoners of war and had yet to enter the capital. According to precedent, they only had a few thousand soldiers. However, Ye Zhong and the Second Prince had led over 10,000 people into the capital. It appeared they had long been prepared. However, there was no sign of Hongcheng among the rebel army. This made Fan Xian feel a glimmer of relief.
Looking from a distance, the heads of the rebel army seemed to be arguing about something while the Crown Prince remained silent. He watched the movement at the top of the palace walls with worry-filled eyes. In his heart, he worried about the safety of his mother and grandmother. He viciously cursed Fan Xian, the Great Prince, and the scholars Shu and Hu.
Fan Xian suddenly narrowed his eyes seeing that the leaders of the rebel army had stopped their discussion. The sound of hooves gradually rang out. The Qin and Ye families each took one portion of the army and pressed away in two directions. He abruptly turned his head and glanced at the Crown Prince not far from him. The Great Prince nodded at him and gave a signal he prepared long ago.
Other than the main Palace doors, it seemed that the rebel soldiers had also chosen Taiping Square for the other main direction of attack. The palace wall there was slightly shorter. It was where the eunuchs and serving girls lived and not a strictly guarded entrance. The Great Prince had long deduced this and had moved many soldiers to guard it. He had also sent along seven or eight of the 10 loyal generals he had nurtured in the Western Expedition Army.
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This was only a little trick for a slight stall for time. They still had not found an escape or something that could change the bigger picture. Fan Xian's eyes once again became empty. His eyes watched the dense group of rebel soldiers below the city gates. It was like he was looking through their existence toward a further place, looking into the past, toward the variable that he had been anticipating but had yet to make an appearance.
It was 30,000 to a few thousand. Even if the palace walls were taller and the rebel army did not release arrows or only used people to conquer, they could still fill the moat outside the palace with people and create a human ladder to reach high places. They could destroy everything in the palace. Watching the hurried arrangements in the rear of the rebel army and gradually rising city attacking ladders, Fan Xian's eyes narrowed. He felt a slight chill at the bottom of his heart as the three-part ladder the three workshops in the palace treasury had developed was moved out. The attack was finally about to begin.
These military tools were all produced by the palace treasury. As the head of the palace treasury, Fan Xian couldn't help but feel a glimmer of absurdity. The things he had produced were going to be used in attacking him, yet he could not find any way to deal with them.
His heart rate was accelerating. His scalp felt numb. His brows furrowed tightly. He suddenly sucked in a few heavy breaths, feeling something wrong with his breathing. His chest felt suffocated. Standing by the brick arrow slit, he slowly crouched down.
The hearts of the people on the palace walls jumped in fright. They all hurried toward his direction. The battle was about to start. If one of their main commanders suddenly had something wrong with his body, it would, without question, be a giant blow against the Imperial Army's morale.
The Third Prince was close to him. He touched his left arm in fear and called out, "Sir, what's wrong?"
Without waiting for more people to gather around him, Fan Xian buried his head and raised his right arm. In a tired voice, he said, "I need a quiet place to think about some problems. Go get ready. There is no need to mind me."
No one who heard this was able to relax. Seeing his stubbornness and the fact that the rebel army was already preparing to attack, they could only accept the order and rush back to the area they were defending. The Great Prince stood in the commander's position and glanced at Fan Xian from a distance. He looked at the man who had been full of baleful attitude earlier and was now crouching weakly on the palace wall. He couldn't help but feel his heart dim slightly.
"Scholar Hu, I must trouble you to stall for time."
Fan Xian spoke in a quiet voice with his head down. Hu the Scholar glanced at him with concern. He sighed and walked to the side of the palace wall, raising his voice to speak.
The Third Prince stayed anxiously at this side, not sure how Fan Xian was at this time.
Fan Xian just sat down on the palace wall and placed his head deeply between his legs. He breathed with great difficulty. He appeared pitiful, like a cat with no home to return to on a rainy night.
Hu the Scholar's righteous and majestic words faintly reached his ears. It seemed that he was carrying out a last communication with the Crown Prince. Even though these words floated in Fan Xian's ears, he could not hear a single word clearly. He had confidence in Scholar Hu to stall for a little while.
The problem Fan Xian faced was a mess of chaos in his mind. After returning to the capital from Dong Mountain, he had completed each step at a time. He and the Eldest Princess each had victories when they crossed swords. Even when he had been trapped within the Royal Palace, he was still filled with confidence because the details of many things had given him a faint signal that Chen Pingping had long calculated the Eldest Princess and Crown Prince's conspiracy. Since it was so, when the situation had progressed to the last moment, there would always be a chance to turn the tables.
Just as he had thought in the early hours of the morning, someone would come to rescue him on a colorful and auspicious cloud. However, the morning clouds had dispersed and the red light was gone. Where was the person who would come to save him?
Assault rifle? No. Before thinking this matter through, Fan Xian would not use this trump card.
Fan Xian closed his eyes tightly and thought quickly as he coughed. He still didn't manage to seize the important point as it flashed through his mind. He had burned through too much of his mental and physical energy. Fan Xian's cough was becoming more and more serious. He slowly opened his eyes and they were completely filled with a blood-red color.
Making his way into the capital after being injured by Yan Xiaoyi, forcefully breaking into the Royal Palace, and his fearless lighthearted chatter on the palace walls had completely depleted his energy. It was only the Third Bureau's ephedra pill that was forcefully stimulating his state of mind.
Fan Xian breathed heavily a few times and used a shaking hand to take out two sharp-smelling pills from his clothing. He brought them to his lips, messily swallowing them down. He knew that this medicine would damage his body greatly. In the present dangerous situation, even if he had to drink poison, he would do it willingly.
Although Li Chengping didn't know what his teacher was eating, he had already guessed that Fan Xian's body had reached a point of being completely drained. His blood-red eyes represented an inauspicious sign. Nervously and unhappily, he tightly grasped the hands Fan Xian had placed on his knee.
The medicinal effects were seen quickly. Fan Xian's chest relaxed a great deal. It seemed that each breath entering his body was many times more than previously. His cough also died down. However, the lines of blood grew denser in his eyes. It created a demonic feeling in contrast to his haggard but still very heroic face.
With a slap, the sitting Fan Xian abruptly drew his hand from Li Chengping's small hands and reached like lightning into the left path, grasping the pair of woman's feet in golden palace shoes.
Fan Xian didn't turn his head to look and only coldly said, "You didn't dare to commit suicide while in the Palace, yet now you want to use your death to provoke the Crown Prince into attacking?"
When his hand had extended out like lightning, the pair of small feet in palace shoes were trying to rise to their toes and move their owner's weak body toward the firm ground below the Royal Palace.
Li Chengping watched this sight with fear. He watched as Fan Xian's held down the empress dowager's feet a moment before she jumped to her death from the palace walls.
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The empress dowager had taken the medicine and was already at the end of her life. Fan Xian was not yet recovered from his heavy injury and was forcefully increasing his strength. He was also almost at the end of his strength. Although this grandmother and grandson duo had reached the ends of their roads, they still reverberated with irreconcilable differences.
If a person wanted to die, it was always easy. The empress dowager stared coldly and resentfully at Fan Xian's profile. She looked at the strange redness in his eyes and gradually felt a sense of joy in her heart. No matter how powerful the wicked woman and her wicked son were, this world still could not tolerate them. This fate had long been set. History had already proved this point.
After Fan Xian spoke, he fell into an unexpected silence. His eyes gazed emptily into the distance as he gradually furrowed his brows. His eyes gradually lit up like when he had looked at Ye Zhong earlier. The brightness in his eyes seemed to show that he had finally come to understand some matter and come to a conclusion.
At this moment, Hu the Scholar's negotiations with the Crown Prince had already broken down. The rebel army began to beat their battle drums and start their first attack on the palace. Suddenly, an earth-shattering sound of killing rang out in the distance to the rear and left of Taiping Square.
The battle drums thundered out. Although there was no rain of arrows, a few straw ones passed through the sky bringing with it a screeching sound. Countless rebel soldiers pushed city mounting ladders and large carriages covered in oil-cloths. Bravely facing the giant crossbows and rain of arrows, they went head-on against the fire and rocks being dropped down from the palace walls and charged forward.
In an instant, the foot of the palace walls was filled with tragic cries from the sight of flowing blood and pain of burning. The rising sun had long risen into the slanting sky, mercilessly watching as Qing Kingdom's Jingdou bled again after more than a dozen years.
Fan Xian slowly rose and looked mercilessly at the sight before his eyes. He didn't look at the empress dowager beside him but said to her, "I have thought through many things."
When he pressed down on the empress dowager's little feet, he involuntarily thought of his grandmother in Danzhou and something she had always said to him—the Fan family never needs to stand with a side because we stand forever on the Emperor's side.
What did this mean? This was a confidence in the Emperor. In this instant, countless images flashed before Fan Xian's eyes. Like a firefly, they flashed past and reminded him of many things and cemented the conclusion he was gradually arriving at.