Li Mansion
The main gate of the county was decorated with pewter nails. The owner of the gate, Li Zhenlin, was a High Scholar. Now that the city gates had been breached, the gates were shut tight.
Within a short period of time, the soldiers were wielding weapons and smashing open the doors of the houses. Screams and cries could be heard everywhere.
Li Zhenlin paced back and forth in the yard, looking at the streets. He frowned and forced a smile, "Your excellency need not worry. I am a High Scholar. These soldiers would not dare to harass me."
The thirty year old man opposite him was the Special Envoy. He then said, "High Scholar Li, you are able to serve the court in times of crisis. When I return, I will report this to the Emperor and reward you accordingly."
Li Zhenlin was overjoyed and said, "Thank you your excellency. Thank you your excellency."
At this point, the sound of armor clanking could be heard from the streets outside. Footsteps could be heard as someone announced, "Under the orders of the True Sovereign, the county's officers and officials are guilty of conspiring against the rebels. They will be punished with death!"
Hearing the announcement and the sound of footsteps, Li Zhenlin's face turned pale. His voice trembled as he said, "Your excellency, please hide."
Seeing that the Special Envoy had gone into hiding, everyone's faces turned pale. They could hear the sound of footsteps outside, before it became much quieter. Only then did they relax. All of a sudden, footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the mansion, followed by the sound of soldiers shouting, "Open the door, open the door."
"Master, it's not good. There are people outside." The gatekeeper was still shouting when he heard a 'kuang' sound as the door was pushed open. The armored soldiers then rushed in. The gatekeeper was about to shout again when the cavalrymen raised their blades. He screamed in pain and was killed on the spot.
Li Zhenlin was so frightened that he took a few steps back and shouted, "I am a High Scholar, and you are soldiers. How can you kill my men without a trial?"
"The True Sovereign has raided the county government and has a list of all the officials. The True Sovereign has decreed that anyone who is a High Scholar and above, or more than ten thousand mu of land, is considered a traitor and is to be killed. That person is you."
"Be honest and die, and your family may be spared. If not, your entire family shall be buried."
The soldiers laughed and waved their hands. Li Zhenlin was taken aback and retreated a few steps. He shouted, "You dare, you dare?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a blade landed on his body. Li Zhenlin was in pain and fell to his knees. He spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was filled with pain. Then, he felt his hair being pulled, revealing his neck.
With a flash of the saber, the head fell to the ground.
"Seize the house. The True Immortal said that a third of the money seized will be handed over to the public, a third will be left for the brothers who didn't participate in the battle, and a third will be ours!"
"I'll kill anyone who dares to stop me."
The captain waved his hands, and the soldiers rushed forward. Screams and cries could be heard from the backyard, as though an old woman was trying to stop them. The next moment, a blade flashed, and blood splattered all over the window. The envoy's face was dark and gloomy as he hid within the pile of firewood. He gritted his teeth, 'Damn it, I didn't expect Pei Zi Yun to be so crazy.'
However, these soldiers did not seem to have noticed him. They were only focused on looting and did not seem to be interested in the storehouse. Most of them headed straight for the storehouse. After a long time, the soldiers who had looted a considerable amount of gold and silver heard their leader say, "Quick, don't take anything that's worthless. Go to the next storehouse."
After the officers and soldiers had left, the sound of a married scholar's crying could be heard from inside the mansion. The special envoy did not move for a moment. He listened carefully and found that they had indeed gone far away. Only then did he light the talisman.
"Open the door and die!" Such cries could be heard as thick smoke billowed everywhere in the county. The sounds of doors being broken, people fleeing, people being killed, and people screaming could be heard everywhere.
The commoners hid in their homes, their faces were filled with fear. Some of them ran to their cellars to hide. Those who didn't have a cellar could only hide in a corner. However, the soldiers didn't even bother to look at them as they headed straight for the houses.
Outside the city walls, the eunuch who had been accompanying the army watched the scene unfold. He could see the thick smoke billowing and the sounds of people being killed.
"Ai." The eunuch sighed. Pei Zi Yun laughed and ignored him. All of a sudden, he had a feeling that something was amiss. He looked towards a corner of the city before turning around to look outside the city. He saw that it was raining, and the clouds were moving with the wind. It was drizzling. He smiled, "King Lu's army is about to arrive."
The eunuch couldn't bear to look at Pei Zi Yun. When he heard this, he was startled and looked at Pei Zi Yun, "True Sovereign, why do you say that? How did the traitor King Lu arrive so quickly? "
The eunuch didn't think that Pei Zi Yun was lying to him. It was just that he was suspicious. Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly and replied, "The Emperor is different from the bandits. If the Emperor can't protect the county, the hearts of the people will fall apart."
"I'm a huge threat to King Lu. Every move I make will be watched closely. In order to keep an eye on me, the enemy troops aren't far from here. Although the county has been destroyed, news can still be sent out. They're on their way here now."
"True Sovereign, what should we do? Our original plan was to engage in guerilla warfare. If we fight them now, we're at a disadvantage. "
The eunuch was uneasy. Hearing these words, Pei Zi Yun laughed, "We've been waiting for them. You don't have to worry. We've already used the bailiffs and bailiffs. If they don't wish to die, we've already prepared rations and a place to rest. Once the soldiers return to camp, they'll be provided with hot meals and sleeping quarters."
"Men, pass down my orders. All troops are to return to camp to eat and sleep. All loot will be tallied up by the military. Rewards will be distributed accordingly."
"Those who don't obey will be dealt with according to military law."
The eunuch paused as he watched Pei Zi Yun pass down orders in an orderly fashion. The army cooks and bailiffs who didn't wish to die immediately started cooking. Smoke rose from the kitchen as the soldiers ran back and forth.
Official Road
The drizzle brought with it a chill as it landed on the fields. The three thousand cavalrymen of King Lu marched through the rain. The rainwater flowed through the gaps between their armors, bringing away the warmth of their bodies. The strange thing was, although it was cold, none of them made a sound. They marched like a black snake. Occasionally, they would fall into the mud, but they would jump back up and continue marching.
When they reached a certain point, a general who looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, had a stern look on his face. He rode on his horse and looked into the distance. He then asked, "Are we near Peace County?"
The soldier in front of him glanced around before nodding his head, "General, we've reached the pipe shop. In another ten kilometers, we'll reach the county."
"Stop!" This man was the You Ji General. When he heard this, he raised his whip and shouted loudly. Following this order, the three thousand cavalrymen pulled their horses to a halt.
The You Ji General looked at the cavalrymen and gave the order, "All of you eat your dried rations and meat. After you've eaten your fill, take a break and prepare for battle."
When the three thousand cavalrymen heard this, they didn't make a sound. They then retrieved their rations and meat and started wolfing them down. Rainwater mixed with sweat dripped down their faces, but they didn't care about it at all.
Behind the You Ji General was a Dao official. When he heard this, he hurriedly tried to persuade him, "General, as long as you keep a close watch on the enemy cavalrymen, we can't let them escape. Pei Zi Yun is extremely ferocious. It's a small matter if we hurt our soldiers' morale. But if we let them escape, I'm afraid the Imperial Majesty won't be pleased …"
"Bastard!" The You Ji General's face turned green as he scolded the Dao official.
"My Valiant Battalion's elites are unrivalled. Our numbers are comparable to the enemy as well. Count Zhong Qin's cavalrymen are considered elites as well. Their numbers are many times greater than ours, and yet they were still defeated by us?"
"With our military strength, even if we were to fight them head-on, we would still be able to win. Besides, we have our own spies. During the day, we received news from the Special Envoy that the county is being pillaged. This is a good opportunity for us to launch a sneak attack. As long as we can kill Pei Zi Yun, we will be able to achieve victory. The Imperial Majesty has orders.
As he spoke, the You Ji General's eyes were bloodshot, as though he was about to make a move.
When the Dao official heard this, he was speechless. This General was too arrogant. After all, Pei Zi Yun had a glorious battle record. How could he be killed so easily?
However, the Dao official looked at the You Ji General's bloodshot eyes. Even though he was one of them, under such circumstances, there was no point in trying to persuade him. The Dao official then swallowed his words.
The You Ji General saw that the Dao official had been beaten into submission by him, and his expression softened. He then asked, "Is the Special Envoy, Hu Chu, still around?"
The Dao official closed his eyes and felt around the city. He then reported, "Yes, he's still within the county."
"That's right."
General You Ji had a ferocious look on his face as he looked at the county in the distance. He licked his lips greedily.
City Walls
A group of people approached the city. By now, it was already night time. They could see torches on the city walls, as well as soldiers walking back and forth, looking out into the distance. General You Ji was relieved. If there weren't any preparations, he would feel that something was amiss. He then ordered, "Send a message to the Special Envoy to open the gates. We shall then kill our way in."
"Zi" The Dao official took out a talisman and pointed it at it. The talisman started to burn, as it emitted a dim glow. The fire spread rapidly, and soon the talisman was burnt to a crisp.
Within the city
Sandbags were used to form a passageway. Both sides of the passageway were lined with soldiers. All of them had eaten their fill and had slept for two hours. They were clad in armor and mounted their horses, emitting killing intent. Pei Zi Yun sat atop his horse, his face cold as ice, as he fiddled with the talisman in his hands.
The Special Envoy was tied up at the entrance of the passageway, his entire body was covered in wounds. He glared at Pei Zi Yun with hatred, as he struggled to free himself.
"Hu!"
Pei Zi Yun looked at the talisman in his hands, as it started to burn.
"He wants you to open the gates? This General is really arrogant. Does he really think that I'm just a decoration? "
"You're an idiot as well. If I couldn't hide, or if I couldn't find you, you still wanted to use the talisman to communicate with me. I'm an Earth Immortal. How could I not be aware of the talisman in the city?"
Pei Zi Yun spoke as he looked outside and smiled, "Everyone hide well. Prepare the kerosene. As soon as half of King Lu's troops enter the city, we shall act immediately and seal the gates."
"Yes."
As soon as Pei Zi Yun finished speaking, the soldiers suppressed their excitement and dispersed. They hid themselves in different locations. He then waved his hands, and someone stepped forward to open the gates.
"Zi"
Following a loud sound, the gates of the city opened. This person resembled the Special Envoy. The moment the gates opened, the soldiers on the city walls noticed him. They cried out in alarm and banged on the gongs.
"The city was indeed unguarded. They were too careless. Kill, kill them all, kill them all." General You Ji shouted out.
"Pei Zi Yun didn't set up any defenses and opened the gates so easily. I'm afraid there's something fishy going on." The Dao official looked at the city gates, which were pitch black. It looked like a wild beast that was about to swallow a person whole. He couldn't help but shiver.
"Eh? Pei Zi Yun didn't expect us to arrive so quickly. Besides, the Special Envoy's martial arts are extremely strong. Hence, he opened the gates. There's nothing suspicious about that. What are you afraid of? " General You Ji spoke. Outside the city gates, the Special Envoy had already started fighting. Someone wanted to shut the gates. The Dao official wanted to say something, but General You Ji ignored him, "If you don't dare to attack, then stay here. When the time comes, I shall report this to the Imperial Court."
As soon as he said this, General You Ji ignored the eunuch in front of him. He roared out in anger as he whipped his horse viciously. The horse felt the pain and galloped forward, "Kill! Follow me and charge in."
The soldiers behind him didn't hesitate at all as they whipped their horses as well. Like a torrent of iron, they charged towards the city gates.
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