The arrow of the city guarding crossbow was like a short spear. It pierced through the flesh and blood of man and horse, piercing deeply into the cracks between the stone tiles of the square. The fine iron arrow, as thick as a child's arm, trembled endlessly and made a buzzing sound. It brought the blood of the rider's body under the arrow with it.
Many people were unable to react, including the rebel army and the Imperial Guards on the palace walls. Tens of thousands of people stared dumbly at this scene, not daring to believe their eyes. Such a huge crossbow bolt had pierced through the cavalry's body. It was more like an iron rod from the heavens, ruthlessly smashing down from beyond the clouds.
A death-like silence and an icy fear spread through the square.
On the rider's body that had fallen gloriously, the three banner-holding officers also did not react. They looked stupidly at the rider in front of them who had become bloody foam and the internal organs that had been squeezed out of the ground. They didn't know how to react.
Horses were different from humans. Even though they were warhorses that had been chosen out of ten thousand, when they saw this scene and felt the fear of that crossbow arrow, their biological instincts made the three horses neighed in unison. After being startled, they began to gallop to the side.
A moment later, two military flags fluttered in the morning wind. They returned wretchedly to the rebel army's camp. The other bright yellow dragon flag fell miserably to the flat ground of the square and rolled up into a ball. It looked very unsightly.
The soldier holding the flag had been startled by the city guarding crossbow. The warhorse under him had also galloped in fright. For a moment, he lost his grip and dropped the dragon flag to the ground.
The tens of thousands of Qing soldiers on and off the palace walls were still death-like silent. However, their gazes had moved from the bloody mud in the square to the flag. The dragon flag that represented the dignity of the Qing royal family and the Qing army's undefeatable will. This flag that seemed to always fly in front of the army and would not fall had fallen miserably to the ground.
The emotions in the tens of thousands of eyes were complicated, angry, and not right.
On the palace walls, Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and watched this scene. He smiled slightly at the Great Prince beside him and said, "The effect is good, isn't it?"
The Great Prince did not reply. He thought to himself, The Crown Prince had raised troops today, yet he had even lost the dragon flag. He had truly embarrassed himself.
The imperial soldiers on the palace walls suddenly exploded into cheers in unison. These cheers were, without a doubt, a ruthless whip in the faces of the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers below the palace walls.
…
…
At that moment, the empty-handed cavalryman who had lost his flag had already returned to the rebel army's camp. He sat on his horse with his head lowered, trembling all over. He knew that he would face severe punishment from the military. As a flag bearer, this was an honorable position, yet he had accidentally dropped the dragon flag to the ground.
The hundreds of riders in the rebel army camp gradually parted. Crown Prince Li Chengqian, dressed in bright armor, slowly walked out under the protection of a few generals. He only glanced at the rider and didn't say anything.
The Crown Prince's gaze was very gentle, but the cavalryman felt extremely ashamed. He gritted his teeth and turned his horse around, preparing to go to the square to snatch back the dragon flag that had fallen to the ground. It did not matter even if he died.
At this moment, to everyone's surprise, a general beside the Crown Prince spurred his horse forward and came to the side of the cavalryman. He said, "When two armies cross swords, the one who loses the flag will be beheaded!"
The moment the word "beheaded" left his mouth, the cavalryman's body trembled. He unconsciously closed his eyes but did his best to straighten his body. Then, he felt a chill on his neck.
The general pulled back his knife and didn't even glance at the fallen body of the cavalryman beside him. He squeezed out a cold snort from his nose and squeezed the sides of his horse. The handsome horse beneath him shot forward like lightning. In an instant, it galloped out of the rebel army camp and headed straight for the center of the square below the palace walls.
It was headed straight for the dragon flag that was curled up on the ground.
Not everyone in the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers recognized this general, but they knew what he was going to do. Involuntarily, their hearts trembled and their blood surged. Tens of thousands of people roared in unison and rhythmically.
Amidst the iron-blooded and awe-inspiring cries of the tens of thousands of people, the warhorse beneath the general was like a flying dragon. Its four hooves seemed to rise into the air as it pierced toward the palace walls like a sharp arrow.
Riding alone in the open square under the gaze of tens of thousands of people and the piercing of crossbow bolts on the palace walls, it was very heroic.
The speed of the horse was very fast. The rider's skill in controlling the horse was even more impressive. It looked like it was charging in a straight line toward the palace walls. In reality, it was following a strange path. Although it took some detours, it was full of vigor. In only a moment, it had charged to the center of the square.
Until now, not a single one of the city guarding crossbows had been fired.
The imperial soldiers and Overwatch Council soldiers beside the giant city guarding crossbows broke out in a cold sweat. It was impossible for them to capture the path of the rebel general's advance. Even under such high speed, it seemed that he could still keenly capture the speed of fire and defensive range of the city guarding crossbows.
Fan Xian stared at this scene with narrowed eyes. He felt that in the blink of an eye, this rebel general had already charged to his feet and in front of the dragon flag.
The city guarding crossbows had just demonstrated their power once, and this rebel general had already charged over. Such vigor and courage was truly admirable. For some reason, Fan Xian suddenly thought of Thirteenth Wang. His heart jumped slightly.
He was just about to raise his hand when he used a great deal of willpower to order himself to slowly lower it. This small action did not fall into the eyes of the Great Prince because he was also watching the one-man show of two armies fighting for power in front of the palace walls with a stern expression.
When two armies crossed swords, vigor was the most important. The flag was the power. Capturing the flag was capturing the power.
The rebel general on the horse rode to where the dragon flag was. He did not slow down. Using superb riding skills, he hung one foot on the pedal and reached down with one hand. Easily, he picked up the dragon flag.
Although Fan Xian had lowered his arm, the group responsible for operating the city guarding crossbows did not want to pass up this great opportunity. They pulled on the heavy spring of the crossbow mechanism.
With a muffled bang, the thick palace walls seemed to tremble with the release of the giant crossbow.
…
…
The neigh of a horse rose into the sky. The rebel general below the palace walls seemed to have guessed when the city guarding crossbows would fire. He raised the reins and kicked his beloved horse's abdomen with both feet. With a wild roar, he had the horse stand up on its hind legs.
The warhorse's front hooves hung in the air as its massive body was forcefully twisted. It even hovered in the air in a stupefying manner. The rebel general held the bright yellow dragon flag in one hand and fiercely raised the reins in the other. He sat diagonally on the rearing warhorse. Illuminated by the morning sun, he appeared heroic and fierce.
At this moment, the giant city guarding crossbow finally arrived in front of them and brushed past the warhorse's abdomen.
It stabbed down diagonally and viciously.
The iron crossbow, as thick as a child's arm, pierced into the stone slabs of the square. Shattered stones flew everywhere, but it did not even graze a hair on the rebel general's body.
The rebel general twisted his left elbow and pulled in the reins again. The head of the horse under him turned to the left. With a neigh, its two hooves landed on the ground. All the muscles in its body relaxed and tightened. Like a wisp of smoke, it galloped directly back to the rebel army camp and back to the Crown Prince's side.
The rebel general did not dismount. He only heavily stabbed the bright yellow dragon flag into the ground. The flagpole entered the ground but did not fall. The dragon flag once again fluttered in the morning wind and shone brilliantly.
Then, he turned his horse's head and was silent as he looked at the two black dots on the palace walls.
In just a few breaths, this rebel general had done what most people could not do. From the moment he leaped out of the camp, tens of thousands of rebel soldiers began to cheer. As he took back the dragon flag and galloped back to the camp, tens of thousands of people's mountainous cheers grew louder and louder.
When this rebel general stabbed the dragon flag back into the ground and the flag fluttered in the wind, the cheers of the rebel soldiers finally reached a climax.
…
…
"Impressive …" Fan Xian gently wiped away the cold sweat on his palms. At this moment, he expressed an opinion that he should not have expressed as one of the commanders. "There are indeed countless fierce generals in the Qing army. No wonder no one can defeat them unhindered under heaven."
Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "It's Gong Dian. He has been the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army for so many years. His understanding of the city guarding crossbow is much better than yours or mine. Furthermore, he is an eighth-level ace. Given his noble status as a general, he bravely risked his life to take back the flag. Such courage is truly admirable. "
The Great Prince furrowed his brows slightly and said, "So it's him … no wonder, no wonder … General Gong has been herding horses on the borders of Dingzhou since he was young. His riding skills came from the Hu people and he is known as the best in the army."
This was not the first time Fan Xian had heard of Gong Dian's background. He looked calmly at the rebel army's camp and found that most of the people around the Crown Prince were generals of the Qin family. It seemed that only Gong Dian had appeared in the Dingzhou Ye family.
Gong Dian was the previous Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army and Minister of Guards. He had once been a trusted subordinate of the Qing Emperor. However, because of the Qing Emperor's suspicions toward the Ye family, he chose to use the Hanging Temple matter and chose a groundless reason to throw Gong Dian into prison.
Fan Xian had been involved in the Hanging Temple matter from beginning to end and had been heavily injured once. There were many secrets inside that he still did not understand. However, he knew that because of the Emperor's paranoia, he had no idea how much terrifying opposition he had brought to Jingdou.
Fan Xian's heart jumped again. The Eldest Princess, Chen Pingping, and Lin Ruofu had both said on different occasions that the Emperor did not have any major weaknesses. It was only because of his paranoia that he could be defeated.
The Great Prince suddenly raised his head and said, "It's a draw."
Fan Xian nodded. He knew what the Great Prince meant by a draw. The rebel army had surrounded the Palace. Given the Palace's defensive power, it would not be able to hold out for more than a few days. Thus, they had to use the most direct method at the very beginning to strike at the rebel army's morale. Although they did not have the extravagant hope that they would be able to take the flag and steal their morale, they could at least make it so that they would not be able to charge in in one go and create a relatively slow process.
That was why there was the wretched killing in front of Zhengyang Gate and the first use of the city-guarding crossbows in half a century. Even if it was only aimed at one person, it had to make the rebel army's hearts tremble.
However, Gong Dian's confident capture of the flag caused this momentum to turn back. Fortunately, although the rebel army was once again full of vigor, looking at the other party's formation, they should not attack immediately.
The rebel army had a clear advantage. Why didn't they attack immediately? Fan Xian could calculate a few points. The Royal Palace had a natural advantage in defense. The city walls were tall and thick, and the crossbows were united. The power in the Palace was already at a dead end. If the rebel army attacked, this kind of destructive power that would rise from a dead end forced the Crown Prince to reconsider.
The more important question was, who would attack?
"Although the heavenly soldiers and generals I've been hoping for have yet to arrive," Fan Xian said to the Great Prince with a warm smile. "I think the rebel army actually has a headache. They are not a monolithic block. Nominally, the Ye and Qin families both support the Crown Prince, but what does the Crown Prince think? Ye Zhong is the Second Prince's father-in-law … "
He raised his hand and pointed to a military horse far to the right and said, "The Second Prince and Ye Zhong should be over there. Do you think the Crown Prince is willing to let the Qin family charge and break through the enemy lines and let the Second Prince take advantage?"
The Great Prince said calmly, "Of course, the Second Prince is also unwilling to let his father-in-law go out. He has many things on his mind. If the last bit of capital is used up, presumably, he knows very well how Chengqian will deal with him in the future."
"Exactly." Fan Xian gently patted the green brick wall of the Royal Palace and looked at the rebel army camp slowly moving toward the Royal Palace. In a quiet voice, he said, "Our two brothers both have ulterior motives. If we don't discuss it, we won't fight."
"Of course, no matter how you look at it, they are lions and we are antelopes. They don't want to lose too many people, so they will certainly urge us to surrender," Fan Xian said with his head lowered. "The Crown Prince is a gentle person."
The Crown Prince was fighting in the name of righteousness. He was not here to rebel. If he didn't say a few dignified words and just fought like this, wouldn't he be preparing to receive guests before the memorial archway was properly opened?
Fan Xian was certain that this was something the rebels would never do, so he quietly waited for the Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, to speak.
…
…
Tens of thousands of rebel soldiers had already gathered. Forming into a formation, they slowly pressed toward the Royal Palace. The black mass was like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, making one's heart palpitate. The black cloud-like rebel soldiers stopped two arrows away from the Royal Palace. Among the sea of people, a number of people slowly rode out from the rebel army camp. It was the Crown Prince and the important generals beside him.
Beside the Crown Prince were the generals of the Qin family. Gong Dian, who had shown his confident hand earlier, was two riders away.
Fan Xian watched this scene with narrowed eyes and saw much of the content clearly. Gong Dian following the Crown Prince was certainly an expression of the Ye family's loyalty. However, the Crown Prince did not have much trust in the Ye family.
To the Crown Prince's right was the old Qin Master. This old man had once again donned his armor for battle and put on the armor he hadn't worn for a long time. His old face was filled with a murderous aura accumulated on the battlefield for countless years. His usually muddy eyes stared at the juniors on the Royal Palace like an eagle. There was no sign of age.
Given the old Qin Master's position and authority in the Qing Palace, he was, without question, the core leader of the rebel army. The empress dowager trusted him, and the Crown Prince also trusted him. He had also given the empress dowager and the Crown Prince sufficient support.
However, a few strands of white hair seeped out from the armor. Blown by the Jingdou morning wind, he appeared somewhat lonely.
Fan Xian's eyesight was very good. He looked silently at the elder of the Qing military. For some reason, he thought of when he watched the 1998 World Cup in his previous life. After the semi-final between Brazil and Holland, Zagallo had walked against the wind by the side of the field. His few strands of white hair had been blown into a miserable state.
He was not letting his mind wander. He was just unconsciously remembering that scene. Fan Xian took a deep breath and thought to himself, Zagallo's meritorious service for generations. After winning that battle, he still ended up with a miserable ending. How could the old Qin Master be an exception?
The old Qin Master, who was being 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 soldiers of the Qing Kingdom. How dare you help Fan Xian, a regicide? Prince Heqing, listen to my orders … "
The moment the old Qin Master opened his mouth, the air in the square above the Royal Palace began to buzz.
Fan Xian's pupils constricted. He and the Great Prince met each other's eyes. They both saw the fear in each other's eyes. The old Qin Master had a powerful cultivation and profound martial power.
…
…
Fan Xian quietly wiped the sweat from his palms on the bricks. He had long guessed who the true warrior of the Qin family was. No matter what, he had never thought that the ninth-level hidden deep in the Qin family would be the old Qin Master himself.
That old and weak man was actually a superior ninth-level super warrior.
This reality immediately charged into Fan Xian's heart and made his expression become ugly. He was indeed worthy of his great reputation. The Qin family had dominated the world for decades. The old Qin Master had always sat in the position of the foremost person in the Qing military. Even the incomparably arrogant Yan Xiaoyi was incomparably respectful to him. There was indeed a reason for this.
Fan Xian's right index finger began to tremble slightly, not out of fear, but out of excitement. In the beginning, it had been very difficult to snipe Yan Xiaoyi. Now that he had sniped this old man, presumably, his sense of accomplishment would be even stronger.
When he glanced at Gong Dian, who was silently following in the rebel army's camp, his right index finger once again recovered its calm. He shouted toward the foot of the palace walls, "Qin Ye!"
The old Qin Master had not finished his first sentence when Fan Xian had already shouted out these two words. These two words were mixed with his Tyrannical zhenqi. Although it was not as thick and grand as the old Qin Master's voice, it was particularly violent. It immediately 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 palace walls.
The old Qin Master furrowed his brows slightly. It seemed that he had not expected the Tyrannical zhenqi in Fan Xian's body to be this powerful. He had also not expected to hear the name he had not heard in a long time below the palace walls.
Qin Ye? In this world, other than the empress dowager, who else dared to call him this?
Fan Xian dared. The faces of the Qin family generals beside the Crown Prince all revealed angry expressions.
…
…
"Qin Ye!"
Fan Xian once again shouted explosively. It rose up in spirals and spread throughout the Royal Palace, shocking everyone's hearts. It also gathered the old Qin Master's attention.
Separated by a great distance and under the gazes of tens of thousands of people, Fan Xian looked at where the old Qin Master was and faintly said, "You only have one son. Where is he?"
Qin Heng had entered through Zhengyang Gate and was the closest. The rebel army had already surrounded him, but he still had not arrived. The rebel army generals had long been secretly worried about this matter. Hearing Fan Xian's words, they couldn't help but feel their hearts jump.
The old Qin Master's eyes narrowed, but he did not have an overly shocked expression.
After pausing for a moment, Fan Xian opened his mouth and said in a cold voice, "You should have guessed something yourself. Correct, your eldest son was killed by my subordinate Jing Ge with a spear in the camp. Today, Qin Heng was killed by the Overwatch Council at Zhengyang Gate!"
"If you dare to betray the Emperor, I can have your Qin family end without descendants!"
…
…
What malicious words! What a thorn that pierced straight into one's heart! In an instant, the battlefield once again sank into a suffocating silence. The Great Prince glanced at him and said in a low voice, "It doesn't seem to be a good choice for you to make the old man mad right now."
Fan Xian's gaze was level as he stared at where Crown Prince Li Chengqian was. Faintly, he said, "I just want to see if there will be any more problems between the old man and the Crown Prince when he is mad."
The development of the situation did not continue according to Fan Xian's plan. After the old Qin Master heard Fan Xian's malicious words, he only slowly lowered his head and then slowly raised it again. His old face wrapped in armor was completely indifferent. There was not a trace of change in emotion.
"Fan Xian, let me thank you first for helping me resolve a question I've had for many years," the old Qin Master said slowly. Old Master Qin said slowly, his voice spreading in all directions. "My eldest son was killed in the camp. That murderer should have died in prison. Later, when I checked the files, it was the same. But I never found the murderer's body … Now I know that it was taken away by that old black dog."
The military elder slowly said, "I will leave your body intact. As for Chen Pingping, I will have him suffer a thousand cuts."
"As for Qin Heng, I have always had confidence in this child. Even if you could stop him for a moment at Zhengyang Gate, how could you do anything to him?" The old Qin Master said coldly. "Even if he dies, so what? It is hard for a general to not die in battle. If he dies to your schemes, then he dies honorably. "
"Die without descendants? … I haven't even been afraid of that demoness of yours. Do you think you can anger this old man with just a few words? "Old Master Qin looked at the younger generation on top of the city wall with a mocking gaze and said word by word.
…
…
"The old man has already gone mad. Let's see how long he can pretend for. When one is old and about to die, this kind of nonsense is especially abundant."
Just like the old Qin Master, Fan Xian finally learned of a secret he had guessed for a long time. He sighed in his heart and turned his gaze slightly. Looking sincerely at the Crown Prince beside the old Qin Master, he spoke before the Crown Prince could open his mouth and with sincerity.
"Chengqian, surrender."
…
…
(Sincerely saying, "Everyone, please give me your monthly tickets …")
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