Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3689 The canopy still holds up a charade; power ultimately becomes a shroud.

Wen County is a prison steeped in despair, like the decaying state of the Han Dynasty, imprisoned for three or four hundred years.

The decaying body, surrounded by linen, brocade, and rouge and powder, seems to be able to continue for a long, long time if it is not touched or exposed.

Every day, a paperhanger comes along, applies fresh paint to this decaying place, and then asks the people around him with a smug look on his face...

"Just bear with it. It'll pass soon."

"Everyone else can tolerate it, why can't you?"

Until someone couldn't take it anymore and started smashing windows, breaking the existing balance.

Just like now, the cavalry camps built by the cavalry outside Wen County are like silent mountains, making it hard to breathe.

Meanwhile, within Wen County, the wounds left by Cheng Yu's scorched-earth policy and bloody rule were festering.

Deep inside the castle's mansion, a stench mingled with the smell of herbs.

Cheng Yu was tightly bound to a specially made wooden frame, like a rotting corpse awaiting disposal.

The wound on his arm was black and festering, with pus and blood soaking through the bandages, emitting a sweet, pungent smell of death.

Spasms lashed at him like invisible whips, each attack causing his body to arch like a bow, groaning in pain, his cloudy eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

His periods of lucidity grew fewer and fewer, while his periods of unconsciousness lengthened. Even when he was lucid, all he could manage were broken babbling, "Cook...cook...the rats...guard...the reinforcements...the Prime Minister..."

Chen Wu, the leader of Cheng Yu's personal guards, and several of his confidants have now become the guardians of Cheng Yu's tomb.

They knew better than anyone that Cheng Yu's death would be the final straw that broke the camel's back for Wen County.

Once the entire order collapses, the first to suffer will not be the people at the bottom, but rather those in the middle and upper ranks like them.

They will not only lose their so-called "representative" authority, but will also be torn to pieces by the pent-up resentment within the city!

"Chief Chen...are we...are we going to carry him up today?"

One of the guards looked at the white powder and glaring red rouge on Cheng Yu's face, which had been applied yesterday and were now mottled and peeling off, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.

Every "appearance" is like dancing on a knife's edge, with the possibility of being exposed at any moment.

Chen Wu's face was ashen, his eyes bloodshot. He growled fiercely, "Lift them! We must lift them! If we don't, those peasants, those parasites cowering in their houses... we must lift them! If they find out... we're all finished!"

He surveyed his men, his fierce gaze masking a weak vulnerability, yet he still tried to appear powerful by baring his teeth and brandishing his claws. "Think of your families! Think of what those treacherous commoners who hate us to the bone will do to us after the city falls? Will the cavalry let us go? Lift! Apply more powder! Tie the bandages tighter! Hold on… hold on for a few more days, yes, just a few more days! The Prime Minister's reinforcements will arrive!"

He himself didn't believe the "reinforcements" he mentioned, but this "pretext" was now the only reason and excuse for them to continue this absurd drama.

As long as there are reasons and excuses, they will continue to play the role.

Another "Prefect Cheng's Inspection Tour of the City".

Beneath the canopy, the brocade robes and fine clothes could not conceal the stiffness caused by restraint. Thick layers of rouge were applied to Cheng Yu's twitching and contorted face, which was deathly pale with an ominous bluish-gray tinge. Two deliberately spread patches of rouge were as red as congealed blood.

The shadow beneath the straw hat obscured most of Cheng Yu's lifeless face.

Chen Wu stood to one side, his voice hoarse, trying to dispel the fear welling up within him, "Lord Cheng is here! He will defend this city with you! You must fight to the death! Anyone who tries to incite unrest will be executed! Anyone who spreads rumors will be punished along with the entire army!"

His voice echoed on the city wall, but no one refuted him or responded to him; it sounded somewhat hollow and blustering.

From a distance, the scouts of the cavalry below the city could only make out a blurry figure in brocade robes surrounded by others, with little detail to discern.

Zhu Ling received the news and went to the front of the army to take a look.

Jiang Jiong led his cavalry out of the way, and it was unrealistic for him to run directly up the city wall on all fours.

According to the plan left by Fei Qian, they did not intend to launch a strong attack on Wen County, but instead planned to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements. Therefore, their attitude towards Cao Cao's army in the city was basically that each looked after their own interests. As long as Cao Cao's army in Wen County did not attack, they would not make a real move.

Liu Heng, a young man from Hanoi, came to Zhu Ling's side and also looked up at the figure on the city wall.

"General, something seems amiss..."

Liu Heng said.

Zhu Ling glanced at Liu Heng. "Tell me about it."

Liu Heng pointed to the canopy atop the city wall, "Look at this canopy... is it trying to make us aware of its location? It's somewhat... a cover-up? I've heard... that old scoundrel Cheng was injured before..."

Zhu Ling nodded. "That's interesting..."

Liu Heng raised an eyebrow. "General, then..."

Zhu Ling laughed heartily, "No way."

"Why?" Liu Heng pressed.

Zhu Ling slightly raised her head, waved her hand, and walked away. "If that's really the case... as long as that old thief dies, the city will surely descend into chaos. Why bother with all this? Ignore him, just continue the siege!"

Liu Heng looked up at the swaying canopy, then shook his head and left after a moment.

……

……

The soldiers guarding the city felt quite different from those outside who were relaxed and at ease.

Especially the Cao army soldiers closest to Chen Wu and his group could smell the faint, stench of decay carried on the wind, a mixture of cheap cosmetics and odor. They also saw Cheng Yu's stiff posture, tightly bound to the wooden frame with thick cloth straps, his lifeless chin beneath his drooping head, and even the faint glimpse of the pale, bluish-gray skin revealed where the cosmetics had peeled away. But they still dared not move, dared not speak…

They exchanged glances, some wiped sweat, some swallowed hard, and some stared intently at Chen Wu and the others...

They were waiting for someone to step forward, expose Cheng Yu's new clothes, and shatter Chen Wu's facade.

such a pity……

Everyone is waiting.

Cheng Yu was once again "successfully" carried back.

Her makeup was completely smeared by cold sweat and saliva from her spasms, and her brocade robe was also disheveled from the struggle.

Chen Wu roughly untied the cloth strip, and Cheng Yu's body slid down like a puddle of mud.

Now, Cheng Yu didn't even have the strength to be angry anymore. Only the hoarse, bellows-like sounds coming from his throat and the intermittent, weak twitches proved that he was still breathing...

Looking at the rapidly decaying body before him, and recalling the seemingly endless wait for reinforcements, Chen Wu was overwhelmed by a profound and chilling despair.

He slid down to the floor against the cold wall, holding his head in his hands.

It’s over.

He knew that this play, woven with cosmetics, fabric, and lies, was about to come to an end.

Each appearance only accelerated the leak of the truth and eroded the last vestiges of order within the city.

He and his men were like ants on a fire, guarding this secret that was bound to explode, waiting to be destroyed along with it in a powder keg built of decay and stench.

The rest of the people in the city, whether they were numb commoners, shrewd gentry, or discontented soldiers, were simply weaving together this tattered shroud called feudal rule, which would bury everyone in Wen County, through silence and waiting.

That night, Cheng Yu finally died.

There were no tragic last words, no moments of lucidity before death.

In the dead of night, filled with stench and despair, after another violent spasm, his body, ravaged beyond recognition by the "Golden Wound Spasm," finally collapsed. His cloudy eyes stared blankly at the roof beam as he breathed his last, dying with his eyes wide open.

Perhaps he was unwilling, perhaps he had some regrets, but everything decayed and vanished along with his body...

Chen Wu and his trusted guards, as if their spines had been removed, slumped on the cold ground. Their faces showed no sadness, only a deep-seated fear and a vague, bewildered sense of relief.

They stood silently by the cooled, yet still putrid and deathly corpse for a long time.

"Boss... Boss... what should we do?"

As dusk approached, a younger guard broke the silence, unable to resist asking. His voice was dry and hoarse, tinged with the sorrow of someone who had lost their parents.

In normal times, these private soldiers and guards, who were essentially personal retainers, only needed to report that Cheng Yu had passed away. Then they could find another buyer and wait for a new "position." After all, there was no necessary connection between "death" and "inadequate protection," and they could still get a good price.

but now……

Chen Wu jolted awake, his eyes flashing with a predatory glint. 'No one can know! Absolutely not! At least… not now!'

Chen Wu knew very well what sacrifices he and his personal guards, Cheng Yu, had made to "care" for so many Cao soldiers in Wen County and ensure that no "safety incidents" occurred during the thirty-day campaign in Wen County!
If we were to announce Cheng Yu's death now, then...

Chen Wu shuddered. He rushed to Cheng Yu's body, nervously examining the binding bandages and the smeared makeup. "We have to carry him tomorrow! Just like the past few days! Carry him up!! He may be dead, but he's still alive! He has to live!"

……

……

In the following days, the "Cheng Shijun's Inspection Tour" at the top of Wen County became an even more terrifying hellish scene.

The corpse, wrapped in a brocade robe and secured to a wooden frame, was visibly decomposing in the sweltering summer heat.

Even with thicker, paler makeup than before, it couldn't completely conceal the bluish-black lividity spreading beneath the skin.

The pungent stench of decay grew intense and unbearable, carried by the wind, making the guards carrying the corpse feel nauseous with every step. Most horrifyingly, tiny, wriggling white specks began to stubbornly emerge from beneath the makeup covering their nostrils, corners of their eyes, and even festering wounds…

Chen Wu's roar grew even more hysterical, filled with madness: "Prefect Cheng has...caught a cold! You all hold your ground! The Prime Minister's reinforcements are on their way! Any further dissent will result in the extermination of your entire family!"

After each "city patrol performance," the guards carrying the wooden frame back to the mansion felt as if they were transporting a pool of rotting flesh about to disintegrate. Where the cloth straps were tightly bound, dark yellow, viscous bodily fluid even seeped out.

until...

I simply can't lift it up.

Chen Wu was utterly devastated when he saw the horrific corpse before him, its skin a ghastly blue, covered in livid spots, oozing foul-smelling fluid, and maggots crawling in and out of its seven orifices.

Let alone carrying it up the city wall, just getting a little closer would be enough to cause even the most apathetic soldiers to mutiny on the spot due to the stench and visual impact!
"It's no use... I can't lift it... It's completely rotten..."

Chen Wu muttered to himself, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a madman.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he looked sharply at a relatively tall bodyguard next to him, and an even more absurd plan took shape in his mind.

"You! Sun San!"

Chen Wu pointed at the guard, his voice shrill, "Insert the soles of your boots! Insert them until they're almost as tall as the magistrate's! Quickly! Powder! The thickest powder! Cover his face so you can't see a single trace of flesh! Brocade robe! The magistrate's official hat!"

"Give it to me! Give it to me now!" Chen Wu, like a gambler who had lost everything, slammed his arm on the gambling table, roaring with bloodshot eyes, "From today onwards! You are 'Lord Cheng'! Get to the city wall! Stand there! Don't speak! Don't move an inch! And everyone else, listen up, anyone who dares to approach will be killed without mercy!"

Sun San was terrified, his face turning ashen. "Boss...boss...I...I..."

"Shut up!" Chen Wu drew his sword, the tip pressed against Sun San's throat, his eyes blazing with madness. "Don't want to? We'll die together now! If we do, maybe we can live a few more days and wait for the Prime Minister's reinforcements! Will you do it or not?!"

Driven by the threat of death and a sliver of hope, Sun San trembled as he was dressed in Cheng Yu's large brocade robe, with thick high heels under his feet. His face was covered with a thick layer of pale powder, like a mask, and even his neck was covered in it.

The heavy crown weighed him down so much that he could barely lift his head.

He was pushed in front of a blurry bronze mirror, in which was reflected a stiff, strange, and trembling outline of "Lord Cheng".

Chen Wu's method is very good.

After all, Wen County has already maintained "safety" for thirty days, so what's another thirty days? Or, if we're feeling ambitious, maybe even a hundred days...

However, when the "Prefect Cheng" disguised as Sun San, a personal guard, reappeared on the main flag position on the city wall, surrounded by Chen Wu and other personal guards, the power structure in Wen County instantly sensed something was amiss.

The scouts of the cavalry below the city could still only see blurry outlines, but the defenders on the city walls, especially the middle and lower-ranking officers, immediately noticed the difference!

A true magistrate, even in death, is real; but a 'fake magistrate' once on the city wall...

The "Prefect Cheng" from a few days ago was tightly bound to a wooden frame, stiff as a puppet. Today's figure, though also standing ramrod straight and motionless, possesses a deliberate stiffness, even bordering on overly "upright"? There seems to be a barely perceptible unsteadiness in his stance?
The previous "Prefect Cheng" was lifeless, his stench of decay barely concealed by makeup. Today's version, though his face is painted like a ghost, reveals a palpable tension beneath the makeup—a tension that belies his life. Especially under the shadow of his low-brimmed hat and veil, one can see his Adam's apple bobbing slightly with nervousness!

Its biggest weakness lies in its 'flexibility'!
What was brought up earlier was "something" whose head could barely move on its own...

Today, when a strong gust of wind blew by and lifted the hem of his brocade robe, this "Lord Cheng" seemed to sway almost imperceptibly. It was as if he was instinctively and autonomously maintaining his center of gravity, rather than needing someone to support him!

This subtle, instinctive reaction of a living person stands in stark contrast to the stiffness of "Lord Cheng" during his previous city patrol!

The 'result' that many people have been waiting for has finally come out!

The fear of being ruled by Cheng Yu's white terror quickly subsided, but another emotion, the greed for power, began to surge in the undercurrents.

Wu Cheng, a captain who rose through the ranks under Cheng Yu's oppressive rule by informing on others and being ruthless.

He gathered several like-minded, ambitious mid-level officers.

"Gentlemen! Have you all seen that? That 'Lord Cheng' on the city wall!"

Wu Cheng's eyes gleamed with greed and excitement as he lowered his voice, "Fake! Absolutely fake! The one from a few days ago was probably rotten to the core! This one today can barely stand, looking like a stilt walker! This is a fake! Those loyal dogs are finished now!"

"What does Captain Wu mean?" an officer asked, licking his chapped lips.

"He's dead! Dead! Wen County is now a piece of easy prey!" Wu Cheng slammed his fist on the table. "What is Chen Wu? Just a dog relying on its master's power! Now that the master is gone, he still wants to monopolize the city magistrate's mansion, wielding his authority like a tiger? What right does he have!"

He surveyed the crowd, his voice filled with seductive allure, "The city is about to fall. In these final days, whoever calls the shots will reap the greatest rewards before the city falls! Food, wealth, even... the capital to surrender to the Flying Cavalry! Can Chen Wu's small force withstand our combined attack?"

Another officer hesitated, "But... what if that dog gets cornered and does something rash..."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Wu Cheng said with a sneer. "He's just an empty shell now! He's relying on a stand-in to put on an act! We just need to 'invite' that stand-in to say a few words, or... have 'Lord Cheng' publicly order us to take over the city's defenses... Would Chen Wu dare to refuse? Would he dare to expose us? If he exposes us, we'll all die! If he doesn't, we're acting 'on orders'! It's perfectly legitimate!"

After discussing it for a while, everyone looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

In Shandong, this is generally the case. No matter how outrageous, bizarre, or incomprehensible something is, as long as no one instigates a disturbance, it's all fine. Even if many people die, it's treated like a flock of sheep has died—it's over and done with. But if someone starts a disturbance…

(Song Gongming jumps out, grinning maliciously, "I know this one well!" Then he is kicked to the ground by Fang Shisan.)
The next day, Wu Cheng, accompanied by several dozen trusted armored soldiers, arrived directly at the city garrison under the pretext of "reporting military intelligence." He requested an audience with "Governor Cheng."

Chen Wu, accompanied by his personal guards, blocked the doorway, his face ashen, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "The magistrate is unwell and will not see any guests! Just send me military intelligence!"

This excuse usually works very well.

After all, people get sick and hungry, and need to eat snacks from time to time to satisfy their hunger, so it's inconvenient to receive guests.

but now……

Wu Cheng wore a forced smile, but his eyes were sharp as knives. He deliberately raised his voice: "Captain Chen, how dare you! The military situation is urgent, concerning the survival of the entire city. It must be reported to the magistrate in person! You have obstructed me time and time again. Could it be... that the magistrate is not even in his residence? Or... are you trying to kidnap the magistrate and plot something sinister?!"

The armored soldiers behind him stepped forward in unison, drawing their swords and spears.

Before, no one took the lead, and no matter what Chen Wu did, everyone seemed to pretend they didn't see or know it.

Now that Wu Cheng has "jumped out," things have suddenly blown up...

There's still time at nine o'clock.