Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 66 The Tragic Fate of the Rebels, an Urgent Rescue! (Third Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Above the heart of the river.

The leader in black gazed into the distance, only to see the five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) warship suddenly transform—its body turned into a magnificent locust tree, its blossoms shimmering in the breeze.

A young man emerged, his body radiating a string of golden, dazzling poetic and literary incantations. In an instant, a radiant glow enveloped the ship, illuminating the river and sky.

His tattooed face beneath the bronze mask changed color, and horror flashed in his eyes.

Inside the third floor of the ship's cabin, the originally ferocious fish demons, shrimp soldiers, and mosquito demon guards were now like stray dogs, powerless to resist, and fled in panic from the cabin!

The three hundred students fought back fiercely, and amidst the flashing swords and splattering demon blood, they fell into the river with cries of agony, stirring up crimson waves.

His trembling finger pointed at the warship.

"No, it's impossible!"

The leader in black was completely devastated, roaring, "How can a mere group of students possibly 'master' their writings?"

He endured twenty years of hardship to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. However, when he took the provincial examination, he cheated and was branded with the character "囚" (prisoner) on his forehead. He then betrayed humanity and was rescued by the Zhao family, where he became a retainer.

He never managed to write a single poem or essay about his hometown in his entire life.

"This is the poetry and literature of 'Dafu'?!"

The other three rebel intellectuals exchanged glances, their expressions shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Their eyes were filled with shock, resentment, and even fear.

They were once students who passed the imperial examinations, and even scholars who passed the county-level examinations, but due to repeated failures and serious crimes, they had nowhere to turn and eventually degenerated into rebellious literati.

But now,
An article titled "Da Fu" was unexpectedly published right before their eyes!

They knew better than anyone what this meant—such extraordinary writing could only be done by someone of exceptional talent!
"Demon General!"

The black-clad leader, his eyes bloodshot, roared hoarsely, "If this child is not killed, he will surely become a traitor to our race and a great scourge to the demon clan! I beg you, my lord, to act immediately—to eliminate this root of disaster!"

"Humph!"

The demon general's eyes were deep and gleaming, his scales trembled slightly, yet he remained silent.

It is quickly calculating and weighing the pros and cons.

If I were to strike now, what are the chances of success? Could I kill this boy with a single blow? If I fail... what kind of backlash would I suffer?
If any scholars or officials were hiding on the ship, it would likely be doomed.

"Demon General!"

The leader in black, his voice hoarse and low as if weeping blood, almost knelt down to plead:

"If he is allowed to live through today!"

When he passes the imperial examination with flying colors and becomes a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)—

Anyone who participated in today's interception and killing of the Jiangyin warships will die without a burial place!
Even the Demon Court of the East Sea will not escape his purge!

Upon hearing this, the demon general's pupils shrank sharply, and his demonic aura surged violently!

It finally decided to kill!
The river wind suddenly picked up!

The fish demon, wielding a trident, was about to ride the waves and charge towards the five-zhang-tall locust tree ship.

It suddenly trembled and abruptly turned its head to look in the direction of Jiangzhou Prefecture.

"Boom--!"

"Thump, thump, thump—!"

But then, the bell of the Jiangzhou Confucian Temple rang.

Wave after wave, one wave upon another, a mighty and irresistible sonic wave swept across the five-foot-long ship on the river.

"Crack! Bang—!"

On the five-zhang-high ship, the bodies of the giant fish soldiers, shrimp demon soldiers, and mosquito demon guards suddenly twisted, as if they were gripped by an invisible giant hand, and instantly "splat" they were crushed and exploded, with blood and flesh flying everywhere!
"boom--!"

The sound waves of the bell swept over!

"run!"

The demon general's face paled in horror, his pupils constricted sharply, and he let out a miserable scream, blood gushing from his seven orifices, emitting a shrill wail.

It clutched its head with its claws, its demonic body trembled violently, and it plunged into the riverbed, fleeing madly.

"Damn it! The bell at the Confucian Temple is ringing! Run for your lives!"

The four men in black were swept away hundreds of feet by a hurricane. Their literary palaces cracked, their hearts were in agony, and they were struck as if by lightning. They spat out blood, their faces turned as white as paper, and they turned into four wisps of black smoke and fled.

The Confucian bell at the Confucian Temple is a treasure of the prefecture and county!
It is as silent as an ancient well on ordinary days, but once the bell rings, it is filled with literary energy, which is powerful and can sweep away evil spirits!
For the demon race, the sound of the Confucian temple bell is like a divine punishment descending upon the world; this sound wave naturally has a strong killing power against the demon race.

Let alone ordinary demon soldiers!

Even a demon general's body cannot withstand the killing power of this Wenzhong bell!

"Whoosh!"

Jiang Xingzhou rode the clouds across the waves and flew to the place where the man in black and the demon general had just been.

His gaze suddenly sharpened.

A bloodstained waist token of "rebellious species" floated halfway in the river, with a few dark blue fish demon scales scattered nearby!
"[Rebels], [Eastern Sea Demon Court]?!"

As Jiang Xingzhou photographed the object from mid-air, his pupils constricted slightly the instant his fingertips touched the writing on the back of the waist tag.

He soon returned to the ship.

A five-foot-long warship broke through the waves and soared into the sky.

The locust tree-shaped ship mast, swirling in the strong wind, its sails billowing like wings, transforms into a streak of blue rainbow straight through Jiangzhou Prefecture!

Although the demon army was destroyed, the warships did not land back on the river, but instead flew at top speed towards Jiangzhou Prefecture.

The bloodstains on the deck were still wet, and more than ten wounded people were on the verge of death.

Although most of the students had already healed their injuries.

but,

There were still students, especially soldiers and yamen runners, who were seriously injured.

Some people had large holes in their chest and abdomen.

Some were nearly cut in half, yet they still clung to their anger, refusing to swallow it, only the poetry and prose on the ship kept them alive.

"There are still more than ten people, seriously injured! But they have managed to stay alive!"

"brother!
Hold on! Hold on for just a little longer!

"Hold on, we're almost at Jiangzhou Prefecture! We're almost in sight of the city walls! Please summon the most renowned physician in Jiangzhou Prefecture to provide aid!"

Soldiers and yamen runners knelt in pools of blood, using their literary skills to seal the blood of their comrades, their voices hoarse.

now,

Jiangzhou Prefecture was still unaware of the status of the Jiangyin warships.

"Boom--!"

The war drums of Kuipi on the city wall resounded, shaking the entire city of Jiangzhou.

Before the crows returning to their nests could land, they were startled into flight by the sound of the rhinoceros horn.

Upon hearing the battle horn, the soldiers in the camp hastily donned their heavy armor, grabbed their spears and halberds, and rushed to assemble.

"Beep—woo—"

"The official ship in Jiangyin has been attacked; the entire battalion is mobilized!"

In a moment, amidst the mournful sound of bugles, the gates of the Jiangzhou Prefecture military camp were flung open.

A tidal wave of armored soldiers surged forth.

The thunderous sound of three thousand iron boots sent sparks flying across the cobblestone street, and a forest of halberds and spears gleamed coldly, severing the twilight from dawn.

"Make way! Make way!"

The lead red-armored cavalry general galloped ahead, clearing a path with his long-handled sword, cleaving through the barriers blocking the way.

Behind him, three hundred elite cavalrymen, carrying iron-rimmed crossbows, charged out of the camp like dragon riders. They galloped through the city, heading straight for the Mengchong warships at the ferry crossing to rescue the Jiangyin warships.

The prefectural government office.

"call out--!"

The piercing sound of the copper whistle instantly tore through the night sky above the prefectural government office.

“Dengdengdengdeng——”

Thousands of black boots pounded the blue bricks, and the iron rulers and chains at the waists of the yamen runners clashed with a clanging sound.

The main streets and alleys of the prefectural city, as well as the Jiangzhou ferry crossing, were quickly sealed off by government officials, who cleared the streets to prevent any obstruction of the rescue efforts.

As the fourth bell of the Confucian Temple rang out.

Amidst the resounding of bells and drums,
The Jiangzhou water gate burst open with a roar, revealing thirty warships moored at the ferry. Each ship had an iron chain soaked in realgar wine attached to its bow, which gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light under the moonlight.

The navy, commanding thirty Mengchong warships, sped out, cutting through the waves.

Wearing heavy armor made of black iron, Lei Wanting stood solemnly on the arrow tower of the lead ship. Wherever his spear pointed, the waves split open on their own.

He worried that going to the middle of the river might not be for rescue, but for collecting corpses!

Not long after,
The Mengding assault ships flew to the Yangtze River.

It could be seen from afar, dozens of miles away.

Under a terrifying moonlight.

A five-zhang-tall locust tree-shaped ship flew swiftly a hundred zhang high in the sky. A majestic locust tree covered the sky and blocked out the moon, and countless locust tree branches danced in the air. The ship was shrouded in a rosy glow.

"Who is this old demon general, so audacious as to occupy the government ship in Jiangyin?"

Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, Lei Wanting couldn't help but gasp.

"The Locust Tree Demon's warship is just ahead!"

"Lower the sails!"

"Archers, prepare for battle!"

As the command flag was lowered, all the warships lowered their mainsails.

Three hundred soldiers with iron-framed crossbows drew their bows fully, ready to fight!
Each bowstring was bound with hemp rope inscribed with cinnabar characters, whistling in the night wind.

The city, its streets and alleys.

"Boom!"

The door of the Huichuntang Pharmacy was pounded on by the urgent knocking of the yamen runners, startling the copper scales on the medicine cabinet into a clanging sound.

In his panic, Dr. Chen, who was over seventy years old, knocked over the mortar and pestle, which was grinding the herbal prescriptions recorded in the "Compendium of Materia Medica".

"What is it, sir?"

He had just unlatched the door when he was dazzled by the iron plaque held by the officer.

"Three hundred students in Jiangyin have been attacked! The casualties are feared to be heavy. Doctors, hurry to the rescue! Assemble at the ferry crossing!"

The bailiff shouted urgently.

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, the old doctor was greatly alarmed and hurriedly packed the emergency herbal medicine from the pharmacy and carried the herbal medicine box on his back.

The three hundred students from Jiangyin are the essence of the county's cultural heritage and the pillars of the future for decades to come.

The attack on the warship is a catastrophe!
now,

The long street was bustling with activity.

"I brought the Purple Gold Gourd Elixir, which is specially formulated to cure demonic poison!"

"I have bronze Bian stone, which can be used to treat bone injuries, typhoid fever, and other ailments!"

"What we need most are probably Qi and Blood Pills and Hemostatic Powder. Take them all and send people to Renjitang's large herb garden immediately to get century-old blood ginseng!"

Hundreds of doctors in Jiangzhou Prefecture, carrying medicine bags and accompanied by young apprentice doctors, rushed to the Jiangzhou ferry to await orders and rescue any surviving students.

The devastating news of the attack on the boat of the Jiangyin scholar was like a thunderclap, spreading throughout Jiangzhou Prefecture in an instant, leaving all who heard it terrified.

The government troops and yamen mobilized all their forces and rushed to the aid.

Various rumors circulated, with reports that of the three hundred students on the Jiangyin ship, less than one in ten survived. Pharmacies throughout the city were brightly lit, and hundreds of doctors worked tirelessly day and night to provide medical assistance.

The Jiangzhou officialdom was shaken, and countless officials from top to bottom were about to lose their posts.

The sky is about to fall over Jiangyin County, and it will probably never recover for decades to come.
-
Third update, please vote for me!
Five chapters guaranteed today, over 10,000 words!
I've been writing this since I got up at four in the morning, posting it as I go, writing as much as I can!

(End of this chapter)