Huangming

Chapter 348 Thunderous Roar, Blood Not Shed in Vain

The atmosphere in the hall was thick with murderous intent.

Li Hongji and his bodyguards had their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw their swords at the slightest movement from their opponent.

Just as tensions were about to rise and both sides were about to fight, Wang Yingzhi suddenly stood up, strode over to Zhang Shixian, and whispered his advice:
"Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Du, calm down! Let's talk this out. There's no need to escalate to the point of violence!"

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his tone was urgent: "Have you forgotten? This is Jizhou City, not the desolate borderlands! If we really kill the imperial envoy here, it would be tantamount to treason!"
The imperial court is furious and will surely send the capital garrison to suppress us. Then none of us will escape! Don't you understand the consequences of taking action?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, slightly reducing the murderous intent in the eyes of Du Yingkui, Wang Wei, and the others.

Although they were arrogant, they understood that "killing the imperial envoy" was a heinous crime that would lead to the extermination of their entire clan, and they would not have taken this step unless they were desperate.

On the other side, Liu Qu, the general of Jizhou, also hurriedly got up, walked quickly to Yang Lian's side, bowed, and spoke in a very low voice, almost whispering in Yang Lian's ear:

"Your Excellency! Please say less! This is Jizhou, not the capital! Even His Majesty, thousands of miles away, cannot intervene here in time! Zhang Shixian and his men have been driven to the brink. If they become truly enraged, they are capable of anything!"

His implication couldn't be clearer.

Hurry up and admit defeat, stop fighting!
Otherwise, this den of iniquity today would be our burial ground!

now.

Liu Qu's mind was in complete turmoil. He hadn't expected Yang Lian to be so tough, completely disregarding the plan of "feigning weakness to the enemy." The situation was now out of control, and if things continued like this, everyone would be doomed!

"Humph!"

Zhang Shixian shook off Wang Yingzhi's hand, his eyes still fixed on Yang Lian.

"Calm down? Whether we can calm down depends on what the Imperial Envoy means! We shed blood and sweat in Jizhou, not to be humiliated! If the Imperial Envoy insists on dwelling on the past, he will chill the hearts of the soldiers of Jizhou!"

Du Yingkui, Wang Wei, and others behind him also stood up, their hands on the swords at their waists, staring fiercely at Yang Lian, clearly trying to build momentum for Zhang Shixian.

The prostitutes in the hall were already so frightened that they hid in a corner, trembling and not daring to even breathe.

Faced with such a display, Yang Lian remained seated, his eyes sharp as knives as he swept over Zhang Shixian and the others, and said in a deep voice:

"It is precisely because I cannot let the soldiers of Jizhou lose heart that I must do this!"
Tell me yourselves, what have you done all these years?
They falsely reported troop numbers to embezzle pay, withheld military salaries and exploited soldiers, seized military farmland, smuggled contraband, and even colluded with foreign powers!
Every single thing you have done is eroding the foundation of my Great Ming Dynasty.
Which of these actions didn't chill the hearts of the soldiers in Jizhou?

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the wine glasses on it to shake slightly.

"I, the Imperial Envoy, would like to reiterate my previous statement: if you confess your crimes now and promise to atone for them by serving in the border regions, I will forgive and forget your past transgressions; but if anyone remains obstinate and attempts to defy the court, then death is the only outcome for them!"

"It's over! It's completely over now!"

Liu Qu stood to the side, his face ashen, muttering to himself, his legs trembling.

He knew Zhang Shixian and his ilk's personalities all too well.

Yang Lian's words have driven them to a dead end; there is no room for reconciliation now!
Upon hearing the words "a dead end," the last trace of hesitation in Zhang Shixian's eyes vanished, replaced by a frenzied killing intent.

He suddenly drew his sword from his waist, the blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight: "Fine! Fine, 'a dead end' indeed! Yang Lian, since you won't give us a way out, then let's fight to the death! Today, I'll show you who's really in charge of Jizhou!"

Zhang Shixian's gaze at Yang Lian was no longer concealed in the slightest; the killing intent burst forth as if it were a tangible force, and even the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched slightly with ruthlessness.

“Bang!!!”

A crisp sound of porcelain shattering suddenly rang out!

Zhang Shixian slammed his wine cup to the ground, shards flying everywhere. As he roared, "You're asking for it! If that's how it is, then die!"

Before he finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the den of iniquity. Dozens of servants and assassins, armed with long knives and bows and arrows at their waists, rushed into the outer hall like hungry wolves.

These people were all expressionless with fierce eyes, clearly prepared in advance, even wearing full armor.

These were the servants who had been lying in ambush around the den of iniquity.

"Kill the imperial envoy!" Zhang Shixian shouted.

Upon hearing this, the servants immediately drew their swords and surrounded Yang Lian. The hall instantly descended into chaos, with the screams of prostitutes and the clash of weapons mingling together, creating a tense and murderous atmosphere.

But at this critical moment, Wang Wei suddenly frowned, subconsciously sniffed, and looked puzzled: "Wait... why does it smell like gunpowder?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Hongji, who was behind Yang Lian, suddenly snorted coldly.

He and two guards simultaneously reached into their robes and pulled out six fist-sized objects covered in sheet metal.

It was a specially made thunderclap bomb used by the military!

At this moment, the fuse of the thunderbolt was more than half burned, sparks were hissing, and it emitted a pungent sulfur smell.

"Damn it! I knew you bastards wouldn't behave!"

Li Hongji gritted his teeth and cursed, "Today I'll let you taste the power of your Grandpa Li's Thunderclap!"

It turned out that during the standoff between the two sides, he had taken advantage of the chaos in the hall to secretly take out the Thunderclap Bomb and, together with his personal guards, lit the fuse.

The faint "sizzling" sound was perfectly masked by the servants' shouts and the clattering of tables and chairs, and no one noticed it.

"Throw!"

Li Hongji gave a low shout and, together with his two personal guards, raised their hands, sending six thunderbolts flying like cannonballs towards the densely packed area of ​​servants and beneath the beams and pillars.

Immediately afterward, he grabbed Yang Lian's arm and shouted, "Lord Du, let's go!"

Just as the two turned and rushed toward the inner courtyard, they heard Liu Qu, the general of Jizhou, wailing behind them: "Don't leave me behind!"

Liu Qu's face turned deathly pale.

He didn't care about appearances and scrambled after Li Hongji, running wildly towards the inner courtyard.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Shixian and the others' pupils contracted sharply, and their faces turned deathly pale.

His grandma’s!

Are you trying to play dirty tricks on me?

Who the hell eats with a thunderbolt in their mouth?

"Get out of the way!"

Zhang Shixian roared and turned to crawl under the table; Wang Wei drew his sword and tried to deflect the incoming thunderbolt; several fearless servants even tried to rush forward to pick up the thunderbolt and throw it back.

But it was too late.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Six loud bangs rang out in succession, like thunderclaps exploding inside the den of iniquity!
Amidst a deafening roar, the beams and pillars of the outer hall snapped, and the carved beams, along with tiles, crashed down, blasting deep craters into the ground, filling the air with smoke and dust, and sending flames soaring into the sky.

The first servants and assassins to rush up were the first to be hit and blown to pieces.

Arms and broken legs flew everywhere, mixed with wood chips and sheet metal. Some were blown away by the blast wave and crashed into the wall, spitting blood.

Some were killed instantly when the sheet metal pierced their chests.

Others were coughing terribly from the smoke and dust, but didn't even have the strength to get up.

Lieutenant General Du Yingkui was the most unlucky. A thunderbolt landed at his feet, and in the instant of the explosion, a sharp piece of iron pierced his temple.

He didn't even utter a sound, his eyes wide open, before he fell straight to the ground, blood gushing from his temples, and he soon lost his breath.

Although Zhang Shixian hid under the table, he was still thrown over by the blast wave and hit on the back by a falling wooden beam. He grimaced in pain, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Wang Wei was cut on the cheek and arm by flying pebbles, and blood flowed down the wounds, staining half of his official robe red.

The two lay on the ground, still shaken, staring at the hellish scene before them, their eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

They never expected that Yang Lian would actually bring the Thunderclap Bomb and dare to make a move in the Brothel!

The smoke and dust in the outer hall had not yet dissipated. Zhang Shixian struggled to his feet, leaning on a broken wooden pillar. The sharp pain in his back made him grimace, but the anger and ruthlessness in his eyes were even greater than before.

Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground and the wailing servants, and recalling Du Yingkui's unseeing eyes in death, the anger in his chest almost burned away his reason:

"Damn it! That corrupt official Yang Lian truly deserves to die!"

Wang Wei, clutching his bleeding arm, staggered to his side, his face pale but still sinister:
“Commander, now is not the time to curse! If we assassinate the Imperial Envoy, we may not be able to stay in Jizhou.”

"Can't stand it anymore?"

Zhang Shixian suddenly turned his head, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

"Then let's kill Yang Lian first! Once he's dead, we'll still have time to pack up our valuables and escape to the grasslands to seek refuge with those Tartars or Jurchens! With the military defense maps and smuggling channels we have, they'll definitely take us in!"

Zhang Shixian knew perfectly well what was going on.

There is no turning back now; there is only one path left to take.

But Wang Wei shook his head.

"Escape to the grasslands? That's suicide! The Tartars and Jurchens might betray us. In my opinion, we should think of another way. Let's say that a Tartar spy infiltrated the den of iniquity and killed the imperial envoy with a thunderbolt. We were 'fighting to the death to protect the emperor' but failed to stop him!"

He paused, lowered his voice even further, and his tone became inflammatory:
"At that time, we will secretly contact other generals in the Nine Garrisons."

Like us, few of them have clean hands.
If Yang Lian can investigate Jizhou today, he can investigate them tomorrow! As long as we take the lead and cause chaos in all nine border regions, the emperor will be too busy to do anything to us.
"Maybe we can even force the imperial court to make concessions and save our lives!"

These words were like a glimmer of light in the darkness, rekindling hope in Zhang Shixian's eyes.

He slapped his thigh hard and gritted his teeth, saying, "Fine! We'll do it your way! But on the condition that Yang Lian dies! Every day he lives, we're in greater danger!"

As he spoke, he struggled to stand up straight and roared towards the outer hall, "Get up, all of you! Call everyone in from outside! I want to see where Yang Lian can hide!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of rapid footsteps sounded outside the den of iniquity.

The five hundred servants he had arranged in the vicinity finally broke through the scattered obstacles on the outside, and, armed with long knives and bows and arrows, surged into the outer hall like a tide.

These people all had fierce expressions. Seeing the tragic scene on the ground, they were not afraid at all. Instead, their ferocity was aroused, and they all approached the inner room.

Looking at the ever-growing number of servants, Zhang Shixian's face twisted into a ferocious grin: "Five hundred men! Yang Lian, even if you possess the Heaven-Shaking Thunder, you won't escape today!"

Meanwhile, inside the inner courtyard of the brothel, a completely different scene unfolded.

Yang Lian had just followed Li Hongji into the inner courtyard and hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath when dozens of figures suddenly rushed out of the darkness, each wielding a weapon and looking wary.

The man at the head of the group was tall and had a dark complexion; he was none other than Han Hu, who had made the appointment with Li Hongji the day before!
"This humble subject, Han Hu, pays his respects to Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy!"

Han Hu strode forward, knelt on one knee, and the more than fifty military households' sons behind him followed suit and saluted.

Yang Lian was stunned and subconsciously looked at Li Hongji beside her: "What's going on? Why is Han Hu here?"

Li Hongji explained with a smile, "Did you forget, sir? I said yesterday that I wanted Han Hu and the others to make some preparations in advance. These brothers were already hidden in the den of iniquity yesterday."

"good."

Han Hu raised his head, his eyes filled with admiration for Yang Lian. He had heard the explosion and arguing in the outer hall clearly.

Yang Lian's audacity in causing a ruckus on Zhang Shixian's territory and his willingness to fight these corrupt officials is enough to prove that Li Hongji did not lie to them. This imperial envoy is indeed a good official who dares to stand up for the people!

Without much pleasantries, he briefly recounted the whole story:
"Most of the prostitutes in this den of iniquity are women from our bankrupt military households. Some are the sisters of my brothers, and some are their wives. They were forced into this brothel to survive. When they learned yesterday that we were going to deal with Zhang Shixian and his ilk, they said they were willing to help."

Han Hu's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Taking advantage of the daily transport of vegetables and emptying of chamber pots from outside the city, they hid more than fifty of us in batches in the woodshed and cellar in the inner courtyard. Zhang Shixian's men only kept an eye on the outer hall and had no idea that there were our people hiding in the inner courtyard!"

Yang Lian was startled by what she heard. Looking at the men behind Han Hu, whose clothes were tattered but whose eyes were bright, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

He originally thought that this contest could only rely on the strength of the Standard Battalion and the Capital Battalion, but he never expected that the strongest support would be hidden among the most oppressed people.

"Good! What a group of kind and righteous people!"

Yang Lian stepped forward and personally helped Han Hu up, speaking solemnly.

"We owe you all the credit for today's events. Once the long-standing abuses in Jizhou are thoroughly investigated, I, the Imperial Envoy, will certainly petition His Majesty to bring you and those women justice!"

Han Hu stood up, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand and waved, and the fifty-odd men behind him immediately stood up.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency! If Zhang Shixian's men dare to break in, we'll risk our lives to protect you!"

Liu Qu hid behind Yang Lian and was stunned when he saw the more than fifty military households' sons who suddenly appeared in front of him. He was taken aback at first, but then he realized what was happening.

This was actually a hidden move by Li Hongji!
He had been terrified for Yang Lian's safety, but now that he had a helper, he felt like he had grasped a lifeline and rushed forward.

"Brother Han! Brothers! You've arrived just in time! If we can hold out for even a moment, the long-waiting soldiers of the Standard Battalion outside the Broken Gold Cave will surely wipe out these rebels in one fell swoop!"

To get Han Hu and his men to fight to the death, Liu Qu used every possible means to incite them.

"Zhang Shixian and his men dared to kill the imperial envoy and mobilize their servants to rebel today. The evidence is irrefutable! As long as the governor is safe and sound, once their crimes are investigated, we will surely restore order to Jizhou!"
"Then you'll get back the withheld military pay and the seized military farmland! We, the suffering people, will no longer have to endure their oppression!"

These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of Han Hu and the sons of military households.

They had originally come with the idea of ​​"fighting for their own survival," but now, upon hearing that they could completely eradicate these parasites like Zhang Shixian and restore order to Jizhou, their eyes shone with even greater determination.

Han Hu gripped his broadsword tightly and shouted, "Good! We will risk our lives today to protect the Imperial Envoy and safeguard the hope of Jizhou!"

"Fight to the death! Protect the imperial envoy!"

More than fifty sons of military households shouted in unison. Although their voices were not loud, they conveyed a resolute determination to burn their bridges.

They quickly formed a battle formation, protecting Yang Lian and Li Hongji behind them, and raised the wooden shields that Li Hongji had sent in advance.

It was made of thick pine wood, with iron plates around the edges. Although it couldn't compare to the armor of a regular army, it could still stop arrows and sword cuts.

The crowd firmly blocked the narrow passageway leading from the inner courtyard to the outer hall.

"Kill! Charge in! Take Yang Lian's head!"

From the outer hall came Zhang Shixian's frantic roar, followed by a flurry of footsteps and the clash of weapons.

Dozens of servants, armed with long knives, bows and arrows, and muskets, pounced on the passageway like hungry wolves.

The head servant fired an arrow; with a "whoosh," the arrowhead grazed the shoulder of a soldier's son and embedded itself deeply in the wall behind him, the fletching still buzzing.

"Fire arrows!"

"Fire the gun!"

Someone shouted, and the servants all drew their bows and nocked arrows, raining down arrows into the passageway.

The lead bullets from the muskets rained down like raindrops.

At Han Hu's command, the soldiers' sons immediately raised their wooden shields. The sounds of "bang, bang, bang" filled the air as arrows and lead bullets struck the shields, some bouncing off, others embedding themselves deeply into the wood.

But some people still couldn't escape it.

A young soldier's son was unable to dodge in time and was shot in the thigh by an arrow, his trousers instantly stained with blood.

He grunted, but didn't retreat. Instead, he gritted his teeth, using his spear to brace himself against the ground, and stubbornly held his position: "Don't worry about me! Guard the passageway!"

Immediately afterwards, the servants rushed forward, brandishing their long swords.

In the narrow passageway, the two sides instantly became locked in combat.

The wooden shield clashed with the longsword, producing a piercing creak; the broadsword struck the iron armor, sending sparks flying; the dull thud of the spear piercing flesh, mixed with the cries of the wounded, echoed through the corridor.

Han Hu took the lead, his broadsword slashing fiercely at the head of a servant. With a "thud," the servant groaned and fell straight to the ground.

Before he could catch his breath, another servant's long sword slashed towards his chest. Han Hu quickly dodged to the side, but was still cut on the arm by the wind of the blade. Blood flowed down the wound, staining his old military uniform red.

"Brother Han!"

Upon seeing this, a soldier's son immediately swung his knife at the servant, rescuing Han Hu from the predicament.

However, he was unable to dodge the attack from behind. A servant's spear pierced through his abdomen from the side.

He looked down at the spearhead in front of his chest, his eyes filled with resentment, but he still used his last bit of strength to chop the cleaver into the servant's neck, and the two of them fell into a pool of blood.

The blood in the corridor kept accumulating.

The casualties among the military households' sons continued to rise; some had their arms cut off, and some had their legs pierced, yet not a single one retreated.

They knew that behind them lay not only the imperial envoy Yang Lian, but also their own and their families' livelihoods.

If we take a step back, all our previous resistance will be in vain, and Jizhen will return to those dark and hopeless days.

Zhang Shixian, sitting in the outer hall, looked increasingly grim as he watched the passageway remain unconquered.

He never expected that Yang Lian had hidden so many people, and he never expected that these people would be so fearless!

The situation had already spiraled out of his control. If it dragged on any longer, they would be trapped once reinforcements arrived!

"Trash! They're all trash!"

Zhang Shixian kicked a retreating servant to the ground and roared, "Charge! Whoever kills Yang Lian will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver! Everyone who breaks in will be rewarded with one hundred taels!"

Enticed by the generous reward, the servants' ferocity was fully unleashed. They charged down the corridor like mad dogs, their attack even more ferocious than before.

The pressure on the sons of military households was increasing. Their wooden shields were covered with knife marks. Some of them were exhausted, but they still gritted their teeth and persevered.

Han Hu was covered in wounds, sweat and blood mixed together, streaming down his face.

He looked at his dwindling number of brothers around him, but felt no fear; only one thought occupied his mind:
Hold on!

We must hold on!

Just then, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted outside the den of iniquity, followed by the familiar shouts of the soldiers of the standard battalion: "By order of the General, capture the traitor Zhang Shixian! Surrender and you will be spared! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

"It's the standard battalion! Reinforcements have arrived!" Liu Qu shouted excitedly, his voice trembling.

Upon hearing this sound, Han Hu and the military households' sons' eyes instantly lit up with wild joy.

Their previously exhausted bodies seemed to regain their strength, and they shouted in unison, "Reinforcements are here! Kill!"

Hearing the shouts of reinforcements, the servants in the corridor panicked instantly, and their offensive immediately weakened.

Some of the servants began to retreat, and some even threw down their weapons, trying to escape.

Zhang Shixian's face was ashen. He staggered back a few steps, his eyes filled with despair as he watched the soldiers of the Standard Battalion getting closer and closer to the outer hall entrance.

hateful!

They lost, they lost completely.

Yang Lian stepped out from behind Han Hu, looking at the soldiers' sons fighting bloodily in the corridor, and then at the panicked servants in the outer hall, his eyes sharp as knives.

He shouted, "Zhang Shixian! Your rebellion is a foregone conclusion, so why don't you surrender now!"

Zhang Shixian looked at the approaching soldiers of the standard battalion, then at Wang Wei beside him, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes: "Surrender? I, Zhang Shixian, have fought for half my life, how can I be manipulated by a pedantic scholar like you!"

He suddenly drew his sword and charged towards Yang Lian.

Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!

"presumptuous!"

Li Hongji had already drawn his sword and immediately went to meet him upon seeing this.

In the midst of flashing swords, after only three rounds, Li Hongji knocked Zhang Shixian's sword away with a single stroke, then kicked him to the ground, placing his long sword against Zhang's neck.

Seeing that Zhang Shixian had been captured, Wang Wei tried to escape, but he was surrounded by the soldiers of the standard battalion who rushed in and was quickly pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Seeing their master captured, the remaining servants lost all courage to resist, threw down their weapons, and knelt down to surrender.

"I surrender!"

"Spare your life!"

In the corridor, the sons of military families helped each other to their feet. Some had broken arms, some had limpses, but they all wore victorious smiles.

Their clothes were stained with blood, but so was the new hope of Jizhen.

Yang Lian walked up to Han Hu, looked at his wounds, and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, we owe you all a great debt of gratitude today. I, the Imperial Envoy, will certainly petition His Majesty to reward you handsomely for your contributions!"

Han Hu smiled, his face aching from the movement of his wounds, but his expression remained firm: "You're too kind, Du Tang. We just want to fight for a way to survive for ourselves and our families."

"We only hope that Your Excellency will not let our blood be shed in vain!"

Yang Lian nodded solemnly and said, "Absolutely not! Your blood will not have been shed in vain!"

It is difficult to win the hearts and minds of the people.

If the Jizhou region cannot be pacified today, these people will not only feel disheartened, but their blood will run cold.

He is Yang Lian!
How can we let the people down?

How could I possibly betray His Majesty's trust?

ps:
The pace has sped up a bit, which should improve the viewing experience.

However, some plot points were cut, which is a bit of a shame.

In addition, in order to finish writing the plot today, both chapters are super long: 5400 + 6500 words. The author is exhausted.

It's not too much to ask for monthly tickets and subscriptions, is it?

(End of this chapter)