Sweep Yuan

Chapter 3 Blood-Stained Red Scarf
clang!clang!clang!
"The Red Turban rebels have invaded the inner city—!!"

Just as Zhao Junyong led his men out of the alley, he heard an urgent alarm sounding from the city wall.

"This is bad!" The man was greatly alarmed, and his steps faltered.

Liu Futong and Du Zundao caused a great disturbance in Henan, prompting the Yuan court to urgently dispatch troops from various regions to suppress them, leaving the local areas vulnerable and giving rise to numerous heroes. Li Er, Zhao Junyong, Lao Peng, and others who were among the first to respond to Liu Futong were all local strongmen in Xiao County. They had been operating in the area for many years and knew many people there. Their uprising went smoothly, and they took Xiao County on the same day.

Unfortunately, Xiao County was small and sparsely populated, lacking sufficient food and weapons, making it difficult to sustain itself. To achieve great things, they needed to capture Xuzhou City at least as well. However, Xuzhou was the capital of Xuzhou Circuit, with high walls, deep moats, and a large garrison. The newly formed rebel army simply could not take it by force.

In the end, everyone listened to Zhao Junyong's suggestion, and he led some brothers to disguise themselves as porters and sneak into the city. They planned to launch a surprise attack at midnight, and with the help of others, they would capture the city in one fell swoop.

The key to this plan was surprise; the city gate tower had to be captured while the defenders were dozing off and unprepared. Who could have imagined that so late at night, the Tartar patrols would not be asleep and would discover their movements immediately? The sneak attack turned into a full-scale assault, and the casualties would certainly be enormous.

But the arrow is already on the bowstring, and it must be released. At this point, a full-scale attack is necessary!

"Damn it!" Zhao Jun spat, his eyes flashing with ferocity.

"Xue Xian! Take a few men and head towards the military camp. Set fires along the streets to delay the Tartar soldiers who are leaving the camp!"

"The rest of you, follow Grandpa up to the city gate tower."

"Kill the Tartars!"

Yang Chaolu had been on duty at the city gate tower for several days, fearing he might lose his life in the middle of the night. He was so exhausted that his face was withered and his eyes were sunken. Tonight, he managed to fall asleep after eating two bowls of fermented rice wine. He was woken up by Li Wu's crying in his dazed state, got up and cursed at him. He finally managed to fall asleep again, but was shaken awake again. He was full of morning grumpiness.

"Shake...shake your mother, are you looking for death?!"

Yang Chaolu didn't even open his eyes before kicking hard with his leg!
"Crack!"

The sound of a broken nose bone accompanied a scream as the poor soldier was kicked all over his face, writhing in pain on the ground, enduring Yang Chaolu's insults.

clang!clang!clang!
"The Red Turban rebels have stormed into the city!"

The sound outside the door was like a thunderclap, and Yang Chaolu jumped up with a start, his crotch soaked.

Bang-dang——!
The wooden door was violently flung open, and Shi Shan, along with Li Wu, rushed in like a whirlwind.

"Bandits! A huge band of bandits! They're attacking from Qing Shi Street!!"

Ishiyama spoke very quickly, his voice trembling with a sense of "panic," but his sharp eyes swept across the entire room.

Yang Chaolu was both shocked and furious, and seeing that Shi Shan had abandoned his post only added fuel to the fire:

"You son of a bitch! You're all useless! You didn't even notice a thief sneaking in?!"

“We…” Li Wu instinctively bent down to beg for mercy.

"It's none of our business!"

Shi Shan grabbed Li Wu and his voice suddenly rose, drowning out Yang Chaolu's.

"The thieves disguised themselves as porters and sneaked in during the day. By the time we discovered them, they had already fought their way out!"

Shi Shan's unusual "organization" startled Yang Chaolu, but before he could ponder how it was possible to discern the thief's attire in such darkness and chaos, Shi Shan had already roared:
"The thieves are about to arrive! Are we all just waiting to die? We need to think of something!"

"Fuck your ancestors, you've gone too far!"

When had Yang Chaolu ever been reprimanded like this by his subordinates? He drew his sword with a clang, ready to cleave the rocky mountain in two.

"I'll kill you..."

"Kill them! Kill the Tartars!"

The deafening shouts of battle had reached the doorway. At this critical moment, Yang Chaolu abruptly stopped his attack, reason prevailing over rage.

"Hmph! I'll deal with you later!"

He glared menacingly at Shishan, then turned and roared at the terrified soldiers:

"Block the door! Block the door completely for Grandpa!!"

Based on the volume of the shouts, Yang Chaolu judged that there weren't many bandits who had infiltrated the city. Although they couldn't defeat the bandits if they rushed out, as long as they closed the doors, it wouldn't be easy for the bandits to break in.

The city gate tower had been modified, with two bolts added that led directly to the city gate below. If the bandits wanted to open the city gate, they would have to break into the tower and remove the bolts.

Even if the bandits decisively abandoned the city gate tower and used ropes to pull people up the city, they could not pull many people up in a short time.

If we hold out until the troops from the camp arrive, we can work together to kill all the bandits who have infiltrated the city.

The situation was critical. Upon receiving orders from Yang Chaolu, several Yuan soldiers grabbed their weapons and ran towards the gate of the building.

However, they were still a step too late.

"Bah!"

With a thunderous roar, Zhao Jun pounced like a tiger, knocking over the Yuan soldier who was closing the door, and rolled into the building, reeking of blood.

"Kill him!" Yang Chaolu screamed.

Three Yuan soldiers drew their swords and spears.

Zhao Jun, with unparalleled bravery, slithered up close to the tip of the spear, knocking the spearman to the ground. He parried another blow with his short sword and simultaneously kicked a third man hard in the abdomen, all in one fluid motion.

Yang Chaolu was short and his movements were a beat slower.

This guy has done countless rotten things, and he's most afraid of his subordinates stabbing him in the back. When he swung his knife at Zhao Junyong, his eyes were still fixed on Shishan and Li Wu, who had been bullied the most by him.

Those two bastards are dawdling, even slower than him!
"You two blockheads, are you just waiting to collect the corpse? Hurry up and kill him!!"

"Yes! Kill—!"

Shi Shan roared in response, his waist knife slashing out with a whoosh, the blade aimed directly at Zhao Junyong.

Just as a "you're smart" thought flashed through Yang Chaolu's mind, an unexpected change occurred—the blade that Shi Shan had cleaved suddenly twisted midway, carrying all its strength as it slashed fiercely at Yang Chaolu's unsuspecting neck!
Too fast! Too close! Too unexpected!
Yang Chaolu felt a gust of wind rush towards him, his soul trembled, and his survival instinct made him desperately shrink his neck and turn to the side.

"Pfft——!"

The blade slashed deep into Yang Chaolu's left shoulder blade, and blood spurted out instantly. Soon after, the inferior knife was stuck in Yang Chaolu's bone.

Hey!
Shi Shan desperately tried to draw his sword to strike again, but found that the scrap metal seemed to be stuck and he couldn't pull it out for a moment. "Ah—" Yang Chaolu let out a pig-like scream. The pain and rage twisted his face like a ghost. He completely ignored Zhao Junyong, turned around and swung his sword with boundless hatred, slashing at Shi Shan's head and face.

Shi Shan decisively discarded his knife and retreated quickly.

The wind from the knife stung my face.

"I'll kill you, you traitor!"

"kill!"

A suppressed roar interrupted Yang Chaolu's curse, and Li Wu moved!

This usually honest and kind man now had bloodshot eyes. He didn't use a chopping motion at all, but instead gripped the knife with both hands, like chopping grass, and with all his might, he swung it up from bottom to top.

"Pfft—Crack!"

The cold blade sliced ​​through Yang Chaolu's exposed side of the neck with perfect precision as he twisted his head.

The major artery, along with part of the neck bone, snapped instantly. Scalding blood gushed out like a fountain, spraying two feet high. The nearest Yuan soldier was drenched from head to toe and screamed in terror.

Zhao Jun seized the opportunity and killed the terrified Yuan soldier with a single blow.

"Kill!"

More Red Turban soldiers poured in, and the remaining Yuan soldiers were terrified and were cut down in an instant.

Inside the city gate tower, a scene of carnage had already unfolded.

Five corpses lay sprawled in various contorted positions, with severed arms, limbs, and steaming entrails scattered all over the ground.

Those who were not quite dead were still convulsing and groaning in pools of blood, while thick blood flowed and gathered on the ground, congealing into a slippery, dark red "blood film" that emitted a nauseating, sweet, and rusty smell.

After killing Yang Chaolu, Li Wu immediately protected Shi Shan, holding his blood-stained, chipped blade and pointing it warily at Zhao Junyong and the others. His heavy breathing betrayed his pounding heart.

Zhao Jun had a minor cut on his left arm, but the fierce fight and the sudden turn of events had left him slightly breathless. Leaning on his knife, his hawk-like gaze was fixed on Shi Shan, who was struggling to pull up a huge gate bolt.

This Yuan soldier is very strange!

Warning, betrayal, murder, pulling the plug... terrifyingly calm!
"Who are you?"

Zhao Jun spoke in a hoarse voice, with a scrutinizing tone.

Shi Shan threw the heavy bolt aside with a clatter, wiped the blood splattered on his face, and pointed outside the city:

"General, now is not the time to greet them. The Tartar army camp is nearby, and a large contingent of government troops will arrive in no time. We must open the city gates immediately and welcome the army into the city; that is the only way to survive."

Zhao Jun's pupils contracted. Was this guy really just a low-ranking soldier? How could he accurately assess the situation in such chaos! He instantly made a decision and shouted:
"Wen Sijiu, stay here. Tian Qi, take your men and open the city gates immediately!"

Tian Qi glanced warily at Shi Shan Li Wu, then looked at Zhao Jun using his wounds, and hesitated before saying:
"Brother, here..."

Seeing his hesitation, Zhao Junyong shouted sternly:

"Hurry up! If you mess things up, Grandpa will skin you alive!"

Tian Qi glared at Shi Shan, gritted his teeth, and led his men down the city wall.

Shi Shan then walked up to Zhao Junyong, ignoring the blood-soaked ground and Wen Sijiu's wary blade, and knelt heavily on one knee in the thick pool of blood. He clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a steady and powerful voice:

“This is my brother Li Wu. We are both unfortunate people who were forced to lose our families by the Tartars. We have long wanted to rebel against this cannibalistic world, but we regret that we have no chance to meet a true hero.”

Today, facing the enemy in battle, I rise up in righteous indignation, ready to slay my sworn enemy. I am willing to serve as your vanguard, general, to kill the Tartars and pave a way out. I hope you will accept me, general!

Although Li Wu didn't understand why his third brother called himself "Shishan," he didn't hesitate. He imitated Shishan, kneeling down in the blood with a thud and holding the knife above his head.

"I hope the general will take me in!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhao Junyong exclaimed "Good!" three times in succession, raised his left hand in a gesture of heroic spirit:

"Heaven is on my side! I've already gained two brave warriors upon entering Xuzhou. This great undertaking is bound to succeed! Hahaha!"

Laughter echoed through the blood-soaked city gate tower, but Zhao Jun's gaze toward Shi Shan held a deeper scrutiny.

He was the one who warned, he was the one who killed the official, and now he is the one kneeling and pledging allegiance... This stone mountain is a fine knife, but it may also be a knife that will harm its master!

Shi Shan had no idea that Zhao Jun was so suspicious, able to come up with so many ideas in such a short time.

But even if he knew, he had no choice.

Having just transmigrated and not even having figured out his own situation, he encountered a life-or-death crisis. It was already a stroke of luck that he managed to survive by fighting back in a chaotic manner. How could he afford to think twice?

Shi Shan stood up and looked at Yang Chaolu, who was still twitching slightly in the pool of blood.

The hatred from his past life surged, but the intense discomfort of killing someone with his own hands for the first time also assaulted his nerves like a tidal wave—stomach spasms, a metallic taste in his throat, and icy coldness at his fingertips.

In this chaotic world, it truly is a matter of life and death!
Shi Shan squatted down expressionlessly, his boots stepping on the slippery blood membrane and bits of flesh.

He pried open Yang Chaolu's stiff fingers, snatched the slightly better quality steel knife, and used it to cut open his dirty robe, tearing off two relatively clean strips of cloth.

Then, he did something that made Zhao Junyong and Wen Sijiu's eyelids twitch – he actually dipped two strips of cloth directly into the still bleeding wound in Yang Chaolu's neck cavity.

The warm blood quickly soaked through the coarse cloth, and a strong smell of blood wafted over.

Shi Shan suppressed the urge to vomit, scooped out the warm, slippery strips of cloth soaked in blood, wrung them out, handed one to Li Wu, and without hesitation wrapped the other around his forehead.

Thick, warm blood with a strong, rusty smell instantly soaked through his hair and clung to his skin.

Shi Shan raised his head, the blood-stained cloth gleaming crimson in the firelight, his voice hoarse yet carrying a resolute calm.

"We are in the enemy camp and cannot prepare red handkerchiefs in advance. We can only use this handkerchief stained with the blood of the enemy as a temporary substitute. Please forgive our poor performance, General!"
Looking at the young man before him, whose head was covered in blood and whose eyes were calm and deep, Zhao Junyong felt a mix of alarm and admiration.

This person... is definitely no ordinary person!
On the surface, however, he suppressed all his doubts, burst into laughter, his heroic spirit soaring, and pointed his blood-stained blade directly at the boiling sounds of battle and flames outside the city, saying:

"Good! A true hero! Let's go! Follow us to meet the army and seize Xuzhou!"

(End of this chapter)