Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

In most cities, the Liang army's banners had barely appeared on the horizon when the lurking criminals inside the city acted decisively.

They either assassinated the defending general, created chaos, or simply opened the city gates! The Liang army entered the city as if it were a triumphant royal army, with almost no hindrance!

The Liang army's advance finally reached the heart of the Jin state—the majestic city of Taiyuan.

This last stronghold of Shi Jingtang, with its strong defenses and the last fervor of the defenders, finally caused the Liang army's rapid advance to be briefly halted for the first time.

Taiyuan's city walls were high and its moats deep. The defenders fought with the determination to die. Rolling logs, stones, hot oil, and molten gold rained down on them. Wang Yanzhang organized several strong attacks, but they were all repelled. The city was littered with corpses.

Qin Chuan's announcement in Jiao Lan Palace, the betrayal of the feudal lords, and the devastating news of the loss of cities along the way... had already pushed Shi Jingtang to the brink of utter madness.

The despair of being trapped in a lonely city was like a poisonous vine coiling around his heart.

With disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, he resembled a demon crawling out of hell, letting out hysterical laughter in the main hall of the palace.

"Good! Good Qin Chuan! Good invincible! If you won't let me live... then none of us should live! Let's all die together!"

He suddenly drew his sword and slammed it down on the imperial desk, sending wood chips flying.

A monstrous plan took shape in his twisted mind.

A destructive glint flashed in Shi Jingtang's eyes, his voice hoarse yet filled with madness:

"Smuggle all our gunpowder reserves! Yes, all of it! Secretly into the city! Bury it... bury it under the densest residential areas! Bury it near the granaries! Bury it beside the irrigation canals! The whole city... I want to turn the entire city of Taiyuan into a giant powder keg!"

He summoned his most trusted confidant, a man who had followed him for many years and was a man of few words.

"This matter is entrusted to you! Complete it secretly! I will make Wang Yanzhang's army, and these hundreds of thousands of lowly people in this city... pay for my death! If Qin Chuan wants my Taiyuan, he will get only scorched earth and corpses! Hahaha!"

The trusted general knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply: "This subordinate... obeys!"

His voice was deep and steady, devoid of any emotion, but a barely perceptible glint flashed in the depths of his lowered eyes.

In the days that followed, the atmosphere in Taiyuan became extremely oppressive.

On the surface, the defending troops were still fighting desperately against the Liang army's siege; in secret, cartloads of gunpowder disguised as provisions and supplies were secretly transported into the city under the cover of night and planted in key locations.

Shi Jingtang's trusted generals personally supervised all of this, ensuring meticulous and watertight execution.

Liang Jun's offensive paused slightly, seemingly as he adjusted his strategy.

On the walls of Taiyuan, the defending troops were exhausted, but Shi Jingtang's eyes gleamed with a morbid excitement.

He stood atop the highest watchtower of the palace, overlooking the colossal city he was about to destroy with his own hands, a cruel smile spreading across his lips.

"The time... is almost here," he muttered to himself, clutching a tinderbox tightly in his hand.

He decided to light the fuse that connected all the gunpowder in the city when Liang's army launched its next large-scale attack and the two sides were locked in a fierce battle!

He wanted this towering flame to be the last and most "magnificent" mark that Shi Jingtang left in this world!

The appointed time has finally arrived!

The bugle call of Liang Jun sounded mournfully once again, and the dark army formation, like a moving mountain, slowly pressed down on Taiyuan City!

Shi Jingtang's heart leaped into his throat. He abruptly pulled off the lid of the tinderbox, and the orange flame leaped out.

He was about to order the fuse that led to hell to be lit!

"Report—!!!" A messenger covered in blood scrambled up the watchtower, his voice trembling with extreme horror: "Your Highness! It's terrible! The city gates...the city gates are open! It's...it's an inside man! The Liang army...the Liang army has broken in!"

"What?!" Shi Jingtang was struck dumb, and almost dropped the tinderbox in his hand.

He lunged at the railing and looked down.

The massive city gate of Taiyuan, which was said to never fall, was now wide open! The drawbridge had also fallen heavily!

The figure who led an elite cavalry unit and was the first to cross the drawbridge and storm into the city was none other than his "loyal" trusted general in charge of arranging the gunpowder!

What terrified Shi Jingtang even more was that, during the charge, the general suddenly raised his hand and wiped his face—a thin, cicada-wing-like human skin mask was torn off, revealing a strange, cold, and mocking face!

At the same time, his bodyguards also tore off their disguises, revealing the unique markings of the Bad People!

"Heaven... Heavenly Hidden Star... Sanzenin?!"

Shi Jingtang screamed, his voice sharp and piercing, filled with unbelievable despair.

His last trump card, his world-destroying madness, was actually held by the enemy's most trusted mole!

"Do not--!!!"

Shi Jingtang completely broke down. He frantically tried to light a tinderbox, even if it would only destroy the palace.

However, it was too late.

Just as he was about to make a move, instead of a deafening explosion, countless dazzling bursts of light shot out from different corners of the city—the locations where gunpowder was planted—and soared into the sky!

"Whoosh—Bang!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Splash—!"

It wasn't a devastating explosion, but rather—a sky full of dazzling fireworks!

Red, yellow, green, purple... fireworks of all colors burst into bloom in the sky above Taiyuan, like the grandest celebration!

They tore through the smoke of battle, illuminating the astonished faces of the soldiers, and enveloping the entire city in a strange and absurd splendor.

Wang Yanzhang took the lead, leading his armored horde into the city, where he witnessed this scene.

The iron-blooded general was also slightly taken aback, then understood, and a cold, hard smile appeared on his lips: "The Bad Guys... excellent methods!"

The dazzling light, like a spotlight on a stage, shone precisely on the stunned and dejected figure of Shi Jingtang atop the Prince's Mansion's watchtower.

The tinderbox in his hand had already fallen, and he collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed.

The dazzling display of colors made his final madness and boundless despair seem like an absurd and chilling joke.

Chapter 125 The Surrender of the Princes

The outcome of the war against Jin, along with Shi Jingtang's dramatic and ironic downfall, resounded like thunder from the heavens mixed with hail, striking the ears and hearts of every feudal lord in the land.

The State of Jin, a powerful northern state that once rivaled Liang and Qi, saw its capital fall in just over a month after it raised an army against Daliang!

Devastating! Completely annihilated!

It is said that Shi Jingtang himself committed suicide in extreme despair and humiliation before the Liang army stormed into the palace.

Fear spread among the feudal lords like a plague.

However, even more chilling "gifts" followed.

There was no sign, no messenger to announce it.

On a certain morning or late at night, when the various lords were startled awake from their sleep or raised their heads from their tedious paperwork...

One after another, the plain white "invitations" that were as cold to the touch seemed to be delivered directly from the underworld, appearing silently on their pillows, desks, and even their inner garments!

There were no words on the letter.

Only on the back of the letter was a distorted and mysterious pattern branded with special ink—the mark of the Bad Guys!

The pattern's lines were eerie, resembling a cold eye or a dripping dagger, silently gazing at its prey, exuding a suffocating aura of death.

Amidst his beloved concubine's screams, the King of Wuyue touched the cold pillow beneath him. The moment he saw the mark, his hand trembled, the letter fluttered to the ground, and his face turned ashen, cold sweat instantly soaking through his inner garment.

When the King of Han was reviewing the memorials, he found them hidden under the paperweight. He stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair. His throat bobbed, but no sound came out.

While taking a bath, the Prince of Jinghai discovered that the pure white object was floating on the surface of the bath water!

He screamed as if he had seen a ghost, jumped out of the bathtub, shivering and soaking wet, the chill seeping into his bones from every pore.

The feudal lords' fingers trembled as they touched the cold mark.

I felt a bone-chilling coldness rush from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head, and it felt as if an invisible blade was pressed against my neck. I could even feel the sharp chill and the impending excruciating pain on my skin!

I see! I see!

Their bedside, every corner of their territory, those seemingly obedient servants, guards, officials... have long been riddled with holes by the invisible giant net of the Bad People, like a sieve!

Every move you make, even your peaceful sleep every night, is under the watchful eyes of countless people!

Taiyuan, where Shi Jingtang lived, serves as the best cautionary tale!

Those "own people" who opened the city gates and turned against us at the crucial moment may be standing right behind us right now!

If I don't accept this "invitation" to go to Luoyang...

I'm afraid the next thing to appear on the towering flagpole at Xuanwu Gate in Luoyang, for all the people to "look up to," will be their bloody, wide-eyed heads!

No one dared to harbor even the slightest侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that one can get away with something), and no one dared to delay in the slightest.

Wealth and glory? A warlord's rule? A grand ambition for imperial power?

Faced with absolute terror and the instinct for survival, both were now like candles flickering in the wind, instantly extinguished and reduced to insignificant ashes.

All the feudal lords, regardless of distance, quickly prepared their belongings.

They dared not bring too many guards, for fear of causing misunderstandings. Traveling light and without entourage, day and night, they rushed hastily toward Luoyang, the city that symbolized their final destination, as if heading to the final judgment.

Only one humble thought remained in their minds: surrender!

All I ask is to grovel at the feet of that young marshal, exchanging all my power and land for the status of a "peaceful and wealthy man" who can barely survive and live out his remaining years.

Because Shi Jingtang's bloody, absurd, yet incredibly real tragic end serves as the clearest, most terrifying, and most convincing cautionary tale hanging over everyone's heads!

Luoyang, Jiaolan Palace.

Beneath the imperial steps, a dozen or so figures knelt in obeisance, their robes embroidered with dragons or tigers, symbols once worn by powerful regional lords.

At this moment, however, it trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind before the dark figure at the top of the steps.

These were the feudal lords who had traveled day and night to Luoyang.

From Wu and Yue to Jingnan, from Beihai to Lingnan, the once powerful warlords who dominated their regions and looked down upon the Central Plains no longer had the courage to even look up at Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan sat upright behind the temporarily added sandalwood table, on which was placed only a celadon teacup, the steam rising and blurring half of his face.

Emperor Liang's dragon throne remained empty, yet every inch of air in the palace was under his control.

"Thank you all for coming from afar. You must be tired."

He spoke, his voice as calm as if he were talking about everyday matters, yet it made the backs of the nobles below stiffen, and their foreheads bow even lower:

"I believe you are all aware of the matter concerning Shi Jingtang."