Palace Battle (5)
Right Guard Captain Xun Yuking spoke up.
“Benchu, the Forward Army Captain's forces have successfully broken through the Inner Palace. They're clashing with the Western Garden Army right now.”
“Then we should move out as well.”
“To think the Forward Army Captain broke through alone... Her opponents were the swift Golden Army, no less.”
Xun Yuking could hardly believe that Cao Cao had pierced the palace gates single-handedly. Yuan Shao, on the other hand, wore a knowing smile, as if she had anticipated Cao Cao's success.
“But to set the Inner Palace ablaze... And without so much as a word to the Grand General's headquarters or even our own side! What possessed her to commit such a breach of protocol?”
They had hurled oil jars and followed with fire arrows, igniting a blaze in the Inner Palace seized by the Western Garden Army. Hearing this, Xun Yuking shuddered, certain the Grand General would fly into a rage. It was only natural—he feared He Jin's wrath, for if his nephew, Crown Prince Liu Bian, ascended the throne, He Jin would wield power in the emperor's stead.
“The Grand General ordered a swift resolution. The situation is dire and unfolding rapidly. We can't wait for approval on every move.”
“W-well, that's true, but...”
“Focus on quelling the rebellion for now, Right Guard Captain.”
“Ahem! Very well.”
The forces led by Yuan Shao and Xun Yuking joined the fray to support Cao Cao, who was locked in close-quarters combat with the Western Garden Army. They poured through the wide-open palace gates and into the Inner Palace, where the Grand General's troops began sweeping away the rebels.
“Seize Jian Shi!”
“He can't have gone far. We must capture that gelding at all costs!”
The Inner Palace, wreathed in crimson flames and black smoke, resembled a scene from hell. Corpses littered the ground, the floor a slick mire of blood as if red dye had been splashed everywhere.
Yuan Shao entered alongside her officers, surveying the battlefield. But all her eyes caught were soldiers locked in fierce combat—no sign of the rebel leader Jian Shi or his cronies.
“Jian Shi... We must bind Jian Shi! Deploy every soldier—find him now!”
“Understood, Mid-Army Captain!”
Fearing Jian Shi might slip away, Yuan Shao mobilized her entire force to hunt the rebel ringleader. She gnashed her teeth. If he broke the encirclement, they'd lose their chance forever. With the Ten Attendants shielding him, they'd be like dogs chasing chickens, staring helplessly at the rooftops.
“Mid-Army Captain, the Forward Army Captain's aide has taken up the chase for Upper Army Captain Jian Shi.”
“The Forward Army Captain's aide...”
Lee Seong-hwi, the aide who had led the vanguard and stormed the Inner Palace, had set off after Jian Shi with his elite light cavalry. Hearing this from one of Cao Cao's soldiers, Yuan Shao judged that Lee Seong-hwi was pursuing the likely escape route. Jian Shi could not be allowed to escape. She ordered Xun Yuking to handle the remaining rebels and personally led an elite unit in pursuit—to support Lee Seong-hwi, in case he faltered. With Jian Shi's capture hanging in the balance for the rebellion's suppression, they had to take him alive.
Cao Cao focused on mopping up the rebels alongside Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong. The Western Garden Army was no pushover. Proving the adage that one well-trained soldier could match four or five foes, they unleashed their valor against the Grand General's forces, who had seized the initiative with fire.
“Damn, they just keep coming!”
Xiahou Dun, who had charged in with a bold shout, stuck out her tongue at the Western Garden soldiers swarming like the tide. She swung her curved blade mercilessly, sweeping them aside, but endless enemies remained.
“Mengde, your aide went after Jian Shi? Man, I'm jealous. I wanna go snag him too.”
“Focus on the enemies in front of you, Yuanyang.”
“Got it, obviously!”
Xiahou Dun gripped her sword hilt with both hands and cleaved a soldier charging head-on. Cao Cao let out a deep sigh. Ever since Cao Hong reported that Lee Seong-hwi had pursued Jian Shi into the inferno, her mind hadn't been at ease. His bravery deserved praise, but she deeply worried some grave threat might befall him.
“Sister, over there!”
Cao Hong cried out. Cao Cao turned her head. Yuan Shao and Xun Yuking's forces had breached the gates and entered the Inner Palace. The tide of battle swiftly turned to the Grand General's side. Spotting the sudden influx, the Western Garden Army realized their disadvantage, their morale crumbling.
“Rebels, drop your weapons at your feet and surrender now!”
“You have no chance of victory! Repent your crimes and yield—spare your lives while you can!”
Officers under Xun Yuking, spears and swords raised, urged the standoff Western Garden soldiers to surrender. Some complied, discarding their arms after exchanging glances and signaling their intent to yield to the Grand General's forces. Word spread that Upper Army Captain Jian Shi had fled, sensing defeat. Few would die for a leader who had abandoned them. One by one, they lost the will to fight and surrendered.
“Jiam, oversee the Western Garden Army's disarmament with the officers. Yuanyang, lead the elites and rout any stragglers left in the Inner Palace.”
Cao Cao issued orders to Cao Hong and Xiahou Dun, then pressed on with Xun Yuking to secure the Inner Palace. She dispatched a messenger to Grand General headquarters, reporting the rebellion quelled and Jian Shi under pursuit.
Lee Seong-hwi is a man of exceptional valor. Surely he'll capture Jian Shi and return safely. I trust you, my aide. So I'll await your triumphant news.
She couldn't afford rash action out of worry. Trusting him firmly, Cao Cao fulfilled her duty. Wasn't she the one directing the suppression? They had to crush any embers lest the rebels rally or plot anew. She trusted him. Thus, she would wait. When he returned safely..., she'd welcome him with open arms and praise for his feat in capturing Jian Shi.
By the time Yuan Shao arrived, tracking Lee Seong-hwi's pursuit of Jian Shi, he had already caught up to the rear of Jian Shi and his escorts. A brutal melee raged. Blades clashed viciously amid scattered corpses.
And at the center stood Lee Seong-hwi. Spotting him was easy—just find the blood-soaked officer fighting the most ferociously, in the deadliest spot.
“Grah, grrrk...!!”
Lee Seong-hwi thrust his dual swords through a Western Garden officer's throat, then ducked a spear thrust from another. He smashed the spearman's face with a fist, snatched the fallen spear, and butchered the encircling soldiers.
“Gack!”
He yanked his sword free and hurled it with full force, slaying one of the officers blocking Jian Shi. Blood dripped from the spear he raised high as he bellowed.
“Seize the traitor Jian Shi!”
Bathed in blood yet rising on steady legs, gasping roughly, Lee Seong-hwi had turned over twenty soldiers into corpses—as if boasting he could take on a hundred alone. Stunned by this inhuman prowess, Jian Shi cowered behind his escorts, face pale with shock.
“Is that a ghost or a man?!”
Jian Shi shoved his guards' backs, yelling. No one could face that blood-drenched horror with gleaming eyes and feel no fear. Though he'd seen countless battles, he'd never witnessed anyone overwhelm the peerless Golden Army like this.
“M-Mid-Army Captain!”
An officer's urgent call snapped Yuan Shao back to reality. She'd been mesmerized. Even surrounded by the Golden Army, his overwhelming might and audacity—roaring threats at Jian Shi—left her in awe. The Forward Army Captain's aide was a paragon of valor, man or ghost.
“There—the traitor Jian Shi! All soldiers, bind the criminal!”
At Yuan Shao's thunderous command, her Mid-Army elites surged forward, spears and swords flashing. The Western Garden forces, exhausted from clashing with Lee Seong-hwi and Cao Cao's elites, were swept away by the newcomers.
“Escort Lord Jian Shi out of the Inner Palace!”
“Repel the Grand General's dogs!”
Jian Shi's guards charged with raised blades, realizing the dire straits demanded their intervention. As most deserted him, fear overtook Jian Shi; he trembled, glancing wildly about.
“Is there no one to protect me?! Where are the Ten Attendants?! What is Elder Zhang Rang doing?! If I die, you're next—how can you not see that?!”
He spat fury at the unmoving Ten Attendants, even as death loomed. No rescuers came.
“He Jin, that scum—planning to slaughter us eunuchs and devour power whole! That's why we plotted this, but it's all for naught!!”
Screaming, Jian Shi backed away from the pressing Grand General soldiers. But escape was impossible. His guards fell one by one, tightening the noose.
“B-better to throw myself into the flames than suffer humiliation from that scum!”
Huff... huff...!!
Twisting his face like a madman, Jian Shi gulped ragged breaths. His threat was no bluff—he truly meant to leap into the roaring blaze.
“Uwaaaaaah!!!”
“St-stop him!”
Jian Shi howled and charged a collapsing pavilion engulfed in flames. No one had expected self-immolation; Yuan Shao shouted in panic. But none dared act. Few would plunge into that crimson inferno licking hungrily—better to fight foes than brave the searing heat.
“I'll drag him out.”
Lee Seong-hwi stepped forward. The blood-smeared warrior headed into the flame-wreathed structure. Moments later, a middle-aged man—scorched and burned in places, hair gripped tightly—was hauled out by Lee Seong-hwi.
“Let go of me! Release me, I said!! Aaaargh!!”
He had walked into the blaze and dragged Jian Shi out. Yuan Shao and her men gaped in stunned horror.