Chapter 381
Chapter 381
“You mean to say the Crown Prince’s relationship with the Hidden Yuan Society runs that deep?”
“The treasury of the State of Yue is likely more depleted than the Count of Xuanwu imagines, and the Hidden Yuan Society is funding several nations across the realm. The shadow of the Hidden Yuan Society looms not only over the battlefields of the eastern seas but also over the western front of Yue. Zhuo Su’an may only be the Crown Prince’s mistress, but she travels everywhere, negotiating on his behalf. That is because she represents the Hidden Yuan Society. How do you think the Zhuo Clan managed to escape their predicament? It was all thanks to the Hidden Yuan Society.”
The Count of Xuanwu bowed low in gratitude.
“Master Zhang, thank you for clearing my doubts.”
“Then I shall take my leave here. I will depart early tomorrow morning. Count, I advise you to feign death and await the outbreak of war. I wish you a great victory. And please, pass a message to Shen Lang for me. Tell him that since that little fox used me, I won't let him get away with it.”
The Count of Xuanwu was suddenly in a very awkward position. Before him, Shen Lang’s own father-in-law, this beautiful scholar from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, had just uttered something akin to a lover’s quarrel, asking him to relay it to Shen Lang.
‘What an absolute scoundrel. Seducing women wherever he goes. Just who did you learn this from? Look at me, Jin Zhuo, I’ve lived my whole life untainted by the world, maintaining my integrity. But how can I, the father-in-law, say anything when Mulan herself turns a blind eye? Besides, why did Shen Lang go to the capital? To avenge the Jin Clan and destroy the Su Clan. He always acts for the Jin Clan’s sake, and he still loves only Mulan. He’s a good boy. For a man to have little control over his body and get involved with multiple women… well, perhaps it’s understandable… no. What am I thinking!’
Jin Zhuo sighed in resignation, then gave an order.
“From now on, I will see no one. Everyone is to believe I have been assassinated!”
“Yes, my lord!”
‘Daring to seize Raging Tide City? And starting a war while Shen Lang is away, no less? Then I, Jin Zhuo, will have to see just who is behind this. I will watch closely to see who tries to take Raging Tide City, how this war begins, and how it ends!’
***
Inside White Night Commandery City.
Zhang Chong flicked the blood from his sword. As for Princess Ying Jue, who could make any man go limp, she didn’t even need to shake her sword. It was a masterfully crafted blade, and not a single drop of blood clung to it. The two stood side by side in the Snow Mountain Pavilion, not saying a word, yet it was as if these words hung in the air:
‘Who else? Is there anyone else who dares?!’
Everyone trembled uncontrollably. Over thirty assassins had all been slain. Every cook, server, singer, and handmaiden in the Snow Mountain Pavilion had been killed. A small mountain of corpses piled up at the feet of Zhang Chong and Ying Jue. Three commanders raised by the Su Clan had also died by their hands. The Intendant, Su Wushang, and the other officials present were completely dumbfounded. The Su Clan knew Zhang Chong was skilled in martial arts and had prepared for it. But who was this person beside him? How could their martial arts be so profound? Besides the Great Yan Emperor, who else in the Blackwater Terrace was this formidable? No one had ever heard of someone this powerful. Indeed, who could have possibly imagined that the King would send Princess Ying Jue as Zhang Chong’s escort?
Zhang Chong approached Intendant Su Wushang, who asked in a trembling voice.
“Lord… Lord Zhang, what do you intend to do? Surely you wouldn’t kill an imperially appointed official in front of everyone? My position as Intendant was bestowed by the King himself. I am an Imperial Scholar of the State of Yue.”
Zhang Chong said coldly, “Did you even remember you were an official of Yue?”
With a light flick of the flexible sword in his hand, Su Wushang’s head went rolling. The officials on the scene were all horrified.
‘This… this is insane! The Intendant sends assassins to kill the Prefect, and the Prefect kills the Intendant himself?’
Zhang Chong then took out a decree and read it aloud.
“The King has issued a decree. Zhang Chong, upon arriving in White Night Commandery, is to handle matters as he sees fit!”
What did ‘handle matters as he sees fit’ mean? It meant that as long as he could defend White Night Commandery City, he could do anything and kill anyone. Only the result mattered, not the process. As soon as they heard the decree, all the officials present fell to their knees.
“Lord Prefect, we sever all ties with the Su Clan.”
“Lord Prefect, we wish to report the Su Clan’s crimes!”
Zhang Chong paid them no mind. Princess Ying Jue took out a register from her robes. It was a register from the Blackwater Terrace, containing a list and portraits of every official in White Night Commandery. It noted who was a corrupt official but loyal to Yue, who was corrupt and sided with the Su Clan, and who was corrupt but a spy planted by the Su Clan. It was a devil’s curse that they were all corrupt officials. In a place like White Night Commandery, a den of villains and treacherous cowards, an honest official could never survive. Ying Jue would read a name, walk up to the person, and kill them with a single strike. She went down the list, killing them one by one. It was a terrifying sight.
‘To call out a name and then kill… is she an angel of death?’
The officials and merchants tried to scatter and flee, but how could they possibly escape from Ying Jue? With unhurried steps, she killed them one by one according to the list. She even followed the exact order on the register; if someone she was meant to kill was standing right in front of her but their name was further down the list, she would kill them later. Whether they begged or threatened her, she didn't even respond. Just like that, Princess Ying Jue killed eighty percent of the officials present. She killed people with a placid, expressionless heart, as if squashing insects. Before such a woman, no matter how beautiful, a man would find himself unable to get hard.
The entire Snow Mountain Pavilion was littered with corpses, and the stench of blood was thick in the air. Zhang Chong looked at the remaining officials, fewer than ten, and said calmly.
“I will not kill you, but you will be imprisoned. That way, you won’t re-emerge to cause trouble when the war begins.”
One of the officials asked in a trembling voice, “Lord Zhang, we may not be clean, but we are loyal to His Majesty. If you imprison us, who will handle the affairs of the administration?”
“No one. A war is imminent, so White Night Commandery City will now be under military control. Relay my orders. Seal White Night Commandery City. No one is allowed to enter or leave!”
***
After killing all the dissident officials, Zhang Chong led two thousand elite soldiers to the three garrisons of White Night Commandery City and disarmed them. With their leaders gone, Zhang Chong’s army faced no resistance. When Zhang Chong finally took a headcount, he found only thirteen hundred men in the three garrisons. He couldn't help but marvel at how they had inflated their numbers by double to their superiors.
Zhang Chong ordered all the centurions to be executed. Of the thirteen hundred men, several hundred were so weak they couldn’t withstand a single blow; they were all dismissed. He then selected four hundred of the more decent elite soldiers and incorporated them into his own army. Next, a large force swept out, killing all the foreign merchants and warriors within the city. Then, they rounded up all the urchins in the city and executed a dozen of their leaders. The remaining two hundred urchins were all conscripted into the army.
In just a few hours, Zhang Chong had taken complete control of the main city of White Night Commandery. When it came to killing, the Lord Prefect was even more ruthless than Shen Lang. In the Governor’s Mansion, Shen Lang had only killed Su Clan officials, their lackeys, and the foreign merchants and warriors. But Zhang Chong killed anyone who could potentially cause trouble, whether they were raised by the Su Clan or not. He would rather kill an innocent person than let a potential threat go free. The main city of White Night Commandery was about to face an unprecedented war, and there could be no room for even the slightest disturbance. He had uprooted all potential sources of trouble in advance.
Furthermore, when Shen Lang killed, he did so with earth-shattering commotion. But Zhang Chong carried out his executions silently in the dead of night, without shouts or loud pronouncements. By the time he had cleaned up White Night Commandery City, it was past four in the morning, and the sky was beginning to lighten. Zhang Chong gazed to the west and said calmly.
“Young Master Shen, I have fortunately completed my mission and secured the main city of White Night Commandery. Now, it is your turn to move.”
Of course, Shen Lang could not hear him.
“The Su Clan’s rebellion has not yet begun, but let us two join forces here for a small, decisive battle against Su Nan. Let’s see who will win—us, or the Su Clan! Let’s see how this ends!”
***
On the training grounds outside the Governor’s Mansion of the powder keg that was Snow Ridge City.
Looking at the sea of black-clad figures, Shen Lang felt his hair stand on end. Over twenty thousand people had gathered. Shen Lang now understood how Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong could casually amass armies of hundreds of thousands. There was no need to buy soldiers or horses; a single word about going on a raid was enough for countless people to voluntarily join the horde. It was like streams flowing into a river, and rivers into a larger one, eventually forming a mighty, all-consuming flood.
Twenty thousand pairs of bloodshot eyes stared at Shen Lang. Their gazes were so intense they felt like they could burn him alive. Shen Lang stood on a high platform, preparing to address the crowd. Before every major action, Shen Lang liked to give a speech to everyone. Villains tended to be long-winded.
“Enough talk! Time is precious, let’s get to the looting!”
“Stop dawdling with useless words and let’s go!”
The crowd below immediately shouted, shaming Shen Lang. This pretty-boy governor was so troublesome. All they had to do was go loot, but every time he would drone on and on, shouting slogans. This alone showed that in their hearts, Shen Lang had been reduced to a mere figurehead for their looting; they held no reverence for him whatsoever.
‘You’re a court official, so it’s slightly better if you lead us to plunder. But it doesn't matter if you don't lead us; we can go ourselves.’
Shen Lang possessed the incredible patience to wait for spit on his face to dry on its own. He immediately responded to the men’s roars with a loud shout.
“Very well, then. I won’t waste any more words! Everyone, left face! March towards the main city of White Night Commandery! We will kill every last foreign merchant in White Night Commandery and plunder all their wealth! Let’s get rich from looting!”
At Shen Lang’s command, the twenty thousand people roared in a blood-boiling frenzy.
“Get rich!”
“Let’s loot!”
Like a tidal wave, they surged madly toward White Night Commandery City. It was just before the break of dawn. Viewed from the sky, it would look like a black swarm of locusts, a dark tide pouring out of Snow Ridge City. Their endless procession charged towards White Night Commandery City.
***
Inside the barracks of Su Dian, Su Nan’s older brother.
“My lord, Shen Lang’s mob has set out from Snow Ridge City and is heading for White Night Commandery City! Furthermore, we’ve received word from Su Lu that Intendant Su Wushang has successfully killed Zhang Chong!”
‘The moment has finally come.’
Su Dian was overjoyed and gave the order.
“All three armies, move out! Form a half-encirclement and drive Shen Lang’s mob into White Night Commandery City. In today’s battle, not only will we annihilate tens of thousands of these rioters, but we will also kill that scoundrel Shen Lang and flay him alive. Then, under a righteous pretext, we will seize the main city of White Night Commandery. Our lord’s plan to kill three birds with one stone must succeed; failure is not an option! All forces, advance!”
Following Su Dian’s command, a grand coalition army—composed of Su Dian’s thousands of soldiers, thousands of warrior monks from the Great Calamity Temple, and thousands of bandits from the Three-Eyed Savages—advanced with great momentum and at full speed. Their lord intended to pacify the world with his divine strategies. This battle would decide the tide of power. Once they had White Night Commandery City in their hands, their Su Clan would immediately declare: