Chapter 434
Chapter 434
Yang Yingnian spoke in a grief-stricken tone, as if shedding tears of blood.
“This is only a fraction of it. Shen Lang, do you have any humanity left? You told the Qiang cavalry to plunder, but why did you slaughter innocent people? You've abandoned all decency!”
Shen Lang couldn't help but be impressed. He had never imagined that Zheng Tuo and Yang Yingnian could be this vicious. To steal his credit and frame him, they had caused a disturbance in White Night County and killed over ten thousand innocent people.
‘They're no less ruthless than Zuo Liangyu, the human butcher of the late Ming Dynasty. Impressive, truly impressive!’
Yang Yingnian drew his sword with a flourish and shouted.
“Everyone, the source of this disaster is right before you. I will be your champion and avenge the blood feud of your families! All troops, prepare for battle and protect the people! Shen Lang, surrender immediately and hand over the Qiang butchers who have committed murder in the State of Yue!”
Thousands of commoners, believing they were backed by an army of five thousand and fueled by the burning rage in their hearts, rushed forward to surround Shen Lang's two thousand cavalrymen from both sides. However, unable to hide their fear, they dared not get too close, shouting for their deaths from a distance of several dozen meters. They picked up stones from the ground and began hurling them at Shen Lang.
“Damn you, Shen Lang, give me back my family! You wretched bastard, you deserve to die a thousand times over!”
When Shen Lang's army didn't react, they edged a little closer. More and more stones were thrown toward Shen Lang, and they began to spit and curse at him. Watching this scene, Yang Yingnian felt an incomparably vicious sense of pleasure welling up inside.
“Shen Lang, you won't be able to wash away this stain even if you jump into the Nu River. To think you'd be so soft when fighting against us.”
Shen Lang licked his lips and scratched his nose.
“Yang Yingnian, are you an idiot? Do you think I care about such a reputation? Framing me for murder, plunder, and arson? For slaughtering innocent people? Go right ahead! Playing with fakes is no fun; it's much more amusing to play for real. Yang Yingnian, I was originally going to let the King deal with you himself. But now, that's no longer necessary. I'll flay you alive and tear you to shreds. And I will make sure to kill your entire family!”
Then, with a cold expression, Shen Lang shouted.
“Kill every last soldier in front of you! Anyone who dares come within ten feet of my army—be they commoner or innocent—will be considered a traitor and killed! Kill them all!”
In an instant, thousands of Qiang cavalrymen charged toward Yang Yingnian's army like a tidal wave.
Shink, shink, shink.
They began to slaughter them as if chopping vegetables.
What kind of men made up the five thousand troops led by the Grand Commander of Tianshui Province? Three thousand were the provincial garrison, not frontline soldiers but a rear-guard force, and a deeply corrupt one that had been taking bribes from the Su Clan. The remaining two thousand were troops hastily recruited by Yang Yingnian, consisting of porters, militia, and local ruffians. Even when the war was at its most critical, King Ning Yuanxian had never placed any hope in Yang Yingnian's five thousand worthless soldiers. Su Nan would rather spend a fortune hiring warrior monks from the Great Calamity Temple and mercenaries from the Western Regions than even consider using Yang Yingnian's army. They were utterly useless, literally trash.
Shen Lang had only two thousand Qiang cavalrymen under his command, but they weren't called a nomadic warrior people for nothing. When they killed, they fought like rabid dogs, and no one dared stand in their way. When such cavalry faced Yang Yingnian's garbage army, cutting them down was as easy as threshing ripe grain. This was a completely one-sided slaughter. In a flash, the Qiang cavalry killed thousands, and Yang Yingnian's hair stood on end.
‘Shen Lang, you've really gone mad! These are official government troops. Are they not flying the banner of the Tianshui Provincial Command? And yet you lead Qiang cavalry to kill the official army of the State of Yue? If what you're doing isn't treason, what is?’
“Shen Lang, you have committed treason! Everyone, look! The Qiang cavalry are killing government soldiers, committing murder! They are your enemies, so attack and take your revenge!”
But how could thousands of ordinary people dare to get close? They had only acted on a momentary, hot-blooded impulse, encouraged by the news that Yang Yingnian's army was backing them, and had come seeking justice. But unexpectedly, Shen Lang hadn't bothered with reason and had immediately attacked and killed. Soon, the commoners quickly retreated to the sides, watching from a distance.
Yang Yingnian's garbage army was nearly annihilated in an instant, and they screamed as they desperately fled. But since most of them were foot soldiers, they were no match for the speed of the Qiang cavalry's horses. The Qiang cavalry pursued them relentlessly, cutting down the fleeing soldiers without pause. Yang Yingnian's garbage army was either trampled to death by their horses or cut down by their blades. Kneeling on the ground was useless. The bloodthirsty Qiang warriors would simply strike with a single blow and take their heads. Faced with this horrific situation, Yang Yingnian tried to flee immediately.
‘Shen Lang is insane. He's a madman. A madman who can't be dealt with through political means.’
But could he escape? Dozens of crossbowmen led by Wu Lie pursued Yang Yingnian to the end, killed all of his remaining dozen or so warriors, and then grabbed him by the neck, dragging him over and forcing him to the ground. Yang Yingnian trembled all over. He had brought five thousand troops and thousands of commoners to surround Shen Lang, intending to truly force him into rebellion. He thought that if the people surrounded Shen Lang, the Qiang cavalry wouldn't be able to restrain themselves and would end up slaughtering the people of Yue. If that happened, the accusation that Shen Lang had brought in barbarians to slaughter innocents would become reality, and the ten thousand people they had killed earlier would be blamed on him. But he never expected Shen Lang to be so vicious, to kill his entire army in one fell swoop, and even kill the commoners who had rushed forward.
“Shen Lang, you... you're insane!”
Shen Lang looked at Yang Yingnian and said.
“What exactly were you trying to do? No, let me ask properly. What were *you* trying to do?”
Yang Yingnian shouted loudly.
“I was trying to eliminate a threat for the sake of the people.”
‘Damn it!’
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Shen Lang grabbed a dagger and stabbed it straight through Yang Yingnian's ear, shouting loudly.
The moment Yang Yingnian felt a searing heat, crimson blood gushed out, and one of his ears was gone. Unable to bear the pain, he let out a wretched scream.
“Aaaargh!”
Shen Lang continued.
“You stirred up trouble in White Night County, trying to cover my achievements with your pathetic schemes and steal the credit for destroying the Su Clan with Zheng Tuo, didn't you? Yang Yingnian, did you dare to slaughter innocent people yourself and then try to frame me for it? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm going to kill you anyway!”
At Shen Lang's gesture, two warriors brought forward a man from White Night County.
“Where are you from?”
The man lowered his head and answered.
“Xueling City.”
“Did you get a windfall following me?”
Those who had participated in the looting had a certain look about them. Someone who has harmed another with their own hands exudes a subtle killing intent when they look at others. That's why Shen Lang recognized him at a glance. This man must have been one of his looters. When the man realized Shen Lang had recognized him, his face twitched.
“Since you made a fortune and escaped the Su Clan's army, you should have laid low and enjoyed your good life. Why come out and cause a scene?”
The man's face twitched again.
“Who paid you to do this?”
“No one.”
“Then why?”
The man's eyes flashed with malice, but he didn't answer.
“I see. You came to cause trouble for me, to get your revenge?”
That was it. Back then, Shen Lang had led them to plunder and gain a huge fortune, but at the critical moment, he had abandoned them, tossing them outside White Night County's walls to face the pursuit of the Su Clan's army. Because of this, they resented Shen Lang even more than the Su Clan who had killed their comrades. Shen Lang was the one who had introduced them to the joys of plunder and had used them for his strategy, only to betray them and use them as sacrifices when it mattered most. After that, any memory of the fortune Shen Lang had given them was erased from their minds. They only resented Shen Lang for betraying them and preventing them from looting to their hearts' content. That's right. They didn't resent the Su Clan; instead, they resented Shen Lang, the very person who had helped them get rich.
Shen Lang had realized at once that the people at the very front of the charging crowd, the ones throwing stones at him, were mostly the lucky survivors from his group of looters. And now, he had captured about a hundred of them. On Shen Lang's order, they were stripped of their clothes, revealing hidden daggers, blowguns, and arsenic. With such thorough preparations, it was clear they had truly come to kill Shen Lang.
Shen Lang said with a smile.
“Impressive, very impressive! You really came to get revenge on me? Welcome, welcome! Since you came for revenge, you must be prepared to face the consequences of failure. You came to kill me, so it's only right that I return the favor, isn't it? Just because you're pretending to be commoners doesn't mean I should let you go, right? Kill them all!”
At Shen Lang's command, the Qiang warriors raised their blades to kill the surviving looters.
“We'll do it!”
Just then, the female warriors, including Hamnu, stepped forward and swung their blades, and the hundred rioters were all killed. Many who witnessed the scene wet themselves in terror. They couldn't believe Shen Lang would kill people so brazenly in front of such a large crowd. Even if they were looters, weren't they still commoners now? Thousands of commoners who held this thought trembled in fear, a chill running down their spines as they worried their own heads might be next.
Shen Lang looked at them and said.
“White Night County was plundered, and over ten thousand people were killed. Did all of you see the Qiang warriors do it?”
They dared not answer.
“Speak up.”
One of them shouted loudly.
“We saw the Qiang warriors do it with our own eyes. After you led the Qiang army into the State of Yue and defeated the Su Clan's forces, you didn't pay them, so they went on a rampage, plundering everywhere, didn't they?”
Shen Lang beckoned to him.
“Come forward.”
But the man who had spoken hid within the crowd.
“What for? I am a citizen of the State of Yue. Do you expect people to stay silent after you've done something wrong?”
At Shen Lang's gesture, Wu Lie quickly went forward, lifted the man with one hand, and brought him over. He was a scholar.
“A scholar, I see. Do you hold a title?”
The scholar replied.
“Lacking talent, I only managed to pass the county examinations.”
His voice was filled with pride. Shen Lang had never earned a true scholarly title; he hadn't even passed the county exams.
His rank as a Provincial Graduate had been bestowed upon him by the King.