Chapter 702
Chapter 702
The Royal Guard of Chu was undeniably brave. Following their commander's orders, they charged forward fearlessly, as if death meant nothing. But in the face of a relentless storm of arrows, their courage was in vain. The ten thousand men of the Royal Guard were nearly annihilated.
The city garrison was not a front-line elite force, but this was the capital of Chu, and every defender was filled with pride. They fought on until their casualties reached thirty percent, at which point the twenty thousand men of the Chu garrison lost their morale, broke, and fled in all directions.
The soldiers of the noble and aristocratic families had long since scattered. The martial artists and gang members who had joined the fray hoping to earn merit vanished without a trace, hiding in the streets and alleys of the capital.
After four long hours of fierce battle, the defenses of Chu collapsed like a landslide. With over twenty thousand casualties, the remaining few thousand fled.
The Privy Councilor of Chu, Yan Jing, led the last of his elite troops in a retreat to the inner city of the capital.
An hour later, the inner city also fell.
Privy Councilor Yan Jing led the remnants of his defeated army and retreated into the royal palace.
Ning Zheng and Shen Lang's army of nine thousand pressed on without pause, launching an assault on the Chu Royal Palace.
***
The Royal Palace of Chu was truly magnificent. The grounds alone covered over two square kilometers, with layer upon layer of buildings, carved railings, and jade staircases creating a spectacular sight. The palace housed over ten thousand halls, chambers, and rooms, both large and small.
Privy Councilor Yan Jing, leading four or five thousand men, had retreated into the palace, intending to make a final, desperate stand. He had abandoned any thought of defeating Shen Lang, but he planned to defend the palace fiercely, waiting for reinforcements to arrive from all corners of the kingdom. If he could just hold out for two or three days, tens of thousands of troops would come to relieve the capital. Shen Lang, with only a few thousand men, was deep in enemy territory and wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
While the palace had vast halls and squares, it also had narrow paths and a dense arrangement of buildings and rooms. This would make it extremely difficult for Shen Lang’s army to form ranks and unleash its full power. The long sabers of the First Nirvana Army required wide swings, making them difficult to wield indoors. The archers, too, would be severely limited in such an environment. Moreover, Shen Lang's forces would be completely unfamiliar with the palace's layout. Yan Jing was confident he could launch a brilliant counterattack within the palace and inflict massive casualties on Shen Lang's army.
Shen Lang and Ning Zheng stood before the palace gates, while Big Dummy held a massive banner. Mulan took Shen Lang and leaped onto the banner, giving them a view of the entire palace.
*This won't do! The rooms inside are too densely packed. The Chu army will be able to set up ambushes and launch surprise attacks.*
The Shaman sharpshooters were skilled in close-quarters combat in confined spaces, so they would fare better. But the First and Second Nirvana Armies would surely suffer enormous casualties if they entered the palace.
What should he do?
Capturing the Chu Royal Palace would mean total victory in this battle. But Shen Lang could not bear to fight a battle that would result in such heavy losses. The Second Nirvana Army was too precious; even a one-third casualty rate would be heartbreaking.
The Shaman Queen made her intentions clear. She would lead her most elite warriors to storm the palace and wanted the First and Second Nirvana Armies to charge in with them. It was impossible for her Shaman warriors to sacrifice their lives at the front while Shen Lang's army watched from the rear.
After a few moments of hesitation, Shen Lang gave his order.
"Burn the Chu Royal Palace!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zheng trembled in shock, Mulan was bewildered, and even Sword King Li Qianqiu was greatly surprised. Gu Douhuan was speechless.
*T-That… is an act that the entire world will condemn. The King of Chu is not just the monarch of Chu, but also a vassal king of the Great Yan Empire. Burning the Royal Palace of Chu will send shockwaves through the realm.*
Shen Lang said calmly, "I will not watch the First and Second Nirvana Armies suffer massive casualties. This is a war that could topple a nation, not a dinner party. I'm not proposing to slaughter the common people of Chu, just to burn the palace. Why the hesitation?"
Ning Zheng glanced at Shen Lang and said, "Fine! But I will be the one to give that order!"
Then, Ning Zheng raised his voice and shouted, "Hear me, Queen Dowager of Chu! Hear me, Privy Councilor Yan Jing! I, Ning Zheng, command you to surrender immediately. Otherwise, I will set fire to this palace and burn it to the ground."
The people of Chu were stunned by his words.
*Has Ning Zheng gone mad? Burn the royal palace? That is an act that would incur the wrath of every kingdom in the East.*
Although the states of Chu and Yue were enemies, they were both vassal kingdoms under the Great Yan Dynasty. In a way, they were brother nations.
"Do not surrender! Ning Zheng wouldn't dare burn the palace. Not only would it shock the world, but it would also anger all the other vassal kings."
Ning Zheng lit a stick of incense. His meaning was clear: if the Queen Dowager and the others did not surrender by the time it burned out, he would immediately set fire to the palace.
A quarter of an hour later, the incense stick had burned to ash, and the defenders inside the palace refused to surrender.
Ning Zheng gave the order.
"Light the fires. Burn the royal palace!"
A moment later, flames shot up to the sky. The entire Chu Royal Palace was engulfed in a raging inferno, the blaze so intense it seemed to dye the very heavens red.
The people of the Chu capital wailed as they watched the scene unfold. The martial artists and gang members who had fled emerged once more, surrounding Shen Lang's army. But charging in with nothing but reckless courage was useless; it was another one-sided slaughter. After another ten thousand of Chu's irregular forces were killed, they scattered once more.
The great fire in the Chu Royal Palace spread with insane speed, consuming half the palace in the blink of an eye. The inside of the palace became a living hell. Everyone within fled in a panic, kneeling and surrendering.
With that, the capital of Chu had completely fallen.
***
"Where is the Queen Dowager? Where is Privy Councilor Yan Jing? Where are the princes and consorts of Chu?"
Shen Lang's army had sealed the palace gates. In the square outside, nearly ten thousand people knelt in orderly rows. Most were eunuchs and palace maids, with some being the warriors who had retreated into the palace.
But all the key figures were missing. Even the head eunuchs were nowhere to be seen.
Had they escaped the palace? Or were they hiding in a secret underground chamber?
"Will someone please answer!" Shen Lang shouted.
The kneeling palace maids and eunuchs trembled, while the warriors ground their teeth. They stared at the ground, their eyes filled with blood-soaked hatred.
"Where did the Queen Dowager go? Where is Privy Councilor Yan Jing? Someone answer me. Surely one of you knows!"
Still, no one answered Shen Lang's words.
"If you're going to kill us, just kill us. We have nothing to say to you."
Suddenly, someone's roar echoed through the square.
*Swish.*
But before the voice faded, an arrow pierced through his head.
Shen Lang's gaze fell upon the palace maids and eunuchs. It was possible that the consorts of the King of Chu had disguised themselves as maids, or that his sons had disguised themselves as eunuchs or warriors.
"This one, this one, this one…"
Shen Lang pointed out several people, and the Nirvana Army moved to seize them from the crowd.
"What are you doing? What do you think you're doing? We're just humble palace maids!" a beautiful woman who had been captured by the Nirvana Army cried out.
Shen Lang said, "Would a palace maid have such smooth, fine skin? Would a palace maid be able to carry jewels and pearls in her bosom?"
"That one, that one, and that one. Seize them all."
At Shen Lang's command, six low-ranking eunuchs were dragged out. A eunuch with *that*? Who else could they be but the sons of the King of Chu?
Before Shen Lang's all-seeing eyes, the nobles hiding among the maids and eunuchs could not maintain their disguises and were all dragged out. But among them, there were no important figures.
"You, tell me. Did the Queen Dowager escape?" Shen Lang asked, crouching in front of one of the consorts.
The woman trembled all over and shook her head.
"I-I don't know. I really don't know."
She truly didn't know. This time, Shen Lang's plan was not only to capture the capital but also to take the Queen Dowager and other important figures hostage. That way, he could use them as bargaining chips to leave Chu easily, and his army wouldn't have to march over a thousand li through the great snow-capped mountains. But if they left without hostages, they would surely be pursued and surrounded by the armies of Chu.
Now that he had successfully taken the capital, Shen Lang didn't want any more major battles. Furthermore, holding the Queen Dowager of Chu hostage and displaying her to the public would maximize the impact of this victory.
He questioned several people, but none of them knew the Queen Dowager's whereabouts. And it was clear they weren't lying. The Queen Dowager had always been a harsh ruler and had not won the hearts of those around her. Many in the palace secretly resented her, so she kept her movements hidden from nearly everyone.
Shen Lang's X-ray scan revealed three secret passages leading out of the palace. He had already sent men to block the exits, but there was no sign of the Queen Dowager or any other key figures.
"The Queen Dowager died in the fire. She would never surrender. Dream on if you think you can capture Her Majesty," a warrior suddenly shouted.
*Swish.*
Another arrow flew and pierced his head. Shen Lang sneered.
*If you told me Ning Yuanxian and his constipated consort committed suicide, I might believe you. But a woman like the Queen Dowager of Chu committing suicide? Is that even possible?*
In any case, Shen Lang had a general grasp of the situation in the palace.
"Kill everyone except the palace maids and eunuchs!"
At Shen Lang's command, the Second Nirvana Army and the Shaman sharpshooters nocked their arrows and drew their bowstrings.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
With impeccable accuracy, the last two or three thousand warriors in the capital were all killed. They tried to resist, but arrows were buried in their heads before they could even rise.
And so, with an army of less than ten thousand, Shen Lang took control of the entire capital. He absolutely could not afford to show misplaced kindness or leave any potential threats behind.
Shen Lang turned to the palace maids and eunuchs there and said, "All of you, find a place to hide. But remember one thing: do not appear on the four main avenues. Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!"
"Thank you, Young Master, thank you!"
The thousands of palace maids and eunuchs fled in unison.
Shen Lang gave his orders.
"The Second Nirvana Army will leave five hundred men. The rest will join the Third Nirvana Army and defend the walls of the Chu capital. Soon, armies from all over Chu will try to send reinforcements to the capital! This will be the perfect opportunity to slaughter the enemy."
"Yes!"
Two thousand five hundred men from the Second Nirvana Army and the four thousand-plus troops led by the Shaman Queen left the palace and headed for the city walls.
Shen Lang, leading the two thousand men of the First Nirvana Army, continued to surround the palace, waiting for the great fire to die down so he could catch the rat in the trap.
Shen Lang wondered which would come first: the fire burning out, or the reinforcements from Chu arriving.