Chapter 703
Chapter 703
The materials used to build the Chu royal palace were of exceptional quality. The wood was so fine that even after burning for a full day and night, the great fire had yet to be extinguished. Watching the palaces collapse one by one, Shen Lang felt as though he were committing a great sin. He didn't know what Xiang Yu felt when he burned the Epang Palace, but Shen Lang, at least, felt no joy. Of course, he didn't feel particularly regretful either.
The flames that had engulfed the palace gradually subsided, replaced by thick smoke that pierced the sky. The dense smoke was clearly visible from nearly a hundred *li* away. Initially, the common people had intended to put out the fire, but they soon gave up after merely poking their heads out.
Roughly fifteen *shichen* later, the first of Chu's reinforcements arrived—about twenty thousand men. The commander of these reinforcements was Chen Shen, the Prefect of Yan Commandery. When he looked up, he saw a large character for "Ning" already hanging on the capital's walls. For a moment, he couldn't believe his eyes. Upon hearing that the Yue army had launched a surprise attack on the Chu capital, Prefect Chen had immediately gathered all the militia in his commandery to form a relief force. He had marched day and night to reach the capital. He had originally expected to coordinate with the capital's defenders, attacking the enemy from both inside and out to completely annihilate the Yue army. But to his surprise, the capital had already fallen.
*'Is... is this even possible? Weren't there tens of thousands of troops in the Chu capital? According to our intelligence, the army Shen Lang and Ning Zheng brought to raid the capital numbered less than ten thousand. How could it have fallen in less than two days? The capital is one of the most fortified cities in the world. Under normal circumstances, an enemy army wouldn't dare attack it without at least a hundred thousand soldiers. What incredible method did Shen Lang use to conquer the capital in just one day with fewer than ten thousand men?'*
Soon, Prefect Chen of Chu looked at the Yue soldiers on the city walls and saw that there were only about six thousand of them. He suppressed the urge to launch a probing attack. Without attempting to negotiate, he immediately dispatched a rider to report to the King of Chu. Then, he and his twenty thousand troops remained, surrounding a corner of the city wall to await the arrival of other reinforcements.
* * *
After burning for two days and two nights, the fire at the Chu royal palace finally died out. The once incomparably beautiful palace was now a complete ruin, with most of its halls collapsed. In this era, palaces were built primarily of wood, especially the pillars and beams. Thus, the Chu royal palace was reduced to charred, crumbling ramparts and broken walls.
The Chu royal palace was a structure that had stood for over three hundred years, expanded by successive kings to its current size. How much money had been spent on its construction? It was an amount difficult to calculate, but it was certainly astronomical. To rebuild an identical palace would undoubtedly take decades, even with the full resources of the State of Chu. Therefore, Shen Lang's act of setting fire to the palace was a devastating blow to Chu, one that severely damaged its prestige.
* * *
Shen Lang led the First Nirvana Army into the palace to begin a search. By his estimation, the Queen of Chu, several princes, the king's important consorts, and Privy Council Envoy Yan Jing were still within the palace grounds. The capital had fallen so suddenly that they wouldn't have had time to escape. They were most likely hiding in an underground secret chamber.
If Shen Lang's prediction was correct, the secret chamber would be located beneath a pond. The great fire had consumed the entire palace, producing deadly, thick smoke. An abundance of smoke leads to oxygen deprivation. The greatest danger was the thick smoke seeping into the secret chamber, suffocating those inside. Therefore, building the chamber beneath a pond would increase their chances of survival.
For anyone else, finding the entrance to a secret chamber within these ruins would be like finding a needle in a haystack. But Shen Lang had his X-ray vision. After just half a *shichen*, he located the chamber. As expected, it was near the pond, and there was even an underground waterway nearby. The entrance was buried under a pile of rubble. Li Qianqiu and Gu Duhan stepped forward to examine it.
"Young Master, the entrance is a thick, large iron door!"
It was time to use the thermite again. They attached the thermite to the iron door and lit the accelerant.
*Boom.*
An intensely dazzling white light erupted as the thermite produced an incredible amount of heat, melting through the thick iron door. From within the secret chamber came screams of alarm. Li Qianqiu could clearly sense a murderous intent from inside. Moreover, a Grandmaster-level expert was guarding the entrance. This was perfectly normal. The Yue royal palace was also guarded by Grandmasters, so it was only natural for the Chu palace to have one as well. Besides, the entrance was narrow; if one person stood guard, ten thousand couldn't get through. If that guard was a Grandmaster, perhaps even hundreds or thousands of men would be unable to enter.
Without a word, Shen Lang immediately threw a gas canister inside. Of course, it wasn't a true biochemical weapon. Its effects were even weaker than tear gas. The main ingredients were extracted chili powder and other potent irritant gases. But who was inside the secret chamber? The Queen of Chu, several favored consorts, princes, and princesses—people who had lived their entire lives in luxury.
For the past two days and nights, they had been so terrified they could barely breathe. In such a state, the explosion of Shen Lang's homemade tear gas bomb was an overwhelming shock they couldn't handle. They couldn't open their eyes, which felt as if they were being burned blind. Their throats felt scorched, making it impossible to breathe. It truly felt like a torment from hell.
"Aaargh!"
A series of wretched screams echoed out. Shen Lang spoke in a calm voice.
"Your Majesty, the Queen, will you remain inside, or will you come out and surrender?"
At that moment, the Queen of Chu couldn't even speak to answer Shen Lang's question. After a long pause, she spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Ning Zheng, Shen Lang. Do you not fear the wrath of the heavens for committing such a heinous act?"
In response, Shen Lang said nothing and simply threw another gas canister inside.
"Aaargh!"
"We're dying, we're dying! We surrender! Stop throwing them!"
It wasn't the Queen who screamed, but another woman. The sound of a young boy crying could also be heard. A moment later, everyone from the secret chamber emerged. Shen Lang noticed an old eunuch, his eyes bloodshot, still trying to protect his mistress. The sight reminded Shen Lang of Ning Yuanxian's own loyal eunuch. This old eunuch was also a Master-level expert. Shen Lang took out a vial and said.
"Sir, you are a Master-level expert, which makes us uneasy. Please, drink this medicine. You will sleep for a few days, and nothing more will happen. I would rather not sever the tendons in your limbs."
The old eunuch flinched and hesitated. At this, Shen Lang raised his hand, and instantly, hundreds of bows were aimed at the queen and the princes. If the eunuch refused, Shen Lang was prepared to turn the Chu nobles into pincushions. The old eunuch glanced at Shen Lang, his expression complex but not filled with resentment.
"Hah!"
With a sigh, he immediately drank the contents of the small vial Shen Lang offered. He lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot, unlikely to wake for several days and nights. The Queen of Chu, her eyes even more bloodshot, glared at Shen Lang with a look of sorrow and fury—a hatred that seemed to cut to the bone.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
To Shen Lang's question, the Queen of Chu replied coldly.
"Shen Lang, you will surely face retribution. But it will not be karma from the heavens, but retribution from the world! From this day forward, you are the sworn enemy of our State of Chu for all eternity!"
"Is that so? I'm so scared. But if I were you, I would shut my mouth and quietly accept my fate as a prisoner."
Shen Lang gestured, and two warriors stepped forward to bind the queen's hands tightly. The queen let out a frantic, sharp scream.
"What are you doing? I am the Queen of Chu. What are you trying to do?"
Shen Lang took out a syringe, jabbed it into the lymph node area of the queen's groin, and injected the entire contents. The queen trembled in fear and shrieked.
"Shen Lang, what did you inject me with? What was it?"
"You will find out in a few days. This is your punishment for your insolent words just now. If you make another scene, I guarantee I will make you wish for death. Why don't you save yourself the humiliation and act like a proper prisoner, before I'm forced to pour ten pounds of urine on you?"
The queen's entire body trembled.
"I asked you a question. Can you do that?"
In response to Shen Lang's question, the queen nodded.
"Don't just nod. Answer me. Can you do it?"
Shen Lang asked coldly. The Queen of Chu replied, her voice choked with sobs.
"I will!"
She had never experienced such humiliation in her life. But she was not as proud or brave as she had imagined herself to be. The emotion that now dominated her mind was terror.
"Good. Now, we're going to parade you through the streets. Prepare a carriage. Put the queen, the princes, and the consorts in it. Take them on a tour along the main roads of the capital and show everyone that their queen has been captured."
What followed was an even more humiliating scene. The queen and all the other nobles were fitted with golden paper shackles—symbolic restraints used for high-status criminals—and paraded through the streets in a carriage.
"Come and see! Here is the Queen of Chu, here are some royal consorts, and here are the princes! The royal family of Chu is on display! People of the capital, come out and see your queen!"
Throngs of people did indeed come out to watch. Their first reaction was one of great humiliation, followed by deep disappointment.
*'Why don't these supreme royals commit suicide? Why don't they die to protect the dignity of Chu, instead of suffering such shame at the hands of the Yue people? And the queen—didn't she always carry herself with such supreme grace, acting as if she cared for all the people under heaven? Why is she in such a panic now, her face stained with tears, her body trembling? And is that a wet patch in the middle of her skirt? Did she wet herself?'*
In truth, Shen Lang had ordered someone to splash her.
For several *shichen*, the carriage carrying the nobles completed its tour of the capital's streets. The countless citizens of the Chu capital all saw them clearly. Some were filled with righteous indignation, while others wailed. But for most, the image they held of the royal family had all but shattered.