Chapter 33 : A Crushing Defeat
General Han led his fifty thousand elite soldiers to attack the city under cover of darkness. The plan was to take the capital first, then signal the other commanders with fireworks to bring in the remaining troops, aiming to resolve the rebellion as bloodlessly as possible by forcing the rebels to surrender. Speed was crucial—if news of the internal strife spread, neighboring enemy states would surely seize the opportunity to invade, plunging the nation into chaos both within and without. The consequences would be unthinkable.
"Attack the city!" General Han's thunderous command rang out. Thousands of shield bearers advanced in unison, while three rows of crossbowmen spread out behind them. The first row fired, then retreated to reload, the second row stepped forward to shoot, and the third swiftly took their place. The volleys of arrows came in relentless waves, filling the sky with a deadly storm. On the city walls, men screamed as they were struck and fell to their deaths. Meanwhile, hundreds of soldiers rammed the massive battering ram against the gates, while thousands more scaled the walls on ladders.
Suddenly, steam and smoke billowed from the battlements. Buckets of scalding water and boiling oil rained down, followed by flaming arrows. The attacking soldiers howled in agony—some burned alive, others boiled to death.
Tong Yuan, frantic, turned to the general. "What do we do now?"
"Fall back!" General Han roared. "Archers, switch to fire arrows!" The crossbowmen and archers quickly swapped positions. "Fire!" Another command, and thousands of flaming arrows streaked upward. The oil on the walls ignited, engulfing the rebels in flames. In their panic, they splashed boiling water on each other to douse the fire, only to scream as they scalded themselves. "Cease fire! Cover the advance—resume the assault!"
"Wait! General Han!" A voice cut through the chaos. The general raised his hand, halting his men, and looked up. There, on the city wall, the rebel commander Gu Rong stood with two soldiers lowering a bound figure—General Han's elderly mother, suspended over the gates.
"Mother!" The general lunged forward, but Tong Yuan grabbed his arm. "Don't!"
The old woman, her hair disheveled and face haggard, strained against her bonds. "Ping'er! Don't mind me! Kill these traitors and save the Emperor—there's no time! Do you hear me? Go!"
Gu Rong, unnerved by her defiance, barked, "Withdraw your troops, General Han, or we'll pour boiling oil on her!" To emphasize his threat, soldiers lifted a bubbling cauldron to the edge.
"Stop!" The general's voice was raw with fury.
"Then retreat! Or don't blame me for what happens next!" Gu Rong sneered, emboldened by the general's hesitation.
"Ping'er! You must not retreat! The rebels are slaughtering their way through the palace—if you delay, it'll be too late! I'm not afraid to die! If you still call yourself my son, cut down these honorless, treasonous dogs!" With that, she clenched her jaw—blood gushed from her mouth as she bit off her own tongue.
"Mother—!" The general's anguished howl tore through the night.
"Avenge the matriarch! Charge!" The soldiers' roar shook the heavens.
On the walls, the rebels panicked. "Shit, it's hot! You little rats—running so fast!" The men holding the oil dumped it haphazardly and fled, splashing the scalding liquid onto Gu Rong, who howled and clutched his burned feet. As he straightened, a hail of arrows thudded into his chest. Gurgling blood, he collapsed, eyes wide in disbelief.
Karma had come for him at last.
The city gates burst open under the army's wrath. Fireworks exploded in the sky—the signal for the other commanders to converge. They quickened their march, their massive forces closing in on the capital.
But tens of thousands of rebels surged out to meet them, their leader bellowing, "Kill! The more you slaughter, the greater your reward! Five hundred thousand taels of gold for General Han's head!"
The general scoffed. "Tong Yuan, retrieve my mother's body. Guard it well—I'm going to wipe them out." Sword raised, he led the charge. The battle raged, neither side yielding.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, seventy-two elite assassins and two hundred thousand rebels slaughtered their way through the feeble defenses. Imperial Guard Commander Lu Zheng fought desperately with his dwindling forces but was soon overrun.
In the Crown Prince's quarters, the young heir hid in a secret compartment, hands clamped over his mouth. He could hear the screams of maids and eunuchs being butchered, but he dared not make a sound. These killers moved like beasts—one slip, and he'd be dead. He had to hold on until General Han arrived. He had to believe.
In the Emperor's study, the Dowager Empress sat calmly sipping tea, unshaken.
The Emperor glared at Vice Commander Mou Shang of the Imperial Guard. "Where is your master, the Fifth Prince? Too proud to show his face for this coup?"
Mou Shang simpered. "His Highness is... occupied. But why trouble yourself, Majesty? Just write the abdication edict. Let the Fifth Prince rule in your stead—you'll live in comfort, and I can report my success. We're all tired tonight." He laid out ink and paper with exaggerated courtesy.
The Emperor smirked. "Mou Shang, you were wasted as a mere vice commander at thirty."
Mou Shang preened. "Oh? What would Your Majesty suggest?"
"The eunuch's office." The room erupted in laughter.
Mou Shang's face purpled. "Shut up!" he screeched at his men before turning back to the Emperor. "Enough games. Write the edict."
"Do you know the fate of traitors?" the Emperor demanded.
Mou Shang sneered inwardly. Still playing emperor when death's at your door? Aloud, he said, "Of course! Wealth, rank, glory for generations!"
A booming laugh cut through the tension. The doors flew open, and General Han strode in, armor bloodied but unbowed. "In all my years, I've never heard rebellion praised as filial piety! Arrest them!" He knelt before the Emperor and Dowager. "Forgive my delay in rescuing you."
The Emperor's eyes shone. "Rise, General. Your service is beyond measure."
The Dowager stepped forward, studying the general's wounds. "You're covered in blood—are you hurt?"
He grinned, his handsome face radiant despite the grime. "Only scratches. The rest is the enemy's."
"Thank heavens, the general is really worthy of being called ──be careful──!" Her words ended in a gasp as she shoved him aside. A black-fletched dart sprouted from her chest. She collapsed, foaming black blood.
At the doorway, a dying assassin slumped, his last spiteful act complete.
"Mother—!" The emperor recovered from his shock, picked up the empress dowager and ran, "Imperial physician! Imperial physician! Get out of the way, don't block me -!" The emperor's hoarse and grief-stricken cry echoed in the corridor of the palace for a long time.
The east is getting light, the dawn is beginning to appear, and everything will return to its former tranquility. However, the price paid for this tranquility is too high and too painful!
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