Chapter 144

Chapter 144

"It's the crown prince in person! On the city wall!"

Upon hearing that the crown prince had personally arrived at the battlefield, the Liangzhou rebel army first disbelieved, then kept staring toward the city gate.

The mood among the rebels in the camp had been swayed. Fei Xun saw this and knew things had gone beyond expectations. His gaze swept through the crowd, finally landing on the captive Pei Yi.

When he saw Pei Yi's expression, Fei Xun realized something was wrong. Pei Yi had been in Liangzhou City for so many years, yet he hadn't known to get rid of some key witnesses earlier. The old army medic who had treated his injuries was still alive!

The army medic was right in the Liangzhou army camp. The imperial army had completely surrounded the camp. When the old medic was helped out, his steps unsteady. Back then, he had rescued Pei Yi, who had fled to Liangzhou after a disaster. But as he was led out and saw the corpses on the ground, the elderly man's hands trembled uncontrollably.

The old army medic walked before the crowd. "That year, it was I who saved him."

"At that time, he was covered in wounds, fleeing from the northern border, escaping by the skin of his teeth to Liangzhou," the old medic said, eyes fixed on Pei Yi. "I recognize him. That year, a branch of the Pei family marched north with the Qi family. Pei Yi was still a young man then. He wasn't originally named Pei. He was rescued by the Liangzhou Army during the war, later joined the army and entered the Pei family camp, becoming General Pei's personal guard, heading north with him."

Back then, Xishu was in chaos, with countless displaced people. War had left too many children homeless. Some were forced to join the army; others didn't survive the turmoil. The old army medic had been in Liangzhou for many years and had seen all kinds of people. He had also seen Pei Yi before. So when Pei Yi fled to Xishu, it was a time when Xishu was suffering under the Prince of Qin's oppression, the army was split, and a new emperor had just ascended the throne not long ago. Many things converged, as if fate had shaped that era.

The Liangzhou Army was loyal to the late emperor. The emperor fell ill and came to power amid internal and external troubles. The Prince of Qin wanted to expand his power, and the southern region suffered one disaster after another. At first, Pei Yi didn't speak. It wasn't until the Liangzhou Army was torn apart by the Prince of Qin and the massacre of Youzhou City spread from the north to the south that Pei Yi told the Liangzhou veterans, who shared the same plight, that there was an inside story to the massacre of Youzhou City—the court's inaction had caused Youzhou's fall, and Xishu must not repeat the same mistake.

For the rebels, the fall of Youzhou City was a testament to the court's inaction, a trigger for their hatred. At first, they were half-believing, half-doubting. But as Xishu suffered injustice year after year and local governance became corrupt...some things gradually became truth.

If even what happened to Xishu was true, then how could anyone trust the story of Youzhou City in the northern border or the Qi family there? By now, everyone in Dayuan knew that the Qi family had firmly supported the emperor's ascension and was the emperor's blade.

"He said he was the only survivor from Youzhou..." The old army medic looked at Pei Yi. Even now, they were still willing to believe him.

Hearing this, the imperial army suddenly turned to Qi Hanzhou. If Pei Yi was a survivor, then what about Qi Hanzhou? If these Liangzhou soldiers had ever left Xishu and gone to the capital or the northern border, they would never have heard such an almost absurd claim. But these people in Xishu had been trapped there too long, oppressed by the prefecture for too long. Some truths had long been twisted into another answer they could accept.

"If he's a survivor, then what is our Junior General?" Ye Xuanjiu said angrily upon hearing this. "That year, Youzhou was clearly destroyed overnight because the Secret Faction colluded with the Northern Barbarians! Every soldier in the northern border knows this, or go look up the archives of the northern prefectures!"

Several veteran rebels were moved at this point. The matter of Youzhou City had always been Pei Yi's sole account. They trusted Pei Yi, so they believed his words without question.

"General Pei, say something!" the rebels shouted.

Pei Yi said nothing. A cold sneer crossed his face. "No matter how much I say, the imperial army twists everything. What's the point of talking?"

"Of course you dare not speak. That year, there were thousands of Pei Family Army soldiers in Youzhou City. Your leg was already lame before the war. General Pei Zhuiyun trusted you, and you were the strategist in charge of logistics." Qi Hanzhou looked at him. "The Qi family was still guarding the front lines of Youzhou. How could the Northern Barbarians launch a surprise attack that allowed Youzhou City to be massacred? Intelligence reports didn't arrive on time, information was wrong, requests for reinforcements were delayed, and the court never sent help..."

Pei Yi didn't answer. The surrounding rebels' expressions had already changed. If the situation had really been that dire, and Pei Yi was the strategist and also disabled...

The old army medic was stunned. "You told us a fellow officer saved you and you barely escaped with your life, and that someone was secretly hunting you, and those hunting you were the court's..."

"You were the strategist. How could you not know these things?"

As Qi Hanzhou spoke, his sword trembled. He stared intently. "Because that night, traitors appeared in Youzhou City. Those people bore the same flower totem as these assassins. That night, Youzhou's defenses were all within the Pei Family Army's expectations, but then inside agents in the city attacked the Pei Family Army, and someone opened the city gates for the Northern Barbarians. With internal and external troubles, the whole city was plunged into an inferno."

"Who opened the gates? Who could earn the trust of the Pei Family Army? Who now associates with these people..."

Hearing this, the rebels were horrified. If these assassins were indeed from the former dynasty, as the old army medic said, then Pei Yi's close relationship with Fei Xun, who had been supporting Liangzhou through Pei Yi's hands, was obvious to all in the Liangzhou Army. If what the imperial army said was true, then the massacre of Youzhou City that year was caused by Pei Yi conspiring with the former dynasty remnants!?

That was a city full of people, and the enemy was the Northern Barbarians.

The elderly people of Liangzhou would never forget the oppression of the former dynasty, nor how the Northern Barbarians trampled on the bones of Xishu's people. The young rebels might not understand this deep blood feud, but those who had lived through the old times in Liangzhou could never forget the hatred ingrained in their bones.

Pei Yi's gaze grew cold. Qi Hanzhou knew more than he had expected. Now, the more he defended himself, the more it would play into Qi Hanzhou's hands. "All lies. The court can fabricate any evidence. You still believe him?"

He knew better than the imperial army what these people's weaknesses were. They hated the court deeply. "Don't forget, the ones who attacked tonight were them..."

"The mountain burning on Nanshan!" a rebel asked tremblingly. "Do you know? There are our people in Nanshan, more than ten thousand. Is the mountain burning real?"

Pei Yi paused. The mountain burning wasn't part of his plan. It was Fei Xun's independent action.

He looked at Fei Xun, but the other man wasn't looking at him. At that moment, he suddenly understood something. Earlier, when the Nanshan ambush happened, the horn signal was misdirected. If nothing unexpected had happened, he should have gone with the troops to check Nanshan. But later, because the imperial army left empty tents, he stayed to guard the city.

Fei Xun wanted to create a massacre to incite Xishu's public anger and attack Jiangling Pass.

Qi Hanzhou had led troops here. Fei Xun must have known. The matter of Youzhou City, once confronted, would be full of holes. But if he were dead, there would be no one to confront. Even if Qi Hanzhou came before the troops, the people of Liangzhou wouldn't believe his word alone. So in Fei Xun's plan, he never intended for the Youzhou confrontation to happen. Pei Yi simply could not survive this battle for Liangzhou.

Pei Yi's evasive defense, along with the rebels trapped in Nanshan, fate unknown, shifted the attitudes of some veteran rebels. But from Pei Yi's attitude, Qi Hanzhou confirmed his guess. "Why?"

All the people in Youzhou City—Pei Yi had lived among them day and night.

How could he do that to people he lived with day and night?

Pei Yi still chose silence.

The old general at Tianqian Pass knew about the Pei family. Even though the remaining veterans and generals in Liangzhou were few, they were certainly clear about the Pei family back then. The Pei family followed the late emperor to the northern border to campaign against the Northern Barbarians. When the dust settled, they stayed to guard the northern border until the fall of Youzhou City, leaving only Pei Yi to flee to Liangzhou.

Pei Yi knew that in the face of a confrontation between two armies, the court's smooth talk would not be believed.

But now the situation was different. In his plan, the Liangzhou Army should never have had such a quiet confrontation with the imperial army. In his plan, the Liangzhou Army would be locked in a deadly battle. The hatred of lives lost would pile on top of the blood-soaked battlefield, and the truth of the past would no longer matter.

But now it was different. The court, which usually favored war, had taken an unexpectedly conciliatory stance. The Lu Family Army-led imperial forces had bent over backward to avoid a fight and choose amnesty. Tonight in Liangzhou City, Nanshan was trapped, the camp was surrounded, the main force was cut off outside Liangzhou City. When the court's emperor fought the Northern Barbarians, when the northern border troops fought the Northern Barbarians, they'd never resorted to such tactics.

Yet this very situation had created a chance for peace talks.

And there was Qi Hanzhou, this sole survivor—the only wild card in the massacre plan back then.

Just then, a whistle sounded in the camp, sudden and sharp. Almost as soon as the whistle rang out, among the previously quiet Liangzhou rebels, some suddenly turned and resisted!

"Watch out! The Liangzhou Army isn't just made of people from Liangzhou!" General Lu, who had rushed over, shouted.

This sudden turn gave Pei Yi and Fei Xun an immediate opportunity. The imperial army's words had only shaken the Liangzhou rebels. Now they couldn't allow any chance for peace talks. The whistle just now was their army's signal. Only soldiers who could hear these sounds were their own people!

Liangzhou was already a pawn to be discarded. The court was recruiting rebels and pacifying the people in northern Xishu.

These actions would make some veteran rebels waver. Rather than let these people become a threat, it was better to use their lives as a blood sacrifice! Once the whistle spread, their own people outside the city would immediately revolt!

This sudden change stunned the veteran rebels among the Liangzhou forces. They hadn't expected infighting among their own! Some veterans tried to step forward to stop it, but the real rebels who just turned instantly switched sides, turning their swords on the veterans!

Ye Xuanqi reacted in time. "Stop them!! The Liangzhou Army has agents of the Secret Faction!"

Fei Xun saw this and tried to flee. The guards hidden around him moved. The exposure of Pei Yi and the assassins meant that some things were already shaking the faith of these Liangzhou rebels.

Since things had come to this, they couldn't let what happened in Liangzhou City ruin their grand cause!

As long as the ones who needed to die were dead, what happened tonight in Liangzhou would never leak out!

No one expected so many in the camp to suddenly rise up. The imperial army knew that among the Liangzhou rebels were not just used Liangzhou garrison troops, but also troops brainwashed by the Secret Faction for years.

But they never expected these people to be so crazy they'd even kill veterans.

"Spread out!"

"Subdue them!"

"Troops outside the city are also rebelling!"

Pei Yi suddenly whipped something out from his sleeve, and as smoke dispersed, he thrashed violently and managed to rush into the rebel ranks amidst the chaos.

"Pei Yi has escaped!"

The camp erupted into chaos. Fei Xun was waiting for this very moment. Under the cover of his guards, he began to retreat, but before he could take more than a few steps, a tremendous force struck him from behind. At that moment, other Light Garment Guards hidden among the crowd moved, having been watching Fei Xun all along. They immediately intercepted the rebels as he made his move.

Fei Xun turned his head sharply, only to find Qi Hanzhou had appeared behind him without warning, his sword—sharp enough to cut through iron—still stained with blood.

Fei Xun's expression stiffened as a sharp pain shot through his foot the next moment, and he collapsed to the ground. Turning around, he saw the Liangzhou rebels who had been standing beside him staring at him with strange looks, while several wounded Liangzhou rebels wore expressions of shock.

Seeing them blocking his path, Fei Xun ignored his injury.

"You bought the court's sweet talk? After all we've done for Western Shu all these years, you're questioning us because of one Pei Yi?" Before he could finish, his face twisted in agony as an intense pain surged through him. He looked down at his foot—the wound had come into contact with a dead assassin's body, tainting it with poison.

Antidote—he needed the antidote!

Fei Xun's breathing grew labored. He frantically fumbled for the antidote in his sleeve, but with only one hand, his movements grew slower and more chaotic as a burning pain spread through his heart and skin. Everyone around him was shocked by his sudden collapse. The court soldiers and military doctors all said it was a poison from the previous dynasty, and now they witnessed its ferocity firsthand.

"Give it to me! Hand me the bottle!" Fei Xun fell to the ground, crawling desperately forward, but none of the surrounding rebels moved. Whether they were staring at the ancient poison or at the former benefactor before them, no one acted.

If they had still harbored doubts about the court army's motives, seeing the poison and antidote now made the truth crystal clear. The assassins and the poison—all were Fei Xun's doing.

These people had wanted to set fire to Nanshan, to destroy the rebels trapped there along with the court army.

Just like what had happened in Youzhou City back then...

At that moment, a young man stepped forward from the crowd.

The antidote, just inches from Fei Xun's grasp, was kicked away.

He was a young rebel soldier, his whole body trembling as he spoke. "My family is in Nanshan. You never intended to save them."

Fei Xun found it utterly absurd. His Fei family had schemed for so long, sparing no expense in Western Shu to raise an army for that lord. "How many of you have survived these years thanks to my Fei family's efforts?!"

The imperial troops closed in, and the rebels who had mutinied in the camp were subdued by the well-prepared Light Garment Guard. The Liangzhou rebels were stunned to find that their own ranks harbored traitors—a horrifying sight that instantly reminded them of the Youzhou City the imperial troops had just mentioned...

The bodies of the newly slain assassins had not been handled by Chen Xuqiu, and their poison was at its most potent.

The area was already surrounded by imperial troops, and other members of the Secret Faction took advantage of the chaos to flee toward the city gates.

Fei Xun was now completely encircled by imperial soldiers.

He could only crawl forward. By now, he had lost all trace of a scholar's elegance; his skin was beginning to show signs of decay. By the time he finally reached the antidote, his body had lost all sensation. He touched the bottle, but as he tried to lift it, his strength suddenly failed him, and the pills scattered across the ground.

He reached out to pick up the pills, but couldn't grasp even a single one.

Fei Xun's mind went blank. He couldn't die here. He couldn't die here. He still had his grand ambition—he was meant to become a powerful minister who would dominate the court... As his vision went dark, he saw the people around him seemed to part, and a figure walked up to him.

It was Ying Fusheng.

Wasn't he on the city wall?

"At first, when you failed to lure General Lu into Liangzhou, you wasted an excuse to raise an army." Ying Fusheng stopped a few steps away from him. "Tens of thousands of troops gathered in Liangzhou—how many were Liangzhou natives, and how many were Secret Faction members? Did you think the imperial court wouldn't be on guard?"

Seeing Ying Fusheng, a flicker of clarity passed through Fei Xun's mind. He thought of the fire in Nanshan and Ying Fusheng's sudden appearance here. The imperial court's goal had never been just pacification; they had long been wary of the Secret Faction hiding within the Liangzhou Army. Probably even as he was preparing to set the mountain ablaze, Ying Fusheng had already anticipated this step.

Damn it, those useless fools—how many more troops was the imperial army hiding?!

"Are you wondering how many troops I brought from Youzhou?" Ying Fusheng crouched down, looking at the dying man before him. Around them, the rebels were gradually being suppressed by the imperial forces lying in ambush. "These men include the Northern Border Light Garment Guard, imperial troops, soldiers from Jiangnan, and men from Western Shu."

Fei Xun, seeing his thoughts laid bare, felt a surge of resentment.

Ying Fusheng shot him a cold look. "How does the poison feel? Do you know there was once someone like you, stung by the venomous insects you raised? How many people have you used this poison on? The Empress Dowager, the Empress, the Minister of War... and even the Prince of Pingnan?"

Fei Xun's eyes widened, and he immediately coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

The young man before him was no longer the boy Fei Xun remembered from Jiangnan. Standing before the imperial army, he showed no hint of weakness. With the same pale face, as he spoke, under the glow of the beacon fire, his calm, emotionless eyes seemed to mirror the dancing flames.

When Chen Xuqiu and Wu Lao arrived and saw this, their expressions flickered.

The imperial soldiers nearby were already stunned that the poison had reached the Empress Dowager and the others.

"Youzhou City in the North, Jiangling Prefecture, the three prefectures of Jiangnan... and now you want to attack Liangzhou." Ying Fusheng stood up, looking down at him. "Even dying a thousand times wouldn't repay the blood debts."

He turned to the people beside him. "Cripple his legs, cut out his tongue, and keep him breathing."

A man like him should never find peace.

"There is still one more." Ying Fusheng turned to look into the distance.

In the camp, the "Liangzhou rebels," who had mutinied at the whistle signal, only charged the city gate. Pei Yi took advantage of the chaos to seize a horse and flee, using the confusion Fei Xun had created to escape. Fei Xun wanting him dead had become a thorn in his side. When he had worked for the Princess Consort of Pingnan, Fei Xun was nothing but a brat... If he could just get outside the city and join up with Fei Xun's remaining rebels, he could escape in the chaos, then find a way to kill all the old Liangzhou soldiers. There would still be a chance to turn things around in Liangzhou.

Pei Yi thought this as his horse sped faster.

Faster, just a little faster. The Liangzhou city gate was right in front of him.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of galloping hooves behind him. He turned and saw Qi Hanzhou behind him. In that instant, his face tightened. He wished he could kill that little bastard with his own hands, but now the greater cause was more important.

Qi Hanzhou watched Pei Yi fleeing in the distance, dropped the reins and nocked three arrows to his bow.

The bowstring twanged, and the arrows sliced through the air. As the arrow feathers vibrated, blood spurted. The galloping horse let out a scream. Two arrows hit Pei Yi in the back and waist, and he tumbled off the horse, crashing to the ground.

The surrounding imperial army rushed over, but General Lu stopped the soldiers behind him.

As Pei Yi tried to get up after falling, Qi Hanzhou drew his bow again.

Another arrow flew, hitting Pei Yi's leg.

Another arrow hit his hand.

Every arrow missed a vital spot, but each one buried itself deep in Pei Yi's body.

Arrow after arrow, until the man crawling on the ground couldn't move anymore.

The surrounding imperial army watched this scene, and no one stepped forward to stop it. The countless lives lost in Youzhou City—this man deserved to be pierced by ten thousand arrows and die a thousand deaths.

Everyone expected the Junior General Qi to ride up to him, but Qi Hanzhou didn't even glance at him again.

His horse stepped over Pei Yi on the ground and headed straight for the city gate. The men behind him followed him out of the city.

Outside the city were countless members of the Secret Faction drawn out by the whistle signal.

Some blood feuds still had scores to settle. Apart from the imperial army clearing out the Secret Faction inside the city, the rest of the imperial army followed Qi Hanzhou out of the city without hesitation. Pei Yi's body was trampled by countless warhorses, left in silence on the ground before the Liangzhou city gate.

General Lu looked at the almost shapeless corpse on the ground and ordered—

"Hang him on the walls of Liangzhou, facing the northern desert."

Outside Liangzhou City, the sky began to lighten. Amid the dawn light, the horn sounded again.

The sound carried far, as if riding the wind from this night in Liangzhou, all the way to the northern border, to the northern desert.