Chapter 94: Retribution (2)
The imperial carriage procession was passing beyond the center of Jiangxi Province, navigating the trails of Mount Jinan. It was a grand train of over a thousand people, consisting of court ministers, the escorting Jin imperial guards, and the court ladies and eunuchs serving the Emperor.
The commander of the imperial guard and the core martial experts of the imperial family had remained in the capital, choosing to fight to the death. Consequently, the person currently in charge of the procession’s safety was Chief Escort Administrator Zhao Chong.
Zhao Chong approached Prime Minister Qin Hui with a dark expression and spoke in a low voice.
“Prime Minister, at this rate, we will soon be overtaken by the pursuing forces of the Hui Dynasty. We must disband the main column so that we can at least preserve His Majesty’s sacred person.”
“Are you saying it doesn’t matter if the ministers all die? If we go a little further, reinforcement troops will arrive one after another to rescue His Majesty.”
Qin Hui looked extremely displeased.
The core officials of the current court were all men he had personally groomed with great effort. It was because of them that Qin Hui’s political grip over the realm existed. He could not abandon everything he had built up to this point.
“The road is narrow and rugged, and the procession cannot maintain its speed because of the imperial carriage. Why don’t we abandon the carriage at least?”
The massive imperial carriage was specially constructed for the Emperor’s exclusive use. Twelve martial artist soldiers were employed just to carry it.
Within the massive carriage, which was spacious enough for three or four people to roll around in, the whimpers of court ladies could still be heard even now.
“His Majesty has declared that he will never abandon the imperial carriage. Once we clear Mount Jinan, the terrain will flatten out, so endure just a little longer.”
“Sigh… I understand.”
How could a mere Chief Escort Administrator dare rebel against Qin Hui? Zhao Chong, having offered his opinion only to be ignored, hung his head.
Just then, a eunuch approached and said, “His Majesty says he is hungry. He has ordered that a meal be prepared immediately.”
Fleeing in such haste, there was no way they could have prepared sufficient food. Having eaten nothing since yesterday, it was only natural that the Emperor was hungry. Qin Hui’s irritation surged, but with so many eyes watching, he could not ignore the request.
“I understand. Tell His Majesty that a grand feast will be prepared within two hours.”
Once the eunuch departed, Zhao Chong looked at Qin Hui in confusion.
“We can only obtain provisions this evening at the government office of Mayang County. What method do you have?”
“I heard there is a village at the foot of Mount Jinan.”
“Yes, there is a village called Taiping Village, but…”
“Take a hundred guards and go ahead. Procure food there and set up a lavish table. Since His Majesty is in low spirits, you should prepare a few young women as well.”
“Are you… ordering me to plunder?”
Qin Hui glared at him, his brow furrowed.
“How can you refer to the citizens dedicating themselves to His Majesty as plundering!”
“Understood…”
Zhao Chong led a hundred imperial guards and disappeared at high speed, utilizing their lightfoot techniques.
The procession continued to advance along their trail. Every time they encountered a narrow path, the numerous escorts had to struggle, as they had to chop down trees and clear a path for the massive carriage to pass.
Two hours later, the procession finally cleared the narrow pass and arrived at Taiping Village. Blood splatters and the scent of blood filled the air, indicating the villagers had resisted the plundering.
Zhao Chong, blindly loyal, had carried out the Prime Minister’s orders faithfully. Along with a lavish dining table, young girls could be seen weeping in a corner.
A moment later, the Emperor emerged from the carriage. His greasy face and bulging belly made it easy to guess how lazy a life he had been leading.
“How distressing…”
The Emperor shook his head repeatedly as he sat at the table. A eunuch approached and asked, “What is distressing, Your Majesty?”
“Am I not the Son of Heaven? How could it not be distressing for the heaven to eat such humble food?”
Although there was no meat of the kind the Emperor favored, it was still a table set with eight side dishes. Watching the Emperor complain about his food, Qin Hui approached with an irritated expression.
“Your Majesty, the soldiers are subsisting on dry rations. We must depart again in fifteen minutes, so please hurry. Once we reach our destination, we will present a grand feast.”
The Emperor looked around. The ministers were also shoving plain rice into their mouths without any side dishes just to survive.
“Sob…”
Feeling wronged, the Emperor shed tears as he began to move his chopsticks. Qin Hui stood silently, waiting for him to finish. Exactly fifteen minutes later, the procession set off once more.
At the front, Zhao Chong led the soldiers and shouted, “Move out!”
They could not afford to delay at all until they met the reinforcement troops. The procession pressed on relentlessly. As they entered the plains, their pace began to quicken.
After an hour of marching, welcome news finally arrived. A scout rushed forward, panting.
“Commander! Reinforcements have finally arrived.”
“Phew. Good work. Where are they from?”
“It is Nam Jin, the County Magistrate from Mayang County.”
Hearing the news, the court ministers relaxed. Soon, the reinforcements appeared.
Over a thousand local soldiers were lined up over the hill. Although the number was smaller than expected, it did not matter. More troops would surely join them later.
The Prime Minister stepped forward and said, “Commander Zhao, tell them to guard our rear and buy us time.”
“Understood.”
Just as Zhao Chong was about to call out, his eyes widened and his body froze. County Magistrate Nam Jin and his soldiers had aimed their bows directly at the procession.
“Draw!!!”
Creak!
The arrows nocked on the bows were aimed straight at the imperial procession.
Zhao Chong shouted in disbelief, “What do you think you are doing?! We are on the same side!”
Nam Jin shouted back without backing down, “We cannot permit you to enter our county! Go back!”
“How dare you not lower your bows immediately?! This is His Majesty’s imperial procession!”
“His Majesty is ruthlessly trampling every village he passes! As the magistrate guarding this county, I will not permit our people to be plundered!”
Zhao Chong stood gap-toothed in disbelief. Qin Hui stepped forward and asked him, “How long will it take to eliminate them all?”
“Since they are prepared to fight to the death, it will take at least an hour.”
These were the Emperor’s guards, trained in martial arts. They were not forces that local conscripts could match. But time was the issue.
“Right now, an hour is worth more than ten thousand gold. Alter our course and proceed.”
“But those rebels…”
“There are always madmen in this world. There is no need to worry about them now. Once we establish ourselves, we can summon and execute them.”
Zhao Chong nodded and shouted to the rear, “We will bypass Mayang County and proceed to Gao’an County for provisions!”
The mood of the procession turned grim. The court ministers, including the Emperor, gnashed their teeth in fury.
Just as they were contemplating a hundred ways to execute the magistrate of Mayang County, a scout rushed forward, shouting, “General Huang Yu’s reinforcements, who set out from Hunan Province, have set up camp nearby!”
Color returned to Zhao Chong’s face.
“Turn toward them immediately!”
After another hour, they arrived at the plains near Yichang. Two thousand well-trained soldiers were lined up in formation.
The imperial procession stopped fifty yards away. Qin Hui called out in a satisfied voice to one of the mounted imperial guards, “Go and bring General Huang Yu here immediately!”
“Yes, Prime Minister!”
The rider galloped forward without hesitation.
Huang Yu, clad in golden armor and a helmet adorned with red tassels, strode forward to meet the rider, holding a large saber.
When the distance between them closed to a single yard, Huang Yu’s saber drew a sharp arc and sliced the guard in two with a single blow.
Slash!
The court ministers gaped in horror. Shocked, Chief Escort Administrator Zhao Chong shouted, “General Huang Yu! What is the meaning of this?!”
“No one passes here until I meet His Majesty!”
Huang Yu was resolute. Judging by his tone, words would not convince him. Seeing this, the ministers turned their gazes toward the imperial carriage.
The Emperor had already heard the entire exchange from inside. It was a situation where he had to step forward.
A moment later, the Emperor emerged and walked to the front of the procession.
“Why are you directing your anger at Us, General?”
“A wise ruler knows how to distinguish loyal ministers from treacherous ones! Yet, Your Majesty has only employed deceitful eunuchs and handed out unfair rewards and punishments!”
“We will review the matters and handle them fairly, so kneel immediately and show your loyalty!”
Huang Yu roared in grief-stricken fury, “Then execute the traitor Qin Hui on this very spot!”
The Emperor fell silent, flustered. How could he execute the Prime Minister who had already seized control of the court?
Qin Hui asked Zhao Chong with a furious face, “Can your men sweep them aside?”
These were the elite guards of the imperial family. However, the problem was that the enemy outnumbered them four to one.
“We can win. However, we must be prepared to sustain some losses.”
Qin Hui fell into thought to resolve this crisis. The standoff continued. They could not afford to waste time.
“Attack.”
“Yes, Prime Minister.”
Led by Chief Escort Administrator Zhao Chong, five hundred imperial guards stepped forward. Huang Yu gripped his saber and shouted as if he had expected this.
“We are not betraying our country; we are eliminating the plague for the sake of the world! Prepare for battle!”
His two thousand soldiers tightened their lines and prepared to attack. Although they were infantry, their composition was solid. There were five hundred archers, two hundred shield-bearers, and the rest were spearmen and swordsmen.
To prevent the archers from firing, the imperial guards charged forward immediately. Since they moved with great agility, there was no time for aimed shots.
“Archers, fire!”
Five hundred archers fired their arrows at random.
Thwack!
Arrows soared high into the sky and began to rain down on the charging guards. However, the imperial guards were not easy targets. Most of them dodged or deflected the arrows. Fewer than ten percent of the five hundred guards were hit.
“Shield wall!”
At Huang Yu’s command, the two hundred shield-bearers converged to form a wall.
Clang!
At that moment, twenty imperial guards surged ahead from the main column. Their weapons radiated sharp sword qi.
Huang Yu was surprised by the strength of the escort unit. In his own army, only five men were capable of releasing sword qi.
A moment later, the twenty guards clashed with the shield wall. The shields were ripped apart like paper by the sword qi.
Rip! Slash!
The front line collapsed instantly, and a chaotic melee ensued. Between Huang Yu’s two thousand regular soldiers and the five hundred imperial guards, the battle favored the guards from the very beginning.
“Agh!”
Gripping his saber, Huang Yu could not gather his bearings. Three imperial guards capable of releasing sword qi were focusing their attacks on him.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew continuously as their blades clashed.
Stepping backward, Huang Yu’s expression darkened. Another guard was approaching, releasing sword qi.
‘Damn it! Is the strength of the imperial escort truly this formidable?’
His officers were also struggling in various parts of the battlefield.
Just as his posture faltered, a guard seized the opening and lunged at his back.
In that moment of life and death, something completely unexpected happened.
Slash!
With a clean cutting sound, the guard attempting to attack Huang Yu was sliced in two.
‘Who…?’
Huang Yu saw a dark, shadow-like figure. The shadow immediately began to envelop the guards surrounding him.
Whoosh!
The movement was too fast for the eye to follow, as if a fierce whirlwind was wrapping around them.
When the wind stopped, a soldier stood there, his back turned.
Thud!
It was the sound of the three guards who had been releasing sword qi falling to the ground in pieces.
‘Did I have such a soldier under my command?’
He could not believe it. The man was clearly dressed in the uniform of his own soldiers, except for the fact that he was holding a straight saber.
A moment later, the soldier darted toward another part of the battlefield like lightning.