coobybook Chapter 456 Bloodbath of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Chapter 456 Bloodbath of the Mid-Autumn Festival
He was no longer the high and mighty crown prince, but a brave warrior fighting the enemy!
Li Changyu's swordsmanship is skillful and powerful, targeting the enemy's vital points.
The disciples of Mojian Manor possess exquisite sword formations, combining offense and defense; Zhao Hu is brave and his poetry is ingenious.
The common people filled the gaps with their own flesh and blood and the simplest weapons!
Although the rebels were fearless and valiant, they finally began to crumble in the face of such tenacious resistance and the constant influx of new reinforcements!
However, just as the scales of victory began to tip, another unexpected event occurred!
Several undercover agents, who had been hiding among the people and appeared to be ordinary elderly, weak, women and children, suddenly launched an attack!
Poisoned daggers and hidden weapons were aimed directly at the back of the Crown Prince and Shi Wanxia!
This is the final killing move of the remnants of the Rongyang King!
"Be careful, Your Highness!"
"Be careful girl!"
Zhao Hu and Shi Qing exclaimed in surprise at the same time, and rushed forward to block the attack without regard for their own safety!
*Thud!* Shi Qing used her shoulder to block a poisoned dart for Shi Wanxia, then groaned and fell to the ground.
Zhao Hu deflected the hidden weapon aimed at the prince with his knife, but was slashed in the abdomen by another assassin disguised as an old woman!
Loyal guards and brave civilians risked their lives to stop this final, insidious assassination attempt.
"Shiqing!"
"Zhao Hu!"
Shi Wanxia and the Crown Prince exclaimed in surprise.
Li Changyu roared and unleashed his sword energy, instantly killing the disguised assassins!
With the elimination of these deeply hidden agents, the remaining rebels finally lost all will to fight and began to scatter and flee, where they were wiped out one by one by the armies led by Prince Xiang, Lin Yiyu, and Cui Zhihao and his nephew.
At dawn, the battle finally ended.
The city of Chuzhou was littered with corpses and rivers of blood, including those of rebels, as well as countless brave civilians and soldiers.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood, a truly horrific scene.
But Chuzhou City was defended! The Crown Prince is unharmed! Shi Wanxia is unharmed!
The survivors looked at each other, their eyes filled with exhaustion and sorrow, but also with a determination and unity forged in the crucible of war.
Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou gazed upon the devastated city and the dead and wounded civilians, his eyes filled with profound sorrow. He gripped his sword hilt tightly, his voice hoarse yet unwavering: "The scourge of the traitors will surely be eradicated! I will avenge every righteous man who has sacrificed himself today!"
This bloody battle on the night of the Ghost Festival ignited the determination to wipe out the remnants of the Rongyang King's forces.
As the first light of dawn pierced the smoke of battle in Chuzhou City, the bloodstains on the streets had already congealed into a dark brown, mixing with the tattered paper lanterns and scattered incense ash left over from the Ghost Festival, creating a tragic scene of carnage.
The cavalry of the Beijing garrison were clearing out the scattered rebels from street to street. Blood dripped from their steel blades onto the bluestone slabs, splattering fine red marks, but could not suppress the low sobs of the people.
Some people were digging for the remains of their loved ones under the broken walls, while others slumped on the ground, clutching blood-stained hoes, their eyes filled with emptiness.
Shi Wanxia was holding a clean piece of linen and squatting down next to Shi Qing to treat the poison dart wound on her shoulder and neck.
The tip of the dart was coated with the poison of "Corrosive Heart Grass," a poison commonly used by the Rongyang King's men. Although it was not as lethal as killing on sight, it would cause the wound to fester and ooze pus.
She had to first prick the poisoned blood with silver needles, and then apply the boiled antidote herbs.
Shi Qing was in so much pain that cold sweat beaded on her forehead, but she gritted her teeth and refused to utter a sound. She just gripped Shi Wanxia's wrist and whispered, "Miss... don't worry about me, go see Commander Zhao Hu, his wound is even deeper..."
Not far away, a military doctor was stitching up the knife wound in Zhao Hu's abdomen. The knife had almost cut open his abdominal cavity; if he hadn't instinctively pulled his abdomen in, he probably would have died long ago.
Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou stood to the side, personally handing Zhao Hu a clean handkerchief. His gaze swept over the corpses on the street, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists tightly.
Although he fought valiantly last night, it was far less tragic than what he was witnessing now—a seven or eight-year-old child lay on his own doorstep, clutching half a half-eaten wheat cake in his hand.
An old woman lay prone beside a roadblock, a broken sword stuck in her back, her coarse cloth skirt soaked with blood.
"Your Highness."
Prince Xiang, Shen Yanchu, strode over, his silver armor stained with blood, followed by Lin Yiyu.
Lin Yiyu's white clothes were stained with blood, but the bloodstains on his sword had been wiped dry. He nodded slightly and handed over a bronze token that had been taken from the rebel leader.
"Your Highness, this is the 'Mysterious Token' of the remnants of the Prince of Rongyang. Whoever holds this token can mobilize his hidden agents in Jiangnan."
"Of the rebels who launched the surprise attack last night, 30% were outlaws from the underworld, and another 20%... were former subordinates of the former Grand Canal Transport Commissioner."
Shen Yanzhou took the bronze plaque, his fingertips tracing the character "Xuan" engraved on it, his eyes cold: "Grand Canal Transport Commissioner? He was dismissed three years ago for embezzlement, and then he turned to Prince Rongyang?"
"It seems that the Prince of Rongyang's influence in Jiangnan is deeper than we expected."
He looked up at the city gate, where soldiers were escorting several captured rebels past, one of whom was dressed in the uniform of the Chuzhou city gate guard.
"How is the investigation into the city gate commander's alleged collusion with the enemy progressing?"
"The truth has been uncovered through investigation."
Choi Ji-ho walked over quickly, his face still bearing unhealed scratches.
"Three months ago, the garrison commander Zhang Kui was threatened by the remnants of the Prince of Rongyang with his family members. Last night, he deliberately opened the west gate and let the rebels into the city."
"He also revealed that the Prince of Rongyang planned to launch a palace coup around the Mid-Autumn Festival while His Majesty was away from the palace for sacrificial rites, and this time he launched a surprise attack on Chuzhou."
"The first purpose is to capture His Highness as a hostage, and the second is to seize the grain depots in Chuzhou and cut off the capital's food supply."
Mid-Autumn Festival...
Shen Yanzhou repeated in a low voice, the bronze plaque between his fingers almost crushing.
"One month left."
He turned to look at Li Changyu, who was directing the disciples of Mojian Manor to help the people clean the streets.
"Master Li, thank you for your righteous help this time."
"If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Mo Jian Manor, the government office would probably have already been breached."
Li Changyu sheathed his sword, his robes still stained with blood, yet he remained composed: "Your Highness is too kind. When Prince Rongyang was vying for the throne, he slaughtered more than thirty disciples of my Mojian Manor. This enmity is irreconcilable."
"Moreover, the people of Chuzhou are righteous and courageous. How can I sit idly by and watch my country be trampled by rebels?"
He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the street.
"Although we won last night, it also exposed a hidden danger—the fact that the rebels were able to have so many spies in Chuzhou and even infiltrate the people shows that our control over the local area is still lax."
Shi Wanxia's heart tightened upon hearing this. She recalled the assassins disguised as the elderly and weak from last night. If it weren't for Zhao Hu and Shi Qing risking their lives to protect her, she and the Crown Prince would have been in danger long ago.
“Master Li is right,”
She stood up; the linen was stained with poisoned blood.
“Last night I saw in the government office that there were assassins dressed as commoners, but they were hiding poisoned daggers.”
"Perhaps we should set up checkpoints in Chuzhou City to verify household registrations and prevent any remaining spies from slipping through the net."
Shen Yanzhou nodded: "What Sister Wanxia said makes sense."
"Zhao Hu, once you recover from your injuries, immediately join forces with the Chuzhou government to investigate all outsiders in the city. Anyone without a household registration should be placed in a camp outside the city for safekeeping."
"Lord Cui, you lead the Imperial Guards to assist the Beijing Garrison. You must capture all the scattered rebels and not allow a single one to escape Chuzhou."
"The general will obey the order!"
"Your humble servant obeys!"