Chapter 105 A Real Rebellion Now Magistrate Jiang is free of all worries. ...

"It's...it's Yue Family Army!"

Kui Shun's voice was drowned out by the resounding clatter of hooves; he simply stood there, his gaze lingering on the man—

Yue Fei.

This ordinary jailer had seen Yue Fei for the last time in the cold, gloomy cell of the Dali Temple. Yue Fei was wearing heavy shackles then, and the four characters "Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty" tattooed on his back were still clearly visible in the dim oil lamp light. He remembered Yue Fei leaning against the damp wall, gazing at the sliver of sky outside the iron bars, and softly saying to him, "What a fine fabricated charge."

And now—

The general stood reined in his horse amidst the dust and smoke, his scarlet cloak billowing in the wind like flames. The heroic spirit between his brows seemed to pierce the sky, and the silver spear in his hand reflected a chilling light in the sunlight.

This is the real Yue Fei!

Kui Shun's heart pounded with every move Yue Fei made, unaware of the dazzling light shining in his eyes as he looked at Yue Fei.

Zhuge Liang glanced at Wei Shun and immediately understood; it must have been Wei Shun who strongly recommended this man to Magistrate Jiang.

The common people were naturally puzzled by the sudden arrival of Yue Fei's army.

Whose people are they anyway?

If it's Magistrate Jiang, that's fine, but if it's the imperial court...

Everyone was holding their breath for Magistrate Jiang, but some clever people secretly glanced at Zhou Yan and Liu Xun's expressions, only to see that they looked completely bewildered.

Django stood up leisurely, paying no attention to the elite soldiers around him.

She looked up and saw a troop of iron cavalry galloping in, the leader clad in cold armor, his brows furrowed with imposing heroism—it was none other than the famous general Yue Fei. Behind him, two hundred men stood solemnly, their iron armor gleaming coldly. Though they remained silent, an aura of righteous indignation emanated from them.

Jiang Ge stepped forward, clasped her hands in a salute, and said loudly, "General Yue's reputation is widespread. Meeting you today, I can confirm that it is indeed well-deserved." She smiled, but her eyes held a hint of respect. "I am Jiang Ge, the magistrate of this place, and I invited you here."

Yue Fei dismounted and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Magistrate Jiang, you flatter me. I am but a military man, and it is my duty to protect my country."

The two men started talking right in front of the court officials, which was a complete provocation to Liu Xun and his group.

"You audacious Django! This is treason!"

Liu Xun was furious at the sight. The unexpected appearance of the army and generals filled him with unease, and he desperately needed something to vent his emotions.

When Django heard this, he simply patted the dust off his clothes.

Behind her, a group of historical figures stood silently in formation, like an invisible barrier. Wei Zhongxian stood half a step behind her with a sinister look on his face, his narrow eyes squinting into slits, and he sneered in a high-pitched voice, "Oh dear, Lord Liu, that's not a pleasant thing to say. Magistrate Jiang just invited some old friends over for a chat, how did that become a rebellion?"

Wei Zhongxian's shrill voice was as grating as a dull knife scraping bone, making Zhou Yan and Liu Xun's temples throb with pain. As high-ranking officials representing the emperor's authority, wouldn't it be beneath their dignity to publicly hurl insults at a eunuch?

Liu Xun, his face grim, turned his gaze to Jiang Yuanshan beside him. At this moment, it was most appropriate for Jiang Yuanshan to speak. After all, he could judge Jiang Ge in the name of his father.

"You unfilial son, why don't you surrender now?" Jiang Yuanshan pointed at Jiang Ge with his finger, his eyes full of threat, as if to say that if she didn't surrender, he would reveal her secret.

What secrets could Django possibly have left to threaten him now?

It's just a woman dressed as a man.

This secret will indeed hinder Django's rise to power, but she doesn't want to remain a man forever; she just needs to find the right opportunity.

Jiang Ge raised her hand to wipe away the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her eyes. The glistening tears reflected the firelight, making her gaze appear even clearer. "Father," she said softly, yet the restless crowd instantly fell silent, "for the lives of three thousand households in Songyang County, please forgive me for not being able to obey your command today."

The people were outraged after hearing this. If they hadn't been holding rotten eggs and vegetable leaves, they would have thrown them at the three men's faces.

Jiang Yuanshan's withered fingers trembled slightly inside his sleeve. He thought he had his daughter's Achilles' heel—the secret that, in his view, was enough to destroy all her plans.

Disguising herself as a man to deceive the world and steal a reputation—this crime would indeed be utterly unforgivable for an ordinary woman.

But he didn't know that his daughter was no ordinary woman.

Amidst the public outrage, Zhou Xun's face turned ashen, but he remained rational. He glanced at the general who had suddenly appeared, who led only a few hundred men.

Even the Songyang County government had some knowledge of the situation before he arrived.

There were hardly any people at all.

Moreover, some of them were quite old, such as Zhuge Liang and Bai Qi. I don't know what they were thinking when they found such old people to be yamen runners.

I heard there was another yamen runner named Old Zhu, who was also quite old and had a full head of white hair. However, according to that person, Old Zhu was good at making bricks, so he probably wasn't very useful except for making bricks.

There are also two eunuchs; castrated men are even less of a concern.

There are no older players in his team, that's one win. There are no eunuchs in his team either, that's two wins. He has two wins while Jiang Ge has zero wins, that's three wins.

Zhou Xun sneered, his mind already made up. He suddenly waved his hand and shouted sharply, "Men! Seize Jiang Ge for me! Anyone who resists, kill him without mercy!"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Huo Qubing drew his sword and stood before Jiang Ge, looking at the restless soldiers before him, and said, "Let's see who dares?"

This shout caused several spear-wielding soldiers in the front row to unconsciously take a half-step back.

Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde behind him were annoyed that they were a step too late, and Huo Qubing had beaten them to it. Zhuge Liang lightly waved his folding fan and stood behind Zhou Yu. In this tense moment, he even had the mind to joke, "Grand Commander, shall we now select the generals?"

Zhou Yu's military inspection was quite impressive.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu laughed loudly, and the sword at his waist was drawn three inches from its sheath, its cold light reflecting on his handsome face: "In that case—" he deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over the generals behind him, "then I will appoint Zhou Yu as the vanguard!"

This act of choosing and serving himself drew a murmur of surprise from the crowd.

Jiang Ge frowned and turned to Zhuge Liang, saying that the people should be evacuated safely first, since it was still in the middle of the city and it was really inconvenient.

It is also very unfriendly to ordinary people.

"Magistrate Jiang, rest assured."

Seeing that this group of people dared to look down on the government troops like this, Zhou Yan was so angry that his face turned from green to purple. He slammed down his command flag, almost breaking the flagpole: "Kill them! Leave no one alive! Today, we will tear these traitors to pieces!"

In an instant, the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses resounded through the sky.

The earth was trembling.

Yue Fei stood before them like a mountain, his silver spear planted in the yellow earth at his feet, the tassel fluttering in the wind.

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and shouted amidst the chaos of the army, "General, you must keep the people in mind!" His voice was like a clear spring washing over the battlefield.

In fact, there's no need to remind him; Yue Fei also protected the people. He was compassionate towards the populace and always strictly ordered his troops before battle: "Whenever you encounter civilians, you must protect them with your own bodies; whenever you pass through villages, you must not harm them in the slightest." His soldiers all strictly obeyed his orders, giving way to the elderly, weak, women, and children during marches, and preferring to camp in the wilderness rather than disturb civilian homes. Wherever Yue Fei's army went, the people welcomed them with food and drink, a stark contrast to the reckless and unruly government troops.

"Raise your shields! Protect the people!"

With a roar from Yue Fei, the front-line soldiers roared in unison, their heavy shields slamming into the ground. These battle-hardened veterans braced their shoulders against the shields, creating an iron wall for the people on the flat ground.

"Grandpa, this way!"

A young schoolboy, his face still bearing the innocence of childhood, carefully helped an elderly woman with a cane, dodging stray arrows. Several teenagers, carried under the arms of soldiers, ran at full speed, scattering steamed buns from their baskets all over the ground. Yue Fei, with one hand holding his spear, deflected a stray arrow, and with the other, steadily helped a fallen peasant woman to her feet. The warmth from his palm made the woman suddenly cry out—those hands gave her a sense of security.

As the last boy was pushed into safety, Yue Fei drew his silver spear with a backhand motion. The spear tip drew a dazzling arc of light under the blazing sun.

"Break the formation!"

Upon receiving the order, the troops sprang into action, their spears thrusting like a torrential rain of pear blossoms. There were no fancy moves, only the honed techniques of thrusting, sheathing, and thrusting again.

Yue Fei had already charged deep into the enemy ranks, his spear thrusting and slashing, causing men and horses to fall wherever it passed. A valiant soldier launched a sneak attack, only to see Yue Fei suddenly turn around, his spear sweeping across like an iron whip, sending the soldier and his sword flying three zhang (approximately 10 meters)!

Such heroic spirit left Kui Shun speechless with every move.

Qin Shubao wielded his golden mace, each strike carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks. His eyes flashed like lightning, his hair and beard bristled, and wherever his mace struck, enemy shields shattered like paper. Yuchi Jingde was even more ferocious, his steel whip transforming into a black whirlwind; wherever the whip's shadow passed, enemy weapons snapped, and cries of agony filled the air.

The two, one in gold and one in black, carved two bloody paths through the enemy ranks, truly as terrifying as a meat grinder.

Standing on high ground, Zhuge Liang had already surveyed the battlefield situation with a gentle wave of his feather fan. He calmly directed the orderly evacuation of the people, occasionally pointing them away from dangerous areas. Hei Fu, wielding a sharp sword, stood protectively in front of him like a mobile fortress.

Zhou Yu drew his longsword, his swordsmanship flowing gracefully like clouds and water. This handsome young man from Jiangdong remained elegant on the battlefield; wherever his sword flashed, enemy soldiers fell one after another, yet not even a touch touched his clothes. Zheng He, on the other hand, wielded a large saber, his swordsmanship fierce and domineering, perfectly complementing Zhou Yu's graceful swordsmanship. The two, one forceful and the other gentle, charged in and out of the enemy ranks as if they were nothing.

Behind them, Bai Qi stood leaning on his sword, his white hair fluttering in the wind. Although this god of war hadn't yet made a move, his eagle eyes remained fixed on every corner of the battlefield. Whenever the situation shifted slightly, he would step forward to prevent these people from breaking through the defenses and disturbing the civilians.

The court officials, seeing this, were terrified and scattered like birds and beasts, abandoning their armor and weapons. In the chaos, Jiang Yuanshan was shoved hard by someone and stumbled into the alley.

Jiang Yuanshan staggered as he fled, his robes torn to shreds by the thorns. He panted heavily and glanced back at his pursuers—a masked man in black, holding a steel knife, trailed behind at a leisurely pace, as if enjoying this cat-and-mouse game.

"Who...who are you? I am the Emperor's man!" Jiang Yuanshan shouted hoarsely, but his voice was drowned out by the rustling of the leaves.

The leader of the men in black chuckled sinisterly, his voice high-pitched and eerie: "If you have something to blame, blame yourself for knowing too much." Before he finished speaking, a short knife had already pierced Jiang Yuanshan's back.

Jiang Yuanshan's eyes widened, and in the last moment before he fell to the ground, he finally saw the face of the man in black.

This is... that eunuch.

“Wei…”

His throat bobbed, but he could no longer make a sound.

The man in black pulled off his mask, revealing Wei Zhongxian's sinister face. He slowly wiped the blood-stained dagger and smiled at Jiang Yuanshan, "Now, Magistrate Jiang can... be free of all worries."

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Author's note: [shy][shy][shy] Wei Zhongxian, a cunning and treacherous minister.