The Northern Army soldiers, clad in black armor, scrambled and climbed upwards as if their lives depended on it, moving with incredible speed as if walking on flat ground.
The general defending the city spat out a mouthful of blood, pulled the arrowhead from his shoulder, and with a swift stroke of his sword, cleaved the first Northern Army soldier who had climbed the city wall.
The blow was extremely powerful; half of the soldier's head was sliced off, and the splattered brain matter blinded another soldier nearby, who was then killed by the rebels with a single blow.
Beneath the city wall, Lu Xiaoyun sat upright on her horse, looking up at the ruthless general who had slaughtered his comrades from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Her gaze darkened.
She raised the bow in her hand and aimed it at the man.
However, Zhu Yu raised his hand and pressed her wrist down, saying, "I'll do it!"
Lu Xiaoyun raised an eyebrow at him: "You're a woman, are you strong enough?"
Zhu Yu curled his lips into a smile and gave a soft snort, thinking, "Who do you think you are?"
He raised his hand and lifted the bow on the horse's back, quickly drew out the arrow, and released the long arrow without even aiming it.
Arrows whistled as they flew toward the city wall. In the blink of an eye, the defending general, who had just been glaring wide-eyed and slaying the Northern Army soldiers who had climbed the wall, was shot in the throat.
The knife in his hand flew off the city wall and plunged straight into the soil. The end of the blade was still trembling and making a buzzing sound.
Blood splattered as the defending general fell from the city wall, plummeting dozens of meters into the air and creating a crater on the ground. His blood quickly stained the yellow soil beneath him.
The arrow that pierced the general guarding the city passed through his throat, its force undiminished, and went straight into the flagpole supporting the black flag with red characters, snapping the "Heng" character flag in half and causing it to fall. The bloodied arrow tail was still trembling.
The rebels on the city wall are incredibly fierce!
They were even somewhat incredulous that such a fierce arrow came from the hand of a delicate woman!
How could an arrow weighing a hundred pounds be shot by a woman?
The horse beneath him reared up and neighed loudly, its voice shattering the sky.
Zhu Yu grabbed the reins and forcibly pulled the horse back.
The horses' hooves clattered, and Lu Xiaoyun smiled.
Just as the third banging sounded, the ancient city gate was suddenly opened from the inside.
Lu Xiaoyun raised her eyebrows, flicked the reins, and galloped inside first.
The people she had placed among the rebels finally found an opportunity to open the city gates.
With the defending general dead, the city gates were wide open, and the rebel army was routed in an instant.
It took Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu only half an hour from the time they arrived at the city gate with 20,000 Northern Army soldiers to the time they entered the city.
The soldiers marched straight in.
The common people kept their doors and windows tightly shut, with a few bolder ones crouching behind the cracks in the doors, their uneasy eyes staring in fear at the black-clad soldiers scurrying forward outside.
"Daddy, will they kill us?" a childish voice asked his father.
The woman holding the infant turned the child around to face her and said with a smile, "Don't worry, little girl, they are His Highness Prince An's Northern Army. They are protecting us and won't kill us."
The man from that house lowered his voice and shouted, "What's all the noise about! We don't even know who the final winner will be yet. Don't you know that loose lips sink ships?"
The woman scoffed disdainfully, "Hmph, there's no reason why the Northern Army shouldn't win."
Two hours later, Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu had captured the remaining three city gates.
The surrendered rebels were kept in separate guards.
Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu rushed towards the palace without stopping.
·
After the morning court session ended, the officials who were on official business in their offices heard the commotion and all huddled together, unable to get out. They had no choice but to order their servants to close the doors and windows tightly.
At this moment, they only wished that there was no secret room or passageway in the guardhouse for them to escape.
I also pray that this chaos won't affect my own family.
The ministers looked at each other, completely bewildered as to what had happened.
All that could be heard were the sounds of weapons clashing from all directions.
Some officials even approached Bu Feizhang and whispered, "Your Excellency, what has happened?"
Bu Feizhang gave the official a cold look: "Just like you, Lord Benxiang, I conduct official business here after the morning court session. How would I know?"
"The Crown Prince has staged a coup! Protect the Emperor! Kill him!" Suddenly, shouts of killing filled the air outside the guardhouse.
The courtiers who had just been questioning Bu Feizhang turned pale with fright upon hearing this. Realizing that the Right Chancellor in front of them was the maternal grandfather of the First Prince, they quickly took several steps back.
Bu Feizhang roared, "What utter nonsense! The First Prince is peacefully reflecting on his mistakes in his residence. How could he be accused of forcing the palace or rebelling!"
Several court officials exchanged glances, each a few steps away from Bu Feizhang. Since they had all staged a coup, it was clear that the Crown Prince's men were among the Imperial Guards. Why was the Right Chancellor trying to cover it up here?
Suddenly someone thought, "Could it be that the Right Chancellor is here to control them?"
A cold sweat broke out on everyone's back.
Bu Feizhang was so angry that his beard almost flew up. They were all idiots, idiots!
"Fifth Prince Zhu Dan has betrayed the country and seriously injured Prince An and the Duke of Zhenguo! Kill him!" Shouts of killing rang out again from outside.
Now, the court officials were completely bewildered.
They might believe the story of the eldest prince forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebel, since anyone would feel resentful after his position as crown prince was taken away.
But how could someone as upright and refined as the Fifth Prince possibly betray his country and defect to the enemy?
Furthermore, they have learned too much about the First Prince's character and abilities over the years, so they are hardly capable of persuading the Fifth Prince, who is so talented, to surrender.
Thinking of this, several court officials even looked at Bu Feizhang with some sympathy. Over the past twenty years, the Right Chancellor has worked hard to support such a crown prince.
·
Inside the Chaoyang Palace, hundreds of soldiers in black armor protected the old emperor and Zhu Zhi behind them.
Zhu Heng's knuckles turned white as he gripped the sword tightly. He never expected that a large number of Northern Army soldiers would be hiding in a side hall of Chaoyang Palace at this time.
He had been in the palace for a while now, yet he hadn't noticed anything at all.
Among this group of Northern Army soldiers, the leader was extremely tall, with calm and collected eyes. His wheat-colored skin even emitted a faint warm glow when illuminated by the glass lamps in the hall.
Upon recognizing the person, Zhu Heng's heart sank.
It's Feng Yan! How could it be Feng Yan, the commander of the secret guards next to the fourth brother?
This person is extremely skilled in martial arts.
Just a few hours ago, when he was still at the Second Prince's residence, he heard his subordinates report that Zhu Yu was still at the Prince An's residence, and Feng Yan, as his commander of secret guards, was naturally by his side.
But now he has appeared in the inner palace.
Beside him stood a woman dressed in black with dark hair.
The woman's face was extremely cold. Her oval face was sharp and small, with a face as cold as ice and eyes like a galaxy. Stray hairs clung to her forehead, making her skin appear even whiter.
The woman seemed familiar, as if I had seen her somewhere before.
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