Some people tried to rush out through the narrow openings on both sides, but were ambushed by their compatriots who had blocked the exit and shot them through the heart.
Immediately afterwards, flaming arrows came flying at them. The arrows were covered in oil, and when they hit the tent, the fire spread rapidly in all directions.
The soldiers of the Third Battalion never imagined that joining the army far from their families would one day lead to their deaths not on the battlefield, but at the hands of their comrades' arrows.
The entire canyon was ablaze with flames, and the stench of burning corpses permeated the entire valley!
That night, in a valley far from Shengjing City, more than 5,000 soldiers of the Xishan Military Camp were burned to ashes.
The fire was not completely extinguished until three days later.
Some civilians saw the towering flames from afar and rushed over to prepare to put out the fire, but when they saw that there was a large army guarding the area, they dared not approach rashly.
Some people were worried that if the imperial court found out about this, they would be punished, and none of them would be able to escape punishment.
But the British Duke gave them an idea.
"The great war with Chen will last at least half a year. Swords and arrows have no eyes. What's five thousand deaths? We can just report their names and say that they died in the battle against Chen. At worst, we can give them more compensation."
Moreover, with Zhu Heng now plotting a rebellion, the exact situation in Shengjing is still unknown.
But little did he know, things would develop in a way that surprised the British duke.
Three days later, the Duke of England received news that the Second Prince Zhu Heng had been defeated and captured.
The fact that Zhu Heng of Shengjing was plotting a rebellion had long been known to Prince An and the Fifth Prince.
Choosing the day the imperial examinations began was a deliberate tactic to lure Zhu Heng into a trap, which is why the chaos in Shengjing only lasted a day. Fifty thousand private soldiers were either killed or captured; Lin Yuanqing and Xiao Song were executed on the spot, while Ren Yushan, Zhu Heng, and others were all imprisoned.
What worries the Duke of England even more is that the Third Prince, Zhu Chen, has also contracted the plague!
"Lord Duke, what do we do now?"
The Duke of England's face darkened: "What else can we do! Pass down the order, the army will march tomorrow!"
But when they arrived in the southern border region half a month later, what surprised the Duke of England even more was that the army fighting against Chen was not the Northern Army, but the Lu Family Army!
The war ended in just one month. They seized ten kingdoms from Chen, defeated the Chen army, and forced them to surrender. They also sent envoys to Shengjing.
They had only been in the southern border region for five days, and before they could even rest, they lost their chance to go to the battlefield. Not to mention blaming the five thousand men who were burned to death in the three battalions on the Chen army.
...
Inside the main tent, all the generals were present, and they were extremely dissatisfied with the old emperor's decree to change their Northwest Military Camp's name to the Yan Army and to send them to the Northwest to guard the border.
"Lord Duke, why don't we rebel too! Let's make the Third Prince Emperor!"
"That's right. Shengjing has just experienced a great upheaval, and they certainly wouldn't expect us to rebel. Duke, don't hesitate any longer, let's fight our way to Shengjing!"
The British Duke's hawk-like eyes swept coldly across the faces of the crowd: "What, are you all tired of living and looking for death?"
"Didn't you hear that Zhu Yu wasn't lame at all, or that Zhu Dan was strategizing? Or do you think you can defeat 200,000 Northern Army soldiers? Even worse, do you think the Duke of Zhenguo's Lu family army is a pushover!"
The group that had been shouting just moments before fell silent. They felt extremely resentful that they, as close advisors to the emperor, had been tricked and sent to the northwest, to that harsh and cold land, which was tantamount to exile.
Having grown accustomed to the comforts of Beijing, how could they possibly endure the bitter cold of the Northwest?
"Lord Duke, are you really willing to accept this?! Don't forget that you shot and burned more than 5,000 men of the entire Third Battalion to death. Aren't you afraid that this humble general will report this matter to the Emperor?" a deputy general said angrily.
The Duke of England was already furious, and upon hearing this, he became even more enraged. He drew the sword from one of his personal guards and plunged it into the man's heart before immediately pulling the sword out.
Blood gushed out, splattering all over the Duke of England's body and face.
The lieutenant stared wide-eyed before collapsing in disbelief.
Inside the command tent, the other generals were so frightened that they all took a step back.
The Duke of England's bloodied face was contorted with rage. He swept his gaze over the crowd and said coldly, "Remember this: all the men in the Third Battalion died of disease! Anyone who dares to speak recklessly again will suffer the same fate!"
After saying that, he threw the sword down next to the corpse with a clang.
...
Six days later, Zhu Yu was taken back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion by Lu Yucheng.
With Lu Yuyan's ointment, Zhu Yu's swollen area healed very quickly.
Zhu Dan did not go to see Zhu Yu, nor did he go to see Lu Xiaoyun. The two only met once during the morning court session, and did not exchange a single word with each other.
But Zhu Dan went directly to Lu Yucheng.
"Young Master Lu, whether you believe it or not, I will marry my younger sister. I, Zhu Dan, hereby swear that I will only have Yun'er as my wife for the rest of my life. I will never betray her. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Fifth Prince, but it's not necessary." Lu Yucheng walked past Zhu Dan and turned to leave.
Zhu Dan grabbed Lu Yucheng's arm: "Why?"
"Heh." Lu Yucheng sneered, "I also want to ask Your Highness, why? The situation was so urgent then, yet you refused to take action. Now that things have come to this, you come to me with these words. Do you think my sister and I are easy to bully?"
It was wishful thinking on his part. His sister had married and divorced Prince An, and the Fifth Prince was a likely candidate to become the crown prince and the future emperor. How could he possibly marry a woman who had divorced his brother?
Furthermore, this is no ordinary wife; once the Fifth Prince ascends the throne, his wife will become the Empress.
The Empress is a role model for all women, a mother to the nation. Although he didn't think his sister was anything shameful now, he couldn't bear the judgment of the world.
He didn't want his sister to be talked about behind her back, living every day of others' gossip.
Public opinion is a fearsome thing.
"As I said, I had my reasons at the time."
“My sister is no longer a virgin and is not worthy of the Fifth Prince.”
"I don't mind."
"Thank you, Fifth Prince." Lu Yucheng didn't want to say more and turned to leave.
Looking in the direction Lu Yucheng left, Zhu Dan clenched his fists tightly, turned around and entered the palace.
He must obtain the position of Crown Prince and the throne!
Only by becoming the supreme being in this world can he obtain everything he desires, including Yun'er!
After returning to his residence, Lu Yucheng went directly to Tongjia Courtyard.
"Miss, the young master has arrived." Zhu Yu was at the table processing the account books that Lu Xiaoyun had sent over.
During the palace coup, his properties suffered considerable losses, especially the shops in the East Street area, where many people died. These issues urgently needed his attention.
Lu Yucheng stepped inside, and Qi Yu and Li Feng, seeing the young master's extremely unpleasant expression, shrank back and retreated.
"Now can you tell me when you started learning martial arts and who your teacher is?" With his sister's martial arts skills, it would have taken at least ten years, and he had no idea.
If that's the case, then Prince An and his younger sister do indeed have a romantic relationship.
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