The princes were terrified and turned their horses around to flee, but the people spontaneously formed a human wall to block their way.
"You...you audacious scoundrels, get out of the way! Are you trying to rebel?"
The people roared in anger, "Yes, we want to rebel! We don't want an emperor like this!"
Qi An whipped them off their horses one by one, and the angry crowd swarmed forward, punching and kicking them until they were beaten to death.
Except for the third prince.
The people assumed that this fellow was to be left for Qi An to deal with.
Zhao Zhen watched helplessly as several of his brothers were beaten to death by the "troublemakers" he called them.
He was so terrified that he collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless.
It's all reversed, everything's reversed.
He looked at Kang Hai, who was tortured beyond recognition. No wonder the capital hadn't received any news; it turned out Kang Hai had already been captured.
In despair, he thought that since they dared to kill the prince so recklessly, the entire border region must have already rebelled along with Huo Wushuang.
He deeply regretted not bringing the Imperial Guards with him, but then he thought, what could 50,000 Imperial Guards do against 300,000 Huo family troops?
Isn't it still just delivering vegetables?
It can be said that their fate was sealed from the moment they took their first step on the road to the border.
Qi An stood in front of Zhao Zhen, looking down at him, and used the tip of his spear to lift his groin.
"How does it feel, Third Prince, to be betrayed by the very commoner you looked down upon?"
Looking at the radiant female general before him, Zhao Zhen's eyes were bloodshot, and he slurred, "Traitor, you will not have a good end."
"Rebellious ministers and traitors?"
Qi An smiled arrogantly: "Didn't your father tell you that this country was originally conquered by my father, and his throne was given to him by my father? Who is the heartless traitor?"
Zhao Zhen protested, "Since he gave it to my father, why does he still hold onto military power? What are his intentions? What has my father done wrong?"
A ruler must be ruthless; how can he tolerate others snoring beside his bed?
If he were the emperor, he wouldn't tolerate Huo Yu either.
Ata was speechless: "Is this what they call 'a little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment'?"
"They were fed too much, and they've raised a litter of ungrateful wretches."
Qi An sneered: "If my father hadn't guarded the border and repelled the Japanese pirates several times in the past twenty years, would you and your father have been able to comfortably stay in the palace plotting how to harm him?"
Finally, Qi An said, "My father was a big fool, but now he's not. Everything you've eaten, you'll have to spit it all out."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen let out a vicious laugh: "Haha, your father was a fool, so he deserved to die."
Qi An laughed too: "Who told you my father is dead?"
Zhao Zhen's laughter stopped abruptly as she suddenly remembered that the news about Huo Yu was also brought back by Kang Hai.
Could it be that Huo Yu didn't...?
Qi An whispered in Zhao Zhen's ear, delivering the final blow with a light touch:
“If we don’t say it this way, how can you come to the border to die without feeling guilty? And how can the people feel sorry for the Huo family and stand on our side?”
If Huo Yu is unharmed, even if the people learn of the emperor's conspiracy, the effect will be greatly reduced.
After all, he wasn't hurt, was he?
Zhao Zhen's eyes widened in surprise.
Huo Yu is alright? Was this all a trap from beginning to end?
They were terribly scammed!
Zhao Zhen's face was filled with madness as he tried to shout out the truth, but Qi An punched him several times, causing him to vomit blood and feel as if his internal organs had shifted.
Then, Qi An gripped the silver spear with both hands and swung his arm down towards Zhao Zhen's neck.
Zhao Zhen's terrified pupils reflected the gleaming edge of the silver spear, and the next second, his head was severed from his body.
The head rolled to the ground, covered in dust.
Ata clapped excitedly: "Yay! The dog emperor is childless!"
Kang Hai was then beheaded by Qi An with a single shot.
When the traitor was killed, onlookers covered their children's eyes and cheered loudly.
Several military officers couldn't help but clap and cheer, but then reluctantly put their hands down.
Facing the people, the female general raised her silver spear high and shouted in a clear voice:
"The Zhao family is incompetent and, for their own selfish interests, they have colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, disregarding the people. I, Huo Wushuang, hereby swear that I will overthrow the Zhao family's imperial power and restore justice to the people."
"Good, well said."
"Well done, General Wushuang."
"We all support you."
The border towns were impoverished and turbulent, far from the reach of the emperor, who was more of a symbol to them.
Huo Yu and his army, who guard this land, are their only support, and they love and respect this war god from the bottom of their hearts.
The Japanese pirates were ruthless and had coveted this land for generations. In recent years, they have been deterred by Huo Yu's reputation.
However, the emperor colluded with Japanese pirates to murder their guardian deity and even gave their homeland to the pirates.
When the 200,000-strong Japanese pirate army besieged the city, the fear and despair in the hearts of every border town resident reached their peak.
The God of War has fallen, his fate unknown. The Japanese pirates are coming on strong. Can they survive this time?
Just then, a female general dressed in silver armor and carrying a red-tasseled spear appeared.
She told them, "Don't be afraid. With me, Huo Wushuang, here, no one can cross the border. You can focus on cooking and living your lives. Just do what you need to do."
Then, for the next ten days or so, the female general's bright red cloak fluttered across the battlefield.
The silver spear, like a roaring silver dragon, reaped the heads of the Japanese pirates.
The female general was invincible, utterly defeating the Japanese pirates. Her silver armor and red cloak became the nightmare of all the Japanese pirates.
They wanted to surrender, retreat, or escape, but the female general wouldn't allow it and kept them trapped on the battlefield.
"Where I, Huo Wushuang, am, will not allow a single living Japanese soldier."
The soldiers and civilians didn't understand why the general called the Japanese pirates "devils," but when they thought about it, they realized that the Japanese pirates were indeed evil spirits, and the general's description was truly apt.
In the final battle three days ago, she led the Huo family army to drive the desperate Japanese pirates into a sinkhole.
Then a hail of arrows was unleashed, and all the remaining Japanese pirates were killed on the spot.
Finally, the gloom that had lingered in the hearts of the people of the border town for decades was completely dispelled.
From then on, Huo Wushuang's name resounded throughout the border town, and she became a little war god on par with Huo Yu.
She is another guardian in the hearts of the people of the border town. Now, she says she wants to rebel against Emperor Zhao and restore justice for them, and the people naturally respond in unison.
If you don't trust your savior, are you going to trust the traitor sitting on the dragon throne?
Qi An could have acted much earlier, but she waited until the Japanese pirates were at the city gates and the people were filled with fear and despair before she took action.
People only truly appreciate the kindness of those who save their lives when they are driven to the brink of despair.
Human nature has always been like this.
A concerned citizen asked Huo Yu, "Young General, is General Huo still not awake? Is he feeling any better?"
Qi An suppressed his murderous aura and gently informed the people:
"Thank you all for your concern. Father's poison has been cured, and the miracle doctor said he will wake up in the next few days."
"That's good, that's good. Thank God, I knew the general would get better."
"Heaven has eyes; good people are rewarded."
"I want to erect longevity tablets for the two generals and bless them with peace and safety."
Qi An thanked the people for their kindness, but in his heart he was thinking...
Do good people always get good rewards? Not necessarily.
On the contrary, good people rarely get good rewards.
More often than not, good people don't live long, while evil people live for thousands of years.
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