Chapter 22 The Killing Sun Blade (Part 3) [Bonus Chapter]
"Form ranks! Infantry surround the enemy!" Zhi Fang shouted hoarsely.
The infantrymen, each holding a large shield in one hand and a spear in the other, stood shoulder to shoulder, forming an encirclement that gradually tightened, with spears coming from all sides.
Guan Zhiwei possessed boundless strength, capable of breaking shields, deflecting spears, and killing shield-wielding soldiers. But after killing one, another shield-wielding, spear-wielding soldier would immediately take his place.
On the battlefield, when many people surround a few, this formation is almost unbreakable.
Even the trapped will eventually tire; if a spear is thrust into her, she will soon become a hedgehog.
But she persisted.
"How can there be such a powerful woman? Could it be that the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty has not yet run its course?"
The sound of spears clashing exploded in Guan Zhiwei's ears, and for a moment she couldn't tell if it was thunder or the clang of halberds.
In a daze, a thunderous roar, carrying overwhelming power, pierced through the clouds, and everyone's eyes were suddenly illuminated.
Thunder roared and lightning flashed, hurtling straight toward Gaoyang.
He lay convulsing on the tall chariot, red lightning bolt patterns appearing on his body.
The deafening thunder ruptured his eardrums, caused his ears to ring, and made him unable to see anything—a blinding flash of light followed by a blank screen.
He stared wide-eyed, not understanding what was happening, and died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
The general was so shocked he was speechless, and in a daze he shouted, "Grand Commandant!"
Guan Zhiwei looked out and smiled. This was the money the Yao family had spent, even at the cost of their entire fortune, to buy their lives.
She melted it into a lightning rod.
What arrives before revenge is retribution.
"Grand Commandant Gao is dead—" she cried out.
He was struck dead by lightning in full view of everyone!
The Zhou dynasty's fate was not yet sealed. Grand Commandant Gao offended the emperor, so he was struck dead by divine lightning. This cast a shadow over the hearts of almost every soldier. Would I also be punished by heaven?
Their hearts were in turmoil, and their hands went limp.
What's the point of killing him alone? You haven't built a power structure in the court. Does killing him mean an entire faction will collapse instantly?
"I'm just seeking revenge, why should I think about so much?"
Amidst the turmoil and the loss of formation, Guan Zhiwei launched a fierce attack on a single point and swiftly broke through.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, she snatched a horse and ran off, feeling extremely happy, whipping it away.
He left after accomplishing his task, concealing his identity and name.
There were four city gates in the capital. Guan Zhiwei headed towards one of them. After walking for two miles, she saw several figures at a pavilion by the roadside.
Guan Zhiwei said she was going to pick up something, so they agreed to meet at a roadside pavilion about two miles outside the south city.
Surprisingly, in addition to Madam Feng and her family of three, there was also Gouya and his grandmother.
On the night of the incident, he saw Guan Zhiwei go out to look for Yao Daya and wanted to follow her to help, but he couldn't keep up and was left behind. Then, seeing that it was too chaotic outside, with burning, killing, and looting, he hid everywhere and made his way home in the dark.
In a way, this kid is lucky in two ways.
He heard some noise coming from Feng Niangzi's house, so he sneaked out to check and then joined the main force.
"Xiao Guan, you're covered in blood." When Gouya saw Guan Zhiwei, the grievances in his heart seemed to have found an outlet. He was about to burst into tears when he noticed that she was bleeding, and he turned pale with fright.
Guan Zhiwei lied casually, "It's not mine."
Madam Feng was utterly shocked as she circled the horse. "You got a horse! It's a fine horse, a military horse! Did you go to retrieve this? Did you go and kill someone to steal it?"
Horses are precious things, but ordinary people can't afford to keep them. Now, they can have a horse tied to a cart and it can pull them around without having to be pulled by manpower.
"No, I went to pick up something else, this was something I brought back by accident."
"If this is all so convenient, what did you originally intend to retrieve?"
Guan Zhiwei said, "The head of Grand Commandant Gao."
Everyone stared at her in astonishment.
"It failed."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They all tried to persuade Guan Zhiwei to stop seeking revenge, fearing she would lose her life.
Dogtooth also said, "I hate him so much I want to eat his flesh, but how could someone like him let us get close?"
Guan Zhiwei said regretfully, "Because we couldn't get close enough, we couldn't retrieve his head; his body was taken back."
"Dead, dead, dead?!"
"Dead."
Therefore, Gao Yang could also be seen as a lamb to the slaughter.
"It's good that she's dead, it's good that she's dead!" the old woman laughed heartily, as cheerful as the weather after a rainstorm.
Madam Feng's face turned pale: "We have to leave quickly! If we get caught and caught, we're doomed!"
"It's alright, no one is chasing after us," Guan Zhiwei reassured her.
After confirming that Grand Commandant Gao was dead, General Zhi immediately abandoned the pursuit of Guan Zhiwei.
Right now, he's in big trouble.
After Gao Yang died, his men were scattered and disintegrated.
The eldest son, Gao Chang, had always been at odds with Zhi Fang, who was also the strongest general under Grand Commandant Gao.
Gao Chang feared that if he returned to Yingzhou, he would be sidelined by the authorities, or even killed.
Therefore, when the court announced that Grand Commandant Gao was a rebel, but was willing to forgive and forget, Gao Chang accepted the court's offer to surrender. He and his two and three sons were each granted the title of Grand General, and some of his soldiers decided to follow him because of his surname, Gao.
Knowing that Gao Chang was being instigated by aristocratic families, these scholars were truly eloquent, their words carrying the weight of a sword, capable of killing without drawing blood.
He believed that staying in the capital was too risky, as Gao Yang had already blocked this path, and the entire city was full of Gao family enemies. He insisted on leading his troops back to Yingzhou.
Internal conflicts arose directly, almost leading to violence.
After being repeatedly provoked by the aristocratic families, Gao Chang and Zhi Fang got into a fight, and Gao Chang lost badly.
Later, of the 30,000 troops, 10,000 were sent away to return to Yingzhou.
The biggest beneficiary of this event was the imperial court.
The imperial court frantically searched for Guan Zhiwei.
They couldn't find it.
What does this tell us?
Gao Yang's perverse and tyrannical actions incurred the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, resulting in divine punishment. The goddess killed him with thunder.
After the goddess killed the man, she returned to heaven, so she can't be found.
Look, the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty is not yet over. Heaven has struck down the treacherous minister who plotted rebellion. Who would still want to rebel? You should think it over.
Of course, my Great Zhou Kingdom still has some sense of shame; it wouldn't stoop to using mythology to protect its homeland.
Therefore, the official account is that Gao Yang massacred the people and was killed by them.
The young emperor said solemnly, “I have heard that the woman who killed Grand Commandant Gao in the street was a young woman seeking revenge for her parents. Although her whereabouts are unknown and she may have died from her injuries, I still wish to bestow a title upon her.”
The courtiers echoed, "Your Majesty is wise."
Whether Gao Chang has any objections is not important.
Everyone at the morning court was in high spirits, eager to shower Guan Zhiwei with the highest praise. The world had long suffered under Grand Commandant Gao, and these powerful families wished they could tear him apart. Now that he was dead and his son was incompetent, it was the perfect time to vent their anger.
The higher Guan Zhiwei is praised, the lower Gao Yang is trampled.
After much discussion, some suggested bestowing upon her the title of Lady of the State, while others argued for granting her a military officer's official rank, leading to endless debate.
Finally, His Majesty made the decision and announced it to the world.
—Gao Yang acted perversely and was condemned by all under heaven. An unnamed woman avenged her father, and her filial piety moved heaven and earth. Because of her merit in killing the rebellious minister, she was appointed as the Vice Commander-in-Chief to bring order to the world.
This is a high-ranking military officer position, wielding great power and influence, allowing them to participate in national military decision-making and personally lead troops into battle.
However, this is just a title without any real power; she has no soldiers.
But it can't be said that she was all alone.
After all, she had a good-for-nothing husband, a beautiful and passionate young woman, a little kid who couldn't really be called a man, a teenager, and an old woman who was too old to even chew on.
In general, there were both old and young people. Guan Zhiwei went into the mountains to catch some prey to eat, and he was afraid that they would hurt their backs if they were asked to wave flags and shout.
This was the first step in the life of a Vice Commander-in-Chief.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com