Chapter 494: Ten Thousand Banners Slay Yama (Part 9) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The noble families of Shiwu probably never dreamed that at the height of Shiwu's power, in its most important political center, in their most secure stronghold, their doors would be kicked open by the enemy. To whom does the enemy belong? When did they infiltrate?
They knew nothing.
Some unfortunate souls didn't even have a chance to think about these questions before being swarmed by the enemy and taken their lives.
Flames leaped and screams filled the air.
Xu Quan was the strongest among them, and he was responsible for dealing with and restraining the slightly stronger martial artists. Bai Su, on the other hand, led her troops to kill several types of people: those who were tall and burly, those whose undergarments were made of silk, and men over the age of twenty!
If you encounter them, kill them if you can!
The remaining women, children, and vulnerable individuals may be spared at the discretion of the authorities.
This was the plan Bai Su devised before taking action.
Lin Feng was young and inexperienced. Although he could discern some of the underlying principles, there were still things he didn't understand: "[These... those who are tall and robust are mostly martial artists. This surprise attack is intended to severely cripple the Ten Crow nobles and high-ranking officials; they should finish this quickly...]"
Even high-ranking officials and nobles are often surrounded by skilled martial artists for protection. Although their strength may not be exceptional, they are still capable of dealing with ordinary soldiers. Considering that opportunities are fleeting, shouldn't we try to eliminate as many potential targets as possible within the limited time available?
The difficulty of tonight's operation may exceed her expectations, so Lin Feng was mentally prepared for this trip to be a one-way trip.
That's not the case.
Bai Su, having roamed the martial world for many years, was far more thoughtful than Lin Feng. She said, "Your considerations are not without merit, but a tall stature cannot be achieved simply by eating millet and wheat; meat and eggs are indispensable. Even the servants in high-ranking officials' households cannot eat fish and meat at every meal and have several eggs every day. Especially in a cannibalistic place like Shiwu..."
Lin Feng nodded upon hearing this: [I've learned a lot.]
Undergarments made of precious, skin-friendly silk were only for the wealthy and powerful, a luxury beyond the reach of ordinary families. The exclusion of men over twenty was also a method for selecting high-ranking nobles. Considering all these factors, the plan was indeed much more comprehensive than Lin Feng's initial idea.
Xu Quan rarely chimed in with a comment.
[Let me make this clear first, my question isn't about indiscriminate killing and violence—why spare women and children? Women and children are one thing, though women in the upper echelons of the Ten Crows have a much higher status than those in the interior, but even they aren't allowed to take on major responsibilities. But their children…]
Xu Quan: [Even if they are children, they are descendants of nobles and high-ranking officials. As long as the tribal forces behind them remain, they will support them and propel them to the top. They will still be a major threat in the future... Why bother two masters for one matter? Why not seize this opportunity to eliminate them completely?]
Bai Su said calmly, "Because of time."
Xu Quan wiped his nose: "That's true. We don't have much time, and we don't know how long the gentleman and the others can buy us..."
[Wrong. What I meant was that these wolf cubs need time to grow up and become independent. That time is enough for us to strengthen our power. If we use a sneak attack today, how can we not march straight into the capital of the Ten Crows tomorrow? Therefore, they are not a cause for concern.]
A hidden danger is a hidden danger because the person being threatened is not strong enough, and their negligence gives others an opportunity.
If this trip succeeds, it will buy at least five to ten years. By then, our lord will no longer be the lord he is today, and Shiwu will no longer be Shiwu he is today! Xu Quan was taken aback by the meaning Bai Su revealed, wondering where her confidence came from.
Did the lord give it to you?
Xu Quandao: 【Alright, as you say.】
Listen to advice, and you'll eat your fill. My cousin always says he's not very bright, and that Bai Su has more experience in the ways of the world than him, so he listens to her.
I thought this trip would be extremely dangerous, but—
It went surprisingly smoothly.
The inner city was a key area that Gu Chi and his companion focused on. Xu Quan and the others' operations went very smoothly. They occasionally encountered major obstacles but managed to overcome them without serious trouble. Sometimes, a stroke of genius from the writers would help relieve the pressure, and the battle losses were much less than expected.
Of course, the results were much more fruitful than expected.
Xu Quan secretly clicked his tongue in admiration—indeed, an excellent scholar can save a lot of trouble.
What's more, there are three of them.
He was even a little tempted by Lingde.
Such a promising literary talent, if we could recruit him to our own territory, wouldn't that be like binding him to the Five Virtues of a General?
The Shiwu men weren't fools, nor would they stand still and wait to die. After the initial fear, they organized their forces to break out. Xu Quan's troops were insufficient; if they could break out, they had an 80% chance of escaping.
Then, their gamble paid off. After paying a heavy price, they finally led their remaining troops to a safe retreat and escaped with their lives.
But they also made the wrong bet—
Xu Quan and his group's target was not just them.
There are also ten black gold vaults!
It should be noted that Shiwu is rich in mineral resources, especially gold, silver, copper, and iron. These are their valuable assets for doing business with and bribing people within the Great Wall. Over the years, they have also used these resources to cultivate a group of elite soldiers; otherwise, how could Shiwu have risen to prominence so quickly?
The vault has been storing a considerable fortune for many years.
Xu Quan and his group did not need copper or iron.
Most importantly, gold and silver jewelry!
"I have a question..."
The largest concentration of troops in the entire Shiwu Inner City was near the treasury, but these troops had been lured away during the earth-shattering event. Furthermore, with the misfortunes of the nobles and high-ranking officials, reinforcements had to be redeployed, resulting in the troops being scattered and defeated piecemeal by Xu Quan and his men. Many of the remaining soldiers were also killed on the way. They arrived at the treasury gate without incident.
A vault, a vault, truly a vault!
The neatly stacked boxes of gold and silver ingots made Xu Quan, a scion of the prestigious Xu family of Tianhai, swallow hard...
"What do you want to ask?"
Bai Su remained relatively calm.
It's not that she's worldly-wise or considers money worthless, but rather that her early experiences have made her indifferent to gold and silver.
Xu Quan carried one in each hand, wishing he had three heads and six arms, and also hating that the strength of martial arts masters wasn't greater!
He asked, "Why do the gentlemen know where the Ten Black Gold Vault is and how to get there? Isn't that a secret?"
He'd been holding this question in for a long time.
The earth shook, causing the pre-dug tunnel to collapse.
The only path that remained was the one leading from the treasury out of the city.
Bai Su: "..."
She couldn't answer that question either.
But—
"If you have the energy to talk, then move more."
They took turns throwing the vault box into the hole.
The tunnel was dug exceptionally deep, with over a hundred people lying in wait beneath it. They hadn't gone to the battlefield but remained underground, ready to move the gold and silver treasure as quickly and efficiently as possible. The commotion in the capital of the Ten Crows would alert the nearby tribes.
Once these tribes send reinforcements, they will be surrounded by the enemy, so they must act quickly.
As dawn approached, tribal reinforcements arrived after receiving the message.
From afar, one could see a huge gap in the towering city wall of the capital.
It felt like someone had forcibly destroyed it from the inside out using violence.
The edges still retained a violent and unfamiliar martial aura.
The air was filled with a burning smell.
The inner city of the capital was a scene of ruins, with occasional embers of fire flickering quietly and emitting wisps of smoke.
Where is the enemy now?
Ordinary people in the capital city suffered little damage, mostly burns, with only a small number unlucky enough to die in the earthquake, their homes and property reduced to ashes. The core area, where nobles and high-ranking officials were concentrated, was completely reduced to ruins, with charred corpses scattered everywhere—a truly horrifying sight!
When the commander of the reinforcements saw this scene, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.
It’s over——
Everything is over!
That was the only thought left in my mind.
If the king returns in triumph and sees the capital he spent so much money and effort building in this state, his first thought will be to hold those responsible accountable for their inadequate protection and untimely support.
No matter how they explain it, their fate will likely be—
The thought of that scene made him turn deathly pale.
Even more desperate than them were the princes who were responsible for guarding the capital. Although they were ambitious, they knew that they were far behind their older brothers in age and strength, and were forced to give up.
Life is only a few decades long, isn't it good to eat, drink, and have fun?
They excel at eating, drinking, and having fun.
The city garrison mobilized troops to handle emergencies...
They're really no good!
The ground churned for quite a while before one of the princes, still hungover, was dug out of the rubble by his subordinates and forcibly sobered up; he was still dazed. The other princes, though not as severely affected, were also at a loss for what to do. Instead, they were terrified by the menacing Xu Quan and his men and hurriedly ordered their guards to escort them to escape.
One of them was particularly unlucky.
Running too fast and too far, they stumbled upon a remnant army of several dozen men. Mistaking them for their own troops, they approached, identified themselves, and then—and then that was the end of it—
There's no reason to turn down military merit that's offered to us.
Gu Chi watched speechlessly as Jiang Sheng pulled the sword from the unfortunate man's chest, and muttered, "Does he even have a brain?"
Jiang Sheng said, "It's empty."
Even if they have brains, they're just stuffing them with straw.
"So you're taking the head with you?"
"Take it with you."
After all, he was a prince. No matter how stupid he was, he couldn't compete with having a king as his father, which made him different from ordinary members of the Ten Crows tribe.
Gu Chi chuckled and said, "Let's go and meet up with our lord."
This was a resounding victory!
Although our side also suffered more than two hundred casualties and more than half of them were wounded, it was nothing compared to the enemy's losses.
He'd like to see—
When the Ten Crows' army returns from their campaign and sees the capital in this state, with 60% of the high-ranking officials and nobles lost, what will their faces be like?
It's a pity we can't see it anymore.
Gu Chi couldn't help but smile.
This smile softened the listlessness caused by the forced overexertion of literary talent, and brought a touch of color back to his almost pale face.
All three sides were exhausted.
Despite their exhausted bodies, their spirits were as high as if they'd been injected with adrenaline. Many belatedly looked at their palms, unable to believe they'd survived a near-fatal operation. The enemy was dead, their stronghold burned down, and their treasury completely wiped out!
It's so beautiful, it feels like a dream!
If I can return to the interior alive—
This is something I can brag about for a lifetime!
"My lord!" Gu Chi.
"My lord!" Jiang Sheng exclaimed.
Shen Tang, who had just plopped down on the box, was chewing on a green plum, using its sourness to keep herself calm and clear-headed when she heard a familiar voice. She jumped up with a start.
"You two are finally back!"
Great, no missing limbs!
Gu Chi asked, "My lord, how was the harvest?"
Shen Tang gave a thumbs-up, then pointed to the countless boxes, chuckling, "A bumper harvest! A huge harvest! Lingde is still sorting through them, we'll know soon enough! I'm thinking about dividing the spoils... ugh, first we'll distribute the soldiers' compensation and rewards, then—"
The majority of the money definitely went into the public treasury.
It was used to build Longwu County and Yonggu Pass after the war.
To restore people's livelihoods and the economy.
Part of the budget for the day and beyond...
A portion of the salary will be paid...
Part of...
Shen Tang roughly planned the purpose of each stroke by counting on her fingers, until she was left with only her little finger.
Her smile suddenly took on a lewd and smug glint.
Gu Chi and his shrewdness had already seen through it.
"What are your plans, my lord?"
Shen Tang asked, "As the lord, I also put in a lot of effort in this battle. The Fire Ox Formation eventually went out of control. If I hadn't had a flash of inspiration and made them break through the city wall to blast a way out, we might not have been able to retreat so smoothly. As a result, I suffered a backlash from the martial energy, and my internal organs were slightly shaken. Shouldn't I get some compensation and consolation?"
Fearing that Gu Chi and the others would worry about her, Shen Tang deliberately emphasized that the backlash was only "a little bit".
Gu Chi suppressed a laugh and asked again, "How much does my lord want?"
Shen Tang held up five fingers, making an outrageous demand.
"Five thousand taels of gold!"
After saying that, he felt a little guilty.
After all, she was used to being poor.
The money bag always contained only varying amounts of copper coins.
This time, the unit of currency has jumped to "tael," and it's gold! How could she not be excited? But isn't she asking for too much? Five thousand taels of gold can do so many things...
Money can corrupt one's will. She should uphold the fine virtues of thrift and hard work. Talking about money is not appropriate.
Gu Chi and Jiang Sheng were both speechless.
Jiang Sheng shifted the blame, saying, "You're really misleading young people."
Gu Chi retorted, "Her half-teacher was Qi Yuanliang."
Jiang Sheng sneered: "Oh, him? A mediocre teacher misleads people."
Shen Tang: "???"
What does this have to do with Qi Yuanliang?
Before she could figure it out, Lin Feng's terrified cry suddenly came from behind her. She said, "My lord, something terrible has happened!"
Shen Tang tensed up instantly.
An enemy has invaded?
who? ? ?
Where is it?
\(￣︶￣*\))
I slept too much during the day, so now I can't fall asleep.
To avoid breaking the chapter, I forced myself to add an extra 1,500 words...
(End of this chapter)
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