Many years later, the Shangnan clan revisited Fang Yan's ruthless methods.
Everyone was caught off guard.
Chaos broke out overnight.
If they had been given another half day to prepare, they could have easily stalled for three to five days, let alone retaliated. Unfortunately, Fang Yan didn't give them that time; they didn't even know he was back until he was already at the gate. Faced with the threat of violence at their throats, their minds were in complete disarray, and they had no other choice.
They can stubbornly refuse to lend a single person.
Fang Yan sneered: "My sword is never dull, and my medicine is never poisonous. You gentlemen despise yourselves and are not afraid of your lives. I, Fang, am willing to grant you this favor and send you on your way to paradise!"
Fang Yan is truly daring to kill.
He really dared to poison people.
If Gu Ren hadn't subdued Fang Yan and kept him by his side as a physician all those years, he might have become the next Zhang Yongqing.
Each family swallowed their bitter pill with grim faces.
"Tell me, is this the intention of Old Six of his faction, or the intention of his new master?" Several families who were on good terms got together to discuss countermeasures after this incident. "...Is the woman surnamed Chen so wary because she's worried that we'll abandon her if the two countries go to war?"
Although they would definitely betray him if given the chance, it's still something that hasn't happened yet. It would be crazy to attack them just because they're suspected of being guilty. Just thinking about Fang Yan's act of coming to his door under the guise of borrowing someone but actually robbing him made his chest feel tight with anger, rage, and hatred!
"Isn't this forcing a rebellion?"
They didn't think someone surnamed Shen would be that stupid.
Then there's only one possibility left—
Shen Youli was short of manpower, and Shangnan was even more so. Fang Yan was appointed to the post in a time of crisis and could only squeeze money from the local powerful clans. However, he was worried that they might take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, so he decided to strike first. Military force was the greatest guarantee in chaotic times, and a strong army could even override royal authority.
By finding an excuse to borrow people from them, we can ensure Shangnan's safety and prevent their underhanded actions. As long as we don't have any usable people, even if the powerful clans try to coordinate an attack from within, they won't be able to handle it.
"Now that no one's home, what can they use to rebel?"
The above dialogue took place in families who were unaware of the truth. Some families who came into contact with part of the truth were even more terrified than the former.
Why the fear?
It's naturally because he feels guilty.
Although the Kang Kingdom outwardly discourages families from maintaining private armies, arguing that their existence is detrimental to internal stability, its rule is still relatively new. Attacking the very foundations of these families from the outset would only provoke desperate measures. Shen Tang can only wait for the perfect opportunity. At the beginning of the kingdom's establishment, allocating land to the Kang royal court is one way to limit private armies. Without land, even powerful families cannot maintain a large armed force, at least not for expansion. The guards Fang Yan borrowed were all from various families, so their quality was naturally excellent.
With a little division of teams, it can be put into use.
That's precisely why it revealed its flaws.
The former garrison commander of Shangnan raised his hand to stop the soldier passing by him, frowning as he asked, "You look familiar. What's your surname?"
The soldier said, "Ding."
The commotion on the garrison's side attracted Fang Yan's attention.
Fang Yan heard the garrison commander ask again, "Who is Ding Dazhong to you?"
Wu Zu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "It is my elder brother."
"Oh, no wonder, you two brothers look exactly alike. You and Otsuka are both here fighting, so there must be no one to take care of your families?" The garrison commander seemed to hesitate, wondering whether to send them back.
According to the laws of Kangguo, soldiers in the Zhechongfu (military garrison) could not be only children; at least one brother or sister had to remain in the family to care for their parents at any given time. He remembered that Otsuka had two brothers, right?
Wu Zu said nervously, "But my elder brother went home the day before yesterday..."
There is someone at home to take care of my parents.
He did not enlist as a soldier of the Zhechong Prefecture, but was borrowed as a guard of a powerful clan, which did not conflict with the military laws of Kang State.
Fang Yan paused, and the garrison commander had already captured the soldiers.
Wu Zu was still in a daze when he was tied up.
Little did they know, Ding Dazhong was the soldier who had suddenly disappeared!
Fang Yan immediately sent men to Ding Dazhong's house to arrest him.
To his surprise, only his elderly parents, wife, and children were at home.
Ding Dazhong pretended to leave the city half a day ago.
Left with no other option, they had to take the family away for interrogation.
These commoners, naturally unaware of what had happened, kept protesting their innocence after being arrested, answering all questions they were asked, which pieced together some clues. Two days ago, Ding Dazhong, who was supposed to be on duty, suddenly returned home, excitedly telling his parents that he had been promoted by his superiors.
He stayed home with his parents for a day and then left in plain clothes.
From the few words spoken, it was clear that this was a very important raiding mission, and not only Ding Dazhong, but many of his comrades were also ordered to carry it out in this critical situation. The order came from their superiors, so they naturally had no questions and obeyed without hesitation. Without alerting anyone else, they left under the cover of night; some secretly sneaked home to briefly reunite with their families, while others set off directly for their destination.
As for where to go?
What task is being performed?
These commands are inaccessible to ordinary soldiers.
All they need to do is obey their superiors.
"Your Honor, every word I've spoken is true; I haven't lied. Please don't wrong my son—" Ding Dazhong's parents sensed something was amiss and immediately knelt down to kowtow, terrified their son would be branded a rebel. Their son was honest, dutiful, and obedient; he couldn't possibly, and would never, betray Kangguo, much less become a traitor. If he were, their entire family would be doomed!
Fang Yan glared at the guard.
"I thought they had encountered some misfortune or were assassinated, but it turns out they were transferred away with a single order. You didn't know about this?"
The garrison commander was also dumbfounded at this moment.
Following this clue, they discovered a fragment of a transfer order that hadn't completely burned away. It bore seals from various levels, including the personal seal of the garrison commander. Such a personal seal could only be preserved with a martial prowess tally; together with the seals of lower-ranking officials, it constituted a transfer order!
These people who do not obey orders to leave are disobeying military orders.
The garrison commander never expected that this whole affair would end up back on him.
Even he himself was confused by the seal.
His hands were trembling: "This, this is impossible."
No one else could access his personal Martial Valor Tiger Tally.
And would he not know whether he himself had betrayed them?
"Strategist! Strategist! You must believe me! How could I have done such a thing? Someone is framing me! My life was saved by the late lord and given to me by the elders and folks of Shangnan. How could I have done something so despicable?"
The garrison commander was distracted, his mind seemingly turned to mush by a hammer, and he grabbed Fang Yan's sleeve, hoping he would believe him.
I am truly innocent.
Fang Yan knew in his heart that he was most likely innocent.
The owners of these seals, besides the garrison commander, along with two others who were summoned for questioning, all looked completely bewildered, showing no remorse for their scheme being exposed. This meant that someone had plotted against Shangnan, using convincing forgeries to forge military orders and transfer the Shangnan garrison. And the fact that it happened just before Gao's attack—if it wasn't Gao's doing, whose handiwork could it be?
If Fang Yan were to punish these people, he would be shooting himself in the foot and playing into the enemy's hands. The more this is the case, the more important it is to stabilize the situation and prevent internal strife. Fang Yan said, "The most urgent task is to find the missing people. If they can't be found..."
Fang Yan had no hope for this.
If someone is your enemy, the best strategy is to recruit them; if that fails, then kill them. What you cannot have yourself, you should not let your opponent have it either.
Fang Yan's concerns were not unfounded.
At this moment, it seemed that even the heavens were agreeing with his views.
Thunder roared across the previously silent sky.
The sound was so loud that the ground could feel it.
When the first sound rang out, no one reacted until the second, third, and fourth sounds... A soldier ran over to report: "Report—General, something bad has happened outside!"
Anomalies in the heavens indicate the work of evil spirits.
Countless black thunderclouds were gathering in the sky above Shangnan County.
This is not a natural phenomenon at all, but a man-made one!
Fang Yan and his men, disregarding the fact that the Zhechong Prefecture soldiers had been transferred, realized this was a prelude to the enemy's attack and immediately rushed to the front lines. In Shangnan County, the devastation was like hot oil being poured into boiling water, causing widespread chaos. Commoners fled home, trembling under the increasingly thick and terrifying thunderclouds. Pedestrians were in a panic, leaving the streets in ruins, with some shouting, "The enemy is attacking!"
Chaos reigned everywhere.
Some people stood out among them.
Instead of fleeing, undeterred by the trampling and collisions of the crowd, they looked up at the thunderclouds in the sky, knelt on the ground, their eyes brimming with tears, and murmured devoutly in prayer. And these weren't just one or two people! They could be seen all over Shangnan County!
"It's God's anger!"
"Heavens above, please open your eyes and look!"
Some of these people acted erratically, breaking free from their companions' attempts to restrain them, tearing open their clothes with both hands, and running out with their chests exposed, their faces contorted in a ferocious rage as they roared: "Come on, all of you—"
The thunderclouds gathering in the sky seemed to be responding to his words.
With a loud bang, it struck straight down.
It struck directly at the barrier that had been raised outside the city.
The barrier rippled outwards, then quickly returned to calm.
A thunderclap exploded a hundred feet overhead, the sound almost deafening. Families throughout the city changed expressions instantly; this display was proof enough that the enemy was at the gates. Little did they know, Fang Yan and his men, rushing to the front lines, hadn't even seen a glimpse of the enemy yet.
The enemy has no shadow.
But the thunderclouds overhead were real.
Thunderclouds obscured the sun, plunging the earth into darkness.
An uninformed person would think it was the middle of the night.
Fang Yan ordered the entire army to be on high alert: "Have the scouts reported anything?"
There is no news yet.
The scouts could not find any trace of the enemy.
Fang Yan not only didn't relax, but his mood became even more somber.
The enemy hasn't even shown themselves yet, yet they've already made such a grand display, showing no fear of alerting them; it's clear they have immense confidence in their strength. Looking at the thunderclouds overhead, his memory seemed to be instantly pulled back to that day, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth!
"Investigate further and report back!"
Scouts naturally couldn't detect it.
The enemy's main force is still some distance away from them.
The girl had initially thought He Shu was going to rest and regroup his men before launching a surprise attack, but to her surprise, he made no move. A short while later, a fifth-rank physician from He Shu's entourage came and led the three of them away to see He Shu: "Your parents are here to see you."
The girl looked at the makeshift altar, its base covered with a ring of familiar burning oil, surrounded by soldiers holding torches. He Shu stood atop the altar, his gaze devoid of emotion as he looked at the three, and asked, "Even now, you still refuse to tell me your true identity?"
This question was directed at the young girl.
The girl asked, "What is your true identity?"
This was a plan to play dumb to the very end. Was he kidding? Did he really think he could let He Shu know his true identity? A person could die, but he couldn't let others laugh at him before he died; he absolutely couldn't reveal it. Qi Shan could foresee that the cause of his death would spread throughout his circle of enemies and friends the moment he died, and the entire Pantheon would laugh at him for decades.
He Shu saw that Qi Shan didn't want to talk, so he didn't force her.
"Since you insist on dying a confused and unjust death, I, He, will grant your wish. Let's meet again in the afterlife and have another drink." He said, stepping down from the altar, while the guards pushing the three men back up. "Farewell!"
The girl was pushed onto the altar before she could see the inscriptions on it.
He sneered, "He Buzuo, what a grand gesture."
Is this a plan to sacrifice all three of them at once?
"Seeking divine intervention requires offerings, let alone asking for divine assistance to cleanse the world of its filth. Naturally, the best offerings should be used to demonstrate sincerity. Offering yourselves is your blessing. If only a death sacrifice could express your sincerity, why would I risk sacrificing myself?" He Shu looked at the three men with an open and honest expression, showing neither contempt nor arrogance, but only a hint of compassion in his eyes. "What do you say?"
"Say what? Say what? Say your brother!" The girl, bound hand and foot, rolled her eyes rudely. He Shu's path of the scholar had indeed gone astray; to activate his perfect state, he actually had to sacrifice a living being.
He Shu didn't retaliate even when he was scolded.
He simply raised his hand to take the bow and arrows handed to him by the fifth-rank physician.
The arrowheads were lit, the bow was drawn, and the arrow was aimed at the girl.
"please--"
"May the Thunder God help me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the arrow left the bowstring.
An arrow pierced the girl's heart. The moment the flames from the arrow touched the raging oil on the altar, flames erupted, and a terrifying fire dragon instantly engulfed the entire altar, swallowing the three of them. The flames soared into the sky, forming a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth before vanishing in an instant.
What followed was a fierce wind and dark clouds.
The nearby forests were bent low by the strong wind.
Thunderclouds gathered and moved southward.
He Shu was panting slightly, his face visibly paler. A fifth-rank physician beside him helped him up, saying, "Master!"
The fifth-rank physician looked up at the barrier that had been raised to form an array.
Countless thunder totems surged within the eight-sided barrier.
The barrier was semi-transparent; he could clearly see the raging flames inside, but he couldn't see the struggles of any living creatures being burned. Not only were there no sounds, but not even a scream could be heard.
Are the people of Kangguo so stubborn?
He Shu's breathing became much more labored.
He said, "It's nothing."
"All three of them are dead?"
He Shudao said, "They escaped."
He didn't know when he escaped, but he knew that the moment he offered the sacrifice, the Path of the Scholar was successfully activated, but the amount of literary energy drained exceeded expectations. Not only was his literary energy completely drained, but a portion of his lifespan was also stripped away, and a strand of his black hair visibly turned white. This only happened when there was no sacrifice, which meant that the sacrifice was fake.
The fifth-ranking doctor exclaimed in astonishment, "Impossible!"
The three of them were being watched the whole time.
If they escaped, why wouldn't their own people warn them?
He Shu calmed himself down: "So be it. Since he has escaped, it means that this boy is not destined to die. Taking Shangnan is the priority."
\（￣︶￣）/
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