Chapter 72: Breaking the City In this chaotic chess game, she will have the final say...
The autumn wind wrapped in broken leaves swept over the top of the city. Fang Yilan leaned against the mottled arrow tower, gazing into the distance with a grass stem in his mouth.
The walls of Shangjing in the distance were faintly visible in the twilight, while the city below had already been hoisted with a large flag with the word "Fang" in its shape.
The battle flag fluttered in the wind, as if declaring new sovereignty.
Barely two weeks after the news of Emperor Jingwen's death reached the city walls, the Fang family army, like a tiger out of its cage, stormed seven cities in a row. Fang Yilan's decree, reducing the land tax to one-tenth, was plastered all over the city gates. Before the ink had even dried, the official roads were already thronged with families seeking refuge.
When the horn sounded to retreat, Fang Yilan jumped on his horse and returned to the barracks.
"General, Jiang Fu sent someone to deliver a letter of peace request."
Fang Yilan unfolded it and smiled. Jiang Fu actually wanted to marry her as his queen in exchange for her withdrawal of troops.
Such foolish words are exactly the same as Jiang Fu's previous absurd behavior.
Xun Yun looked at Fang Yilan's calm profile and asked in a low voice, "General, are you not angry?"
Fang Yilan spat out the grass stem and stared straight ahead. "Will being angry really do any good? When my horse crushes his palace gate and his head is under my feet, he'll understand."
Her voice was eerily calm, yet it sent a chill down one's spine. "The world is not yours simply by sitting on the throne."
Fang Yilan's eyes swept over the blood stains on the letter paper. The envelope had obviously been opened. She raised her eyes and blinked at Xunyun.
Xunyun understood what he meant and turned his head to look calmly.
They had arrived at the military camp. Fang Yicen was leaning against the hitching post, wiping the sword in his hand. The blade reflected his frown, which was filled with the two big words "bad luck".
Fang Yilan raised his eyebrows, dismounted and walked towards the man: "Brother, you are really quick."
She quickly folded the letter into a small square with one hand and twirled it around her fingertips. "Aren't you afraid of offending the new emperor and ruining our Fang family's reputation for loyalty and patriotism?"
The ending note is long and has a bit of humor.
"Kill him if you want. What's there to be afraid of?"
Fang Yicen sheathed his knife with a whimper and glanced at her. "Don't try to stop me with that. You're starting to sound more and more like that Zhao guy. You're so sour."
"How can you say bad things about me behind my back, uncle?" A gentle voice suddenly interrupted.
Fang Yilan turned around and saw Zhao Huaixu standing at the entrance of the tent wrapped in a moon-white cloak.
She instinctively stepped forward to support him, and reached out to touch his forehead: "Why don't you lie down indoors? The autumn wind is cold, don't catch a cold again! Your body can't withstand another blow."
Zhao Huaixu took her slightly cold hand and spoke with a slightly unsteady breath. His eyes curved slightly as he smiled, "Since I heard the call to withdraw, I've been looking forward to your return. But after waiting for a long time and not seeing you, Yu'an had no choice but to go out and look for you on his own."
Fang Yicen looked at their sweet appearance, oblivious to the others, rolled his eyes at them, and took out his anger on Zhao Huaixu: "Look at how fragile you are. If someone snatches A-lan away one day, you won't even have the energy to chase after her."
"Ahem...Uncle, are you acknowledging me?" There was a smile in Zhao Huaixu's fox eyes, and his eyes were surprisingly bright.
"Who acknowledged you?" Fang Yicen didn't expect that he would be outmaneuvered. He stomped his boots on the ground and said, "It's not that easy to get into our Fang family! If you want to get in, you have to get past me first!"
Fang Yilan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As he pushed Zhao Huaixu into the tent, he turned around and shouted to his brother, "Alright, alright, it's getting dark, big brother, hurry up and go patrol the camp!"
She placed her palm against Zhao Huaixu's cold back and coaxed him softly, "Ignore him, let's go inside and warm ourselves up."
Zhao Huaixu followed her obediently, and before leaving, he did not forget to wink at Fang Yicen.
Fang Yicen was so angry that he jumped up and down. Looking at the two people's shadows being lengthened by the setting sun, his anger subsided. Then he chuckled and looked to the west. Someone was also waiting for him, waiting for all this to be over.
...
When they entered the house, the charcoal fire in the copper stove crackled. Fang Yilan had just settled Zhao Huaixu on the cushion when he turned around and was grabbed by the corner of his clothes.
"I heard that my uncle killed the envoy who came to deliver the letter today?" Zhao Huaixu leaned on the embroidered pillow, his pale face flushed with a sickly color, but his eyes were full of inquiry.
Fang Yilan raised an eyebrow and took off his cloak, then smiled helplessly: "Even someone like you who is bedridden has heard about it. It seems that the whole army knows about it."
"How could you make my uncle so angry?" Zhao Huaixu coughed twice and reached out to grab the teacup on the table, but his hand only wavered in mid-air before retracting. "Does Jiang Fu want you to enter the palace?"
Fang Yilan quickly picked up the teacup and brought it to his mouth: "You can guess this?"
Seeing him sipping tea with a frown on his face, she suddenly became interested. She raised his chin with her fingertips, her eyes full of cunning, "How about I just go along with his wishes? After all, I'm tired of this life of fighting and killing..."
Before he could finish his words, Zhao Huaixu suddenly started coughing violently, and his pale knuckles gripped his cuffs as if he wanted to tear the fabric into pieces.
He curled up and coughed until his face turned red, and the wound on his abdomen started bleeding again.
"How can you choke on water?" Fang Yilan's face suddenly changed. She hurriedly reached out to support his back, but Zhao Huaixu suddenly grabbed her wrist. Although the force was weak, it was filled with a stubborn determination that would not allow her to break free.
"Alan..." He tilted his head back, breathing weakly, with tears in the corners of his eyes, "Don't... Don't joke like that..." Before he could finish his words, he had another violent coughing fit. He suddenly turned sideways, covering his mouth and nose with his trembling sleeves, his knuckles trembling slightly due to the force.
Fang Yilan had no time to joke around and subconsciously pulled open his shirt to check the wound.
Just as his fingertips touched the fabric, the candlelight suddenly flickered, illuminating the corner of Zhao Huaixu's mouth hidden in his sleeve. The upward curve was trembling slightly with a suppressed smile.
The air in the tent suddenly became stagnant.
Fang Yilan's fingertips froze in mid-air before she suddenly realized something. She gritted her teeth and uttered a "tsk!" before suddenly reaching out to pinch his flushed cheek, straining his feigned pity. "Zhao! Huai! Xu!"
She laughed out loud in anger, but couldn't help but brush his bleeding bandage with a look of heartache. "You're pretending to be sick so well that you even cough up blood. Shouldn't you be given a plaque?"
Zhao Huaixu took her hand and buried his face in her palm, pretending to be pitiful. "If I don't pretend, I don't know how much more Ah Lan will say to make me angry."
Fang Yilan laughed angrily at his words, "Pretend, keep pretending! You were coughing so hard just now that the earth was shaking, and now you have the energy to talk nonsense?"
Just as she was about to pull her hand back, Zhao Huaixu pulled her and she fell into his arms.
Zhao Huaixu raised his eyes, with feigned tears still on his eyelashes. He took her hand and placed it on the wound on his abdomen: "The wound here has split open, it hurts..."
Fang Yilan completely lost her temper, sighed and pulled her hand back, but she didn't avoid his arm that was wrapped around her.
As she opened the celadon jar of ointment, she said unhappily, "If you dare to joke about wounds again, I won't let you off."
Zhao Huaixu looked at her drooping eyebrows. The candlelight cast a small shadow on her eyelashes under her eyes. Occasionally, her frown would quickly relax.
Looking at Fang Yilan's drooping eyebrows, the warmth of her fingertips penetrated into her skin through the ointment. She suddenly felt that the most precious thing in this troubled world was the peace at this moment.
And now, she will be the one to make the final move in this chaotic chess game.
...
Half a month later, Fang Yilan led his troops to the front of Shangjing City, and the two armies faced each other.
Jiang Fu was standing on the chariot wearing a dragon robe, but the heavy bow in his hand was shaking so much that he could hardly hold it. He had been dressed in fine clothes all his life and had never been on the battlefield in person.
On the other hand, on the Fang family army's side, Fang Yilan stood in front of the formation on a white horse wearing silver armor, and behind him Fang Yicen stood on his horse with a sword in hand, and Xun Yun drew his bow like the moon. The generals all stood tall and straight.
"Fang Yilan!" Jiang Fu forced himself to raise his voice, but the jade crown made a small sound against the chariot. "Why bother with fighting? If you are willing to lay down your arms and surrender, I am willing to make you a..."
"It's no use naming me the Grand Emperor," Fang Yilan interrupted. "Your Majesty, do you have a bad memory? The envoy who brought your letter of peace to you half a month ago is now covered in grass."
Behind him came the clear sound of Fang Yicen's sword being unsheathed and the buzzing sound of Xun Yun drawing his bow and arrow, all in perfect unison, as if they were one person.
Jiang Fu looked at the tall and straight generals in the enemy camp. His throat tightened and he said calmly, "How dare you! Do you know that disobeying the emperor's order..."
He caught another glimpse of the man in snow-white clothes beside Fang Yilan - Zhao Huaixu, who stood with his hands behind his back. His pale face could not hide the fierceness in his eyes. Although they were of the same blood, their demeanor was completely different.
Fang Yilan turned her head to look at the man in snow-white clothes beside her. Zhao Huaixu looked somewhat similar to Jiang Fu. He was very heroic, and his pale face could not hide the sharpness in his eyes.
She suddenly found it absurd and ridiculous. They were of the same blood, but some could hold the sword of revenge tightly even in their sickness, while others could not even lift the heavy bow.
How can the gap between people be so huge?
She was too lazy to listen to Jiang Fu's repeated words and scratched her ears: "Are you done? If you're done, then start beating."
The moment the war drums exploded like thunder, Jiang Fu's legs went weak and he almost fell out of the chariot, but Fang Yilan had already rushed forward like an arrow. Jiaoyue screamed and crushed the rain of arrows. The cold light in her eyes was sharper than a blade. Wherever the spear pointed, the black battle flag surged like a raging tide.
"Kill!" With the order, the black battle flags surged forward like a tide, the sound of horse hooves shook the city walls so much that dust fell off. Wherever the black battle flags passed, the morale of the Ruining army melted like remaining snow.
Within three days, the gates of Shangjing City were broken.
Jiang Fu fell on the steps of the Golden Palace, and his dragon robe was covered in mud.
He looked up with tears streaming down his face, only to see Fang Yilan standing in the morning sun, his black armor reflecting the golden light, making him look like a god.
Only then did he realize that his so-called imperial power was nothing but empty talk in front of a truly powerful person.
"General Fang, spare my life!" He crawled forward, his knees scraping against the bricks, his forehead bleeding, and cried out, "I am willing to abdicate, I only ask for a way to live..."
Fang Yilan stood still like a pine tree, letting him approach.
Seeing that she did not retreat, Jiang Fu's eyes lit up and he crawled faster.
When the dirty hand was about to touch the corner of her clothes, a cold light flashed.
Zhao Huaixu appeared beside her at some point, his pale face bathed in blood, looking even more sinister. He clutched his hand at the bleeding wound, his sword steady as a rock, precisely severing Jiang Fu's wrist.
"Ah!" Jiang Fu looked at his shortened arm and curled up on the ground, crying out in pain, "Father, I was wrong! I was deceived. I shouldn't have hurt you!"
The former majesty of the emperor was shattered into pieces until the sword pierced Jiang Fu's chest and Jiang Fu was no longer alive. Only then did the screams finally subside.
"Noisy."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
