A group of soldiers clad in red iron armor and a group of people dressed in black marching uniforms surged into the palace gates like a tidal wave.
The weapons in their hands gleamed with a chilling light under the moonlight, sending shivers down one's spine.
Leading the group was General Xie Jiang, who commanded the other half of the Southern Shu army. Walking alongside Xie Jiang was Ling Yu, Su Yi's personal bodyguard, and behind him on horseback came a group of Moon Shadow Guards.
After Su Yi and Mu Jin exchanged a smile, Su Yi put his arm around Mu Jin's waist, leaped up, and headed upstairs to the Dragon Saliva Palace.
"General! Something terrible has happened!" Lin He's voice boomed like thunder around Lin Zhengyong and the Lin family army: "They are not the reinforcements brought by the young master, but the Xie family army and the Moon Shadow Guards."
Lin Zhengyong and the rebels behind him changed their expressions drastically. They never expected that Xie's army and the Moon Shadow Guard would appear at this time.
Xie Jiang's gaze turned icy as he looked at Lin Zhengyong, who was completely protected by shields, and he shouted, "Lin Zhengyong, how dare you rebel! Surrender at once!"
"Let me tell you, all the rebel troops you amassed outside Bianliang City, along with your son Lin Jingtian, have been wiped out by us. If you surrender and confess your crimes now, perhaps the Emperor will spare your life!"
Lin Zhengyong's originally cold and hard face instantly twisted and became ferocious upon hearing the news of his son Lin Jingtian's murder. His eyes widened, filled with disbelief and rage.
Immediately afterwards, his body trembled violently, and he almost dropped the weapon in his hand.
He roared, "You old scoundrel Xie, how dare you kill my son!" Lin Zhengyong's voice was filled with grief and rage, echoing over the palace and making the Lin family soldiers around him feel a chill.
Xie Jiang sneered, "Not just your son? Everyone in your Lin family who resisted is already a ghost under the knife." After laughing loudly, Xie Jiang continued, "Guess who's still alive in your Lin family?"
"If you surrender with your rebel army right now and kneel down to beg me, perhaps I can tell you who in your Lin family is still alive!"
Upon hearing Xie Jiang's words, Lin Zhengyong's face turned deathly pale, a flicker of despair and madness crossing his eyes. He couldn't believe that his son and the rest of the Lin family had died because of his betrayal.
What he could not accept was that his grand undertaking, which he had been building up for many years, had collapsed in less than a night. All of this was a fact that he could not accept.
His grief and anger intertwined, forming a powerful force that nearly drove him to madness.
Lin Zhengyong's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "I don't believe it! Tonight I'll show you that this Southern Shu will definitely belong to me, Lin Zhengyong!"
Lin Zhengyong shoved aside the guards surrounding him, drew his sword, and shouted, "Kill them!"
In an instant, shouts of battle erupted, the clash of swords echoed through the sky, and crimson blood splattered everywhere like a fountain, converging into a horrifying river of blood.
The Xie family army and the Moon Shadow Guards were seasoned veterans, sharing a deep understanding and excelling in both offense and defense. In contrast, the Lin family army was demoralized and lacked fighting spirit, and could only retreat step by step in the face of such a fierce offensive.
Seeing his troops' morale plummeting, Lin Zhengyong was frantic with worry. He gritted his teeth and decisively fled towards the palace gate, shouting, "Retreat to the palace gate!"
Seeing this, the Lin family soldiers followed closely behind, running desperately toward the palace gate.
At this moment, the open palace gate seemed to be their only way out in their desperate situation, like the last straw they had to grasp tightly, as they might still have a chance to survive.
"Close the palace gates!" Xie Jiang raised the token in his hand and gave the order in a stern voice.
As the words fell, the massive city gate began to rumble and slowly close.
Lin Zhengyong and his Lin family army were forcibly blocked inside the palace.
The Lin family soldiers watched helplessly as the palace gates gradually closed, their hearts filled with endless despair.
"General," Lin He asked Lin Zhengyong with a look of fear, "what should we do now?"
Lin Zhengyong said, "Smash it! Smash the palace gates open for me!"
Just as the Lin family army was trying to approach the palace gate, they were shot dead by the Moon Shadow Guards stationed on the city wall before they even had a chance to get close.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly critical, Lin Zhengyong knew that all was lost, so he resolutely chose to fight a desperate battle.
He gripped his longsword, swung it sharply, then turned and passed over the endless crowd behind him, his gaze fixed on Emperor Gaozong and Su Yi, who stood atop the Dragon Saliva Hall with sinister malice.
Lin Zhengyong was filled with deep despair and resentment. He slowly closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, he turned around without hesitation, let out a deafening roar, and charged straight at Xie Jiang.
At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: even if it meant death, he would drag Xie Jiang down to hell with him!
However, Xie Jiang was no ordinary man. He easily dodged Lin Zhengyong's attack and stabbed Lin Zhengyong in the chest with his sword.
Lin Zhengyong took a few steps back, dodging the fatal blow. But before he could catch his breath, Xie Jiang launched several more fierce attacks, leaving him struggling to keep up.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound rang out! An arrow shot out like lightning, heading straight for Lin Zhengyong!
Lin Zhengyong heard the wind was rustling and quickly dodged to the side. Although he successfully avoided the arrow's fatal point, the arrow was still deeply embedded in his right shoulder!
Lin Zhengyong felt a sharp pain in his right arm and instinctively reached out to support his injured shoulder, turning his head in astonishment. He discovered that the archer was none other than Su Yi.
"Lin Zhengyong, I advise you to surrender! Considering your father's past assistance to me, I will spare your life!" Emperor Gaozong shouted.
As Lin Zhengyong watched the Lin family soldiers around him fall one after another, he felt a wave of despair. Even though he knew that the situation was hopeless, how could such a proud man as him do the thing of admitting guilt?
Lin Zhengyong looked at Emperor Gaozong of Nan with a fierce gaze: "You are a person without descendants, how can you be worthy to continue sitting on this throne of Nan Shu? You might as well give it to me. After all, I have half of the Nan family blood in me, and I am worthy of this throne."
"What I regret now is that I wasted countless opportunities to make a move on you. Otherwise, would I be letting you boss me around like this?"
After Lin Zhengyong finished speaking, he slowly pulled the bow and arrow from his shoulder. Then he laughed wildly and finally shouted at the sky in frustration.
"I have been invincible all my life, conquering the world on horseback, and now I die at the hands of a mere wretch! I am truly unwilling! I am so unwilling!"
After saying that, he picked up his sword, his eyes filled with ferocity, and leaped into the air in the direction where Emperor Gaozong was standing. But the moment he took flight, countless arrows pierced his body, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
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