The night at Sword Pavilion was especially cool.
The commotion caused by Qin Mu was resolved just like that.
An ordinary bullet passed through his head, and the army did not erupt into the mutiny Qin Mu's old brothers had expected.
People had no impression of this rebel leader at all, only knowing that Qin Xia's father seemed to have passed away unexpectedly. As for the soldier who shot Qin Mu, he was now standing inside Qin Xia's newly set up tent, his hands fidgeting as he looked at his Qin Shuai.
Qin Xia sat on a chair he had personally made, looking at a large sandbox in front of him.
Tomorrow, they would advance on Shu City. After nearly three months of reorganization, with the army's numbers increasing to twenty thousand, he had accumulated enough capital to attack a city.
The sandbox depicted the terrain between Shu City and Sword Pavilion, as drawn by Pan Yue.
The soldier dared not breathe loudly, merely standing there blankly, awaiting Qin Shuai's instructions.
"What are you standing there for? Get yourself a stool and sit down." This was the first instruction the soldier heard after entering the tent.
He tiptoed to get a stool and had just sat down when Qin Xia, having just finished formulating tomorrow's attack plan, looked up at the soldier whose face seemed to have paled with fright, and chuckled casually, "Don't be nervous. I called you here because I just wanted to ask if you felt anything unusual. But first, please tell me your name."
"Reporting to Qin Shuai, I am Han Hu, from Lu Land," he quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.
Qin Xia stood up and moved the stool next to Han Hu: "From Lu Land, eh? If I remember correctly, you've been following me since Shaanxi, haven't you?"
Han Hu quickly nodded in affirmation: "I have followed Qin Shuai all the way here. All of us are here thanks to Qin Shuai's strategies. I truly couldn't stand that increasingly aggressive..."
As he spoke, his eyes welled up: "Back home, we couldn't even get enough to eat. Since following Qin Shuai, everything has changed completely. You handle all matters, big and small, yourself, and you've taken the lead in conquering cities and lands. Our brothers just eat and sleep after training. Such a life of luxury, who would have dared to imagine it before?"
Soon after! Han Hu, deeply moved, suddenly knelt down, startling Qin Xia, who quickly embraced him. He saw Han Hu looking at him with snot and tears streaming down his face: "You don't know what the brothers call you in private!"
Qin Xia was stunned and cried out, half-laughing, half-crying: "Can we please not cry first?"
"I won't! Listen to me, we all call you fath—" Qin Xia instantly clapped a hand over the fellow's mouth. He hadn't even said a word, why was this guy talking so much?
He had originally called him in to counsel him, as killing Qin Mu was a sudden event. However, given Qin Mu's lifeless eyes at the time, they had ultimately told the entire army that it was merely an accidental discharge of a firearm.
Qin Xia had been pondering that this fellow had accidentally killed someone, and even killed his own father, so he must be under considerable pressure. Who would have thought that after calling him in, he barely said a few words, or rather, Qin Xia hadn't even spoken, before the man directly called him 'dad'?
He was so young, yet he already had nearly twenty thousand sons, and he himself was still a Xiao Chu man?
He couldn't stand it! He really couldn't stand these people calling him 'dad.' Back in college, if you brought someone food, and they called you 'dad,' that was fine, everyone knew it was a joke.
Now, a group of young men, older than him, kept calling him 'dad.' Who could stand that?
So I ask you, so I ask you, if a group of people, all in their thirties, call you 'dad' as soon as they see you, then I ask you, can you stand it?
To be honest, this matter was more troublesome than conquering cities, and Han Hu was still whimpering about something, even starting to cling to his arm.
Qin Xia even felt that this guy was more terrifying than those generals!
"Don't come any closer!" (Diavolo face.)
Ultimately, Xiao Lie and Pan Yue dragged the fellow away. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that he also needed to find someone to counsel him.
He took a deep breath and walked out of the tent. Outside, all the soldiers were standing by in full readiness. Seeing this, Qin Xia smiled with satisfaction. His mother's suffering was not only caused by Qin Mu but also by the dog emperor far away in Shaanxi.
Deep in his heart, a karmic fire had already ignited. Whether it was a change of eras or returning barren land to cultivation, he was absolutely determined to destroy such a dynasty, no matter the cost!
"All soldiers!" The treasured sword at his waist unsheathed, pointing directly at Shu City, Qin Xia sat in his war chariot and roared, "Follow me to war!"
"We are willing to brave fire and water for Qin Shuai!"
Dividing the narrative, let's look at Ba Zhou Mu in Shu City, pacing with a melancholic expression in his mansion. Suddenly, a servant ran in quickly to report: "My lord, the general sent by the imperial court has arrived."
The governor was overjoyed to hear this. Since the death of Prince Fu and Pan Yue's betrayal, he had lived in fear every day!
The rebels were right under his nose, and most of the soldiers in the city had been trained by General Pan Yue. He didn't dare send troops to suppress them, fearing that these soldiers would also rebel. He reported to the imperial court, and finally, troops were sent.
He quickly ran out of the pavilion, only to see a general in armor staring at him with an arrogant expression. He was startled at first, then smiled ingratiatingly: "Your arrival, General, truly brings splendor to my humble abode!"
"Hmph." The general snorted, pulled out an imperial edict from his Pregnant and cleared his throat: "The Emperor's decree: Ba Zhou Mu is guilty of dereliction of duty and lack of virtue, leading to the death of Prince Fu. Execute him on sight."
((((╹д╹;))))?
(Ba Zhou Mu: So I ask you, so I ask you, did I make Prince Fu go to Sword Pavilion to open his inpart? Did I make Prince Fu oppress the common people? If I were derelict and lacking in virtue, how could Shu City still be so orderly! Answer me, this is truly a dog emperor!)
A white flash appeared before his eyes, and a trickle of blood seeped from his neck. The general directly sealed his throat with a single sword stroke, and his head fell to the ground, splattering blood.
"He couldn't even deal with a band of rebels, truly a waste." The general sheathed his sword and turned to look at the soldiers. At this moment, a ray of morning light shone in. Seeing this scene, wasn't it perfect for morale?
He immediately raised his arm and shouted: "Soldiers! As long as you can drive the rebellious bandits out of Sword Pavilion, I guarantee that every single one of you will be able to return home before the Mid-Autumn Festival. I promise, I keep my word, every single one of you will return home to celebrate Mid-Autumn with your families!"
"Report!" Just as this general was passionately proclaiming his flag, a soldier from the city gate ran over quickly.
He calmly waved his hand, indicating: "What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry, what kind of decorum is this?"
The soldier immediately knelt and kowtowed: "General, please forgive me, the bandits from Sword Pavilion have already breached the city gates!"
"What?"
Just now, while this general was speaking, Qin Xia's army had already reached the city walls. The defending soldiers had never witnessed such a scene.
The sky was filled with high-flying monsters. Their bed crossbows couldn't reach them in the sky, so they could only watch as strange sorceries were thrown down one by one.
Those sorceries were all large, pitch-black iron balls. Although it was difficult to hit them, they were on fire!
Then the sorcery exploded instantly. Who would have thought the enemy had such a thing!
And those bandits, each holding strangely shaped weapons that could even spew fire!
The soldiers were killed by those weapons even before they got close. They fought with all their might to defend, but in the end, the entire city gate fell in an instant.
"Now the enemy has already entered Shu City and is rushing towards us!"
Mai Jiangjun's eyes went dark, but the situation was critical, allowing him no further thought. He issued one last command to the soldiers: "All troops prepare, now we change direction and attack from another side."
After speaking, he ran directly back in the direction he came from. The generals were also confused. Wasn't this the way they came? Why not fight the enemy and run back?
But after all, it was the general's order, and they dared not say much. Mai Jiangjun mounted his warhorse and desperately whipped it, constantly telling himself that this was not fleeing, but merely changing the direction of attack.
He was born into a prominent clan, how could he do something as shameful as fleeing?
Seeing the city gate right before his eyes, with the army close behind, he could no longer care about anything else and desperately charged towards it. However, a figure suddenly appeared there, blocking his path.
That person was over ten feet tall. Even though Mai Jiangjun was on his warhorse, that fellow was still half a body taller than him. Cold sweat was already breaking out on Mai Jiangjun.
He knew this was his enemy, because on that fellow's back was a prominent red flag, with a large 'righteous' (Yi, meaning righteousness) character on its surface.
(My sincerest apologies, I had an urgent matter today, so the update is late. I hope everyone will be understanding.)