Chapter 701: Born at the Wrong Time, a Gem Lost in the Mud—Only Death Remains

Although Wang Bin and a few loyal officers tried hard to keep the news of King Han Zhu Gaoxu’s death secret, it spread quickly throughout Shandong thanks to the deliberate spread by the Tang Sai’er sisters, not to mention the smaller town of Le’an. Zhu Gaoxu did not enjoy a reputation as a skilled warrior like Zhu Di, the former King of Yan; on the contrary, he was known for his brutality and thirst for blood. Those who had joined him had done so only for the chance to gain fame by serving him. Now that his power had collapsed, most of them scattered like birds and beasts.

Since the truth could no longer be hidden, Wang Bin and officers like Wei Da decided to set up a mourning hall in the royal palace. Yet even the servants in the palace were seeking ways to save their own lives at this critical moment, let alone those who were already free. Zhu Gaoxu’s sons, who held titles as princes, put on mourning clothes and kowtowed briefly before disappearing without a trace. Even the officers who had once rushed to stand and pay respects in the Hall of Succession hardly showed up.

At that moment, only these four of them remained in the mourning hall. They were all officers who had sworn to serve Zhu Gaoxu to the death. Though they wore mourning caps, their faces beneath them were filled with sorrow. Wei Da burned a large stack of paper in a bronze basin and then turned to ask, “Why isn’t Zhu Heng here? And where has Brother Wang gone?”

Mention of Zhu Heng вызвал disdain among them, but when Wang Bin’s name came up, they grew suspicious. Everyone knew that Wang Bin had been with King Han Zhu Gaoxu the longest and had made the greatest contributions. When Zhu Gaoxu lost his temper, no one else could persuade him, except Wang Bin. Now, at this critical juncture, could it be that even Wang Bin would abandon his lord? Though their hearts were heavy, they remained silent. Instead, they kowtowed three times in front of the altar under Wei Da’s leadership, then stood up together.

“Although our lord has passed away, we must not give up so easily!” Wei Da clenched his fist and shouted at them, “Our lord made the greatest contributions in the past. Emperor Taizong even promised him the throne, yet he lost it for no reason! Even if we lose, we must make the court pay the price. We must show them that the Han royal family has men of unyielding courage!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the others immediately agreed. Just as the group stepped out of the funeral hall, they saw a middle-aged man with a thick neck and broad shoulders entering through the door at the end of the corridor—it was Wang Bin. Unlike the others dressed in mourning clothes, Wang Bin was clad in armor. From a distance, officers like Wei Da could see that the usually bright armor was covered in some strange substance, and they could also see the heavy bundle he carried, with bright red liquid dripping from it. Though they had been colleagues for many years, everyone was now filled with suspicion; some even unconsciously placed their hands on their sword hilts.

When the two groups met, even Wei Da was intimidated by Wang Bin’s murderous aura and asked, “What’s going on here?” But Wang Bin didn’t answer at all. He simply passed by the crowd, climbed the steps, and entered the funeral hall. Ignoring the people following him and his own bloodstains, he knelt down in front of the altar, set the bundle aside, and kowtowed three times loudly. Only after getting up did he carefully untie the bundle, revealing a terrifying, grotesque head inside. He drew his dagger and planted it in the ground, his face showing a resolute expression.

“During the Jingnan Campaign, I was just a lowly soldier. The prince promoted me to a small flag officer, and I fought alongside him in many battles until I reached the position of commander. Now that the prince is gone, I should have cut my own throat to follow him and repay his kindness. But who would have thought that someone would try to surrender the city while the prince’s body was still warm, trying to win over the court by bribing several princes! That man is Zhu Heng, who was highly trusted by the prince. Since I found out, I hate those who betray their masters the most, so I killed him with one stroke!”

The people behind them finally understood and were shocked. Wei Da rushed forward in an instant, crouched down beside Wang Bin, and demanded fiercely, “Did that dog Zhu Heng really dare to do such a thing?”
“With death before him, what isn’t he afraid of? Not only him, but there are also several others who only knew how to flatter the prince and reaped many benefits, now trying to turn traitor and side with the court. I killed them all! I, Wang Bin, have no great ambitions in life—only a hatred for traitorous scoundrels! Death is just death; what’s there to fear?”

“Well said!” Only then did Wei Da notice that Wang Bin’s waist knife, planted in the ground, was covered in blood. He couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. “At first, I thought I had misseen you, Brother Wang. Now it’s clear—the Prince truly didn’t mistake you! Since I’ve already dedicated my life to the Prince, I have no intention of kneeling to others for mercy! Death is inevitable anyway; let’s die heroically here in Le’an!”
The two of them discussed matters of life and death as if no one else was around. The others were stunned for a moment before gathering around, chiming in and slapping their chests, vowing to die with the city. Thus, Wang Bin had no choice but to stand up and go into the room on the left with Wei Da and the others to discuss what to do next. After a long while, when they came out ready to reorganize their troops, he suddenly sensed something was wrong with the silence outside. Instinctively feeling an indescribable crisis, he rushed out quickly.
The memorial hall for King Zhu Gaoxu was located in the main hall of the royal palace, the Chengyun Hall, with a spacious courtyard in front. At that moment, the courtyard was filled with hundreds of people, all armed with powerful bows and arrows. Leading them was Sheng Jian, the commander of the Right Army who had been appointed earlier. Since his sister was King Zhu Gaoxu’s favorite concubine, he had managed to secure a high position despite his limited experience. Being skillful in dealing with people, he got along well with the older veterans, so he was quite popular. Yet, even as he saw Wang Bin, Wei Da, and the others staring at him fiercely, he remained unfazed.
“So everyone’s here,” Sheng Jian chuckled, then spoke slowly, “Now that the Prince has passed away, I and the others have discussed this with the princes. We all believe that as the emperor’s direct cousins and his grandson, there’s no need to continue fighting against the court. You all were trusted by the Prince in life—surely you won’t let his bloodline be completely destroyed? As long as the mountains remain, there will always be firewood. Though we call ourselves the Five Armies, we’re actually only a few thousand men…”
“Shut up!” Wang Bin was furious at Sheng Jian’s words and cut him off sharply. “Even if the Prince knew from beyond, he would never allow the princes to kneel and apologize to the court!”
“Lord Wang, don’t think just because you’re the Prince’s confidant that you understand these things better than I do!” Sheng Jian’s face turned dark as he sneered and pulled out a stack of documents. “On one hand, the Prince raised the banner of the Jingnan Campaign and recruited troops to form our Five Armies and Four Outposts. But on the other hand, he secretly prepared these.”

“This one says he was deceived by his subordinates, forcing him to comply against his will and thus making a grave mistake! By the way, it even includes your name as the main culprit.”
“This one is an apology to the emperor, claiming that though he deserves death for his crimes, as the legitimate son of Emperor Taizong, he pleads for his life.”
“This one accuses Prince Zhao of being an accomplice, along with copies of all the exchanged letters.”
“Of course, this one announces to the whole world that he rose in arms to quell rebellion and has no intention of seizing the throne, firmly refusing the ministers’ requests to ascend to the imperial position… Speaking of which, this is the first time I’ve heard that His Highness is quite talented in writing!”
Watching Sheng Jian contemptuously throw one petition after another on the ground, some of the officers nearby bent down to pick them up, only to remain there for a long time without getting up. Wang Bin felt his heart sink slowly. He had followed Zhu Gaoxu for many years, witnessing his bravery in battle, his collusion with Ji Gang to seize the throne, his attempts to sabotage Zhu Gaochi, and even his angry curses against Zhu Gaochi and his son—Zhu Di was also included in those curses… He naturally knew Zhu Gaoxu was not some fearless hero, yet he still chose to pledge his loyalty. If everything Sheng Jian said was true, then all his years of loyalty and service would be nothing but a joke!
Sheng Jian violently threw a large stack of petitions on the ground and said sternly, “I got all these from my sister. You should know better than I do whether these are written in the Emperor’s handwriting! Stop deceiving yourselves. Let me tell you the truth—news has already arrived from outside the city. Zhang Yue and the former commander of Shandong, Liu Zhong, have convinced the anti-piracy garrisons in Weihaiwei and other places. They’ve already entered Qingzhou. That fool Jin Rong has been trapped in the government office and captured alive. At this point, surrendering the city might still save your families’ lives. Ask these men behind you—who wants to die along with Le’an City?”
Hearing Sheng Jian’s merciless words, even those officers who had been so passionate moments ago now looked deathly pale. Although Wei Da appeared calm on the surface, his hand holding the steel knife trembled slightly.
The soldiers in the courtyard all had tightly pressed lips and ashen faces, staring intently at these officers who had always treated them like parents. They were not mere ragtag troops gathered from outside, nor were they scoundrels who had flocked over from all directions. They were the Tiance Guards, the elite troops bestowed by Zhu Di on Zhu Gaoxu—true elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Logically, they shouldn’t rebel, but since Zhu Gaoxu was dead, they didn’t want to die in shame or without reason!

In the dull and tense atmosphere, Wang Bin finally raised his head, his brows filled with determination. Slowly, he drew the dagger that had already killed countless people with his right hand, pointed its tip at the hundred-odd people before him, and said word by word, “If you want to surrender, fine—then kill me! But as long as I’m alive, I am the commander of the Tiance Guards. No one shall override my decisions, and no one shall surrender the city without my permission!”
Sheng Jian never expected that after all his attempts to persuade them, he would end up with such a result. He became furious and immediately shouted at Wei Da, “Commander Wei, hurry and persuade Lord Wang! Don’t be stubborn and foolish at this moment! Although there are only a hundred of us here, many more are blocking outside the palace. Everyone follows the Prince in hopes of a better life and wealth, not to throw their lives away!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Wei Da also draw his sword, followed by a second and third, until all the officers stood by Wang Bin’s side. Though they were outnumbered and surrender seemed inevitable, he felt that the spirit of those few opponents far surpassed theirs. Yet now he had no way back—there was no choice but to act. If this standoff continued, more people might follow Wang Bin’s foolish loyalty.
In an instant, Sheng Jian summoned up his courage and shouted sharply, “Shoot!”
“Lord Sheng…”
“If you want to live, throw away those pitiful morals and think of your poor parents, wives, and children back home!”
This harsh command struck the hearts of the Tiance Guards like a thunderbolt. Someone, perhaps out of desperation, released the bowstring. After a loud sound, the others instinctively followed suit. In a moment, arrows rained down like locusts, all aimed at that one place. As if determined to die, those men standing firm with their swords did not raise them to block the arrows; they simply let them pierce their bodies, remaining upright. After a round of arrows, the terrified Sheng Jian stepped forward and saw that all five men were dead, still standing closely together, supporting each other so as not to fall.
“Captain Sheng…”
The same call went unanswered this time. Sheng Jian stood there in silence for a long while before turning and walking back. With an unambiguous wave of his hand, he ordered, “Send orders to open the city gates on all sides and send messages to the capital and Qingzhou Prefecture!”
“What about them…”

“Nonsense! Of course they deserve a grand burial! They were all heroes and valiant men—too bad they were born at the wrong time and followed the wrong master! Remember, bury them immediately so no one can easily find their graves!”
By the time he led the way out of the Han King’s palace, Sheng Jian’s clothes were already soaked with sweat. He didn’t dare recall those eyes that remained wide open even in death, nor did he want to remember the moment he gave the order. Relying on his status as the king’s brother-in-law, even if he surrendered, he might not survive, and his family might not be safe either. Fortunately, he still had some descendants outside, perhaps offering a glimmer of hope in the future. And as long as those who refused to back down were gone, the common soldiers might still find a way to survive.
Born at the wrong time, their talents wasted—only death remained!
Upon learning that Le’an had opened its gates and surrendered, Zhang Yue wasn’t particularly surprised. After discussing it with Liu Zhong from Fangling, none of the three wanted to enter the city so soon, so Fangling volunteered to ride swiftly to the capital to deliver the news. Yet as soon as Fangling left, news came that the various princes were voluntarily surrendering. Zhang Yue realized he couldn’t hide any longer and immediately selected 200 men from Qingzhou’s Central Guard to head to Le’an, to “invite” those princes, who still belonged to the royal family, back to the Han King’s palace.
He had expected hostility upon entering the city, but to his surprise, none of the Han King’s former followers in Le’an wanted to fight to the end. Those dressed as soldiers mostly stood silently on both sides of the street, all unarmed.
When he entered the Han King’s palace, he smelled a strong scent of blood. Alarmed, he quickly called an officer to find out what was going on and learned about the brutal events that had taken place three days earlier. Though they were on opposite sides, he still felt some respect for such loyal and devoted people. He then asked about Sheng Jian, who had led the troops to storm the palace.
“After ordering the opening of Le’an’s four gates for surrender, Captain Sheng committed suicide. He said he had no choice but to take such a drastic measure to save everyone’s lives. Now that everything was settled, he couldn’t let the king send them on a lonely journey…”
Hearing this unexpected answer, Zhang Yue fell silent. They were all honorable men. If Zhu Gaoxu were still alive, they would likely have fought alongside him to the last moment. But perhaps such an opportunity wouldn’t have arisen—Zhu Gaoxu had always been a cowardly man, seemingly surrendering without a fight even in history.

People’s ambitions always rise with their status. If Zhu Gaoxu had died early, Zhu Zhanli, the current heir to the Han Prince, would have little ability but still harbored ambitions to rule independently. Now, with everyone from top to bottom being eliminated, the once-powerful Han princely state has become a thing of the past.