Chapter 87: Looking Up at the Sky (5)

“Yes, we’re rebelling against him—opening the granaries to distribute food.”
“Yes, we’ll all follow Brother Wei’s lead.”
These veterans were originally upset due to unpaid salaries, but after being incited by Wei Ba, they began to feel as though they were acting on behalf of heaven, and their courage grew. Combined with the effect of strong liquor, these usually cautious veterans, under Wei Ba’s leadership, rushed out of the inn armed with weapons and headed toward the governor’s residence.
A clearing outside the governor’s residence already had nearly a thousand soldiers gathered. Most of these soldiers also had unpaid salaries and had been stirred up by their officers to come to the governor’s residence. Yet these veteran scoundrels didn’t show the slightest hint of rebellion.
It was already October, and although the sun had set low, the soldiers could still feel a chill in the air. Strong winds howled past their faces, along with the dull sound of spears hitting the ground, evoking a sense of desolation and solemnity.
In an alley near the governor’s residence, Bai Yuanguang watched everything coldly. He had followed them all the way, hoping to see what would happen, only to witness a shocking mutiny. What shocked Bai Yuanguang even more was that the leader of these rebels was Chu Zhenyi, the general of Huaihua. He was the deputy commander of the Tianwei Army, and Bai Yuanguang had met him once when the Tianwei soldiers set off for Anxi. Although he hadn’t had a good impression of him at the time, he also hadn’t felt any dislike. He never expected to meet him again under such circumstances! The last trace of illusion Bai Yuanguang still had about Chu Zhenyi vanished instantly. All he wanted to know now was what more tricks this hypocritical man, who pretended to be upright while secretly colluding with the Arabs, could pull off.
Chu Zhenyi wore silver armor and rode a yellow horse, patrolling back and forth between the two rows of soldiers. He stopped in front of the governor’s gate and raised his arm, shouting, “That old thief is corrupt and embezzles military salaries, leaving our brothers hungry. Today, he even withholds food meant for disaster relief—this is utterly unforgivable by heaven’s laws! Brothers, join me today to act on heaven’s behalf, kill that old thief, and restore justice for the people of Suiye!”
Someone in the army shouted, “Act on heaven’s behalf—kill that old thief!” Immediately, a roar of outrage erupted.
Given the current situation, Wu Fuhui’s safety as the temporary governor of Suiye was at stake. Although as the temporary highest administrative official of Suiye, Wu Fuhui had the authority to control Turkic Khan Tufuhan and could mobilize troops if necessary, he couldn’t even leave the governor’s residence at this point, let alone go to the Suiye palace to seek Tufuhan’s help.

Having always looked down on soldiers, he was not well-liked by lower-ranking officers. Thus, as long as someone in the army stirred up trouble, the situation would quickly deteriorate. Moreover, Chu Zhenyi had spent years working hard within the Tianwei Army and was skilled at winning over lower-ranking officers. Therefore, with just a call, this general from Huaihua was more formidable than the temporary acting commander.

Despite the turbulent situation outside the governor’s residence, the red-painted gates remained tightly closed. The oppressive silence made it hard to breathe, and the calm before the storm was even more frustrating.

Seeing no movement inside the residence, fearing something might go wrong, Chu Zhenyi shouted loudly, “You wretch, come out and face your death! Don’t wait for my men to storm in. By then, the governor’s residence will be bloodied, and your crimes will only grow worse!”

For some reason, there was still no response from inside the residence.

Chu Zhenyi was afraid that delaying things would lead to more problems later. If Wu Fuhui escaped from Suiye, he himself would be executed by the imperial court. At this thought, he shuddered.

Determined, Chu Zhenyi then cried out, “Follow me, men! Charge in and kill every traitor inside! No one shall be spared! A reward of a thousand gold pieces awaits whoever kills Wu Fuhui!” These soldiers, blinded by hatred, rushed toward the governor’s residence like wild beasts set free from their cages at the general’s command.

Most of these soldiers were low-ranking troops with no special training and little awareness of traps.

Just over ten meters from the gates of the governor’s residence, the first fifty or so attackers were hit by a barrage of arrows. Amidst heart-wrenching screams, over fifty lives were lost in an instant.

The once angry and noisy army fell dead silent; no one dared take another step forward.

Chu Zhenyi was furious. He rode his yellow horse to the front of the army and personally executed several soldiers who tried to retreat. “Those who flee from battle deserve death. Anyone who dares retreat another step will be killed without mercy!”

Frightened by Chu Zhenyi’s authority, the soldiers hesitated before stepping forward again.

One general’s success comes at the cost of countless lives. The only value of these low-ranking soldiers was to use their bones to build the great achievements of their commanders and highlight the heroic feats of the nobles.

Talks of dying in battle or being honored in battle were merely excuses used by those in power to inspire soldiers to die for them. Half the city in dust, half in blood—these low-ranking soldiers’ lives meant less than ants in the eyes of those in power. People often regretted urging their husbands to seek noble titles, yet these soldiers didn’t even have the chance or power to become nobles.

Ahead lay the raised butcher’s knives, while perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope ahead. It was with this thought that these poor sergeants sacrificed their lives to bring Chu Zhenyi one step closer to breaking into the governor’s mansion.

At that moment, arrows flew in from all directions, leaving no chance to avoid them. Countless soldiers fell to the ground after being struck by arrows. The whistling of arrows in the air, the cracking sound as they pierced bones, and the groans of the dying merged together to create a hellish atmosphere.

Yet, stepping over their comrades’ corpses, a few soldiers managed to reach a corner of the wall and gain temporary safety. After catching their breath, they set up ladders. Although the walls of the garrison mansion were not as tall or sturdy as those of Suiye City, they were still as high as those of an ordinary county town. Climbing up under a barrage of arrows was already extremely difficult, but these poor sergeants never imagined that something even more terrifying awaited them.

All hands on the walls of the garrison mansion were devoted to defending it. They knew that once the mansion fell, those bloodthirsty thugs would not spare them. Their desire to survive united them like never before. Male servants climbed the walls to carry stones and throw them down, while strong women boiled water, which was then carried up by servants.

Pots of scalding water were poured from above onto the soldiers, causing steam to rise. Their old, dead skin swelled and blistered, and the intense pain made the soldiers who had already reached halfway up instinctively let go, falling back down. Countless soldiers died from the burns, crushed by their comrades, or executed by cruel officers. The walls were stained red with blood, yet still, more and more soldiers kept rushing forward.

Chu Zhenyi believed that with his overwhelming military strength, as long as he continued to press forward, even the strongest fortresses could be breached. He didn’t care how many lives would be sacrificed to take down this mansion; all he cared about was the rewards he would gain after capturing Wu Fuhui and killing him. Then he could openly seize control of Suiye City’s military and political power and become the actual ruler of this army.

At this thought, two sharp glints appeared in his eyes。……

It seemed, however, that Chu Zhenyi’s plan wasn’t going as smoothly as he had expected—at least when it came to attacking the garrison mansion. Even though his soldiers were just one step away from the top of the wall, even though he knew the defenders there were already at their limit, he still couldn’t take down this small garrison mansion!

The intense sense of frustration tormented this arrogant young general. For the sake of his dignity, he had no choice but to use those inhumane weapons……

Huge trebuchets were moved to a position fifty steps away from the palace gates. This monstrous device opened its gaping maw, ready to swallow the palace whole. “One, two, three”—after giving the command, the monster launched its attack. Massive boulders struck the palace walls, five feet away from the gates, creating deep dents. Seeing the results, Chu Zhen quickly ordered more stones to be fired. Stones rained down on the palace, and soon its wooden gates were riddled with holes. With a deep roar, everyone stopped. In that instant, everyone knew it was over. Without its strategic advantage, the governor’s palace was like a moth flying into a flame, destined only for destruction. Countless soldiers rushed toward the palace, while the guards fought desperately. No one wanted to die, but when faced with death, there was no fear as imagined. One by one, the guards fell in pools of blood, their eyes expressing sorrow, hatred, and relief as they passed away too quickly. A general in black armor stood before the advancing soldiers, neither avoiding nor fleeing. He maintained the dignity of a military leader, proving through his actions that death did not mean failure. It was then he realized Chu Zhen’s rebellion was not accidental. He must have made a secret deal with Tu Huonu; otherwise, why such chaos at the palace with no reinforcements from the palace nearby? It was merely a deal where both sides gained greatly, with him, Wu Fu Hui, as the sole sacrifice. Well, it was his own doing. If he had treated his subordinates more kindly, perhaps they wouldn’t have been so easily incited by Chu Zhen to rebel. A sword swept in a graceful arc, and Wu Fu Hui’s head flew into the sky. His blood formed a tragic rose, smiling down at the world’s joys and sorrows.