Chu Qing was completely unafraid. He raised his saber and swung it horizontally.
Clang!
The two sabers collided, sending a piercing hum echoing through the secret passage.
In an instant, the two exchanged several blows.
Chu Qing grew steadier with every strike. With Li Feng and the others at his side, along with the Jinyang soldiers wielding repeating crossbows, he had nothing to fear.
Ji Duoyan, however, grew increasingly impatient. Unable to defeat Chu Qing for a long while, a ruthless glint flashed through his eyes. Ignoring the saber slashing toward him, he thrust his own blade at Chu Qing’s abdomen.
Chu Qing had no intention of trading his life for Ji Duoyan’s. There was no need.
He twisted aside to avoid the killing blow. With a turn of his wrist, the saber that had been coming down changed into a horizontal slash, sweeping toward Ji Duoyan’s neck.
His attack missing, Ji Duoyan had no choice but to retreat. Burning with rage, he shouted, “Is dodging all you know how to do?”
Chu Qing said nothing and brought his saber down again.
Li Feng and the others had also closed in by then. They fixed Ji Duoyan with wolf-like gazes, searching for an opening.
The longer the fight continued, the more agitated Ji Duoyan became. With Li Feng and the others occasionally launching attacks from the side to distract him, he struggled to respond.
After a few exchanges, Chu Qing seized an opportunity and struck him down.
When Jiang Jin saw Ji Duoyan again, he was bound from head to toe, his nose swollen and his face bruised beyond recognition. Clearly, his capture had been quite a spectacle.
Chu Qing and the others saluted Jiang Jin. “We have completed the mission.”
Jiang Jin gave a quiet “Mm.” She was fairly satisfied with their restraint. Ji Duoyan was indeed more valuable alive than dead.
“Go to the city at once and help purge the Ji soldiers from within. Take control of Wenxia City as quickly as possible.”
Not long after Chu Qing and the others left, Dongzhi and Luo Ah-di hurried back. When they saw that Ji Duoyan had been captured, they finally relaxed inwardly.
The two of them had failed to catch him in the secret passage. They had searched all the private residences around the exit and, after confirming that no one was there, had left the residences to investigate the surrounding area. They had been afraid he might have escaped.
Jiang Jin looked at Luo Ah-di. “Take the Dragon Shadow Guards to the city wall and assist the defending soldiers in repelling the enemy.”
Luo Ah-di nodded and quickly led his men away.
He had heard the drums earlier as well and knew that the city walls were in danger.
Yun Chengxuan could not help nodding off, but he knew this was a critical moment and struggled to keep his eyes open. “Auntie, what do we do now?”
Jiang Jin was helpless. “You should sleep for a while.”
“Oh.” Yun Chengxuan muttered groggily. Then, with the Buddha-heart pestle beneath him, he fell asleep standing up.
Jiang Jin: “…”
Just then, Bailu hurried in. “My lord, the military camp is completely under our control. Commander Yao has taken his men to the city wall.”
Jiang Jin nodded. “How is the situation at the walls?”
Bailu quickly reported, “Around forty thousand Ji soldiers have arrived at the city gates. They are attacking the west and north gates and have already been driven back several times.”
The Jinyang Army had prepared in advance, firing a large number of flaming arrows from beyond the moat, outside the range of ordinary bows. The arrows illuminated a wide area, turning any Ji soldier who approached into a clear target.
Of course, the Ji soldiers had also tried to put out the flaming arrows, using corpses to fill the moat.
Unfortunately, they had miscalculated. The Jinyang Army had brought plenty of stake arrows this time. For every flaming arrow the Ji soldiers extinguished at the cost of braving countless incoming bolts, the Jinyang Army could fire two more.
With Chu Qing and Yao Ji bringing reinforcements, the Jinyang soldiers on the city walls still remained vastly outnumbered by the Ji army. However, the repeating crossbows were tremendously powerful, allowing them to fire freely and mow down the enemy.
The soldiers who had come this time were all elite troops, and their aim was exceptionally accurate.
Under such circumstances, the Ji army could hardly even approach the moat, let alone construct assault bridges and attack the city.
“Despicable! Your Jinyang Army is despicable!”
Jiang Jin was just about to speak when a hoarse voice rang out. Ji Duoyan had awakened.
Jiang Jin frowned. “Take him to the prison. Put him in a cell by himself.”
Ji Duoyan’s residence had its own prison, built specifically for torturing disobedient women and servants.
The women from the harem, eunuchs, servants, and others captured in the residence had all been locked in the prison. They would be interrogated and dealt with one by one once there was time.
“Yes!”
Two Dragon Shadow Guards immediately stepped forward, seized Ji Duoyan, and began dragging him away.
Ji Duoyan felt utterly humiliated, but he also knew that anything he said now would be useless. He could only hope that the soldiers within the city would prove capable and, together with the Ji army outside, quickly kill the Jinyang soldiers and retake the city.
He glared viciously at Jiang Jin, wishing he could cut her into a thousand pieces.
Yun Chengxuan, who had just fallen asleep, sensed the intense hatred. He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Ji Duoyan’s sinister, murderous gaze.
He could not stand it any longer. He stepped forward and kicked Ji Duoyan, sending him flying several yards away.
“Dare to glare at my auntie again, and I’ll dig out your eyeballs and stuff them into your mouth for you to eat. Do you hear me?”
The surroundings fell completely silent. No one answered his question.
Yun Chengxuan frowned, assuming Ji Duoyan was refusing to obey. He angrily moved forward, preparing to kick him a few more times.
The Dragon Shadow Guards holding Ji Duoyan were numb with shock. They had been holding him securely, yet somehow their hands had suddenly gone empty and he had gone flying.
After hearing Yun Chengxuan’s threat, they understood what had happened. They thought to themselves, How dare he glare at our lord? He deserved that kick.
Then they looked at Ji Duoyan, who lay on the ground, coughing up bloody foam and twitching uncontrollably, and both of them were startled.
They knew very well how much strength this little ancestor possessed. If he had kicked Ji Duoyan to death, that would be a problem.
The two hurried forward to check on him.
Jiang Jin called out to Yun Chengxuan, “Enough. Another kick and he’ll die.”
Yun Chengxuan stopped. “Don’t worry, Auntie. I held back. One kick definitely wouldn’t kill him.”
The Dragon Shadow Guards finally confirmed the situation. “My lord, he’s still breathing. He appears to have fainted.”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Take him to the prison. Have a physician examine him. Just make sure he doesn’t die.”
The Dragon Shadow Guards acknowledged the order, seized Ji Duoyan, and continued dragging him toward the prison.
Jiang Jin looked at Bailu. “Has the prison in Wenxia City been secured?”
Bailu nodded. “It has. Commander Shuangjiang captured quite a few Ji officials and nobles, and they have all been confined in the prison. Our soldiers are guarding it.”
Commander Shuangjiang’s assigned area was where the Ji imperial relatives and nobles lived. As long as circumstances allowed, those people naturally had to be kept alive.
As they spoke, Dongzhi gave Yun Chengxuan an approving look.
Well done.
She had wanted to do the same thing herself, but since her mistress had not given the order, she could not act on her own.
Yun Chengxuan raised his chin proudly. Then, in less than two breaths, his eyelids drooped and he fell asleep standing up again.
That night, Wenxia City was destined for unrest. The sounds of fighting and screams continued throughout the night.
At dawn the next day, the sixty to seventy thousand Ji soldiers who had gathered began attacking the city once more. They came on fiercely, carrying an unstoppable momentum.
The Ji army had launched several attacks the previous night before finally stopping.
First, they had only had thirty to forty thousand troops from the nearby garrisons at the time. The troops from the surrounding counties had not yet arrived.
Second, they could not see the condition of the city walls at night. Aside from making themselves targets, they had no way to kill the Jinyang soldiers.
Third, the Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows were far too powerful. Even after launching several attacks, they had not managed to advance as far as the moat.
Jiang Jin stood atop the city wall at the south gate, watching the Ji soldiers’ assault below. Her expression remained unchanged.
“Has the city been completely cleared?”
Dongzhi replied, “More or less. Captain Xia is still carrying out the final sweep. Commander Yao, Commander Shuangjiang, and the others have all gone up to the city walls.”
This was the most difficult battle Jiang Jin had fought so far. Not only were there Ji soldiers within the city, but a massive Ji force had gathered outside as well.
Jiang Jin was already short on manpower, yet she had to face threats both inside and outside the city.
Fortunately, the cover of night had prevented the Ji army outside from launching a large-scale assault on the city.
But the cover of night also made it extremely difficult for the unfamiliar Jinyang troops to hunt down and eliminate the Ji soldiers fleeing throughout the city.
“Before dealing with threats from beyond, one must first secure the realm within.” The saying was particularly apt for Wenxia City at that moment. Thus, the Jinyang army’s primary task last night had been to clear the Ji soldiers from the city.
Just then, Yao Ji hurried over. “My lord.”
Jiang Jin looked at him. “How is it?”
Yao Ji’s expression was grave. “The Ji army must have realized that we don’t have many men. They’re attacking all four gates at once. Our soldiers haven’t had a moment’s rest all night. If this continues, I’m afraid they won’t be able to maintain their current fighting strength.”
