Chapter 332: This King Will Go On Ahead

That old man was Zhang Xianyong, the fifty-first Celestial Master of Dragon-Tiger Mountain in Jiangxi.

The young man was his son, named Zhang Yingjing.

Dragon-Tiger Mountain governed all Daoist affairs under heaven and contended with nothing in the secular world, so whenever worldly power changed hands, they would pledge allegiance to the new ruler.

Dragon-Tiger Mountain lay northeast of Fuzhou and southwest of Guangxin Prefecture, and was now essentially under Huang Hetai's control.

The Great Ming had lost men and generals, and could no longer stop Great Xia in Jiangnan, while Great Xia had captured Nanchang and looked poised to take all of Jiangxi into its fold — the momentum to sweep the entire realm had already formed.

This was the best moment for Dragon-Tiger Mountain to pledge allegiance to Great Xia.

But Zhang Xianyong was no political opportunist. He pledged allegiance not for rank or riches, but for the Daoist legacy and for the people of Jiangxi. Thus he went only with his son, dressed in plain clothes, intending to investigate first before making any decision.

The two first went to Fuzhou, where they saw that when the Xia army attacked the city, they used their cannons with extreme restraint, doing their utmost to avoid blasting civilians.

Along the way they also saw the Xia army severely punishing soldiers who violated military discipline, and saw counties like Anren and Yugan quickly restore order under Great Xia's rule. Now, in Raozhou Prefecture, they witnessed with their own eyes the Xia army helping farmers rush-harvest rice.

Zhang Yingjing was completely won over. Compared to the Ming army, the tenant-slave army, and the Jianzhou barbarians, the Xia army's strict discipline and care for the common people was as if Yue Wumu and Qi Shaobao had been reborn to lead troops.

But Zhang Xianyong still shook his head and said: "Let's keep observing before we decide."

Throughout history, few rebel or righteous armies started out burning and looting — they all loved the people like their own children for a period first.

Never mind history — even right now, the army of the Dashing King Gao Yingxiang in the northwest also had excellent discipline.

Gao Yingxiang had even proclaimed the slogan "Killing one man is like killing my father, defiling one woman is like defiling my mother," and claimed "I raise troops not for a marquisate or a ministerial post, but so that the elders' bowls have grain."

The rest of his trivial military rules — no trampling crops with horses, no forcibly conscripting laborers — were too numerous to count.

As for opening granaries to distribute grain, helping farmers repair roads, and other work done for the common folk, he had done a great deal of it.

If one only compared helping the common people, the Xia King truly was no match for the Dashing King.

Since the alliance of the Thirty-Six Camps, the Dashing King's power had expanded with explosive speed; those who came to join him filled the valleys, and he faintly showed the momentum to split the realm three ways with the Great Ming and Great Xia. Even the Leveling King, who wrought havoc throughout Jiangxi, had at first drawn tenant slaves and farmers to join in droves.

Maintaining military discipline for a year or two is not hard, and helping the common people work for a day, or even a month, is easy.

What's hard is keeping it up forever.

So Zhang Xianyong was not entirely reassured about the Great Xia army — he still wanted to observe first.

Moreover, they had not come solely for the Great Xia army.

A sorcerer had been traveling north from Anren County and was now near Raozhou — their journey was also to eliminate demons and bandits.

"Let's go." Zhang Xianyong took a deep look in the direction the Xia army had departed, then said.

Zhang Yingjing tossed away the foxtail grass, clapped his hands, stood up, and hurried to catch up.

He had barely taken two steps when a song drifted through the rain: "... among the surging waves, which one am I... in the long river of glorious enterprise, the one that forever surges is me, I don't need you to know me..."

"Celestial Master, listen!" Zhang Yingjing stopped in his tracks and said.

Zhang Xianyong had already halted to listen. Hearing this, he said irritably: "This old man's ears are perfectly fine!"

The song's rhythm matched their marching steps exactly. Over a thousand Xia soldiers marched in neat formation, stepping to the beat, striding swiftly through the mud and water, and soon they had covered a great distance, vanishing into the pouring rain as the singing grew faint.

Only the final few lines drifted back from afar: "... the mountains know me, the rivers know me, the motherland..."

"Celestial Master, this song has power!" Zhang Yingjing gazed at the curtain of rain and exclaimed in admiration.

Zhang Xianyong seemed lost in thought. After a long while, he said calmly: "Let's go."

The two looked thin and frail, yet on the slippery mountain path they moved as fast as flying, quickly covering a great distance.

"The motherland will not forget, will not forget me."

Marching through the rain, after one song finished and the soldiers' fatigue had melted away, Lin Qian always urged Zhang Moye's men to sing one too.

For a moment, the entire road was filled with the sound of soldiers shouting songs at each other.

Several hundred voices shouting together made a formidable din that drowned out even the sound of the heavy rain hitting the ground.

Zhang Moye wiped the rain from his face and shouted: "Everyone, attention — unity is strength! Ready, sing!"

The soldiers sang in unison, returning to camp in song, then entering their tents to rest.

Ranqiu was pacing back and forth in the tent, waiting with burning anxiety. When Lin Qian finally returned, she immediately shot Geng Wu a fierce glare and threatened: "You dare let the King get rained on? Watch out — the Lady will make you pay!"

"I..." Geng Wu's face was full of grievance.

Lin Qian laughed: "At sea, rain was the only chance to bathe — we prayed for it. There's no logic in being able to get rained on at sea but not on land."

Ranqiu wiped the water from Lin Qian's head with a towel as she said: "I've already laid out dry clothes on the camp bed — remember to change, Your Majesty. I'll go find Doctor Su to take a look, and have the kitchen brew a bowl of ginger soup."

Lin Qian stopped her: "No need for all that trouble — just find the umbrella."

Ranqiu said in surprise: "Is Your Majesty going out again?" At the same time, she cast a questioning look at Geng Wu.

Geng Wu shrugged his shoulders innocently.

Lin Qian said: "Just taking a look around the camp. Go quickly."

"Alright." Ranqiu acknowledged. When she returned with the umbrella, Lin Qian had already changed his clothes, though not his shoes and trousers — after all, they would be soaked the moment he stepped outside, and changing into dry ones would be pure waste.

Lin Qian took the umbrella and went out, inspecting the tents one by one, starting with the quarters of the soldiers who had been caught in the rain.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing Lin Qian enter, the soldiers in the tent all jumped in surprise and hurriedly stood at attention.

Lin Qian saw that they were all bare-chested, many with their backsides bare too, their bodies covered in water, and asked: "Why haven't you changed into dry clothes?"

A soldier laughed: "The uniform's only wet, not dirty — it'll dry by the fire."

Just then Zhang Moye heard the news and came over holding an umbrella, commanding: "Don't all be so stingy — put on your spare uniforms. What's this business of running around naked?"

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers answered in unison, then scrambled to put on their clothes.

An ordinary Great Xia soldier wore a white coarse-cotton undershirt inside, a conical rain hat on his head, a dark crow-blue buttoned short jacket outside, cinched trousers below, cloth leggings wrapped around his calves, and hemp-soled shoes on his feet — this was the standard summer uniform for a common soldier.

In spring and autumn, a dark crow-blue sleeveless over-armor was added, and in winter, a padded jacket was layered on top.

These were all the uniforms a soldier had — different layers for different seasons. Officers had a few extra inner robes on top of this basis.

Except for the padded jacket, of which there was only one, and shoes, which were issued one pair every two months, each soldier had only one set of spare clothes, and a new set was only issued every two years. So the soldiers treasured them greatly and would not change or wash them casually.

In the end, it all came down to the limits of productive capacity. The main cotton-producing region of all China ran from South Zhili down to the Zhejiang area. Over eighty percent of the annual cloth output had to supply the civilian population, and the remaining twenty percent had to supply the Ming court and the border troops.

And of what Great Xia could purchase, a considerable portion had to go to civilian use, with the military getting only what was left.

Of course, given Daxia's financial strength, it could afford to buy enough cotton cloth to supply soldiers with ample changes of clothing.

But the Daxia army numbered a full one hundred and ten thousand men. Not counting padded jackets, giving each man one new set of clothing would require nearly seventy thousand bolts of cloth—and that was before accounting for transport losses, wear-and-tear replacements, and the like. The cost was staggering.

And what throttled the neck of Huaxia cotton production was not capital.

In other words, money was useless—large-scale purchasing would not stimulate production, but would instead drive merchants to hoard goods and jack up cotton prices. This was what had created the current state of Daxia military uniforms, and this problem could only be solved after Zhejiang and South Zhili were taken.

Lin Qian and Zhang Moye inspected several more tents, urging soldiers to change out of their wet clothes and keep warm, while ordering the cooks to boil hot water in camp to ward off the chill for the troops.

Lin Qian said: "After this rain, there will be a lot of standing water in the surrounding farmland and fields. In the next few days, we must send men to dig ditches and drain it. The city has suffered through war and urgently needs recovery. The garrison soldiers must lend a hand and take the initiative in sweeping the streets and burying the dead."

"In short, when we help the common folk with their work, it's not just for show—this is something to carry on in the future."

Zhang Moye nodded in agreement. He had spent an entire afternoon winnowing grain on the threshing ground, and his arms were so tired he could barely lift them—now even holding an umbrella made his hands tremble. Yet he could see the shift in the farmers' attitudes, and he understood how to dissolve the people's wariness and drag the Prince of Huai out of the city.

Lin Qian and Zhang Moye inspected the camp for a long while. Besides checking on the rain-soaked soldiers, they also visited the wounded and asked the troops their views on the army's reorganization.

It was raining that day, and many soldiers were playing military chess and cards in their tents. Lin Qian even stayed to play a few rounds with them.

Early the next morning, the Xia army entered the city carrying shovels and brooms, beginning to sweep the streets, clear the drainage ditches, and repair bridges and roads.

With so many soldiers working together, chanting work songs to keep pace, the work went swiftly.

In a civilian house at a street corner, the Prince's Guard Commander was peering through a crack in the door.

The Prince of Huai's tone was somewhat anxious: "Well? What are the rebel soldiers doing?"

"They seem... seem to be sweeping the ground?" The Guard Commander's voice was full of doubt.

"Hmph! A little favor to buy people's hearts!" The Prince of Huai snorted disdainfully. Then his stomach let out a growl—he had barely eaten since fleeing the prince's residence two nights ago.

The civilian house where they were hiding actually still had grain, but it was only coarse rice. Zhu Changqing was used to fine polished rice; this coarse rice was so hard, it scratched his throat, and it smelled musty—how could he swallow it?

So he had held out until now. Seeing that the Southern Xia rebel soldiers seemed determined to outlast him, Zhu Changqing could no longer bear his hunger and untied the peasant woman, telling her to cook. The woman went to the stove, glanced at it, and said in a trembling voice: "There's... there's not much firewood left."

Firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea—firewood ranked first among the seven daily necessities because it was consumed the fastest.

Raozhou City had been besieged by the Daxia army for nearly ten days, and every household's firewood had long since been burned through.

This household had originally held only a husband and wife, and they hadn't kept much firewood for cooking—there had been a fair bit left over. Now, with the Prince of Huai Zhu Changqing included, four people had suddenly crowded in, all strapping military men who wanted hot meals at every sitting. Naturally, the firewood ran out quickly.

One of the guards stepped forward and asked: "How much is left?"

The peasant woman rummaged through the firewood, calculating: "Barely enough for one meal—and it might come out a bit undercooked."

The guard cursed and picked up the splitting axe from the floor.

The peasant woman let out a shriek of fright and shrank into a corner.

The guard muttered a curse: "Bitch—scream again and I'll chop you up too!" With that he swung the axe at the bench in the main room, quickly reducing it to splinters. "Use these for cooking. Boil the rice soft and mushy," the guard said.

"Yes." The woman lowered her head in acknowledgment.

The household was poor, and they were newly married—every piece of furniture was precious. To see a perfectly good bench burned as firewood, the woman's eyes were full of regret, but her and her husband's lives were held in someone else's grip, and she could not resist.

The woman worked nimbly. Coarse rice went into the pot with water, a fire was lit beneath, and soon the whole room filled with the fragrance of rice.

Before long, a pot of rice was cooked. The Guard Commander ladled out a bowl and handed it to the Prince of Huai.

Zhu Changqing looked at the yellowed coarse rice, sighed, and forced himself to swallow it with a grimace.

The guards each took bowls and scooped out rice, but there were only so many coarse ceramic bowls in the house—the peasant woman had to eat with her hands, grabbing handfuls and feeding some to her husband.

The husband and wife ate their meal in silence, tears streaming down their faces.

By lunchtime, the guards had dismantled the remaining benches. By dinnertime, they took apart the table as well, even throwing the chopsticks and wooden spoons into the stove for fuel. By now there was almost no wooden furniture left in the house—the next thing to dismantle would be the bed the Prince of Huai was sleeping on.

Hearing this, the Prince of Huai sighed and said to the couple apologetically: "I have put you two through hardship."

The couple acted as if they hadn't heard.

The Guard Commander muttered under his breath: "Ungrateful wretches!"

Zhu Changqing said to him: "Show some respect!" Then, with a genial expression, he asked the couple their names.

The peasant woman said: "He's called Qiao San, and I'm Liu Ergu."

"Mm, this prince has noted it." Zhu Changqing rose and bowed solemnly with clasped hands. "When this prince returns to Raozhou, I will repay your kindness a thousandfold."

Of the couple, only Liu Ergu could move about. Hearing this, she didn't know how to respond, so she just made a soft sound of acknowledgment.

Just then, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

The two guards at the door pushed their blades from their sheaths, staring fixedly at the door. Zhu Changqing's skin crawled with goosebumps.

The Guard Commander's eyes swept constantly over the windows of the room, calculating where they might escape.

"Bang, bang, bang."

The knocking grew much more urgent.

The two guards exchanged a glance and crept close to the doorframe, ready to slash the moment an enemy burst through.

Just then, an aged voice came from outside the door: "Ergu, it's me!"

Liu Ergu suddenly sat up straight and gasped in a low voice: "Ah! It's my father!"

"Shut up!" Zhu Changqing hissed at her.

Then Liu Ergu's father sighed and said: "Ah! Your father sees your household lighting the stove for every meal—no matter how much firewood you have, you can't use it like this! Your father's brought you some firewood............"

The Guard Commander stepped in front of Liu Ergu in one stride: "Is your mother still alive?"

"Huh?" Liu Ergu didn't understand.

"Speak!" The Guard Commander threatened with a ferocious expression.

Liu Ergu trembled in fear and nodded hastily: "Yes, she's alive—and I have an elder brother at my parents' home too."

Hearing this, the Guard Commander pressed the blade against Qiao San's neck and threatened: "Go out and send your father away. If there's the slightest hint of trouble, your husband's life is forfeit!"

"Yes, yes..."

"Go now!" The Guard Commander hissed sternly, gesturing for the other two guards to hide in the inner room.

Once everyone was hidden, Liu Ergu opened the door.

Zhu Changqing heard her father first set the firewood down inside the house, then complain that his daughter and son-in-law didn't know how to manage a household.

"…The thieves in the city haven't been caught yet, who knows how long the lockdown will last. With people like you lighting fires three times a day, what will you eat later… Don't mind me saying… Hey, have you been crying? Is it because…"

"Father, have you gone senile? I'm perfectly fine, you should head back now!" Liu Ergu's voice showed not the slightest trace of anything unusual. Under her persuasion, her father gradually stopped pressing the matter, only repeatedly urging the couple to conserve firewood.

Where Zhu Changqing and the others could not see, Liu Ergu was frantically making faces at her father, her eyes darting toward the room from time to time.

Her father was utterly bewildered.

Liu Ergu said: "Father, my husband's asleep, so I won't invite you in to sit. You should hurry back now—the lockdown isn't lifted yet. If you get caught sneaking out by the rebel soldiers, that would be terrible!"

With that, she shoved her father forcefully toward the door, though her tone remained one of casual farewell.

On the road back, the more her father thought about it, the more something seemed off. Qiao San was poor, yes, but he was filial, hardworking, and knew his manners—how could he be sleeping soundly while his father-in-law came calling?

After returning home, he discussed it with his family. His eldest son said: "Could it be that a villain has gotten into sister's room… Could it be… could it be one of those thieves the Great Xia army is hunting?"

Her father said: "Don't go saying such reckless things."

The family discussed it all night without reaching any conclusion. Common folk feared nothing more than inviting trouble upon themselves. Even if a thief truly had entered Liu Ergu's home, as long as they fed and entertained him well enough, nothing might come of it.

But if they dared report it to the authorities, or tip off the Xia army, and the house got surrounded—whether the thief was caught or not aside, their loved one would be dead for certain. The next day, the Xia army was still sweeping the streets of the city.

In the evening, Lin Qian and Zhang Moye stood atop the city wall. Zhang Moye said uncertainly: "Your Majesty, is this plan of ours actually going to work? The Prince of Huai hasn't already fled, has he?"

Lin Qian said: "Whether this plan catches the Prince of Huai, I don't know. But it lets the common people see who the Great Xia army truly is. As long as the people stand on our side, the Prince of Huai won't be coming back."

Zhang Moye noticed that Lin Qian's trouser legs were covered in mud, and said: "Your Majesty, you went to work again?"

"Went to dig the drainage ditches," Lin Qian said. "Draining the standing water helps prevent epidemics and reduces mosquitoes and flies. It benefits the people of this region, and it makes things more convenient for us as well."

Having said this, Lin Qian gazed out over the city.

Zhang Moye thought he was looking for the princely residence, and pointed at a cluster of buildings in the city, saying: "Your Majesty, that over there is the Prince of Huai's residence. In Raozhou, the Prince of Huai's residence is known as the Little Imperial Palace. The jewels and treasures inside are countless—they haven't even finished inventorying it all yet.

What's been tallied so far includes eight hundred thousand taels of silver, twenty thousand taels of gold, and inkslabs, curious stones, brushes, calligraphy and paintings, vases and antiques filling seven or eight storehouses. There's also rosewood, purple sandalwood, carriages and horses…"

"Is there firewood?" Lin Qian interrupted.

"Firewood?" Zhang Moye didn't understand.

Lin Qian raised his hand and pointed at the city: "It's mealtime, but I can see almost no cooking smoke in the city, and no smell of food either. I imagine the common folk have nearly used up their firewood.

Tomorrow, distribute the Prince of Huai's firewood to the people. Rice, meat, grain, cloth, and such should also be distributed according to the household registry."

Zhang Moye acknowledged the order.

Lin Qian continued: "After the goods are all distributed, lift the lockdown on the city. Just enforce strict inspections at each city gate. We can't let the whole city live in fear for the sake of one has-been Prince of Huai."

Early the next morning, soldiers took to the streets, knocking on doors house by house to deliver firewood and supplies.

The Prince of Huai's residence had been granted an imperial firewood-gathering estate—an entire mountainside of timber was reserved for the prince's household use. The firewood piled up like a mountain; before the old stock was even used up, new firewood would arrive, stacking layer upon layer until the wood at the bottom had been eaten to dust by insects.

The household registry of Raozhou Prefectural City recorded over forty Battalion Commander in total. Zhang Moye assigned five hundred soldiers to the distribution, meaning each soldier would need to cover more than eighty households on average, with every household receiving over ten catties of firewood.

The soldiers worked all morning until their backs ached and their legs were sore, yet each man had delivered to fewer than twenty households on average. At this rate, finishing the entire distribution would take at least two or three days. Meanwhile, Liu Ergu's family had been suffering these past few days—on one hand they feared for their relative being held hostage, on the other they dared not tell the Great Xia army, their hearts torn with indecision. That afternoon, soldiers came knocking at their door, startling Liu Ergu's father so badly he jumped straight up from his seat. Upon learning they were soldiers delivering firewood, he let them leave the firewood at the door, half in doubt.

After the footsteps faded into the distance, Liu Ergu's elder brother went out to check. Seeing firewood, rice, and cloth all at the door, he snatched them inside with quick hands, then exclaimed in delight: "Father, we've struck it rich!"

Liu Ergu's father said: "You silly boy, have you gone mad with poverty?"

After pondering for a long while, he finally made up his mind: "Come, let's go see the Xia army!"

That evening, the Prince of Huai lay listlessly on the bed. The firewood Liu Ergu's father had brought was burned through, and the coarse rice in the room was eaten down to the last grain. Now there was truly no food left.

The Prince of Huai was dizzy with hunger, cold sweat breaking out over his body in waves. He couldn't muster the slightest strength.

Liu Ergu and her husband fared even worse—because the coarse rice was insufficient, the two of them hadn't eaten in two days, reduced to curling up in a corner of the room.

Just then, another knock came at the door.

The Prince of Huai sprang up instantly and said in a low voice to Liu Ergu: "Is your father back with more food? Quick, bring it in."

The Guard Commander said to her cautiously: "Ask who it is first."

Liu Ergu said: "Who is it?"

"It's your old man!" A hoarse voice came from outside the door, then continued grumbling, "I told you to conserve firewood, so why are you still lighting fires every meal? Are you two a pair of gluttons? Without your old man, you two would starve to death. Open up!"

The Guard Commander was overjoyed and said to Liu Ergu in a low voice: "Hurry! Take the things, then tell that old bastard to get lost!"

Liu Ergu stood up, the world spinning before her eyes. She was so hungry she could barely walk in a straight line. Fortunately, all the furniture had been burned, leaving the room empty, so she didn't bump into anything.

Liu Ergu made her way to the door, drew back the bolt, and opened it—her eyes immediately went wide as saucers.

There stood her father, flanked on either side by a towering Xia army soldier, both with steel blades in hand, eyes cold as ice, faces full of killing intent. Before Liu Ergu could react, a pair of hands clamped tightly over her mouth. Then the man pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. Liu Ergu calmed herself and nodded. Only then, from the corner of her eye, did she see a row of soldiers crouched along the base of her wall, nearly silent, sending a chill down her spine.

The officer withdrew his hand, signaling for the father and daughter to speak, while pointing toward the inner room.

Liu Ergu complained that her father meddled too much and brought too little, all while nodding desperately, her eyes filled with tears and pleading.

The officer turned and made a gesture to his men, simultaneously signaling Liu Ergu to step aside and clear the passageway. Three seconds later, the soldiers sprang up as one, crashing through the windows and vaulting into the inner room.

The Guard Commander and his guards were starving and, since Liu Ergu's father had already come once, suspected nothing. Caught completely off guard by the Xia soldiers' sudden appearance like heavenly troops descending, they were stunned senseless.

"Don't move! Get down!"

Knowing there were hostages, the Xia soldiers didn't dare kill recklessly, merely laying their blades against each person's neck.

The two guards were subdued on the spot before they could even draw their weapons.

The Guard Commander drew his blade and shielded the Prince of Huai behind him, while his eyes kept darting toward Qiao San in the corner. Seeing that he was already under Xia army control, he cursed inwardly at the missed opportunity.

The officer walked into the room and, seeing the hostage rescued, let out a long sigh of relief. He untied Qiao San and let the couple reunite.

The officer strolled forward slowly, surveying his surroundings with the air of a cat playing with a mouse, then said mockingly: "Oho! You even cleared out all the tables and chairs—makes it convenient for us to grab people."

"A mere squad leader, and you presume to speak with this prince? Call your general here!" Zhu Changqing said.

"We are the Vanguard Scout Banner Company, First Battalion, First Division of the Great Xia New Army—specializing in raiding camps, burning wasteland, urging surrender, and taking prisoners."

The officer said in an icy tone.

These so-called vanguard scouts were just like the Ming army's Night Scouts—specially tasked with special operations behind enemy lines. Every member was the cream of the cream, moving through the shadows, striking with extreme ruthlessness.

"You two put down your blades, and you're prisoners of war—there are rules for prisoners of war. You two resist to the bitter end, and you're enemy soldiers—then don't blame our brothers for being impolite." "I am the Prince of Huai—how dare you?" Zhu Changqing bellowed with great majesty.

Unexpectedly, at these words, the soldiers of the Vanguard Scout Banner Company all bared sinister smiles. They had killed too many people, but a prince was one thing they'd never killed—they all wanted to try the feeling.

Seeing the Xia soldiers closing in from all sides, the Guard Commander hesitated and said: "Your Highness, perhaps we should…"

"Silence!" Zhu Changqing suddenly drew a dagger from his waist and said through gritted teeth, "I was born a Prince of Huai of the Great Ming, and I shall die a loyal soul of the Great Ming. I will never beg those traitors for mercy! I will go on ahead and watch from the Yellow Springs Road as you are all cut to pieces by a thousand blades!"

With that, Zhu Changqing plunged the dagger into his own heart. He let out a muffled groan as blood gushed forth, instantly staining the bed beneath him crimson. Within a few breaths, the light of life faded from his eyes, and his body slumped limp on the bed.

"Your Highness!" the Guard Commander cried out in anguish.

But the scout officer only said indifferently, "What bad luck. Couldn't even go die outside—how are people supposed to stay here now?"

"I'll kill you all!" the Guard Commander roared, charging forward.

The Xia army was prepared. Five or six men brought their blades down in a flurry, and in an instant the Guard Commander was reduced to a pulp of flesh.

Yahei

Pink Round

Pen