Chapter 623

The Great King was still wondering whether to have Yuehan Puding make a battering ram or something, when the Runan iron-skinned wooden door boom—collapsed.

Cavalry surged into the city like a flood breaking through a dam, their hooves beating a death drumbeat on the inner stone-paved streets.

Baili Cheng roared, ordering people to pull back from the wall to intercept the cavalry; his close aide came over and, without a word, dragged him away to retreat. Even a layman could see the situation was hopeless—Runan simply couldn't be held.

Once Baili Cheng's silhouette vanished, the lingering morale on the wall dissipated at once. A boy only fourteen or fifteen trembled as he asked the old city guard beside him, "Uncle Li, aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid… they seem not to die…"

Old Li, while withdrawing with the crowd, observed the cavalry flooding in like a tide, saying, "Don't be afraid—they have good armor and good skills."

That boy was hardly older than his own great-grandson; his fearful voice trembled. Old Li could only hint to the boy: "You… after all, we are Jin people; logically, the young emperor wouldn't kill prisoners—keep your wits about you!"

The boy walked slower and slower; amid the chaos on the wall, no one noticed this little soldier whose courage had been shattered.

"Drop your weapons, and your life will be spared!"

The cavalry's voice came through the visor, wonderful as heavenly music; the boy breathed a sigh of relief, he stood against the wall, staring with rabbit eyes, his hand trembling as he threw his knife to the ground.

That cavalryman seemed like an officer; seeing this, he glanced at him and said, "You needn't be afraid; surrendering to the court is not disgrace, but a new beginning."

Hearing that, the boy's reddish eyes finally shed tears; his shoulders finally relaxed, he leaned against the wall and began to sob, "I'm still alive, how good." As he was caught up in emotion, a white-robed junior officer even younger than him came over.

"Why are you crying?" the Great King asked curiously.

Once they entered street fighting he didn't like to join in; this guy, face full of curiosity, went over to ask why the person was crying.

"I'm still alive~ I don't have to die~"

"... You're so afraid of death, were you conscripted? If you're scared, why don't you train your martial skills well? Good martial skills let you survive on the battlefield."

"They never gave me a chance to practice—I've only been here three days, I can't even use a sword… You look even younger than me, right? And why isn't your armor black?"

Seeing there was still such a little fool, the Great King raised his neck proudly and said, "I am the Second Prince of Dongdu; I'm still below the conscription age, so of course I have no standard armor—this is privately purchased!"

"It looks really nice, must be very expensive……"

"Of course, my father is a duke!"

In the blink of an eye, Wei Shen lost sight of the Great King; after anxiously searching, he found this guy earnestly swindling a child……

His dad got swapped again!

Before leaving, the Great King also pulled a dagger from the storeroom and gave it to the sniveling little soldier, "A man can't be too timid; I'll give you this for self-defense. If you ever get a chance to go to You Prefecture, we might meet again~"

The older boy was completely soothed by the Great King, saying, "Second Prince, have a safe journey!"

Wei Shen deliberately said, "How are you the Second Prince again? Aren't you using my name to swagger and scam?"

The Great King gave him a look, "What kind of person do you think I am? …This time I'm using Liang Bin's name; rest assured."

Wei Shen: ……

The two, with their personal guards, went straight to the commandant's office nearer the city gate; the Great King simply threw all the officials into prison, to be released only after it's confirmed they didn't take part in the rebellion.

"Once the urgent business is done, let's go ransack the Prince of Runan's residence!" the Great King said, eager to try.

The pitiful-looking Great King, after fighting so long had gained nothing worthwhile; as soon as this was over he immediately became enthusiastic about attacking the mansion. On the road, daydreaming about his grand heist, Zhou Ke came up to report that the Prince of Runan had gone into hiding and could not be found.

"... However, the Princess of Runan came over, saying she was confident she could locate the rebel king. She doesn't care about her own life or death, but her sole concern is her daughter; she wants His Majesty to give her a definite promise to release Bai Li Yan."

"Yo, Bai Li Yan actually wrote a letter to her mother! Go tell the consort, I could even bestow the two characters 'Runan' upon Bai Li Yan—how does 'Lady of Runan' sound?"

Zhou Ke left, and Wei Shen pondered nearby, realizing the Great King really wasn't a good person.

"You're good at sowing discord. Other feudal lords, upon seeing this Lady of Runan, will then look at their own children and feel uneasy." Isn't that a potential threat to each? Internal collapse?

The Great King was extremely pleased with himself, saying, "The reason I took a detour during the New Year to attack Runan is to let them see how quickly the 'Ever-unfallen City' falls. If they can't stop the Mysterious Armor cavalry, they can simply choose the Lady of Runan's path. If they truly don't know what's good for them, the worst outcome is still being the Prince of Runan—having his fief confiscated by me, then leaving a heir I find pleasing to inherit the title and enjoy blessings in Chang'an."

Wei Shen just didn't get it, "Why keep one to raise?" That's too wasteful, not the Great King's style! All these twists and turns—the Second Prince Wei's mind obviously can't figure them out.

"To show my generous treatment of the vassal clans." Bai Li Daqi Jing, arms akimbo, spouted nonsense.

Wei Shen: ……

"You're afraid of exterminating the clan, aren't you? The Bai Li ancestors' coffin lids can't hold down!"

【Next chapter returns to You Prefecture, still being revised. I have an idea, let's make a 'Underground Ancestors version bullet screen'—look forward to it~】