Chapter 853: Disguise shattered, blood fills the hall, iron walls encircle with no path to life

Zhao Chongde's pupils contracted to the limit in the cold light of the horizontal blade. Sweat beads on his forehead converged into a thin stream within two breaths, flowing down his temples into the collar of his purple robes.

His lips moved three times, his voice squeezing from his throat with the hoarseness of someone being choked.

"Pillar of State, this, this must be someone framing me. My Weaponry Bureau produces thousands of blades every year, and many flow into the black market. Your subordinate cannot manage it all..."

Chen Yan's finger paused on the blade spine, his voice carrying a calmness that made Zhao Chongde feel he was standing on the edge of a cliff.

"Framing?"

He withdrew his finger from the blade spine and pulled a thumb-sized piece of iron from his sleeve. A wolf head pattern was carved on the front, and three horizontal bars on the back.

He placed the iron piece gently beside the horizontal blade.

"This is the token of the Blood Wolf Head, searched from the lining of the bandit leader's boot shaft."

Zhao Chongde's Adam's apple rolled twice, his voice growing urgent by three parts.

"Pillar of State, the Blood Wolf Head are horse bandits from Black Wind Pass; they have nothing to do with your subordinate. Your subordinate is an official of the Court; how could I collude with horse bandits..."

Chen Yan interrupted him.

"Zhao Chongde."

When these three words emerged from his mouth, they carried no official title or honorific, as if calling the name of a prisoner already sentenced to death.

"You give the Blood Wolf Head three thousand sets of military repeating crossbows and five thousand taels of gold every year. The Blood Wolf Head clears all disobedient merchant caravans and messengers on the Sui Prefecture official road for you. You have been doing this business for six years."

His finger tapped lightly on the iron piece, the temperature in his voice dropping to a level that made the dancers in the main hall stop their footsteps.

"My Mingjing Si has investigated for a full year. Governor Zhao, do you think I only have these things in my hands?"

Zhao Chongde's spine pressed against the chair, his entire body nailed there, his fingers clenching on his knees until his knuckles made a series of cracking sounds.

His gaze shifted from Chen Yan's face and swept quickly toward the screen.

Behind the screen, the breathing of five hundred axe-men became clear in the silence.

Zhao Chongde's teeth ground together.

It has come to this; why keep acting?

The wreckage of the smile he had maintained for two full hours collapsed completely within this breath, replaced by a madness that only emerges after being pushed into a dead end.

He stood up abruptly from his chair, the wine cup in his hand raised high above his head.

"Chen Yan, since you came to die, I will fulfill your wish!"

The wine cup slipped from his hand, smashing heavily onto the blue brick floor, shards of porcelain and amber wine splashing everywhere.

Throwing the cup as a signal.

The screens on both sides of the main hall exploded at the same instant, fragments of wood frames and silk surfaces flying in the air. The secret doors of the partition wall were pushed open from the inside, the heavy stone slabs hitting the walls with a thunderous thud.

Five hundred fully armed axe-men surged out from all directions like a tide, their battle blades reflecting dense cold glints in the candlelight, the sound of armor colliding forming a metallic storm that made one's scalp tingle.

"Kill him!"

Zhao Chongde's voice reached a level that the entire Governor's Office could hear, his finger pointing dead at Chen Yan in the main seat.

"One slash, one piece—mince him into meat paste!"

Over thirty axe-men charged at the front, battle blades raised high, their footsteps beating a rapid rhythm on the blue bricks, less than five paces from the main seat.

Chen Yan sat in the main seat, not even changing the orientation of his body.

His fingers were still resting on the edge of the armrest, and he didn't even lift his eyelids.

Hongye moved.

The moon-white sleeves flashed once in the candlelight. She cut out from three paces behind Chen Yan, moving so fast that the axe-men in the front row didn't even see her figure.

The fine steel short sword was unsheathed.

No sound.

The first axe-man's battle blade was still raised above his head when a cut as fine as a hair appeared on his throat. A line of blood sprayed from the cut, splashing onto the face mask of the second man behind him.

Hongye's figure had already arrived in front of the third man before the first fell. The short sword flipped, piercing beneath the third man's armpit and slicing out from the fourth man's knee pit.

Four men, two breaths.

Her footsteps did not stop. She wove through the tide of axe-men, every movement precise enough to make one's scalp tingle. The short sword only cut vital points, only took the shortest route, without a single wasted movement.

The dozen or so axe-men charging at the front didn't even touch the hem of Chen Yan's clothes before they fell into a pool of blood. Between the main seat and where they fell, a three-pace-wide blood alley formed.

Blood sprayed onto the blue bricks, onto the desk, onto the dishes and fruits that hadn't been cleared away, but not a single drop touched Chen Yan's purple robes.

Zhao Chongde's pupils expanded to the limit when he saw this, a distorted roar emerging from his throat.

"All of you, go! Five hundred together! How many can she kill alone!"

The remaining axe-men closed in from all directions, the tide of people submerging Hongye's figure in the middle, battle blades slashing down from every direction.

Hongye's figure spun half a circle in the tide, the short sword in her hand turning into a light curtain that could not be penetrated, deflecting all the battle blades slashing from three sides. But the blade from the fourth side grazed her left arm, slicing open her sleeve and letting a few blood beads seep from the wound.

There were too many people.

Just then, a heaven-shaking shout of slaughter exploded outside the Governor's Office.

That shout of slaughter rang out from all directions of the Governor's Office simultaneously, as if an army had drilled out from beneath the ground, surrounding the entire Governor's Office.

The main gate was kicked open from the outside, the iron-clad wooden door panel hitting the wall with a thunderous thud that made the entire main hall shake.

Zhang Wenqian's figure appeared in the door frame.

Behind him were black-clad Xia Prefecture elite infantry, holding strong bows and hard crossbows, arrows on strings, the sights of the crossbows aimed squarely at the axe-men still swinging their blades in the main hall.

Zhang Wenqian's voice cut out from the door frame, steady but carrying a weight that made one's spine feel cold.

"Two thousand Xia Prefecture infantry, following the Pillar of State's secret order, have completed the blockade of the four gates of Sui Prefecture."

His arm waved forward.

"Release arrows."

The sound of crossbow strings exploded like a rainstorm. Hundreds of crossbow arrows shot into the main hall from the door and windows simultaneously, dense enough to weave a dark net in the air.

The axe-men in the front row didn't even have time to scream before they were nailed to the spot, three or four arrow shafts stuck in their bodies, like a row of scarecrows blown over by the wind.

The second wave of crossbow arrows followed closely.

The third wave.

Under the coverage of three rounds of crossbow bolts, the blade-and-axe executioners in the main hall dwindled from five hundred to three hundred, from three hundred to over a hundred, and from over a hundred to a few dozen remnants who were still standing but trembling all over from fear.

Xia Prefecture infantry surged in from the main gate and side doors, their long spears and horizontal blades forming an impenetrable wall of steel, compressing the remaining axe-men in the main hall into an ever-shrinking circle.

The sound of battle blades hitting the ground followed one after another. One by one, the axe-men threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground, hands covering their heads, trembling like chaff.

Zhao Chongde stood in the corner of the main hall, his back against the wall. The blood color on his scarred face had faded to the point where even his lips had turned gray-white.

His hand pressed on the instrument blade inlaid with jewels at his waist, his fingers clenching and releasing, releasing and clenching, but ultimately he didn't pull it out.

Chen Yan stood up from the main seat.

He straightened the collar of his cloak, his fingers smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle on his cuff, then strode toward Zhao Chongde.

The sound of his boots on the blue bricks approached step by step, every step treading on Zhao Chongde's heart.

Zhao Chongde's knees softened when Chen Yan was three paces in front of him.

His knees smashed onto the blue bricks, the sound of kneecaps colliding with bricks echoing twice in the main hall, his entire body leaning forward, his forehead knocking heavily against the ground.

"Pillar of State, spare my life! Pillar of State, spare my life! Your subordinate was confused for a moment, your subordinate was blinded by greed. I beg the Pillar of State to show mercy; your subordinate is willing to hand over military power, hand over all family property, only begging the Pillar of State to spare your subordinate's dog life!"

His forehead knocked against the blue bricks with a thud, leaving a patch of bloodstains with every knock, his voice hoarse to the point of breaking.

Chen Yan stood before him, looking down at the burly figure knocking his head like garlic, his voice as flat as a stagnant pool without any ripples.

"Zhao Chongde, you killed six of my political commissars."

Zhao Chongde's forehead stopped on the blue bricks, his entire body trembling violently after those words landed.

Chen Yan's boot tip extended half an inch forward, stepping on the back of Zhao Chongde's hand. The force was not heavy, but Zhao Chongde's fingers curled beneath the boot.

"Six lives, six families, six brothers who followed me through life and death."

His boot tip moved away from the back of Zhao Chongde's hand, and he turned around, walking two steps toward the main hall entrance.

"Zhang Wenqian."

Zhang Wenqian walked in from beside the door frame, the dark red sleeve badge on his armor flashing in the candlelight.

"Your subordinate is here."

Chen Yan's voice turned cold at this moment, cold enough that everyone still alive in the main hall felt they were standing in an ice cellar.

"Flay Zhao Chongde alive and stuff him with straw, then hang him on the Sui Prefecture city wall."

Zhao Chongde's scream emerged from the main hall, like a slaughtered pig, his entire body twisting wildly on the ground, held down firmly by two Xia Prefecture infantrymen by the shoulders and legs.

"No! No! Pillar of State, your subordinate knows I was wrong, your subordinate will say everything, your subordinate will confess everything!"

Chen Yan stopped his footsteps.

He didn't turn around, his voice drifting from above his shoulder.

"Say what?"

Zhao Chongde's voice was hoarse and distorted, every word squeezed out with all his might from the depths of his throat.

"The matter of intercepting and killing the political commissars was not done by your subordinate alone! There is someone behind your subordinate!"

Chen Yan turned around.

His gaze fell on Zhao Chongde's face, which was distorted to the extreme by fear, the arc of his mouth slowly curving up.

"Speak."

Zhao Chongde's forehead knocked against the blue bricks, his voice reaching a level that the entire main hall could hear.

"Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce! It was the people from the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce who found your subordinate!"

His fingers scratched two bloodstains on the blue bricks, his voice urgent to the point of suffocation.

"Qian Wansan, the president of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce, sent someone to deliver fifty thousand taels of gold to your subordinate's mansion half a year ago, saying that as long as your subordinate blocked Xia Prefecture's New Law and didn't let the political commissars into Sui Prefecture, they would give your subordinate one hundred thousand taels every year!"

Chen Yan tapped lightly on the hilt of the horizontal blade.

"Continue."

Zhao Chongde's voice grew urgent by three parts.

"The three thousand sets of military repeating crossbows were also provided by the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce. They have their own weapon workshop in Yinzhou, specializing in imitating military-standard weapons to sell to horse bandits and tribes on the grassland. They have operated this line for at least ten years!"

His forehead knocked against the blue bricks again.

"Qian Wansan once said a sentence: he said that if Chen Yan's New Law were pushed to Yinzhou, their monopoly on the salt and iron business would be completely finished. Rather than sit and wait for death, it's better to strike first, intercept and kill all the political commissars on the road, and make Chen Yan retreat in the face of difficulties!"

Chen Yan finished listening to these words, his fingers withdrawing from the hilt of the horizontal blade and tucking into the side seam of his cloak.

He turned around and walked toward the entrance of the main hall, the sound of his boots on the blue bricks steady and unhurried.

"Pillar of State! Your subordinate has confessed everything, I beg the Pillar of State to give your subordinate a quick death!"

Zhao Chongde's voice chased from behind, carrying a sob.

Chen Yan did not look back.

"Quick?"

His voice drifted back from the door frame, light as the sound of the autumn wind brushing against a blade.

"You let six of my brothers die in the wilderness without even giving them a quick death; why should I give you a quick death?"

He crossed the threshold, the hem of his cloak sweeping across the edge of the door frame as he turned.

"Flay him, hang him on the city wall, and don't allow him to be taken down for three days."

Zhao Chongde's scream exploded behind him, shrill enough to make the roof of the entire Governor's Office shake.

Chen Yan walked into the courtyard of the Governor's Office. The night wind blew in from the direction of the city wall, blowing up the loose hair at his temples.

Gao Jiong walked out from the shadows, sticking to his right side, his voice pressed to the bottom.

"Pillar of State, Zhao Chongde has confessed the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce."

Chen Yan's gaze crossed the courtyard wall of the Governor's Office and fell on the wilderness swallowed by the night to the south. That direction was Yinzhou.

"A group of fat pigs reeking of copper, daring to interfere in military and state affairs."

His finger tapped on the hilt of the horizontal blade, his voice carrying a contempt that made even Gao Jiong feel his spine tighten.

"Gao Jiong, after flaying Zhao Chongde's skin, pack it into the most exquisite wooden box and send it to Qian Wansan of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce overnight."

Gao Jiong's voice was half a beat faster.

"Pillar of State, should we attach a letter?"

Chen Yan's mouth curved up.

"No need, the skin is the letter."

He turned around and strode back toward the main hall of the Governor's Office, the hem of his cloak fluttering loudly in the night wind.

"For those who can't understand, I will personally teach them how to read."

Sui Prefecture city wall, the morning light flipped over from the loess hills to the east, shining on the flagpole at the highest point of the city tower.

What was hanging on the flagpole was not a flag.

It was a complete human skin.

The human skin was stuffed with straw, bulging, the facial features still recognizable in outline. The position of the three scars had been specially traced with cinnabar, glaringly vivid in the morning light.

A wooden plaque hung on the chest of the human skin, with eight large characters written in cinnabar.

Intercepting and killing political commissars, this is the outcome.

Sui Prefecture camp, training ground.

Zhao Tiezhu stood on the high platform in the center of the training ground. The arrow wound on his left shoulder was still wrapped in thick bandages, a patch of dark brown bloodstains seeping through, and the wound on his right thigh made his standing posture tilt slightly, but his spine was as straight as a spear.

The dark red badge was pinned to his left chest. The bloodstains on the badge had dried, turning into a dark brown thin shell, but the outline of the crossed swords remained clear in the morning light.

Below the high platform, tens of thousands of low-ranking soldiers of the Sui Prefecture camp stood in a dense black mass, extending from one end of the training ground to the other, heads moving, dense and crowded.

Their gaze swept over the wounds on Zhao Tiezhu's body, then turned toward the human skin fluttering in the wind on the distant city wall, their eyes churning with fear, bewilderment, and a trace of something they dared not confirm.

Zhao Tiezhu stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over those faces one by one, his voice crushing out from his chest with a penetrating power that even those in the back row could hear clearly.

"Brothers, my name is Zhao Tiezhu, a political commissar from the Xia Prefecture Lecture Hall." ===== CHAPTER 854 =====