Chapter 67: The Great Brawl

The rebel camp.

As the news spread, the chaos within the camp continued to grow.

Unlike past rebellions sparked by desperation, this uprising was instigated by the great families of the Two Huai regions—the common folk still had enough to eat.

They had not endured the misery of eating grass roots or chewing tree bark, nor had they witnessed the tragedy of trading children for food; their moral boundaries remained intact.

Under circumstances where food was still available, directly resorting to cannibalism was simply beyond what the men could accept.

Explanations had no effect; everyone believed only what they saw.

Faced with the enraged soldiers, Huang Renlong, as Regional Commander, dared not show his face.

Seeing the camp in chaos, Zong Guangtai, the strategist, was utterly baffled.

He didn’t know which deity he had offended, but since entering Yangzhou Prefecture, his luck had turned sour.

It had been a flawless strategy, perfectly aligned with military doctrine, yet every time it came to execution, something went wrong.

“Master Zong, the General requests your presence!”

Hearing that familiar voice, Zong Guangtai instantly sensed trouble.

He was half-baked when it came to warfare, but when it came to scheming and political maneuvering, his skills were far from lacking.

In the wake of such an incident, the priority was to quell internal dissent as quickly as possible.

The longer it dragged on, the greater the damage.

Huang Renlong had not stepped forward to resolve the crisis; instead, he sent someone to summon his strategist—exactly like Cao Cao using another’s head to appease the troops.

The thought arose, and it would not leave him.

“Go back and report—I’ll change clothes and come right away!”

While speaking those words, Zong Guangtai had already decided to flee.

It was true he had proposed the plan—but he had suggested stewing pork.

It was only when the order was carried out and human flesh was served that the uproar erupted; why should he bear the blame?

Huang was clearly incapable, destined to fail—leaving now was the wisest course.

In this moment of crisis, Zong Guangtai was a decisive man.

Once he decided to flee, he had no time to pack.

Carrying some silver and forged travel permits, he slipped out of the camp with two family death-servants.

When misfortune strikes, even drinking cold water can make you choke.

No sooner had he left the camp than two screams pierced the air—the two death-servants lay dead in pools of blood.

“Who dares kill me, Zong—”

Before he could finish, the blade at his throat forced him to swallow his rage.

“General, spare me! I was captured by bandits—I never intended to join them!

Tonight, seeing the rebel camp in chaos, I seized the chance to escape this hellhole!”

In moments, he had crafted a plausible excuse—even he was impressed by his own wit.

“Enough talk. If you want to live, prove your worth. I ask, you answer.

Answer correctly, and I’ll take you back to claim credit.

Answer wrong, and I’ll cut off your head this instant!”

As he spoke, Zhou Chuanfa made a slashing motion across his throat, drenching Zong Guangtai in cold sweat.

A scholar meets a soldier—reason counts for nothing, especially when he had no reason on his side.

As a scion of the Zong family, if captured by the imperial court, he would face neither flaying nor beheading and public display.

“General, ask whatever you wish—I know the rebel camp inside and out, and I’ll satisfy you!”

Zong Guangtai said nervously.

How he would die later was a matter for the future; right now, survival came first.

The man before him spoke with a capital accent—he was likely from the Five City Military Command.

Falling into the hands of the Five City Military Command was better than falling into the local authorities’.

His name was well-known in the south, but few in the capital knew him.

Fabricating a new identity in this chaos meant it couldn’t be verified anytime soon.

With that time gap, he could adapt as events unfolded.

“Tell me—what happened in the rebel camp?”

Zhou Chuanfa asked.

Along this entire infiltration route, he hadn’t encountered a single night patrol.

The strangeness made him suspect it was an enemy trap.

“Report, General.

That damned rebel leader boiled over a hundred pots of human flesh today.

The smell was too strong—the soldiers found out, and now they’re rioting.”

Zong Guangtai spoke with bitter resentment.

A perfectly good plan, ruined by fools—now this mess.

If Huang Renlong hadn’t been so clever and caused this disaster, he wouldn’t have had to flee at night, nor end up in imperial hands.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener was stunned.

He had assumed the battalion commander had simply fabricated charges to pacify the troops—he never imagined these rebels would actually do it.

So heartless, so monstrous—they even consumed the corpses of their own comrades. No wonder the soldiers couldn’t bear it.

“Take me to the rebel granary!”

Zhou Chuanfa said coldly.

Deep inside, Zong Guangtai resisted.

He had left the rebel camp out of necessity—he did not wish to see it destroyed.

If the granary burned, the rebels wouldn’t last long.

Without the rebels throwing the realm into chaos, how could he overthrow Great Yu?

“General, the granary is heavily guarded—”

“General, rest assured—I’ll lead you there!”

The refusal died on his lips; his body acted on instinct, betraying his heart.

The gleaming blade was too terrifying.

The rebels came from all walks of life—bandits, monks, merchants, and even former imperial soldiers.

The camp’s chaos created ideal conditions for the assault team to move unseen.

Too many people moved back and forth—no one could tell who belonged to which unit.

Fortunately, the assault team itself was hastily assembled.

It included both imperial troops and conscripted civilians, all dressed in mismatched uniforms.

Aside from a more imposing aura, their appearance was indistinguishable.

Whenever someone challenged them for the password, Zong Guangtai answered—somehow, they passed unchallenged.

“General, this is the granary!”

Zong Guangtai pointed ahead to the camp.

“Good. If this mission succeeds, I’ll credit you with the foremost achievement.

You two—watch this man. Don’t let the rebels harm him!”

Zhou Chuanfa’s words extinguished Zong Guangtai’s hope of fleeing in the chaos.

The accompanying soldiers dispersed spontaneously, approaching the granary from all sides.

“Granary restricted area—no unauthorized personnel may approach—”

The warning was cut short by a blade.

Almost simultaneously, the imperial troops launching the raid attacked the rebel guards at the granary.

Almost simultaneously, the troops who had participated in the raid on the camp launched attacks against the rebel soldiers guarding the grain depots.

By the time they realized it, the battle had spread through the granary compound.

The surrounding bonfires became the perfect fuel—the granary soon blazed with roaring flames.

The granary’s sabotage plunged the already chaotic rebel camp into even greater turmoil.

In the pitch darkness, low-ranking soldiers were utterly confused, unaware of what was happening.

Especially those from nearby units who had come to visit—they were mistaken for enemies before they even understood the situation.

Some with old grudges now seized the chance to settle scores, making the chaos impossible to contain.

Some with longstanding grudges now emerged to settle scores and exact revenge, making the situation even harder to control.

(End of chapter)