Chapter 218: The Fall of the Yuan Family

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The gunpowder smoke from the artillery obscured the sky over the North Gate.

Solid shot slammed fiercely into the city walls of Fanyang City.

Even more cannonballs bombarded the tightly shut city gates directly.

The thick, heavy gates of Fanyang were torn to pieces under the impact of the cannonballs.

The Yuan Family soldiers guarding behind the city gates let out bursts of miserable screams.

After piercing through the door panels, the cannonballs continued their flight, slamming into the soldiers.

The heavy iron balls were not something flesh and blood could withstand; more than ten soldiers were immediately smashed into a bloody pulp.

The gates shattered, and the Yuan Family soldiers were exposed.

Seeing the artillery still emitting lingering smoke, they scrambled in panic into the city, not daring to show their heads.

Yuan Mansion.

Yuan Li covered his ears, his body trembling slightly.

After his defeat at Yanguan, he had hidden in Fanyang, waiting for news of the Northern Di people entering the pass.

But what he waited for was that the Northern Di people had retreated.

Yes, the Northern Di people had retreated.

They had abandoned the Yuan Family just like that, as if casting aside a stray dog.

These past few days, his heart had been as dead as ash.

Flee?

In order to wait for news from the Northern Di, he had missed the opportunity to escape Fanyang.

But even if he escaped Fanyang, where could he go?

Now that the sound of artillery had begun, he knew the troops of Yan Wang were about to launch an assault on the city.

Upon hearing the sound of the artillery, Yuan Li's wives and concubines flocked to his side, one after another sobbing and crying.

Defecting to the Northern Di people was a massive gamble for Yuan Li.

But he had bet wrong.

Now, they had to bear the price of the wrong bet.

"My Lord, Yan Wang is attacking the city, what should we do?"

"This concubine does not want to die."

"..."

The dozen or so wives and concubines were crying and making a scene, their faces streaked with tears like rain on pear blossoms.

Yuan Li's expression was numb, as if he had heard nothing at all.

He kept muttering, "How could it be like this? How could it be like this?"

Once, the Yuan Family had been so glorious.

His daughter was an Imperial Concubine of the Emperor of Great Song, and his nephew was the Sixth Prince of Great Song.

And the Yuan Family reigned supreme in Yanzhou; when he said one, who dared to say two?

Their strength was even comparable to the Eight Great Clans of Da Song.

Now, everything was finished.

He regretted agreeing to the demands of Enke; otherwise, how could it have come to this?

"Guo Tu, you have ruined my Yuan Family." Yuan Li suddenly cried out in grief.

Hearing this, the wives and concubines wept even more uncontrollably.

Just then, Yuan Xiu burst into the room in a disheveled state.

"My Lord, the North Gate has been shattered by Yan Wang's artillery; Yan Wang's troops will enter at any moment." Yuan Xiu's face was full of terror.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Li's body could not help but tremble violently.

He was not Kutu; he did not have the Northern Di as a backer.

Whether he fell into the hands of Yan Wang or the hands of Zhao Heng, he was a dead man.

"My Lord..." Yuan Li's wives and concubines began to cry again.

"Hold them off, hold them off for me..." After the initial panic,

Yuan Li shouted repeatedly.

Yuan Xiu acknowledged the order and left the Yuan Mansion, heading toward the North Gate.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The artillery continued to bombard incessantly.

When he arrived, the battlements of the North Gate wall had all collapsed; the soldiers did not dare to stay on the wall and had all run down, each with a look of terror in their eyes.

Even with the commanders' reprimands, these soldiers were unwilling to go up onto the city wall.

Some soldiers even started fighting with the commanders.

Seeing this situation, Yuan Xiu felt at once that the situation was lost.

The North Gate was now completely undefended against Yan Wang's troops.

But Yan Wang delayed the assault on the city.

To him, this was not because Yan Wang was timid, but because Yan Wang was playing with them like a cat with a mouse.

More than two hundred meters from the North Gate, he stopped, and a voice in his heart said: "The situation is lost, why continue to throw your life away for Yuan Li?"

Thinking of this, the fear of death caused this thought to grow incessantly, until in the end it was almost impossible to suppress.

Gritting his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes, and he called over several Personal Guards.

"Brothers, Yuan Li has rebelled, and his followers will surely be implicated. Are you willing to follow me to capture Yuan Li and claim credit with Yan Wang? Perhaps you can save your lives," Yuan Xiu said.

Upon learning that the Northern Di troops had retreated, the Yuan Family Army was already in a state of panic, and morale was low.

At this critical juncture, they naturally did not want to continue risking their lives for Yuan Li.

So they exchanged glances and nodded one after another, "Just give the order, General."

Yuan Xiu nodded and led the soldiers as they stormed into the Yuan Mansion.

"Why have you returned? Why haven't you gone to kill Yan Wang yet? Get out!" Seeing Yuan Xiu return, Yuan Li was furious.

Yuan Xiu's expression was blank, "Head of the Family, colluding with the enemy and betraying the country was your own doing; it has nothing to do with us. Now that Yan Wang is besieging the city, we have no need to die for you."

Hearing this, the enraged Yuan Li looked sharply at Yuan Xiu.

Then his gaze fell upon the soldiers behind Yuan Xiu.

These soldiers all had their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

Seeing this, he guessed what was happening.

Drawing his sword, Yuan Li pointed it at Yuan Xiu, "You traitor, I trusted you in vain. I, Yuan Li, truly entrusted the wrong person. Guo Tu misled me, yet you want to use me to claim credit."

Yuan Xiu remained unmoved and nodded to the soldiers behind him.

The soldiers immediately rushed forward. Yuan Li raised his sword to strike down one soldier, and as he moved to strike another, he was kicked to the ground by the other soldiers.

The soldiers swarmed him and tied him up.

"Take him away," Yuan Xiu said.

The soldiers escorted Yuan Li out. Just as Yuan Xiu was about to leave the room, he suddenly turned back to look at one of Yuan Li's concubines.

He had long coveted this concubine of Yuan Li's.

It was only out of fear of Yuan Li's authority that he had only dared to fantasize in secret.

Now that Yuan Li had been captured, evil thoughts suddenly sprouted in his heart.

He ordered the soldiers to wait outside the door, grabbed the concubine, and headed toward the inner chamber.

A quarter of an hour later, Yuan Xiu came out and ordered the soldiers to escort Yuan Li toward the North Gate.

Seeing Yuan Li being escorted by Yuan Xiu, the Yuan Family soldiers inside the city seemed to freeze in place.

What Yuan Xiu was doing was obvious.

Now that even Yuan Xiu had abandoned the Yuan Family, why should they continue to die for the Yuan Family?

Upon reaching the North Gate, Yuan Xiu immediately had someone raise a white flag.

Seeing a white flag unfurled on the city wall, Zhao Xu ordered the Artilleryman to cease fire.

At this moment, they saw a Yuan Family general escorting Yuan Li out from within the city gate.

"Your Highness Yan Wang, Yuan Li has rebelled, and we were merely coerced by him. We hope Your Highness will consider that we captured Yuan Li alive and spare us from the death penalty," Yuan Xiu said.

Zhao Xu and Chang Wei exchanged a glance.

He had ordered the continuous shelling to intimidate the Yuan Family soldiers inside the city, causing their resolve to gradually collapse.

He had not expected that a Yuan Family general would directly abandon Yuan Li.

"Yuan Xiu, even if I go to hell, I will not let you go!" Yuan Li struggled incessantly, cursing loudly.

"Yuan Xiu." Hearing this, Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes.

He knew this person very well; he was Yuan Li's absolute confidant.

According to information later obtained by the Flame Guard, it was he who led the assassination of Mo Di.

Thinking of this, he gave Chang Wei a look.

Chang Wei immediately had the Wangfu Army drag Yuan Li over.

Yuan Xiu smiled then, appearing as if he were asking for a reward: "This subordinate has long admired Your Highness and is willing to serve Your Highness faithfully, working like a dog or horse for you."

"A person who betrays his master—what face do you have to continue living in this world? Men, seize Yuan Xiu," Zhao Xu shouted coldly.

This Yuan Xiu was not the same case as Zhong Li.

This person had committed every evil under Yuan Li's command; capturing Yuan Li was not out of righteousness, but to save his own skin.

How could he dare to keep such a viper-like character?

"Yan Wang, you!" Yuan Xiu was shocked and rose to flee back toward Fanyang.

The Wangfu Army pounced, seized him, and dragged him out to be executed.