Chapter 241: The Tyrant Reigns Supreme

In Jingzhou City, within Chongzhengdian, silence reigned, save for the sky-piercing fury of Fei Hou. Just having received military intelligence from the Jingzhou border that Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army was already heading straight for Jingzhou, Fei Hou was filled with shock and rage.

His gaunt figure and head full of white hair revealed days of exhaustion. With a great enemy now at the gates, he had no heart to manage court affairs. Fei Hou angrily threw the memorial in his hand to the ground, furiously denouncing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's rudeness, saying he should have been flayed to death back then.

Fei Hou, seething with rage, said: "That beast Jiang Jiang Mingyu dares to lead troops straight for Jingzhou! I should have had him flayed to death back then; now he dares to invade the capital, simply seeking death!"

An old minister cautiously opened his mouth: "Your Majesty, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army is at its sharpest; do not be careless. It would be better to temporarily negotiate peace with him to resolve the crisis..."

"Get out!" Fei Hou roared. "Negotiate peace with a rebel? Where then would my face remain? I would rather perish together with the jade than endure such humiliation!"

The old minister pleaded: "Your Majesty, calm your anger. Jiang Jiang Mingyu is too powerful; we cannot hold Jingzhou. It would be better to stabilize him first, deal with other rebel armies, and then plot to seize power; it is not too late!"

"Old villain, you dare advise me to seek peace; you must be colluding with Jiang Jiang Mingyu! Guards, behead this treacherous minister!" Fei Hou, humiliated and enraged, shouted.

The old minister knelt and pleaded: "Your Majesty, think thrice! Do not destroy your own Great Wall! Jiang Jiang Mingyu will surely reach the capital; Your Majesty, it would be the best strategy to temporarily avoid his sharpness, preserve strength, and rise again!"

"Say one more word of nonsense, and I will immediately wipe out your entire family!" Fei Hou flew into a violent rage.

As the old minister was dragged out, he still shouted: "Your Majesty, do not be impulsive! Making a temporary peace with Jiang Jiang Mingyu is the wise course!"

Fei Hou's eyes held a sharp, cold light as he bellowed: "Old villain, you know a great enemy is at the gates, yet you still dare advise me to negotiate peace with a rebel; you must have colluded with Jiang Jiang Mingyu beforehand! Guards, drag this treacherous minister out and behead him for public display!"

The old minister knelt on the ground and pleaded: "Your Majesty, see clearly; I only offered loyal words to advise you to resolve the crisis, with absolutely no other intent; I beg you to think thrice!"

Fei Hou sneered: "Why not get out quickly? Since you oppose conscription, I will send all your family members to the front lines, letting you experience the hardships of leading troops!"

The old minister wept bitterly: "Your Majesty has a great strategy! To negotiate peace with wolves and jackals, how could that be acceptable? I only seek peace and safety for the nation!"

Seeing the guards still hesitating to act, Fei Hou roared again: "Why not drag him down and behead him immediately? Do you also plot treason?"

The guards, forced to enforce the law despite their pain, dragged the old minister toward the execution ground, yet the old man still stubbornly shouted: "Your Majesty, think thrice! This will ruin the nation!"

Fei Hou watched the old minister being dragged away, his heart filled only with roaring fury. He coldly scanned the hundred officials in the hall; all of them were silent as crickets, none daring to speak.

"I can no longer endure it; I immediately issue an edict to conscript troops! Anyone who dares to resist shall have their entire clan exterminated!" Fei Hou's tone was grim, filled with killing intent.

Everyone turned pale, daring only to bow their heads and listen to the order. Fei Hou then asked: "Is there anyone willing to lead troops to fight Jiang Jiang Mingyu?!"

The entire hall was as silent as a crow; all officials wore expressions of fear, none daring to respond. Fei Hou's anger grew even stronger, yet he was helpless.

Fei Hou, his face full of rage, coldly swept his gaze across the great hall; everyone was silent as crickets, fearing to become a scapegoat.

Finally, a big-bearded man in armor could not help but stand up and loudly declare: "Your Majesty, this subordinate, Tian Jiu, is willing to lead troops to fight, to devote loyalty to the nation!"

Tian Jiu knew that if he did not stand up, Fei Hou would surely find a scapegoat at random to vent his anger. At this life-or-death moment, he could only throw caution to the wind.

Fei Hou sneered: "Within one month, if there are no military merits, your fate can be easily imagined! Go, fight to the death for me!"

Tian Jiu stood at attention and responded, his heart already despairing. With his exhausted and weak troops under his command, how could he resist Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army? Within one month, he feared he would bravely meet his national doom.

At noon, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army had already approached Guangshui Commandery, the first important city on the Jingzhou border. Gazing at the distant city, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes were cold and dark as he murmured to himself:

"If Fei Hou had not forced me into a dead end, how would I have launched an uprising to overthrow him? All of this is thanks to Fei Hou. Now that Jiang Mou has returned, I must properly repay this immense favor!"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, standing nearby, asked worriedly: "Big Brother, why have none of the scouts sent earlier to scout the road returned? Has something happened? Jingzhou is now in turmoil; truly, we do not know what dangers we might encounter!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed: "First order the great army to camp in concealment; discuss further when the scouts return. If no one appears within two days, send spies to go."

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi nodded, deeply worried. These past few days, the situation in Jingzhou has been unpredictable; who knows what sinister tricks Fei Hou might use. But she was even more concerned about Jiang Jiang Mingyu's safety. If anything went wrong, she would surely die with him!

Meanwhile, Fei Hou was already preparing for war in Jingzhou with great urgency. He ordered Tian Jiu to defend Guangshui Commandery to the death, strictly commanding that Jiang Jiang Mingyu must be repelled within one month, or his entire family would be exterminated.

Tian Jiu accepted the order with a despairing expression; he knew well that with the terrible troops under his command, defeating Jiang Jiang Mingyu was a fool's dream. After one month, he feared he would sacrifice his life at Guangshui Commandery.

However, the situation was critical, and he had no choice but to throw caution to the wind and fight. Tian Jiu reorganized his troops, making preparations for a final, life-or-death battle with Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Though his heart was despairing, he would still fight to the end, never disgracing the heavy trust Fei Hou had placed in him.

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army had just entered and prepared to camp, a group of scouts, their feet kicking up dust, hurriedly returned, their expressions anxious. Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly went to meet them; the scouts immediately knelt and bowed, saying:

"Reporting to my lord, your subordinate has discovered that Fei Hou has sent Tian Jiu to lead sixty thousand troops, who have already camped at Guangshui Commandery, preparing to fight our army!"

"Sixty thousand men?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu was greatly shocked. "Wasn't Jingzhou already unable to conscript troops before? Where did this group come from?"

The scout quickly explained: "This time, Fei Hou, disregarding the lives of the common people, forcibly conscripted soldiers from the remaining people in Jingzhou. The result was a popular uprising; everyone fled and scattered, and Tian Jiu had to lead the hastily conscripted sixty thousand troops to rush to Guangshui."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered: "Fei Hou has forced common people into the army, having completely lost the people's hearts. His end is not far off."

Afterwards, Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked: "When you came from Jingzhou, how was the defense of Guangshui City?"

The scout said worriedly: "After Tian Jiu arrived, he first built city walls and then trained the army. Now Guangshui's city walls are solid; capturing it will likely be difficult."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered; Guangshui was originally the northern gate of Jingcheng, heavily defended. Now, reinforced by Tian Jiu, capturing the city would be even more difficult.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, standing nearby, suggested: "Why not change our route, bypass Guangshui, and strike directly at Jingzhou, forcing Tian Jiu to withdraw troops from Guangshui to rescue?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head: "Guangshui is a strategic hub of Jingzhou; we must capture it first, otherwise leaving an enemy behind will affect morale."