Chapter 428

All the captured family heads held their breath, looking at Luo Feng with complex expressions.

Luo Feng listened quietly, without any sign of being angered on his face.

Not until Dou Wen finished roaring and was panting while glaring at him, did he slowly speak:

"Willing?"

He suddenly laughed, and in that smile, there was no mockery, only firmness.

"Dou Wen, what kind of person do you think I, Luo Feng, am? A fool who covets the empty name of 'eternal rule over Guanzhong'? Or a mediocre person who would be blinded by the 'wealth and honor for descendants' you speak of?"

He took a step forward. "I, Luo Feng, was a refugee starving to death at Yangguangzhai, following my big brother, killing my way out with my head on the line! What was it for?

Was it so that one day, I could be like you maggots, sucking blood from the common people, and letting my descendants continue to ride on others' heads and act as tyrants?!"

"No!"

Luo Feng's voice rose sharply. "I followed my big brother so that there would be fewer refugees in this world starving to death like I was back then!

It was so that in this Guanzhong, there would no longer be powerful families like you annexing land and forcing commoners to sell their children!

It was so that future generations, regardless of their background, as long as they are willing to work hard, would have a fair path to advancement! Instead of relying on that dirty 'protection' from their ancestors!"

He pointed at Dou Wen, his words resounding: "The 'eternal rule over Guanzhong' promised by Western Liang?

Ha! That is just another bigger cage! It is letting you old maggots change to a new master to continue sucking blood!

What kind of thing is Wei Wenlie? He is more greedy than the emperors of previous dynasties! More cruel!

He condones the Hu chieftains like Tufa Yan and Feiting to burn, kill, and loot in Guanzhong, viewing Han people like pigs and dogs!

Defect to him? I, Luo Feng, would rather die in battle than let the people of Guanzhong fall into fire and water again!"

"As for being discarded like a bow when the birds are gone?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. "Is the character of my big brother, Jiang Jinshi, something that you filthy people can fathom? I, Luo Feng, don't understand any grand principles, but I know that the direction of the people's hearts is the trend of the times!

Following my big brother to build a peaceful world for the people, I, Luo Feng, have a clear conscience! I have no regrets even in death!"

His final gaze swept over all the family heads: "Take them down! Guard them strictly! Send the family genealogies to Huang Yan!"

Wang Hou walked up and stood beside Luo Feng: "These families are really stupid! How could they come up with such a scheme of alienation?"

Luo Feng shook his head: "They are not stupid! They just found the wrong person!"

Hearing this, Wang Hou asked thoughtfully: "Luo the Madman, do you mean... there will be other brothers who defect?"

"No!"

Luo Feng raised his head, a look of recollection in his eyes: "They shouldn't have looked for me! Or rather...

They shouldn't have tried to win over the current me; if they had tried to win over the Luo Feng who was carrying his sister and seeking death back then, perhaps they might have had a chance!"

Now Wang Hou understood and responded with a smile: "Didn't Big Brother already win you over at that time?"

"Yes! So... they never had a chance at all!"

Luo Feng's thinking was also very simple; without Jiang Jinshi, how would these people have known him, Luo Feng?

As for the matter of descendants, since he was in his current position, if he strictly disciplined his descendants, would they really be worse than the common people?

If there really were incompetent descendants, that would just prove that they were not suitable for officialdom, and being an ordinary commoner would naturally be fine.

And what Luo Feng said earlier was not a lie; at this moment, at Qishan, the Western Liang army and the Beijiang Bright Army were about to clash.

Qishan was the only way to pass through to Micheng, the gateway to the west side of Chang'an, and it was also the ambush site carefully chosen by Han Xiao.

The eight thousand Western Liang elites led by Murong Ke were cautiously moving through the bottom of the gorge.

Murong Ke was clad in black armor, his gaze vigilantly scanning the towering cliffs on both sides.

He knew the danger of this place, but Si Wushuang's military order was like a mountain; he had to pass through Qishan at the fastest speed, strike directly at Micheng, and form a pincer attack with Tufa Yan's division to surround Chang'an!

"General, the scouts in front report that there seems to be an abnormality at the exit of the gorge, with dust flying; there might be an ambush!" The Vice General rode closer, his voice carrying unease.

Murong Ke's brow locked tight upon hearing this; how could he not know the risks? But the military situation was like fire!

Tufa Yan's side should have already acted, and internal chaos in Chang'an was about to start; this was a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity to break the city!

He looked up at the top of the gorge and gritted his teeth: "Accelerate the passage! Front army becomes rear army, heavy cavalry covers the rear! Archers, be alert to the cliffs on both sides!"

As soon as the order was given, a sudden change occurred!

"Boom—!"

At the entrance of the gorge, a deafening sound came!

Countless giant rocks the size of millstones and thick rolling logs smashed down from the cliff tops on both sides!

Dust and smoke shot into the sky, instantly blocking the narrow valley entrance tightly!

At the same time, the same deafening sound and desperate wails came from the direction of the gorge exit; their retreat was also cut off!

"Ambush! Form up! Defend!" Murong Ke roared immediately, his voice echoing in the gorge, carrying a hint of panic.

However, even more fatal blows followed one after another!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Dense arrows poured down, and many arrows were carrying jars of burning fire oil!

"Pfft!"

"Ah!"

The fire oil jars exploded instantly upon hitting the crowd and horses, and the flames burned fiercely, turning soldiers and warhorses into torches!

Even the heavy cavalry did not have it easy; although the arrows could not penetrate the thick armor, the rapidly rising temperature made the soldiers inside very uncomfortable.

They did not doubt at all that if the fire continued, they would be roasted alive in their armor.

"Shield formation! Raise shields!"

Murong Ke remained calm in the face of danger, still directing the soldiers to defend, occasionally waving his long spear to block a few arrows.

But the narrow terrain made it impossible for his elite cavalry to spread out, and the crowded crowd became the best target.

The shields could only protect their heads, but could not block the arrows shot from tricky angles and the fire arrows falling from the sky.

"Han Xiao! It's Han Xiao!"

The Vice General looked at the person leading on the cliff and shouted in despair.

Murong Ke's heart sank upon hearing this; Han Xiao was a general who had been in the army for many years, and before that, he was the Vice General of the Prince of Zhenbei, and now he was also a famous figure!

He was actually sitting in this place personally?

And the timing was grasped so accurately, launching exactly when his entire army entered the belly of the gorge! This was definitely not a coincidence!

Chang'an... something must have happened!

"Charge! Charge forward! Only by rushing out of the gorge is there a way to live!"

Murong Ke knew that only a desperate fight to break through was the way.

He roared and took the lead, trying to lead the remnants to rush toward the exit.

However, the exit had already been blocked by giant rocks, and at the gap that could only allow a few people to pass, dense Beijiang spearmen were ready in formation.

Every charge only resulted in more corpses piling up in front of the obstacles.

Murong Ke looked at the personal guards falling one after another beside him, listening to the deafening wails, and he knew... this iron army of his that had roamed Western Liang was likely in bad shape today.

At this moment, on another battlefield, Tufa Yan's twenty thousand vanguard iron cavalry were moving east along the ancient road, aiming directly at the West Gate of Chang'an!