DLWAV CH100

As the rebel army fought its way into the outer city of the capital, the words they shouted at the frontlines also spread throughout more than half of the city.

“The Mandate of Heaven originally belongs to the Prince of Yang, but was stolen by the traitor Zhangwu!”

“Heaven was furious, first bestowing divine medicine upon the Prince of Yang to grant him an instant recovery, and then dispatching celestial troops and generals with divine weapons down to the mortal realm to assist the Prince of Yang in eradicating the traitor Emperor Zhangwu!”

“We advise you all to lay down your weapons and surrender on the spot. Otherwise, the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo and his men are your warning!”

…

“The Mandate of Heaven originally belongs to the Prince of Yang?”

“That Zhou Ruize is nothing but a bastard born of a concubine, a beast who has forgotten his ancestors and even forgotten that he is a descendant of the Qian Zhou royal family. He thinks he is worthy?”

In the Qianyuan Palace, Emperor Zhangwu’s eyes were practically splitting open in rage.

Just yesterday, they had still been mocking Zhou Ruize for overestimating his capabilities and having whimsical delusions.

Yet today, Zhou Ruize’s army had already fought their way into the capital.

How could he dare to believe this was real?

But it just so happened to be real—

The Empress Dowager and the civil and military officials, however, could no longer be bothered with any of this: “Your Majesty, what should we do now?”

Immediately, a minister spoke up, “Your Majesty, let’s run… I beseech Your Majesty to immediately lead the Empress Dowager, the princes, and key ministers to embark on a northern inspection tour.”

Hearing this, the others tacitly fell silent.

If they all abandoned the city and fled together right now, one could imagine how the official historians would evaluate them in the future.

But to ask them to stand out and oppose Emperor Zhangwu fleeing… ahem, embarking on a northern inspection tour, they couldn’t do it.

Because they didn’t want to die either!

After all, they had collectively made the decision to release Emperor Zhangwu back then. It was obvious that if they fell into Zhou Ruize’s hands, he would definitely slice them into a thousand pieces.

Besides, Emperor Zhangwu had previously done such subservient and humiliating things as drinking the urine of the Xirong chieftain just to survive after being defeated and captured, and had even actively led the way for the Xirong army to call the city gates to open. Now, merely losing territory and fleeing seemed like nothing.

Thinking of this, they no longer hesitated and chimed in one after another, “We beseech Your Majesty to prioritize the bigger picture.”

“Your Majesty, as long as the green hills remain, there is no fear of lacking firewood.”

…

Emperor Zhangwu naturally didn’t want to run.

Because if he ran, wouldn’t that be telling the world that he had lost to Zhou Ruize?

But he didn’t dare not to run.

Because he didn’t want to die either.

Emperor Zhangwu could only grit his teeth and say, “Pass down Our decree. Order the Imperial Guards to resist the rebels at all costs. The rest of you, follow Us to inspect the Hebei Circuit.”

He still remembered how high-spirited he was half a year ago when he led a grand army and stormed into the imperial palace.

Who would have thought that in just half a year, the situation would completely flip. The one looking down from a high vantage point became Zhou Ruize, and the one reduced to a stray dog became him.

The civil and military officials below couldn’t wait to say, “Your Majesty is wise!”

“What? Royal Father actually directly ran… left?”

On the other side, the First Prince, Zhou Hongyi, who was just preparing to enter the palace, heard this news from Patriarch Chen who had rushed over. The expression on his face instantly froze.

Patriarch Chen, panting heavily, grabbed Zhou Hongyi’s hand and pulled him outward: “The Emperor’s carriage has already left the Mingyang Gate! Your Highness, we must leave quickly too.”

Zhou Hongyi subconsciously followed him for a few steps, but soon reacted: “No, Grandfather, I cannot flee—”

The Chaoming Pass incident ten years ago had already dragged the royal family’s reputation through the mud.

Emperor Zhangwu’s restoration half a year ago had further dropped the royal family’s prestige among the common people to rock bottom.

If news of Emperor Zhangwu abandoning the capital and fleeing spread again, the Qian Zhou royal family would probably be thoroughly nailed to the pillar of shame.

How could Patriarch Chen not guess what Zhou Hongyi was thinking?

He regretted it. If he had known that Zhou Hongyi would grow up to have such a stubbornly upright to the point of foolish personality, he would never have agreed to let his daughter teach him how to read back then.

“Do you think staying behind means you can stop Zhou Ruize’s army and turn the tide?”

“The Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo’s martial arts were highly formidable, right? But his head is currently hanging on the rebels’ grand banner!”

Zhou Hongyi, however, said: “Imperial Uncle… Back then, Zhou Ruize was able to use twenty thousand Imperial Guards and ten thousand temporarily conscripted eunuchs, yamen runners, and estate guards to block the Xirong’s army of over a hundred thousand. I might not be unable to do the same.”

“As long as we can stall until reinforcements from other prefectures arrive, Great Qian can still be saved…”

However, before he could finish his sentence, Patriarch Chen delivered a sharp chop to the back of his neck.

Zhou Hongyi instantly fainted.

Patriarch Chen hurriedly caught him: “You only saw Emperor Jianxing use a mere thirty thousand men to block the Xirong’s hundred thousand troops, why don’t you remember the multiple times Emperor Jianxing was almost hacked to death by Xirong soldiers who charged up the city walls?”

“My dear Highness, there is absolutely no need for us to take this risk.”

After saying that, he directly ordered the attendants around him, “Quick, quickly carry His Highness to the carriage.”

Behind them, countless maids and servants clutching luggage rushed out of various courtyards with panicked expressions. They tried to climb onto the carriages outside the gates, only to be kicked to the ground by the guarding soldiers. They begged their masters bitterly to take them along, but no one paid them any attention…

The same scenes were playing out in corners large and small all over the capital.

The capital was in complete chaos.

Just like that late night half a year ago.

Including the Third Prince’s estate.

The Third Prince and Song Qingying never imagined that just yesterday, they were still dreaming sweet dreams of becoming the Emperor, only for Great Qian to face its destruction before they even woke up.

Climbing down from the bed, Song Qingying didn’t even have time to change out of her wedding dress. She hastily and frantically packed her luggage while thinking in a daze.

Was God playing a joke on her?

Right at this moment, the Chief Administrator of the estate scrambled and crawled in again: “Your Highness, Your Highness, the rebels are about to fight their way over.”

The Third Prince looked outside abruptly, and sure enough, waves of battle cries could be heard in the distance.

His face changed instantly: “Stop packing, go, hurry up and go—”

He immediately grabbed the packed items and dashed out, completely ignoring his newlywed wife, Song Qingying, by his side.

One could imagine how ugly Song Qingying’s expression was upon seeing this.

But obviously, now was not the time to hold a grudge over this. She immediately dashed out as well.

Only, she didn’t expect that as soon as their carriage convoy drove out of the alley, they would run into a large contingent of rebels.

Song Qingying’s face went completely pale.

Her wonderful life had just begun. She hadn’t become the Emperor yet, hadn’t left her mark on history; she didn’t want to die yet.

She hysterically urged the driver: “Faster, faster!”

Fortunately, none of the rebels had horses. Most importantly, right at this moment, a large squad of Imperial Guards charged out from another street and blocked the rebels.

Song Qingying instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, just as she turned her head back around, violent shouts suddenly erupted from behind: “Ready, fire!”

“Fire!”

“Fire!”

Following that, an endless barrage of gunshots rang out.

Gunshots?

Song Qingying turned her head back in disbelief.

And she saw exactly those rebels raising the muskets in their hands once again.

Bang bang bang!

In the next second, the thighs of the Imperial Guards charging at the very front were uniformly shot, and they fell down screaming miserably.

By the time the remaining Imperial Guards reacted and wanted to flee, more than half of their men were already dead or injured.

“What kind of divine artifact is this?!”

“Run, run away quickly!”

Those Imperial Guards, who had initially been somewhat brave and orderly, instantly fell into complete chaos.

But fortunately, the Third Prince and the others’ convoy had already taken advantage of this gap to run far away.

However, Song Qingying’s mind had gone completely blank.

Muskets??

And flintlock muskets that looked almost identical in shape to modern rifles—

Just thinking about it, how could this possibly be a product of this era?

So the answer was already self-evident—

There is another transmigrator in this world!

No wonder the rebels broke into the capital so quickly. No wonder the rebels didn’t even wear armor… It turned out it was because their weapons were muskets!

No wonder every time she brought out a new technology, it wouldn’t be long before someone started wildly peddling the formula for that exact new technology.

It turned out it wasn’t because there was a traitor among her subordinates at all, but because there was another transmigrator in this world—

Song Qingying’s face completely cracked.

An hour later, as the gunshots in the city completely subsided, it announced the complete end of this battle that had only lasted for a mere two hours.

At the same time, it also announced that Great Qian’s capital had thoroughly fallen into the hands of the Yang army.

“The army of our Great Yang is an army of justice, so please rest assured, citizens of the capital, we will absolutely not take a single needle or thread from the common people.”

“We advise the fleeing Great Qian soldiers and officials hiding everywhere to surrender quickly.”

“Those who surrender within today, as long as your background is clean, our Great Yang will absolutely not treat you harshly. For those who do not surrender within today, once discovered, you will be killed without pardon.”

…

While the middle-aged man and the others were busy pacifying the commoners and stabilizing order in the capital, the news that the capital had been captured by the Yang army and that Emperor Zhangwu had led the civil and military officials to flee in panic to the Hebei Circuit directly spread across more than half of Great Qian.

The world instantly fell into an uproar.

Especially Yangzhou.

The various factions in Yangzhou never imagined that Zhou Ruize had actually been hiding in Yangzhou the entire time, right under the noses of the Imperial Court and themselves.

Most importantly—

It was too fast.

It was simply too fast.

Zhou Ruize raised his army on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month. That very night, Yangzhou was controlled by the Yang army.

On the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month, the Yang army fought their way into the capital.

One must know, it had barely been half a year since Emperor Zhangwu’s restoration and Zhou Ruize’s panicked flight.

Yet half a year later, this world was unexpectedly about to fall into Zhou Ruize’s hands again.

The local gentry and wealthy households in Yangzhou instantly couldn’t sit still.

After all, who wouldn’t want the merit of supporting the new emperor?

Most importantly, businessmen were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. This might be their only chance to stand out and achieve success in their entire lives.

They immediately ignored the ban issued by the government office and gathered together in private.

“My thought is, we should go and pledge our allegiance to Zhou… to the Prince of Yang right now.”

“Otherwise, when the Prince of Yang destroys Emperor Zhangwu, we won’t even get to drink a mouthful of soup.”

“I think the same way.”

“I feel we should still be a bit more cautious.”

“Although the Prince of Yang has captured the capital, he only has a little over ten thousand troops in his hands after all.”

“Once the Imperial Court reacts, they will inevitably mobilize a massive army to encircle and suppress the Prince of Yang.”

“Whether the Prince of Yang can hold out then is still up in the air.”

“So the most pressing matter is to investigate clearly whether the Prince of Yang truly has Heaven’s assistance like the Yang army claims.”

“That’s simple. We just need to investigate whether the Prince of Yang’s illness is truly completely cured to know.”

After all, according to the Yang army’s claims, Heaven had bestowed divine medicine to cure the Prince of Yang’s illness.

“But, who will go investigate…”

“Have Gang Leader Liu go investigate?”

“Hmm? Why isn’t Gang Leader Liu here?”

“It seems no one from the Water Transport Gang came?”

“Are they not here because they don’t want to side with the Prince of Yang? Or is it like the Li family, who had already sided with the Prince of Yang long ago?”

“I see it as nine out of ten chances they have already long since sided with the Prince of Yang.”

“The Yangzhou merchant guilds have always been united in purpose and shared a bitter hatred of the enemy. The Water Transport Gang and the Li family sure are nice, directly casting us aside to eat the whole pie themselves.”

“Let’s go look for them.”

“Let’s go.”

At the Water Transport Gang’s headquarters, upon learning of their purpose for coming, the various hall masters and elders of the Water Transport Gang: “…”

The Water Transport Gang pledged allegiance to the Prince of Yang?

How come we didn’t know?

They were feeling quite miserable in their hearts right now too.

Because many of them knew that Lu Dang had indeed attempted to recruit the Water Transport Gang back then.

It was just that they had all thought Zhou Ruize couldn’t possibly succeed, so they directly rejected Lu Dang.

But now, they were somewhat regretting it.

Because the Li family, who had received the olive branch thrown by Lu Dang during the same period and decisively sided with Zhou Ruize, had now ridden his coattails to success—the second master of the Li family was now the Prefect of Yangzhou, the eldest master went to Zhenjiang as the acting Prefect, the third master was serving at the military front, the eldest son-in-law was a clerk in the Jiangnan Mobile Camp… even the Li family’s butler had transformed into a County Magistrate.

Looking at themselves, who knows, maybe once the Yang army freed up their hands, they would be eradicated.

Those gentry and wealthy households: “…Alright, things have already reached this point, and you still dare to quibble?”

“Have you forgotten? Back when Song Jiyang was bought by the Hongtai Gang and wanted to suppress you to make way for them, it was we who used our connections to bribe Lord Sun, the Surveillance Commissioner of the Jiangnan Circuit, which allowed you to escape that calamity.”

“Furthermore, if you haven’t already pledged allegiance to the Prince of Yang, could your Gang Leader Liu be this calm right now?”

The various hall masters and elders of the Water Transport Gang: “…You misunderstood, our Gang Leader is just sick.”

And he had already been sick for several months.

Because of this, they had been incredibly busy lately.

Those gentry and wealthy households: “Sick?”

“I don’t believe it. You guys just want to keep the whole pie to yourselves.”

“We want to see your Gang Leader. Take us to him right now.”

What could the various hall masters and elders of the Water Transport Gang do? They could only take them to the Liu residence.

Before even entering the door, the voices of those gentry and wealthy households transmitted inside: “Gang Leader Liu, just tell us, is the Water Transport Gang currently working for the Prince of Yang already?”

The various hall masters and elders of the Water Transport Gang hurriedly said, “Gang Leader, Master Lin and the others mistakenly believe we have already sided with the Prince of Yang and insisted on coming to the door to demand an explanation.”

But they completely didn’t expect that at this time, Ao Ruize was teaching Third Master Liu how to play the vertical bamboo flute.

It was a real flute.

The key point was that Third Master Liu was currently nestled right in Ao Ruize’s arms.

The various hall masters and elders of the Water Transport Gang: “…”

Those gentry and wealthy households: “…”

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