mtl008 Chapter 166 Battle to Break Through the Imperial Palace
Chapter 166 Battle to Break Through the Imperial Palace
"Where did this arrogant brat come from? Do you think this palace is your home? How dare you act so recklessly! Do you think this palace is a place you can just barge into as you please?" With a few muffled creaks from the palace gates, a burly middle-aged man in heavy armor slowly walked out.
This man was tall and upright, with a resolute face and sharp, eagle-like eyes. He exuded an imposing aura even without anger. He was none other than Lin Peng, the commander of the Imperial Guards responsible for protecting the palace.
"Hmph! Is that so? Then I'll show you what it's like to storm the palace today, and see what you can do to me!" Liu Ziyun, standing in place, showed no fear. Instead, he took a big step forward, his lips slightly upturned, revealing a disdainful sneer.
"You audacious madman, you're courting death..." Enraged by Liu Ziyun's provocative words, Lin Peng instantly flew into a rage, swiftly drawing his sharp longsword from his waist, ready to pounce on Liu Ziyun.
"Commander Lin, hold your hand! Don't act rashly!" At this critical moment, Deputy Commander Wang Dashui, who had been standing next to Lin Peng, hurriedly spoke up to stop him.
Hearing his subordinate Wang Dashui's advice, Lin Peng, though still furious, suppressed his anger and sheathed the sword he had drawn halfway.
Then, with icy, piercing eyes fixed on Liu Ziyun, he gritted his teeth and said, "You brat, don't try these petty tricks. I won't fall for your clumsy schemes!"
"So you're Lin Peng, the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Western Rong? Hahaha, what? You, the commander of the Imperial Guard, are actually afraid? That's laughable!" Seeing Lin Peng stop attacking, Liu Ziyun not only didn't stop, but instead intensified his mockery and ridicule.
“Alright, Young Master Liu, I think we should give them another chance! If they are willing to obediently put down their weapons now, we will spare their lives out of mercy. What do you think?” Ruan Mumu stepped forward and stood side by side with Liu Ziyun. A bright smile, as beautiful as spring flowers, bloomed on her face as she asked Liu Ziyun.
Wang Dashui snorted coldly, his face full of disdain. Then, with righteous indignation and unwavering conviction, he shouted loudly, "Hmph! Even if we fight to the last man and shed our last drop of blood, we will never surrender to you traitors!"
Furthermore, how can your Northern Sheng Kingdom bring a frail woman to war? Do you really think this woman can fight on the battlefield and charge into battle for you? Hahahaha..." After saying this, Wang Dashui laughed wildly.
His arrogant laughter echoed across the battlefield.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers standing behind Wang Dashui seemed to be encouraged and burst into laughter, their jeers echoing through the sky.
Lin Peng stood to the side, arms crossed, glaring ahead with a fierce expression that seemed to say, "Look at you useless bunch! You need women to fight an ambush, what a disgrace!"
When Liu Ziyun saw that the Western Rong people dared to mock Ruan Mumu so brazenly, he was instantly enraged. A surge of hot blood rushed to his head, and he subconsciously reached for the pistol at his waist.
However, at that moment, Ruan Mumu reacted quickly, gently tugging at his sleeve and shaking her head slightly, signaling with her eyes that he should not act impulsively.
In the blink of an eye, Ruan Mumu moved with lightning speed, suddenly turning around and swiftly drawing the exquisite pistol from her waist with her right hand.
Her movements were fluid and seamless; she didn't even raise her head before pulling the trigger towards the sky without hesitation.
A crisp gunshot pierced the sky, like a thunderclap exploding in the air.
What was shocking was that among a flock of birds flying overhead, two of them fell straight down as if by magic! They were like kites with broken strings, completely out of control, plunging headfirst to the ground.
Everyone present was stunned by what they saw, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
They could hardly believe their eyes, and couldn't help but think to themselves, "This is too amazing! Such accurate marksmanship, his accuracy is probably better than many men!"
However, despite their deep admiration for Ruan Mumu's marksmanship, for various reasons, they were unwilling to acknowledge her skill to her face.
At this moment, the members of the sharpshooting team could no longer contain their excitement and admiration, and they couldn't help but shout, "Instructor Ruan is awesome! Instructor Ruan is awesome!"
The other soldiers of Beisheng also joined in the shouting.
Their shouts resounded through the sky, echoing across the entire training ground for a long time.
Lin Peng and Wang Dashui had been so busy dealing with the current battle situation that they hadn't had time to pay attention to how many troops the Beisheng army actually had.
However, when they heard the deafening shouts in response, their hearts sank.
Based on their years of experience fighting on the battlefield, they estimated that the number of Beisheng's troops was probably several times that of their own!
"Commander Lin, in my opinion, we probably can't hold onto this palace this time. How about... we just surrender?" Wang Dashui cautiously leaned close to Lin Peng's ear and whispered.
He knew very well that the soldiers of Beisheng were numerous and powerful, far beyond what the Western Rong could contend with.
Consider the towering, impregnable walls of Kyoto and the 100,000 troops of the Western Rong, yet they could not withstand the offensive of the Northern Sheng army, and could not even hold out for two hours.
Now, with only five thousand soldiers at their disposal, how could they possibly contend with the overwhelming force of the Northern Sheng soldiers and prevent them from storming the palace?
"Wang Dashui, if I ever hear you utter another word about surrendering, I will cut off your head without hesitation!" Lin Peng roared at Wang Dashui, his eyes wide with rage.
The roar exploded in the air like a thunderclap, making the eardrums of everyone around buzz.
Wang Dashui felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that Lin Peng was a man of his word. Faced with the menacing Lin Peng, even if Wang Dashui had many thoughts of surrendering to save his life, he could only swallow them back down. He could only keep his lips tightly closed and remain silent, for fear of accidentally angering this hot-tempered general again.
However, right after Lin Peng's roar, the hearts of the many Imperial Guards present had already quietly changed.
Some of them remained at their posts inside the palace, unable to see the actual battle situation outside.
But at that moment, they clearly heard the overwhelming shouts from the Northern Sheng army.
The sound was so loud that it seemed even the birds flying in the sky would be startled and scatter in all directions.
How could these soldiers responsible for guarding the palace not feel fear?
"Stop talking nonsense. If you still don't surrender, don't blame us for being impolite." Wang Dezhu stepped forward, brandishing his Guan Gong broadsword, and shouted sharply.
His soldier conveniently handed him another megaphone.
"Soldiers of Xirong, we are giving you one more chance to surrender. Those who surrender, put down your weapons immediately, hold your heads and squat down on the spot. Otherwise, don't blame us, Beisheng, for being ruthless. You have only one incense stick's time to finish." Wang Dezhu put down his broadsword and began to shout through a megaphone.
Just as Qiao Tinghao and the others relaxed their guard, Lin Peng suddenly grabbed a soldier to block the way, then leaped into the palace gates, which slammed shut instantly.
Wang Dashui and the hundreds of imperial guards, locked outside the door, stood there with their faces ashen and heads hanging low, filled with despair and helplessness.
They never imagined that the leader they followed would abandon them so heartlessly.
Wang Dashui stared blankly at the tightly closed door, his heart filled with sorrow.
He knew that continuing to resist would be futile and would only cause more brothers to die in vain.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and resolutely threw the weapon he was holding onto the ground with a crisp sound.
Then, he slowly squatted down, put his hands behind his head, and made a gesture of surrender.
The other soldiers were taken aback at first, but quickly realized what was happening.
They all followed Wang Dashui's example, throwing their weapons far away without hesitation. In an instant, the clanging and clattering of various weapons hitting the ground filled the air.
At this moment, Wang Dashui, who had been feeling uneasy, suddenly felt an unusual calm in his heart.
He couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate. If it had been Lin Peng, that stubborn guy, who had followed them earlier, he probably would have just forced them to do those pointless acts of resistance.
In that case, the only possible outcome would be death.
After regaining his composure, Wang Dashui raised his head and looked at Wang Dezhu opposite him, saying sincerely, "General, we have already surrendered. I wonder if you could be merciful and spare our lives?"
Wang Dezhu's face was ashen as he coldly stared at Wang Dashui, who was leading the surrender. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "As long as you have sincerely surrendered to our side and have no more thoughts of rebellion, this general will naturally not wantonly kill innocent people. I, Wang, have always kept my word and my promises are as good as gold!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Dashui seemed to have grasped at a lifeline and hurriedly nodded in response, "Good, good! General, rest assured, I, Wang Dashui, am absolutely sincere in my desire to surrender. I only beg the general to spare my life."
Immediately afterward, the other Western Rong soldiers also shouted at once, "General, we sincerely want to surrender! We beg the general to have mercy..."
For a time, cries for mercy rose and fell.
Some of the soldiers locked inside the palace gates began to show some discontent upon hearing these words.
But after someone muttered something under their breath, Lin Peng killed them with a single sword strike, and no one dared to make a sound again.
“If we break down the gates of this palace today, your Western Rong will cease to exist. Will you still surrender?” Liu Ziyun asked from the side.
"Anyway, a dynasty that does nothing and only exploits the people is better off not existing," Wang Dashui sneered.
Liu Ziyun nodded in satisfaction, but he did not speak again. Instead, he nodded to Wang Dezhu.
"Guards, take them away first," Wang Dezhu ordered.
A soldier stepped forward respectfully and said, "Please!"
Wang Dashui suddenly said, "General, I am familiar with the palace. Let me lead the way for you!"
Wang Dezhu waved his hand and said, "No need. Although I understand that you want to make amends, it is still your dynasty after all, and I will not force you to be the sinner."
Wang Dashui didn't insist and went down with the soldier.
"Get ready, attack immediately," Qiao Tinghao said.
"Sharpshooter team, prepare to open the palace gates," Qiao Tinghao ordered through a megaphone.
Liu Ziyun led more than twenty brothers into the air, leaping onto the top of the wall, their submachine guns firing "rat-a-tat-tat..." at the archers inside the palace walls.
Those archers died after firing only one arrow.
Before the archers could even prepare to fire their arrows in the second round, the sharpshooters had already wiped out all the guards inside the palace gate.
"Lin Peng has already retreated to who knows where. Everyone must be careful. Open the palace gates now, and in a moment, two people will lead a group to search the area," Liu Ziyun ordered loudly.
Soon the palace gates opened, and the soldiers of Beisheng surged into the palace like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing the entire palace.
"Everyone must be careful. Remember not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, especially women and children!" Wang Dezhu shouted through a megaphone.
His voice carried far and wide, reaching many soldiers, and then someone used a megaphone to relay his words.
The surging soldiers continued to advance towards the various palaces, dividing into multiple groups and quickly occupying key positions.
Ruan Mumu and Qiao Tinghao led a group of people to rush into the palace. Along the way, many Xirong soldiers had already fallen to the ground and died, their blood staining the ground red.
“Brother, these people were probably killed by their own people,” Ruan Mumu said, frowning as she looked at the corpses on the ground.
Qiao Tinghao nodded, glanced around, and said in a deep voice, "I guess these people were killed because they wanted to surrender."
"That Lin Peng is a real scoundrel, he doesn't care about human life at all," Ruan Mumu said indignantly, her eyes flashing with anger.
“So they can only head towards destruction.” Qiao Tinghao’s voice was filled with determination.
"Do you think the emperor of the Western Rong would be furious if he heard that we had attacked and invaded?" Ruan Mumu said again with a smile.
"Isn't that exactly what you want? All his possessions will be yours." Qiao Tinghao whispered in Ruan Mumu's ear.
"Hahahaha..." Low laughter rang out from the two of them.
"Everyone be careful, but don't harm the innocent, especially women and children. Search every corner thoroughly, understand?" Qiao Tinghao said to the soldiers again.