"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Traitors rebel, all who kill them shall be rewarded!"
In the fifth month of the first year of the Yanjianhe era, the new emperor ascended the throne. Prince Murong Xiong of Runan actually led tens of thousands of soldiers into the city, surrounding the Left Virtuous King’s mansion so tightly that not a drop of water could get through. In an instant, the Runan army breached the gates of the Left Virtuous King’s mansion.
This event clearly indicated that the Empress Dowager and the Left Virtuous King of Yan were irreconcilably opposed, their armies clashing. It also signaled that the Great Yan Kingdom, which had enjoyed a few years of stability, was once again plunging into internal strife, war, and possibly chaos throughout the land.
As the saying goes, brothers fighting each other, beans burning beans. It was the common people who would suffer.
Prince Murong Xi of Runan had encircled the Left Virtuous King’s mansion with his massive army. The Runan soldiers, armed with various weapons, swarmed into the mansion from all directions like liquid mercury pouring into the ground. As soon as the army entered, they found Runan soldiers clad in iron armor everywhere, brandishing long sabers and cutting down anyone they saw. Within the mansion, men, women, old, and young were being slaughtered, with cries of agony, wails, and pleas for help echoing incessantly. Many women from the mansion were captured by the Runan army, and then unspeakable acts began to occur within the Left Virtuous King’s mansion.
For the rampaging soldiers, what discipline was there? They killed anyone they saw, plundered any wealth they found, and violated any woman they encountered. It was utterly infuriating.
"Roar!"
"Kill! Fight our way out!"
"We swear to protect our lord with our lives today!"
At this very moment, fierce roars suddenly erupted from the depths of the mansion. Murong Ya, the second son of Murong Bole, holding a large shield in one hand and a sharp saber in the other, mounted a warhorse and led two hundred warriors from the Blazing Fire Camp in a furious charge.
At this time, the Left Virtuous King’s mansion, including all the male inhabitants, had barely over two thousand people, among whom were over a thousand loyal warriors of the Blazing Fire Camp.
Murong Ya ordered two hundred of his most devoted soldiers to charge forward, aiming to escort his father, Murong Bole, the Left Virtuous King of Great Yan and the Prince of Guanning, out of the encirclement.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
The sound of blades piercing flesh rang out continuously. Murong Ya, unstoppable, led the charge on horseback, using his shield to parry and his saber to slash, felling several Runan rebels in succession.
"You insolent brat, why don't you dismount and surrender?" a Runan Yan general grumbled, spurring his horse to attack. Within a single exchange, his head was severed by Murong Ya’s saber.
Murong Ya’s saber flashed incessantly, like unfurled black wings, as swift as lightning, and he beheaded three more Runan Yan generals in rapid succession.
"Kill! Kill them!"
The second son, Murong Ya’s, ferocity greatly boosted the morale of the Blazing Fire Camp warriors. One by one, they charged fearlessly from the depths of the mansion, like moths to a flame, plunging into the dense ranks of the Runan rebels and engaging in a frenzied slaughter. Even as men fell, these two hundred Blazing Fire Camp warriors faced death without fear, refusing to yield, refuse to retreat, refusing to live in cowardice.
The thousand-plus warriors of the Blazing Fire Camp within the Left Virtuous King’s mansion, at this moment, all held a resolve to die, to repay the great kindness of Murong Bole.
Though few in number, the Blazing Fire Camp warriors, like ships cutting through waves, carved a bloody path through the Runan rebels. This path was littered with mangled, dismembered corpses, severed heads, and streams of blood, some belonging to the Blazing Fire Camp warriors, but more to the Runan rebels.
The title of "Number One Camp Under Heaven" was indeed well-earned!
Under the fierce onslaught of the Blazing Fire Camp warriors, the Runan rebels let out a yell and scattered like a tide, leaving an open space in the middle.
However, the Runan rebels were not truly fleeing; they cleared a space in the center to allow archers to unleash their volleys.
"Fire!" As expected, the Runan rebels did not wait for their own forces to fully retreat. Countless archers swarmed forward and began to loose arrows. In an instant, arrows rained down, shooting towards Murong Ya and the other two hundred Blazing Fire Camp warriors.
"Drip... drip... drip..."
"Thump... thump... thump..."
Arrowheads like rain struck the shields, emitting a "drip drip" sound, and piercing flesh, producing a "thump thump thump" of flesh being pierced.
Murong Ya and the two hundred Blazing Fire Camp warriors initially used their shields to block, then charged fiercely. However, the Runan rebels were overwhelming in number. Despite the ferocity of the Blazing Fire Camp warriors, they could not break through the arrow formation. The shield wall, like a barrier, could not block the pervasive arrowheads. After charging a short distance, they had already suffered more than half their casualties.
Yet, the Blazing Fire Camp warriors, despite heavy losses, continued to charge forward, creating a bloody path within the spacious courtyard of the Left Virtuous King’s mansion. This path was strewn with the corpses of the Blazing Fire Camp warriors, their bodies densely embedded with arrowheads, a chilling sight.
"Kill!"
Murong Ya, his eyes red with blood, his body drenched in gore, mounted a powerful black steed. With the remaining dozens of Blazing Fire Camp warriors, he charged forward, raising his massive iron shield, his eyes wide with fury, like a vengeful spirit, directly towards the Runan arrow formation.
"Quick, quick, stop him!"
In an instant, the Runan archers standing at the front cried out in alarm, drawing their weapons and rushing to intercept Murong Ya.
Murong Ya, a renowned general of his time, possessed exceptional martial arts skills, honed on countless battlefields and in the face of death. Now, fighting to save his father, how could he avoid death? With a surge of divine power, the muscles in his arms tightened, and his strength instantly surged. He flung two attacking Runan archers away with a single blow, then urged his horse forward like lightning. Reaching the Runan soldiers in front of him, he slashed and cut, felling several archers before raising his pitch-black iron shield and slamming it with the force of thunder onto the head of a commanding Runan Yan general opposite him.
The Runan Yan general's head was split open like a rotten watermelon.
"Ah..." The Runan Yan general let out a piercing scream before death and collapsed askew. His severed arm still twitched frantically on the ground, as if trying to grab something and tear into the enemy.
"Puff! Puff!"
Two arrows flew, striking down Murong Ya's warhorse. Murong Ya, blood trickling from his lips, rolled to his feet. As he did, two more arrows arrived, one hitting his leg and the other his right chest. Blood gushed forth from both wounds.
Overwhelmed by the intense pain, Murong Ya lost his strength and knelt to the ground, his iron shield falling from his grasp. He tightly gripped his saber, his iron helmet knocked off, his long hair disheveled. Murong Ya bit his lower lip, his hair falling over his face, and glared fiercely ahead.
"Puff... puff... puff..."
Another volley of arrows arrived, embedding themselves in Murong Ya's body, a dense cluster. Yet, Murong Ya still did not fall, his eyes blazing with rage, glaring at the approaching Runan rebels.
A fierce Runan Yan general circled behind Murong Ya, grabbed his hair with one hand, and with the other, drew his saber. With a "thwack!", he severed Murong Ya's head. The bloody head still wore an expression of furious defiance.
Alas, a valiant general of the battlefield, the second son of Murong Bole, the elder brother of Murong Huiying, had met a tragic end in his own home.
"Second Young Master!"
At this moment, only twenty to thirty of the two hundred Blazing Fire Camp warriors remained, all severely wounded. Yet, they dragged their battered bodies to the side of Murong Ya's headless corpse, placed their hands on their chests, and knelt on one knee before him.
"Kill them all!"
A fierce Runan Yan general commanded cruelly.
"Puff... puff... puff..."
The savage Runan rebels, devoid of mercy, wielded their great sabers and slaughtered the remaining twenty to thirty Blazing Fire Camp warriors in the courtyard of the Left Virtuous King’s mansion.
Around Murong Ya lay the fallen bodies of both Runan rebels and Blazing Fire Camp warriors. Blood stained the earth and filled the sky. Though the battle was brief, it was akin to a major engagement, brutally and savagely fought.
"Ya'er!"
Left Virtuous King Murong Bole, protected by hundreds of Blazing Fire Camp warriors and household guards, had already broken through the encirclement. However, Murong Bole could not abandon his second son, Murong Ya, and led his men back. He arrived just in time to witness this scene and cried out in grief, weeping loudly. Murong Bole’s mournful cries were deeply moving.
Even if Murong Bole and his men had broken through the Runan rebels’ encirclement, they could not escape Youzhou city. The reason was self-evident: Murong Qing and Murong Kang had already ordered the four gates of the city sealed and were conducting a widespread hunt within the city for the "rebel" Murong Bole and his followers.
"Let me go!" Several Blazing Fire Camp warriors were supporting Murong Bole, who was overcome with grief, as they charged outward. However, Murong Bole struggled violently and ordered, "My fate is sealed today; it has nothing to do with you. Quickly cast aside your weapons, I will face this alone."
At this moment, Murong Bole and his men were completely surrounded by the Runan rebels, with no possibility of escape. Further resistance would only result in more casualties and serve no other purpose.
To save the lives of these loyal Blazing Fire Camp warriors and household guards, Murong Bole ordered them to lay down their weapons. Whether it would be of any use, Murong Bole could only hope that the venomous woman harbored a shred of mercy in her heart.
As for Murong Bole’s family, there was no longer any hope of survival.
"My Lord!" A group of Blazing Fire Camp warriors and household guards knelt beside Murong Bole and cried.
"Lay down your weapons and retreat, or I will die before your eyes!" After ordering the Blazing Fire Camp warriors and household guards to withdraw, Murong Bole, holding a blood-stained saber, slowly stepped forward.
The fierce flames of the fire cast Murong Bole’s shadow long. He was not yet very old, but his faltering steps resembled those of a decrepit old man. The end of a hero could be no more stark than this.
"Prince Murong Xiong of Runan, I have no enmity with you, why are you doing this today?" Murong Bole asked loudly from a distance, dragging his saber and looking at Prince Murong Xiong of Runan.
"Heh heh, brother Virtuous King of Runan," Murong Xiong replied with a sinister chuckle. "A rebel plotter, everyone should kill him!"
"Heh heh, a rebel plotter?" Murong Bole stood on the ground, looking at Murong Xiong and sneering. "I have dedicated myself to my Great Yan Kingdom for decades. Now that I am old, I have become a rebel plotter?"
Murong Xiong stared coldly at Murong Bole, remaining silent.
"Prince of Runan! My fate today is your tomorrow!" Murong Bole said, then drew his saber across his own throat.
Murong Bole preferred death to disgrace, and refused to serve that venomous woman.
The Left Virtuous King’s mansion behind Murong Bole was engulfed in flames in this conflagration.