"The Great Governor has ordered!"
"Those who surrender shall not be killed! Those who descend from the city shall not be killed! Those who remain in their homes shall not be killed! Those who followed the rebels but have awakened shall not be killed!"
"Those who present the city shall be rewarded! Those who capture the rebel leader shall be rewarded! Those who submit to the Heavenly Army shall be rewarded!"
"No killing! No disturbance! No taking from the people!"
"Those who disobey the order shall be executed!"
"Giddy up... giddy up... giddy up..."
"Charge in! Charge in! Charge in!"
"Capture the rebel Murong Hong alive! Capture the rebel Murong Hong alive!"
Donghai Commandery was a large city, spanning twenty li in circumference, containing royal palaces, imperial gardens, and bustling markets. Within the city were dozens of districts and streets, and countless inns, entertainment venues, brothels, and shops, where all industries thrived, and houses stood closely packed together.
Murong Hong, the King of Yan in Donghai, had meticulously managed this place for many years, undertaking extensive construction and making Donghai Commandery prosperous and exceptionally strong. Little did he expect it to now fall into the hands of Zhou Fugui.
From a bird's-eye view, the streets of Donghai Commandery shimmered with countless lights, like scattered stars. These were not the lamplights of the city, but rather countless cavalrymen holding torches high, pouring into the city like mercury.
The convergence of these lights was at the heart of Donghai Commandery, the royal palace of Murong Hong, the King of Yan in Donghai.
"Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai," Zhou Fugui, fully armored and wielding his Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd, shouted loudly as he rode into the city.
"Your humble servant is here!" Suo Dacheng and Xue Wentai, two generals, responded in unison.
"I order you two to be the overseers. Anyone who disobeys military orders shall be killed without mercy!" Zhou Fugui commanded loudly.
If all went as expected, Donghai Commandery was already within Zhou Fugui's grasp. Therefore, Zhou Fugui was doing his utmost to protect Donghai Commandery from the ravages of war.
"As you command!" Suo Dacheng and Xue Wentai responded loudly, then led their troops and galloped towards the depths of the city.
"Pi'e, Hu Jue, accompany me to the royal palace," Zhou Fugui said, spurring his horse towards the direction of the Donghai King's palace.
Pi'e and Hu Jue, leading hundreds of personal guards, escorted Zhou Fugui as they also hurried towards the palace.
Zhou Fugui actually did not care about the life or death of Murong Hong, the King of Donghai. What Zhou Fugui cared about was this great merit.
Capturing Murong Hong alive or killing him was undoubtedly a great feat. However, Zhou Fugui was not seeking a reward, but rather to lull the Yan imperial court into a false sense of security.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui had no intention of letting Murong Hong escape.
"Who is he?"
"A Hu chieftain, who else could he be?"
"He's quite handsome!"
"Quickly close the doors! Quickly close the doors! Whether the Hu chieftain is handsome or ugly, what business is it of yours?"
The city's populace, awakened from their slumber, those who were bold enough, peered out through cracks in their doors. Seeing streams of ferocious Hu soldiers riding by with torches held high, they were frightened and quickly shut their gates.
Fortunately, although the Hu soldiers looked fierce, they generally did not harass the ordinary citizens of the city.
...
"Patriarch, Patriarch, he is the Great Governor!"
When Zhou Fugui and his men arrived at the Donghai King's palace, hundreds of servants from the Xu family were gathered at the entrance. Xu Wu, a household servant, said to an elder over sixty years old.
"I, Xu Shihui of Donghai, pay my respects to the Great Governor." Upon hearing this, Xu Shihui, the head of the Donghai Xu clan, hurriedly stepped forward, surrounded by his servants.
"Xu Shihui of Donghai? Old sir, please dispense with the formalities!" Zhou Fugui said after raising his Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd. "Old sir, you have rendered meritorious service by presenting the city. This governor will surely request a reward for you later."
"Hmph, who cares for the rewards of the Hu barbarians?" Before Xu Shihui could speak, a young gentleman beside him snorted coldly.
The young gentleman was dressed in a scholar's robe, with a square scarf on his head. He was handsome and stood tall and elegant, seeming out of place amidst the current scene of war.
"Yan'er, do not be rude!" Xu Shihui reprimanded his son, Xu Ruyan, and then said to Zhou Fugui, "My humble son, Xu Ruyan, has offended the Great Governor. Please forgive him, forgive him!"
"It's nothing, nothing," Zhou Fugui said with a smile. "Xu Ruyan? What a dashing scholar! It's you..."
Xu Shihui and Xu Ruyan exchanged glances, both unsure of Zhou Fugui's intentions.
Zhou Fugui then rode his horse, holding his halberd, and approached Xu Ruyan, asking, "People often desire merit, rewards, and even promotions and ennoblement. Why do you not want them?"
"As a seven-foot man of Han, how can I accept gifts from the Hu barbarians?" Xu Ruyan, knowing that his words would offend Zhou Fugui, still met his father Xu Shihui's gaze without flinching and answered with his neck stiffened.
"What Hu barbarians? What Han people? We are all children of Huaxia. What distinction is there between us?" Zhou Fugui seemed angered, berating Xu Ruyan before turning away and asking Xu Shihui, "Where is the rebel leader Murong Hong?"
Zhou Fugui was actually not angry. He rather admired those with such integrity.
"He fled!" Xu Shihui replied.
"Where did he flee?" Zhou Fugui frowned upon hearing this.
"To the seaside," Xu Shihui replied.
"The seaside again?" Zhou Fugui said irritably and then ordered, "Pursue him! Do not let him escape. We must bring him back alive or dead."
However, it was understandable. If it were himself, he would also flee towards the sea. The iron cavalry of the Great Yan were invincible, but concerning the sea, they could only gaze at it with sighs, Zhou Fugui thought to himself.
The only hope was to capture or kill Murong Hong before he boarded a ship and escaped.
"Place this at the entrance, and no one will dare to disturb your residence," Zhou Fugui said, tossing a command flag to Xu Shihui.
After speaking, Zhou Fugui led his men in pursuit towards the seaside.
"Many thanks, Great Governor!" Xu Shihui rejoiced, clutching the command flag tightly as if it were a life-saving straw.
"Father..." Xu Ruyan walked to Xu Shihui's side and supported him.
"Yes, Yan'er, what do you think of this person?" Xu Shihui asked after nodding.
"Hmph, a lackey of the Hu, a mere Han traitor!" Xu Ruyan snorted coldly. "Father, why do you submit to him? I do not understand why you surrendered this city."
"Foolish!" Xu Shihui glanced at Xu Ruyan and said, "To seek advantage and avoid harm, for the sake of our Xu family's survival in this chaotic world. The Xia imperial court is incompetent and has been unable to cross the river for so long. Should our Xu family cease to exist? Should the Xu family's assets be abandoned?"
"Mm..." Xu Ruyan nodded with extreme reluctance.
"Yan'er, what you just said, if it were directed at others... perhaps our Xu family would be doomed. But this person is unconcerned. Yan'er, do you still not understand?" Xu Shihui continued to say to Xu Ruyan, "Do you remember what your father told you?"
"About what?" Xu Ruyan asked.
"The events of Guangling Commandery years ago, the events of Suining County years ago," Xu Shihui replied. "A Hu general who was also a Han official, disregarding his own safety, rescued thousands of Xia people. Your father remembers that man's surname was Zhou, and this Hu governor also has the surname Zhou."
"Is it him?" Xu Ruyan asked in surprise.
"Nine times out of ten, it is him," Xu Shihui nodded. "For such a person to come to Donghai Commandery is a blessing, not a curse, for the people of Donghai Commandery. However, Yan'er, remember my words: when under another's roof, one must bow one's head. But bowing is acceptable, yet one must not form close ties; only feign compliance."
"My son understands," Xu Ruyan nodded, seemingly not understanding, or perhaps pretending not to understand.
...
"Kill! Charge through!"
"Capture the rebel leader Murong Hong alive!"
Murong Hong, the King of Yan in Donghai, launched a surprise attack on Yan Capital Youzhou. Unexpectedly, he suffered a great defeat at the foot of Youzhou city, losing troops and generals. His army was decimated, and he fled back to Donghai Commandery by sea with his remaining forces. Before he could even catch his breath, the Yan pacification army followed closely behind. The Huang and Xu families, powerful clans of Donghai, fearing implication, secretly opened the city gates and surrendered Donghai Commandery.
Murong Hong, with his depleted troops, fled towards the sea. Zhou Fugui, unwilling to let him go, led the iron cavalry of Great Yan in hot pursuit, determined to capture him alive or dead.
The sea was to the east of Donghai Commandery. The road was mainly composed of saline-alkali land. Coupled with a recent light rain, the road had become a muddy mess, making the escape of Murong Hong and his remnant soldiers extremely difficult, but it also slowed down Zhou Fugui's pursuers.
The iron cavalry under Zhou Fugui's command galloped forward, stirring up a vast expanse of wet mud. Flying mud revealed corpses embedded in the muddy ground, and along the sides of the road lay countless fallen soldiers of the Donghai army, along with broken weapons and arrowheads.
"The one ahead must be the rebel leader Murong Hong! Chase him, don't let him escape!"
Zhou Fugui personally led the troops in pursuit. From a distance, he saw a person being desperately escorted by dozens of guards, fleeing in disarray. Zhou Fugui raised his halberd and ordered loudly.
This person wore a yellow robe, making him particularly conspicuous among his guards. He was most likely Murong Hong, the King of Yan in Donghai.
Murong Hong's surprise attack on Yan Capital Youzhou was, of course, with the ambition of becoming emperor. However, his dream was shattered. After his defeat, he fled back to Donghai Commandery in disgrace. Upon his return to Donghai Commandery, to boost the morale of the Donghai army and people, and to fulfill his dream, he attempted to ascend the throne and declare himself emperor. However, as he was halfway through the enthronement ceremony, the Yan pacification army stormed the city. Thus, Murong Hong had no time to change out of his dragon robe before fleeing the city of Donghai Commandery.
King of Donghai, Murong Hong, I apologize. Zhou Fugui, holding the Zhu Yue Bow in his hand, thought to himself as he galloped forward, for the sake of the grand undertaking, I must take your life.
As they got closer, Zhou Fugui was confident he could shoot Murong Hong off his horse.
"Pfft..."
"Hoo! Hoo!"
Just then, as Zhou Fugui raised his bow to shoot, a huge stone flew towards him. Zhou Fugui hastily reined in his horse to evade. The stone struck in front of his horse and plunged into the wet mud, sending up several feet of mud spray. Zhou Fugui's mount reared up, its front hooves leaving the ground, and Zhou Fugui was unable to release his arrow.
"Evade the stones! Evade the stones! Protect the Great Governor!" At this moment, five or six black dots appeared in the air. Pi'e snatched a large shield and blocked it in front of Zhou Fugui.
"Scatter! Scatter! Are you all gathering here to die?" Zhou Fugui roared as his personal guards and attendants crowded around him.
"Pfft... pfft... pfft..."
The massive stones continued to fall, stirring up clouds of mud and overturning many Yan cavalrymen.
Pirate ships by the sea were using trebuchets to attack the Yan army and obstruct the pursuers.