Chapter 40: Damn, Are There Really Rebels?

“Also, remember to silence them!”
“Yes, my lord!” Lu Su responded, wiping the sweat from his brow after leaving the room. His lord was ruthless—others killed with borrowed blades, but his master wielded the blade himself. The schemes ran deep.
Still, in these extraordinary times, killing a few as a warning was not unreasonable. More to the point, it seemed Chu Feng’s true aim was the wealth these men possessed. It was a masterstroke.
Back in the study, Chu Feng shrugged and curled his lips.
How could one possibly survive in chaotic times without a measure of ruthlessness?
Consider how Cao Wei fed his army with human flesh and forcibly remarried widows to boost the population—at first, it was only widows, but later, local officials, desperate to meet quotas, even seized married women.
What’s more, the annals record more than twenty massacres committed by Cao Wei’s forces.
(Liu Bei: “My reputation is built on the contrast!” Of course, Liu Bei was kind to the common folk, though toward other lords, he was the picture of a hypocrite.)
Chu Feng shrugged again. He was only harsh with the aristocratic families. If every noble shed a little blood, Shouchun could become a paradise on earth!
Picking up a military treatise, he resumed his studies.
He had been careless in both recent campaigns; without Lu Su’s advice, disaster would have been inevitable. He needed to learn, to grow, and aim to become a true commander in the days to come.

—

Elsewhere, in the Yuan Yin residence.
At the back gate, Yuan Yin poked his head out, looked around, and then quickly pulled in a man wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a yoke of water. Nervously, he whispered,
“What are you doing here in broad daylight?”
The man removed his hat—it was none other than Yang Hong, though his face was smeared with dust and sweat, the summer heat unbearable. “My disguise is ruined!”
When the Yuan residence was surrounded the other day, he had not been home, forcing him into hiding. Later, hearing that Liu Xun’s army had arrived, he volunteered himself,
Secretly offering to collaborate with Liu Xun, vowing he held a blood feud with Chu Feng and would rally local patriots for an assault from within.
“Do not worry, Lord Yuan. No one followed me.”
Yang Hong let out a sigh, then continued, “Lord Yuan, all the households are prepared. At the third watch tonight, we’ll seize the South Gate and welcome General Liu into the city. When the time comes, we’ll need you to raise your arm and rally the people.”
“Very well. Rest assured, Chief Clerk, the Yuan family will not forget your efforts. Once Liu Xun enters the city, your merits will be second to none,” Yuan Yin said in a low voice.
“Thank you for your support, my lord. I must not linger here; I’ll take my leave.” Yang Hong hoisted his buckets and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Go.”
After seeing Yang Hong off, Yuan Yin could not calm his heart.
He was a collateral branch of the Yuan clan. Days earlier, Yang Hong had sought him out to discuss rebellion. Yuan Shu remained in hiding, and Chu Feng showed no favor to Yuan Shu’s old retainers, preferring only his own men.
This had sown seeds of resentment in Yuan Yin’s heart. With unrest spreading in the city and Liu Xun being a former protégé of the Yuan family, he had agreed to Yang Hong’s plan. Once Liu Xun entered the city, he would rally the people—
He even fantasized about killing Chu Feng and Yuan Shu, making himself the lord of the Jianghuai region.
“Uncle, are we really going to act tonight? Chu Feng is ruthless—he even killed Yuan Yao. I’m afraid we…”
This was Huang Yi, Yuan Shu’s son-in-law. At this moment, he swallowed nervously, fear clear in his voice.

—

Yuan Yin exhaled heavily. “We have no way out now. Chu Feng may be the son of my elder brother, but he treats the Yuan clan as strangers—how could we support him?”
“Besides, he murdered my nephew Yao in his fury, imprisoned his father, and usurped his position. How could we not seek his death?” Yuan Yin narrowed his eyes, anger simmering.
“But Qiao Rui, Ji Ling, and the others have pledged their loyalty to him, and most of the troops are under his command. If we fail tonight, both you and I will surely die by his hand!”
Huang Yi’s lips trembled as he spoke.
“Don’t worry. Several families in the city have already assembled their death-sworn. We need only wait until the third watch tonight, then light the signal fires to welcome Liu Xun. With Chu Feng’s reputation, he cannot stand against us!”
Yuan Yin clenched his fist, voice cold as ice.

—

Night fell—peaceful, save for the chorus of insects.
Under cover of darkness, a group crept toward the West Gate, while another slipped toward the South Gate. All had been bribed to open the gates for the enemy.
For a hundred gold coins, they risked everything.
Yet another force, some three hundred strong, was also moving stealthily toward the South Gate—led by Yang Hong and sons of various noble houses.
Yuan Shu had always lacked true prestige; there were rebels aplenty. Worse, after Chu Feng inherited the household, favoring flatterers and neglecting the worthy, their anger had only grown.
At the West Gate,
The bribed guards launched a sudden attack, killing the handful of Yuan troops on duty, opening the gate, and lighting the signal fires—shouting their names, calling for General Liu to enter.
Outside the west wall, Liu Xun’s officers were dumbfounded. Hadn’t they agreed on an assault at the South Gate? What was happening?
Their mission was to ambush, not to be welcomed in!
At the same time, the outcry was like a bolt from the blue; the city guards sprang to alert, calling out an enemy attack, chaos erupting.
From the shadows, Lu Su led his men in, slaughtering the traitors.
The gate commander rushed over.
“How could you be so careless? The Wang family colluded with Liu Xun and opened the gate! Were it not for my patrol’s timely arrival, the consequences would have been disastrous!”
Lu Su berated them harshly.
“Your subordinate deserves death! I will order the defenses strengthened at once,” the gate commander stammered, head bowed.
“Hmph! The Wang family’s treachery surely won’t end here. Send word to Ji Ling at once—have him bring his army to suppress the traitors and guard Shouchun!”
Lu Su’s tone was grave.
“At once!” The commander nodded, utterly convinced.
A moment’s delay, and the disaster would have been real. He must inform Ji Ling without delay.
Meanwhile, at the South Gate,
In a side alley, Yang Hong and several hundred sworn men prepared for battle. They knew that victory or defeat would be decided tonight—if they could hold the gate, they would win.
“Chu Feng, tonight you die!”

—

Yang Hong narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within. Forced into hiding like a stray dog, all because of Chu Feng—tonight, he would have his revenge.
Chu Feng’s body would be hacked to pieces!
But just then, more than twenty men appeared on the street, also dressed in black, heading straight for the gate.
“Who told you to act on your own?” Yang Hong snapped at several family representatives.
They looked at each other. “They’re not with us!”
Yang Hong: “???”
He was dumbfounded—what, even rebellion required standing in line now?
No time for such questions—if the alarm was raised, all would be lost.
“Charge! Seize the gate, kill the traitor Chu!”
At once, hundreds of sworn men surged forward, morale soaring.
Up ahead, someone asked curiously, “Boss, do we have reinforcements?”
The leader: “??? Not that I’ve heard of!”
His companion: “Boss, they don’t look like they’re faking it.”
Leader: “Doesn’t matter—let’s just get on with it!”

—

In a hidden spot by the gate,
Qiao Rui himself was waiting with troops, tasked with suppressing the traitors. Of all Yuan Shu’s commanders, only Qiao Rui had Chu Feng’s trust, and Qiao Rui was equally pleased with this son-in-law.
“General, you’re amazing—there really was an enemy attack!”
One of his officers sighed in admiration. Qiao Rui smiled—of course there was an attack; these men were their own plants.
He opened his eyes, glanced over—and froze in confusion. Why were there two groups? He rubbed his eyes—no mistake!
Weren’t they supposed to be staging a fake attack?
Weren’t there supposed to be just a few dozen?
This looked all too real—wasn’t that a member of the Chen family…
“Damn, is this a real attack?”
Qiao Rui’s pupils narrowed sharply. The real and fake were indistinguishable now. Thank goodness he had prepared an ambush here—otherwise, disaster would have struck.
The officer: “?? Was there supposed to be a fake?”
“Hurry, go inform the lord—summon the troops and crush the traitors!”