87th Rebellion

  "Xiao Li Guanghua Rong, what a pity..."

  Wu Song stood on the city wall, looking at the man who was still standing upright below, leaning against the silver spear on the back of the mechanical beast, with a stubborn and unyielding face. He couldn't help but sigh: "Such a brave general, it's a pity that he followed the fame-seeking Song Jiang, and encountered the intolerant Liu Hui Niang, how could he not die? It's also a pity that Hua Rong was foolishly loyal, and couldn't be used by me..."

  Xiao Li Guanghua Rong did not die from a duel with Chen Lixiang, nor was he bedridden with illness, but rather died from exhaustion.

  He was originally robbed of his sister by Wu Song, and then humiliated by Liu Huiniang, so he contracted a serious illness. He relied on the unyielding spirit in his heart to hold on until now. After a fierce battle, he finally burned out all his life force and died from exhaustion, but even in death, he did not fall.

  Liu Huiniang was also grieved by Hua Rong's death and wanted to order the city gate opened to bring back his body, but she feared that the Wu bandits would take advantage of the opportunity to attack the city. Just as she was hesitating, a group of Wu bandit soldiers arrived, bringing back Hua Rong's body along with the mechanical beast.

  "The bandits have learned to be human, this time they returned Hua Rong's body, not only did it strike our military's morale, but also bought people's hearts and spread their good reputation of recognizing heroes!"

  Wu Song brought back Hua Rong's body, but saw that Hua Rong was still standing upright with his spear, and said: "This is a brave warrior, we cannot humiliate his corpse, we must give him a grand burial." He ordered people to pull out the silver spear, but Hua Rong remained standing upright, his eyes wide open, still having the majestic air of when he was alive, powerful and divine.

  Wu Song asked in doubt, "Could it be that General had some unfulfilled wish at the time of his death?" He bowed to Hua Rong and said, "General's prestige shook Qingzhou, killing several of my high-ranking generals, tens of thousands of people witnessed it with their own eyes, no one didn't say a word of 'admiration', the name of the divine archer is well-deserved!"

  Hua Rong still didn't fall, his eyes wide with fear. Wu Song said again: "General died for the Song Dynasty with utmost loyalty, without shame to the words 'loyalty and righteousness'."

  Hua Rong still stood upright, Wu Song and the other generals were secretly worried. They admired Hua Rong and didn't want this tiger general to die with his eyes open when he entered the coffin. Gong Sun Sheng said in a low voice: "Is it possible that General Hua doesn't care about Song Jiang, nor does he care about his own reputation, but rather cares about his sister?"

  Wu Song said with a smile, "General, your sister has been betrothed to Li Jun, the Dragon of Mixed Rivers. I threatened him that if he didn't surrender, I would kill his sister. Li Jun had no choice but to surrender. The two of them got married and are now a loving couple..."

  Hua Rong's eyes finally slowly closed, and he fell to the ground, but saw a dark wind rushing straight towards Qingyun Mountain.

  Wu Song was filled with emotion, ordered the construction of a high-quality coffin, and held a grand funeral. He led his generals in paying their respects, saying: "Hua Rong is dead, and Qingzhou has no more capable men. The rebel Chen and the rebel Song have already risen up and are rushing here, tonight they will attack the city under cover of darkness, exhausting Liu Hui Niang, and taking Qingzhou!"

  And then, Hua Rong reported to Public Sun Sheng and rushed to Qingyun Mountain to report the news. The day before yesterday, he arrived at Qingyun Mountain's Yuanbi Stockade and met with Song Jiang, Wu Yong, Chen Xiuzhen and others. He told them that the bandits had appeared in Qingzhou. Song Jiang was shocked and wanted to set off immediately for Qingzhou, saying: "If Qingzhou is lost, we will all die without a place to bury our bodies!"

  Chen Xizhen said, "Hui Niang is too young, although she has the talent of a prime minister, but does not have the capacity of a prime minister. Indeed, she is not an opponent of Wu Zei. However, if she only defends and does not attack, Wu Zei will not be able to take Qingzhou for a while. We should first build good ironclad ships, defeat Wu Zei's water tower warships, and then go to support Qingzhou, which won't be too late."

  Wu Yong shook his head and said, "I've heard that the military bandits have been preparing in the capital for four years, gathering wealth and materials from all over the world, forging mechanical beasts. Liu Hui Niang just uses local materials, how can she be their match?"

  Chen Xizhen said: "If Hui Niang does not take the initiative to attack outside the city, Wu Ze will definitely not be able to capture Qingzhou. Moreover, there are Xu He, Gong Sun, Hua Rong and others to assist? Zhuo Yongqing, Ha Lan Sheng, Dong Ping, Shi Jin, Zhu Tong, which one is not a good man who can fight against ten thousand?"

  Wu Yong furrowed his brow and said, "What I'm worried about is not whether Liu Jun's troops can hold onto Qingzhou or not, but rather the person Shi Yun. Shi Yun was a bandit in Mount Shao Huashan, and when he came to surrender with Zhu Wu, Yang Chun, Chen Da, I accepted him on one hand, while secretly asking Chen Da about his origins. Chen Da said that Shi Yun had over ten masters, and his last master was none other than Wang Jin, the instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards in the capital!"

  Chen Xizhen bowed her head in thought for a moment, then said: "I do know Wang Jin. He's an old man who is thin and gaunt. Although he was the commander of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, it was only because of his family background. I heard that he didn't get along with Gao Jue, and after Gao Jue rose to power, he forced Wang Jin out of the Eastern Capital."

  Wu Yong sneered: "Great Head, do you know what Wang Jin's ancestor was?"

  Chen Xizhen thought for a moment and shook her head: "I don't know."

  "This Wang Jin's ancestors were not ordinary, but the year and the Taizu Emperor sworn brothers, known as the ten brothers of the Yi She, served as the commander of the Imperial Guard, Wang Shenqi! This Wang Shenqi was a hero selected by the military to compete for the world, later the Taizu Emperor gave up his military power with a cup of wine, borrowed the Confucian scholar Zhao Pu and the Taoist forces, only then did they seize power from the ten brothers of the Yi She, and drove the military forces out of the court."

  Wang Jin is a descendant of Wang Shenqi and also a military strategist. When Zhou Tong was in the capital, he often visited him. Wu Zei was also a disciple of Zhou Tong and had a good relationship with Gao Qiu. With this connection, could Gao Qiu still force Wang Jin to leave? That's why I dare not reappoint Shi Jin, precisely because his last teacher was Wang Jin!

  Chen Xizhen's face changed, and she hastily grabbed Lei Heng's hand, asking: "What official position is Shi Jin holding in Qingzhou now?"

  Lei Hengdao said: "Mr. Gong Sun saw that Shi Jin's bravery and strength were unmatched, so he planned to ask him to protect Liu Junshi."

  Chen Xizhen stamped her foot repeatedly and said: "That old fox Wu Song is in danger! Hurry back to Qingzhou!"

  Qingyun Mountain was left with Wu Yong and others to guard, while Chen Xizhen and Song Jiang immediately led the army towards Qingzhou. The army marched for a day and arrived at dusk to set up camp, only over a hundred miles away from Qingzhou.

  Song Jiang was sleeping in his tent when he suddenly woke up at midnight, only to see the candlelight flickering and a dark figure standing in the shadows, crying loudly on the ground. The figure bowed and said: "I have followed you for many years, brother, and our bond is deep. Now that Liu Hui Niang cannot tolerate me, I will repay my debt with my life and die under the city wall of Qingzhou. I did not bring shame to your name, so I came to bid farewell to you, brother, before returning to Mount Qingyun to rest in peace."

  Song Jiang hastily looked over and saw that it was indeed Hua Rong's appearance, but he saw that Hua Rong lightly floated up and passed through the large tent. Song Jiang was stunned for a moment, suddenly realizing that this was Hua Rong appearing in his dream after death, and he couldn't help but feel heartbroken, bursting into loud wails.

  Although he had the intention of using the 108 Demons to gain power for himself, among the 108 people, the one he loved most was Hua Rong, treating him like a close brother. Hua Rong was also extremely loyal to him, but unexpectedly died in Qingzhou!

  "Alas, Flower's glory! Alas, brotherly love! In the next life, you won't be a demon king, and we two will be sworn brothers..."

  Song Jiang fainted several times from crying, and when Wu Yong came to see him, Song Jiang's eyes were dull and he told Wu Yong about the dream he had after Hua Rong died. Wu Yong also shed tears and said: "General Hua died unjustly, I can only blame Liu Huiniang for being ruthless, she wanted to be like Zhuge Liang, but who would have thought that painting a tiger would end up looking like a dog? What a pity about Hua Rong..."

  Chen Xizhen also learned of Hua Rong's death and became even more worried about Qingzhou. He hastily set out with his army overnight, rushing along the road without stopping. The next day at noon, they arrived at Yunmen Mountain Fort, and as they looked around, they saw that Qingzhou City was engulfed in flames, with sounds of fierce fighting carrying for thirty miles, and the muffled sound of drums shaking people's hearts.

  Wu Song learned from the insiders that Chen Xiuzhen and Song Jiang were coming to reinforce Qingzhou, so he ordered that it was essential to capture Qingzhou before they arrived. As long as Qingzhou was captured, Chen Xiuzhen and Song Jiang would be on a dead-end path, and the overall situation could be settled.

  Wu Song couldn't help but ask Gong Sun to take action personally, using the mechanical beasts to set up a chess formation and launch a main attack on the city gate. Dozens of large mechanical beasts jumped and climbed onto the city wall, opening a bloody battle and first capturing one corner of the city wall.

  Chen Liqing led the five strong archers, suppressing from mid-air, while other troops pushed cloud ladders and towered vehicles to climb up the city wall. They also brought over a dozen remaining thunderbolt carts, placing them on top of the outer city walls, inserting long spears into the ropes, shooting in unison, nailing them onto the inner city walls. Countless officers and soldiers climbed along the ropes with knives in their mouths, and as soon as they reached the top of the inner city, a fierce battle ensued!

  Lu Junyi and Zhang Qing led their troops to attack the east and west city gates, leaving only the south gate unguarded, giving the defenders a way out, so they wouldn't fight desperately.

  Despite this, the defenders of the inner city fought fiercely, and Gong Sun also broke his killing taboo, raising his flying sword to kill people everywhere. Xu He, Xu Hua, and Xu Qingniang's family, young and old, all joined the battle, using thunder magic to attack.

  Liu Huiniang also deployed her chess pieces and array, using the Thunderclap Chariot to annihilate the bandit army. She then sent out the mechanical man, who was more powerful than several high-ranking generals. The mechanical man moved freely on the battlefield, with a great advantage. However, after Gong Sunyan dispatched the Copper Man, the mechanical man quickly fell into disarray.

  In those years, Gongshu's ancestors made twelve copper men for the First Emperor to suppress the evil soldiers in the world. Was it a vain reputation? Moreover, Gongshu Yanran has been using dragon veins and dragon energy to forge copper men for two years, increasing their power by several points.

  This battle lasted from midnight to noon, the bandits' offensive was relentless, adopting the most ferocious attack. Lu Junyi's and Zhang Qing's troops also launched a fierce attack on the two city gates, disregarding human life. The city walls were already covered with corpses, piled high, and the bodies on the city wall were even higher than the parapet. The blood stained the walls of Qingzhou City red, flowing down along the walls, filling the air with a foul smell.

  The rebels defending the city had exhausted their stones, so they threw down corpses from the city tower, and some people even trampled on the blood pool, and if they were not careful, they would slip and fall to the ground.

  Liu Huiniang saw that the city wall was gradually unable to withstand, and she sent out Zhu Yongqing by her side. Zhu Yongqing went on stage but still couldn't reverse the trend. With a ruthless heart, she again sent out two more people who were protecting her, saying to Shi Jin: "Now I have to rely entirely on General's protection!"

  Gongsun Sheng also shouted loudly: "Dalu, protect Liu Junshi well, there is still room for maneuver in this battle! If someone comes to kill, Dalu, you can fight!"

  Shi Jin held a halberd in his hand and stood not far from Liu Hui Niang, smiling: "Does General Liu have any other life-saving tricks?"

  Liu Hui Niang heard his voice was off, slightly stunned, and saw that the Fang Tianhua halberd flew over, lightly trembling, cutting off Liu Hui Niang's head!

  Shi Jin burst out laughing, Fang Tianhua held up Liu Huiniang's head with his spear and laughed: "Wu Guoshi, fortunately I didn't disappoint your orders!" He raised the head in his hand, and slightly hesitated: "Wooden? Detached?" That Liu Huiniang's head didn't even bleed a single drop of blood, her brain was empty, it turned out to be a wooden detached person!

  "This woman is indeed as cunning as a fox spirit, and she's guarding against her own people!" Shi Jin was furious, looking around in all directions, only to see countless bandits closing in. Gong Sunsheng was enraged, directing his flying sword to chop towards Shi Jin.

  Shi Jin ignored Gong Sunsheng, and looked far away to see a bronze horse carriage heading towards the south city gate. He laughed and said: "How can you escape? Wouldn't that be the end of the Nine-Dragon name?" Suddenly he stomped his foot and shouted loudly, and eighteen weapons around him rose into the air, including spears, hammers, bows, crossbows, guns, whips, halberds, swords, chains, axes, scimitars, javelins, shields, staffs, lances, and large knives. They flew through the air, swirling around his body without stopping!

  Shi Jin's body suddenly expanded, like a demon god, and he chased after the bronze chariot with big strides. With his sword, he deflected Gong Sunsheng's flying sword, and with his spear, he repelled Bi Yingyuan's large spear. He clashed with Suo Chao's large axe, single-handedly fighting against single-handed opponents, almost beheading Mu Hong in the process. He charged forward, and no one could stop him, like a monster with nine heads and eight arms, completely protected from all sides, without any gaps or weaknesses!

  All the troops saw it and were shocked beyond measure.

  Shi Jin rushed to the South City Gate, killing his way through and creating a bloody path. He arrived at the carriage, only to see that the bronze chariot had suddenly produced rows of crossbows, with black arrowheads, which shot without warning.

  Shi Jin hastily jumped up and dodged the row of poisonous arrows, and when he landed, he saw that the Seven Treasures Fragrance Carriage had already exited the South City Gate and disappeared into the distance. Shi Jin exerted himself to chase after it, but could only barely keep pace with the bronze horse's speed, unable to catch up no matter how hard he tried. Suddenly, he jumped up over two zhang high, his legs straining with effort as he kicked out with one foot, sending the Heaven-Piercing Halberd in his hand shooting out like a projectile, piercing through the bronze horse carriage and going straight through, but it was unclear whether or not it had killed Liu Hui Niang.

  Shi Jin turned back and killed his way over, just as the Qingzhou army was suffering a great defeat. The remnants of the defeated army swarmed out in all directions, fleeing for their lives. Shi Jin charged forward like a tiger into a flock of sheep, with no one able to withstand him. On the other hand, the defeated soldiers were only concerned with escaping and didn't dare stop to fight back.

  Shi Jin only saw Gong Sunsheng with a disheveled hair, being surrounded by the crowd and running in panic. He quickly jumped over, Gong Sunsheng saw him, furious, raised his hand to throw a flying sword, also prepared a palm thunder, ready to kill this traitor, but was dodged by Shi Dajun, who punched him unconscious, tucked under his arm and ran swiftly away.