Chapter 57: The Battle of Sunset (Part One)

  Yoshikawa Michitaka responds to the Dharma Treasury of the Good Fortune Inn.

  Yang Shuangfeng left Tang Zhi hastily, dragging his weak body back to the Lucky Inn. When he arrived, he found that Monty Yu, Du Gou, She Yan and others were all standing anxiously waiting for him. Yang Jirui was even more anxious, like an ant on a hot pot, going in and out of the inn's entrance, muttering to himself in a low voice. On both sides of the inn, two teams of people in black uniforms stood neatly, one team led by Monty Yu and others were artillery officers, while the other team was led by She Yan and were palace warriors. When they saw him appear, everyone cheered with joy.

  Yang Suofeng's heart was racing with excitement, wanting to rush over, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, and his whole body went limp, involuntarily wanting to kneel down on the ground. However, She Yan's movements were quick, and he swiftly and forcefully pulled Yang Suofeng back. Yang Jirui stared at Yang Suofeng's pale and waxy complexion, suspiciously asking: "Where have you been for the past two days? How did you end up like this?"

  Yang Xuan said weakly: "I was kidnapped by a bastard and suffered inhuman torture. Oh, I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten for two days, I'm starving to death."

  She Yan and others were shocked, Yang Ji Rui supported Yang Shuang Feng to go in, only feeling his body soft and heavy, like lead. Du Ge Er waved his remaining left arm, angrily shouting: "Who! Who kidnapped you? Damn it, brothers, take up your arms, we'll die with him! She Yan, call the people who brought you, we'll avenge Feng!"

  Yang Shuangfeng hastily called out: "Ah, don't be rash...". His heart racing, he hadn't caught his breath yet and almost fainted, the second half of his sentence involuntarily shrinking back into his throat.

  "Where are you from? How dare you be so arrogant? How dare you kidnap a Navy Major General? We, the Palace Guards, are not afraid of fighting. Brothers, come in, each take a table leg as a weapon, let's go deal with that son of a bitch." Those Palace Guards immediately swarmed in, quickly dismantling the table legs, some of which were too sturdy to break, they violently smashed them. After a burst of crashing sounds, the once intact grand hall was suddenly filled with shattered wooden tables, and each Palace Guard indeed had a weapon in hand. Their violent behavior left those Artillery officers stunned, not to mention the already petrified boss.

  Yang Shuangfeng couldn't help but laugh and scold at the same time: "She Yan, what are you doing?"

  Xie Yan said solemnly: "Feng Ling, tell us the enemy's location and name, we'll go find him right now!"

  Yang Shuangfen couldn't help but shout in anger: "Bastards! Do you think you're bandits who rob and plunder? This isn't Shanghai, this isn't the underworld, it's not your turn to cause trouble! Right now outside is chaotic, the slaves have launched a rebellion, the army is suppressing them, if you go out, they'll catch you along with the rebelling slaves! Everyone stay where you are, no one is allowed to move!"

  Xie Yan's face was filled with reluctance as he said: "Feng Ling, can you really swallow this insult?"

  Yang Shuangfeng had just been scolded severely, which indeed consumed a lot of energy. He couldn't help but lower his voice and said slowly: "A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late. Our biggest task now is to return safely to Menis, rather than making unnecessary trouble here."

  Monty nodded and said, "Maple Leaf is right. Our top priority now is to return to Menis. Only there can Maple Leaf's power be exerted, and things can be done according to our wishes."

  "Alright. But since you mentioned there's a riot outside, can't we just hold onto our weapons for self-defense?"

  Yang Shuangfeng said wearily: "Why are you still here? Why don't you take the boat to Menes?"

  "They can't see you and are all very worried, determined to wait for your safe return before leaving."

  Yang Shuangfeng forced a smile, his face slightly pale. As he sipped on the rice porridge, he said with concern: "Have you all made up your minds? How many of you are willing to go to Menis in the end?"

  Monty bowed his head deeply, saying in a very embarrassed tone: "Fengling, I regret to inform you that among the more than 230 of us, only 183 people are willing to go to Menis..."

  Xie Yan also lowered his proud head and said in a very low voice: "We only have one hundred and seventy-seven people willing to go..."

  Yang Shuangfeng put down his bowl and chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said slowly: "Meng Di, Du Ge, please allow me to call you that, and She Yan, don't feel embarrassed. No matter how many people go to Menis together, I am equally happy. In my imagination, maybe only a quarter of the people are willing to go, and the number you reported to me has already exceeded my expectations..."

  Mondieu and Sheyan both said with shame: "It's all because of our incompetence..."

  Yang Shuangfeng smiled and shook his head, saying: "No, you've all done a great job, don't blame yourselves. Although you are my subordinates, in fact, you are all my brothers. I grew up in the hostage mansion of Niluo God's capital since childhood, and I know very little about the outside world. However, I am not unaware that it is a painful decision to let others go to their deaths with difficulty. I don't care about the number of people, I only care if they are truly willing to follow me to the Menis area."

  Mondieu and Sheyan both bowed their heads deeply.

  Yang Shuang smiled faintly and said slowly, "Actually, to be honest, if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to go to Menis either. But I don't have a choice, I have to go."

  "Duguer exclaimed excitedly: 'Maple Leaf, we will surely create a new world there!'"

  Yang Shuangfen nodded and said slowly: "With your support and help, I have this confidence."

  Monty stretched out his hand and said excitedly: "Fengling, let's work together! We won't disappoint your expectations!"

  Xie Yan also stretched out his hand and said excitedly: "Come, we will go through hardships together, suffer difficulties together, and strive for a better life in Minneapolis!"

  Yang Shuangfeng and Du Gou'er also solemnly stretched out their hands, three strong big hands grasped a soft and fluffy hand.

  "Let us strive together!" Three loud voices shouted in unison.

  Suddenly, Yang Jirui hurriedly walked in from the outside, looking a bit flustered, and said in a low voice: "The situation outside seems to be very strange, there are no people on all the streets, has the slave uprising already won?..."

  Before the words had fallen, a chaotic footstep was heard outside the door, followed by the sound of scolding and beating. A group of slaves in tattered clothes rushed out from the entrance of the inn, greedily staring at everything inside, eager to move. Shi Yan let out a low shout, and over 100 palace warriors divided into four rows, holding wooden clubs, blocked the entrance. Those slaves looked at each other in shock, turned around and left, with someone muttering: "Damn it, how did these people come so quickly? Weren't we the first batch to rush out?"

  Montieu said with a worried tone: "It seems that this slave uprising is not small in scale, they actually broke through the guard's blockade and rushed into the city. Before Butterfly Dance sends troops to arrive, it's likely to be chaotic here..."

  As expected, before he could finish speaking, the sound of smashing and looting came from outside, along with the pitiful cries of women being insulted. This mixture of sounds that seemed like the end of the world made the artillery officers feel uneasy, but the palace guards remained extremely calm. Yang Suofeng furrowed his brow and said: "Shaye, take some men to go out and see what's going on, why are they still looting and fighting?"

  Xie Yan led a row of palace guards out to clean up the streets. After a burst of fighting sounds, they quickly returned, frowning and saying: "Fengling, the situation outside is not good at all. There are scattered slaves rushing out everywhere, and it's impossible to clear them out completely. I believe their main forces are still behind. The residents in the city are currently fleeing westward and southward, with abandoned goods scattered all over the streets, and it's very chaotic. What should we do?"

  Before he had finished speaking, the crowd saw the innkeeper hastily dragging his children and rushing out of the door, hurrying towards the west.

  Yang Shuangfeng hesitated for a moment, then said decisively: "Given the current situation, it's probably hard to escape even if we want to. Besides, escaping isn't what we should be doing. Our only option is to find a place to hold out and wait for reinforcements. Survival is our top priority right now; only by staying alive can we have a chance to return to Menis. Does anyone have any good suggestions? How long will it take for the nearest reinforcements to arrive?"

  Mondyu said in a low voice, "As far as I know, the nearest garrison should be the Central Army's 13th Division of Qinghe Prefecture, also known as the Fengwu Division. They may not have received the information yet. Their infantry will take at least two hours to arrive here, and their cavalry may arrive within an hour. However, Biefengwu only has less than four thousand dragon knights, who may not act alone."

  She Yan furrowed his brow and said indifferently, "These slaves are like scattered sand, even without infantry, relying solely on cavalry can still seize the initiative. The 4,000 Dragon Riders are enough!"

  Yang Shuangfeng shook his head heavily and said slowly, "No, this rebellion was completely premeditated and organized. The supporter behind it is the remnants of the Red Furnace Sect, a person named Mu Zi Xun..."

  Monty couldn't help but take a sharp breath in surprise and exclaimed: "No way! It's actually him?"

  Yang Shuang said curiously: "Do you know this person?"

  "I certainly do. I knew Mu Zi Xuan back when I was just a regular soldier under General Yue Tian Zhou's command. He was one of the trusted advisors to the old Heavenly King of the Red Lotus Sect. When the Red Lotus Sect's holy city was breached, the old Heavenly King died, and he protected the young Heavenly King as they escaped, after which he went into hiding. General Yue was criticized by his political enemies for not being able to eradicate the sect completely. Not long after Mu Zi Xuan disappeared, other core members of the Red Lotus Sect also vanished one by one, and it seemed like the sect had gone silent... Who would have thought that they had simply gone underground..."

  Xie Yan said urgently: "Feng Ling, if we want to hold out and wait for reinforcements, we must find a favorable terrain and sufficient weapons. You can't expect us to really fight against the enemy with just table legs and bare fists, can you? And what about those artillery brothers, they can't even carry their guns."