Chapter 41 Tonight, No One Sleeps (Part 2)
The duties and responsibilities of patrolling Chang'an were extremely chaotic.
The Prefect of the Capital, the Bad People, and the Imperial Guards all had the duty of patrolling the capital. In fact, the Right Valiant Guard and the Dragon Martial Army also had certain responsibilities. However, the latter two mainly guarded the Imperial City and the Emperor himself. The primary responsibility lay with the Left and Right Imperial Guards.
Tonight, the commanders of the Imperial Guard deliberately avoided the East Market. Having received the money, they naturally had to do the work. Otherwise, next time, the money wouldn't reach their hands. Chang'an had been peaceful for many years, and these Imperial Guards had begun to corrupt. They had long since lost the strict discipline they once possessed.
However, just as this group of Imperial Guards bypassed Xuanyang Ward and prepared to continue south, a wounded rogue suddenly rushed out.
"The Wannian County Bad People Report..." the man shouted, startling the Jinwu Guard commander. He instinctively felt that something serious had happened.
"Let him speak," he said, stopping his men from seizing him. Although he looked down on these thugs, they all shared the duty of patrolling Chang'an. In case of emergency, they were comrades.
"Report! Over a hundred thugs have appeared in the East Market and are attacking the Imperial City. County Commandant Lu of Wannian County and the Bad Guy Commander have already led their men to surround and capture them. However, the enemy is numerous and fearless, and Commandant Lu and his men are almost overwhelmed. At this moment, the rebels are less than a mile from the Imperial City. We request the General's immediate reinforcements."
The unknown Jinwu Guard general felt a buzzing in his head, and nearly collapsed to the ground. Only one thought occupied his mind… rebellion.
Regardless of whether it's a real rebellion or not, if hundreds of armed thugs are allowed to approach the imperial city...
The general dared not think any further, for he could not bear the consequences. Even the entire Imperial Guard could not bear them. Especially for him, responsible for the night patrol, the consequences… The leading general shuddered. Then he turned and shouted at his men.
"Listen up, everyone! There's a rebellion brewing in Chang'an. All soldiers, follow me immediately to quell it!" After shouting this, he lowered his voice and said.
“I don’t care how much money you received from Feng Dalun. I can tell you clearly that if any Right Valiant Guard or Dragon Martial Army sees any of those traitors carrying weapons, everyone here will be exiled at least three thousand miles away. They might even be executed in the autumn. You’d better think carefully about whether you want money or your head.”
"Send a team to inform the comrades around them, and the rest of you follow."
The Imperial Guards rushed towards the imperial city like madmen. They had to end this before the Dragon Martial Army intervened; failure to do so would be dereliction of duty. If even one of the thugs got close to the imperial city, they would all be in deep trouble.
At this moment, only Zhang Xiaojing and four or five members of the Bad Guys remained by Lu Xuan's side. The rest of the Bad Guys had long since scattered during the 'escape'. Not far away, they could vaguely see the walls of the imperial city.
At this moment, Lu Xuan's exceptional hearing detected the approaching Imperial Guards. He slightly pursed his lips, then stopped in his tracks.
"Brothers, the imperial city is right behind us, we can't retreat any further. We are paid by the court, and we should be loyal to the Emperor..." Lu Xuan shouted with righteous indignation. The six men lined up with swords in hand, ready to fight to the death.
Not far away, Feng Dalun heard Lu Xuan's shout and realized the imperial city was right behind him. He shuddered. Only then did he realize that their pursuit northward had brought them far too close to the imperial city—close enough to have crossed the line.
Feng Dalun felt a chill run down his spine, shooting straight to his head. He felt dizzy and almost collapsed. He wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was quite intelligent. The reason he fell for this trick tonight was because he believed he had the advantage of timing, location, and support, plus Lu Xuan's lack of connections. He thought Lu Xuan was just a brave and aggressive martial artist. That's why he mobilized the Xiong Huo Gang's forces, intending to kill him with one blow and quickly eliminate this ungrateful county magistrate.
But now, he understood everything. From beginning to end, it was all a trap. As for what grudge he had against the man surnamed Lu, and why he had dug such a pit for him for no reason, Feng Dalun knew nothing. He only knew that he had to leave. Otherwise, tonight, not only would Lu Xuan be killed, but his entire family would be doomed.
But just as he turned to leave, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw a group of Imperial Guards rushing towards him like madmen. Although he had just instructed these guards to avoid the East Market during their night patrols earlier that day, Feng Dalun felt that they weren't there to try and build a relationship with him.
He immediately pulled aside several of his close associates.
"You lot, stop charging. Take me and get out of here through another street. Hurry up, or you'll die." Although he lowered his voice, the ferocity in his tone terrified his men. Not daring to disobey, the four thugs immediately led their leader towards a side alley.
The gang members ahead, unaware of what was happening, continued charging forward blindly. But suddenly, Lu Xuan, abandoning his previous dejection, unleashed his full power, wielding his longsword to slay more than ten men. Together with Zhang Xiaojing and several skilled members of the Bad Guys, they forcefully halted the Xiong Huo Gang's onslaught.
The Imperial Guard commander, watching from afar, saw a group of sixty or seventy men, swords in hand, charging towards the imperial city. His vision blurred, and he nearly fainted.
"Imperial Guards, listen to my command: any traitors or rebels shall be killed without exception."
Although the Imperial Guards had fallen to a state of utter depravity, they still found it easy to deal with these gang members. Moreover, they were fully armored and had crossbows for support. A single volley felled more than twenty thugs from the Bearfire Gang. At this moment, more Imperial Guards arrived after receiving the news. Upon seeing the situation, they didn't hesitate and unleashed a volley of arrows.
Lu Xuan and his men had already dodged the first volley of arrows. Now it was the Golden Guards' turn, and minor figures like the Bad Guys shouldn't try to steal the spotlight.
After two volleys of arrows, the Imperial Guards formed a wedge formation and charged forward. The remaining twenty-odd thugs were utterly helpless and were slaughtered as easily as cutting vegetables and melons.
Not a single one survived; the Imperial Guards would not leave anyone alive. Otherwise, if word got out that they had taken bribes and avoided this place, they would at least be considered traitors...
After a period of chaos and screams, the street returned to a brief period of calm.
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Chapter 42 Tonight, No One Sleeps (Part 2)
Feng Dalun was running for his life. He wasn't running back to his own residence, but instead heading towards Prince Yong's mansion. He knew that at this moment, only someone of Prince Yong's rank could save him.
Judging from the Imperial Guards' demeanor just now, it's highly unlikely that any of the thugs from the Bearfire Gang will survive. Since they've gone this far, they're bound to go all the way. My previous attempts to bribe the Imperial Guards have now become my death warrant.
Attacking the capital with weapons is a serious crime of treason, and a thorough investigation will inevitably follow. I will be implicated and the Imperial Guards will certainly be implicated as well. Unless the leader of the Imperial Guards is a fool, he will definitely kill me tonight to silence me.
Feng Dalun had never felt so exhausted. He gasped for breath, feeling as if his lungs were about to explode, and waves of nausea and dizziness washed over him. Having lived a life of luxury for many years, he had never run like this before, and his physical strength simply couldn't support such strenuous activity.
But he dared not stop. Because if he stopped, his life might no longer be his own.
"Keep running...to...Prince Yong's place..."
He spoke with difficulty, panting.
However, none of his subordinates moved. Startled, he forced himself to straighten up and saw that the thugs who had been hanging out with Zhang Xiaojing and Lu Xuan had somehow moved in front of them.
When Lu Xuan and his men were defeated, Li Fushan began to 'spread out'. This was not a true separation, of course, but rather he led a group of men to leave the battlefield ahead of time and keep watch on Feng Dalun from the edge.
Lu Xuan knew perfectly well that the so-called Bearfire Gang was nothing more than a group of ruthless thugs. Their leader, Feng Dalun, was the truly dangerous person. Therefore, no matter what, Feng Dalun had to die.
.................
There were no living members of the Bearfire Gang left on the street. The young general led his team forward, and Lu Xuan and the others came out to pay their respects.
"General, I am the county magistrate of Wannian County. Not long ago, I received a message from an undercover agent that the Xiong Huo Gang was going to gather a crowd and cause trouble tonight. I immediately led my men to stop them, but I was ambushed as soon as I arrived at the East Market. Most of my men were scattered."
I led the last few men to retreat here. With the imperial city behind us, we had nowhere else to go. Fortunately, the general arrived in time, annihilating the rebels and quelling the rebellion. Lu Xuan of Wannian County thanks you.”
Lu Xuan's words, initially sympathetic to the Xiong Huo Gang, gradually transformed him into a traitor, essentially defining the nature of tonight's events. This interpretation aligned with the Jinwu Guard commander's thoughts, causing him to develop a slightly better impression of Lu Xuan. He had initially even considered silencing everyone present, but ultimately restrained himself.
The commanders of the Imperial Guard now only have one worry: Feng Dalun, who has escaped. They have already sent a team to pursue Feng Dalun, but there has been no reply. As long as Feng Dalun is alive, there will always be loopholes in tonight's events.
Thinking of this, the general couldn't help but feel a little anxious.