Chapter 138

Prince Deokhyeon beheaded the Emperor’s lackeys on their way to Sichuan.

He eliminated the threats to ensure his survival.

However, there was something even the Prince hadn’t anticipated: Sichuan was the richest land in the Central Plain, and the officials sent there were far from incorruptible.

A good position wasn’t something to be governed but rather a reward or gift for loyalty to one’s superiors.

It had become no longer an obligation of duty but a rightful reward for one’s conduct, so everyone just enjoyed the perks without doing any real work.

Dealing with corrupt officials wasn’t even that hard.

Just peek in their warehouses, and you could take their heads without a second thought.

“How dare you steal from the nation?” A simple phrase would be enough to label them as traitors instead of mere officials.

The Emperor squirmed at the news, thinking, “Look at this.” But since they were executing corrupt officials, there was not much he could say.

After dealing with the corrupt officials, those who had stayed true to their positions took up real power.

And the powers that be started worshiping the Prince as if they were enamored, creating a political split where administration, criminal law, and military were supposed to oppose each other but instead unified to serve one person.

This was why the Deputy Commander and the Commanding Staff Officer suddenly changed their behavior after Yang Sang-gu snuck into the Sichuan Command Center.

After choking the Deputy Commander unconscious and imprisoning him, the twenty thousand troops of Sichuan who had been summoned by imperial decree began to act suspiciously.

The Prince’s retainers infiltrated the palace under the cover of night.

These were individuals who had escaped the world and made the royal family their new home.

They even named themselves something shameful and humiliating so that they wouldn’t have to call each other by name among the royal family. Even within their own family, ‘Hey, you fool!’ could be overlooked, but if someone they didn’t know said it, it could lead to a life-and-death duel.

The names of the retainers alone spoke volumes.

There was Old Dog Gyeon-no and the twisted old hag Yeon-pa. The thieving rascal Yang Sang-gun, not to mention the whores.

As the monsters of the royal family stepped out proudly with the character “Prince” plastered on them, none of the soldiers in Sichuan dared to stop them.

The Deputy Commander was stamping his feet in anger.

“What in the world is happening?! Yang Sang-gun, you! Didn’t you personally offer the poison, or rather, the herbs to Wang Ya?”

“Of course! Didn’t you check the corpse?! This is all a scheme by the Tang family! They’re pretending to be the Prince to buy time!”

A middle-aged man with a surprisingly thick eyebrow, who was far too handsome to be called by the name “Yang Sang-gun,” suddenly collapsed on the ground, shaking.

The name “Yang Sang-gun” meant ‘Wounded Fox’, a name given to someone with a twisted and disfigured appearance.

Yang Sang-gun’s whole body was trembling as he expressed his grievances.

His face was contorted, quivering, with tears of anger and injustice welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

His flushed ears and standing veins made it clear he looked like someone who had been wronged.

The Deputy Commander found him somewhat convincing.

“But, no matter how brazen those treasonous scoundrels are, how could they dare to impersonate the Prince? What if something goes wrong?”

The Emperor was known for his indifference.

If something unfortunate happened during an assignment, it wouldn’t be the Emperor’s fault; it would be the fault of those he had entrusted the mission to.

Even if he gave up on the Tang family now, he’d still be labeled a traitor whether he pushed ahead or not.

Thus, the Deputy Commander finally turned his arrow towards the one who had incited this chaos.

“Pardon me, Elder Taegam. What should we do now… I’ve bombarded the Tang family as you instructed, but can I still execute the imperial decree like this?”

The Deputy Commander looked for cues.

Was the highest-ranking official now looking for hints from someone? What a predicament.

Meanwhile, one of the guards who had been tending the fire and boiling water in the temporary tent naturally responded.

“When did I ever advocate for bombardment? I merely advised that something unspeakable has slipped inside, so we should either recover it or eliminate all witnesses.”

It was a voice that sounded almost affected, like a woman trying too hard.

“But, Elder Taegam…”

“Now that you’ve done it, you might as well see it through and ask for forgiveness afterwards. Just do what you usually do. Even if the Prince is inside, do you think people only die once in their lifetime? They can’t possibly die twice, can they?”

That was the most absurd way of thinking.

To brush it aside and pretend it never happened.

Yang Sang-gun’s eyes sparkled.

If the one speaking with such a melodious voice, in such a feminine manner, was a high-ranking official called Taegam, there was no need to think further.

It must be a eunuch! A conniving little rat!

In an instant, Yang Sang-gun sprang up and swung whatever he had in his arms, splattering foul liquid across the eunuch’s face.

“What, what is this?!”

“Ha ha! I knew it! Of course, the eunuch was involved in this dirty business. That liquid is the rotten essence of a syphilitic bastard! If you don’t clean that face properly, you’re in for a world of trouble!”

Syphilis is a type of venereal disease.

If gotten severely, the flesh could rot away, leading to a heavy affliction.

The eunuch, realizing what the putrid substance meant, shrank back with eyes wide, screaming in horror.

“Aaaah!!!”

“Haha, serves you right!”

“You, you!”

The Deputy Commander hurriedly drew his sword.

But Yang Sang-gun had already taken position near the entrance.

“Looking at your physiognomy, Deputy Commander, you seem like nothing but a timid mouse, soft as tofu! I now see why you got into position; how much filthy wealth did you have to pay off?”

“You!”

“Since you bombarded the place where the Prince is located, both your life and your family’s are done for! Go on, flail your arms about!”

With that, he slipped away with agility, crawling away like a dog, disappearing into the night.

The eunuch was too busy screaming and cleaning his face.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commander felt a wave of deep embarrassment wash over him.

It was now a matter of life and death.

Going by the eunuch’s advice to see it through and then ask for forgiveness was better than giving up and retreating.

As he exited the temporary tent, the Deputy Commander shouted, “Sound the drums! Charge and sweep away those treasonous scoundrels!”

A fox crawled on all fours in front of the royal family’s monsters.

Yeon-pa, with a swirling whirlpool of rage, let out a muffled sound.

“Who is this? A traitorous fox?”

“Hehe, granny. How can you say such hurtful things?”

“Isn’t it true? Didn’t you poison Wang Ya’s tea?”

Then Yang Sang-gun smirked back.

“Who asked me to do it while handing over a gold coin? You know I can’t refuse a request when asked nicely.”

“If you don’t answer properly, today will be your funeral. You little fox.”

“No, granny. Did I not know Wang Ya was out and about when I poisoned? If it weren’t me, others would surely have taken a stab at him, and if something went south, wouldn’t we need to find out who plotted this?”

“It’s hard to trust a scoundrel’s words. So, who was behind it?”

“I smeared Follow Fragrance on the eunuch.”

Follow Fragrance was a special kind of powder used to track targets by trained animals or special shadowy individuals.

Yeon-pa scoffed.

“Hmph. I’ll see you later, old dog?”

“I’ll go without you asking, so don’t rush me. Just keep an eye on the fox.”

Old Dog Gyeon-no sniffed the air and fixed his gaze, then suddenly vanished into thin air.

Only then did Yang Sang-gun sneak in a question.

“But granny, what’s everyone gathering for? Is it a midnight stroll? Bringing those who never go outside their comfort zone?”

Yeon-pa smiled widely in response.

“We’re going to deal with the Golden Guards. Why?”

The Golden Army were elite troops directly under the Emperor, quite a different caliber from the local militia.

Whether it was support for martial arts or military affairs, they were proper soldiers of the Emperor as opposed to the local bumpkins who just served as arrows for war.

Thus, the true soldiers of the Golden Army existed above the common local militia in terms of hierarchy.

However, for the soldiers in Sichuan, the Golden Army were just arrogant old men they despised.

So even after hearing the secretly transmitted orders, they thought, “Those guys are so high and mighty, they must have messed up pretty badly.”

As drums sounded signaling the advance, the Golden Army gathered, waiting.

There was no need to be the first to enter a fortress littered with traps, especially one as formidable as the Sicheon Tang Family.

This was already a matter best left to the Sichuan soldiers.

So they calmly stayed together, planning to enter later and claim military merits.

As they watched the common soldiers struggle forward, drawing the attention of the powerful commander, they chuckled, feeling a certain schadenfreude.

The General Cannons, existing in pairs, were primitive artillery pieces that fired a volley of shrapnel at the enemy after being filled to the brim.

The Golden Army’s mockery didn’t last long; the fact that the cannon barrels were now aimed directly at them was the reason.

As the fuse was lit, it was a split second before the cannon unleashed its roar, tearing through flesh.

Then, arrows rained down like a shower as the flames surged forward with the archers leading the charge.

The Golden Army, unable to even form ranks, became entangled in chaos.

Just so you know, the flame-thrower was essentially a primitive flamethrower, existing even before the cannon.

In ancient times, the battle tactics used were back when Yu Bi and Cao Cao fought for the world, and the local lords like Sun Quan were creating havoc.

Why would the Martial World fear the officials’ army?

Only the bottom-feeding local gangs could repel them, equipped with rudimentary weapons.

However, a clear war was brewing between the forces of the officials and the Martial World, making a mockery of the phrase “Official Imposition of Non-Interference.”

However, the outcome would certainly end in victory for the Martial World.

In a battle of two, the dynasty would surely fall, leading to the resurgence of the Sixteen Kingdoms or the Warring States period, yet the Martial World would continue on.

In any case, while Qing slept, the horrendous scenes were erupting outside the Tang family.