The Tian Ce Army!

Behind the counter, black-armored soldiers of the Tian Ce Army continuously emerged from a secret passage—one, two, ten, twenty, and still they kept coming.

Some armored soldiers found the counter in the way and used their simple swords to hack it to pieces.

Others complained that the secret passage entrance was too small and simply began hacking at the wooden floor. After a few strikes, half of the main hall’s floor collapsed, widening the opening that had previously allowed only one person to pass, revealing more armored soldiers waiting inside.

The smooth, scaled armor of the Tian Ce Army reflected light, and the dense mass of soldiers beneath the floor resembled countless beetles, making Chen Ji’s scalp tingle.

Zhang Zheng murmured, “So many?”

The innkeeper of Dragon Gate Inn had not lied; there truly was a secret passage leading out of the city. But this passage was no longer a path to survival; it was a dead end!

Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji and said, “These people know the Crown Prince is here, so someone must have tipped them off… We haven’t seen the innkeeper since we returned this morning. It must be him!”

Chen Ji suddenly understood many things. No wonder the innkeeper had asked him that morning if he would be returning! It was strange. Could the innkeeper have been worried about Chen Ji getting involved before he went to betray them?

At this moment, Tian Ce Army soldiers charged towards the stairs. The Imperial Guards in the main hall roared, “Protect His Highness!” and collectively drew their longswords, guarding the staircase.

Chen Ji, carrying the Crown Prince, turned and ran upstairs. He kicked open a second-floor room and burst inside. Inside, Chen Liqin and Lady Liang anxiously asked, “What’s with the shouting and fighting outside the door?”

Chen Wenzong urgently said, “Father, the Jing Dynasty rebels are fighting their way up from downstairs!”

Chen Liqin was startled. “I thought they were only fighting in Xumei Lane. How did they get here?” After speaking, he looked at Chen Ji, but Chen Ji had no time to pay attention to him.

Chen Ji walked to the window lattice and said, “Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, I’ll take you downstairs to leave through the backyard…” Before he could finish, he saw the scene outside the window and froze.

Zhang Xia came to his side and looked out the newly opened window. They saw Xiao Wu limping out of the stable, covered in blood and carrying a cleaver. He waved at Chen Ji on the second floor, shouting hoarsely, “Customer, run! Run, the Jing Dynasty rebels are here!”

Chen Ji fell silent. There was no longer any retreat.

The next moment, Tian Ce Army soldiers emerged from the stable. They did not pursue Xiao Wu but immediately surrounded the inn to prevent the Crown Prince from escaping.

Chen Wenxiao stammered, “Father, where… where did these armored soldiers come from?” No one answered him.

Listening to the sounds of fighting in the main hall, Chen Wenxiao quickly said, “Chen Ji, aren’t you an official? Hurry out and help the Imperial Guards fight the enemy.”

Zhang Xia gave Chen Wenxiao a cold glance, then looked at Chen Ji: “Fight your way out and hide in the cellar. You can escape alone, but you definitely won’t get away if you take us with you.”

Chen Wenxiao became anxious. “No, Father and Elder Brother are still here. How can he leave?”

Zhang Xia retorted angrily, “The Jing Dynasty promised not to slaughter the city, which is why Hu Junxian agreed to open the gates and surrender it. Now that the Jing Dynasty has broken its word, someone from Guyuan City must return to the Central Plains and declare their treachery to the world. That way, our Ning Dynasty will never again see a city willingly surrendered!”

Chen Wenzong was taken aback. “Second Miss Zhang is right; this is a matter of national importance. Chen Ji, hurry and go! You must survive and return to the capital to report this to the imperial court!”

Everyone looked at Chen Ji, but he silently put the Crown Prince down and said nothing.

Lady Liang and the others grew anxious. Chen Ji was the only official among them. If he escaped alone, what would they do? Lady Liang frantically said, “Chen Ji, haven’t you always wanted to reclaim the properties your aunt left you? If Wenzong and Wenxiao can make it back to the capital alive, the Drumming Belly Tower outside Donghua Gate, the Jade Capital Garden in the Eight Great Hutongs, Chen’s Grain and Oil Shop, the Silk Shop outside the Bell and Drum Towers, and the three hundred twenty mu of fertile land in Changping — all of it can be returned to you!”

“Mother!” Chen Wenzong exclaimed in surprise, “These are properties left to Chen Ji by his aunt? You previously said they were your dowry.” Lady Liang’s expression froze. Chen Wenzong loudly declared, “If they were truly left by Chen Ji’s aunt, then they should rightfully be returned to him! How can they be used as bargaining chips? Mother, you’re being foolish!”

Lady Liang covered her face and wept, “I didn’t want to, but you and Wenxiao can’t be harmed!”

At this moment, listening to the sounds of fighting outside, Chen Ji calmly said, “I’m not leaving.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xia immediately pulled him aside and said in a low voice, “Chen Ji, there’s no one in this inn worth saving for you. You must survive and go to the Princess! She is now alone and helpless; if you’re gone too, what will she do? Who else can she wait for?”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “Guyuan may not fall.”

Zhang Xia was startled, her thoughts racing. “You think Hu Junxian…”

Chen Ji lowered his head in thought. He didn’t understand Hu Junxian and Zhou You, but he understood Prince Jing and Bai Long. Prince Jing, despite harboring grand ambitions, was terminally ill. Unwilling to die in vain, he spent years meticulously planning, using his own death to serve his ultimate purpose. Bai Long was ruthless and incredibly cunning, almost demonic. Chen Ji did not believe that the Jing Dynasty could break Bai Long’s scheme simply by burning a granary!

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia. “What is the Jing Dynasty’s Tian Ce Army known for?”

Zhang Xia replied, “The Tian Ce Army is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and their long-distance raids are unmatched in the world. They are renowned as the finest cavalry alongside the Jing Dynasty’s Tiger Warriors and Tiger-Leopard Cavalry.”

Chen Ji then asked, “How can the Tian Ce Army be severely damaged?”

Zhang Xia shook her head. “It’s very difficult. Even in the previous battle at Quwu Mountain, the Tian Ce Army only suffered thirty percent casualties. They retreat too quickly; after regrouping in the Jing Dynasty, they can return to the battlefield. Unless they are completely surrounded…” As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Chen Ji. “Are you saying that Hu Junxian intentionally opened the city gates to surrender, luring the Tian Ce Army into Guyuan City to use it as a cage? By now, more than half of the Tian Ce Army might have entered the city to wreak havoc. If there truly is an ambush, the Tian Ce Army will suffer heavy casualties and would need at least several years to recover.”

Outside, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, but inside the room, there was a deathly silence. Everyone exchanged glances, a glimmer of hope rising in their hearts.

However, Chen Liqin, standing nearby, frowned. “No, that’s not right. Even if all the Tian Ce Army entered the city, what would Hu Junxian use to kill so many of them? Rely on the border army, who wear rattan armor, use rusty swords, and lack bowstrings? Those border troops are fine for defending a city, but they’re no match for the Tian Ce Army in open combat.”

Chen Ji fell silent. This was indeed his greatest doubt at the moment. He naturally knew that Bai Long was secretly manufacturing firearms, but he was well aware that the power of firearms in this era was utterly insufficient to kill so many Tian Ce Army soldiers, unless the entire Guyuan City was filled with buried explosives underground. But that was clearly impossible.

Chen Ji looked at everyone and asked, “Where are the Ning Dynasty armies capable of resisting the Tian Ce Army?”

Chen Liqin said in a deep voice, “The Three Imperial Camps just fought a battle at Chongli Pass. It’s impossible for them to be here. That must be why the Tian Ce Army dared to launch a surprise attack on Guyuan.”

The hope that had just risen in everyone’s hearts was once again extinguished.

At this moment, Chen Ji and Zhang Xia suddenly spoke in unison, “No, there’s another army…” The two exchanged a look. Chen Ji lifted his saber and turned to walk out. “I’ll guard the stairs. Xiao Man, you guard the windows. There might still be a chance! We need to buy time, the longer the better!”

Zhang Zheng, confused, tugged at Zhang Xia. “What riddle are you speaking in? What’s the chance?” But Zhang Xia did not answer, merely watching Chen Ji’s retreating back as he exited the room.

Xiao Man pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment. “Young Master, did you know all along that I was an official, and you were just toying with me?”

Zhang Zheng chuckled, “You didn’t hide it very well either.”

Xiao Man glared at him. “Are you still laughing now?” With that, she pulled a small silver pair of scissors from her sleeve, squatted down, and snipped at the ground. To their astonishment, she cut a shadow out of thin air, and the shadow struggled, then began to swell. Gradually, the shadow grew into a creature with the body of a sheep and the face of a human, a gaping maw extending from its left armpit to its right. The black fur curled around its four hooves like four dark auspicious clouds.

A Taotie!

Lady Liang, seeing this monster, recoiled in fright. A mere third-rank maid in her own household was also an official?

The inn was now completely surrounded by Tian Ce Army soldiers. In the main hall, only five of the thirty Imperial Guards remained. Covered in blood, they brandished their swords in the middle of the staircase, slowly retreating towards the second floor. The staircase was narrow, preventing the Tian Ce Army soldiers from immediately overwhelming them with sheer numbers.

The Imperial Guards excitedly brandished their longswords, roaring, “Come on, you bastards, if you dare, come up here and fight like men!”

In the main hall, an armored soldier, built like an iron tower, stood by the counter and removed his helmet. Among all the soldiers, only his helmet was adorned with a single black pheasant tail feather. He calmly unsealed a jar of potent liquor and poured it into his mouth. “Good wine!” Then, he took another gulp of wine, spat it onto his two-handed greatsword, and slowly wiped away the bloodstains with his garment. As he wiped, he didn’t even glance at the Imperial Guards on the stairs, merely stating calmly, “They only have five men left, and they think they can stop my Tian Ce Army? Even if they have to sacrifice their lives, they will get them!”

Hearing this, the Tian Ce Army soldiers at the bottom of the stairs exchanged glances, then truly began to fight with suicidal desperation, charging upwards as if exchanging their lives for victory. As the first one lunged forward, his abdomen was pierced through his armor by an Imperial Guard’s longsword. Yet, he allowed the sword to pass through his body and swung his great saber towards the Imperial Guard’s head! The Imperial Guard, unused to such ferocious fighting, tried to pull his sword from the soldier’s body, but the blade was stuck fast in muscle and bone. Caught off guard, he was decapitated.

In just a few breaths, the last five Imperial Guards were overwhelmed. The Tian Ce Army soldiers tossed the bodies from the stairs down to the main hall, then prepared to charge upstairs.

However, just then, footsteps sounded again from the top of the stairs. The Tian Ce Army soldiers looked up to see a lone figure standing, leaning on his saber.