Chapter 50: I Am Shen Shi of the Shen Family

"Good." Shen Ruojin took it, holding Yang Wanxiong in one hand and wielding her sword with the other as she fought her way out, shouting in a deep voice, "Anyone who tries to block the Shen family army from entering the city tonight shall die!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Protectorate's Mansion looked at her as if they were gazing upon a life-taking Rakshasa.

Shen Ruojin carved her path out, the blood staining the accumulated snow red, yet she did not even blink, stepping right across it.

Qin Lang guarded the rear. Unarmed, he snatched the swords and sabers from the Protectorate's men with his bare hands and used them to kill in return, the firelight making the flash of steel look all the more chilling.

The two of them left the gates of the Protectorate's Mansion one after the other, and the hidden guards lurking in the shadows quietly emerged.

However, the guards outside the gates outnumbered them severalfold.

Shen Ruojin used a rope thrown by a hidden guard to hogtie Yang Wanxiong, and just as she was about to seize the nearest horse, a man in black drove a carriage right up to her. "Young Madam, get in the carriage."

At the same time, dozens of masked men in black formed a half-circle of defense alongside Qin Lang, holding back the Protectorate's men and helping Shen Ruojin depart safely.

"Many thanks," Shen Ruojin said, dragging Yang Wanxiong into the carriage and turning back to look at Qin Lang, who was currently beating Deputy Commander Zhang into submission, just before stepping into the carriage compartment.

Hearing this, Qin Lang flicked Deputy Commander Zhang away with a single sweep of his sword, turned around, and said, "Show some sincerity. How is a mere 'many thanks' enough?"

"When this matter is settled, we'll talk about it at home!"

With her heart tied to her grandfather and the Shen family army, Shen Ruojin tossed this reply back to Qin Lang, shoved Yang Wanxiong into the carriage compartment, ordered the hidden guard driving the carriage to get down and help Qin Lang, and drove the carriage herself straight toward the city gates.

The hidden guard assigned to drive the carriage felt as though the Young Madam had simply snatched the reins right out of his hands before shoving him off.

The young hidden guard nearly lost his footing when he landed and was almost cut down by the Protectorate's men, only managing to steady himself thanks to a fellow hidden guard who rushed to support him.

"Why did you get down? You couldn't even drive a carriage without falling off—what use are you?"

Amidst his busy combat, Qin Lang glanced back and saw that the hidden guard had been left behind while Shen Ruojin drove away by herself at high speed.

The hidden guard fended off the Protectorate's men while turning back with an aggrieved expression. "It was the Young Madam who told me to stay and help the Second Master."

Qin Lang fell silent.

Fine.

Shen Ruojin still had a place for him in her heart.

He closed his eyes, channeled his inner qi, and swung his sword. A dozen Protectorate guards charging at him together were instantly swept away.

Deputy Commander Zhang, lying on the ground and unable to get up, witnessed this scene with a heart full of sheer terror.

Meanwhile, the sounds of fierce battle echoed from outside the city.

Wei Qingshan directed the combat while having someone keep a close eye on the unconscious General Shen the Elder.

The Shen family army had been pursued by the Xichang army halfway through their retreat to Xizhou City; fighting while retreating, their morale had remained relatively stable.

That was until they retreated to the city gates and shouted for the soldiers atop the ramparts to open them.

Those men on the city walls acted as if they were deaf—they gave no response, refused to open the gates, and sent out no reinforcements.

Clearly, they could have let them enter the city to rest and regroup before joining forces to fight the enemy together, yet those people acted as though they could not see the bloody battle raging right outside the city walls.

Dying for one's country is naturally the glory of a soldier.

Yet when survival was within reach, how could anyone be willing to throw their life away in vain?

They had cheated death nine times out of ten on the battlefield, barely managing to survive, and had finally returned to their very doorstep, only to find the city gates tightly shut, forbidding them from coming home.

Some soldiers ran up to the city gates, pounding against them with all their might and crying out loudly:

"We are the soldiers of Daqi! I want to go home!"

"Open the city gates!"

"Open the city gates!"

A soldier asked Wei Qingshan:

"General! Are we not the heroes who protect Daqi? Why are we being turned away and unable to enter Xizhou City?"

"Why is it that even after we've retreated outside Xizhou City, the Protectorate's Mansion still sends no troops to reinforce us?"

"We are fighting bitterly outside the city—could the people inside really not hear a single sound of it?"

Wei Qingshan had no answer for them.

He, too, was someone locked out of the city, unable to return home.

Men kept falling on the battlefield.

The snow fell so heavily.

A moment ago, the vast expanse of heaven and earth had been covered in silver-white, but now the bodies of the maimed and fallen piled up continuously, covered by the snow, while blood flowed like a river beneath their feet, only to be frozen solid by the frost.

They were like mere ants in this world; no matter how many died, no one cared.

In future battle reports, they would be nothing more than a string of numbers.

No one would remember their names.

And even worse, no one would ever know what they died for.

They were merely the brick and mortar, the flying ash amidst the casual jests of imperial power and hegemony, the white bones trampled underfoot by the privileged as they climbed to high positions.

Gritting his teeth, Wei Qingshan cut down several Xichang soldiers. "What are you crying for? Hold your ground, every single one of you! The Tenth Miss is right here in Xizhou City; she will find a way to let us into the city! She certainly will!"

In truth, at a certain moment just then, General Wei had also thought of his ailing wife and young daughter back home.

He wondered: if he were to die here, how would his wife and daughter survive?

The Xichang commander was not with the army; the vanguard general leading the pursuit was He Zhe, an extremely young and fierce new commander. His combat style was ruthlessly aggressive, bullying the outnumbered and killing anyone in sight.

He laughed heartily as he slaughtered people, striking terror into the hearts of all who heard him.

Dozens of Shen family soldiers swarmed to encircle He Zhe, yet every last one of them was cut down from their horses by his blade, sending the morale of the Xichang army soaring.

Caught up in the bloodlust of the slaughter, He Zhe laughed wildly and declared, "Daqi has fallen into civil strife, and the people of Xizhou City want the Shen family army to die as well—heaven truly favors us! Today is the day we slaughter the Shen family army and avenge our brothers!"

"Kill! Slaughter them!"

The Xichang army roared, brandishing their swords ferociously.

Wei Qingshan raised his saber and charged forward to fight He Zhe. After clashing for more than ten moves, his arm was slashed open by He Zhe's blade. Blood gushed out instantly like a torrent, making it almost impossible for him to keep his grip on his saber. Forced to grit his teeth and keep fighting, he quickly showed signs of defeat.

The Shen family soldiers were exhausted and famined, coupled with the despair of being separated from their homes by mere doors that refused to open.

Clearly, there were reinforcements inside the city, yet they were unwilling to come out and help.

General Shen the Elder was gravely wounded and unconscious, and General Wei had also been defeated, leading to a sudden sense of impending collapse akin to an avalanche.

They no longer knew what kind of people they were protecting, who this war was being fought for, or why their blood was being shed.

Meanwhile, braving the wind and snow, Shen Ruojin drove the carriage right up to the city gates, grabbed Yang Wanxiong, and climbed the city ramparts step by step.

"Who goes there?"

The city guards were watching the slaughter outside the city with intense anxiety when they suddenly spotted a carriage approaching through the wind and snow. A slender young woman was dragging a hogtied, bulky man right onto the ramparts, ignoring the warnings of all the guards.

"The Protector—Lord Protector?"

The city guards recognized the bound man as none other than Lord Protector Yang Wanxiong, and shock instantly washed over them.

"Open the city gates—"

Shen Ruojin pulled out the military tally, raising it high above her head as she shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking.

At the same time, she pressed Yang Wanxiong against the city wall, forcing him to witness the sea of blood and corpses right outside the city gates firsthand.

The guards did not dare to act rashly for a moment given the situation; the Lord Protector was clearly being held hostage.

Moreover, the person holding the military tally had an unknown background.

If these city gates were opened, the crime would be grave indeed, and no one present could bear such responsibility.

Amidst his panic, Yang Wanxiong gritted his teeth and said, "It's useless. Who dares to open the city gates at a time like this? If the Xichang army breaks into Xizhou City and slaughters the hundreds of thousands of citizens within, who could possibly bear such a monstrous crime?"

More than half of the city guards could not bear to watch the Shen family army being framed and slaughtered by the Xichang army, but they simply lacked the courage to trade their own lives for the lives of others.

A small minority were Yang Wanxiong's lackeys, who were still attempting to rescue him amidst the chaos.

Shen Ruojin raised her voice and declared, "I am Shen Shi of the Shen family! Even if the crime reaches the heavens, I alone shall bear it all."

Before her words faded, Shen Ruojin struck with her sword, cutting down the garrison officer who had rushed forward to rescue Yang Wanxiong.

Blood spattered into the firelight, and she shouted against the biting wind and snow: "Open the city gates at once to receive and assist our Daqi soldiers!"