"The last time... Those who discard their weapons and kneel shall live; those who resist to the end shall die!"
In an instant, the sound of weapons hitting the ground merged into a chorus, like a mountain roar or a tsunami, and tens of thousands of imperial soldiers knelt, begging for their lives.
Yang Ge waved his hand, and the Golden Dragon turned into countless blades that fell in unison, surrounding the entire battlefield and drawing a prison on the ground.
At the rear, on the city walls, Nangong Feiying clung to the parapet, peering out, and upon seeing this scene, immediately urged the guards and the Yulin Guard to lead their troops out of the city for a cleansing...
Hovering in mid-air, Yang Ge saw this and emitted dazzling golden light from his body, re-illuminating the entire battlefield.
An hour later, the Yulin Guard had gained control of the situation. Yang Ge slowly retracted his True Qi and turned to fly back atop the city walls.
Waiting with a large plate of steaming food was Nangong Feiying: "Elder Brother, you must be tired? This is the royal family’s supper for you. Take a break, have a bite..."
Yang Ge glanced at it, cleansed his hands, snatched up a whole roast chicken from the tray, tore it in two—one half he stuffed into his own mouth to tear and chew, the other half he pushed into Nangong Feiying’s mouth.
Nangong Feiying hastily passed the tray to an agent of the Western Depot and took the chicken out of his mouth to chew slowly.
"What about the brothers I brought with me?"
"They’re all down there eating. The food is from the imperial kitchen; it was sent by the palace eunuchs..."
"The job isn’t done yet. Eat while walking!"
"You don’t need to trouble yourself, Elder Brother. His Majesty has already decreed that we should fully cooperate with you in the capital, and dispatched five thousand elite Jinwu Guards to await your orders, with no ceiling on the number and with the mandate to eliminate evil at all costs. If there’s anyone else you seek, we’ll capture them together!"
Nangong Feiying held the chicken in one hand and patted his chest with the other, full of confidence.
Yang Ge nodded: "Good, then listen carefully. The left and right Imperial Censors of The Supervisory Office, the Minister of War, the Vice Ministers, the Minister of Rites, the Vice Ministers, the Canal Transportation Chief... bring them all to me!"
"Also, send someone to gather all the files on the royal family members and nobles who are involved in this grain price increase from the three divisions within the inner court, and assemble them. I’ll review these files later. Let me speak frankly; I’ve handled things to this point, and I’m not afraid to kill a few more people. If anyone dares to commit fraud and remove related files in secret, don’t blame me for not recognizing anyone!"
"Furthermore, inform the Emperor that at tomorrow morning’s grand assembly, all officials in the capital must attend. Whether they are on leave or ill, send troops to escort them or carry them on stretchers; I need them in the Jinluan Hall!"
At this point, he paused, thought for a few seconds, and then continued, "The Emperor himself should not come. Let him sleep in tomorrow morning. After I have handled everything, he can come out to gather the people’s hearts!"
Nangong Feiying’s eyes widened as he gaped at Yang Ge, forgetting to chew on the large piece of chicken in his mouth.
It wasn’t that he was prone to overreaction, but he truly couldn’t have imagined!
When Yang Ge arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, he thought Yang Ge had come to the capital in a fury.
After Yang Ge killed the Minister and Vice Minister of Revenue and headed for the King of Wu, he thought Yang Ge had come to make an example of one to warn others, to deter the officials.
Now, as Yang Ge took half the court officials of the first and second ranks under his control in one breath, he realized that Yang Ge really came to purge the court...
Elder Brother... truly unfathomable!
Nangong Feiying said with a wry smile, "Elder Brother, we can understand you executing the Chief and Deputy Chiefs of the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, and the Canal Transportation, but why did you execute the Minister and Vice Ministers of the Ministry of War and Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial Censors from The Supervisory Office? They have nothing to do with the rise in grain prices!"
Yang Ge: "Nothing to do with it? Aren’t the royal families under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites? And wouldn’t the Ministry of War know about the shortages in military grain? The Ministry of Personnel manages all the officials of the realm, engaging in corruption and factionalism, while The Supervisory Office turns a blind eye? Sitting in high positions, rather than thinking of benefiting the people and helping the world, they instead treat the people like pawns and wreak havoc in the name of personal gain. Every spirit that dies under each of the fourteen provinces due to the grain famine has a debt to be recorded on these people’s heads... They are weak, they cannot reclaim it, I am strong, I will reclaim it for them!" (Note 1)
He tore into the roast chicken with huge bites, his eyes filled with determination as he gazed upon the majestic and immense Luoyang under the moonlight: "I didn’t want to meddle, I gave them a chance, but they didn’t cherish it, insisting on going down a dark path, so they can’t blame me for being ruthless... I actually want to see if these people can really turn the world upside down!"
The night wind howled, stirring his shoulder-length hair, billowing like a great standard.
Nangong Feiying tried to contain the turmoil in his chest as he tore into the chicken in his hand.
He felt as if he was back in that deep winter in Dongying.
The weather was cold, but the heart was hot!
He stuffed the remaining half of the chicken into his mouth, skin and bones included, chewed vigorously, and said with a smile, "Elder Brother, you’ve never once visited our Western Depot for a little sit-down over these years, have you?"
He had actually planned to tell Yang Ge that the Minister of War and the left Imperial Censor of The Supervisory Office were both part of Grand Secretary Wang Jiangling’s faction.
But at this moment, he felt it was irrelevant...
The petty affairs and sordid intrigues of the court weren’t worth staining the ears of a hero like Elder Brother!
Yang Ge turned his head to look at him and also smiled: "Can the main hall of your Western Depot fit so many people?"
Nangong Feiying laughed: "Certainly not, but the northern frontier can certainly accommodate us."
Yang Ge: "Have you thought it through?"
Nangong Feiying: "I have never been as awake as I am at this moment!"
Yang Ge: "Then let’s go!"
Bowing, Nangong Feiying made an inviting gesture: "Allow me to guide you one more time!"
Yang Ge embraced his arm: "What nonsense are you talking about? When has Yang Erlang ever left a friend behind?"
Nangong Feiying: "I am most fortunate!"
The two walked down from the city wall, and a large number of Western Factory guards led teams of armored Imperial Guards to scatter in all directions.
This was destined to be a sleepless night...
...
An hour later.
Yang Ge sat upright in the West Factory office hall, flipping through documents by candlelight.
A strongman from the upper right rushed in, cupped his hands together, and said, "Report... sir, the Imperial Censor from the left side of the Supervisory Office, Bian Zhiyi, has been brought in!"
Just then, a desperate wailing came from outside the hall: "Yang Ge, I am a fellow townsman of Wang Zhongtang, I am not on the same path as them..."
Listenting, Yang Ge didn’t even blink, and said indifferently, "Execute!"
"Yes!"
The strongman nodded, turned around with his hand on his sword, and quickly exited.
A dull thud was heard, and the wailing stopped abruptly.
"Report... sir, the Minister of War Hou Tai has been brought in!"
"Execute!"
"Yes!"
"Report... sir, the Imperial Censor from the right side of the Supervisory Office..."
"Execute!"
"Yes!"
Yang Ge, who had not looked up for a long time, picked up the document in his hand and handed it to Nangong Feiying on his right: "Send someone to arrest Shen Shi, the Deputy Magistrate of Heluo Prefecture!"
Nangong Feiying: "Ah?"
Yang Ge: "Arrest him!"
Nangong Feiying bit his tongue, finally sighed silently, stood up, and took the document with both hands... This document originated from his West Factory; he was well aware that it clearly marked Shen Shi’s place of birth: the youngest son of Marquis Jiangxia, Shen Tong.
The younger brother of Shen Fa, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Bring me Shen Shi, the Deputy Magistrate of Heluo Prefecture, for arrest!"
"Report… sir, the General of the Canal Transportation, Wu Wei, has been brought in!"
"Execute!"
"Yes!"
One after another, high-ranking officials were dragged into the Western Factory to be beheaded, and buckets of water were used to wash the blood away, yet the thick scent of blood could not be erased.
Under the night sky of the capital, rumors flew chaotically, countless people were restless, their prayers to heaven unheard, their pleas to earth unheeded.
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The ominously dark gate of the Western Factory had become a voracious beast in many people’s eyes...
That night, many high-ranking officials lay awake until dawn, engulfed in torment.
In contrast, the people of the city slept comfortably through the rolling sounds of horse hooves until the bright light of day.
The next morning, the sky was a clear blue, cloudless!
It was another brilliant sunny day!