knife

Chapter 593 Even Ordinary People Can Change the Course of History
How long is two months?
For most people, a mere sixty days or so wouldn't make much of a difference in their lives.

Or you can feel the temperature changing from hot to cold.

Or you might see that the crops in the field have grown quite a bit taller.
Or you might discover whether you've made or lost a few taels of silver.

Basically, people don't care much about the passage of time, because for most people, it has no meaning.

It's just working from sunrise to sunset, day after day.

Time is always the most precious thing.
But it's also the cheapest.

You only realize how much you crave but can't have when you need it.

Normally, even if something slips through your fingers without stopping, it wouldn't evoke the slightest pity.

But for the people of Danyang City, these two months have truly been an unforgettable experience.

Even if this story is not recorded in history books, as long as the living people are not all dead, this history will surely be remembered.

For the first time in over three hundred years, Danyang City, untouched by war, experienced the cruelty of conflict.

Life is as insignificant as grass.

The law is a mere formality.

In just a few days, thousands of people in the city lost their lives in the fierce fighting.

The once magnificent imperial palace was engulfed in flames, and the thick smoke could be seen even in the most remote parts of Danyang City. In Wutong County, where high-ranking officials and nobles gathered, the dead and wounded were everywhere.

When the battle between the two sides reaches its most intense point, and when the defeat of the other side becomes inevitable, ordinary people suffer greatly.

Arson, murder, and looting inevitably occurred.

All of this reached its peak after the southwestern wolf soldiers entered Danyang City and took full control of its defenses.

The victorious Southwest Wolf Soldiers strode arrogantly into Danyang City. The city's prosperity immediately dazzled them. Even though these men were elite troops raised by the emperor and usually received excellent treatment, it all depended on who they were compared to.

In Danyang, even an ordinary citizen's income and possessions far exceed those of a mid-level officer in the Wolf Soldiers.

Whether it was Xiang Ying, Xiong Yi, or Na Wei, they all chose to turn a blind eye to these tragedies that occurred in Danyang City.

It wasn't that Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi didn't want to get involved, but at this time, they needed the Wolf Soldiers to quell the situation. Even though the original Tiger Legion guarding Danyang had already shown their submission, who knew that there might be some treacherous individuals among them?

Before the final screening is completed, it is naturally impossible to fully trust it.

As for Nawei, he wanted to reward the soldiers for their bravery in battle.

In the Battle of Xianrenling, the Southwest Wolf Army suffered heavy casualties before defeating Lin Yunqi.

The wolf soldiers, who suffered heavy casualties, needed to vent their frustrations.

The fighting inside and outside the city lasted less than five days before it came to an end.

But the chaos lasted for more than a month. Even two months later, people are still being arrested every day in Danyang City, and the blood at the execution ground in Caishikou never dries.

Danyang City was not only the capital and political center of the Chu Kingdom, but also its economic center. However, during this period, it was truly a time of economic decline, except for one particular trade.

That was the coffin shop.

Hu Ze was the owner of a coffin shop.

On the surface, this person has no connection with the imperial court whatsoever, but in reality, he is a member of the Tianluo secret network.

Just like the Black Ice Platform has two systems, one light and one dark, the Heavenly Net is the same.

Hu Ze's line is even more special because he belongs not only to Tianluo but also to the Demonic Sect. It is a system set up by Lin Yunqi and personally directed by him.

Apart from Lin Yunqi, no one else knew how to access this network.

But now, he has been activated.

"Yesterday I sold the best coffin in the coffin shop!" Hu Ze said with a gloomy face. "This coffin was bought by Zhou Zheng, who said it was for Chief Steward He Han. Today, Chief Steward He Han will be beheaded in the execution ground! Zhou Zheng is a traitor. Sooner or later, the Empress Dowager will catch him and skin him alive."

“Zhou Zheng has never been one of our people!” Wu Bing from Yong’an County said, “The Empress Dowager proposed exchanging Yi Hong and others for Chief Steward He, but Xiang Ying and his men refused. That old scoundrel Xiang and his men deeply hate Chief Steward He and are determined to put him to death.”

"Whom Heaven wishes to destroy, it first makes mad!" Hu Ze said. "These past few days, Danyang City has suffered a great calamity. Those wolf soldiers from the southwest are no human. I don't know how many people have been harmed! Brother Wu, when will the Empress Dowager be able to fight back?"

“The situation is very complicated now. The Empress Dowager is also having a hard time in Yong’an!” Wu Bing said. “We just defeated He Zudao, who wanted to take advantage of the chaos. Next, we will definitely have to deal with the large-scale expedition of Xiang Yu and his men. Yong’an and Ruyin are still too small.”

"Wasn't it said that the Empress Dowager had already made contact with the Shu Commandery?"

"That's true, but it's always best to rely on yourself!" Wu Bing said. "You are the sharpest sword the Empress Dowager will use in her counterattack this time!"

"We are just a bunch of bats living in the shadows, and there's very little we can do!" Hu Ze said with a pessimistic tone.

Wu Bing laughed: "That's not necessarily true. Everyone has their own unique talents and roles. As long as they are given the most suitable tasks at the right time, even insignificant people like us can become key figures who change the course of history!"

"What does the Empress Dowager want us to do?" Hu Ze asked.

Wu Bing did not answer directly, but said, "Xiang Ying and his group launched a coup d'état on the grounds that the Empress Dowager killed the old emperor and then used the emperor to command the world. They wanted to set things right, to kill the Empress Dowager to restore order and return power to the emperor, right?"

Hu Ze nodded.

"The Empress Dowager is preparing to issue an edict to the world in Yong'an, saying that Xiang Ying is colluding with Xiong Yi to rebel and intend to seize the throne from the Xiong family!" Wu Bing said, "Back then, the Xiong and Xiang families established their country with the help of our Divine Sect's founder. For hundreds of years, the Xiong family has been the main power and the Xiang family the assistant. Now the Xiang family wants to take over, and because the Empress Dowager is in their way and hinders their affairs, they spread rumors that the Empress Dowager is a holy woman of the Demonic Sect and that she poisoned the late emperor. In fact, the Xiang family is the real culprit who killed the late emperor."

"But the Empress Dowager is truly a saintess of the Divine Cult!" Hu Ze didn't react for a moment.

"Does it matter?" Wu Bing asked with a smile. "As long as we can bring down our opponents and smear their reputations, the facts don't matter, right?"

"So what do we need to do to make this more credible?" Hu Ze asked.

Wu Bing smiled and said, "If the young emperor were to die, wouldn't this matter gain a lot of credibility? The reason I woke you up this time is to carry out this mission. The young emperor has always been taken care of by Chief Steward He. Since Chief Steward He is about to pass away, let the young emperor go with him!"

(End of this chapter)