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The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Su Ning led his men to the city of Fengzhou.

He rode on his horse and looked up at the city.

The city walls were high and thick, and the top of the walls was densely packed with guards. Archers had already drawn their bows and were ready to fire at any moment.

The city gate was piled high with sandbags and barricades, completely blocking the entrance, clearly indicating a determination to hold out to the death.

He Jingyuan rode alongside Su Ning, pointing to the city wall and saying, "My lord, this is the city. It's guarded by Wei Yan's trusted confidant, Wang Chongwen, a tough nut to crack. We've been attacking it for days, losing several thousand brothers, and we haven't even made it onto the city wall. This guy has a knack for defense; his archers are very well-organized, and we're shot back as soon as we get close."

Wei Qilin also came over, his brows furrowed, his face exhausted, and his eyes bloodshot. "Su Ning, do you have any ideas? A direct assault would result in too many casualties. The brothers haven't slept for two days."

Su Ning didn't speak, but stared at the city wall for a while.

In truth, he knew there were many ways to take over the city.

The simplest solution is to divert the waters of the Milky Way to flood the city, washing away all the city walls and garrison troops.

But what would happen to the people in the city if that were the case?
While flooding the seven armies was satisfying, the bloodshed was too great. The people in the city were all innocent, and if the city were flooded, countless people would die.

Su Ning thought for a moment, then shook his head.

We can't flood it; that thing is too lethal, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, or between soldiers and civilians.

There are at least tens of thousands of people in the city, all subjects of the Great Yin Dynasty. I cannot drown them all just to conquer a city.

Then use explosives.

Su Ning dismounted and said to He Jingyuan, "General He, have your men retreat to a distance of one mile. Clear the area around the city gate completely; no one is allowed to remain."

He Jingyuan was taken aback: "Withdraw? Why withdraw? My lord, aren't you going to attack the city anymore?"

Su Ning said, "Attack the city, but not by sacrificing lives. Listen to me, evacuate the troops first, and I have a way to blow open the city gates."

Although He Jingyuan did not understand what he was going to do, he did as he was told.

With a wave of his hand, the messenger immediately ran out, and before long, the rebel army began to retreat, flowing back like a tide, until they stopped a mile away.

The defenders on the city wall saw the rebels retreating and, thinking they were about to withdraw, cheered.

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "He ran away! He Jingyuan ran away! He's too scared to fight anymore!"

Some people were even cursing and swearing at the people below the city walls, looking quite pleased with themselves.

Su Ning ignored them, turned around and walked to an open space. He pretended to bend down to examine the ground, but in reality, he connected directly to the spatial world with a thought.

The space world was filled with all sorts of things, practically everything imaginable.

I found several large boxes of explosives in the corner. They were all prepared in other dungeons, but I hadn't used them until today.

With another thought, boxes of explosives appeared out of thin air on the ground, stacked neatly in seven or eight boxes.

When the soldiers following him saw these things suddenly appear, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, their legs went weak, and they almost knelt down.

"General, what... what is this? How did it suddenly appear?" a soldier stammered, his voice trembling.

Su Ning didn't explain, but pointed to the boxes of explosives. "Don't ask so many questions. Find a few carts, load these boxes onto them, and push them to the city gate."

The soldiers didn't dare ask any more questions and hurried to find a cart.

Before long, several carts came over. They loaded the boxes of explosives onto the carts, tied them securely with ropes, and then pushed the carts toward the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the city wall saw several carts being pushed towards them, and not knowing what they were, someone shouted, "Shoot arrows! Shoot arrows! Don't let them get any closer!"

The archers drew their bows, and arrows rained down, clattering and tinkling around the cart.

Su Ning walked at the front, holding a Tang-style broadsword in his hand. With a flash of light, the arrows aimed at the cart were deflected.

He kept walking steadily forward, and the arrows couldn't hurt him at all.

Several soldiers pushing the cart huddled behind it, too scared to lift their heads, but the cart still moved forward steadily.

Upon reaching the city gate, Su Ning ordered his soldiers to unload the boxes of explosives and stack them one by one below the gate, creating a whole pile.

He then pulled out a long fuse from his pocket, stuffed one end into the pile of explosives, and pulled the other end out, stretching it dozens of feet away.

The soldiers had long since run far away, hiding behind a large rock, covering their ears, and waiting.

Su Ning squatted down, took out a tinderbox, blew on it twice, and a flame shot up.

He lit the fuse, which hissed and sparked, and then with a swift movement, he disappeared into the distance.

The fuse hissed and burned, shooting towards the city gate.

The soldiers on the city wall saw smoke rising from the ground, but they didn't know what it was. Some of them curiously poked their heads out to look, while others were still chatting and laughing.

"Boom—"

A deafening roar shook the earth, and the entire land trembled.

A huge fireball rose from the city gate, billowing black smoke that shot straight into the sky, sending pebbles and wood chips flying everywhere.

The defenders on the city wall were shaken and staggered, some fell directly off the wall, and others covered their ears and screamed in pain.

When the smoke cleared, look at the city gate again, but there was no city gate left.
The entire gate was blown to pieces, not even the door frame was left. A huge hole was blown open at the city gate, with rubble piled up everywhere and smoke and dust filling the air.

……

The rebel army was stunned for a moment, then burst into a deafening cheer.

"The city gates have been blown open! Charge!"

He Jingyuan drew his knife, pointed it forward, and roared, "Brothers! Charge!"

The army surged forward like a tidal wave, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

The vanguard soldiers were the first to rush into the city gate, their swords and spears gleaming coldly, hacking at anyone they saw.

The city's defenders were terrified by the earth-shattering explosion. Some collapsed to the ground, unable to move; some threw down their weapons and ran away; and some knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. They offered no respect whatsoever.

Wang Chongwen stood on the city wall, his face as white as paper, his lips trembling.

He couldn't understand how such a thick city gate could have been blown up.
He couldn't understand where those explosives came from.

But he had no time to think about these things, because the rebel army had already stormed the city walls.

One by one, Wang Chongwen's personal guards fell, until he was left alone, surrounded by more than a dozen rebel troops.

Wang Chongwen sighed, threw down the knife in his hand, and said, "I surrender."

He Jingyuan strode over, glanced at him, and snorted: "Why didn't you just surrender earlier? Why did you have to make me go through all this trouble?"

Wang Chongwen kept his head down and didn't say a word.

What can he say now? He lost, and that's it.

Su Ning also came in, looked at the rubble and dust all over the ground, and said to He Jingyuan, "General He, there is something I need to make clear to you after we enter the city."

He Jingyuan asked, "What is it?"

Su Ning looked at him with a serious expression: "No burning, killing, looting, or harassing of civilians. If anyone dares to steal a needle from a civilian or lay a finger on a civilian, don't blame me for being impolite."

He Jingyuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "My lord, don't worry. Although I, He Jingyuan, am a rough man, I still understand this basic principle. We raised an army in rebellion for the sake of the people. If we enter the city and burn, kill, and loot like those government soldiers, how would we be any different from those bastards in the imperial court?"

He turned around and shouted to the generals around him, "Did you all hear that? After we enter the city, keep your men in check! No looting, no killing, no burning! Anyone who breaks the rules, I'll chop off their head!"

The generals responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The army marched into Fengzhou City in a grand procession.

The people in the city hid in their houses, with the doors and windows tightly shut, not daring to breathe, for fear that these rebel troops would be like the government troops before them, looting and killing as soon as they entered the city.

But after waiting for a while, there was still no movement outside.

Those who were bold enough to peek out through a crack in the door saw the rebels marching in neat rows down the street. Not one of them broke into a villager's house, and not one of them took anything from the villagers.

A soldier was thirsty, so he ran to the well to draw water and drank it. After he finished, he put the bucket back.

An old man mustered up his courage, went outside, and stood at the doorway to watch.

Su Ning saw this, walked over, and said gently, "Grandpa, don't be afraid. We are the righteous army and we won't disturb the people. You can go about your business as usual, it's alright."

The old man asked tremblingly, "You...you're not robbing me?"

Su Ning smiled and said, "We won't rob. We're fighting for the people, not to harm them."

The old man's eyes reddened, and he knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face, muttering, "Heaven has opened its eyes! Finally, an army has come to protect us ordinary people!"

Su Ning quickly helped him up, saying, "Grandpa, don't kneel. This is what we should do."

……

The news spread quickly, and the people in the city came out of their homes, some carrying water and others carrying dry food, to deliver them to the rebels.

An older woman carrying a basket of eggs insisted on giving it to a young soldier. The soldier refused, but the woman kept insisting, saying, "Take it, take it. You've been fighting hard, have something to eat to replenish your strength."

The young soldier's eyes reddened as he took the eggs and bowed to the woman.

He Jingyuan rode his horse around the streets, observing everything, and was filled with emotion.

He turned to Li Huai'an beside him and said, "Huai'an, do you see this? This is the will of the people. Those people in the imperial court have driven the people to this point; they deserve to be finished."

Li Huai'an nodded, saying with deep feeling, "Master, the lord is right, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world." He Jingyuan hummed in agreement, then looked at the smiling faces of the common people on the street, feeling much more at ease.

Su Ning stood at the city gate, watching the army file in and seeing the peaceful coexistence between the common people and the rebels, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

That was a brilliantly fought battle.

It wasn't because he blew up the city gates, but because he held onto a bottom line.

This bottom line is the biggest difference between him and the imperial court and Prince Changxin's group.

He turned around and said to the messenger beside him, "Pass down the order: rest here for a day, and continue the advance tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" The messenger ran off.

Su Ning looked up at the sky. Fengzhou City had been captured, but there were still many battles to come.

But he wasn't in a hurry at all; he would take it one step at a time and eventually destroy this corrupt court.

……

News of the fall of Fengzhou City was sent to the capital by express courier.

The messenger cavalry galloped all the way, replacing their horses when one died, and continuing on their way. When they reached the capital, they didn't even stop at the city gates, but charged straight in, only reining in their horses when they reached the palace gates.

He tumbled off his horse, his legs were weak, and he crawled a few steps before standing up. Holding the military report in his hand, he tumbled and crawled towards the Golden Palace.

"Report! Fengzhou has fallen! He Jingyuan's rebel army has breached the city!"

In the Golden Palace, the emperor was discussing military affairs with his ministers when he heard this shout. He froze, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered.

"What? Fengzhou is lost?" The emperor stood up abruptly, his face ashen, his lips trembling. "Fengzhou is a major city in the Central Plains, with high walls and deep moats, and a garrison of 20,000. How could it be lost so easily? And in just a few days?"

Wei Yan, who was standing at the front, changed his expression upon hearing the news.

He stared intently at the kneeling messenger, his voice chillingly somber: "Explain clearly, how did Fengzhou fall? Where is Wang Chongwen? Didn't he say he would defend it to the death?"

The messenger knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, trembling all over, his voice broken and intermittent: "Reporting to the Prime Minister, Lord Wang... Lord Wang... he surrendered. The rebel army broke through the city gate in less than half a day. Lord Wang was powerless to resist and had no choice but to surrender."

"Half a day?" Li Xing exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide. "He breached Fengzhou in half a day? How did He Jingyuan get such ability? What kind of siege equipment did he use?"

The messenger stammered, "No... it wasn't siege equipment. I heard that a lord named Su Ning suddenly appeared in the rebel army and had someone use sorcery to get a lot of explosives from somewhere, which blew open the city gate. The explosion was so loud that the ground shook, and the people on the city wall couldn't stand up. The city gate was blown to pieces, and the rebels rushed in immediately."

"Sorcery? Explosives?" The emperor's voice changed, becoming shrill and high-pitched. "What are these things? Are you all terrified and seeing things?"

The messenger kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I dare not speak nonsense, but the soldiers at the front are all saying so. That Su Ning is Wei Qilin's son-in-law, and He Jingyuan also calls him 'Lord.' He knows magic and can conjure things out of thin air. Lord Wang said that the man's methods are not those of an ordinary person, but rather those of a celestial being descended to earth."

An uproar erupted in the court, with ministers whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"A deity descending to earth? Isn't that nonsense?"

"But Fengzhou has indeed been lost, that's a fact."

"Where did He Jingyuan find such a freak to be his lord?"

"Strange! Could it be that He Jingyuan isn't in charge of the rebels?"

The emperor slumped on his dragon throne, his hand supporting his forehead, unable to speak for a long time.

After a long while, he finally raised his head, his voice weak and feeble: "My dear ministers, what should we do now? With Fengzhou lost, the rebels are only three hundred li away from the capital. Can anyone tell me what to do?"

Wei Yan, his face grim, took a step forward, clasped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, the only option is to mobilize all available troops to defend the capital. I have already ordered the mobilization of troops from all over the country to the area surrounding the capital. As many troops as possible will be mobilized to ensure the capital is held.”

Li Xing also stepped forward, surprisingly not contradicting Wei Yan, but instead echoing, "Prime Minister Wei is right. The only course of action now is to concentrate our forces and defend the capital to the death. I suggest that we immediately order the troops stationed in various regions to rush to the capital to defend the emperor, without delay."

The emperor nodded weakly and said, "Granted. Issue the decree that all garrisons in various regions must immediately march to the capital to defend the emperor. Anyone who delays will be punished for disobeying the decree, and their entire family will be executed."

Once the decree was issued, the imperial messengers rode swift horses and galloped off in all directions.

But Wei Yan knew in his heart that there weren't many troops left to mobilize.

We must guard against the Northern Jurchens to the north and cannot make any moves.

We must guard against Prince Changxin in the west, but we cannot make a full-scale attack.

The troops in the east were already few in number, and the troops in the south were too far away. By the time they arrived, it would be too late.

All things considered, at most a little over 100,000 people could be transferred to the capital.

He had no idea whether his 100,000 troops could stop He Jingyuan's 200,000-strong army.

What's worse, He Jingyuan's side also has a lord named Su Ning who knows sorcery.

The ability to conjure explosives out of thin air and blow up city gates is something no ordinary person can withstand.

But what is the origin of this mysterious Suning? Could it be a descendant of the Crown Prince of Chengde?

However, according to intelligence, the son of the Crown Prince of Chengde is Qi Min, and the son of the Prince of Changxin is now Sui Yuanhuai.

The information asymmetry gave Wei Yan a major headache, so he immediately ordered his intelligence department to find out detailed information about Su Ning.

Wei Yan returned to his residence, locked himself in his study, and studied the map all night.

He repeatedly tried to deduce the solution, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't come up with a way that would guarantee victory.

He suddenly realized that the court was truly on the verge of collapse and might not be able to survive this turmoil.

……

The news of the fall of Fengzhou City shocked not only the imperial court but also Prince Changxin, Sui Tuo.

That day, Sui Tuo was eating in his tent when he heard the news. He dropped his chopsticks and was stunned for a long time.

"What? Fengzhou is lost? He Jingyuan captured Fengzhou in half a day?" Sui Tu stared at the scout who brought the news, his face full of disbelief. "That old bastard Wang Chongwen is known for his excellent defense of cities. How could it be lost in half a day? Has he been in cahoots with He Jingyuan all along?"

The scout knelt on the ground and reported in detail: "Your Highness, Wang Chongwen did defend the city, but He Jingyuan used some kind of explosive to blow open the city gate. The sound was like thunder, the whole city wall shook, and the city gate was blown to smithereens. The defending troops were all terrified and surrendered without much resistance."

Sui Tuo gasped, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a long time.

Standing beside him was his son, Prince Sui Yuanqing.

Sui Yuanqing was in his early twenties, with fair and clean-cut features, but his eyes revealed a sinister glint, making him clearly someone not to be trifled with.

Upon hearing this, Sui Yuanqing was not afraid at all. Instead, he sneered and said with a hint of disdain, "Father, is it really that serious? It's just blowing up a city gate. What's the big deal? He Jingyuan is only good at this. He won a few battles by using crooked methods. When it comes to the real battlefield, it's all about real weapons, not those fancy tricks."

Sui Tuo immediately glared at him with displeasure: "What do you know? He Jingyuan has been operating in Jizhou for more than ten years. His 30,000 border troops are all elite soldiers who have seen blood. They are not in the same league as the pampered soldiers of the imperial court. The fact that he was able to take Fengzhou so quickly means that he has been preparing for this for more than just a day or two. Do you think he acted on a whim? He has been planning this for a long time!"

Sui Yuanqing scoffed, "So what? So what if he's been plotting for a long time? We have hundreds of thousands of troops at our disposal, are we afraid of him? Father, in my opinion, while He Jingyuan is busy fighting with the court, let's stab him in the back and wipe him out, then turn around and attack the capital. Kill two birds with one stone, isn't that great?"

Upon hearing this, Sui Tuo slammed his fist on the table in anger, stood up, and pointed at Sui Yuanqing's nose, yelling, "Shut up! Do you know what you're saying? He Jingyuan is fighting with the imperial court now; it's like dogs fighting dogs. We should just sit back and watch. What good will it do us if you go and fight He Jingyuan, helping the imperial court out of its predicament?"

Tuoba Yuanqing was stunned by the scolding, and his face turned a little ugly, but he still stubbornly said: "Father, if He Jingyuan enters the capital first, then the credit will be his, and we will starve? What will we do when he becomes emperor? Kneel down and kowtow to him?"

Sui Tuo took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said patiently, "Why are you in such a hurry? Is the capital so easy to take? Although the court is in decline, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Wei Yan still has hundreds of thousands of troops. If we defend the city, we can hold out for a year or two without any problem. Let He Jingyuan chew on this tough nut first. Once he's chewed it until his teeth fall out, then we can make our move. That way, we can be sure of victory."

Sui Yuanqing wanted to say something, but Sui Tuo waved his hand, interrupting him: "Alright, that's enough. Remember this: our enemy now is the imperial court, not He Jingyuan. If He Jingyuan attacks the imperial court, then he's our friend. We'll clean up the mess after he and the court are both exhausted. This is called 'when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits,' understand?"

Although Sui Yuanqing was unconvinced, he didn't dare to argue back. He sat back down sullenly, picked up his wine glass, and took a swig.

Sui Tuo glanced at him and sighed inwardly.

This son is smart, but he's too impatient. He wants to achieve everything at once, and he'll cause trouble sooner or later.

He then remembered the name the scout had mentioned—Su Ning.

Wei Qilin's son-in-law possessed sorcery and could conjure explosives out of thin air, which blew up Fengzhou City in half a day.

Most importantly, He Jingyuan was willing to acknowledge him as his master, which was completely inconsistent with the intelligence he possessed.

Sui Tuo frowned and asked the scout, "What exactly is this Su Ning? Have you found out?"

The scout shook his head: "Your Highness, we can't find anything. This person seems to have fallen from the sky; no one has ever heard of him before. All we know is that he is Wei Qilin's son-in-law, lives in Lin'an Town, and has been cultivating in the mountains for a long time. He just came down from the mountain not long ago, and the governor of Jizhou, He Jingyuan, has been calling him 'Lord'."

"Cultivating in the mountains?" Tuoba Hong muttered to himself, his brows furrowing even more deeply. "Cultivating what? Taoism? Or martial arts?"

The scout said, "I don't know. But according to people on the front lines, this person is incredibly capable, unlike an ordinary person, but no one could provide any specific details."

Hearing this, Sui Yuanqing couldn't help but interject again: "Father, listen to this! Isn't this nonsense? It's all made up by those idiots. You actually believe it?"

Sui Tuo ignored him and continued to ask the scout, "Is there anything else?"

The scout thought for a moment and then said, "There's one more thing. News from Jizhou says that the governor of Jizhou, He Jingyuan, is very afraid of this Su Ning."

Sui Tu remained silent for a long time, tapping his fingers on the table, lost in thought.

Seeing his father, Prince Changxin's, solemn expression, Sui Yuanqing felt even more resentful. But this time he was smarter and didn't say anything. He just muttered to himself: "What kind of gods descend to earth? It's all a bunch of lies."

Once I get to the battlefield, I'll chop off his head with one stroke and see how he tries to show off his skills then.

Sui Tuo raised his head and said to the scout, "Keep an eye on things and report back immediately if you find anything. Especially that Su Ning, find out his every move and his background."

"Yes!" The scout accepted the order, turned, and ran out.

Sui Yuanqing held his wine cup, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He didn't believe in ghosts or gods, he only believed in the knife in his hand.

Sooner or later, he would make everyone know that he and Yuan Qing were the most powerful people in the world.

...(End of this chapter)