Film & TV: Public Enemy of Justice

Three horses and two messengers died of exhaustion along the way, but it finally took them a day and a half to deliver the message.

Meanwhile, Xiangyang City had been locked in a stalemate with the Mongol army for five days.

During these five days, Möngke attempted to attack several times, but each time he was stopped by the newly appointed Grand Tutor, the Wolf God's Messenger, Ma Guangzuo.

Ma Guangzuo's excuse was also very convincing: to observe for a longer period of time and confirm that Lin Yaoxie was not in Xiangyang before launching an attack.

Möngke was extremely wary of Lin Yaoxie. Even with Ariq Böke guarding Dadu and the protection of the Wolf God, he still felt a chill run down his spine at the mere mention of Lin Yaoxie's name.

He then ordered his troops to set up camp only five li (approximately 2.5 kilometers) from Xiangyang City, while he himself, fearing for his life, hid far away in the central army camp several li (approximately 10 kilometers) away, just in case. He also ordered Ma Guangzuo to stay by his side at all times to protect his safety.

It was precisely because of Ma Guangzuo's delay that Xiangyang City was able to enjoy a period of peace.

Inside Xiangyang City, chaos had already broken out.

During the more than ten years that Guo Jingyi had been defending Xiangyang, the Mongol army had harassed the city many times, but only this time had the city descended into such chaos.

After learning of the Mongol army's impending attack, Guo Jing did not, as before, order the soldiers and civilians to defend the city together. Instead, he issued a hero's edict, summoning heroes from all over the land to defend the city.

Instead, he ordered that the rear gates be opened and the people evacuated before the Mongol army could surround Xiangyang.

This is a clear sign of a lack of confidence and a plan to abandon the city and flee.

But since the guardian deity of Xiangyang had given the order, what could the people do? They quickly packed up their belongings and fled south.

Inside the Guo residence, Huang Rong and Guo Jing, who was still lying on the bed and looking listless, started arguing again.

Since Lin Yaoxie left, Guo Jing and Huang Rong have been arguing three times a day and two times a day. Where is their former loving and inseparable relationship?

After losing his martial arts skills, Guo Jing became extremely listless, spending his days either drinking or sleeping, appearing dazed and confused, which greatly annoyed Huang Rong.

Huang Rong tried her best to understand Guo Jing, but this time, she simply couldn't bear it any longer.

"Guo Jing, what exactly are you planning to do? You ordered a evacuation, are you planning to abandon the city?" Huang Rong stood in front of the city, shouting at Guo Jing who was clutching a wine jar and hiccuping incessantly, her chest heaving with rage.

Guo Jing glanced at Huang Rong with his hangover eyes and said in a drawn-out tone, "Otherwise what? How can we stop an army of 200,000 from coming?"

Huang Rong raised her voice again: "How do we block it? We've been blocking it for over a decade, and we'll block it the same way now!"

"How dare you say that?" Guo Jing, with a sudden burst of strength, smashed the wine jar he was carrying to the ground, shattering it into pieces. "For over a decade, I've been an unparalleled martial arts master! And now what am I? I'm a useless man, unable to even kill a chicken, lying on the couch drowning my sorrows in alcohol. How do you expect me to withstand millions of Mongol troops?"

"You..." Huang Rong was speechless with anger, but knowing that Guo Jing was telling the truth, her tone softened slightly: "Even so, you shouldn't be lying down all day! At the very least, you should go up to the city wall and give the soldiers and civilians some motivation."

Guo Jing simply rolled his eyes and ignored him completely.

Huang Rong got angry again: "Even if you can't fight anymore, don't you still have me? Don't you still have patriotic heroes all over the world? You can gather everyone to fight the enemy together."

"Get out of my way!" Guo Jing suddenly cursed. "Don't you think I've already embarrassed myself enough? Do you want all the heroes of the world to laugh at me? You filthy bitch, how dare you make me take the blame for what you've done!"

"You, you bastard!" Huang Rong stomped her feet angrily and turned to leave.

He stopped at the door, pointed back at Guo Jing, and said coldly, "I'll tell you something else. As long as you can put aside your pride and apologize to the evil spirit in Lin'an, he will resolve the crisis in Xiangyang. You know, with the evil spirit's methods, even if there are many Mongol troops, it won't be a problem."

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Guo Jing suddenly erupted in fury: "Demon! Demon! How affectionately you call him! You adulterous couple, and you want me to apologize? Why should I? He ruined my martial arts, why should I apologize? Get out!"

Huang Rong laughed angrily: "I don't want to argue with you. This is an imperial edict from the emperor. You don't have to obey it."

"I..." Guo Jing fell silent immediately, and whispered, "It's an imperial edict from the Emperor, so I..."

Seeing that Guo Jing seemed somewhat tempted, Huang Rong suddenly felt a deep sadness. Was such a cowardly man, so afraid of death and power, truly her husband?

Just thinking about how they used to sleep in the same bed made Huang Rong gag repeatedly.

"You don't need to lose face, and you don't need to go to Lin'an." Huang Rong said bitterly, "I will lead the Beggars' Sect and the soldiers guarding the city to stop the Mongol army. I would rather die than see you, this useless man, again."

Chapter 106: Möngke's Death [Fourth Update]

At dawn, in the Wu Wang Mansion of Lin'an City, Lin Yaoxie lay on the bed, holding Guo Fu in his arms. After their morning battle, the rosy glow on Guo Fu's face had not yet faded, making her look so beautiful and delicate, like a lotus emerging from the water.

"Husband." Guo Fu had already regarded Lin Yaoxie as her husband and her support.

Her fingers traced circles on Lin Yaoxie's strong chest, and she opened her mouth slightly a few times as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing.

Lin Yaoxie pulled Guo Fu into his arms, feeling her soft breasts pressed against his chest: "You've heard about what happened in Xiangyang, haven't you?"

"Hmm. I heard from the servants of the Prince's Mansion and Sister Wushuang that the Emperor sent people to see you twice, but you refused to see them," Guo Fu said softly.

Lin Yaoxie rubbed Guo Fu's nose with his fingers.

"And then?" Lin Yaoxie asked, fidgeting with his fingers. "You want me to go and relieve the crisis in Xiangyang?"

Guo Fu slightly twisted her body, but didn't struggle too much: "Husband, I know you have such ability. For the sake of the people of the city, and for my sake, please do it."

"Is it for you, or for your beastly father?" Lin Yaoxie immediately followed up, stopping what he was doing.

The fire suddenly went out, and Guo Fu was a little disoriented. After calming herself down, she replied, "Of course it wasn't for him. He doesn't care about me at all, and he lets Da Wu and Xiao Wu bully me. Why should I care about him? I just don't want my mother to get hurt. She has always loved me very much."

Lin Yaoxie smiled, resuming his finger movements: "Guo Jing is Guo Jing, and Huang Rong is Huang Rong. I promise you, I will go and resolve the crisis in Xiangyang. But you must also promise me that you will persuade your mother to leave that beast. Otherwise, I am truly afraid that beast will treat your mother the same way he treated you."

Lin Yaoxie's words carried so much weight that Guo Fu was so frightened that she hugged him tightly: "No, no, I don't want my mother to get hurt."

Lin Yaoxie flipped over and pinned Guo Fu down: "That's right, I advise your mother to stay with you. Wouldn't it be better for you two to be together?"

It wasn't until noon that Lin Yaoxie emerged. Since he was already planning to leave, he put Guo Fu back into his spatial dimension.

Inside the courtyard, the thirteen Black-Robed Riders and Lu Wushuang were already standing at attention. The fourteen of them had just received a notification from Lin Yaoxie.

In fact, as the thirteen riders gradually became more familiar with each other's coordination, they had long been prepared to set off at any time.

There was no need for further words at this point. Lin Yaoxie smiled slightly, waved his hand, and all fourteen people and thirteen wolves in the courtyard were taken into the second space.

With a whistle, he leaped into the air, just as the divine eagle arrived. The strongest force to rescue Xiangyang City was finally about to be revealed to the world.

...

In the main tent of the army outside Xiangyang, Ma Guangzuo was drinking with Möngke. Both of them looked relaxed. After observing for several days, they were almost certain that not only was Lin Yaoxie absent, but Guo Jing had also never appeared on the city wall.

It seems the rumors are true; Lin Yaoxie and Guo Jing had a falling out, and Lin Yaoxie has left Xiangyang. As for Guo Jing, for some unknown reason, he has lost all his martial arts skills.

While they were drinking, a messenger outside the tent suddenly shouted: "Reporting to the Great Han, reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, several strange wolves have appeared behind our army. These wolves are hiding in the shade of the trees and howling at the troops. Because of the wolf god, our soldiers have not attacked them."

"Excellent!" Before Möngke could speak, Ma Guangzuo slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Great Khan, this is the Wolf God's order. He is instructing us that we can begin the siege now."

"Good! Very good!" Mongke had been waiting impatiently for a long time. He pushed over his wine cup and stood up: "Grand Preceptor, let's launch a full-scale attack. Xiangyang City, including Huang Rong and the Beggars' Clan, has at most ten thousand defenders. We have a massive force of two hundred thousand. As long as Lin Yaoxie, Guo Jing and others don't interfere, we can sweep them all in one fell swoop."

Ma Guangzu shook his head like a rattle drum: "No, no, no, Khan, please calm down. With twenty against one, we are bound to win a great victory. But the Wolf God's point is that we are the pride of the grasslands, and it's not heroic to gang up on the few in this way. But if we underestimate our enemy and go one-on-one, it's easy for something unexpected to happen."

Mongke was confused by what he said: "Then, according to the Grand Preceptor, how should this battle be fought to satisfy the Wolf God?"

After hesitating for a moment, Ma Guangzuo pounded his fist into his palm and made a decision: "Let's do it this way. Great Khan, you will lead 50,000 troops to launch the attack. I will lead the remaining 150,000 soldiers to cheer you on. You are the Great Khan, so of course your military campaigns have divine authority. It doesn't matter if you bring more troops. The world will not only not ridicule you, but will also praise your achievements. Just think, Great Khan Möngke led his troops to attack the city alone, and broke through the city in one fell swoop, killing the Beggar Clan and Huang Rong, and capturing Guo Jing alive. Just saying these words makes my blood boil. The Wolf God will surely be satisfied too."

"Break through the city in one fell swoop, kill Huang Rong of the Beggar Clan, and capture Guo Jing alive." Mongke muttered to himself, then suddenly laughed loudly, "Haha, good, very good. The Grand Preceptor's brilliant plan to secure the world is far superior to that incompetent Jinlun and his disciples. As expected of the Wolf God's Messenger, truly brilliant."

He then strode out of the tent and said to the messenger, "Give the order to assemble 50,000 elite troops. I, the Khan, will use the prestige of the Wolf God to seize power in one fell swoop. After conquering the Southern Song Dynasty, the next goal is to cross the ocean and conquer Japan!"

When Möngke donned his armor, mounted his horse, and led his 50,000-strong army toward Xiangyang, Ma Guangzuo, in the central command tent, summoned the remaining generals and soldiers with a grim expression.

No one spoke in the large tent, and Ma Guangzuo even closed his eyes to rest. He was waiting, waiting for news of the battle in Xiangyang.

Ma Guangzuo knew that Xiangyang, with only 10,000 defenders, would be utterly destroyed by the personal attack of Möngke Khan's 50,000 troops. The entire Mongol Empire, including the life trajectories of himself, Ariq Böke, and Kublai Khan, would undergo tremendous changes.

All of this came at the cost of Möngke's life.

Chapter 107: One Man Holds the Pass

"Chief Huang, what should we do?" Although Huang Rong had passed the leadership of the Beggars' Sect to Lu Youjiao, everyone still addressed Huang Rong as Chief.

At this moment, Huang Rong leaned against the city wall, squinting at the approaching Mongol soldiers, her thoughts unknown.

Lu Youjiao looked at Huang Rong and said, "Chief Huang, in my opinion, the Mongol army did not launch a full-scale attack. You see, the central army in the distance has not yet moved. Perhaps the Mongol army is just testing the waters."

Huang Rong shook her head, her voice slow and deliberate: "Chief Lu, you're wrong. Even if the Mongol army didn't attack at full force, Xiangyang City still couldn't withstand them. Even including the Beggars' Sect brothers, our city only has about nine thousand defenders. How could we possibly withstand an attack of tens of thousands? And look..."

Huang Rong pointed to the large banner raised by the Mongol army. Embroidered on the banner was a winged wolf with bared fangs and silver eyes. Below the wolf were written Mongolian characters, which Huang Rong recognized as the title of the Mongol Great Khan, Möngke.

Lu Youjiao had been Huang Rong's assistant for many years and had dealt with the Mongol army many times. Upon closer inspection, he could naturally recognize Möngke's banner.

"Ah, it's actually the Mongol Khan personally attacking the city, Chief Huang..." Lu Youjiao didn't know what to say for a moment.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it!" Huang Rong displayed the demeanor of a strong woman at this moment.

She untied her hair from her bun and let it fall over her shoulders, reaching out to Guan Lu to ask for the dog-beating stick.

"Chief Lu, am I still considered the leader of the Beggars' Sect?" Huang Rong asked with unusual seriousness.

"Of course it counts, Chief Huang, please speak your mind, don't stand on ceremony with me." Lu Youjiao realized that what Huang Rong was about to say would be very important.

"Alright!" Huang Rong leaned half her body out of the city wall: "I want all the Beggars' Sect members in the city to follow the soldiers guarding the city and die for the country with me, Huang Rong. Do you agree?"

Lu Youjiao was already filled with excitement. He didn't answer Huang Rong immediately, but instead turned around and shouted loudly to the soldiers and Beggars' Gang members who were lined up in neat rows in the city.

"Brothers, Chief Huang wants us to fight to the death with her. If you're willing to stay and die with Chief Huang, then stay. If not, leave now while you can still get out through the back gate. I, Lu Youjiao, will not blame you!"

With almost no pause, the city resounded with deafening shouts from tens of thousands of people: "We are willing to fight to the death with Chief Huang and Chief Lu on the battlefield!"

Lu Youjiao cupped his hands and said, "Chief Huang, did you hear that? We are all willing."

"The Song Dynasty is fortunate to have such passionate and valiant men as you. Even with an incompetent ruler and corrupt officials, it is still a blessing."

Huang Rong raised her Dog-Beating Stick and said, "Brothers, wait for my order, and we'll all open the city gates and charge out. The last brothers to leave the city, remember to close the gates properly. Only in this way can we leave hope for the people who are evacuating from the city."

"I will obey Chief Huang's orders!"

Huang Rong glanced outside the city; the vanguard of the Mongol army was less than 800 meters from the city walls. She could even make out Möngke's face as he sat in his chariot.

"Chief Lu, please stay in the city and close the city gates," Huang Rong suddenly said to Lu Youjiao in a low voice.

"Chief Huang, do you think I, Lu Youjiao, am just a coward who fears death..."

Huang Rong stopped Lu Youjiao from speaking and said calmly, "Chief Lu, listen to me. I know you are the most passionate hero. But you must live. Then go to the Wu King's Mansion in Lin'an and make sure Lin Yaoxie comes out of the mountains no matter what. Only with his help can the ferocious Mongol army be suppressed. The sooner you get Lin Yaoxie out, the more countless Han people will be able to survive. This is a great act of merit."

As Huang Rong spoke, her eyes were fixed on Lu Youjiao. She noticed that the latter's expression first changed from anger to confusion, then to realization, and suddenly to ecstasy.

Huang Rong suddenly realized something and quickly turned around. Even though she was the most self-reliant woman in the world, she still shed tears of joy, because, just like when he repelled the Mongol army last time, he once again descended from the sky on the Divine Condor.

With a cry of an eagle, Lin Yaoxie descended from the sky, landing gracefully between Xiangyang City and the 50,000-strong army.

Just as he was the guardian deity of Xiangyang, no one could cross the line as long as he was around.

The vanguard of the advancing Mongol army was the first to see the white-clad figure descending from the sky. Their frantically running legs instantly stopped moving. Anyone who had served in the Mongol army for more than a year knew that there was a divine being among the Han Chinese who could descend from the sky.

That divine being, dressed in white, flew on a giant eagle, killing people from a thousand miles away. Even the mighty Imperial Advisor Jinlun, who was renowned for his bravery, could not last more than a few rounds against him.

The legs stopped, but the upper body was still propelled forward by the enormous inertia. As soon as the front of the train fell, the rear train could no longer stop.