Chapter 32: Losing Control

Yang Zhan stood alone, facing a vast, dark sea of soldiers, his wind-blade held slanted in his hand.

"Who leads this army? I, General Yang Zhan, am here. Show yourself!"

Immediately, a voice from within the ranks barked, "Insolence! How could General Yang ever side with traitors like you? We are ordered to exterminate the rebels. Leave none alive! Archers, prepare!"

The next moment, countless arrows rained down on Yang Zhan from every angle. His wind-blade danced like a gale, forcing the incoming arrows to scatter to either side. Meanwhile, Yang Zhan let out a booming laugh, his voice echoing like thunder, chilling the hearts of those who heard it.

"Ha! You want my life, yet you dare not show your face. With such cowardice, do you truly think you can achieve greatness?"

"Loose arrows!"

The only response was a frantic, relentless volley of arrows. In this short span of time, Yang Zhan, wielding his blade with his right hand, was forced back over a dozen paces. The ground around him was littered with spent shafts. Even though he still had the strength to fight, blocking this endless barrage was draining his energy rapidly.

Nevertheless, Yang Zhan continued only to defend. He shouted again, "You are all soldiers of the Great Xia. My blade has never been turned against my own people. But today, ask yourselves: are you still soldiers of the Great Xia? Are the blades you hold aimed at enemies, or at your own brethren?"

Yang Zhan suddenly kicked several corpses into the air, creating a wall of human flesh that stood before him. The prisoners inside the Celestial Prison watched with bloodshot eyes.

"Why is the General standing out there? Come into the prison! Use the prison as a defense; we could at least take a few hundred of them down with us!"

"General!" Si-er cried out, hoping Yang Zhan would return at once.

But Yang Zhan simply replied, "Hold the prison! I want to see if the person behind this plot to kill me has the guts to step forward!"

At this, the voice that had shouted from the ranks earlier roared again, "Cavalry, fall back! Infantry, charge!"

The cavalry parted, revealing a wall of rock-solid interlocking shields. Countless cold, glinting halberds poked through the gaps, pressing forward. With every step, the ground seemed to tremble.

"Damn it! You want to be Emperor? With such cowardly behavior, are you even fit to rule Great Xia? It’s a joke. I, Yang Zhan, look down on you!"

The Third Prince, Yang Jin, standing behind the massive army, flushed with anger.

"Your Highness, do not act on impulse. If you step out, there will be no turning back!" Zhang Wuxiang, sensing the danger, hurriedly grabbed Yang Jin.

"What is there to turn back from? I want him to die fully convinced of his defeat. I want him to understand that Great Xia knows he is not the only hero. I, Yang Jin, possess the courage, the spirit, and the strength to justify my status!"

"Your Highness!" Zhang Wuxiang’s expression shifted, and he held onto Yang Jin with all his might.

Bang!

Yang Jin spun around and kicked Zhang Wuxiang aside. "Things have reached this point; who can block my path now?"

Yang Jin turned and, accompanied by several guards, plunged into the ranks of the army. He bellowed, "Xu Qian, order the army to open a path for me!"

Soon, the imposing Yang Jin reached the front of the army. As the infantry cleared the way, he laid eyes on Yang Zhan, who was hiding behind his human shield. Yang Jin stood tall, chest out, and looked at Yang Zhan with cold indifference. "Yang Zhan, today I will make you die with no complaints!"

At this moment, countless soldiers in the ranks looked on in shock, and a stir began to ripple through the crowd.

"Is that really General Yang?"
"Why are we killing General Yang?"
"How did General Yang become a traitor?"

"What are you whispering about? Shut your mouths! Anyone who speaks out of turn will be dealt with according to military law!" Xu Qian, mounted on his warhorse, barked imperiously.

Yang Zhan pushed aside the 'human shield,' and the army finally saw him clearly. This was the legendary God of War of Great Xia, whom many of them worshipped. It was the first time many of them had the honor of seeing him in person. For a moment, many of the soldiers felt their grips on their halberds tremble. They had never imagined that their first encounter with the man they revered would involve crossing blades with him.

Yang Zhan, however, ignored the others and stared directly at Yang Jin.

"Third Prince, you have guts, bringing an army to face me. Ha! Even your father might not have such boldness!"

Hearing this, Yang Jin did not get angry; instead, he puffed out his chest and tilted his chin up. "Yang Zhan, I have always admired you, but since you have turned traitor, even if I treasure talent, I have no choice but to eradicate such rebels!"

Yang Zhan asked, "What act of treason have I committed? Where is the proclamation of war? I may be stationed here to guard the Celestial Prison, but my rank as a General of the Pacification Army still stands. To execute a general like me, is there not even a single imperial decree?"

"Ha! Third Prince, you want to eliminate dissent, you want me dead—pretexts are easy to manufacture. But you have mobilized the Imperial Guard without authorization. This puts His Majesty, our wise and mighty Emperor, in a position of injustice. How treacherous!"

Yang Jin felt the gazes of the soldiers shift, and he hurriedly shouted, "Yang Zhan, I came out here so you would die with clarity, and to show you that I am worthy of everything!"

He then barked, "What are you waiting for? Xu Qian, kill these rebels!"

"Yes!" Xu Qian, mounted on his horse and gripping his spear, issued the order: "Charge!"

But at that moment, Yang Zhan suddenly turned and dashed toward the gate of the Celestial Prison.

"Yang Zhan, are you fleeing the battle?" Yang Jin laughed, seeing Yang Zhan 'retreat' and feeling triumphant. Finally, he felt he possessed more spirit than Yang Zhan.

Yang Zhan reached the gate of the prison and turned back.

"I am hanging up a flag of truce. At dawn, I trouble you, Third Prince, to post the proclamation of war and bring the imperial decree to read aloud so that I may die with clarity. I shall wait for you, Your Highness!"

Having said that, Yang Zhan swept his gaze over the massive army. "For now, I still consider you my comrades-in-arms of Great Xia. If you dare to force your way in, you are enemies, and do not blame me if my blade shows no mercy!"

With that, Yang Zhan held his blade in his left hand and struck it into the ground at the entrance with a thunderous boom. A storm of snow erupted, surging outward with an overwhelming aura.

At this moment, Xu Qian noticed the army beginning to stir. He flew into a rage. "Charge! Kill the rebels! Anyone who disobeys this order will be executed!"

"What did General Yang actually do to deserve this purge?"
"That's right, this is the Celestial Prison. We've never heard of any rebels here!"
"Yes, General, please explain!"
"Where is the imperial decree? And we haven't seen any military tallies for this mobilization!"

Questions erupted one after another, and voices began to roar from within the ranks.

"This is a conspiracy! General Yang has guarded the borders of Great Xia and fought the barbarians with great distinction. Not only has he received no rewards, he was exiled to guard this prison, and now they want to wipe him out completely?"

"Does the Great Xia dynasty care nothing for us soldiers who face life and death? To kill a hero and a loyal general like this makes our hearts grow cold. I do not accept this!"

"I do not accept this!"
"I do not accept this!"

The wave of voices became uncontrollable. Xu Qian was furious. "Who said that? Drag them out and execute them!"

No one would say who had spoken. There were too many of them; it was impossible to tell. Meanwhile, the questions did not weaken in the slightest. Like a wildfire, they became unstoppable.

Yang Jin’s face turned grim, for the infantry that had been charging had all come to a halt, seemingly waiting for an explanation. He looked at Xu Qian, whose face was equally dark.

Xu Qian bellowed, "Shut your mouths! Yang Zhan has been colluding with the barbarians; his crime warrants death!"

"Yang Zhan has been lurking in the capital, acting in league with the enemy and letting in countless barbarian spies!"

But Xu Qian’s voice could not drown out the increasingly loud and defiant questioning. He grew anxious; at this rate, the army was on the verge of mutiny!