Chapter 222: The Fall of Southern Chen 

Boom! 

Boom boom boom! 

Countless troops marching in formation advanced toward the massive city in the distance, their synchronized footsteps beating in time with the war drums. Beneath the gradually brightening sky, swarms of arrows streaked from the city walls and rained down like locusts. 

Within the military formations flying the great banner bearing the character “Sui”, tens of thousands of arrows answered in kind. 

“Shields up!” 

Behind the continuous line of battlements, ranks of infantry stepped forward, raising their shields to cover the archers as they withdrew. In an instant, the air was filled with the relentless clatter of arrowheads striking stone and wood. Some embedded themselves in the battlements and shields, while others slipped through the gaps and struck flesh, drawing out shrill screams of agony. 

“They’re coming up! Push these northern barbarians back down!” 

Upon the towering city wall, a commander cast aside his shield, drew his saber, and roared. Outside the walls, siege ladders had already been raised one after another. Sui soldiers, shouting battle cries, swarmed upward like ants. From time to time, they were pierced by spears thrust down from above and tumbled from the ladders to their deaths. Others managed to evade a thrust, leap onto the battlements, and hack back with a backhand slash, sending sprays of blood bursting into the crowd. 

“Kill!” 

One soldier, eyes bloodshot, bared blood-stained teeth and charged forward despite several spearheads piercing straight through his body. He threw himself into the enemy ranks. Behind him, more and more Sui soldiers climbed onto the wall, forming small battle formations and steadily pushing outward in all directions. 

Mixed among them was Han Qinhu. Having discarded his long weapon, he drew the battle saber at his waist and, with a thunderous roar, beheaded an enemy with a single stroke.

Seizing the headless corpse, he used it as a shield and slammed into the spear formation ahead. The moment the forest of spears was thrown into disarray, his massive frame crashed into their ranks like a war chariot. His saber flashed repeatedly, carving bloody mists through the crowd. 

A Chen general rushed toward him. Han Qinhu turned, his eyes widening in fury. The muscles in his arms bulged taut, causing the scales of his armor to tremble apart. Raising his saber, he swept it through the sunlight and brought it down in a furious strike. 

With a wet slash, the charging general was cleaved cleanly in two, the halves of his body flying apart to either side. 

At the same moment, a mighty roar erupted, echoing across the city walls. 

“Long live the Great Sui!” 

Beneath the winter sun, flashes of steel and sprays of blood intertwined atop the walls. Countless figures clashed and surged through the chaos. Unceasingly, men screamed as they fell from the battlements, crashing heavily onto the streets within the city. 

The thunderous roar of war shook a city that had once been peaceful and prosperous. 

Terrified commoners barred their doors and shuttered their windows. Within the imperial city, anxiety hung heavy in the air. The young emperor sat upon the Dragon Throne in the Golden Luan Hall, looking at the civil and military officials below, none of whom dared even breathe too loudly. Disappointment filled his heart, and he slowly closed his eyes. 

Father Emperor… Jing’er has already done everything he could. 

After a long while, he opened his eyes and waved his sleeve toward the officials below. “You may all return home. Zhen wishes to rest for a while.” 

The ministers and generals of the late emperor’s generation had long since been devoured by demons. Those who had since been promoted were still unfamiliar with the duties of their own offices. Seeking counsel from them would accomplish nothing. Moreover, this was a war of annihilation between states; schemes and stratagems held little value here. 

“Your Majesty!” 

The white-haired Min Changwen’s lips trembled slightly as he called out in a low voice. “Your Majesty…” 

Chen Jing, who had already descended the imperial steps, turned his face slightly and looked at the old man whose eyes had reddened. Sorrow welled up within him. His own eyes became moist as well. Raising both sleeves, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply toward the loyal Minister. 

“Minister Min, take care of yourself.” 

“Your Majesty…” The old man drew a deep breath and bowed low. “…Take care of yourself.” 

Chen Jing straightened up and, accompanied by several eunuchs, turned away without looking back. He made his way through the side halls until he arrived at the Linchun Pavilion, where his mother resided. Dismissing the attendants, he pushed open the door and entered.

Inside, two bundles were stacked upon a round table. Zhang Lihua was kneeling before a household shrine, praying to the gods and Buddhas. Hearing footsteps, she turned around. When she saw that it was her son, a faint smile finally appeared on her face.

“Mother.” 

Chen Jing looked at the bundles on the table. His clenched fists trembled slightly. “The city has not yet fallen. Why have you already packed our belongings?” 

Zhang Lihua rose from before the shrine and walked to the bed. Pulling aside the canopy curtain, she took out a folded set of clothes. Dressed in plain, ordinary garments herself, she looked no different from a beautiful woman of the common folk. 

“Come. Change out of that dragon robe.” 

“Mother, Zhen asked why you have prepared to leave so early!” 

Chen Jing’s voice suddenly rose. With a sweep of his arm, he knocked the clothes from her hands onto the floor. “The city has not fallen yet. If Zhen leaves now, it will dishonor Father Emperor’s dignity!” 

Looking at the clothes scattered upon the ground, Zhang Lihua crouched down, picked them up, and pushed them into her son’s arms. 

“Put them on!” 

A trace of anger appeared on her exquisite face. 

“What dignity does your father still have? He was blind and deaf to the truth, raised demons at his side, and allowed them to devour the entire court. In the end, he was frightened to death himself. The disgrace of cowardice and incompetence can never be washed away. He is already dead—must you, his son, be buried alongside him as well?!” 

“Mother…” 

Chen Jing naturally understood the meaning behind those words. Looking at his mother—usually gentle and composed—now resembling a desperate beast protecting her young, he hesitated. 

At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. A eunuch’s sharp, hoarse voice cried out from beyond it: “Your Majesty, disaster! Word has come from outside the palace—the city wall has been breached—” 

The youth replied: “Zhen knows.” 

Then he looked at his mother. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the set of clothes and went behind a screen. After a rustling of fabric, he emerged. In the blink of an eye, the emperor had become a handsome young gentleman. 

“When your father built the Linchun Pavilion, he had a secret passage constructed. Jing’er, quickly, come with your mother.” 

Seeing that her son had changed his clothes, Zhang Lihua dared not linger. She handed him a bundle, slung another over her own shoulder, and pulled him toward a side chamber. There, she moved aside a floor-length painting filled with the vitality of spring, revealing a pitch-black opening. 

Mother and son crouched and entered, sliding down a rope into a hidden chamber on the lower level. 

The woman took out one of the Concealment Talismans that Lu Liangsheng had given them and handed one to her son. 

“Jing’er, do these talismans really work?” 

“Mr. Lu would never deceive us.” 

Chen Jing could not be entirely certain either. Looking at the yellow talisman in his hand, he pasted it onto his body. 

The instant it touched him, he vanished from Zhang Lihua’s sight. 

Startled, the woman hurriedly reached out to feel around. What met her hands was the touch of her son’s body and clothing. Only then did she relax. She promptly affixed the yellow talisman she held to her own chest. 

Outside, palace guards hurried past on anxious patrols. 

Beyond a cluster of flowers and verdant trees, an opening slowly appeared at the base of a wall. A moment later, it quietly closed again. 

A dry leaf cracked softly beneath a footstep. 

Two invisible figures crossed patches of sunlight, palace courtyards, and broad ceremonial roads, their path extending all the way beyond the palace gates. 

On the once-bustling main avenue, the sounds of slaughter and chaos grew ever clearer. 

The running footsteps came to a halt. 

From an empty stretch of street, an unseen gaze turned toward the city walls. 

Beneath the sunlight, one shrieking figure after another tumbled from the battlements. 

The city gates, once massive and unshakably solid, bulged inward and outward under repeated impacts. Dust and splintered wood filled the air. 

Along the long stone stairways inside the walls, Sui generals led their soldiers forward, driving back the crowded Chen defenders. Their swords flashing as they advanced inch by inch. 

Then, at a certain moment— 

Boom! 

With a deafening crash, the towering city gates burst open. 

Surging cavalry thundered onto the streets. Riders waved their weapons and shouted toward the houses and pavilions lining both sides of the roads. 

“The city has fallen! All law-abiding citizens are to remain indoors—!” 

Rumble, rumble, rumble! 

The sound of hooves racing across the ground was like rolling thunder as a vast black tide of cavalry split apart and flooded into the city’s streets and alleyways. 

At that moment— 

The entire city had fallen. 

Outside the city, the wind still carried the scent of blood. 

Standing atop a war chariot, Yang Su read through the latest battle report before casually tossing it to a personal guard. 

“Bring me a horse.” 

The battle had already been decided. There was no longer any need for his command. Stepping down from the chariot, he swung onto a warhorse and, accompanied by several guards, rode toward another section of the army. 

Near and far across the battlefield, banners fluttered in the wind. 

A young man sat atop a horse, absentmindedly flicking a riding whip. 

It was none other than Yang Guang. 

Upon seeing Yang Su galloping over, the youth immediately urged his horse forward to meet him. Though Yang Su was his elder, they were currently on campaign, where military protocol outweighed family etiquette. Yang Su quickly dismounted and offered a salute. 

“Duke of Qinghe, there is no need for such formality. I summoned you because I wish to ask whether you know the way to Mount Qixia. The Southern Dynasty is finished anyway, and the remaining matters can be left to the generals to earn their merits. Why don’t you accompany me on a trip to Mount Qixia?” 

The scene he had witnessed on the streets of Chang’an that day had remained vivid in his mind. For several nights afterward, he had been unable to sleep. Later, after learning of that man’s abilities and origins from Yang Su and his imperial father, he had eagerly volunteered to join the campaign against Southern Chen, all for the chance to meet him. 

If he could recruit such an extraordinary recluse for his father, then perhaps his standing in the Emperor’s eyes would rise even higher. 

At least, that was what he thought.