Chapter 123: A Fateful Turn as the Rebels Arrive

Kong Sheng took exactly thirty-five steps.

Li Xuan stood just outside the arched gateway, watching him intently as he approached step by step. She tried to discern something hidden in his gait, yet his steps were so steady and forceful, showing not a hint of panic or tension.

Li Xuan’s expression remained unchanged, cold and filled with lethal intent. Deep down, however, she was truly shocked and bewildered. Was this young thief truly unafraid of death? Knowing he was doomed, with nowhere to hide his corpse, he remained composed and graceful. This could no longer be measured by conventional wisdom or common reasoning.

Li Xuan remained silent, but this very silence only served to heighten the chilling atmosphere of the cold, wintry night and the impending execution.

She slowly raised her arm.

Kong Sheng suddenly stopped and offered her a faint smile. That smile was so calm and sincere that for a fleeting moment, Li Xuan felt dazed. She began to doubt her own decision: was it right or wrong to eliminate a young man with whom she had no prior grievances, just like this, without hesitation?

Li Xuan rarely doubted her own decisions or judgments. This was an unprecedented occurrence.

Mu Changfeng and the two brothers, Wu Xian and Wu Jie, already had their hands on the hilts of their blades, their hands trembling slightly from nervousness.

"Are you not afraid?" Li Xuan’s ethereal voice drifted into Kong Sheng’s ears.

Kong Sheng smiled. "I am. But what use is fear?"

"Since you fear death, then why..." Li Xuan offered a cold smile.

"Because there is something more terrifying than death." Kong Sheng stood there, smiling brightly. The calm in his eyes left the surrounding ambushers stunned.

Li Xuan was silent, her raised hand unmoving. "Then I apologize, little thief. You may go to your death with grace!"

But just as Li Xuan finished speaking, the thunderous sound of horses’ hooves and the chaotic noise of footsteps, shouts, and neighing erupted outside the Wang Family Fort. Li Xuan’s face changed abruptly. Her willow-leaf eyebrows knit together as she shouted, "Stop! Go and scout at once! See what has happened!"

The archers, previously poised to strike, remained in their positions, while the swordsmen hidden in the shadows surged out, converged, and rushed out of the manor to climb the ramparts of the fort.

A moment later, a rugged soldier sprinted over and reported in a low voice, "Princess, a band of rebel soldiers has arrived outside the fort gate. They are flying the banners of the Yan army and number in the hundreds. It appears they retreated from the direction of Huanggang and are now gathering outside the fort, shouting for an attack."

Li Xuan’s expression shifted. She took a deep breath and ordered, "Mobilize everyone! Get to the ramparts, seal the gates, and prepare to defend against the rebels!"

The situation was dire. Li Xuan waved her hand, no longer concerned with Kong Sheng and his companions. She led her men away in a rush. With the limited manpower available in the fort, she had to abandon the ambush in the courtyard for the moment to prioritize the defense of the fortress.

Mu Changfeng was overjoyed, having thought they were facing certain death, only to see the situation shift dramatically, offering them a chance at survival. He lowered his voice and said, "Young Master, shall we take advantage of the chaos and break out of the fort?"

"No, let’s go and see for ourselves. They have sealed the gates; we cannot force our way out. Besides, the situation outside is unclear, and rushing out would likely lead to our deaths." Kong Sheng shook his head and led the way with long, steady strides.

The three men hesitated for a moment before following closely behind.

The entire Wang Family Fort was a scene of clamor, with gongs ringing out. All the able-bodied men were mobilized, running from all corners of the fort with thunderous footsteps toward the walls. Once outside the manor, Kong Sheng realized this was no mere private residence; it was a miniature city with formidable defenses. It possessed all the necessary fortifications, and it was clear that the Wang family had built it up over generations to a scale not unlike that of a small town.

The walls were crowded with heads. In this time of crisis, everyone capable of moving had been called up; at a rough glance, Kong Sheng counted three or four hundred people. At the very front stood a line of archers dressed in black.

In the open space outside the fort, a disorganized band of rebels stood, holding torches that flickered like stars. Some were on horseback, others wielded steel blades, all shouting and hurling insults.

Li Xuan, tightly guarded by a dozen attendants, peered gloomily at the undisciplined rebels below. Seeing the Yan army’s banners, she felt deep suspicion. The Wang Family Fort was close to the north of the river; even if small bands of An Lushan’s rebels came to raid Chuzhou, they rarely reached this far. How could they be so bold as to gather such a force and openly attack the fort?

What worried her even more was that the merchant and grain convoy led by Li Biao was due to arrive soon. With these rebels appearing suddenly, would they... if Li Biao’s hundred men and Zhang Zhao’s few dozen cavalry encountered them, could they hold their ground?

Li Xuan caught a glimpse of Kong Sheng and his three companions arriving on the ramparts, but she was too preoccupied with her worries to spare them a thought. In any case, the gates were sealed, and with rebels outside, Kong Sheng could not escape even if he wanted to.

Kong Sheng stood at the edge of the ramparts, looking down at the rebels who lacked any semblance of military discipline. This was his first face-to-face encounter with An Lushan’s rebel forces, and his impression was poor. He understood, however, that An Lushan’s main cavalry force could not be a rabble like this. These stragglers were likely just here to loot the wealth of the Chuzhou salt fields, unrelated to the main army.

"Brother Mu, looking at them—exhausted and disheveled—it seems they just fought a battle and retreated from the direction of Huanggang. And since Nangong Wang’s Hongze water bandits guard Huanggang, could it be..." Kong Sheng’s gaze sharpened. "Could it be that the Hongze bandits were defeated by these rebels? Or did Nangong Wang simply abandon Huanggang to the looters and retreat to Hongze Lake to hide?"

Mu Changfeng nodded. "Young Master, my instinct tells me Nangong Wang would not allow these rebels to raid his lair at Huanggang. If they had engaged in battle, the rebels are numerous, and the water bandits might not be a match for them. But since they have retreated here, I suspect they gained nothing from Nangong Wang, or they wouldn't be attacking the Wang Family Fort in the middle of the night."

"Listen, people on the ramparts! Open the gates immediately and let our army in to rest, or we will slaughter you all and leave no one alive!" a burly, bearded rebel commander shouted, waving his long spear.

The rebels under his command broke into jeers and threats. Some of the ruder men even turned toward the walls, loosening their armor to urinate in a show of provocation.

Li Xuan was incensed. "How shameless! Someone, pass the order: archers, prepare!"

The men retreated to the side, and fifty or sixty archers rushed to the wall, drawing their bows. At Li Xuan’s command, arrows rained down, flashing with cold light in the night sky, sending the rebels below into chaos and wails.

The rebel commander, furious, waved his spear and ordered his men to retreat several dozen yards.

On the ramparts, Kong Sheng’s brows slowly furrowed. The walls of the Wang Family Fort were high and sturdy, easy to defend and hard to attack. Since the rebels relied primarily on cavalry and had no siege equipment, it would be difficult for them to take the fort in the short term.

If this dragged on, the most likely outcome was that the rebels would eventually withdraw. But once the threat of the attack was neutralized, he and his companions would once again face Li Xuan’s blades.

He had hoped to find a chance to slip out during the chaos, but there was only one gate, and the rebels were blocking it. How could they escape?

After a night of turmoil, the rebels continued to shout and launch several unsuccessful attacks throughout the night, only to be repelled by Li Xuan’s archers and the logs and stones dropped from the walls. Having left dozens of corpses behind, the rebels retreated in disarray to set up camp in the open field less than a mile from the fort, signaling their intent to lay siege until they achieved their goal.

As the first light of dawn began to gray the sky, Li Xuan, who had spent the entire night directing the defense, was exhausted but could not leave. She was increasingly worried; by her calculations, Li Biao’s caravan would be arriving soon. If the rebels remained, and if there were any reinforcements, the consequences for the grain convoy would be unimaginable.

In her subconscious, Li Xuan would rather abandon this secret stronghold and let the rebels loot the property than see the grain convoy lost.

"Princess, please go back to your room and rest for a while," a maid said softly.

Li Xuan turned wearily, only to notice that Kong Sheng and his companions were no longer on the ramparts. Her expression flickered. "Where are that little thief Kong Sheng and his three men?"

Behind her, Li Hu and Li Bao appeared. "Reporting to the Princess, the four of them retreated from the ramparts and have returned to the courtyard where they are staying. They have not made any suspicious moves. We have men watching them, so please be at ease."

There was only one gate to the fort, and it had been tightly sealed by Li Xuan’s orders. With the rebels raging outside, unless the four of them grew wings, they had nowhere to run and could only remain in the fort, waiting for their end.

Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "You two stay on the ramparts and keep a close watch on the rebels. If there is any movement, report to me immediately!"

Li Xuan walked slowly down from the ramparts.

She went directly back to her bedroom in the manor. Having stayed up all night, she needed a brief sleep. As for the rebels outside, she believed they were not a serious threat; although they were numerous, as long as she kept the gates closed, they could do nothing to the fortress in the short term.

Since this was close to the north of the river, the rebels dared not stay for long; at most, they would linger for two or three days before retreating. The danger of the siege would then be resolved.

As for the four men she had under surveillance in the manor, she had no time to worry about them for now, nor did she care to. As long as they couldn't escape, they were like ants in her palm, to be crushed or spared at her whim.

Of course, with the rebels besieging the fort, it was not the time to deal with Kong Sheng. With an external enemy at the gates, any internal strife could lead to a disaster that no one could afford.