Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 84 The Rapidly Degenerating Peasant Army

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Li Sheng turned his head and looked at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan stood there, like a withered tree.

"Ming Gong."

Li Sheng's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

"Shouldn't you take me to the Chen family's house by now?"

Chen Yuan's shoulders trembled violently.

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling several times, before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence.

"Li Sheng...you promised me..."

"I promised."

Li Sheng looked at him calmly.

"My lord, I don't want to make things difficult for you. But you and I both know that this trip is unavoidable. If you take me with you, the Chen family will suffer less. If you don't, I will still go, but then..."

Chen Yuan remained silent for a long time.

The sunlight from outside the lobby slowly crept in, illuminating his ashen face. He finally closed his eyes, and as if using all his strength, squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth.

"it is good."

……

Li Sheng led about ten Taiping soldiers, forcing Chen Yuan through two streets and alleys.

Turning the corner of the alley, the view suddenly opened up before me.

This area is the elite district of Xiapi City, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, high walls and deep courtyards, even more impressive than the county government office.

The residences of the four major families of Xiapi County—Chen, Xu, Zhou, and Wang—were all crammed into this area, with each family no more than an arrow's length apart. From the outside, each household appeared as a miniature fortress, with high walls and thick ramparts, a gatepost standing before the entrance, and a plaque hanging above the lintel.

At this moment, the entrances to these magnificent mansions were already filled with Taiping soldiers.

Li Shi stood ramrod straight against the wall opposite the Chen residence, one hand on the hilt of his sword, quietly instructing the squad leaders beside him. He was sturdy and had a square face. After these days of military training, he had shed his former peasant air and was now as firm as a rock.

Upon seeing Li Sheng approach, Li Shi strode forward to greet him, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.

"Brother Sheng."

"What's going on?"

Li Sheng stopped and scanned both sides of the street.

Li Shi's voice was deep and steady, like a stone landing on the ground.

"All four residences are surrounded, with guards at both the front and back gates, and the alleyway is blocked off. No one has entered or left since this morning."

Li Sheng nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"However, the people inside reacted quickly. Just as dawn broke, people from the Chen, Zhou, and Wang families tried to sneak out through the back door, but were blocked by the brothers. Now all the doors are bolted shut, and there are figures moving around on the walls, probably servants with knives and guns."

"A strong sense of resistance?"

"They are not weak," Li Shi replied truthfully. "Each family has its own retainers and servants, at least seventy or eighty people, and some even have crossbows. Some of our brothers have already been seriously injured. If we really launch a direct attack, our brothers will suffer losses."

Li Sheng hummed in response but did not speak immediately.

He turned his head and glanced at Chen Yuan behind him.

Chen Yuan stood a few steps away, head down, hands hanging at his sides, fingernails digging deeply into his palms.

"Ming Gong."

Li Sheng's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

"It's your turn."

Chen Yuan's shoulders trembled violently.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling several times.

He glanced at the tightly closed black lacquered gate of the Chen residence, then at Li Sheng's calm face, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down a few times.

"it is good."

His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

Under the soldiers' pressure, Chen Yuan strode forward, step by step, toward the door he had entered and exited countless times since childhood.

Each step was taken very slowly, as if a thousand-pound stone was tied to one's feet.

Li Sheng and his men followed behind, keeping a few steps away.

Chen Yuan stopped in front of the gate, raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally knocked on the door knocker.

"Thump, thump, thump."

There was no immediate response from inside the door.

After a while, a cautious voice, tinged with obvious tension, came from the crack in the door.

"Who?"

"it's me."

Chen Yuan's voice was hoarse.

There was a moment of silence inside the door, then the voice was filled with fear, as if confirming something.

"Family...owner?"

"Open the door."

no respond.

"Open the door!"

Chen Yuan closed his eyes.

There was another brief silence inside the door, followed by the sound of the latch being pulled.

With a "click," the heavy wooden door opened a crack, and an old servant's face peeked out from the gap.

He first saw Chen Yuan, his face lighting up with joy, his mouth opening as if to shout something. But the next moment, his gaze passed over Chen Yuan's shoulder and fell upon the Taiping soldiers standing below the steps, clad in armor and wielding weapons, and his expression changed drastically.

"Master...Master! This is—"

"Open the door."

Chen Yuan repeated himself, his voice even lower than before.

The old servant's hands were trembling. He looked back at the courtyard, then at Chen Yuan, hesitated for a long time, and finally opened the door.

The black lacquered gate creaked open, revealing a path paved with bluestone.

The moment the door opened, the Taiping soldiers behind Li Sheng did not hesitate at all. The front-line soldiers raised their wooden shields, stepped forward, and stood at the very front of the group.

Several soldiers followed closely behind, nocking their crossbows and sending arrows flying over the shoulders of the shield bearers in the front row, aiming deep into the tunnel.

A dozen or so figures suddenly appeared on either side of the screen wall at the end of the passageway.

Chen family servants.

They were clearly well-prepared. They had swords, shields, spears, and bows and crossbows.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate in the passageway.

They were only about ten paces apart; at that distance, a crossbow bolt could be fired at any moment.

The Taiping army's shield bearers remained motionless, while the archers in the rear steadily aimed at their opponents. No one spoke; only the taut strings emitted a faint creaking sound.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan closed his eyes briefly.

He took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, stood behind the Taiping Army's shield formation, and shouted towards the screen wall.

"Chen Fu, it's me."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the tense passageway.

There was a moment of silence behind the screen wall before the head servant's voice came through, trembling noticeably.

"Master... Master? What's going on? These villains... they..."

"Put down your weapons."

Chen Yuan interrupted him.

"Master!"

Chen Fu's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief.

"These people have broken into the mansion, they want to..."

"I know."

Chen Yuan's voice was hoarse, as if he had a handful of sand in his mouth.

"The county government office and the city gates have already been taken over by them. If we continue to resist, the Taiping soldiers under Chief Li will not let us go."

As Chen Yuan spoke, he glanced at Li Sheng standing to the side.

Li Sheng knew perfectly well that Chen Yuan was trying to sabotage him.

"Those inside, I, Li Sheng, as the leader of the Taiping Army, guarantee that as long as you lay down your weapons, no one will be in any danger."

The passageway remained quiet for a good five or six breaths.

Then, with a loud "bang".

Li Sheng waved his hand, and the Taiping soldiers filed in. The servants, attendants, and family members they encountered along the way were all kept under guard by the soldiers.

When the old patriarch of the Chen family, Chen Yuan's father, Old Master Chen, was helped out of the back hall by two soldiers, he was still confused. He was over eighty years old, hard of hearing, and had poor eyesight. He was helped to sit on the grand chair in the main hall, looking blankly at the soldiers in armor filling the courtyard.

"Yuan'er? What's wrong?"

He asked, his voice trembling.

Chen Yuan did not answer; he didn't even dare to look at his father.

Just as Li Sheng was about to order a search, a soldier outside the mansion ran quickly to Li Sheng's side.

"Brother Sheng, things are in chaos outside. Many leaders are leading their soldiers to plunder the city."