Seeing the situation was turning grim, Cao Tian reacted quickly. He immediately sought out the two brothers from the Liang Family Martial Arts Hall who were stationed there. He used his authority as a Small Banner Officer of the Prison Control Department to propose a joint operation.
In his view, the solution to dealing with this Rebel Army was simple: assassinate their leader in the midst of the fray!
Assassinate the Rebel Leader right in the middle of his chaotic army!
Without a leader, the rest of the Rebel Army would become a disorderly mob and naturally scatter.
The two Liang Brothers exchanged a glance and nodded. "Actually, even if Lord Cao hadn't suggested it, we intended to help. That Rebel Leader has the blood of our Liang Family on his hands. A blood debt must be paid in blood!"
The news of Liang You's death had already reached the Liang Family. The Liang Brothers didn't know who exactly had killed Liang You, but they knew they couldn't go wrong blaming the Rebel Leader.
The two sides came to an agreement almost instantly.
They immediately grabbed their weapons and prepared to carry out their decapitation strike.
Fortunately, the Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department who had gone after Li Chang'an a few days prior had done so on a secret assassination mission. Cao Tian and the Liang Brothers knew nothing of it.
Otherwise, a decapitation strike would be the last thing on their minds.
They would have been scared out of their wits and fled as far away as possible.
...
As the Rebel Army drew closer, the private soldiers within the Yan Residence felt a growing anxiety. Nevertheless, they leaned over the walls and loosed volley after volley of arrows.
Their archery was nothing special, but at this range, they had a good chance of hitting a target even if they fired with their eyes closed.
Coupled with how lethal arrows were against unarmored soldiers...
After one volley, a dozen or so rebels fell. Most were only wounded, but a few unlucky bastards were hit in vital spots and died instantly.
The soldiers who were hit fell to the ground, becoming stumbling blocks for those behind them, causing the rapidly advancing Rebel Army to fall into temporary chaos.
Dust billowed outside the residence.
Seeing this, the once-anxious private soldiers felt their spirits soar, their fear subsiding significantly.
War is violence, a gene etched into the very bones of humanity.
Before a battle starts, both sides might have wavering morale due to various factors.
But once the fighting starts and blood is drawn...
...the violent element hidden deep within the human genome is activated. Fueled by adrenaline, even the most docile and cowardly person will start swinging their longsword in a frenzy.
Seeing the perfect opportunity, the veteran soldier commanding from the wall roared at the top of his lungs, "Draw your bows! Nock your arrows! For every member of the Rebel Army you kill, Master Yan will reward you with one silver tael!"
The stench of blood and dust hung in the air, as heavy and oppressive as storm clouds overhead.
Spurred on by the promise, the private soldiers felt a fire ignite within them. The archers drew their bows once more.
CREAK!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
It was another volley.
This volley contained even more arrows than the last.
The Rebel Army had just managed to reform their lines. Now, seeing a fresh volley of arrows flying toward them, fear crept onto every face.
If not for the fearless elite troops at the vanguard continuing to lead the charge, the Rebel Army would likely have collapsed into complete disarray.
Seeing this, Li Chang'an, who was charging in the middle of the formation, sighed and muttered to himself, 'It's just as I thought. An army with no spiritual faith, no rigorous training, and no strong organization is nothing but a rabble!'
He had already secured a massive advantage for the Rebel Army.
He had only wanted to hold back at the final moment, to give the Rebel Army a chance to prove themselves and gain some experience.
Yet he never imagined that in the face of a single volley from private soldiers, the massive, swarming Rebel Army would descend into chaos all on its own!
With this level of combat prowess, forget rebelling against the Yaoqing Imperial Court—they probably couldn't even handle the local landlords around Fengzhou.
However, while the Rebel Army's incompetence was unexpected, upon further reflection, it actually made sense.
After all, while Wang Su was quite capable, his true profession was a Daoist, not a battle-hardened general!
Ask him about seeking immortality and the Way, and he might have an answer or two. But ask him to whip an army into shape? Wasn't that just demanding the impossible of him?
'After this battle, a top-to-bottom reorganization is a must!'
As he mulled over his next steps, Li Chang'an stomped a foot and leaped into the air, appearing in the sky like a great roc spreading its wings.
"Back!"
Li Chang'an flicked his sleeve, and a blast of Qi Force erupted from his body, scattering the volley of arrows in every direction.
Witnessing this godlike display, every member of the Rebel Army erupted with excitement.
"Taiping! Taiping!"
The crowd roared in unison, their panicked state giving way to a newfound calm.
Taiping was the name Li Chang'an had chosen for the Rebel Army, representing the wish for 'Great Peace Under Heaven.' While not every member had yet embraced this ideal, it had at least become a spiritual pillar for some.
They weren't just rebelling; they were fighting for Great Peace Under Heaven!
...
Inside the Yan Residence, Cao Tian and the two Liang Brothers watched this scene unfold, their expressions turning strange.
They never would have dreamed that Li Chang'an would waste so much Qi on a group of mud-legs.
The Liang Brothers, in particular, couldn't help but blurt out, "Isn't he afraid of running out of Qi and getting hacked to pieces by the mob?"
Without a doubt, in the eyes of the three men, this act was nothing short of a death wish.
The three of them exchanged a glance, a cold, mocking light in their eyes.
Cao Tian, who was in charge, immediately gave the order. "Keep firing! Don't stop! Loose every arrow you have! Let's see how many volleys his Qi can block!"
At his command, the private soldiers atop the high walls began to fire madly at Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an, for his part, met every arrow. No matter how many were loosed, any that he deemed a threat were sent flying by his Qi.
The few that made it past him landed harmlessly, threatening no one.
In the crowd, Xiong Er stared up at the godlike figure of Li Chang'an in the sky. His eyes burned, his pupils filled with adoration and yearning.
He had always admired the strong.
But he revered a powerhouse like Li Chang'an even more—one who would step forward at a critical moment to become a guardian for the weak!
Taking a few deep breaths, his blood boiling, he charged forward to lead the way. "Our leader is using his skill to block the enemy!" he roared. "Everyone, charge!"
Hearing his cry, the Rebel Army's morale surged. The tide of men became a swarm of locusts, hurling themselves recklessly at the high wall.
The private soldiers tried to fight back, but every projectile they hurled was blocked by Li Chang'an one way or another. Furthermore, the courtyard wall had already been blasted open by a cannon. The outnumbered private soldiers stood no chance against the Rebel Army's tidal wave of an assault.
The Rebel Army poured through the breach in the wall and flooded into the grand courtyard of the Yan Mansion.
At this point, having lost their positional advantage, the private soldiers were all but finished. With their overwhelming numbers, the Rebel Army could have drowned the three hundred-odd men in spit alone.
Seeing this, Li Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief.
'If the Rebel Army's first battle isn't a decisive victory after all this effort,' he thought, 'then I might as well give up all face and have my name struck from the ranks of transmigrators!'
Just then, three figures shot out from the courtyard. Ignoring the Rebel Army soldiers at their feet, they charged straight toward Li Chang'an.
A cold smile touched Li Chang'an's lips. He cracked his knuckles. "I was starting to wonder if you cowards had already run away," he said. "So, you finally couldn't resist serving yourselves up on a platter?!"
...