The Marquis Is Innocent - 161.2
Chapter 161.2
Liu Yan was supposed to feel as much fear as Liang Ji and the guards left around him. However, despair was the only thing left in his heart. From the end of last year, after the Xiongnu’s unsuccessful sneak attack on Yuyang, he knew he would fall into this situation eventually. It was just that he did not expect that this day would come so quickly.
“Quickly go! Bring all the islanders!”
Behind him came Su E Huang’s grieving voice. Liang Ji was stunned, then reacted and immediately ordered loudly. Those people were tied to prevent them from taking advantage of the night to rebel. Soon, the soldiers drove those people to knelt on the ground, accompanied with cries and wails.
Tonight the moonlight was bright and shining the whole island like a snowy night. Liu Yan saw a man of his age, surrounded by several generals, walking towards his direction under the white moonlight and the red fire.
In his life, his biggest and most hated enemy was Wei Shao.
Wei Shao had not only taken away his fiancée but also his world.
The funny thing was he never had the chance to meet his enemy.
Until this moment, he finally realized that the man marching toward him as a victor in the moonlight was the evil curse that Liu Yan could never exterminate in his life.
He stared at the man who was getting closer, his battle armor glittering with glowing red light, and a chill sensation ran through his body, causing his body to tremble slightly and uncontrollably.
“Kill-“
“Kill–“
In all directions, the high-pitched killing sounds mixed with the low sea waves and whistling night winds surged toward the high ground on the island.
The soldiers who had crossed the sea with Marquis Yan in their war canoes to chase them here were all boiling with fervor.
General Li Dian and General Green Eyes attacked and eliminated Chen Tianwang from the south and north. Chen Tianwang, a scourge from the south, had caused people terrified because of the cannibalism army. At the same time, Wei Shao led the army to Bing in Yuzhou, causing Gai Zhaoshi to surrender. Since then, like a crackerjack, his momentum won’t stop. Lujiang Song Ling, Jiangxia Liu Quan, etc., has surrendered successively.
In addition to the southern barbarians, the only two regimes left in the Central Plains were the Hanzhong Lezheng and the small court of Liu Yan.
Le Zheng brothers struggle internally, and Wei Shao could destroy Daliang in a few days. Liu Yan today was even closer to the eye, like a turtle in a jar.
Destroy Liu Yan, destroy Daliang, then unite the world. Establish a new kingdom in Nanshan, and a brand-new empire will stand up from the ruins, no longer need to suffer from the battle. How can one be not full of expectations with their blood boiling?
“Wei Rebel, listen! These islanders are innocent people. His Majesty did not want to make things difficult, but you are aggressive! If your soldiers come one step closer, I will kill all the islanders and fight you to death!” Liang Ji shouted with all his might towards Wei Shao, who was dozens of feet away. His words mixed with the sound of the islanders crying and begging behind him and scattered with the wind.
Wei Shao stopped in his tracks.
Gradually, Wei soldiers handed out orders, and soon, the surrounding clamor and killing sound quieted down.
“Immediately make way and send His Majesty to the ship–“
Liang Ji was agitated, waving the long sword in his hand as he continued to shout.
Lei Yan took an iron bow from a nearby archer and pulled the bow furiously. He penetrated the bow forcefully, and after aiming, he abruptly shot an arrow. The feathered arrow carried a whimpering sound piercing through the air and shot towards the distant figure on the high ground.
Liang Ji was hit by an arrow in the heart, screaming wildly, fell to the ground, and died.
“Liu Yan’s soldiers, listen to the order! My Lord knows that you have no choice but to follow the orders of others. Surrender at this moment, and he’ll pardon your sins! If you resist again, we will kill you!” Lei Yan’s voice was full of vigor, not angry but authoritative.
“Surrender!”
“Surrender!”
The soldiers in the four directions echoed in unison, their voices like thunder, shaking people’s ears.
Desperate and surrounded, the violent death of their Great General in front of them caused the last remaining guards completely collapsed. Under the sound urging them to surrender, they slowly retreated. A person suddenly turned around and knelt toward Wei Shao and the remaining followed suit.
Wei Shao soldiers cheered and continued toward the high ground.
Su E Huang’s face twisted. Her gaze was frantic, and she suddenly snatched a crying baby from a fisherwoman’s arms, raised the baby high, and hissed: “Wei Shao listen, if you do not let us go, I will drop this baby to death! Aren’t you afraid this baby’s unjustly dead spirit haunts your child?”
Lei Yan was furious. He said to Wei Shao, “This evil woman is vicious. I will shoot her to death first!”
Wei Shao looked at the crazy-looking Su E Huang and slowly shook his head.
Suddenly, Liu Yan, who stayed stiff at the side, seemed to back to life and said sternly: “Wei Shao! You took my wife and then took my world. You and I are irreconcilable! Today, I know I am no match for you, but to be defeated in your hands, I am not only unwilling but also unconvinced! You’re just using your father’s foundation to run the world. What do I have? Although I come from the royal family, there was no one to rely on. I only relied on my hard work! I hate God’s injustice! If I were like you and had a good foundation to rely on, why would I be in such a sorry state? I don’t want to make things difficult for these islanders! I’ll let them go, but do you dare to fight with me alone? If I fail to defeat you, I will die without complaint!”
Su Ehuang was shocked and turned back to scold angrily, “Liu Yan, you useless man! Are you crazy? If you want to die, don’t drag me down!”
Liu Yan, unheeding, yelled again, “Wei Shao, do you dare to answer my words?”
Wei Shao stared at Liu Yan’s figure in the moonlight for a moment, then suddenly laughed: “Why not?”
Beside him, Lei Yan and the Commander of the Navy were surprised and said, “Liu Yan is just a dying man! No need to use a bull’s knife to kill a chicken. My Lord is a man of gold. There is no need to fight!”
Wei Shao waved his hand and shouted, “All generals listen to my order! I will duel with Liu Yan. Whether I live or die is up to heaven. If I lose to him, he can leave on his own. You may not stop him!” When he finished speaking, he held his sword and strode towards an open space under the moonlight.
Liu Yan also held his sword, and in the vicious curses of Su E Huang behind him, he went towards the open space.
……
The moonlight was like water and the sound of waves lapping at the shore. The green blade was unsheathed, cutting out a cold sword. Liu Yan roared and charged toward Wei Shao on the opposite side. During these years, in addition to planning the big plan, he worked hard to practice swordsmanship.
Countless nights when Liu Yan closed his eyes, he would remember the day when Chen Rui pressed him with a halberd while he could only watch as he kidnapped Xiao Qiao. If only he could have today’s ability, that humiliating scene would never occur.
The humiliation and hatred that Wei Shao had brought to him was far greater than that of Chen Rui back then. His eyes were red, gritting his teeth, and using all his strength, he fought without regard for his life. Kill him! Even if they died together, it was also a fulfillment. However, the heavens seemed to satirize him, even at the last moment.
Liu Yan’s last crazy fantasy was cut short by Wei Shao’s sword. With an ear-splitting sound of metal cracking, the long sword in Liu Yan’s hand was twisted and broken. It split into three pieces and burst out, one of which pierced into Liu Yan’s left leg unexpectedly.
Liu Yan closed his eyes and opened them again. He saw Wei Shao standing before him with a long sword. Under the moonlight, his eyes glowed with a ghostly cold light, suddenly reminding Liu Yan of Suo Ming Wu Chang.
T/N: Suo Ming Wu Chang is an ancient romance novel written by Hao Yan. It was serialized in Tangyuan. It mainly describes the marriage between Jiao Jiao and Bai Ze in the past and present.
Liu Yan’s teeth began to tremble slightly. Just a few moments before, all the benevolence, sadness, anger, and courage that had sustained him in his duel with Wei Shao left him rapidly. He didn’t want to show fear, but at this moment, he suddenly regretted it. Perhaps Su E Huang was right, using the lives of the islanders as blackmail, and maybe he could still escape and have a chance to make a comeback later. Such a thought flashed in his heart.
But before this thought could take shape, there was a stabbing pain in his chest, and the long sword in Wei Shao’s hand had already pierced into his heart. He could feel the sharp blade, which emitted a deathly aura, pierce his clothes and flesh.
“Man Man is my fiancée …… The world is my Liu family s world …….”
He stood straight, his face pale, and squeezed out trembling words.
Wei Shao looked indifferently at his agonized face, the blade of the sword accurately inserted into the middle of the two ribs, slowly stabbing towards the lump protecting a beating heart, inch by inch, stopping for a moment just as the tip of the sword was about to touch that lump.
“Liu Yan.” Wei Shao’s icy voice drifted into Liu Yan’s ears.
“I dare not say that I, Wei Shao, have any virtue or ability to be more worthy of Man Man than you, more qualified than you to be the emperor of this world. But there is one thing that I will never do; to take the risk against world opinion for the sake of one’s interests, to collude with the Xiongnu, and use the Han people’s land for the foreign race.”
“Although you call yourself the emperor of the Han Dynasty, in my eyes, you are nothing. I crossed the sea and chased you here because if I don’t kill you with my own hands, I won’t be satisfied!” Before the words left his mouth, he exerted force, and the blade pierced and came out through his back.
Liu Yan held tightly over his chest where blood poured. His eyes were wide open, his mouth gasped, and his body trembling violently.
Wei Shao drew his sword, and as hot blood spurted from the tip of the sword, Liu Yan let out a loud cry and fell to the ground on his back.
Wei Shao lowered his head slightly, his face expressionless, and looked at the spasming body of Liu Yan on the ground.
When the body stopped moving, he closed his eyes and exhaled. He opened his eyes again and cast his eyes towards Su E Huang, who was sitting paralyzed on the ground.
Su E Huang’s hair was disheveled, the hem of her skirt was full of sludge, and she was still holding the crying baby in her hand. Under Wei Shao’s incomparably grim gaze, she subconsciously crawled back, retreated a few steps, struggled to get up, and turned around to run away, but the soldiers blocked her way.
She suddenly lost her voice and cried in pain, kneeling and crawling towards Wei Shao, trembling and stretching out that sludge-stained hand, grabbing his ankle.
“‘Er Lang! I know I am wrong! I was blinded and did something worse than a dog or pig! But what I did was out of my love for you! Er Lang, you have already punished me heavily before. Please forgive me for the sake of our relationship! –“
She looked up at Wei Shao, tears rolling down her cheeks, and her mask was twisted and distorted.
Wei Shao slowly leaned down. His hand probed towards her cheeks and suddenly grabbed her mask. He squeezed it, and the mask quickly deformed in his palm, becoming a ball.
Su E Huang screamed, panicked to cover her face with her sleeve.
Wei Shao stared at her expressionlessly, spreading out his five fingers, and with a poof, the gold mask ball fell to the ground.
Wei Shao turned around and left in stride.
“Listen up, all the villagers, the Central Plains have been stabilized. The world has returned to harmony, and there will be no more wars in the future! If you are willing to return to your hometown, you can take the Lord’s warship and go ashore together!” Lei Yan ordered the soldiers to untie the ropes binding the islanders and said.
The islanders did not dare to believe it at first. But soon, excitement filled their faces. After exchanging words for a while, they rushed to Wei Shao. They knelt and shouted for thanks, helping each other, rushing back to their homes to pack the household goods, and boarding the warships to leave the island to return to their hometowns.
……
At midnight, Xiao Qiao suddenly woke up and felt upset, as if something happened. With a touch of her hand, she met the sleeping Fei Fei. Xiao Qiao leaned towards her daughter’s warm, soft body and pressed her face to her daughter’s. Her nostrils filled with her daughter’s milky scent, and she felt her mood settle down again.
Once again, her eyes closed.
Wei Shao should be back soon—
Before sleeping through the night, such a feeling was born in her heart.