We Were Ready to Fight to the Death

The Northern Marquis's Residence.

Chong Houhu believed he had seen through every aspect of King Zhou's plan.

When the warning smoke rose, that would be the moment the traitors rebelled.

Thus, the instant King Zhou lit the beacon fire, he had packed his valuables and prepared to flee.

But before he could leave, Chong Heihu stopped him and told him that he had already mobilized the troops of Caozhou. They would reach Chaoge in a matter of days.

Chong Houhu realized that his younger brother was a clever man too, having seen through King Zhou's plan.

It did not matter that he himself could not command troops. His brother could!

Not only could Chong Heihu command troops, he could also wield magic. If Chong Houhu summoned his own forces and combined the two armies, they would be a considerable force.

King Zhou was wise and mighty, so he surely already had a contingency prepared. Still, the more reinforcements, the better.

Besides, this was a rare opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty.

The instant the beacon fire was lit, I, Chong Houhu, brought troops to defend the king. Surely that proves my wholehearted devotion!

With the troops nearly there and glory within reach that very day, Chong Houhu excitedly dragged Chong Heihu into his residence for a drink.

"My worthy brother, I have marched and campaigned for many years without ever suffering defeat. Yet I am already the Marquis of the North, and my achievements are so great they threaten to overshadow the sovereign. Still, my heart worries for His Majesty. I shall entrust these troops to you. You will surely keep His Majesty safe and purge Chaoge of its traitors."

Chong Houhu drained his cup and handed the Military Tally to Chong Heihu.

Chong Heihu accepted the Military Tally and said with a smile, "Rest assured, elder brother. I shall take that foolish king's dog head and bring it for you to admire."

Chong Houhu filled his cup and said, smiling, "With you taking action, worthy brother, I can rest-"

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically.

What are you saying?

"You?!"

"I am precisely one of those traitors in the city you spoke of, elder brother." Chong Heihu tucked the Military Tally into his robes. "Your troops are now rebels too."

"No, we are righteous men overthrowing a foolish king. How could we be rebels? Hahaha!"

"How dare you do this?" Chong Houhu tried to snatch back the Military Tally. King Zhou was wise and mighty and had long since made preparations. How could these men possibly succeed in their rebellion?

Chong Heihu possessed the magic of immortals. If the rebellion failed, he could disappear in a flash. But what about Chong Houhu?

The Northern Marquis's Troops participating in the rebellion was an indisputable fact. When the time came, wouldn't he...

He dared not continue that thought. To think that I, Chong Houhu, the illustrious Marquis of the North, whose wondrous calculations discerned King Zhou's intentions, would fall at my own brother's hands!

A thief within the household is the hardest to guard against!

Alas, what misery!

Chong Heihu remained seated. With a turn and a reach of his hand, he pinned Chong Houhu against the table, leaving him unable to move. "King Zhou is so foolish that even a wine sack and rice bag like you can occupy the lofty position of Marquis of the North, elder brother."

"The foolish king disrespects the Mandate of Heaven and attempts to defy Heaven itself. By overthrowing his rule, we merely follow Heaven's will!"

"This is the greater righteousness!"

Laughing loudly, Chong Heihu left the residence.

Able to stand again, Chong Houhu watched Chong Heihu's retreating back, glanced around, then raised his hand and tore a corner from his sleeve. He shouted himself hoarse, "I, Chong Houhu, acknowledge only the king, not Heaven! I honor only the king's commands, not the Mandate of Heaven! Chong Heihu is a rebel and no brother of mine. Today, I tear my robe to sever our bond. There shall be no brotherhood between us again!"

With that, he hurled the torn piece of sleeve to the ground.

The light scrap of fabric fluttered down, utterly lacking in force.

Unlike Chong Heihu, Chong Houhu was not a disciple of the Daoist School. Nor did he know that the Mandate of Heaven decreed Zhou's rise and Shang's fall. He knew only that King Zhou was an enlightened ruler and that his wealth and honors depended on him. Could Heaven give him food, drink, beautiful women, and fine wine?

Chong Houhu sat slumped on the floor for a while before struggling to his feet.

"I must enter the palace and report to His Majesty. This is no crime of mine!"

Zi Shou was playing a board game in the palace.

His opponent that day was Noble Consort Huang.

Her style was as bold and aggressive as ever. Worthy indeed of a military family's tigress daughter, she showed no mercy and held the initiative at every turn.

Zi Shou kept losing, but he was in an excellent mood.

Because that night was when his foolishness value would be tallied—and when the Feudal Lords would arrive to defend their king, only to discover they had been made fools of.

King Zhou, foolish and devoid of virtue!

Just then, Chong Houhu arrived with disheveled hair to make an urgent report: Chong Heihu, the Marquis of Caozhou, had rebelled and seized his Military Tally.

The army was outside Chaoge City, preparing to attack the capital.

Zi Shou sucked in a cold breath, utterly bewildered and at a loss, looking for all the world like the puppet Wu Yi had once fashioned from wood and clay, with an arrow flying in to pierce the pouch and send blood spilling out.

His heart was bleeding.

How could this happen?

Why had someone actually rebelled?

Making fools of the Feudal Lords with beacon fires...

If someone truly rebelled, where was the prank in any of this?

It would clearly mean King Zhou had seen through everything and foretold the future...

Were these rebels idiots?

Of all the times to rebel, why insist on waiting until the beacon fires were lit?

A day earlier or a day later, and it wouldn't have come to this!

Zi Shou thought it over carefully again. Perhaps having someone rebel was not necessarily a bad thing.

Though his beacon-fire prank on the Feudal Lords had failed, there were rebels!

Hadn't he waited so long for Su Hu precisely because he wanted Su Hu to rebel?

Now Su Hu had not rebelled, but Chong Heihu had-and even wanted to attack Chaoge. This was simply wonderful!

He could still salvage the situation!

To court!

The officials were summoned to court at once.

Zi Shou announced Chong Heihu's rebellion to everyone.

The ministers were alarmed. Why had Chong Heihu suddenly rebelled?

Grand Tutor Wen had led his army to Jizhou, leaving Chaoge short on defenders. This rebel army, combining the forces of the Marquis of Caozhou and the Marquis of the North, was a formidable enemy indeed!

Seeing the ministers pale with panic and flounder helplessly, Zi Shou, seated above them, seized the opportunity to suggest, "Why don't we relocate the capital and avoid the rebels' sharp edge for now?"

This was his plan to salvage things.

Look at the monarchs throughout history who had lost lands and territory. Which of them had a good reputation?

Moreover, unlike those monarchs forced to flee, Zi Shou was surrendering territory and power before the fighting had even begun. He proposed running without so much as defending the capital. What a spectacular coward!

The court officials all tried to dissuade him, many voicing complaints. What sort of conduct was this?

Listening to their words, Zi Shou felt indescribably delighted.

Then Senior General Lu Xiong spoke. He was the highest-ranking military officer remaining in Chaoge.

"We were ready to fight to the death. Why does Your Majesty flee first?"

Here, "flee" meant to run away.

Lu Xiong was saying that they were prepared to fight to the death against the enemy, so why was His Majesty about to run?

Hearing this, Zi Shou felt wonderful. This was a deafening challenge from a loyal minister, dissatisfaction straight from the heart!

Lu Xiong continued, "As your servants, we have always understood the duty of loyalty to our sovereign and service to our country. If Your Majesty does not believe us, I shall lead the troops to slay the enemy this instant. The rebels will have to tread over our corpses before they can enter Chaoge!"

"Why must Your Majesty use such a provocation? Though I am old, I do not fear battle!"

"Please remain at ease in the palace, Your Majesty. I shall surely bring you the enemy's head!"

"Nothing else-only a fight to the death!"

Lu Xiong clasped his hands in salute. A different sort of light shone in his eyes, clouded though they were with age.

He understood everything now. Everything that had happened thus far was His Majesty's scheme to force the traitors into the open. Even those stains on his reputation were probably nothing more than a deliberate effort to sully his own name.

If his guess was correct, His Majesty had long since prepared a contingency. Su Hu of Jizhou had no genuine intention of rebelling against Shang; he was merely playing his part and would soon arrive to defend the king.

With His Majesty acting so meticulously, why couldn't Lu Xiong step forward to fight and purge the court?

Provocation, was it? It really was.

Most of the military officers were rough men. This provocation stirred up their fierce courage.

"Only a fight to the death!"

"Only a fight to the death!"

"Only a fight to the death!"

One after another, they clasped their fists in salute, their shouts shaking the entire hall.

Among the assembled officials, Zi Qi lowered his head slightly.

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