-A moment earlier.
Inner City, atop the gate tower.
County Magistrate Fang Maozhen watched the refugees surging below in a dense tide. Panic and worry flickered across his well-fed, carefully maintained face, and he could not help demanding of the West City commander beside him, "Didn't County Commandant Huang say these demonic cultivators would never amount to anything? How did they gather so many people all at once? Can the Inner City hold?!"
"Rest assured, County Magistrate Fang. Everything is just as the young master anticipated-"
The West City commander casually cut down an eight refinements demonic cultivator who had leaped onto the wall, then said calmly, "But before that, there is something you must do, Magistrate!"
"What?!"
Fang Maozhen watched the fighting erupting all along the walls, his heart trembling.
"Open the gates and let these demonic cultivators in!"
"Huh?!"
Fang Maozhen whipped his head around and stared at the West City commander in shock, wondering whether he had misheard.
"What are you saying?! Let them into the city? Wouldn't that be inviting wolves into our home?!"
Fang Maozhen generally left matters alone, but he was no actual idiot. He still possessed the basic competence of an official.
His usual hands-off governance might have smacked of dereliction, but even if he were held accountable, he would at worst be stripped of office.
But opening the gates and letting rebels into the city would be colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, a grave crime punishable by his death and his clan's extermination!
That was a charge he, Fang Maozhen, could not bear!
"I understand now-Huang Wenpeng wants me to take the blame for colluding with bandits and letting rebels into the city, so he can play the savior, wipe out the rebels, and claim great merit in suppressing