The Northern Song imperial palace was divided into an inner and an outer enclosure. The outermost enclosure had also been designed as a defensive structure for emergencies, with gate towers from which defenders could hold their ground.
In the dead of night, tens of thousands of troops besieged the palace, sealing off all four sides of the inner palace so tightly that not even water could have passed through.
A seemingly endless sea of torches lit everything up as bright as day.
"Report! Commander, word has come from Lord Gao. None of our people remain in the palace. He hopes you will send your troops against the main entrance at Xuande Gate, while the other armies break in through the other three gates."
Facing the imperial city's moat from a distance, Qin Jingzhong sat on horseback listening to the orders, his gaze already fixed on the tower above Xuande Gate.
There, the Palace Front Army, also part of the Imperial Army, stood ready for battle. Unfortunately, their numbers were rather sparse.
To begin with, the palace had only three thousand Palace Front Army soldiers and the guards at its four gates, fewer than twenty thousand men in all.
When Xu Xiao had stormed into the palace and gone on a killing spree that evening, many had been so terrified by the slaughter that they had scattered like birds and beasts.
Some had even seen that things were going badly and defected to the empress dowager early on. While the young emperor and his people weren't paying attention, they had quietly slipped out of the city with Empress Dowager Gao's faction.
Of those still inside the inner palace, only the most loyal soldiers and the eunuchs who couldn't escape remained.
Fewer than ten thousand could actually take the field and fight.
Meanwhile, the rebels outside had no fewer than twenty thousand troops stationed near each of the palace's four gates. In this battle, their numbers were utterly overwhelming.
"They've given us the hardest bone to gnaw, but we needn't fear it. I've long wanted to test the strength of this Palace Front Army, supposedly the strongest force in the Imperial Army. Today, I'll finally get my wish."
Qin Jingzhong understood the situation as clearly as if he were looking into a mirror. Though he had been mobilized by the empress dowager's decree, he was ultimately just an outsider.
The great clans and high court officials were the core of this rebellion, and they would reap the greatest rewards afterward.
But there was nothing he could do. This was the Great Song, after all-the Great Song that revered the civil and slighted the martial. What could he do about it?
"Pass down my orders. Set up the siege engines, eight-ox crossbows and fire cannon (catapults that launched incendiary projectiles). Give it everything we have, and strive to breach the palace within one shichen."
"When the time comes, I'll personally tell the empress dowager of everyone's achievements and secure a hefty share of merit for us."
"Yes, sir!"
The generals acknowledged their orders.
Immediately afterward, the officers and soldiers of the Pangri and Tianwu armies followed their commanders' orders and began deploying for an assault on a fortified city.
Before long, several siege engines had been assembled, and the eight-ox crossbows, fire cannon, and other devastating weapons of war were ready.
"All troops, hear my order! Storm the palace, slay the traitors, and cleanse the emperor's side! The first to enter the city will be rewarded with a hundred gold!"
"Kill!!"
Great rewards brought forth brave men, all the more so with the banner of cleansing the emperor's side to rally under.
The ordinary soldiers and lower-ranking officers didn't know what they were doing. As long as their superiors gave them a suitable reason, that was enough.
Rebellion and cleansing the emperor's side were different names for the same deed.
Often, a name was nothing more than a fig leaf.
Unlike the rebels, whose morale was high, the Palace Front Army atop Xuande Gate consisted of truly loyal subjects, men who understood everything yet were still willing to remain in the palace and serve faithfully.
But as they watched the soldiers charging toward them with a roar, the siege engines creeping forward bit by bit, and the ranged weapons poised to fire, their morale sank lower and lower.
"Why are you all hanging your heads? Have you forgotten who we are? We are the Palace Front Army. We exist to protect His Majesty and guard the Son of Heaven."
"Just because these rebels outnumber us, should we be afraid? Should we lose our nerve?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man with graying temples and a less than imposing build.
He was Zhao Hu, the palace's Chief Commander of the Palace Front Army and the officer in charge of it.
Zhao Hu had not originally borne the surname Zhao. The previous emperor had bestowed it upon him as a reward for his loyalty.
That was why, even knowing that someone was plotting a rebellion and that he would have to cooperate with the butcher who had slaughtered the Palace Front Army, Zhao Hu remained unwavering in his support of the throne.
His family had received imperial favor for generations; only death could repay it!
It was precisely because of people like him that the Zhao Song empire, corrupt and rotten as it was, could still secure a place in history.
"They have no way out now. If you're men, take up your weapons and fight for His Majesty!"
After saying this, Zhao Hu took a powerful bow from a guard beside him, nocked an arrow, and drew the string.
Twanging!
The bow curved like a full moon, and the arrow streaked like a meteor. It pierced a soldier advancing in the distance, then, without losing momentum, punched through two more behind him.
In this world of martial arts, not only did people of the jianghu practice martial arts, but those in the army did as well.
The two simply trained in different ways. People of the jianghu focused on inner Qi and techniques, excelling at fighting alone.
Military martial arts, on the other hand, focused on forging physical strength and practicing external arts, as well as training in formations for surrounding and killing enemies and methods of attack.
One on one, people of the jianghu had a slight edge. But once caught in a military formation, even an expert like the Sweeper Monk would be worn down and killed if held in place.
Each side had its strengths. Of course, there were also experts who cultivated both internal and external arts, like General Qin, whom Xu Xiao had killed earlier, but they were far too few.
After hearing Zhao Hu's encouragement and seeing his deadly arrow, the soldiers beside him felt their blood set ablaze as well.
One after another, they roared, "For the Son of Heaven!" and drew their bows, sending arrows down like rain.
The rebel soldiers advanced through the rain of arrows, leaving corpses strewn along the way.
"Trying to compete with us in archery? You're courting death!"
Qin Jingzhong waved his hand, and the formation waiting before him launched its ranged attack.
Thump!
A true volley of ten thousand arrows rose from their position, a vast, dark mass hurtling toward the tower above Xuande Gate.
"Take cover!"
Zhao Hu roared like a tiger, then pulled a shield over his head and crouched beneath the parapet.
"Keep going! Don't stop! Fire the cannon too."
Qin Jingzhong gave the order from horseback.
Immediately afterward, the catapults' ropes were cut, launching flaming spheres into the air.
The fireballs traced arcs through the sky, trailing a succession of howls.
Damn it, fire cannon!
Zhao Hu, a veteran of many battlefields, felt his heart tremble.
Fire cannon projectiles exploded and burned when they struck buildings. Ordinary defenses were completely useless against them.
He had never imagined that these rebels would be so deranged as to use such devastating weapons in their attack on the imperial palace.
As the howling grew more urgent in his ears, Zhao Hu's heart bled.
Once they landed, who knew how many of his men would die?
But after he waited a moment, there was no sound of explosions. Instead, a man's mocking laugh reached his ears.
"So this is how you guard the gate for the Son of Heaven? By hiding behind the city wall?"
It's that guy!
Hearing the voice, Zhao Hu looked up and saw a man floating above the tower of Xuande Gate.
The flaming spheres had all been frozen in midair and were slowly revolving around him. Illuminated by their firelight, he looked like a god.
"Military Command Commissioner!" Zhao Hu recognized the man before him at a glance.
"Oh? You're the first official to address me by my title. Not bad, not bad." Xu Xiao was in a good mood.
Tonight, he would establish his image as an invincible figure under heaven right here.
At the thought of what he was about to do, he couldn't help wanting to get started sooner.
The only pity was that it was the dead of night, and probably not many people would remember his heroic bearing.