bayedsolid Chapter 1940: The Destruction of the Aristocratic Family
Chapter 1940: The Destruction of the Aristocratic Family
When Ran Ming led the army, holding torches, and rushed to the gate of Cui Mansion like an iron stream, surrounding this luxurious mansion tightly, there was a commotion in the mansion.
"People inside, listen!"
A captain with a booming voice from the Chu army stepped forward and shouted, "Your family master, Cui Yan, has disobeyed the emperor's will and has been executed by His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty has commanded us to exterminate the rebels! Open the gates and surrender immediately to avoid death! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"
In response, he was met with a sparse barrage of arrows shot from the wall, and a roar from within:
"Don't even think about it! The Cui family only has retainers who have been beheaded, not cowards who surrender! Revenge for the master!"
Obviously, the news of Cui Yan's death and the stimulation of hanging his head have driven the people in the mansion into despair and madness, and they have chosen the most intense resistance.
"Stubborn!"
Ran Ming touched his bald head that was reflected in the torch, and a cruel and excited smile appeared on his face.
"Knock it out of my way!"
The battering ram that had been prepared long ago was carried by dozens of strong Chu soldiers.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ground began to pound violently against the heavy vermilion lacquered door.
The latch groaned under the strain.
At the same time, the archers in the Chu army also began to shoot upwards towards the top of the wall to suppress the enemy's arrows.
Some of the more agile ones even used tools such as flying hooks to try to climb the high walls by force.
The eight hundred troops of Cui Mansion did put up a tenacious resistance. Arrows, rolling logs, and stones fell from the top of the wall, causing some casualties to the attacking Chu army.
From time to time, sounds of weapons clashing and screams of death could be heard from inside the mansion. These were the fierce battles between the Chu soldiers who were trying to climb over the wall and the guards inside the mansion.
However, this resistance seemed so pale and powerless in front of the Chu regular army, which was well-trained, well-equipped, had an absolute advantage in numbers, and had just experienced the baptism of a war.
In just a stick of incense, accompanied by a loud cracking sound, the door of Cui Mansion was slammed open!
"kill--!"
Ran Ming took the lead, waving the big knife that was still dripping with blood, and rushed in first like a tiger into a flock of sheep.
The Chu soldiers behind him rushed in like a flood that broke through a dam.
The following battle was almost a one-sided massacre.
Although the resistance in the palace was fierce, it lacked unified command and effective formation. It quickly collapsed under the tactics of the Chu army's elite soldiers to attack in formation and divide and surround.
The spears were like a forest, the swords flashed like snow, and every swing brought up a rain of blood.
The sounds of crying, begging for mercy, the clashing of weapons, and the wails of the dying replaced the stringed instruments and the chanting of scholars that used to be here.
The magnificent pavilions and towers became battlefields, precious calligraphy and paintings and antiques were trampled in pools of blood, and corpses lay among the rockery and flowing water.
Ran Ming personally led his men to attack the inner house, and no one was left alive, regardless of gender, age or status, as long as they were descendants of the Cui family or core servants.
He strictly followed Chu Ning's order to "eradicate them completely" and wanted to completely extinguish any spark of revenge with blood.
The battle that took place in the deep courtyard of the noble family lasted less than half an hour before gradually subsided.
When Ran Ming walked out of the Cui Mansion gate again, holding the bloody sword, flames shot up into the sky behind him.
The soldiers were ordered to burn the bodies and the mansion buildings that could not be taken away and symbolized the glory of the Cui family.
Eight hundred members of the Cui clan, along with the main Cui clan members and trusted servants in the palace, were almost all killed.
The Chang'an branch of the Qinghe Cui family, which had been prominent for hundreds of years, was completely physically wiped out that night.
And this is just the beginning.
Ran Ming's gaze has already been cast on the next target in the city - the residence of the Taiyuan Wang family.
This night in Chang'an City is destined to be dyed red with more blood and flames.
Chu Ning's iron fist is clearing away the last barriers of the old era in the most cruel way.
The night was as dark as ink, but Chang'an City was as bright as day. Fire and blood became the main theme of this thousand-year-old capital tonight.
Ran Ming was like a judge from the underworld, holding a butcher knife and leading his murderous army to carry out a cold and efficient purge in Chang'an City.
After completely crushing and burning Qinghe Cui's most prominent fortress, Ran Ming continued his march and headed straight for the next target - the Taiyuan Wang's mansion.
The Wang family's mansion was equally magnificent, but their will to resist had largely collapsed after the news of the Cui family's swift annihilation came.
Before the heavy battering rams of the Chu army touched the gold-painted and colorful gate, screams of terror and the sound of weapons falling to the ground were heard from inside.
The door was hastily opened from the inside, and some members of the royal family and servants tried to kneel down and beg for mercy.
However, the only response they received was Ran Ming's cold and ruthless command:
"Kill! Leave no one behind!"
The cavalry rushed in, swords flashing.
Those who knelt on the ground and begged for mercy had no chance of survival. The few Wang family warriors who tried to resist stubbornly by relying on the complex courtyards in the mansion were quickly crushed to pieces by the absolute force.
The Wang family mansion in Taiyuan, which was once bustling with people, soon followed the fate of the Cui family and turned into a sea of blood and corpses. The flames rising into the sky once again illuminated the night sky red.
Next up was the Longxi Li clan. Li You was old, and his family was relatively conservative. His troops were not as elite as those of the Cui and Wang clans to begin with, and upon learning of the tragic demise of the two clans, their morale was completely demoralized.
The Chu army easily broke through the gate of the mansion without encountering any decent resistance.
The killing continued, whether it was the white-haired old man or the ignorant child, all fell under the cold blade of the Chu army.
The library and treasure house accumulated by the Li family for generations, along with the countless classics and treasures contained therein, were either looted or wantonly destroyed, and ultimately could not escape the fate of being engulfed by flames.
Zhao Kuo of the Zhao family of Xingyang had a strong character, and his followers were also the most brave.
Even though they knew the game was over, they still chose to fight to the last man.
The Zhao Mansion became the place of the most intense resistance tonight. Arrows rained down and street fighting was brutal, causing considerable trouble to the attacking Chu army.
Ran Ming personally supervised the battle, dispatched heavy shield soldiers to advance step by step, and provided dense coverage with archers. In the end, with the absolute advantage in numbers, he slaughtered all the living people in the Zhao Mansion.
Zhao Kuo's ancestral sword didn't even touch the corner of Ran Ming's clothes before he was hacked to pieces.
That night, fires broke out in Chang'an City and screams of pain were heard everywhere.
Except for these top families, all the noble families who were killed in the Imperial Garden had their main mansions in the city suffer devastating attacks from the Chu army.
Ran Ming divided his troops into several groups and acted simultaneously to ensure that no one could escape during the chaos.
Whether it is an ancient family that has been passed down for thousands of years, or a powerful new noble that has risen in the past hundred years, no matter how glorious their reputation, how huge their wealth, or how complicated their network of relationships, they will all become history.