Chapter 1657: Backup Plan Activated

His roar was indeed deafening. The Imperial Guards and patrol soldiers below the city wall heard it and hesitated momentarily. However, the more than a thousand temple soldiers continued their fierce assault, banging on the gate, oblivious to everything else. Others saw that those around them had already drawn their weapons and were fighting. People tend to follow the crowd, thinking that if everyone else is doing it, they should too, as it likely won't lead to a big mistake.

General Bai fought for the nation his entire life, and now, as the King's favored subject and a high-ranking official, why would he abandon the immense wealth and prestige that ordinary people could only dream of, and instead risk execution and the eradication of his clan by rebelling? How desperate must he be? Furthermore, if he truly harbored rebellious intentions, would the King have trusted him for decades? Is the King a fool? So, there's nothing to worry about; just keep fighting!

The guards on the city wall, having been whipped by Zheng Da multiple times and influenced by the atmosphere of war, could only brace themselves and fire arrows. Casualties began to mount both on and below the wall, and the battle finally became serious.

As Bai Tan's army launched a full-scale attack, the palace walls glowed as the defensive formations activated. The state of Yao had existed for nearly two hundred years, and though occasionally unstable, it was prosperous for most of that time. Successive Yao Kings consistently reinforced and improved the palace city walls, sparing no expense or effort, making them as impregnable as an iron barrel. Regardless of their inherent quality, the defensive formations alone numbered eleven, varying in size. Not only were they nested within each other, but some also provided mutual reinforcement; if one failed, another would automatically compensate. Activating so many layers of defensive formations was incredibly costly, but if the flames of war reached this point, there was no need for the Yao Palace to save money. Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that if properly operated, a mere hundred or so people on the wall could repel several thousand soldiers below.

These formations hadn't been activated for an unknown period, and the current patrol soldiers knew nothing of their power. But Bai Tan understood that with the forces he had, it was impossible to breach the palace gate in a short time! He stared intently at the three statues embedded in the wall. These three statues were five zhang (approximately 50 feet) tall giants with bulging eyes and fangs. They appeared to be mere decorations, but Bai Tan knew they were war puppets that could be activated in just two *ke* (half an hour). If they emerged, they wouldn't need to do anything else; simply rolling across the crowded main street would crush many people to death. Originally, his ideal plan was to pass through the palace gate without bloodshed, with Xu Yankun's help, thus overcoming the most difficult hurdle of this rebellion. Once this hard shell was breached, the Yao Palace would be exposed, showing its vulnerable underbelly.

To his regret, Zheng Da had thwarted his best strategy by swiftly executing Xu Yankun. What a pity; it should have been the quickest strategy with the least bloodshed. The worst part was that Zheng Da had suddenly regained power and rushed to guard the palace city's south gate, which meant the Yao King had preemptively discovered his and his nephew's rebellion! He and Bai Hengbo had been extremely cautious, and until this very evening, the Yao King had entrusted them with significant responsibilities, granting both uncle and nephew authority over soldiers both inside and outside the palace city. What immense trust was that? Why did he suddenly change his mind during the night? Did he follow Shi Songwei's lead to the Shi brothers, and then to him, or did someone betray them? Few people knew about this secret uprising. Qingyang's plan for him was "to keep the sword hidden and act opportunistically," largely separating his actions from those of other participants to minimize the chance of leaks. Otherwise, why wasn't he implicated when the Yao King arrested so many officials earlier? It just showed Qingyang's truly brilliant tactics. It involved an enormous amount of meticulous work, which Bai Tan found breathtaking to observe. If the Yao King were to be defeated by this old woman, it would be no injustice. But she had been so thorough; who could have traced it back to Shi Songwei? The worst part was that Zheng Da had regained the power of the Judicial Supervisor. What about Bai Hengbo? Had something already happened to Bai Hengbo? Bai Tan's heart sank. The situation was rapidly deteriorating, and his control over his forces was not solid. He absolutely could not waste any more time at the palace gate! Fortunately, he had a backup plan. When Qingyang and he formulated the plan, they had already considered scenarios where the gate guard might be replaced or Xu Yankun might be unable to perform his task. A plan of such magnitude couldn't have just one option. They had meticulously considered every detail beforehand.

Bai Tan pulled a pure black talisman from his robe. It was only a finger's length, but its golden runes gleamed strikingly in the firelight. The talisman also bore a small, flower-basket-like pattern. As his loyal subordinate fended off flaming arrows from the city wall, Bai Tan bit his index finger, smeared blood on the black talisman, and murmured a prayer. The moment he uttered the last word, the black talisman suddenly burst into flames with a soft "poof," quickly turning to ash. Only the flower-basket pattern lingered in mid-air, shimmering, before vanishing five breaths later. After completing this sequence, Bai Tan had sweat on his forehead because reciting the incantation was extremely taxing, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest and his throat was constricted, making it difficult to speak. Bishop Liang of the Miaozhan Heavenly Temple had explained to him that this was resistance. The incantation he uttered had to pierce through the resistance between two realms to reach the heavens. Thus, this process consumed a vast amount of his vital energy and spirit. Fortunately, the black talisman had worked; his efforts were not in vain.

Just then, another contingent of soldiers charged out from the end of the long street, their hooves thundering like thunder! The two figures leading the charge were also familiar faces. Bai Tan frowned instantly, muttering, "This is bad." Tu Han and Shan Zerong! Tu Han was also a great general of Yao, renowned alongside Xue Zongwu. He had been leading troops in the south but had recently returned to Tianshui City for official business. Shan Zerong had been appointed Wuling Commandant two years prior and was Tu Han's close friend and fellow townsman. When Tu Han was ordered to suppress the rebellion, Shan Zerong accompanied him. Previously, when Bai Tan and Qingyang discussed their grand strategy, they had specifically mentioned four or five military generals, including Tu Han. However, these generals typically only had up to two hundred personal guards in the capital, and the Yao King did not trust these external generals as much as he trusted Xue Zongwu, never allowing them to command troops to suppress civilian unrest. Therefore, Qingyang decided to temporarily ignore them and concentrate their forces on the palace city uprising. After all, at that moment, there were simply too many idle generals in Tianshui City for them to eliminate one by one. But now, Tu Han had at least a thousand soldiers behind him, appearing to be composed of city patrol and imperial guard units based on their uniforms. This indicated that Tu Han had received special permission from the Yao King to temporarily command troops! That old fool, though senile, certainly held a powerful hand, able to appoint generals at will! And this was Bai Tan and Qingyang's weakness: it was far from easy for them to muster troops in Tianshui City.

Tu Han, who had practiced the Lion's Roar, had an even louder voice than Zheng Da on the palace wall. When he bellowed, it was like a clap of thunder: "Bai Tan has been stripped of his position and his elemental power! You fools, still fighting for him? Do you wish to see your entire families exterminated?" Some guards below the city wall heard this and couldn't help but look at Bai Tan. General Bai no longer had elemental power? In the state of Yao, only the monarch could dismiss a high-ranking general from their position, thereby stripping them of the elemental power derived from their office! Furthermore, such a dismissal required a formal document to take effect. In other words, if Bai Tan had lost his elemental power, it could now be almost certainly concluded that he was indeed a rebel! Under everyone's gaze, Bai Tan remained unperturbed, giving a cold smile. "Nonsense! Look at these soldiers, do they lack elemental power?" Today's rebellion meant putting their lives on the line; they would either succeed or die trying. He had long prepared himself mentally and wouldn't be easily startled or flustered. Besides, with powerful backing, what did he have to fear from the Yao King's henchmen? Everyone heard this and thought, "Yes, we all have elemental power when attacking the palace city." In fact, Bai Tan had cleverly shifted the argument.

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to Tu Han's newly arrived army, green light suddenly flashed in the eyes of an archer on the palace wall, and he froze. Simultaneously, a flower-basket-shaped mark on his arm glowed faintly, though it was hidden by his armor, unnoticed by anyone. This pause lasted for about two breaths. The first thing he did upon regaining movement was to step back a few paces, turn his bow and arrow, and suddenly aim at Zheng Da! With a release, the arrow flew from the string. Zheng Da, catching sight of it out of the corner of his eye, quickly dodged to the side. The arrow hit the battlement, missing him by only a foot. But this arrow was an explosive arrow. The moment it struck the battlement, it exploded, blowing away everyone in the vicinity. The battlement was solid, protected by formations, and only sustained a shallow dent. However, others were not so sturdy; despite having elemental power to protect them, they were dazed, disoriented, and their ears rang from the blast. Zheng Da, being closest, was not in mortal danger but was so shaken that he saw stars and his nose bled profusely. His guards were also knocked to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, another guard from behind rushed forward and thrust a spear into his back! It went in through his back and came out through his chest, piercing him clean through. Two faint glows flashed from Zheng Da's body as two protective magical artifacts exploded in succession, neither able to block the fatal blow. The guard's strength was monstrous; after piercing Zheng Da, the spear's momentum was undiminished, nailing him fiercely to the battlement, its shaft still vibrating. At this moment, looking at his eyes, not only was there a hidden trace of green light, but his pupils were also fully dilated. These two guards suddenly turned against them and collaborated in murder without any prior warning, leaving others speechless with horror. Especially the one who stabbed Zheng Da, who was not physically robust and had a relatively gentle disposition, considered a good-natured person by everyone. How could he suddenly rise up and murder his superior at such a critical moment? With their successful strike, the two men seized Zheng Da's keys. Zheng Da's personal guards were terrified. They struggled to their feet, shouting, "Stop them! Kill them!" The guard who had previously shot an arrow at Zheng Da turned around, expressionless, and declared: "Bai Tan acts according to Heaven's will! You shall not obstruct him!" Although it was only his voice, it sounded as if thousands spoke in unison, carrying immense power and solemnity, heard by both allies and enemies on and below the wall! Everyone looked up in astonishment, only to see a massive green-purple illusion, shaped like a flower basket, appear behind this guard. Within the flower basket, dozens of colorful flowers swayed in the wind, but upon closer inspection, they were actually venomous snakes flicking their tongues! The moment they appeared, everyone felt a heavy weight pressing on their hearts, like a large stone. This oppressive aura was undeniably real. Immediately, someone screamed, "Goddess Feng He!" The flower basket and venomous snakes were indeed the symbols of Goddess Feng He. Who in Tianshui City didn't know that?