Chapter 1910: Blood River

Despite the thunderous hoofbeats, the recent change in government meant that the capital's residents, even if awake, dared not turn on their lights. They huddled inside their homes, afraid to breathe a sound.

The Black Armored Army charged toward the palace gates. Only then did the Imperial Guards, tasked with defending the capital, scramble out, some with their belts still unbuckled. The two generals leading them bellowed, "Which bandit army dares to come here to meet its end?"

The capital's streets were narrow; even the main thoroughfare could barely accommodate six horses abreast. The enemy army, far from slowing down, spurred their horses even faster, sending dust and mud splashing across the street.

In that narrow encounter, men were like tigers, horses like dragons, and their voices like thunder:

"Black Armored Army's Weng Xing, by the command of the Dragon God, is here to punish the tyrant, eliminate the wicked, and appease the public's wrath! Those who stand in my way shall die!"

Using his full power, his voice, like a booming bell, reverberated across half the capital, the echoes lingering in the air.

"The Black Armored Army? No, it can't be!" The two generals stared in astonishment. Indeed, the approaching force wore gleaming black armor and radiated a palpable killing intent. Their disciplined formation and formidable presence were starkly different from the lax soldiers behind them, who were accustomed to slacking off.

Half-believing and half-doubting, the two generals had no choice but to advance and confront them.

In a single pass, Weng Xing raised his spear, striking one of the generals and sending both him and his horse tumbling backward.

The immense force caused the general's mount to lose its footing.

Weng Xing used the recoil to swing his spear back, its tip sweeping across the back of the general's head. The man was sent flying sideways, crashing directly into a shop along the street.

There was a loud crash, and it was unclear how much damage was done.

After just one exchange, the general was no longer seen.

"So fierce!" The other general was filled with dread. Seeing other Black Armored soldiers charging at him, he instinctively blocked two attacks.

However, showing fear in a skirmish instantly drains one's strength. His weapon nearly flew from his grasp, and remembering the Black Armored Army's undefeated reputation, he saw the massive spear coming for him again. Lacking the courage to meet it head-on, he slapped his horse and veered into an alley.

Soldiers follow their general. When he veered, the Imperial Guards behind him also turned into the alley, which caught Weng Xing, who was turning back to charge, by surprise.

"What? They're running already?"

"It must be a joke. Is this the combat standard of the palace guards? They're nowhere near as formidable as the gate guards he'd killed at Xiaotao Villa in the Yao Kingdom."

"At least those guards put up a fight, which made killing them more satisfying."

Weng Su, remembering their objective, shouted, "Into the palace! Move!"

They later encountered two more groups of intercepting soldiers.

It was unclear whether the Black Armored Army's reputation was simply too terrifying, or if the Qiao Kingdom's military strength was truly that poor. They cut down two more generals, and the remaining forces crumbled almost instantly.

The Black Armored Army grew more invigorated with each engagement, while their opponents became increasingly disarrayed.

Their charge into the palace city was unstoppable.

Inside the royal palace, the new King of Qiao was sound asleep when he was suddenly roused by a commotion outside.

A guilty conscience instantly made him alert. He sat up and demanded, "What's happening out there?"

A palace servant rushed in, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, the Black, the Black Armored Army has stormed the city!"

"What?" King Qiao exclaimed, startled, then roared, "The Black Armored Army? Nonsense!"

His kingdom had been peaceful. Where could the Black Armored Army possibly have appeared from?

With so many villages, towns, and hamlets outside the royal city, had no one spotted the Black Armored Army's advance?

"Black armor, black masks, and they're flying a black dragon banner!" the servant frantically explained. "Last autumn, the Black Armored Army killed the magistrate of Tu County..."

The Black Armored Army had indeed caused deaths in the Qiao Kingdom last autumn, appearing like divine warriors from the sky and vanishing without a trace, which had shaken the entire nation.

But the issue was, while the Black Armored Army roamed the plains and slaughtered countless individuals, King Qiao had never heard of them openly invading any nation's capital!

King Qiao slapped the servant across the face. "Who asked you about last year? Where are they now?"

"They've just breached the palace gate..."

King Qiao was aghast. "Where are my Royal City Guard and my Imperial Guard? You just let them walk in? How many of these bandits are there?"

"From their torches and armor, at least two thousand."

"Two thousand men broke through my city gates?" King Qiao raged. "Where are my generals? Why haven't they come to defend the palace?"

Time was short. He scrambled to change his clothes while trying to flee, stumbled over the threshold, and fell.

The palace was in disarray. The clatter of hooves echoed everywhere, yet there were few sounds of clashing weapons. Close by and in the distance, people were shouting, "The Black Armored Army punishes the wicked! Those who kneel will not be harmed!"

A servant reported, "Your Majesty, the back gate is also blocked!"

The Black Armored Army had split their forces; the majority entered the main palace, while dozens secured the back gate.

"What to do? What to do?" King Qiao's eyes darted frantically.

Meanwhile, Dr. Li led his contingent into the palace city, encountering only sporadic resistance. After they effortlessly cut down several dozen guards, the remaining defenders instinctively knelt and lay motionless on the ground upon seeing them.

Kneeling meant they wouldn't be killed.

True to the promise, horse hooves clattered past them, and aside from mud splashing onto their faces, they remained unharmed.

The Qiao Kingdom's palace city wasn't large. The Black Armored Army, divided into three columns, swept through it in just a few passes. Along the way, they encountered progressively less resistance, and more palace servants, including many palace guards, threw down their weapons and prostrated themselves on the ground.

They had little loyalty to the new king anyway, and saw no reason to sacrifice their lives for him.

A quarter of an hour later, Dr. Li rendezvoused with the Weng brothers. The three exchanged confused glances. "Where's King Qiao?"

They hadn't seen him. Had he managed to escape the palace?

"Impossible. All exits are guarded. Search again!"

They fanned out once more.

During the second search, Dr. Li offered a reward of fifty taels of silver for information, but still found nothing. It wasn't until he rode past a small lake that he noticed over a dozen people kneeling neatly by the shore, their heads bowed.

Under the flickering torchlight, Dr. Li happened to glance over, just for a moment.

He noticed, by chance, a glimpse of plain white fabric peeking from a palace servant's collar.

The inner linings of Qiao Kingdom palace servants were typically made of yellowish-brown or off-white linen, often with dark flecks. Only someone of high status would wear such finely bleached, pristine white fabric.

He dismounted personally and yanked open the person's collar!

"Heh heh, found him."

In less than a month, the Qiao Kingdom underwent two monumental changes.

Twenty-five nights earlier, the new king had seized power, ascended the throne, and murdered his brother.

On this night, the Black Armored Army entered the capital and 'invited' the residents to the marketplace. There, Dr. Li publicly read out King Qiao's crimes, with executioners and their axes standing ready.

King Qiao, originally pale with terror, suddenly found a surge of strength upon hearing his unforgivable crimes. He bellowed at Dr. Li, "You are the Black Armored Army? Then where is the Great Emperor of Nine Nether? Bring him out! Let me see him!"

Dr. Li chuckled, "What kind of man are you to deserve the Dragon God's personal attention? Our coming to execute you is already a great honor! The Dragon God has more significant scourges to eliminate."

The Black Armored Army was often sighted across the Flashing Gold Plains, eradicating evil and safeguarding the innocent. However, aside from He Lingchuan's contingent, other Black Armored Army units did not bear the jiao-head mark, regardless of where they went or came from.

King Qiao shrieked, "Utter nonsense! You are nothing but impostors who crawled out of some forgotten corner, fooling the people..."

Beside him, Weng Xing raised his blade and brought it down, abruptly silencing the king's shouts.

He had been brought there for public execution, not to offer a defense.

Thousands watched in silence.

Subsequently, the Black Armored Army brought forth dozens more individuals, all wicked figures from the court. Their crimes were similarly read aloud before the executioners' blades were revealed.

With chilling thuds, heads rolled, and blood flowed like a river.