Chapter Fifteen: Brimming Bowls and Overflowing Basins

“Bandits are breaking in, run for your lives!”

Cries and screams echoed throughout the capital. The people fled wildly like headless flies. The heart of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial capital that had stood for over two centuries, had never before fallen. Not even the mighty Mongol armies, fresh from their triumphant victory at Tumu Fortress, had managed to shake the city.

Yet now, this city was like a sieve with holes everywhere. The Great Shun troops poured in through several gates, shouts of battle rang out in every direction, and fires blazed across the streets.

A man frantically pushed a wheelbarrow, a child aboard wailing in terror. Suddenly, a burning house beside the road collapsed with a crackling roar. A heavy beam crashed down onto the man.

“Ah!”

A piercing cry of agony rent the air. The man fell to the ground, the wheelbarrow overturned, and the child tumbled to the street, crying all the more pitifully. But no one paid him any heed. A woman following behind, frantic and desperate, threw herself to the ground, desperately pushing at the burning timbers.

“Crack!” Black smoke curled from her hands as the flames bit into her flesh, but she ignored the pain, struggling with all her might. Just as the wood was about to be moved, a swordsman leapt from a nearby alley and drove his blade into the woman’s back. Her body collapsed onto the burning beam, joining the man in the flames.

The swordsman paid no mind. He snatched up the wheelbarrow’s load and turned to hunt his next prey. Scenes of looting and chaos played out repeatedly across the capital’s streets. Rogues, scoundrels, and lowlifes—prisoners seemed to have crawled out from hell itself.

They ran rampant in the human world, turning it into a hellscape of pandemonium.

Gu Zhenhua was leading his men through the chaos, but he had no time for the pitiful cries of the people. He lashed his warhorse, galloping at top speed.

Gunpowder! Gunpowder! Gunpowder! Only one thought consumed Gu Zhenhua’s mind.

“Up ahead is the Wang Gong Arsenal. The muskets are inside!” Xu Fang shouted, riding close behind.

Gu Zhenhua’s horse rounded the corner to reveal a sprawling complex: the capital’s most important munitions depot—the Wang Gong Arsenal, infamous as the site of the catastrophic Tianqi Explosion.

Arriving at the gate, Gu Zhenhua saw fierce fighting underway. Dozens of Great Shun soldiers attempted to storm the arsenal, while the defenders fought desperately to hold them back. The battle was fierce and unrelenting.

Gu Zhenhua’s eyes burned with determination. These weapons were his treasures; no one else would lay a finger on them!

“Charge!”

With a fierce roar, he spurred his horse forward like a tiger unleashed. His iron spear felt increasingly natural in his hand. Two Great Shun soldiers charged at him, but with a swing of his spear, he struck both in the waist, sending them flying from their horses.

He followed with another thrust that unseated a rider, killing him instantly. Feeling the threat, more Great Shun soldiers surged forward. Gu Zhenhua met them head-on without fear.

“You’re courting death, boy!” shouted a Great Shun leader, swinging a heavy blade. Gu Zhenhua’s hands moved swiftly, dodging the blow. Then his spear jabbed fiercely into the leader’s horse, the tip pulling out with an eyeball dangling from it. The horse’s eye socket gushed blood as the beast collapsed.

“Well done! A true warrior!” Gao Hongtu shouted from behind. A veteran of the capital garrison, he had seen countless generals, but such valor was rare. Fueled with renewed spirit, he charged into battle alongside Gu Zhenhua.

At the same time, Xie Bin—once a protector of Crown Prince Zhu Cilang—rushed forward. His blood stirred by the battle, he wielded his simple blade with cunning and unpredictability, felling two Great Shun soldiers swiftly.

The three men were like three ferocious tigers. The enemy ranks before the Wang Gong Arsenal were broken and scattered. They charged inside with ease. Xu Fang arrived with reinforcements.

But inside, some were fleeing outward—twenty or thirty men carrying cloth bundles scrambled toward Gu Zhenhua and his comrades.

The elderly leader at their front panicked and tried to escape, but Gu Zhenhua shouted, “Stop right there!”

Before he could finish, the mighty black horse darted forward, blocking their retreat. Seeing no way out, the old man collapsed to his knees, his followers following suit.

“Mercy, sir! Mercy!” they pleaded repeatedly.

Gu Zhenhua’s face darkened as he bellowed, “What are you doing? Trying to make off with stolen goods?”

“Sir, please don’t misunderstand. We are craftsmen, workers who came to the capital to labor. We only want to flee, nothing more.”

At that moment, Gao Hongtu approached with a furrowed brow and glanced at the old man. “Are you Master Ge, the craftsman?”

The old man, emboldened, looked up at Gao Hongtu. “You are General Gao? I swear I mean no harm. Please show mercy.”

Gao Hongtu nodded and hurried to Gu Zhenhua’s side. “This is the master supervisor of the capital’s workshop, famed for his skill in making muskets—honest, hardworking men. Don’t trouble them.”

Upon hearing they were musketeers, Gu Zhenhua’s eyes lit up like he had found treasure. These were exactly the talents he needed!

“Surround them! Not a single one escapes!”

His men moved swiftly to encircle the craftsmen. Just then, the sound of horses’ hooves thundered in again—Xue Biao had arrived.

Seeing Gu Zhenhua, Xue Biao smiled. “Fourth brother, everything’s ready. I’ve distributed the leaflets. Now the noble houses are surely stirring.”

Gao Hongtu and the others looked puzzled, unsure what he meant, but Gu Zhenhua understood perfectly. He had devised multiple contingency plans for the breakout. To escape safely, one must muddy the waters— the murkier, the better. So Gu Zhenhua had entrusted He Zhonghou to draft numerous leaflets, warning that the King of the Great Shun was pursuing corrupt officials to seize their wealth and power—a tactic to frighten Zhu Chuncheng and other elites.

Gu Zhenhua’s scheme was clever: once the privileged felt threatened, they would flee en masse, drawing the Great Shun troops’ attention and creating a chance for their own escape.

Having rescued the Crown Prince and secured so much munitions, Gu Zhenhua was determined to sow chaos and buy time. Thus, when the decision was made to transport the muskets, he ordered Xue Biao to act. They had hired a group of beggars, paid them well, and sent them with leaflets to the mansions of the elite.

With the matter settled, Gu Zhenhua exhaled and smiled. “Third brother, we’re moving the gunpowder now. Your mission is to protect these craftsmen and get them safely out of the capital—no one is to be harmed.”

Xue Biao did not understand why Gu Zhenhua cared so much about the craftsmen but replied instinctively, “Fourth brother, don’t worry. The task will be done.”

After issuing orders, everyone sprang into action. Xu Fang and Gao Hongtu, familiar with the route, led Gu Zhenhua to the arsenal’s inner warehouse. By then, most of the guards had fled.

Creaking, the warehouse door swung open, revealing a vast storage space with a dozen rooms, all cluttered with countless muskets—many rusted, some with cracked barrels or missing parts, utterly unusable.

Xu Fang paid no heed to the junk and led Gu Zhenhua to the innermost chamber. There, over a hundred wooden crates were stacked, each filled with muskets. Though some showed rust, the barrels gleamed black with deadly intent.

Gu Zhenhua’s eyes burned with desire. “Load them all out! Leave none behind!”

His men worked together, hauling the deadly weapons. Gu Zhenhua himself carried four crates at once with ease, leading the way. Xu Fang, originally a scholar, rolled up his sleeves and staggered along carrying a crate.

Gao Hongtu had already reached the arsenal’s rear courtyard, where he found twenty horse-drawn carts and several dozen mules. They loaded all the muskets—about eighteen hundred in total—onto the wagons.

“Handle everything carefully! If the gunpowder explodes, we’re finished!” Gao Hongtu barked as they moved the powder and bullets.

Suddenly, Xue Biao hurried up to Gu Zhenhua, excitement shining in his eyes. “Fourth brother, Master Ge says there are also cannons and Lumichongs in the eastern warehouse, Section C. What do you think?”

“Of course we want them!” Gu Zhenhua’s eyes glowed red. “Come on, help me move them too!”