Chapter 24: The Harvest (Part I)

On the road back to the capital, Gu Zhenhua had once helped dress the wounds of two guards, and Xiong Hui was one of them. Though this man of few words never spoke of it, he had kept that kindness etched in his heart.

His body was far from recovered; in truth, he should have left the city earlier. Yet, he had remained by Gu Zhenhua’s side, fighting with all his might.

The Dashun army was closing in from all directions. The city gate was choked with people, and with Liu Zongmin and Li Yan blocking the way, the chances of escaping with their lives were slim—or rather, infinitely close to zero.

Trapped in this desperate situation, Xiong Hui’s eyes suddenly brightened as he noticed several carts nearby. They were loaded with gunpowder—over a thousand pounds in total.

Though the explosive power was limited, it would be enough. Enough to blast open the city gate and carve out a path to survival.

Xiong Hui gritted his teeth. Like a madman, he tore the drivers from their seats.

"Quick! Tie the shafts together!"

The drivers had no choice but to follow his lead, binding the three carts together with ropes. Xiong Hui snatched a burning fuse, over two meters long, from one of the musketeers; it was still sputtering and hissing.

Without hesitation, he wrapped the fuse around his neck, leapt onto the carts, and whipped the animals with all his might.

"Giddy up! Go!"

The carts surged forward toward the city gate. The Dashun soldiers, just then breaking through, were struck by the carts, which plowed through five or six men as if unstoppable, drawing ever closer to the gate.

By now, not only Gu Zhenhua but the Dashun soldiers as well had noticed Xiong Hui. Gu Zhenhua instantly grasped his intent and roared, "Brother, come back! There must be another way!"

Xiong Hui was no fool, but he only shouted back, "Master Gu, I leave my family in your care!"

As he spoke, an arrow struck him square in the chest. His body swayed, and the agony twisted his features. As blood flowed, his life force ebbed away with it.

Xiong Hui gritted his teeth and held on. With a sudden motion, he drew his saber and slashed at the horses' hindquarters. The animals, stung by the blood and pain, bolted in a frenzy, ignoring the people in their path as they charged forward.

Faced with the maddened horses and the man atop them, the Dashun soldiers were caught off guard and could only scramble to dodge, their mouths agape in shock.

The slightly sharper ones among them realized Xiong Hui’s plan. They could hardly imagine such a madman existed. He was courting total annihilation!

"Run!"

The surrounding Dashun soldiers, truly terrified, scattered in all directions. A few archers, unwilling to give up, desperately loosed arrows at Xiong Hui, trying to stop the madman.

Arrows pierced his shoulder, thighs, and abdomen. Xiong Hui’s body grew weaker. He dropped his saber and slumped onto the cart shaft, one hand gripping the cart so tightly that blood seeped from beneath his fingernails, while the other held the fuse, refusing to let go.

Death was no longer frightening. Xiong Hui had only one powerful thought in his heart: to remember the source of the water one drinks and to repay the kindness one receives.

The hundred-odd paces were crossed in an instant. The carts slammed into the gate passage, crushing a dozen Dashun soldiers who could not get out of the way. The three carts broke apart, and Xiong Hui was thrown heavily to the ground, vomiting blood as his vision blurred.

The barrels on the carts, filled with gunpowder, spilled open. The Dashun soldiers saw the black powder and were struck dumb with terror; some fled frantically, while others struggled to reach Xiong Hui to kill him.

Desperate and crazed, they swarmed, but a triumphant smile played on Xiong Hui’s lips. He had done it! He, Xiong Hui, was a man—a man who feared no death!

Death was a terrible thing, but there were things far worse. One man dies so that many may live—it was worth it!

Xiong Hui gripped the fuse and thrust it firmly into a gunpowder barrel. A hiss of light flared, and in an instant, the flames erupted in a brilliant, violent burst.

"No!"

Amidst the frantic cries of the nearby Dashun soldiers, the gunpowder detonated. Fire blazed, stone and brick from the gatehouse flew, and the Dashun soldiers within dozens of meters were vaporized. The gate and the carts were utterly destroyed.

In that desperate plight, a gap had been blasted open. Gu Zhenhua, having realized Xiong Hui’s plan, had rushed his men behind a row of buildings for cover. Even so, when the explosion roared, it felt like a thunderclap to them all.

The earth seemed to tremble. For a moment, their ears were filled with a high-pitched ringing, leaving them deaf, and some even bled from their ears.

Gu Zhenhua was equally dazed, but he knew this was no time for hesitation. He could not squander the chance Xiong Hui had sacrificed his life to win.

"Out of the city!"

At Gu Zhenhua’s command, the survivors and the remaining carts raced wildly toward the gate. After running a few dozen paces, Gu Zhenhua suddenly stooped down and picked up a saber from the debris. The tip of the blade was still stained with blood.

It was the very sword Xiong Hui had dropped—the only thing the man had left behind. Gu Zhenhua gripped the hilt tightly and charged through the gate.

The explosion of over a thousand pounds of gunpowder was terrifying. The gate tower had been blown away, leaving a crater over ten meters wide, still venting smoke and ash.

Gu Zhenhua gritted his teeth and spurred his horse over the crater, finally leaving the capital behind. Like a dragon released into the sea or a tiger returning to the mountains, he felt his pores open, and a profound sense of relief washed over him. His soldiers followed closely, all emerging from the smoke.

As they crossed the moat, Sun Cheng and Lu Yong, waiting outside, cried out in disbelief. Since the Dashun army’s heavy carts had charged forward, they had felt as though their hearts had been torn out.

With the path sealed, how could they escape? They had been in despair, yet they had fought the Dashun soldiers with every ounce of strength, trying to destroy the enemy's barricades.

But time and again, they were repulsed. Sun Cheng, Lu Yong, and Xue Biao were all wounded, and their men had lost all confidence. It was a hastily assembled group, and as morale crumbled, they were on the verge of total collapse.

Some of the timid ones were already planning to slip away when the earth-shattering explosion occurred, followed by Gu Zhenhua and his men emerging from the smoke.

To those outside, it was a miraculous reversal, a return from the dead!

They cheered uncontrollably. Gu Zhenhua was alive! He had made it out safely! With their leader returned, hope reignited in these exhausted men.

"Old Four, I knew you wouldn't die!" Sun Cheng laughed as he hurried to meet him, followed by Lu Yong, Xue Biao, and Gao Hongtu.

Gu Zhenhua felt no joy; instead, he handed the saber to Sun Cheng.

"Big Brother, we made it out alive because of Brother Xiong Hui. He gave his life in that explosion to make it possible."

Upon hearing this, pain shadowed the faces of Sun Cheng and the others. Lu Yong patted Gu Zhenhua’s shoulder and said, "Old Four, Xiong Hui was a true man. His family is at the farm in Xianghe; we will look after them as our own."

Gu Zhenhua nodded. "Brothers, we are all wounded, and the Dashun army could strike at any moment. Let us withdraw quickly!"

"Agreed," they replied in unison.

They spurred their horses and drove the carts, fleeing rapidly.

The explosion at the gate had provided an opening not only for Gu Zhenhua but also for the remaining nobles and officials to seize the final opportunity to escape the capital. The roads were filled with panicked carriages and frantic crowds—total chaos.

"Brothers, we are wounded and have been fighting for so long; we cannot sustain this pace much longer. If we don't pick a direction and just run like headless chickens, it’s a death sentence!"

"You're right," Sun Cheng added. "It seems these crowds are all heading toward Tongzhou and Tianjin. Li Zicheng will surely pursue us."

As they spoke, a dozen riders and a carriage approached. It was Tang Zhanxiong and He Zhonghou. They had exited the city earlier to escort their families, but the old man and Tang Zhanxiong had been too worried to leave. Leaving the main group in the charge of Luan Hu, they had turned back to meet Gu Zhenhua.

"Zhenhua, you finally made it out. There is a farm belonging to Zhu Chunchen near Shunyi; it's quite secluded. Shall we go there to regroup?"

"Yes!" Gu Zhenhua nodded immediately. It was exactly what he needed, and the caravan changed direction. As the first light of dawn touched the eastern horizon, He Zhonghou noticed the massive caravan. Having managed accounts for years, the old man was astonished by the sheer number of carts.

"Zhenhua, what on earth have you brought with you? How did you manage to load so much?"