Chapter 160: The Blockade
"Murong Feng, you mobilized the Sheng Province garrison without authorization and abandoned your post to travel to an adjacent province. By Great Li military law, you are to be relieved of your position and taken into custody for investigation."
"All others who do not wish to be executed on the spot are to immediately lay down their weapons and surrender."
The armored young general's voice rang out in a stern bark from the wall above, carrying clearly to every corner below, leaving the eardrums of the surrounding common people ringing and their hearts shaking.
At this point, Murong Feng lifted the carriage curtain with one hand, his phoenix eyes looking up toward the city wall. His expression was perfectly composed as he said, "Bai Liwei, today I am here to welcome my little sister home. I have no wish to have any dispute with you. Have your men stand down at once, and I can treat this as though nothing happened."
Murong Feng's voice was even and unhurried, but he channeled his True Qi into it to carry it outward, and it spread from near to far with equal clarity in every direction.
Hearing this, the young general on the wall narrowed his eyes and exchanged a look with the people beside him.
The three standing at his side were each clad in red-scale armor made from tanned shark hide, and appeared to be between forty and fifty years of age. All three had black tattoos on their necks whose full designs were difficult to make out. They carried neither blades nor swords at their waists, but each had a handle-less curved blade shaped like a crescent moon strapped to their back, and every one of them radiated an aura of lethal sharpness that warned others to keep their distance.
When the three gave him a subtle nod, Bai Liwei turned back toward Murong Feng's carriage below, and let out a cold laugh, saying, "I am acting in accordance with Great Li military law. Murong Feng, since you hold the position of Military Advisor of Sheng Province, you are bound to follow military orders."
With that, he gave a sharp wave of his hand without any further exchange with Murong Feng and issued his command directly to the assembled soldiers, saying, "Take everyone into custody. Any who resist are to be executed on the spot."