Chapter 64

"Ah!"

General He Guangxian suddenly felt something was wrong and quickly turned his head. An arrow grazed past his shoulder, sparks flying, and his arm went numb. The knife in his hand almost fell to the ground.

"Who, which madman dares to attack me, seize them for me!"

The soldiers surrounding him all hurriedly turned around. At this moment, three warhorses successively leaped over the soldiers' heads. Zhang Ke led the charge, rushing to the foot of the execution platform.

Holding a samurai sword, he took a few steps and reached the platform. Yang Long and Qiao Fu followed, standing on either side of Zhang Ke.

The sudden change caught everyone off guard; no one expected anyone to dare to storm the execution ground.

This isn't a novel; how can you break through a thousand troops with just your abilities!

He Guangxian, like a madman, shouted loudly, "Quick, seize these madmen, don't let any of them escape!"

Qiao Fu laughed loudly, "You dog official, I deliberately aimed off just now. Otherwise, would you still be spouting nonsense here?"

"The heavens have turned upside down!" He Guangxian was furious. He had finally managed to get rid of the troublemaker Zhang Feng, but a few young brats had come to ruin it, even daring to shoot arrows at him, treating him, a respected general, like dirt.

"You little beasts, where are you from, daring to raid the execution ground, truly courting death! Men, shoot them to death with arrows!"

Zhang Ke looked at the frenzied He Guangxian with disdain and sneered, "This official, eager to kill before the third hour of the day, do you have some unspeakable ugly deeds?"

"You brat, I'll tear you to pieces!"

He Guangxian led his men to charge up. Zhang Feng, who had been sitting on the execution platform, had closed his eyes waiting to die, but was startled by the sudden intrusion.

"It's you!"

Zhang Feng almost couldn't believe his eyes. The one holding the bow and arrow was none other than Qiao Fu. Back in Dacheng Fort, this boy had a runny nose and followed him around like a little shadow.

As for the one in the middle, he was even more familiar. Wasn't this his second brother, Zhang Ke? How could a scholar take up a sword? What was going on? Had he already died, was this a dream?

Zhang Feng suddenly saw Yang Long and his voice turned stern.

"Yang Long, didn't I tell you not to talk nonsense? Did you hear me?"

Yang Long, gripping the saber in his hand, said without turning back, "Big brother, don't worry, Second Master will save you!"

"Bullshit, can the three of you fight a thousand troops? Get out of here quickly!" Zhang Feng was truly anxious; he couldn't afford to lose three for one!

"Zhang Ke, if you don't want our family to be cut off, leave quickly! Hurry up!"

Zhang Ke suddenly turned his head, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared before him.

Being brothers, and meeting again in a life-and-death situation, even Zhang Feng, with his strong character, couldn't help but shed tears.

But Zhang Ke laughed heartlessly, "Ha ha ha, Big brother, look around, can we run?"

Zhang Feng glanced at the surroundings and shook his head, sighing, "Sigh! You shouldn't have come!"

"Big brother, don't worry, we'll be fine."

As they were talking, He Guangxian had already called for archers and pointed at the group, saying, "Quick, shoot them to death, leave none alive!"

Before he finished speaking, someone shouted, "What a great show of power! They are my subordinates, do you dare to kill them?"

He Guangxian turned his head sharply and saw a man in his forties, surrounded by a group of riders, standing outside the execution ground. He had never seen this man before and assumed he wasn't a high official. Since he dared to stop him from killing, he wouldn't be polite.

"What are you, daring to interfere with me? I'll kill you too! Men, surround them and shoot them all to death!"

Hong Fugao, with a cold smile, suddenly pulled out a large seal from his chest and held it up.

"I am the newly appointed Inspector of Liaohai Dongning, Hong Fugao. Who dares to make a move!"

Hong Fugao's voice was loud, echoing far and wide. Not only was He Guangxian shocked, but even the provincial governor Zhou Yongchun, the vice governor Ge Chunfang, the general You Shigong, and Li Guangrong all stood up.

They looked at each other, especially Ge Chunfang, whose face turned ashen.

"Governor Zhou, is it really Hong Fugao?"

Zhou Yongchun nodded, "Indeed, the court has issued an edict, but I didn't expect him to reach Liaodong in less than ten days. He's really fast!"

Ge Chunfang's face twitched, a look of fear in his triangular eyes.

"Governor, Hong Fugao is just an inspector, his rank is below mine. The decision to execute the human trafficker was ours. What right does he have to interfere? Sir, please order the execution of Zhang Feng immediately, we can't wait any longer!"

General Li Guangrong also hurriedly said, "Governor, what Sir Ge said is correct. The execution should be carried out immediately!"

These people were pressuring him to act, but Zhou Yongchun's face was also grim. Hong Fugao was a scholar and a new official; it was best not to make things difficult. Especially since his attitude was unclear, it would be unwise to make an enemy rashly.

"Sir Ge, Hong Fugao just arrived in Liaodong. He might not know the full situation. Let's go and meet him, clear up any misunderstandings. I believe he will understand."

Zhou Yongchun led the way to the execution platform, and the other officials followed. Ge Chunfang deliberately lagged behind and whispered to Li Guangrong, "General Li, only by killing Zhang Feng can we suppress the case. Otherwise, what the investigation will reveal, you and I both know!"

Li Guangrong's face turned red with urgency, "Sir Ge, how could I not know? We finally got rid of He Shixian, but now Hong Fugao has appeared. Governor Zhou hasn't given the order, what can I do?"

Ge Chunfang's eyes darted around and he suddenly sneered, "Who said there was no order? Didn't the order arrow just be thrown? It's just that He Guangxian, the fool, is dragging his feet. Make him act quickly!"

Li Guangrong's eyes lit up, but he was still hesitant.

"Sir Ge, if Hong Fugao investigates..."

"I'll take the blame!" Ge Chunfang said through gritted teeth.

Li Guangrong nodded hurriedly. By this time, Zhou Yongchun had already led the group to Hong Fugao.

"Ha ha ha, Sir Hong, you arrived so quickly. I failed to welcome you properly, please forgive me!"

Hong Fugao, as a subordinate, saw Zhou Yongchun in his red robe, standing out like a crane among chickens, and knew he was the provincial governor. He quickly bowed deeply.

"Governor, I came hastily, please don't be offended!"

"Not offended, not offended. Sir Hong, please come to the government office with me. My colleagues will welcome you. From now on, we will work together and support each other!"

"Wait!" Hong Fugao smiled slightly, "Governor, I have a question. Why are all the officials here at the execution ground? Who is to be executed, and what crime did they commit to cause such a commotion?"

Zhou Yongchun hesitated for a moment, and Ge Chunfang quickly sneered, "Sir Hong, you don't know. The criminal is Captain Zhang Feng. He extorted merchants, forced good people to their deaths, and caused a military mutiny. His crimes are too numerous to list. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, he should... be executed!"

Executed!

As soon as the word was spoken, Li Guangrong urgently signaled to He Guangxian, who understood.

By this time, Zhang Ke and the others had already left the execution platform and stood behind Hong Fugao. No one expected anything to go wrong. At this moment, He Guangxian gritted his teeth and took a step forward, raising his saber high.

"I am ordered to execute, prepare to die!"

The saber gleamed in the sunlight, swiftly chopping down!

"Ah!"

Hong Fugao and Zhou Yongchun, who were talking, were startled. However, Zhou Yongchun's eyes flashed with a hint of joy. If he dies, all will be over!

Zhang Ke's eyes almost bulged out, cursing himself for being careless. How could he not have thought of the dog's desperation!

Qiao Fu drew his bow and arrow, but no matter how anxious they were, they were still ten steps away from the execution platform, too late to do anything.

Everyone saw a flash of cold light, followed by a loud thud, and someone cried out in pain, falling to the ground below the execution platform.

Looking again, a tall and imposing man stood proudly on the execution platform, none other than Zhang Feng!

Zhang Feng had thought he was doomed, but his second brother had come to his rescue, reigniting his will to live. Seeing He Guangxian move, Zhang Feng, though bound, still had his skills. He quickly curled into a ball and rolled, dodging the fatal blow.

Zhang Feng rolled to He Guangxian's feet and, with a sudden leap, hit He Guangxian's chin with his head. Using all his strength, the general was sent flying, landing heavily on the ground.

Zhang Feng sneered, "He, what a pity, you don't have the luck to cut off my head!"

Zhang Feng, kneeling on the ground, shouted to Hong Fugao, "Sir, I am innocent!"

At this moment, Zhang Ke and Qiao Fu rushed over, protecting Zhang Feng in the middle.

Zhang Ke, burning with anger, shouted, "All the officials, the soldiers, and the people of Shenyang, everyone can see clearly, they are eager to kill to cover up the truth. Zhang Feng is innocent!"

"Zhang Feng is innocent!"

"Captain Zhang is innocent!"

Zhang Ke's shout echoed outside the execution ground, and over a hundred of Zhang Feng's subordinates joined in, their voices shaking the ground.

Provincial Governor Zhou Yongchun frowned and said sternly, "Sir Hong, the case against Zhang Feng has been thoroughly investigated, with solid evidence. You should not meddle!"

Hong Fugao quickly bowed and laughed, "Governor, I am new here and know nothing about the case."

"Then why did you stop the execution?" Ge Chunfang glared.

Hong Fugao smiled slightly, "I may not know the case, but I know the court's regulations clearly!"

"What regulations?"

"May I ask this official, did Captain Zhang Feng, after committing a crime, report to the court, and did the emperor approve the case?"

Ge Chunfang stammered, "The case file is being prepared for submission to the court. It's just that it's close to the New Year, and everyone is busy. A small captain, killed is killed, is it worth making a fuss?"

As soon as he said this, Zhou Yongchun's face turned grim, thinking, "You fool, you've been tricked!"

Sure enough, Hong Fugao immediately spoke sternly, "Our founding emperor stipulated that all military officials must report their crimes to the court for approval, regardless of rank. Even a small captain cannot be interrogated or executed without the court's approval!"

Hong Fugao then smiled slightly, "My colleagues, you are eager to execute, and I dare not interfere. But I must remind you, the Ming Dynasty's laws also stipulate that those who fail to report military crimes are to be hanged!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present felt a chill down their spines!