The rabble of the Fragrance Sect was nothing but a bunch of undisciplined fools!
Only a few thousand were actual sect members; the rest were commoners who had joined for profit, or were caught up in the chaos.
Ding Xiu, leading hundreds of North Town Garrison's Jinyiwei, quickly cut through the rebels,
while Lu Jian Xing, with thousands of city guards, charged into the fray, wreaking havoc!
Amidst the chaos, Xu Da Qiu, seeing his defeat inevitable, hastily descended from the platform, changed into the tattered clothing of a commoner, and blended into the fleeing crowd.
He was quick with the change, but didn't notice two pairs of eyes fixed on him.
Chen Ran, seated atop his horse, watched the rebels scatter like birds, a smile finally appearing on his face.
The Fragrance Sect affair was finally settled.
At that moment, Ding Xiu and Lu Jian Xing arrived to report:
"My lord!"
Lu Jian Xing stood before the army, his attitude extremely respectful:
"The rebels are scattered. What should we do next?"
Chen Ran said in a deep voice:
"You and Ding Xiu lead your troops in pursuit, but don't go on a killing spree. Simply disperse these rebels and let them return home!"
Most of these rebels were simply misled and coerced commoners. Chen Ran knew killing them would be pointless. All he needed was to scatter them and let them go home.
The key was to capture the leader.
Guo Chen Long, the leader of the Jinyiwei death squad, approached quickly:
"My lord, Xu Da Qiu changed into commoner's clothing and escaped among the rebels. The Jinyiwei death squad is on his trail and will not let him escape!"
Chen Ran nodded:
"Bring his head back tonight, and that's all. Don't bother with the other accomplices!"
"Yes!"
Guo Chen Long agreed, turned, and left.
At this moment, Shen Lian came running with Jiang Jie.
Before reaching Chen Ran, Jiang Jie knelt down with a thud:
"Thousand-Household Lord, this one has not failed your trust!"
Chen Ran smiled faintly and glanced at him.
Jiang Jie had done a good job this time.
He had entered the Fragrance Sect with Shen Lian and played a decisive role in Chen Ran's plan.
Plus, he was Chen Ran's brother-in-law.
His head was safe!
"You did well this time. Once we return to the capital, I'll arrange something for you."
Jiang Jie's heart swelled with joy. He thought, those Jinyiwei flags should be mine!
Who would want to be a follower of the Fragrance Sect when you could be an official?
Shen Lian walked to Chen Ran's side and said in a low voice:
"Brother Chen, Tian Hong Yu's convoy is under our control. The Yangzhou courtesan is there too!"
Chen Ran raised his eyebrows.
"Take me there."
He then ordered five hundred Qi family army gunners to rest in place, and one hundred Jinyiwei death squad members to accompany him to inspect Tian Hong Yu's convoy.
Tian Hong Yu's convoy was only a dozen miles away, guarded by Shen Lian, a dozen Jinyiwei death squad members, and nearly a hundred Qi family army swordsmen.
Bodies were scattered around the convoy.
After Xu Da Qiu's defeat, some rebels had tried to loot the convoy but were immediately killed by the guarding Jinyiwei death squad and Qi family army swordsmen.
These rebels were nothing but a rabble. They saw how fierce and swift the Jinyiwei death squad and Qi family army swordsmen were and dared not engage. They turned and fled.
Chen Ran walked to the convoy and took a look. The carriages were filled with valuables that Tian Hong Yu had plundered from the south. Many of them were exquisite treasures from Jiangnan.
These treasures were all plundered by Tian Hong Yu under the pretense of presenting them to the emperor. Chen Ran would certainly not let him keep them.
"Take these things to Tian Family Manor. Be careful with the escort, make sure no one sees!"
Intercepting the goods of the emperor's father-in-law must be done discreetly!
"Yes!"
Shen Lian bowed his head in agreement.
His voice had barely fallen when a group of people rode towards them from afar.
Most of them wore armor, looking like Ming dynasty soldiers.
The one at the front, though dusty and covered in grime, wore a Jinyi robe, looking like someone of wealth or high status.
Shen Lian took a closer look, his pupils constricted:
"Tian Steward!"
It was Tian Hong Yu's steward!
It turned out, when the rebels attacked, Tian Steward had abandoned the convoy and fled. However, he dared not return to the capital, so he sent someone to report to the capital, while watching the Fragrance Sect from afar.
Upon seeing the Fragrance Sect defeated by Chen Ran, he came to retrieve Tian Hong Yu's convoy.
Upon approaching, Tian Steward didn't dismount, saying:
"Is this Chen Thousand-Household, North Town Garrison,?"
Chen Ran smiled faintly:
"It is."
Tian Steward bowed slightly, his attitude arrogant, saying:
"Thank you, Thousand-Household Chen, for your help. It seems Tian National Master's convoy has escaped the clutches of the thieves. I am Tian Fu Xiang, the National Master's personal steward. Please return the convoy to me!"
He was afraid of the Fragrance Sect rebels, but that was because they were unreasonable.
But Chen Ran was different. He was the North Town Garrison's Thousand-Household, the emperor's man. No matter what, he had to give face to Tian National Master.
Therefore, relying on his position as Tian Hong Yu's steward, he didn't treat Chen Ran with any courtesy. His tone was not polite at all.
Chen Ran was about to burst into laughter.
This arrogant dog, who had been scared witless by the Fragrance Sect, now that he saw them defeated by Chen Ran, came here to lord over him, using his master's power to show off.
But alas, Chen Ran was not content to be a mere hound of the court!
"Tian Steward, you just say take it, and it's yours? Am I working for free?"
Tian Steward was taken aback, not expecting Chen Ran to dare speak like that.
He looked at Chen Ran and sneered:
"Chen Thousand-Household, you should know that this is Tian National Master's convoy, carrying tributes for the emperor. If any are lost, you, a mere Thousand-Household, will be held accountable!"
"You helped defeat the Fragrance Sect. I will, of course, report to Tian National Master. Then he will report your achievement to the emperor!"
Chen Ran was so exasperated he could barely hold back his laughter.
His tone was like that of a master praising his dog for chasing away wolves. It's like, "You did a good job, I'll give you a bone later".
Alas, Chen Ran was not content to be a mere hound of the court!
"Tian Steward is right! Unfortunately..."
Chen Ran, with a cheerful smile, rode towards Tian Steward, shaking his head in a sigh as he rode.
Tian Steward frowned, saying:
"Unfortunately, what?"
Chen Ran continued smiling, seemingly harmless, but his voice turned icy cold:
"Unfortunately, I've already decided to intercept Chen Yuan Yuan!"
"Intercept?"
Tian Steward was stunned, his face suddenly turning pale:
"You..."
Before he could finish, Chen Ran drew his saber with a clang.
The embroidered spring knife swept horizontally, instantly severing Tian Steward's head from his body.
Pffft...
A jet of blood soared into the sky, and Tian Steward's head rolled off the horse!