Munitions Empire

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"You! You... don't, don't come any closer!" Shenwu Sanlang raised his pistol, pointing the muzzle at the civilians of Qi Country in front of him, sternly warning them.

But his voice, even to his own ears, unexpectedly trembled uncontrollably. He was ostensibly fierce but inwardly timid, he merely postured, he was already... at the end of his rope.

A child squatting by the wall stood up, his gaze filled with hatred as he stared at Shenwu Sanlang. He took a step forward, frightening Shenwu Sanlang so much that he immediately aimed the gun at this new threat.

However, as Shenwu Sanlang shifted his aim, men and women on the other side also took a step forward, in an uncoordinated yet firm advance.

"Don't come any closer! I'll shoot if you do! I'll shoot!" Shenwu Sanlang shouted frantically, no longer able to maintain his composure.

He knew that if he didn't raise his voice to drive away these Qi Country survivors filled with hatred, there was no way he could leave this place safely.

So he no longer cared to keep his voice down to avoid the pursuers behind him, nor did he worry that his shouts might attract the nearby Tang Army.

He had to deal with the situation at hand to at least buy himself some time to escape. He waved his weapon, feigning a ferocious expression.

But what he didn't see was that many people were squatting beside him, holding all sorts of foodstuffs. Since the moment he had climbed over the wall, intrigued, they hadn't made a sound.

Now, the civilians who had not realized who had climbed over their wall finally snapped out of their shock. The two people closest to Shenwu Sanlang suddenly stood up and before Shenwu Sanlang could react, they reached out and grabbed his pistol.

Shenwu Sanlang was stunned for a moment, then tried to raise his pistol again, but it was too late. The other person's palm exerted force, and his small PPK pistol dropped to the ground.

Due to its weight and metal material, the pistol slid out two or three meters away, rolling right to the feet of a Qi Country survivor.

But no one picked up the pistol; they stepped over the weapon, and in an instant, a group of people surrounded Shenwu Sanlang.

Before Shenwu Sanlang could cry out, his face was solidly kissed by a fist.

Right then, he felt that he probably couldn't save his teeth. The next second, his fall propelled by the punch came to an abrupt halt, as two other fists hit his ribs directly.

At only 1.45 meters tall, Shenwu Sanlang was not much different from a child. Without weapons, his actual combat ability was about on par with Wudalang. Now surrounded by dozens of people, there was absolutely no chance for him to fight back.

So there he was, taking punches left and right, and when he could no longer bear it, his whole body just sprawled on the ground.

The surrounding civilians, still unsatisfied, immediately closed in and began punching and kicking him. A woman, whose family had been killed leaving only her to escape, now found her chance for revenge, screaming as she picked up a stone from the ground.

She pushed through the crowd and smashed it down on Shenwu Sanlang's already bloodied face, immediately causing the barely alive Shenwu Sanlang to spit out fresh blood.

Just as everyone thought it was over, it seemed they only then came to their senses. They scrambled to find pieces of brick and debris, gripping them tightly in their hands and ferociously pelting Shenwu Sanlang.

The spray of blood splattered on them, yet they did not stop. Shenwu Sanlang's screams had long ceased, and even his low moans couldn't be heard after a while.

Finally, a soldier from the Tang Army pursuing Shenwu Sanlang leaped over the wall and into the fray, witnessing the somewhat agitated crowd.

Closely following, a second soldier climbed over and parted the crowd beating Shenwu Sanlang, "What are you doing! What are you doing? Step back! Everyone, step back! Who are you hitting?"

"Listen to the officer, everyone step back, step back!" Holding half a brick covered in fresh blood, the boy finally regained his senses and cooperatively began to shout.

The crowd gradually made way, many people discreetly dropping the stones and shards in their hands, then moved in groups to farther locations.

Some began looking for the food they had set down moments ago, some started to wipe the blood stains on their raincoats, in short... it was as if the whole affair had nothing to do with them. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

"This is Shen Country's military uniform." The soldier who came after Shenwu Sanlang bent down to check the blood-soaked clothes on the ground, confirming it.

"It's even an officer's outfit. Look, it's dirty but the style is right," another soldier added.

At that moment, the little boy aptly picked up the PPK pistol from the ground and handed it to the two Tang Army soldiers, "This belongs to this guy!"

"Thanks!" A soldier received the pistol and thanked the boy with a smile. The boy casually waved it off, as if it was nothing major.

The gesture amused the two Tang Army soldiers, who bent down to check the bloodied figure on the ground again, finding that the Shen Country officer, despite having been hit countless times with rocks, miraculously still had a faint breath.

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"What's going on?" Just at that moment, an officer scaled the wall and entered, seeing Shenwu Sanlang on the ground who had been beaten half to death, he asked.

"When we arrived, he was being beaten by civilians, and he wasn't dead yet... We were in the process of checking his identity," a soldier replied, standing at attention.

The officer glanced at the "person" on the ground and shook his head slightly, "He's already been beaten to this extent, I guess there's no saving him now..."

"He is very likely to be Shenwu Sanlang," a guard reminded, "During our pursuit, we heard someone calling out 'General'."

"Hmm, then let's wait for the medics," the officer nonchalantly walked over to Shenwu Sanlang's side, and, coincidentally, his military boot came to rest directly on Shenwu Sanlang's two fingers.

He had no intention of moving, pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket, took out a cigarette, and placed it in his mouth.

One soldier, understanding the situation, stepped on Shenwu Sanlang's other hand and struck a match to light his superior's cigarette.

Watching the Qi Country civilians each busy with their own tasks, the officer exhaled a puff of smoke and remarked with emotion, "The folk customs here are really unspoiled..."

"Yes, yes..." The soldier who lit the cigarette nodded in agreement.

It was not until the cigarette was almost finished that the officer snapped out of it and chided, "I say, what are you waiting for? Call for the medics! Go fetch someone quickly!"

"Ah!" The two soldiers finally snapped to action, picked up their weapons, and ran towards the gate, shouting as they went, "We've caught Shenwu Sanlang! Where are the medics? Medics!"

...

"Your Majesty! We've found Shenwu Sanlang, and we've caught Shen Wenxi too," Tang Mo soon heard the news from Li'ao.

"Found? Is that so?" Tang Mo picked out the distinction in the report and turned to Li'ao for confirmation.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Shenwu Sanlang is dead," Li'ao regretfully nodded, confirming Tang Mo's speculation, "He was caught by the civilians of Qi Country, and at that time, he was beaten beyond recognition."

"Didn't let the medics save him?" Tang Mo stretched leisurely, feigning ignorance as he asked.

"How could we not seek help? We are very humane," Li'ao responded immediately, "Our medics promptly provided treatment, they amputated his damaged hands and feet on the spot and then transported him to the field hospital..."

Tang Mo nodded, "Hmm, the handling seems quite timely."

"Indeed, Your Majesty, very timely," Li'ao earnestly echoed Tang Mo's words, "The medial officer in the field hospital is truly skilled, not only did they immediately remove the necrotic tissues, but they even took care of his severely damaged lineage root."

"Then why couldn't General Shenwu Sanlang hold on?" Tang Mo inquired curiously, as if he truly cared about the matter.

"The injuries were too severe, at first, he was still saying nonsensical things, but later, due to the inflammation, he developed a high fever, uttering nothing but obscenities, so we could only... take care of his tongue as well," Li'ao said, shaking his head with regret.

"Later, we even sent more specialized physicians to provide support, I heard they opened up his throat and fed him some liquid food... But in the end, his condition still worsened," he added after shaking his head.

As if recalling something else before Tang Mo could ask further, Li'ao continued, "Though General Shenwu Sanlang couldn't speak afterward, he still shed tears of gratitude. The Propaganda Department took photographs to prove that we indeed tried everything for his treatment. He passed away peacefully, and very... heroically."

"Ah... such a pity," Tang Mo sighed, and it was unclear whether he was lamenting how quickly Shenwu Sanlang died or that Shenwu Sanlang hadn't held on.

"What about Shen Wenxi?" Tang Mo thought that since these two were pillars of Shen Country, it would be better for the family to stay together.

"My suggestion is to hold a ceremony in the square and burn him to appease the people of Beiyuan City. It