Chapter 74: Cai Mao's Rebellion

After all, everyone knew just how useless Emperor Liu Xie was. In fact, history would have unfolded very differently if the Emperor had possessed any real ability. The calamities that followed were a direct result of the Han Emperor’s utter incompetence.

It was only because I had forcibly seized Jing Province and installed myself as their superior that men like Huang Zhong and the others had surrendered to me. They had no choice but to serve under my banner. Back when they followed Liu Biao, they were already overlooked and never truly valued. Now, though they held important positions at Liu Xie’s side, they remained unconvinced that serving him was any better than serving Liu Biao. After all, Liu Biao was at least a regional warlord with considerable strength, whereas Liu Xie, this so-called emperor, had once been a prisoner of Cao Cao and garnered little respect from anyone.

To win the hearts of these men would take time—much time—and the work ahead was daunting and plentiful. Days slipped by, until one night, several days later, the silence was shattered by frantic shouting outside the Governor’s Residence, accompanied by the clamor of horses’ hooves. Chaos erupted.

“Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!” Jia Xu burst into the room, shouting in panic.

Liu Xie sprang from his bed, instantly alert. He knew at once that disaster had struck.

“Calm yourself, Wenhe. Speak slowly. What’s happened outside?” Liu Xie steadied Jia Xu with a word.

“Your Majesty, it’s Cai Mao. He has gathered over a thousand loyal soldiers and they’re already at the gates of the Governor’s Residence. Our men are struggling to hold them off,” Jia Xu said, his voice trembling with urgency.

Liu Xie’s face darkened. “Cai Mao—is it rebellion?”

The major families, led by the Cai clan, had been suspiciously quiet of late, and Liu Xie had long wondered at their silence. Now, he understood: their stillness had masked secret plotting. The realization filled him with cold fury.

“Your Majesty, what should we do? Cai Mao’s assault is fierce. Our army of one hundred thousand is scattered throughout the city. It will be nearly impossible to muster them quickly. Perhaps, Your Majesty, you should withdraw for now!” Jia Xu was nearly frantic, at a loss for what to do.

But Liu Xie shook his head resolutely. “Withdraw? If I flee before Cai Mao, how will I ever command respect again? Go! Summon Huang Zhong and the others to protect me! I’ll stand my ground here!”

“Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous!” Jia Xu protested.

“Enough. Go—now!” Liu Xie commanded.

Jia Xu dared not linger and hurried off to make preparations. But before he had gone far, the Governor’s Residence was surrounded by Cai Mao’s forces.

“Encircle the residence!” came Cai Mao’s voice from outside. “Liu Xie, boy emperor, listen well! Come out at once, or I’ll break in and take your life myself!”

Liu Xie stepped from his chambers, his expression grave, and halted not far from the gate. Outside, Cai Mao sat astride his horse, his army arrayed behind him.

“Cai Mao, are you rebelling?” Liu Xie’s voice was cold.

“Enough talk. Leave Jing Province at once if you value your life. This is no place for you!” Cai Mao’s arrogance was palpable; clearly, he cared nothing for Liu Xie’s imperial status.

Liu Xie snorted in disdain. “Cai Mao, after I conquered Xiangyang, I could have ended your life. I spared you, hoping to grant you a path to survival. But you insist on death. Don’t blame me for what comes next!”

Cai Mao threw his head back and laughed. “Naive child! If you’d killed me then, none of this would be happening. But you lacked the resolve. Now, accept your fate! Enough talk. Soldiers, storm the residence and seize Liu Xie!”

He paid no heed to anything else, intent only on killing Liu Xie—his intentions could not have been clearer.

“Wolf Shadow Guards, to me!” Liu Xie shouted.

At his command, twenty figures leapt from behind him, each wielding a curved blade, their bearing cold and merciless, exuding murderous intent.

“Hah, a mere handful of men. Soldiers, attack!” At Cai Mao’s order, thousands of troops surged toward the residence.

Liu Xie retreated several paces as the twenty Wolf Shadow Guards charged forward to meet the oncoming soldiers. The battle began instantly, a bloodbath within the Governor’s Residence. The Wolf Shadow Guards blocked the entrance, cutting down every enemy who crossed the threshold. The fighting raged on, and not a single rebel managed to break through.

Seeing this, Cai Mao grew anxious. “Archers, ready! Kill them! Loose arrows!” At his command, arrows rained down. The Wolf Shadow Guards fell back, protecting Liu Xie as they retreated into a room to defend. Rebel soldiers forced their way into the residence, and the Wolf Shadow Guards, now trapped, resisted with desperate valor.

Time slipped away, and many of the Wolf Shadow Guards sustained injuries. Liu Xie, standing at the rear, his face icy, calculated swiftly. He knew they could not hold out much longer—reinforcements led by Huang Zhong were still some time away. If they continued like this, they would not survive until help arrived. He had to change tactics.

“Wolf Shadow Guards, hear my command! One squad, hold this room at all costs. The other, prepare for decapitation strike!” Liu Xie ordered.

The decapitation strike was one of the key maneuvers for which he had trained these men, though it had never been used in earnest—until now, with Cai Mao as the target.

At his word, the Wolf Shadow Guards split into two teams. The injured ten held the room, while the other ten, unscathed and brimming with fighting spirit, drew their curved blades and charged out.

“Hurry! Kill them!” Cai Mao shouted from the courtyard, astride his horse.

The ten Wolf Shadow Guards, under immense pressure, broke free from the room, avoiding unnecessary clashes and cutting a direct path toward Cai Mao. Their blades flashed through the night, mingled with screams and bursts of blood—utter carnage.

Thirty meters. Twenty. Ten.

Five.

When the Wolf Shadow Guards were less than three meters from him, Cai Mao finally panicked. “Kill them! Stop them!” He had never imagined a mere handful could be so formidable. Despite his overwhelming numbers and sustained assault, these men seemed utterly invincible.

Wave after wave of rebels tried to block their path, but the Wolf Shadow Guards were unstoppable. The distance between them and Cai Mao dwindled inexorably.

“No! Kill them—now!” Cai Mao yanked his horse around, desperate to escape.

But at that moment, several Wolf Shadow Guards leapt high, landing right in front of him. Cai Mao, startled, thrust his spear in defense, but he was hopelessly outmatched. The Wolf Shadow Guards dodged easily, and before he could strike again, one pulled him down from his horse and pressed a curved blade to his throat.

“All of you, stop!” shouted the guard.

The rebels within the residence froze, casting wary glances toward Cai Mao. Their leader had been captured—panic rippled through their ranks.

“Hah! What can you do to me?” Cai Mao sneered. “The Cai clan is a great family in Jing Province. Harm me, and my clan will never let you rest!”

Even now, Cai Mao’s arrogance was unshaken, convinced no one dared touch him.

At that moment, Liu Xie, protected by the Wolf Shadow Guards, stepped out from the room and caught Cai Mao’s words.

Simultaneously, there was a commotion outside the residence.

“Quickly, storm the Governor’s Residence! Protect His Majesty!” came Jia Xu’s voice.

Within moments, Jia Xu arrived with Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, and the other generals, quickly subduing all the rebels. When they saw the captured Cai Mao, they were astonished.

“Your Majesty, we have come too late to protect you. Please forgive us!” Huang Zhong and the others hurried over, falling to their knees in terror.

Liu Xie waved his hand lightly. “Rise, all of you. This is not your fault.”

He turned to Cai Mao. “Cai Mao, what did you just say? That I wouldn’t dare do anything to you?”

“Hah! Do as you please. You cannot imagine the power of the Cai clan in Jing Province,” Cai Mao replied with unbridled arrogance.

At these words, Liu Xie’s expression grew murderous. “Very well. Let me show you just what I can do.”

He took a curved blade from a Wolf Shadow Guard, raised it high, and with a single slash, Cai Mao’s head fell from his shoulders.

Liu Xie had truly executed Cai Mao.

Within the residence, before an army of a thousand, not one dared speak—all were stunned by Liu Xie’s decisive act. None had expected the emperor would truly dare to execute Cai Mao.

Yet what came next was even more shocking.

“Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Huo Jun, Wen Pin—hear my command!” Liu Xie called out.

“We await your orders!” The five generals knelt in unison.

“Tonight, arrest every member of the Cai clan—man, woman, or child—leave not a single soul behind! Begin at once!”