Chapter 515

The surviving officers and soldiers of the City Guard Battalion looked at one another, yet no one stepped forward to say a word. Earlier, following the explosions at their barracks, some had noticed individuals dressed in the uniform of the City Guard Battalion setting fires everywhere. They had even clashed with their own men, blades bared and blood spilled. Just as Xiong Hui had asserted, there were traitors among their ranks. With Xiong Hui holding the Left Chancellor’s seal, they dared not act rashly. Before long, all the soldiers bearing arms discarded their weapons. Pei Hong had not yet figured out why Xiong Hui had appeared there, but he realized that the situation was far from normal. In particular, the fact that Xiong Hui had arrived so shortly after the explosions, carrying the Left Chancellor’s seal to take command of the City Guard Battalion, was deeply suspicious. *I must return and tell my father and grandfather about this!* Having made up his mind, Pei Hong quietly retreated to a corner. While Xiong Hui’s men had yet to fully secure the area, he slipped out through a side gate of the barracks. Xiong Hui’s forces soon brought the City Guard Battalion barracks under complete control. Afterward, he led his men to the Cabinet Office. Brandishing the seal, he passed through without obstruction, arriving at Zhou Yunfu’s office. Once inside, he pulled the door shut behind him.