Qin Prefecture, King Lu's Palace
General Xu Guang was a middle-aged man of about forty years of age. His eyebrows were straight, and he exuded a strong killing intent. At this point, he led a dozen of his personal guards towards King Lu's Palace. He had a determined and slightly tanned face as he looked ahead. King Lu's Palace was right in front of him.
This used to be the Lu Palace of the previous dynasty. Due to its location, the area was naturally larger than the Palace of the Lu Palace in the capital. The courtyard was thick and dense, with cobblestone roads. Between the shadows of the trees and the shade of the flowers, the pavilions and pavilions were all hidden within. The palace walls were continuous, and one could faintly see the armoured soldiers inside.
Xu Guang shuddered and pulled his horse to a stop. The deputy general raised his hand and all the bodyguards stopped in their tracks. Only then did the deputy general approach Xu Guang and asked in a low voice, "General, are you worried?"
A gust of wind blew past his face as Xu Guang paused for sometime, "That's right. At this juncture, not only did King Lu refuse to close his doors and wait for the Imperial Envoy, he even summoned the general. His intentions are hard to predict."
When the Deputy General heard this, he whispered, "General, since the Prince's Mansion is not friendly, it's best if you don't go in."
Xu Guang fell silent, as a struggle appeared in his eyes. After some time, he sighed, "There's no other way. King Lu has decreed that the three prefectures are under control. Before the Imperial Court decides to strip you of your authority, it's only right for me to meet you. I have no choice but to go."
"If I don't go, it means I'm disobeying orders, and you can take me down immediately!" Xu Guang frowned as he spoke. The horse beneath him seemed to have sensed his unease and began to dig the ground.
"Sigh!" When the deputy general heard this, he sighed. Naturally, he understood his superior's dilemma. "But general, we need to be prepared."
Xu Guang rubbed his temples before speaking out, "That's right. We have to take precautions. It's just that King Lu wouldn't dare to kill me. Once I'm imprisoned or dismissed from my post, I want you to return to command the army. Apart from the Imperial Court's orders and the Imperial Envoy's orders, you are not to listen to anyone else. With the army in my hands, I will have peace."
"Understood," the deputy general replied.
Xu Guang paused before closing his eyes, "If King Lu really rebels, then that's fate."
The Deputy General didn't say a word as Xu Guang led his personal guards forward. Half a street away from King Lu's Palace. When they arrived at the front of the palace, they saw that the gates were wide open. There were guards standing guard in front of the gates. They were all clad in armor, and just looking at them made one feel a chill down their spine.
Feeling uneasy, Xu Guang alighted from his horse and entered with his two bodyguards.
"General Xu, please follow me." An Imperial Bodyguard stepped forward to lead the way. Once inside, he saw that there were sentries every three steps and sentries every five steps along the walls. Along the way, there were many armored soldiers, all of them had their swords in their hands and did not look sideways. It was so tight that even a fly would not be able to fly through.
Xu Guang sensed that something was amiss and hesitated for a moment before he heard the expressionless Imperial Guard urging him, "General Xu, please hurry up. His Highness has been waiting for a long time."
When Xu Guang heard this, he started to feel vexed and remorseful. It was just that he couldn't return to King Lu's palace, which was filled with Imperial Guards. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down before he reached the main hall.
An Imperial Guard arrived at the main hall to report the arrival of the Imperial Guard. Seeing that everything was normal and orderly, Xu Guang felt more at ease. He then thought to himself, 'Perhaps King Lu doesn't have any intentions of rebelling.'
Just as he was deep in thought, the eunuch arrived at the door and said, "General Xu, His Highness requests your presence."
Xu Guang straightened his robes in front of the main hall, in order to avoid any loss of decorum. Two of his personal guards remained outside the door. When they entered the main hall, they bowed to King Lu, "General Xu Guang pays his respects to King Lu."
When King Lu heard this, he raised his hand, "General, you may dispense with the formalities. It looks like you're still in good spirits. It's just that you've become tanned and skinnier. It's a good thing that you're strict with your troops, but you still have to take care of your body!"
Xu Guang thanked him and calmed himself down. He then stole a glance at King Lu and noticed that he was dressed in a Grand Prince's robe. He had pearls on his crown, with narrow sleeves and a dragon embroidered on his shoulders. Actually, he didn't look much different from a Canton Prince. The only difference was that he had eight Eastern pearls, while the Crown Prince had nine.
He then thought to himself, 'King Lu seems different from before. There's an indescribable aura about him. He's sitting upright and has an air of authority about him. It's different from the Emperor.'
Xu Guang composed himself before asking, "I wonder what instructions does King Lu have for me?"
King Lu had a cold smile on his face as he replied, "There are some things I wanted to say later. But since you've asked, it's better to be direct."
He then looked at Xu Guang, "My Emperor Father has many despicable people by his side. They persecute the loyal subjects and mislead the Emperor. I wish to raise my troops to rid the Emperor's side of evil. I wish to raise my troops to support the virtuous officials and to help the people under heaven. General Xu Guang, are you willing to follow me?"
Some failed to rid the Emperor's side of evil officials, while others succeeded. It had long since become synonymous with rebellion. Although Xu Guang was prepared for this, when he heard these words, he couldn't help but shiver in fear. His face turned pale.
At this point, the entire hall was silent. It was as quiet as an ancient tomb. Xu Guang felt a heavy weight pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe. There was only one thought in his mind, 'King Lu really wants to rebel.'
At this point, many thoughts flashed through his mind. Should he submit to King Lu, or sacrifice himself? Or should he beg for death? Or should he wait for his subordinates to save him?
Within seconds, his entire body was drenched in sweat, and his undergarments were stuck to his body.
"Official Xu, how is it?" King Lu asked as he picked up a cup of tea. Xu Guang's face flushed red as he hardened his heart, "Your majesty, please be careful with your words."
"Now that the world is under control, the people are at peace. How can there be any treacherous officials around? I think it's the treacherous officials who are trying to bewitch you. Your majesty, please don't make a mistake."
"Who's a treacherous official, and who's a treacherous official, will be judged by future generations. Xu Guang, do you submit to King Lu or not?" Eunuch Liao spoke out coldly.
Hearing the words of eunuch Liao, Xu Guang's blood boiled as he glared at the eunuch with hatred. He then shouted out, "The Emperor wielded his sword and conquered the lands. Nobody dared to defy him. Now that you're a eunuch, why are you bewitching King Lu? You and the eunuch are treacherous officials, treacherous officials. "
"Xu Guang!" Eunuch Liao's face flushed red as he screamed out, "How dare you!"
"Treacherous official, you shall die a horrible death!" Xu Guang hardened his heart and wasn't afraid anymore. He then spat out a mouthful of saliva onto the ground.
King Lu wasn't angry as he laughed, "Looks like you're speaking up for the treacherous officials in the court. It's a pity that I can't keep you around."
A soft sigh fell into Xu Guang's ears, and was like a clap of thunder. The hair on his body stood on end. He then heard two "pa pa" sounds as King Lu clapped his hands together. At that point, there was a loud battle cry as soldiers appeared from both sides of the hall. They were filled with killing intent.
Xu Guang had already handed over his blade when he entered the hall. At this point, he was unarmed and retreated several steps. One of the soldiers charged forward, and the blade flashed as fast as lightning, showing no mercy at all.
But halfway through the flash of the saber, Xu Guang's figure flashed diagonally and pounced forward. The armored soldier immediately suffered a heavy blow and fell to the ground. Xu Guang's hand moved and snatched the saber away.
With the blade in his hand, Xu Guang didn't back down. His blade flashed like lightning as he charged towards the soldier.
"Clang clang clang" The blade flashed as it pierced through the gaps between the soldiers.
The three soldiers groaned as they fell to the ground, fresh blood splattering everywhere. They then pounced towards King Lu like a tiger.
"King Lu, I'm sorry to offend you." Xu Guang didn't pounce, but when he did, he was like a bolt of lightning.
King Lu didn't retreat as he laughed, "I've long heard of General Xu's blade techniques. When you joined the army, you were just a small soldier. You relied on your blade techniques to carve out a path for yourself. Now that I look at it, you're truly a tiger. What a pity."
A group of five soldiers appeared beside King Lu. Their faces were expressionless as their blade energy pierced through Xu Guang's skin, "I'm invincible. Kill!"
The blade flashed as soon as it made contact.
"Ah …. Ah …." The three soldiers fell to the ground. Xu Guang's body had a new wound as fresh blood spurted out.
"General Xu is indeed a tiger. However, my soldiers aren't cattle or sheep." King Lu's tone was calm and cold, "How long can you last?"
Another group of soldiers pounced forward as they drew their blades. At that point, the entire hall was filled with sparks as blood spurted out. At this point, Xu Guang felt a chill run down his spine as he tumbled to the side.
He saw a Daoist holding a sword in his hand. He had an otherworldly aura about him. He had stabbed Xu Guang with his sword.
Xu Guang pointed at him and cursed, "So it was you Daoists who bewitched King Lu and interfered with the affairs of the court. Aren't you afraid of the wrath of the heavens?"
When the Daoist heard Xu Guang's words, he laughed, "I'm acting on King Lu's orders. How could I face the wrath of the heavens? Besides, we're following King Lu to support the good officials and the people under him. This is a great merit. We're truly bringing peace to the world. This is what the heavens will remember. "
"Shameless!" Xu Guang's face was flushed red as he cursed. The Daoist closed in on him. All of a sudden, his sword flashed with a strange light, like a spider or a venomous snake.
"Clang clang clang" The sound of the sword rang out as the Daoist retreated several steps back. However, he didn't give up. This caused Xu Guang to be unable to extricate himself. The soldiers around him took the opportunity to charge forward and slashed at him.
"Kill!"
Xu Guang killed several soldiers. However, three blades had already pierced deep into his body. As he pulled them out, fresh blood spurted out.
"Eh!" Xu Guang screamed out as he moved closer to King Lu. The soldiers wanted to kill him, but King Lu waved his hands. One step, two steps, three steps … King Lu didn't move an inch as he stared coldly at the approaching soldiers.
On the fourth step, Xu Guang, who was covered in blood, finally knelt down. He stretched out both his hands, as if he wanted to grab something. His vision was pitch black.
His outstretched hands sank down as his heavy body fell to the ground. His entire body twitched as he took his last breath.
"Pu!" The Daoist spat out a mouthful of blood as well, as he used his sword to support himself. His face was pale as he mumbled to himself, "Daoist, when did you become a Daoist? It's just that I killed a general, and even had the King's life. I've suffered from the backlash! "
Outside King Lu's Palace
The Deputy General listened attentively. He could hear shouts of killing and the footsteps of the soldiers around him. His face fell as he pulled on the reins of his horse, "Quick, let's go."
The soldiers were all on high alert as they turned around and left. The entire group of them ran towards the army camp.
As they turned a corner, they saw a wine shop in front of them. It was a place that the Deputy General liked to frequent. However, he wasn't in the mood to do so now. He shouted, "Quick, quick!"
Just then, the window suddenly opened wide and a hoarse roar broke the uneasy silence. "Shoot!" The order was given.
At that point, a sharp sound pierced through the air. Actually, the soldiers were prepared. However, they didn't have any shields or armor. Even if they were prepared, it would be useless. At that point, blood splattered everywhere.
The Deputy General was the target. Seven or eight arrows pierced through his body, causing him to look like a porcupine. He fell off his horse and died instantly.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
