Jiang Suzhou didn't expect that Huo Wujiu would bring him directly to the city wall.
The sky darkened, and the soldiers' tents below the city wall were lit on fire. However, it was pitch black above the city wall, and nothing could be seen. Huo Wujiu skillfully found a blind spot of the guards, stepped on the wall with Jiang Suizhou, and leaped up.
The city wall of Lin 'an was very high, and it separated the inside and outside of the city into two different worlds.
The inside of the city was bustling with lights, and outside of the city, there were bright tents scattered all over the ground.
Huo Wujiu led Jiang Suzhou to the edge of the city wall and sat down.
Jiang Suzhou lowered his head and could see the bustling scene.
This bustling scene was different from the one in the city. The camp was illuminated by the bonfire on the ground, and it was steaming hot. The voices of the soldiers around the bonfire were not soft. They were chatting and laughing noisily, as if they had been roasted by the flames.
They sat on the ground, and the wine jars and food were placed on the ground. The aroma of the wine and meat rose together with the rising steam.
Jiang Suzhou was stunned for a moment.
"It's very lively," he said. "Are they like this every day?"
"Because we're going to set out tomorrow, so it's like this today," Huo Wujiu said from the side. "It's a military rule."
He seemed to be always sitting on the city wall. His feet were clearly hanging in the air for more than 100 feet, but his legs were swinging leisurely. He even raised his other leg and stepped on the edge of the city wall.
On the contrary, Jiang Suzhou was quite nervous. Huo Wujiu helped him to sit down, and he didn't dare to move again.
"After this, it's going to be hard work for the next few days," Jiang Suzhou said and looked at Huo Wujiu. "Are you going with them tomorrow?"
Huo Wujiu put his arm on his knee and looked sideways at Jiang Suzhou. "Lou Yue has sent two sets of military uniforms. Tomorrow, Wei Kai and I will sneak in."
"Won't they find out?" Jiang Suzhou asked.
"The one leading the troops is Ji Hongcheng." Huo Wujiu said. "It's reliable, don't worry."
Jiang Suzhou nodded.
He then heard Huo Wujiu say, "You, on the other hand. Lou Yue is also in the city, but you have to be careful. Don't let Pang Shao find you. "
Jiang Suizhou replied, "Okay."
Huo Wujiu continued, "I still have some people in the city. From now on, they will protect you. Tomorrow, I have a subordinate who will enter the residence. You don't have to worry about him. He knows what to do. "
Jiang Suzhou nodded.
"So …" He looked at Huo Wujiu. "Is there really no danger?"
Huo Wujiu lowered his head to look at him.
He didn't dare to tell the truth.
He didn't know how many troops the other party would bring, what kind of intentions they had, and what kind of generals they would send.
He couldn't be sure of any of these. He couldn't even tell what his chances of success were. The only thing he was sure of was that no matter what, he wouldn't let Jiang Suzhou be alone in danger for too long.
He raised his hand to touch Jiang Suzhou's hair, but he stopped halfway.
He said with certainty, "As long as nothing happens to you, you'll be safe. Don't worry."
Jiang Suzhou looked at him.
If he was still the same person he was a few months ago, he wouldn't be worried at all. Who was Huo Wujiu? The God of War of Daliang had always been invincible. Even if he made a mistake once, there wouldn't be a second time. In front of him, there was no problem.
But now …
Huo Wujiu wasn't the general in the history books who had been bestowed with a divine personality.
He was his sweetheart.
After a long time, Jiang Suzhou slowly spoke.
"Then you must do as you say," he said. "You can't lie to me."
— —
Early the next morning, the troops outside the city set out.
Huo Wujiu's movements were quite secretive, and his movements were also very fast. When Jiang Suzhou got up early in the morning and rushed to his room, the person sitting in the wheelchair was no longer him.
It was a young man who was about the same height as him. When he saw him come in, the man looked him up and down, then stood up nimbly. He cupped his hands towards Jiang Suzhou and said, "This must be His Highness, Prince Jing? Your subordinate, Nie Yao, has been ordered by the general to protect Your Highness. "
Jiang Suzhou was stunned for a moment, then he found his voice and said, "… He's already left?"
Nie Yao said, "Your subordinate escorted the general out of the city two hours ago."
Jiang Suzhou lowered his eyes. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "So early …"
Nie Yao nodded, "Yes. The general specifically told me not to disturb your rest. "
Jiang Suzhou smiled at him. He didn't know why, but the corners of his mouth were a bit heavy, and his smile was a bit forced, "I know. You just need to stay here with peace of mind. I've already told the Meng Qianshan that you don't need to worry about food and clothing. If anything happens, I'll definitely come find you. "
Nie Yao cupped his hands in acknowledgment, then Jiang Suzhou turned around and left.
After the door was closed, the early summer breeze in June blew on his body. It was obviously gentle, but Jiang Suzhou felt a bit cold.
He turned around and looked at the closed door.
He didn't realize that, ever since he had transmigrated, this was the first day that Huo Wujiu wasn't by his side.
It made him feel so unaccustomed to it that he even felt as if the whole world had become empty.
He turned around and returned to the main room as if nothing had happened.
Huo Wujiu had arranged everything very well for him.
Although Lou Yue was still as tyrannical as before in the royal court, he was secretly cooperating with Pang Shao, acting like he was strong in appearance but weak in reality, step by step, Pang Shao had turned him into a mere figurehead. From time to time, he would even act out incompetent rage.
With Lou Yue diverting Pang Shao's attention, it made things a lot easier for Jiang Suzhou to do things. He sent people to closely monitor Pang Shao's every move, and also to check if there were any unusual movements from him.
As expected, Pang Shao was very busy these days. Other than taking care of Lou Yue, there were also many things that required his attention outside the city. He exchanged messages every day, so he didn't have time to care about Jiang Suzhou.
Jiang Suzhou knew that it must have something to do with Lingnan.
He also found out a thing or two from Pang Shao's many messages.
The locust plague in Lingnan was getting worse, but the news had been suppressed. Pang Wei had already arrived in Lingnan. He was just waiting for an opportunity to incite the people, and then he could use this opportunity to mobilize the troops.
This was enough to show that Fang Zhaohe was really not clear-headed.
Just from a few sporadic messages, Jiang Suzhou could tell that Pang Shao didn't want Fang Zhaohe to live at all. Locust plague, embezzlement, and concealment. These crimes stacked together would definitely take Fang Zhaohe's life. When the time came, the troops would rise in Lingnan and endanger Lin 'an. When the empress died and Pang Shao pretended to "suppress" the rebellion, he would definitely punish Fang Zhaohe and take his head so that he could take the blame.
But at this time, Fang Zhaohe was only focused on working for Pang Shao.
Jiang Suzhou was closely monitoring Pang Shao's every move. In just seven or eight days, Lou Wanjun had secretly gone to his residence several times. He didn't have anything to say to him, but just wanted to talk to him.
After a few times, Jiang Suzhou finally couldn't help but ask about his doubts.
It happened to be night. He was sorting out the news under the lamp. Lou Wanjun was sitting on a chair not far away, drinking tea and eating snacks in boredom.
"Who sent you these few times?" Jiang Suzhou asked.
Lou Wanjun paused and said with a smile, "I wanted to come. I have nothing to do at home, but it's fun here. "
Jiang Suzhou couldn't help but laugh.
"What's fun here?" he said. "Tell me, is it Huo Wujiu?"
Lou Wanjun closed his mouth. After thinking for a while, he admitted it.
"How did you know?" she asked.
Jiang Suzhou smiled. "I just had a feeling. I didn't expect to be right. Why did he send you here?"
Lou Wanjun leaned back in his chair.
"He's worried about you," she said. "I don't know what this madam Ping Ping has to worry about. However, he said some harsh words to my father, and my father didn't dare to disobey. He could only send me, an idle person, to check if there's any danger in your estate, so that I can protect you."
Jiang Suzhou only felt that this method was very stupid.
After a moment, he smiled helplessly.
"Really …"
Lou Wanjun looked at him with bright eyes.
"Did you see something as well?" she asked.
Jiang Suzhou stared blankly. "What?"
Lou Wanjun said, "Huo Wujiu!"
Jiang Suzhou looked puzzled. "What's wrong with Huo Wujiu?"
Lou Wanjun made an "ah" sound and stared at him for a while. She said as if talking to herself, "That's not right. You're a homosexual. Can't you see that?"
Jiang Suzhou's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
His eyes contained a hint of disbelief and expectation.
Lou Wanjun saw it at a glance.
She laughed mischievously.
"Nothing," she said. "Wait for him to come back. Let him tell you himself."
— —
At this time, a pitch-black shadow was faintly reflected on the surface of the Yangtze River.
From the north to the south, several ships were like giant beasts lurking in the night, slowly crossing the wide river. There were no lights on the ships. Only when one was very close could they vaguely see the giant black shadows.
One ship after another came ashore.
Many soldiers silently disembarked from the ships. They wore thick black armor, and only occasionally shone a cold light in the night. Gradually, the soldiers lined up on the riverbank. There were actually tens of thousands of them.
So many people, yet they were not noticed at all.
The general leading the soldiers naturally knew what was going on.
Li Cheng sat on his warhorse and quietly looked south.
He knew that Wei Kai had already sent him a message saying that the general guarding this place had been bribed by Lou Yue and would not appear here today. Therefore, he and his soldiers were the only ones left on the riverbank.
Other than that, there was someone else he had been ordered to kill.
The ten thousand soldiers behind him were just bait to lure the enemy into a trap. Naturally, these soldiers did not know anything. They all thought that they were here to avenge General Huo.
Only he and the dozens of elite soldiers who had been hiding in the area knew that they were here to kill General Huo and eliminate the Crown Prince once and for all.
He waited quietly.
At this moment, a voice came from the forest in the distance.
"Li Cheng?"
It was Huo Wujiu's voice from afar.
For a moment, the densely packed soldiers behind him were somewhat excited, faintly letting out muffled sounds. Li Cheng coldly glanced behind him, only to see that there were dozens of soldiers around him, all of whom were ready to attack.
He sneered.
Even with Huo Wujiu's prestige, he would be trampled into a bloody pulp by the horses' hooves. The soldiers behind him could only be angry, but they did not dare to say anything. After all, the Crown Prince was standing behind them.
Li Cheng looked away and raised his voice. "General, it's me!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand slightly, indicating for the soldiers around him to get ready.
Not long after he finished speaking, a faint sound came from the forest.
A tall person riding a horse galloped out of the forest and headed straight for Li Cheng.
Li Cheng raised his hand.
In the next moment, dozens of arrows pierced through the air like falcons. They tore through the silence of the night and flew towards the figure.
The person on the horse could not dodge in time and was hit by several arrows. The warhorse neighed as it was hit and fell heavily to the ground.
Li Cheng's eyes lit up.
It was done.
The soldiers in formation were dumbfounded. They stood rooted to the ground. As for the dozens of soldiers around Li Cheng, they firmly protected Li Cheng in the middle.
Li Cheng raised the scroll in his hand.
"I am here on His Majesty's imperial edict to kill the traitor!" he said. "The traitor Huo Wujiu has long since pledged allegiance to Nanjing! If we don't kill him, he will become a threat to Liang in the future! "
The scroll glowed with a faint golden light under the night sky.
The soldiers around him felt as if they had been struck by lightning. No one knew what had happened tonight. However, the imperial edict was in Li Cheng's hand. Even if they did not know whether it was true or false, they did not believe that Li Cheng would dare to falsify an imperial edict and kill Huo Wujiu so openly.
For a moment, the soldiers in formation did not move at all. Only the man and his horse fell to the empty ground.
Seeing this, Li Cheng put away the scroll with satisfaction. Under the escort of the elites around him, he rode his horse to the corpse.
As long as he could confirm that Huo Wujiu was dead, his mission would be complete.
After tonight, the Crown Prince would no longer have to worry about Huo Wujiu being alive. He would no longer be threatened by Pang Shao because Huo Wujiu was in his hands.
Everything would be settled.
He could not help but reveal a joyful expression. He walked up to Huo Wujiu and had a soldier light a torch. He wanted to see Huo Wujiu's death.
The torch illuminated the corpse.
There was only a dead horse on the ground.
On the horse's back was a scarecrow.
In the next moment, a sharp arrow pierced through the air and pierced Li Cheng's throat. The accuracy of the sword was steady and the force was heavy. It actually pierced through his neck bone.
Blood splattered everywhere. Li Cheng's eyes widened. He did not even have time to retract the smile on his face.
In a flash of silver, he saw Huo Wujiu standing at the edge of the forest. He was riding on a horse with a cold expression.
The bow in his hand was still drawn.
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.
