Laohekou was a small town between Dengzhou and Gu City. About ten miles west of the town, there was a wooden bridge that spanned across the river. It was about thirty feet long. When the water was low, the river was mainly concentrated in the center of the river, about thirty feet wide. During the flood season, the river would fill the entire riverbed.
Because there was a lot of sediment, the river was muddy. Although the shallow water near the banks was not deep, the muddy water could not see the bottom of the river. Looking at the mighty current, it was quite like a big river. In fact, the big river that flowed through this place had long changed its course.
On both sides of the wooden bridge, there were often people from the town who came here to do business. They sold water, fruits, and earned a little money from the passing customers to supplement their families. Zhang Chao and Rong Shu were people from the town. They often came to the bridge to do some small business during the slack season.
Zhang Chao often carried two large baskets and sold dates, walnuts, and other dried fruits. Rong Shu, on the other hand, sold water. The boiled well water was soaked with herbs that could quench thirst and cool the body. Occasionally, he would also sell the milk produced by his own ewes. After a day, it was a considerable income for a family like theirs.
One day, when the sun was high up in the sky, Zhang Chao and Rong Shu were chatting and laughing as they arrived at the bridgehead. Suddenly, they discovered that there were already a lot of people doing business there. The two couldn't help but be startled. Aside from them, there weren't many people doing business there, not to mention that they didn't recognize any of these people.
The two were surprised. Laohekou was the only town nearby. It was impossible for outsiders to travel dozens or even hundreds of miles to do small business here. In addition, the number of passersby was limited. Usually, there were only two or three people doing business at the bridge. What were these people doing out of nowhere?
Seeing that the people doing business were all very strong men, the two couldn't help but feel a little scared. They hesitated and didn't dare to go forward. At this time, a woman in her thirties walked over with a basket in one hand and a little girl in the other. She looked back and cursed as she walked.
The village woman was not particular about cursing people. She could say all kinds of ugly and vicious words. She didn't care that her daughter heard it. As soon as Zhang Chao and Rong Shu saw her, they recognized her as Mrs. Liu, who often sold eggs at the mouth of the bridge. They quickly went up to her. Rong Shu called out, "Mrs. Liu, what's going on with the people at the mouth of the bridge?"
Zhang Chao, who was a bit older, said, "Yes, Liu family, why did you close your stall so early?"
When Madam Liu saw that they were acquaintances from town, she hurriedly came forward to complain, "Uncle Zhang, Brother Rong Shu, you're here. I don't know where these people at the bridgehead came from, but they suddenly swarmed over here to do business, and even chased us away, not allowing us to set up our stalls there. Don't you think it's strange? "
When Zhang Chao heard this, he said angrily, "You dare to rebel against them? Where did these people come from? How dare they be so arrogant in front of our Laohekou people?"
Liu Da Sao said, "Heaven knows! Judging from their accents, they are all foreigners. The things they sell are also strange. There are needles, insoles, fruits, vegetables, and even live chickens. Who would do such a business in a place like this? "
When Rong Shu heard that it was a foreigner, he became even more courageous and angrily said: "Go! Let's go back and call for help from the town. Motherf * cker, foreigners dare to bully us locals. "
"Don't mind me, Brother Rong Shu!"
Liu Da Sao grabbed him and whispered mysteriously, "I reckon that something big is about to happen."
Zhang Chao and Rong Shu were startled and hurriedly asked, "What do you mean?"
Liu Da Sao said, "I accidentally saw that they were carrying weapons. They have sabers! It doesn't look like a good thing. But when they chased me away, they said that they would only be occupying this bridgehead for one day and would leave tomorrow. In my opinion, we should just close our stall today and talk about it tomorrow. "
When Rong Shu heard that these businessmen were carrying weapons, he couldn't help but jump in fright. Zhang Chao was older and more experienced, so he immediately sensed that something was amiss. He hurriedly said, "Liu family's words make sense. I don't think these people are doing business, so something must have happened. Let's leave quickly and don't invite trouble upon ourselves."
As the three businessmen spoke, they quickened their pace and hurried back to the town.
… …
Twenty-some guards escorted the Prince of Luling's carriage to the bridgehead. Ever since the Prince of Luling vomited in the carriage and was forced to stop and rest for half a day, Yang Fan had no choice but to slow down. Fortunately, he had yet to see any pursuers, so Yang Fan could only console himself that the guards on Yellow Bamboo Ridge had yet to discover the Prince of Luling's disappearance.
"The ornaments being sold at the bridgehead are so beautiful!" Li Guo 'er, who had been trapped in the mountains since she was a child, poked her head out of the window and looked back at the bridgehead with some reluctance. Although she was a daughter of the imperial family, she had never seen any decent ornaments before. In her opinion, she liked those crudely made ornaments of various colors.
"Ornaments?"
When Yang Fan, who was riding his horse, heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He had only been thinking of crossing the bridge as quickly as possible when he had urged his horse forward, so he really hadn't paid attention to those peddlers at the bridgehead. Now that he heard that they were selling ornaments, Yang Fan immediately went on high alert.
Along the way, the nearest village was several dozen li away. In this era, many people would spend their entire lives within a radius of ten li from their village. There were very few people who traveled far away from home, and even fewer women. Selling ornaments at the bridgehead? What kind of business was this?
Yang Fan immediately pulled on the reins and sternly shouted, "Halt!"
At Yang Fan's shout, the horses charging at the front immediately pulled on the reins and looked back. Yang Fan shouted, "Something's wrong, quickly retreat!"
The others still didn't know what was going on, but upon hearing Yang Fan's cautious words, they quickly turned their horses back. It was just that the Prince of Luling was riding in a carriage, so it wasn't that easy to turn back.
Almost at the same time, when the 'businessmen' at the bridgehead saw that they had stopped and retreated, they knew that they had been exposed. They immediately pulled out their weapons from under the baskets and stalls and launched an attack on the cavalrymen nearby.
At this moment, Gu Zhuting was at the very back of the procession, together with Gao Ying and Lan Yiqing. The three of them had just stepped onto the bridgehead when they happened to be enveloped by the assassins' weapons. Gu Zhuting and the other two reacted quickly and immediately drew their swords. Like three tigresses, they began to fight with the assassins.
The assassins had set up a trap at the center of the bridge, hiding two people under the bridge. Once the procession was halfway across, they would destroy the bridge, split them in two, and then ambush them. Unexpectedly, the Prince of Luling suddenly stopped and retreated, rendering the two people hiding under the bridge useless. They could only climb up from under the bridge with sabers in their mouths and fiercely hack at the horses' legs.
On the other side of the bridge, other than the few people guarding the bridgehead, there was also a group of archers lying in ambush behind the thicket. They had originally planned to wait for the Prince of Luling's group to cross the bridge before suddenly launching an attack, but at this moment, the Prince of Luling's group had directly made their move on this side of the bridgehead. With both sides engaged in a chaotic battle, the archers couldn't use their crossbows, so they could only draw their weapons and charge over.
Fortunately, they had originally intended to let half of the people cross first, so the bridge wasn't completely destroyed. If they wanted to completely destroy it, they would still need someone to tamper with it, so those people could still cross. However, when they charged over from the other side, Yang Fan's group had already protected the Prince of Luling's carriage and retreated to the bridgehead.
As soon as they exchanged blows, Yang Fan discovered that these businessmen were using military weapons, and the movements and footwork they used in close combat were also military techniques. Such techniques could only be used to their greatest effect in a large-scale battle, but on this bridgehead, they were far inferior to the martial arts of the people of Jianghu.
And it just so happened that the Hundred Cavalry and the internal guards were proficient in the martial arts of the people of Changjiang. Not only were they skilled in teamwork, they were even more skilled in individual combat. By the time the group of people at the other end of the bridgehead had caught up, the two assassins who had climbed up from under the bridge had already been killed, and nearly half of the assassins on this side of the bridgehead had also been killed.
Although the assassins at the bridgehead were still attacking without fear of death, their offensive had already suffered a severe setback. Their main purpose was to intercept and annihilate the targets left on this side of the bridge, while their true main force lay in ambush on the other side. Their numbers were small, and their skills were a level inferior. As a result, nearly half of them had been killed or injured in the first clash, and the remaining people were only doing their utmost to stall for time until reinforcements arrived.
Dismounting from his horse, Yang Fan gripped his steel saber and stood on the bridge, seething with killing intent. With a voice like spring thunder, he shouted, "Protect Mister Lu and retreat! Leave this to me!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhuting gave a tender roar and shook off her opponent. Leaping out of the crowd, she leaped toward the bridgehead like a large bird. If Yang Fan didn't leave, she naturally couldn't leave either. Others viewed protecting the Prince of Luling as their number one priority, but in her heart, the Prince of Luling could die, but not Yang Fan.
Huang Xuchang and Xu Liang protected the Prince of Luling's carriage as they fought and retreated until they reached the bridgehead. Only then did they successfully turn the corner. Immediately, Huang Xuchang, Xu Liang, Gao Ying, Lan Yiqing, and a hundred other cavalrymen, along with the valiant generals of the inner guard, madly rushed forward to protect the Prince of Luling's carriage. Yang Fan, Zhang Xitong, Tian Yan, Yue Ziqing, and several other imperial bodyguards who were originally charging at the very front stood at the bridgehead with sabers drawn.
Li Guo 'er's nervous little face was pale, but there was a strange excitement in her eyes. The moment the carriage turned, she stole a glance toward the bridgehead and happened to see the saber in Yang Fan's hand transform into a dazzling wheel of light, whistling toward the enemy in front of him. As soon as they met, severed limbs flew and blood spurted. Li Guo' er's eyes became even more excited.
Li Xian shrank into a corner, his face pale and his soul out of his body. He only muttered to himself, "They're here! They're finally here! "As the carriage turned and jolted, his head would occasionally bump against the wall of the tent, but he was completely unaware of it.
Because the assassins were going to assassinate the Prince of Luling at the bridgehead, they were not equipped with horses. After Huang Xuchang and the others escorted the Prince of Luling out of the encirclement, they very smoothly got rid of them. Only then did everyone's taut heartstrings relax.
In a single breath, everyone rushed for more than ten li before stopping on a hillside. Li Guo 'er grabbed the edge of the carriage window and poked her head out to ask Huang Xuchang in a loud voice, "Commander Huang, can Big Brother Yang and the others kill their way out?"
Huang Xuchang laughed brightly and said, "Little Princess, don't worry. Among us, only Lieutenant Yang is capable. Those cats and dogs won't be able to stop him! How is His Highness? "
They were on a high slope and there was no one around, so there was no need for them to conceal their words. Li Guo 'er glanced back. Li Xian pretended to be calm as he poked his head out and squeezed out a smile. He said to the crowd, "This prince is fine. I'll have to trouble you all!"
Although everyone had successfully escaped the encirclement, since they were ambushed today, it meant that there would be a series of battles ahead. Therefore, everyone's expression was very solemn and they did not feel happy or relaxed just because they had escaped danger.
Xu Liang rushed to the side of the carriage and dismounted. With a solemn expression, he said to the Prince of Luling, "When Lieutenant Yang returns, we'll have to have a good discussion! Since His Highness's whereabouts have been exposed, every step forward will be filled with trepidation. The road ahead … will not be easy! "
… …
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
