The sound of a broken gong rang out. The steel plate that had been sandwiched in between the wooden planks had finally been smashed by the burly man. No one cheered, not even the Brocade Guards in the courtyard cried out in alarm.
The courtyard door fell with a creak, and the Brocade Guards, who had been prepared for this, shot through the air with their thin crossbows. It was extremely dangerous!
The burly man's right arm had long since become numb from the dozen or so strikes, and the zhenqi in his body had been completely used up. Seeing the crossbow bolts flying towards him, he had no extra energy to react. There were countless "chi chi" sounds as the crossbow bolts all pierced into his broad body. One of them pierced through his eye socket, and with a squeak, a bright red crystalline object shot out from his eye socket!
"Ah!" Under the pain, the burly man let out a wild howl. Carrying the countless crossbow bolts on his body, he pounced into the courtyard. Every time he took a heavy step, a large amount of blood would spurt out of his body.
He only took three steps forward before he fell to the stone floor like a small mountain. He smashed into the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust. The ground was covered in blood, but his presence made the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the courtyard take three steps back!
The dead burly man's body was extremely broad, so it blocked most of the crossbow bolts that were shot outside the courtyard. Using his body as cover, Tan Wu and the remaining experts floated in like a gust of wind. By the time the burly man's body pressed down on the Brocade Guards, everyone had already killed their way to the side of the Brocade Guards!
At this time, the fighting on the high wall had also retreated into the courtyard. A dozen or so black-clothed men wielded naomaru short knives, which were rarely seen in Shangjing. They had actually forced the twenty or so Brocade Guards into a small circle that was less than ten feet wide. The black-clothed men's attacks were extremely ruthless and harsh. Although they were outnumbered, the Brocade Guards had no way of defending themselves.
The scene at this time was like a shark in the deep sea surrounding a large school of fish. The dense school of fish would always be torn apart, and blood would fall into the sharks' mouths. Not long after, the school of fish would be completely devoured.
But Tan Wu could not wait. The General's adoptive father was still in the courtyard, and according to the news from the southerners, the palace had not been moved. Therefore, he waved his right hand and made a hand signal. Three of the black-clothed men with the strongest martial arts separated themselves and charged into the building.
Although there were three fewer people, the pressure the Brocade Guards felt did not lessen in the slightest. Between the flashes of swords and blades, there would occasionally be a splash of blood. Then, one of their comrades would have his arm cut off and his chest cut off, falling into a pool of blood on the ground.
Fan Xian calmly observed the situation in the courtyard from his perch atop the tree. He knew that things were not so simple. The plan that Yan Bingyun had drafted had already received a response from Boss Sheng. Shang Shanhu and Xinyang both thought that this sudden attack was a very good plan. In that case, Yan Bingyun must know what the Brocade Guard's backup plan was.
Tan Wu also knew that things weren't that simple.
…
…
It was a scream of pain after being injured, but it was also a warning. The three black-robed elites who had charged into the building earlier were sent flying out of the building. Blood gushed out of their mouths as they flew through the air. It was obvious just how powerful the elites from the Embroidered Uniform Guards who had been lying in ambush in the building were!
Tan Wu's expression did not change. The tips of his feet pushed off the bluestone floor, and his entire body leaped into the air. In an extremely short amount of time, he exchanged three blows with the man who had charged out of the building. Three crisp sounds rang out.
"Deputy Commander Xiao, I did not expect you to personally be here watching the defense." Tan Wu looked coldly at the black-clothed man in front of him. He was one of the few aces in the Brocade Guard, Deputy Commander of the Discipline Commission, Xiao Yuanbing. This man's eyes were deep and bright. He looked coldly at Tan Wu and said, "The Empress Dowager knows that you rebels and traitors will come to make trouble. I will personally stand guard here and see who can rescue this prisoner!"
This Deputy Commander Xiao spoke with great confidence. Tan Wu covered his mouth and coughed twice, spitting out a few drops of blood. He was no match for his opponent, but there was not a trace of panic in his eyes. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the back of the courtyard.
Fan Xian, who was on the tall tree, was no longer paying attention to the fight in the front yard. Instead, he looked at the small cart at the back of the courtyard. At this moment, the small cart was pressed tightly against the stone wall at the back of the courtyard. The wall looked ordinary, but it was incomparably sturdy.
A very soft hissing sound rang out. Deputy Commander Xiao frowned slightly. With a palm strike, he pushed back Tan Wu, who had rushed forward to attack, and turned his head to look at the back of the building.
…
…
Fan Xian carefully adjusted his posture, ready to go down the tree at any time. Looking at the small cart, he gently opened his mouth and spat out a single word soundlessly, "Explode."
An earth-shattering explosion rang out in that instant! The small cart had exploded for some unknown reason! Like a bolt of lightning, it blasted a large hole in the stone wall at the back of the courtyard.
Stone fragments flew out like arrows, and in an instant, the 30 Brocade Guards lying in ambush at the back of the wall exploded into bloody corpses!
This was the greatest sincerity that the Overwatch Council had shown to Shang Shanhu. A cart of secret explosives from the Third Bureau had finally come into play! Of course, this was something that Fan Xian had arranged, but he hadn't expected the Third Bureau to be so sincere. He couldn't help but feel some lingering fear. Don't be afraid that Xiao En, who was in the building, would be blown to death.
As the stone fragments fell to the ground, there was a rustling sound. A jet-black carriage fearlessly drove up to the gap in the back wall. A few people rushed into the courtyard, braving the falling stones and dust that covered the street. Not long after, these people ran out of the gap, carrying a person who couldn't move easily. They got on the carriage and rushed to the mouth of the alley in the distance. From afar, the person on the back could be seen. His hair was white and unkempt. It was Xiao En.
But strangely, Fan Xian slightly narrowed his eyes, but didn't go down the tree to follow.
— — —
At the back wall, the valiant carriage disappeared into the night, leaving behind only the clattering of hooves and the sound of the wheels rolling over the stone road, echoing in the silence of Shangjing.
Deputy Commander Xiao was held up by Tan Wu's fearless tactics, and had no time to pay attention to the shocking changes at the back wall. Today, Shang Shanhu's faction had stormed the front gate, but they had secretly ambushed the rear wall. The entire defensive strength of the small courtyard had been drawn to the front yard. Deputy Commander Xiao had carefully placed thirty Brocade Guard machetemen in ambush at the rear wall.
But no one expected that after that loud bang, the expected sounds of fighting did not ring out as they had expected!
Thinking of that loud noise, Deputy Commander Xiao couldn't help but feel his heart palpitate. That kind of noise shouldn't be human. Could it be the wrath of the gods? Thinking of this, his hands gradually slowed down.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tan Wu roared and rushed forward with his fist. His whole body was forced to retreat. After paying the price of the lives of a few of his subordinates, the remaining eight or nine men in black had already killed their way out of the courtyard, ready to disappear into the night.
…
…
Ta, ta, ta, ta. Unexpectedly, the carriage that had disappeared into the night, for some unknown reason, actually came back at high speed!
Tan Wu was shocked and led a group of men in black back. They met up with the carriage at the fork in the road south of the courtyard. He shouted, "Why didn't you leave?"
The carriage was full of broken marks. It was obvious that it hadn't been made by stones, but by some long-range weapon. The good soldier sitting in the driver's seat had a look of despair on his face. He said in a hoarse voice, "General! We've been ambushed! "
After saying this, the man released his left hand from the terrible wound on his chest. His head tilted and he fell to his seat, unable to get up again.
The horse pulling the carriage was lucky enough to not be injured, but it seemed to sense the death of its master and kicked its hind legs uneasily. The slow clatter of the horse's hooves rang out again, as if to echo the lonely sound of the horse's hooves. The clatter of the close-knit alleys around the courtyard began to ring out. The sound grew closer and closer, more and more frequent.
In the pitch-black night, the stars in the sky seemed to be startled, and scattered down a bit of light, allowing everyone to clearly see where the sound of the horse's hooves was coming from.
Countless Brocade Guards silently surged out of the alleys from all directions, and among them were soldiers from the Shangjing government. The sound of the horse's hooves rang out, and the solemn ambushers surrounded the lonely carriage and the nine men in black next to it. Wherever their spears pointed, there wasn't a gap to escape.
"Capture them." The Brocade Guards parted. The Provost of the Discipline Commission of the Brocade Guard, Shen Zhong, smiled and said, "General Shang Shanhu has given me this opportunity. Many thanks, many thanks."
Failing to rescue the prisoners, Shen Zhong had finally found a chance to bring down Shang Shanhu. Given the current situation, he could not help but be happy.
There was no despair on Tan Wu's face, nor was there shock. There was only incomparable anger and resentment. In the plan to rescue the prisoners tonight, he had already thought about what would happen if they failed. As one of Shang Shanhu's personal soldiers, he had no thoughts of cherishing his life. But … Tan Wu was still very angry. In the plan, he knew that Shen Zhong might have an ambush, and his side had already prepared for it.
For example, the residential buildings in the direction of the carriage should have been on fire by now, but it was still quiet.
For example, the alleys where the Brocade Guards were lying in ambush should have been chaotic, but today there was not a single movement.
…
…
Fan Xian was mixed in with the tree branches, calmly watching the situation in the distance. He looked at Tan Wu, who was as angry as a wounded eagle, without a trace of expression. In the plan, Shang Shanhu's side would be the main attack, and the task of covering the retreat should have been carried out by the spies from Xinyang and the Overwatch Council in Shangjing. But the Eldest Princess did not move, Yan Bingyun did not move, and Fan Xian did not move either.
Compared to Shang Shanhu's northern soldiers, the Qing people, without a doubt, were quite consistent in their sinister and tacit understanding.
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