The moon was as cold as water.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked at the distant foot of the mountain and the distant seaside. He saw the small boat gently sinking and floating in the ink-like water.
His internal strength was Tyrannical and his eyesight was astonishing. He still could not clearly see the situation on the boat. Strangely, it was as if he could see the old man on the boat, that straw hat, and that wisp of beard from so far away.
Of the four Great Grandmasters in the world, he had only seen Ye Liuyun.
Once when he was young and once in Suzhou. Each time, he was stunning. Ye Liuyun was a free and easy person, a very free and easy person. Tonight, he had come riding a boat through the waves with a sword in hand. His aura had not yet arrived, but his elegance was already enough to make one's heart tremble.
Fan Xian looked at the boat in the ocean and thought of the Great Grandmaster who had floated alone on the boat and charged toward Dong Mountain. Even though there were thousands of people in front of him, he couldn't help but feel deeply moved. A glimmer of respect grew in his heart for no reason.
The small boat appeared close but was actually very far. It bathed in the moonlight on the shore of an antenna and slowly moved toward this side. It was as if it would never get close to this shore.
Fan Xian knew that the furthest distance in the world was not the distance between life and death. Thus, this small boat, which was about to determine the life and death of countless people, would eventually reach the shore.
At the foot of the mountain, on the side facing away from the shore, dots of fire suddenly appeared. Although they were dots of fire, the light was enough to reach the summit of the mountain. It could be imagined that on the battlefield there, powerful rebel soldiers had appeared like ghosts and were desperately attacking the line of defense of the Imperial Army. The power of the fire when they burned the camp had already grown to an uncontrollable level.
Fortunately, there was a lot of rain in the summer. Additionally, the sea wind blew and the mountain was very humid. There was no need to worry that this fire would directly burn Dong Mountain into a charred pillar and burn everyone on the mountain to death.
A few more mournful signal arrows shot into the sky. They only reached halfway up the mountain before falling miserably and dispiritedly and powerlessly. It was at this time that the Imperial Army's line of defense at the foot of the mountain found it difficult to continue and almost couldn't hold out much longer.
…
…
The little boat had not yet arrived, but the powerful enemies had already reached the foot of the mountain. The Qing Emperor and his group all had their backs to the sea. Standing in front of the stone railings for viewing the scenery, they silently watched the activity at the foot of the mountain, watched the fires that burned and died, and listened to the faint sounds of killing. However, they were still too far away. When the sounds of battle reached the peak of the mountain, they were blown by the wind and rustled by the branches of the trees. It actually became a somewhat distorted rhythmic beat.
There was no killing intent. At least, the people on the summit of the mountain did not feel this kind of atmosphere. In comparison, the little boat slowly drifting over from the ocean behind Dong Mountain brought more nervousness to the people.
At this time, the Minister of the Board of Rites, the officials of Taichang Temple, and the other officials who had come to worship heaven had long walked out of their rooms and followed behind the silent Emperor. Each of them was shocked and terrified, but no one dared to say anything.
The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army had long charged down the mountain, prepared to fight to the death on the front line. However, before he arrived, the 2,000 soldiers of the Imperial Army would probably have already become wandering spirits in the night and corpses in the mountains.
Fan Xian felt a slight bitterness in his mouth. He unconsciously stuck out his tongue to lick his dry lips. A glimmer of shock grew uncontrollably in his heart. Where did this army at the foot of the mountain come from? Why didn't the Overwatch Council's network on Shandong Road detect anything ahead of time? Why didn't the 500 Black Knights placed in the Xiao Mountain area have any effect? Was the other party able to sneak to the foot of Dong Mountain without anyone noticing?
What shocked him the most was the situation at the foot of the mountain. Seeing the flames retreating, listening to the rise and fall of the sounds of killing, and judging from the signal arrows, he knew that the Imperial Army could no longer hold out. The 2,000 Imperial Soldiers were about to be defeated so quickly.
Although the Imperial Army was stationed in Jingdou and could not compare to the Dingzhou army, Northern Expedition Camp, and the seven Roads of armies in terms of field battle ability, ever since the Great Prince had been transferred to the position of Commander of the Imperial Army, he had transferred many key generals from the original Western Expedition Army. The Imperial Army's strength had been effectively replenished. Even if they were not a match for those armies, they would not be defeated so quickly.
After Fan Xian was shocked, a glimmer of confusion welled up in his heart. Whose family did the attacking army belong to?
…
…
"It's Yan Xiaoyi's trusted camp." The Emperor stood by the stone railing and looked in the direction of the foot of the mountain. Although it was clear that he could not see clearly what was happening below, he saw a glimmer of unease in Fan Xian and old Eunuch Hong's eyes. Coldly, he said, "The Imperial Army is not a match for them."
"Yan Xiaoyi's trusted camp?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows. He immediately thought of the strange Cangzhou victory between Cangzhou and Yanjing a month ago. Although he still didn't know what method Yan Xiaoyi had used to send these soldiers to the foot of Dong Mountain, since the enemy had already arrived, thinking about it now was a waste of time.
"You are the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. An army has traveled thousands of li to carry out an attack deep inside the country. What crime is that?" the Emperor looked at Fan Xian and asked with a slight smile.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He knew that the Emperor was joking. However, the situation at the foot of the mountain was so dangerous. He was not in the mood to joke. He replied, "Even if there is a secret passage to the north of Danzhou, the Overwatch Council should have received news of it. Thus, I think that someone in the Council is helping him."
The Emperor smiled and didn't say anything. There was an additional glimmer of self-mockery in his smile.
Fan Xian saying that there was a problem in the Council was honest and also a test. He wanted to test whether or not the elite group at the foot of the mountain, killing like tigers and wolves, Yan Xiaoyi's trusted camp, had been purposely let there by the Emperor. Looking at the Emperor's confident expression and calm posture, Fan Xian believed this deduction in the depths of his heart. However, the Emperor's smile appeared very helpless.
"I want to know the specific situation at the foot of the mountain," the Emperor suddenly said coldly. "I don't want to be blind."
Back then, the Emperor had personally led the army to fight north and south. He had made illustrious achievements in battle and could be called the foremost general in the land. However, he had not personally gone into battle for almost 20 years. That was why Shang Shanhu, who was fighting the Barbarians in Northern Qi, had gradually overshadowed the Monarch's military glory.
In the situation of the royal entourage being surrounded, if the Emperor could personally command the Imperial Army, presumably, the Imperial Army at the foot of the mountain would not have been defeated so wretchedly. However, even though there was a bright moon hanging high in the night, going up and down the mountain was not as joyful as singing folk songs. Sending orders took a long time, much less personally commanding.
Thus, the Emperor's expression was icy and his tone was not friendly.
This slight unfriendliness did not frighten the people by the Emperor's side to death. In such a situation, the Emperor was sufficiently calm that he did not fly into a rage and chop off the heads of the officials by his side.
Fan Xian slowly lowered his head and gently touched the index and ring fingers of both of his hands, forming a bridge. In an instant, he circulated all the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body, urging the two circulations in his body that were different from everyone else's to circulate quickly. He forced his six senses to the clearest realm.
In an instant, the aura on his body grew greatly, stirring up a gust of wind on the summit of the mountain. The sand and stones moved slightly.
The Tiger Guards guarding the Emperor's side were startled. At such a sensitive moment, they all made defensive movements. Only Old Eunuch Hong was standing behind the Emperor in a half-asleep state.
A moment later, Fan Xian respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, it is a bit strange. The other party seems to have retreated."
Hearing these words, the Emperor's brows furrowed. A moment later, he faintly said, "Just how many people did he bring? He dared to try to seal off the entire mountain and not let a single person out. Yan Xiaoyi has a big appetite! "
The officials on the summit, including Fan Xian, were all confused. Only the Emperor clearly determined the rebel army's intentions. They gave the Imperial Army a chance to regroup. They were afraid that the two sides would fight and enter a chaotic situation, leaving some survivors out of this large net. The rebel army at the foot of the mountain was prepared to not let a single person escape Dong Mountain and report to the surrounding provinces.
"Impossible," Fan Xian said. He knew that according to the Overwatch Council's procedures, the Sixth Bureau swordsmen mixed with the Imperial Army would find an opportunity at the first instant to break out of the heavy encirclement and inform the Dongshan Road government to urgently mobilize the provincial and nearest troops to come to their aid.
Given the ability of the Sixth Bureau swordsmen to move in the dark, even if there were tens of thousands of riders at the foot of the mountain, they would not be able to kill or capture all of these swordsmen. There would always be a few people that would be missed.
A shadow-like gray-clothed man floated up from the 10,000 steps to heaven. This person's qinggong was excellent, but his posture was strange. It was as if there was a spring installed in his knee joints. Each time he touched the ground, he bounced up gently. Although his posture was not as graceful as that of a powerful warrior, it was superior in that he was fast and quiet.
Before the gray-clothed man reached the summit, countless snowflakes had already bloomed in the night sky. The Tiger Guards hiding around the Emperor raised their long knives and chopped down. In an instant, they covered up the splendor of the moon.
The gray-clothed man did not attack. He only held up a token. Under the moonlight and knife light, the token was very obvious. It was the token of the Overwatch Council.
Eunuch Yao waved his hand. The Tiger Guards pulled back their knives, but they still revealed themselves. They surrounded the gray-clothed man in the center. A dozen long knives pointed in a threatening manner.
Fan Xian believed that even if he was between these dozen long knives, he would only be able to run for his life. However, he took a step closer to the gray-clothed man with a questioning and worried expression on his face.
The gray-clothed man was one of the two wings of the Overwatch Council, Wang Qinian. He was Fan Xian's trusted aide. When the sudden change occurred, he had led the Overwatch Council people to set up defenses at the foot of the mountain. He had long been shocked beyond words. He didn't say much to Fan Xian. Surrounded by the knife-wielding men, he knelt in front of the Emperor and Fan Xian. In a low voice, he said, "5,000 rebel soldiers, armed with crossbows, all of them archers …"
At the same time, everyone on the summit fell silent because of this news. First of all, this news proved the Emperor's judgment. The attacking rebel soldiers were Yan Xiaoyi's trusted soldiers. Only a god of archery like Yan Xiaoyi could train all of his trusted soldiers into one-in-a-thousand master archers.
Although the distance of an arrow was not as far as a crossbow, it was faster than a crossbow. 5,000 master archers had attacked in the dark. It was said that Yan Xiaoyi's trusted soldiers were all longbowmen. No wonder the Imperial Army and Overwatch Council people at the foot of the mountain had such difficulty resisting.
The Emperor looked at Wang Qinian kneeling in front of him and asked in a low voice, "How is the battle situation?"
Wang Qinian's tone froze. He immediately replied, "When we were attacked, I went up the mountain. I do not know the current situation."
The Emperor huffed coldly but did not continue to express his dissatisfaction. It had not been long since the attack. The distance between the top and bottom of the mountain was very far. Other than the signal arrows, Wang Qinian was the first official to rush to the top of the mountain to report. Looking at his deathly pale face, one could tell that this short charge up the mountain had used up most of his spiritual and internal strength.
"5,000 longbowmen …" The Emperor suddenly laughed coldly. "They want to wipe out 2,000 imperial soldiers. Xiaoyi does not have such ambitions. I am truly curious who the master at the foot of the mountain is."
The rebel soldiers had sealed the mountain and were not attacking. The situation was a bit strange. Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian and straightforwardly asked, "Have we broken through?"
The Overwatch Council acted according to protocol. If a superior asked a question, the subordinate knew what it was. Wang Qinian's expression changed slightly. He reported to Fan Xian, "17 members of the Sixth Bureau, all dead."
Fan Xian's expression did not change. "Are you sure?"
"Yes …" Wang Qinian lowered his head and reported. "I turned back halfway up the mountain. There were battles on the two quiet paths to the southwest and northwest. There were aces lying in ambush."
Fan Xian's pupils constricted slightly. His heart ached for a moment. He forcefully pushed down the growing anger and sorrow. The Sixth Bureau always walked in the dark. Among Yan Xiaoyi's trusted soldiers, where would there be such swordsmen who were used to assassinations? To be able to kill all of his subordinates in the darkness proved that the assassins were of a much higher level than the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau.
He then glanced deeply at Wang Qinian.
Wang Qinian did not nod or shake his head. He only moved his right hand, which was on the ground, slightly.
Fan Xian sighed in his heart. He knew that Thirteenth Wang was fairly well-behaved and relaxed a little. Turning to look at the Emperor, he didn't hesitate.
Without hesitation, he calmly said, "Your Majesty, Dongyi's people have also come."
…
…
Hearing these words, the Emperor did not react at all. It was as if he was waiting for something. A moment later, Eunuch Yao walked back from the stone steps and quietly said something by the Emperor's ear. The Emperor's expression gradually darkened.
Only now did Fan Xian know that when the first warning arrow had risen, Eunuch Yao had already arranged for the Tiger Guards to begin breaking out of the encirclement and send a message. Now, he had received a report confirming that the breakout had failed.
The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council and the valiant Tiger Guards had twice tried to break out of the encirclement but had both failed. Just how many aces had Dongyi lent to the Eldest Princess? Had the Sword Hut, which produced the most ninth-level aces in the world, all gathered at the foot of Dong Mountain?
Had Sigu Jian come?
The night wind rose again on the summit of the mountain. The little boat on the distant ocean was still both far and near. The sounds of killing at the foot of the mountain gradually died down. The moonlight shone on the mountain woods but could not brush away the darkness in the woods. No one knew how much hidden killing intent was waiting for the people on the summit of the mountain.
The Emperor suddenly thought of the scene of Fan Xian circulating his qi earlier and coldly asked, "Your martial arts are getting better. Has the old illness from last year recurred?"
Fan Xian didn't understand why the Emperor would suddenly ask such an irrelevant question at this time. He replied, "It has not recurred."
"Very good." The Emperor calmly gazed at the vast land under the moonlight. "Then, I will leave this matter to you with peace of mind."
"Get out!" The Emperor roared darkly and angrily.
On the summit of the mountain, other than the Emperor, Fan Xian, old Eunuch Hong, and the Tiger Guards hidden in the darkness, everyone else obeyed the order and rolled back into their temples and residences, leaving this place empty for the Emperor and the Commissioner, the pitiful father and son.
… …
"My journey to worship the heavens this time was a gamble. What I worship is the heavens, and what I gamble on is also the heavens."
A seriousness flashed between the Emperor's brows. "I don't want to wait any longer, so I am gambling with my life. I am gambling on the fate of heaven. Whether it succeeds or fails, it is all within my calculations. If it succeeds, the Qing court will no longer have internal worries. Within three years, the sword will point to the world, and no one will dare to slow my steps. "
However, he did not say what would happen if he failed. Coldly, he said, "Perhaps I have calculated wrongly. Tonight, I lured Uncle Liuyun up the mountain. I had thought those two people would not interfere. After all, this is the Qing Kingdom breaking its own pillars. If it had been in the past, they would have stood by and watched. "
Fan Xian stood silently to the side. He was certain that the ninth-level aces from Dongyi were participating in the rebel army at the foot of the mountain. As for whether or not Sigu Jian would come, no one could guess.
"Even if that idiot comes, so what? However … "The Emperor slowly closed his eyes and sighed." I must consider what comes after, so you can go down the mountain. "
Fan Xian raised his head in surprise, not knowing how to respond. He had thought for a long time about how to convince the Emperor to let him go down the mountain. He had not expected the Emperor to bring up this idea himself. However, the paths down the mountain were all sealed. In addition to the terrifying ninth-level swordsmen from Dongyi, how could he go down the mountain?
The Emperor smiled mockingly and said, "Do you think I will drag you by my side and force Lao Wu to act?"
Fan Xian smiled helplessly.
The Emperor took a deep breath. It was as if he wanted to suck in all of the moonlight on the summit of the mountain into his chest. A moment later, he said in a cold voice, "Regardless of whether or not I succeed, Jingdou will certainly say I am dead. Thus, I want you to go down the mountain. I want you to go back."
He looked calmly into Fan Xian's eyes and said, "Of my four sons, two of them are worse than pigs and dogs. Go back to the capital on my behalf and teach them a lesson. Don't disappoint me."
The emotions in Fan Xian's heart were complicated. He then heard the Emperor's words that were even gentler than the sea breeze. "There is no need to stay here to gamble your life with me. Go back to the capital. If the outcome of the matter is not what I imagine, you can do whatever you want. You decide who sits in that chair."
Fan Xian's heart shook. He was speechless.
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