Shi Fei stared in a daze at the old man in the wheelchair. After a moment of silence, he slowly pulled up the visor on his face, revealing a determined and cold face. He was, after all, an important official in the Qing military. Ever since he had taken over as Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, he knew that his life was no longer just bitterly holding on under Shang Shanhu's pressure on the North Road. He had to actively or passively choose something. Before the Emperor's imperial edict, he had no choice. He could only come to Dazhou and surround Chen Pingping's group of carriages returning home.
Since he had already been surrounded and had already taken action, there was no possibility of stopping. The warhorses were in the fields, gently and uneasily stepping on the early autumn plants. They were ready to charge at any moment. Shi Fei slowly raised his right hand. The 3,000 armored riders in the fields began to slowly change their formation and pressed closer toward the carriages on the road. It startled the women in the carriages into another soft cry.
"Hou!" A clear and sharp whistle rang out from the black carriages. No one knew which Overwatch Council official in charge of Chen Pingping was the first to give the order under the threat of the Qing riders.
"Hou!"
"Hou!"
…
…
After the 12 shouts, countless black crossbows stretched out from the carriages. Countless strong bows were hidden under the shafts, behind the horses, and beside the carriages. At the same time, countless Overwatch Council assassins began to completely hide their traces in the dark mountain forests.
After the first cry rang out on both sides of the road, countless clear and cold whistles rang out from the carriages made up of 30 black carriages. Immediately following it was a series of closely packed sounds of springs and the clashing of metal. There was the wretched sound of bowstrings snapping, the muffled sound of crossbows tightening, and the grinding sound of metal rods being unsheathed.
Countless heart-palpitating sounds quickly spread out in the long line of carriages in the shape of a wave, in accordance with an extremely well-practiced and tacit order.
The tips of the crossbows all shone with a frightening blue light. The poison abilities of the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council were, without question, the most powerful in the world.
Shi Fei, who had just slowly lowered his right arm, looked at this scene. His pupils rapidly constricted. He knew how terrifying the Overwatch Council was, but he had not thought that there would be so many crossbowmen hidden in a mere 30 black carriages, as well as those travelers in the night.
Shi Fei knew this was an order from the Overwatch Council. Once the word "Hou" ended and someone gave the order, the poisoned arrows would shoot viciously toward the 3,000 riders under him.
Even if the main cavalry could break through the Overwatch Council's defensive ring of carriages, how many people would die? After those poisoned metals were inserted into the bodies of the boys, how many of them could survive?
Shi Fei narrowed his eyes, as if trying to hide the coldness in his heart and the narrowing of his pupils. His body and mind seemed to have been shaken by the cold and emotionless voices earlier.
He rode his horse and stood closest to the road. He could clearly see that a few hemp-clothed swordsmen were already standing in front of Director Chen. Director Chen still had his head slightly lowered. It was as if he was not afraid of the thousands of riders that were about to arrive.
The sound of the hooves was like thunder. At this moment, the two sides were very close. The sound of thunder rang in their ears. The Dazhou bailiffs and soldiers on the road had long shrunk to the back in fear. The internal court eunuchs led by He Qigan and the aces of the 13 yamens of the Ministry of Justice also had pale faces. They had never thought that the task of capturing a court criminal would become the court's most secretive operation.
The only person whose expression did not change was Chen Pingping in his wheelchair, the hemp-clothed men by his side, the old servant behind him, the Overwatch Council officials on the carriage holding crossbows, bows, and metal rods.
In other words, the officials of the Overwatch Council had nerves of steel that normal people did not have. Faced with the Metal Riders that seemed to cover the mountains and plains charging toward them, not even their eyelashes trembled. Not even the fingers gripping the crossbows trembled. They were not afraid or nervous. They only waited coldly for the last order, the order to launch a counterattack after the 12th "Wait" was said.
Shi Fei's hand gripped the scabbard at his waist tightly. He narrowed his eyes and stared closely at Chen Pingping, who was not far in front of him. He felt that his surroundings had become strange because of the Overwatch Council's silence and coldness. The Jingdou Garrison riders scattered around the road were not far. Why did it seem like they had charged for a long time and still had not charged over?
This feeling was too strange. Shi Fei blinked and found that his eyes were a bit sore. His nervousness gave him the illusion that his right arm had just sunk in while the riders were just beginning to pick up speed.
Shi Fei rode alone at the very front. He didn't know when the Overwatch Council people would begin to attack him. Even if the Jingdou Garrison riders could actually break through the line of defense formed by these cold Overwatch Council officials, he still did not feel any joy.
He did not want to see this scene happen because he had no control over what might happen after this charge, such as the knife that could stretch out from behind him at any moment.
…
…
Chen Pingping waved his hand at Shi Fei from his wheelchair. He did not look like an old man being chased and attacked. Instead, he looked like an elder who had something to tell him.
Shi Fei's face showed a struggling expression. Suddenly, he squeezed the horse's belly and cried out, "Retreat!"
This cry rang out like thunder on both sides of the road. As an important official in the military, General Shi Fei's personal cultivation was indeed very powerful. His voice quickly traveled into the field of riders that were already very close to each other.
Military orders were like mountains. Following Shi Fei's explosive cry, all of the generals and vanguards gave a muffled grunt and forcefully pulled the horses that had already reached their top speed to a stop. Countless pairs of metal hands viciously pulled back on the tough reins. Even the old, calloused hands were pulled until blood came out. Finally, the wildly charging Iron Riders stopped less than a dozen feet from the road.
However, there were still a dozen riders who were unable to steady themselves. The horses gave two muffled grunts. Their legs gave way and they crashed directly into the stone walls on both sides of the road. Limbs broke and blood flowed.
…
…
There was the sound of hurried breathing and nervous gazes met.
General Shi Fei roared. The 3,000 Iron Riders suddenly stopped. This person's skill at controlling soldiers was indeed first-rate in the world. However, with this, the Iron Riders lost their advantage in speed. The two sides were also very close. The Jingdou Garrison riders were completely exposed to the Overwatch Council's arrows. It was like they had taken off the clothes of a virgin and were standing naked in front of countless lechers.
After the "Hou" words, all of the Overwatch Council's subordinates had been waiting calmly. Even though the invading riders had suddenly made such a big mistake and given the Overwatch Council such a good opportunity, they still did not take the initiative to act. Instead, they only watched coldly at the densely packed riders.
Shi Fei breathed heavily a few times. The armor on his chest rose and fell slightly. There was no cold sweat on his body. Since he had chosen to take the risk, he would not regret his choice. A moment later, he coldly urged his horse forward. Under the watchful gazes of the Overwatch Council officials and the aim of the dark arrows, he opened up a path and trotted toward Chen Pingping.
The horse stopped not far in front of the wheelchair. Shi Fei maintained his respect and dismounted. The weight of the armor on his body made his footsteps appear heavy. In the quiet night, they made a muffled humming sound. Chen Pingping looked at this brave general and smiled slightly. Revealing an expression of admiration, he said, "With outstanding young people like you in the future of the Qing Kingdom, there should not be any problems. Since it is so, I do not want to kill you."
Shi Fei was silent for a long time. He then knelt on one knee in front of Chen Pingping's wheelchair. Taking off the helmet and holding it to his chest, he said, "I beg the old Director to follow the edict."
"Follow which edict?" Chen Pingping looked at him calmly and admired his decisiveness from the bottom of his heart. Earlier, Lao Wang had also told him to follow the edict. However, he smiled slightly and said, "I am taking Gao Da with me. As for following the edict, you know that the Emperor has never thought I would follow the edict. If you advise me to follow the edict now, I'm afraid that the Emperor will not be happy if he finds out. "
Shi Fei did not reply to this question. Standing up, he said, "The Garrison is the Qing Kingdom's Garrison, and the Overwatch Council is the Qing Kingdom's Overwatch Council. I don't want either side to suffer any losses."
Chen Pingping glanced at him with slight mockery and said, "3,640 elite riders of the Jingdou Garrison have pursued you for thousands of li. Do you think it is as simple as following the edict or not?"
Of course, this matter was not as simple as obeying or not obeying the edict. Shi Fei was only expressing his attitude in front of the Overwatch Council and Dazhou officials. After hearing the number 3,640, his heart couldn't help but grow cold. He knew that the fear he had hidden in the depths of his heart was real. If he had not taken the risk to stop the charge of the riders earlier, perhaps the first person to fall right now would have been him.
There were people from the old Director in the Jingdou Garrison. This was what Shi Fei was most afraid of.
"The Emperor has given a strict edict that the criminal Gao Da must be brought back to the capital." Shi Fei took a deep breath and swallowed away all of his unease. Looking at Chen Pingping, he coldly said, "Even if you want to defy the edict, I must still bring him back."
"I will follow you back to the capital," Chen Pingping slowly said as he closed his eyes.
Shi Fei was shocked. Standing in front of Chen Pingping, he didn't know what to say. The helmet in his arms felt very heavy. At the same time, the Overwatch Council official by Chen Pingping's side also paled in shock. Even the most powerful hemp-clothed swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau by his side revealed shocked expressions.
"Director, you cannot return to the capital," the Overwatch Council official who called himself the deputy head of the Second Bureau suddenly said angrily.
Chen Pingping slowly opened his eyes. He knew that only the old servant behind him would not be surprised by this decision. He smiled slightly at Shi Fei and said, "Why didn't you charge over earlier? Presumably, you know that it is impossible for you to control everything here with just 3,000 riders. In reality, the only one who can control all of this is me. If I want to go with you, you can only take me with you. "
The face of the Overwatch Council official beside him suddenly froze. It was like his face had been smeared with a strange layer of makeup. However, there was a glimmer of terror and unease in this stiffness.
Chen Pingping ignored the shock displayed by his loyal subordinates. He only looked coldly at Shi Fei and said, "Since the situation is under my control, I should be the one to decide what to do."
Shi Fei looked at him in a daze. His fingers unconsciously gripped the air hole in his helmet tightly. In a raspy voice, he said, "If the Director follows me back to the capital, please give your orders."
Asking the Director to follow the edict was a lie. Of course, Shi Fei knew that the Emperor's intention was to capture old Director Chen alive and bring him back to the capital. However, this was originally an impossible task. Yet, right now, it seemed that it was about to become real.
"I brought 30 carriages worth of luggage and women." Chen Pingping looked at Shi Fei with a slight smile. "I know what the Emperor's edict is, so you don't need to hide anything from me. What I want you to do now is to pretend you never saw these luggage and women."
Shi Fei's breathing became heavy. A glimmer of blood rose to his eyes. "You know the Emperor's edict?"
Chen Pingping smiled warmly. "I know better than anyone what kind of person the Emperor is. If I don't completely destroy what I care about, how could he be happy?"
The gaze of the old man in the wheelchair was very deep. Slowly, he said, "My life should have ended a long time ago, but those luggage would not be damaged. Those women are as youthful as flowers …" He sighed and said, "If I didn't have to send them out of Jingdou, why would I have to leave Jingdou and accompany the Emperor in such a big circle?"
Shi Fei's throat was very dry. He stared at Chen Pingping in a daze. Only now did he know that everything that had happened in Dazhou, although it was not completely under the old Director's control, was still within his calculations. He had long known that the Emperor would send him after him. He also knew how cold and heartless the Emperor's edict was. Other than Chen Pingping, no one there would be left alive.
However, Chen Pingping had used this to gather everyone he wanted to protect in one spot in Dazhou. Then, he easily controlled the situation and forced Shi Fei to silently accept this reality. He used Chen Pingping's return to the capital alone in exchange for everyone's safety.
The question was, could Chen Pingping easily control the situation? There would always be a limit to the arrows in the 30 carriages. There would always be a limit to the number of swordsmen in the darkness. With 3,600 Jingdou Garrison soldiers charging toward them, how long could the Overwatch Council actually hold out?
Shi Fei narrowed his eyes. He remembered the Emperor's secret edict clearly. Other than Chen Pingping, leave no one alive.
Leave no one alive.
…
…
"Presumably, the Emperor wants to leave no one alive." Chen Pingping looked at him with faint mockery. "I pity the people of the Qing Kingdom and these soldiers of the Garrison. That's why I'm giving you a chance. Otherwise, I could also leave no one alive."
Shi Fei didn't believe these words. He looked at Chen Pingping calmly. He had to make a choice between this terrifying figure and the Emperor's strict edict. He had to capture Gao Da and bring him back. The people here had to die. Perhaps he didn't understand. From the beginning of his fear and when he handed the secret edict to the soldier, he didn't have the courage to hope that he could actually kill all of the Overwatch Council people.
What helped Shi Fei make his choice was a black line that suddenly appeared on the surrounding hills. These black lines floated up from each hill. Under the silver moonlight, it was as if someone had used a very black charcoal pencil to thicken these unremarkable mountain valley lines.
These black lines were made up of people. To be more precise, they were made up of a black cavalryman and another black cavalryman. Countless black cavalrymen stood on top of the mountain, forming these black lines.
The Black Knights.
A faint smile rose to the lips of the Overwatch Council officials in the carriages, who had been vigilantly watching the riders in the fields and holding crossbows tightly in their hands. They did not know that Director Chen had already made a shocking decision. They only looked at the seemingly endless number of Black Knights on the mountain and once again confirmed that in the mountains and fields of the Qing Kingdom, the Overwatch Council was always invincible.
Contrary to the emotions of the Overwatch Council officials, when the black lines appeared on the hill and gradually became clear under the silver moonlight, illuminating the black armor that seemed to carry the will of the netherworld, the Jingdou Garrison riders who had come to kill the Overwatch Council all sank into a state of terror and despair.
It was not they who had surrounded the Overwatch Council. Rather, it was the Overwatch Council who had surrounded them. What had surrounded them was the Overwatch Council's most powerful martial force, the most powerful riders in the world, the Black Knights.
…
…
There was a death-like silence. Shi Fei slowly withdrew his gaze from the Black Knights. The Black Knights were still some distance away, but he knew their power. If the Black Knights charged down like this, none of the riders of the Jingdou Garrison would be able to survive.
What made Shi Fei feel even more angry and shocked was that the Overwatch Council's powerful Black Knights had always been strictly limited by the court to less than 1,000 people. Yet, there were clearly more than 4,000 black-armored riders on the hill.
He abruptly turned his head and stared at Chen Pingping. "You knew long ago that the Emperor would order me to ambush in Dazhou?"
"No, I never had to calculate such things. I only knew that the Emperor could not bear for me to leave." Chen Pingping looked at him coldly. "Now, you can think about my conditions."
Shi Fei's body began to tremble in anger. "The court strictly ordered that the Black Knights should not exceed 1,000! This is treason! "
Chen Pingping looked at him calmly and said, "So what?"
Shi Fei's confidence was completely destroyed by these words. He stood in front of the wheelchair as if he had lost something. A moment later, he said in a raspy voice, "If the Emperor doesn't personally act, no one in this world can keep you here. Why didn't you leave? Why did you wait for me to appear?"
"Because I never wanted to leave." Chen Pingping looked at him calmly and slowly said, "I just came to see someone off."
…
…
Shi Fei returned to his subordinates. The riders of the Jingdou Garrison did not set up camp. They just stood there tiredly and helplessly. A feeling of defeat and helplessness enveloped the thousands of riders. As the pride of the Qing Kingdom, the elite riders of the Jingdou Garrison had followed the Overwatch Council carriages for a number of days. It was not until this moment that they realized that in the eyes of the old man in the wheelchair, their thousands of seemingly powerful riders were nothing more than a joke.
Shi Fei closed his eyes to rest. He had long agreed to all of Chen Pingping's conditions. In such a situation, he had no choice but to agree. However, he still did not understand why someone as meticulous as Director Chen, who had clearly arranged for the Black Knights to come and receive him, would be willing to follow the Jingdou Garrison back to the capital.
All of His Majesty's thoughts had fallen into Director Chen's speculations and plans. Shi Fei closed his eyes. His respect for Director Chen had reached another level. He knew that the only person who could control everything in the training hall was indeed Director Chen, and it would never be him.
There was already a large empty space in front of the black carriages. Dozens of Overwatch Council officials were kneeling in front of the black wheelchair and furiously kowtowing, begging the old man in the wheelchair not to follow the Jingdou Garrison back to the capital.
At this moment, all of the Overwatch Council officials knew exactly what the Emperor was thinking. If Director Chen truly returned to Jingdou, there would be no way out. When the Overwatch Council officials first entered the academy, they were taught to be loyal to the Qing Kingdom and the Emperor. However, the Overwatch Council subordinates who had escorted Chen Pingping back to the capital were the ones who had followed him the longest. Although they were still loyal to the Qing Kingdom and the Emperor in the depths of their hearts, when Chen Pingping's life was seriously threatened, they instinctively stood behind Chen Pingping as a replacement for his unhealthy back.
They were people of the Overwatch Council, and the Overwatch Council was Chen Pingping's Overwatch Council. This dark and gloomy Council had long been branded with countless dark and cold marks emanating from Chen Pingping's body. Even though Chen Pingping had been so glorious these few years, he was still unable to completely get rid of this dark and cold aura. If there really was such a thing as personal charisma in this world, if a dark personality also had charisma, then Chen Pingping was, without question, the most charismatic person in the world. He had all of his trusted subordinates dead set on him.
Chen Pingping gently stroked the armrest of the wheelchair and gently tapped it, making a buzzing sound. He looked with relief at his subordinates kneeling on the ground in front of him. There was not a trace of sadness at parting on his face. There was only satisfaction in his life's work.
He wanted to return to Jingdou. He had never thought of leaving Jingdou. This had nothing to do with his work, the future of the Qing Kingdom, or the Overwatch Council. It only had to do with his own life.
"I am just returning to the capital to talk about the past with the Emperor. What are you crying about?" He furrowed his brows and swept his gaze around with disapproval. All of the Overwatch Council officials closed their mouths. A few of the crying officials lowered their heads in shame.
These subordinates of the Overwatch Council could not understand. Even if the Emperor wanted to defeat the old Director, he already had control of the entire situation. On the other side, the elite riders of the Jingdou Garrison led by General Shi Fei had already become grasshoppers at the end of autumn. They couldn't even find a glimmer of courage. Why did the Director still want to return to Jingdou to die?
As for why the Emperor wanted to defeat the old Director, these subordinates did not know. They just unconsciously thought that this was probably an inevitability of history. Did the old Director know too much of the Emperor's dark secrets?
Chen Pingping tiredly shooed these subordinates away, leaving behind only the deputy head of the Second Bureau who had been standing guard by his side. He looked at him calmly and said, "I've counted the days. An Zhi still needs many days to return to the capital. Logically speaking, no one can tell him the news ahead of time."
The official lowered his head and sighed. "None of us can change the decision you have made. Perhaps only Sir Fan junior can change all of this."
"No, even he can't change this matter," Chen Pingping looked at him coldly. Chen Pingping looked at him coldly and said, "Don't think you can tell Fan Xian anything just because you are the fastest person in the world. I left you here to tell you that this is my order. In a moment, you will follow the Black Knights to send these 30 carriages straight into Jiangbei. You must enter Dongyi as quickly as possible and then find the person I told you about earlier. Through him, find Ten Family Village."
The official had not thought that the old Director would destroy the thoughts in the depths of his heart with one sentence. A glimmer of sorrow rose to his frozen face.
"Don't laugh and cry at the same time. Otherwise, this mask won't last long." Chen Pingping looked at him coldly. "Wang Qinian, when you escaped from Dong Mountain on your own, you thought you were thinking for Fan Xian's sake. Have you thought about how much trouble you've brought Fan Xian and me?"
The masked official was Wang Qinian, who had been missing for three years. Fan Xian knew that he had disappeared under Chen Pingping's arrangements. He had secretly thought about investigating and thought about it for a long time. Presumably, he would never have guessed that Chen Pingping had arranged for Wang Qinian to be in the Overwatch Council.
Wang Qinian took a deep breath and said, "I still don't understand. Why do you want to go back? Don't you think that regardless of whether you live or die in the end, Sir Fan junior will be caught up in the trouble you don't want him to be caught up in? "
Chen Pingping didn't answer this question. He only looked coldly at his black carriages. He suddenly felt that this black color was pleasing to the eye and made one feel happy.
…
…
The Jingdou Garrison obediently moved aside. The 29 black carriages continued to advance along the road toward the east of the Qing Kingdom amidst the Overwatch Council officials' sadness, anger, and other complicated emotions. Surrounded by the cries of the beautiful women in Chen Garden, the carriages continued forward.
The black wheelchair, however, was left behind. It was left alone. Chen Pingping touched the flying hair at his temples and said with a slight smile to the old servant behind him, "Your body is better than mine. Why accompany me to death?"
The old servant grinned and didn't say anything. A portion of the black lines on the hill had already been cut off. A portion of the Black Knights had already begun to secretly follow the 30 black carriages and leave. There were still many Black Knights that remained coldly stationed on the hill, monitoring the movements of the Jingdou Garrison.
Shi Fei came to the wheelchair with a calm expression. After a moment of silence, he said, "On behalf of the Garrison, I thank the Director for not killing me."
Chen Pingping smiled and didn't say anything.
Shi Fei lowered his head and asked, "But, I still don't understand why."
"If I wanted to leave earlier, what would you have done?" Chen Pingping narrowed his eyes and looked at the dots of fire on the road in the distance.
After a moment of silence, Shi Fei said, "I'm His Majesty's subject. Even if I know I'm no match for them, I'll fight to the last man."
"Yes, this is a compromise. If I stay, fewer of your people will die, and fewer of the Overwatch Council's people will die. You should know that I have never thought my life was so worthless," Chen Pingping said with a smile. "I am an old man. My life is truly worthless."
"The Jingdou Garrison is loyal to the Qing Kingdom. The Overwatch Council is loyal to the Qing Kingdom. I am also loyal to the Qing Kingdom." The old man in the wheelchair said gently, "I've killed many people in my life, but I'm only willing to kill my enemies. I don't have the habit of killing my own people."
Shi Fei did not understand. He did not understand the so-called loyalty to the Qing Kingdom. What were these 4,000 Black Knights that exceeded the limit? What's the big deal about disobeying the decree?
Chen Pingping didn't say anything more. He just sat calmly. In his heart, the Qing Kingdom was the Qing Kingdom, and the Emperor was the Emperor. From many years ago, these two were not the same thing in his heart. He wanted to go back to Jingdou and ask that man, but he didn't want the entire Qing Kingdom to sink into turmoil because of his rupture with that man. He also didn't want the battle between the court and the Overwatch Council to cause countless Qing people to lose their homes.
Thus, he chose to return to the capital and have the Overwatch Council retreat in front of the Jingdou Garrison. When all was said and done, this was a battle between Chen Pingping and the Qing Emperor. Neither of them wanted this private matter to become a battle within the Qing Kingdom.
"Go back," Chen Pingping said quietly.
"Yes, Director." All sorts of feelings rose in Shi Fei's heart. He waved his hand to summon the black carriage the Overwatch Council had left behind and bowed respectfully to Chen Pingping. Only then did he carefully carry the black wheelchair into the black carriage.
At this moment, the line formed by the Black Knights on the hill suddenly became somewhat disorderly. Sitting by the carriage door, Chen Pingping seemed to sense something and abruptly turned his head to look. His gaze was incomparably sharp.
In an instant, the Black Knights helplessly and sorrowfully calmed down.
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