Due to the murder of Hara of the Jurchen tribe, the Queen of Duoyan City and the nobles' residences were heavily guarded. The nobles' sons and nephews were no longer allowed to go out at night. The night market was much more desolate.
It was still early, but many merchants had no choice but to close their stalls early. Baldy ordered his men to load the remaining goods onto the carts and headed for the Fuyu Guards' encampment on the left side of Duoyan City. The Fuyu Guards had more than three thousand men. They were stationed on the left side of Duoyan City, forming their own tribal encampment.
Bai Yin stayed at the Duoyan Palace for the first day, and then stayed at the Damu Meeting for the remaining days. To them, it didn't matter where they set up their tents. It was their home anyway. Now that the Queen of Duoyan ordered everyone to return to their respective encampments near the city, Baldy returned to his own defensive area.
Baldy was Bai Yin's internal supervisor. The Fuyu Guards were north of the Duoyan Guards. The market there and the price of furs sold were far less expensive than here. Taking advantage of the Damu Meeting, Bai Yin had ordered her men to prepare three large carts of high-quality furs. Now, affected by the assassination, and considering the series of conflicts that might occur, Baldy decisively lowered the price and sold the rest of the furs to a few Han merchants.
This place was not far from Duoyan City. Baldy did not believe that someone would attack his subordinates in such a tense situation. So even though he constantly shouted at his men to be on high alert, he himself did not pay much attention to it.
In front of them, they could already see the flags and lights at the entrance of the town. Baldy turned his head and was about to urge his men to speed up when he suddenly saw a shadow flash past. Baldy subconsciously turned his head and felt his arms tighten. He had been pulled down from his horse.
It was a noose. The noose descended from the sky and tightened around his arms. A large hand covered his mouth, while another hand clamped down on his elbow, rendering him unable to resist. He had no choice but to watch the carnage unfold before his eyes.
The ones who had acted were the few herdsmen who had been moving slowly in front and behind his carts. There were only seven or eight of them, and they stood at different angles of the carts. Baldy could hear the clanging of their weapons, which was accompanied by a slight tremor. Then, his subordinates fell off their horses and carriages one by one. They didn't have time to raise their arrows or draw their swords. At such a close distance, no matter how fast they were, they couldn't outrun the machine.
Baldy had heard this kind of sound before. Bai Yin had once spent a lot of money to buy a Han crossbow produced in the Great Wall. That crossbow was very handy, portable, and easy to operate. The small quiver could shoot out ten arrows, which could penetrate a person within five feet. If it was smeared with poison, then it would be like the King of Hell's invitation. No one would be able to escape from the crossbow.
Bai Yin sneered at the fact that the Han people's horsemanship and archery skills were not up to par, which was why they had invented this kind of crossbow to replace human strength. She kept it like a precious treasure. That crossbow had been personally taken into the Chief's treasury by Baldy, and the crossbows these people were using were undoubtedly similar crossbows.
He clearly remembered that Lady Bai Yin had spent two tiger pelts and eight high-quality snow fox pelts to buy that crossbow. However, each of these seven or eight people had a crossbow, just like the ordinary bows the shepherds carried with them. Who were they? How could they have so many expensive killing weapons?
Eight barrels of arrows, eighty arrows, and he had less than twenty subordinates. "Pu, pu, pu" After the sound of arrows entering the body, the scene was silent. Those black shadows flashed over and threw the people who had fallen off the horses onto the carriages while they themselves jumped onto the horses.
Other than these few passersby, there were three shepherds, two men and one woman, who were actually passing by. They watched in horror at what was happening in front of them, but before they could scream or run, a merciless attack fell upon their bodies. The poisoned crossbows shot into their bodies. They stared in shock, their bodies limp, and before they could even fall to the ground, three agile figures flashed to their sides, grabbed and carried them, and threw them onto the empty carriages like slaughtered lambs.
Ah Baldy stared blankly, suddenly everything went dark in front of his eyes, a muzzle was put over his head, and then he too was thrown into the carriage. The man who caught him shook the reins, and the carriage rumbled forward again. All of this happened in the blink of an eye, as if the carriages had only stopped for a moment before continuing forward. These people were true killing experts, slaughtering people like dogs.
The carriages did not return to the town. After a while, they turned onto the grasslands, disappearing into the starry sky.
※ ※ ※
When Bai Yin received the news, she flew into a rage. The entire Fuyu Guard station was in an uproar. Men shouted, horses neighed, and the lights shone like stars. In a moment, the three thousand horsemen in the station gathered into a fiery dragon, charging towards the Steadfast Guard station on the right side of the city.
Unexpectedly, the people of Steadfast Guard were still awake. The lanterns and torches were as bright as day. Agudamu was wearing his helmet and armor, leading a large group of men and horses, about to charge aggressively out of the camp. This place was also attacked. Agudamu's nephew, Buhe, was also injured. Speaking of which, the disaster was far more serious than the disappearance of his caravan.
Hearing this, Bai Yin was stunned.
But Buhe did not believe his reason. Disappeared? Who knew if he was playing a game of thief crying thief? The injured Buhe was like an angry lion, already raising his broadsword and rushing forward to fight Sukhebaru. He had sufficient reason to believe that this was Bai Yin's doing.
The only ones who had the qualifications to win the Queen were the two of them and Cui Ying of the small Taka tribe. But could that small tribe compare to the tyrannical Three Guards of Duo Yan?
Bai Yin had already taken advantage of the regent's opportunity to control a considerable number of the leaders of the Duo Yan and Fuyu Guards. Even if she could not win in the competition, Cui Ying was a Han, and the Taka tribe was a very weak tribe. It was too easy to make him submit by making some behind-the-scenes deals. In terms of threats, there was only Buhe. The person who wanted to assassinate him was not Bai Yin, an ambitious person who wanted to merge the three tribes. Who else could it be?
Fortunately, Agudamu was calm enough. He knew that now was not the time for conflict, so he tried his best to stop his nephew. Sukhebaru was not afraid of Buhe at all. He was eager to fight, hoping that Buhe would pounce on him and settle things with his rival in love. At this moment, the sound of horse hooves could be heard. Another large group of people galloped over from afar.
The Duo Yan Queen, Yinqi, had rushed over with her guards.
"All of you, stop!" Yinqi reined in her horse's reins and stood between the two guards who were at daggers drawn.
"Haha, niece Yinqi, you've come at the right time. I had a small misunderstanding with your Uncle Agudamu. Just now, someone kidnapped one of my caravans. I didn't expect Agudamu to also be attacked. Now, some people suspect that it was your Uncle Bai Yin's doing."
Bai Yin sat on his horse, stroking his beard with a relaxed smile.
He was very sure that Yinqi would stand on his side. If Yinqi's favoritism angered Agudamu … Suddenly, an evil thought flashed through Bai Yin's mind. 'I'll take this opportunity to get rid of Agudamu by force and annex the Tai Ning Guard.' He gave his son a look, and Sukhebaru nodded his head in understanding.
"I've only heard that Uncle Bai Yin had rushed here with his troops. What happened?" In front of her two uncles, Yinqi couldn't display the dignity of a queen, so her tone became soft and gentle.
"Heh! Someone was worried that he wouldn't be a match for me in the tournament, so he launched a sneak attack and used despicable methods to get rid of me! " Buhe's arm was dripping with blood. He glared fiercely at Bai Yin and sneered, "One of his caravans went missing? What a joke. Could it be that a mounted bandit would come here to rob Great Leader Bai Yin? "
Buhe pushed aside the soldiers who were blocking him and walked in front of Yinqi with large strides. He angrily pointed at Bai Yin and said, "Queen, you saw it. He is denouncing us. What reason do we have to attack one of his caravans? This kind of trick of a thief calling a thief to stop a thief is really laughable. If Great Leader Bai Yin wanted to act more realistically, he should have chopped off one of Sukhebaru's arms. I believe that no one would suspect him anymore. "
With the sound of a bowstring, a wolf fang arrow was shot towards Buhe. It was a sneak arrow that Sukhebaru had shot. As long as he used the excuse that Buhe had offended his father and shot him to the ground, Agudamu would have no choice but to fight. Once the battle broke out, based on his father's influence over the Duoyan Guards, Queen Yinqi would have no choice but to stand on his side. Whether she was willing or not, the Steadfast Guard would be in the bag.
Even though both sides were ready to fight at any moment and both sides were on guard, it was still impossible to defend against a sneak arrow that was shot out from the darkness. Buhe, who was in the midst of shouting in anger, did not expect that the other party would dare to shoot an arrow in front of the queen. By the time he realized that something was wrong, the sneak arrow had already arrived in front of him.
Buhe was horrified. He could only close his eyes and wait for his death. Suddenly, a figure flitted past Queen Yinqi's side like a light smoke. "Keng!" The wolf fang arrow was knocked away into the night. Then, the person did not stop for a moment and leaped towards Bai Yin as if she was flying.
It only took two or three leaps for that person to cross a distance of thirty meters. Bai Yin's subordinates shouted loudly, and six or seven spears suddenly pierced out. That person floated towards the tip of the spears like a wisp of smoke facing the wind. He twisted his body in midair, and with two clanging sounds, he landed behind Sukhebaru's horse. He shouted in a clear voice, "All of you, stop!"
Buhe, who had just escaped death, hurriedly took two steps back. Before he could say anything, Agudamu had already shouted in shock and anger, "Bai Yin, how dare you assassinate my nephew in front of the Queen? Boys, the Fu Yu Guards are already on top of us, fight them to the death! "
"All of you, stop!" The person who had saved Buhe shouted again. Although his voice was not very loud, it was calm and powerful, and everyone present could hear it. That person urged his horse forward and held Sukhebaru hostage. Bai Yin's son was in the hands of the other party, and seeing the blade placed on his son's neck, even though there were more than a thousand guards around, they did not dare to give the order to attack.
Under the threat of the forest of spears, that person arrogantly escorted Sukhebaru out of the group. When he arrived in front of Yinqi, he lifted Sukhebaru's body and threw him to the ground. Just as Sukhebaru landed on the ground, Buhe angrily pounced on him, and the two of them wrestled into a ball.
The person on the horse jumped down from the horse. His movements were extremely agile, and no one knew what method he used, but he strode forward at an extremely fast speed, colliding with Sukhebaru and Buhe, who were wrestling together. The two of them seemed to have been separated by a huge force, and each of them was thrown three feet away before landing heavily on the ground.
The two of them were like mad tigers, roaring as they got up and charged at each other again. That person repeated his old tricks, punching and kicking, and in a short moment, the two of them were knocked down again. This happened three times, and the two of them turned to attack that person, but they only fell even faster.
Bai Yin was shocked. Sukhebaru and Buhe were both experts in the tribe, but they were still so easily defeated by that person even after joining hands. When did Yin Qi recruit such experts?
Even if they were as strong as tigers, they still couldn't withstand the continuous beating. Sukhebaru and Buhe were casually thrown down by that person many times, and when they were lying on the ground gasping for breath, unable to get up again, that person cupped his fists and said in a clear voice, "Great Chieftain Bai Yin, Great Chieftain Aguda, now that Hara of the Jurchen tribe has been killed, and your tribe has also been attacked, someone must have deliberately stirred up internal strife in the three Duoyan Guards.
The prairie is not peaceful now. The Wala people, Tatars, and the Mengoljin tribe's Fire Sieve are all eyeing each other covetously, wanting to become the overlord of the prairie. On the prairie, everyone is a predator, and similarly, everyone can become prey. Our Taka tribe is the victim. I hope that the two Great Chieftains can calm down and not give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of. It is better to let the Queen deal with this matter. "
Only then did Bai Yin and Aguda see his identity. It turned out to be Cui Ying of the Taka tribe.
Both sides were silent. Yin Qi didn't expect that Cui Ying, who had accompanied her, would have such skills. His first move had shocked everyone present, and he had helped her subdue the strongest warrior of both sides. Yin Qi's spirit was greatly boosted, and she suddenly felt confident.
Under the encouragement of Cui Ying 'er's gaze, Yin Qi's courage multiplied, and she loudly ordered, "Uncles, please don't kill each other. Leave this matter to me. The person hiding in the dark didn't achieve his goal, so he will definitely attack again. Even if he is more cunning than a fox, he can't escape the eyes of a hunter. Yin Qi will definitely be able to find him and return justice to everyone. If you still recognize me as the Queen of the three Duoyan Guards, then withdraw your troops and return to camp! "
Silence. Only the sound of the burning torches could be heard.
Looking at Aguda's angry and suspicious eyes, Bai Yin suddenly calmed down. He began to realize that the matter wasn't as simple as he had imagined. There should be someone else behind the scenes!
"Good! The Fuyu tribe will obey the Queen's orders. Let's go! " Bai Yin gave the order. Sukhebaru fiercely glared at Cui Ying 'er, then looked at Buhe with disdain, and led his men away.
"Uncle Aguda." Yin Qi turned to Aguda and called out softly.
"Yin Qi, regardless of whether the person who attacked my tent was Bai Yin or not, he just shot a sneak attack …" Aguda said angrily, but when he saw the pleading look in Yin Qi's eyes, he couldn't help but stop. He looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. Without saying a word, he turned his horse around and left. The warriors of the Steadfast Garrison paid their respects to the Queen one by one, and silently followed behind him.
Buhe cupped his fists towards Cui Ying, and said, "I'm sorry, Brother Cui. Forgive me for offending you, but thank you for saving my life!"
Cui Ying 'er cupped her fists in return. Buhe hesitated for a moment, then bowed towards Yin Qi, and walked back to the camp with heavy footsteps.
Cui Ying 'er leaped onto her horse, and while holding the reins, she looked at Yin Qi. A layer of worry appeared on Yin Qi's tender face, and she said softly, "Thank you. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened tonight."
Cui Ying 'er shook her head, and urged her horse closer to Yin Qi. She said softly, "Queen, you should act quickly. The heart of Steadfast Garrison's Aguda has already turned cold."
Yin Qi bit her lips in silence. Cui Ying 'er said in a low voice, "Bai Yin is full of ambition, and it's impossible for him to wholeheartedly pledge allegiance to you. If we can't resolve this matter quickly and decisively, the disheartened Steadfast Garrison will definitely look for another way out. At that time, the Duo Yan Garrison will be unable to sleep, and it will be difficult for them to contend against the Fuyu Garrison."
Yin Qi's eyes flickered like stars. After riding her horse for a while, she turned her head towards Cui Ying 'er, and said softly, "Big Brother Cui, you … you will definitely help me with all your strength, right?"
"We said that we will join hands, share our blessings, and bear our misfortunes together, didn't we? If the Queen has any orders, I will climb a mountain of swords, dive into a sea of fire, I will not refuse. "Cui Ying 'er immediately patted her chest, and promised heroically.
"He … he said that he will share my blessings, and my misfortunes … he, why is he so good to me? Is it just because of the alliance? "
Yin Qi couldn't help but glance at Yang Ying. Under the twilight, his handsome face was carved into a beautiful silhouette, full of heroic spirit.
Yin Qi couldn't help but think of the Damu Meeting, his outstanding skills, and the martial arts he used to defeat the two warriors just now.
He is like a towering mountain, nestled in his embrace, this slender birch tree of mine will not be afraid of the attacks of the storm.
He … he will be my support from now on … a feeling of shyness and faint joy swayed in her heart. She quickly moved her eyes away, and nodded heavily, "Yes! Whether he did it or not, for the peace of the Duo Yan Garrison, I should make up my mind. Big Brother Cui, let's go! "
※ ※ ※
Ai Shen did not know that the Fu Yu Garrison's caravan had been attacked. He brought a few men and quietly snuck to the Tai Ning Garrison's encampment. He shot a volley of arrows at one of the Tai Ning Garrison's tents, and without waiting for them to react, he immediately turned his horse and left. After making a big circle on the grasslands, he buried his bow and arrows in the ground, and turned to another road to return to the fortress.
Along the way, the herdsman's tents that were scattered all over the place were faintly lit in the night. It looked very peaceful, but Ai Shen and his men kept their hands on their weapons, paying attention to the movements in front and behind them. It was only when they were close to the fortress that he relaxed his vigilance, and couldn't help but reveal a proud smile on his face, "Right now, Aguda Mu should be jumping with rage and looking for that old fox Bai Yin to settle the score. Heh! Bai Yin's influence in the Duo Yan Garrison is something a brute like him can't compare to. When he gets snubbed, Boyan Khan will then try to rope him in, and easily recruit him.
If I make this great contribution, I will definitely have more influence among the Tatars. If Boyan unifies the grasslands, maybe he can make me the Prime Minister. "
Ai Shen thought happily, and his eyes moved to a large tent by the side of the road. There were two lanterns decorated with flowers hanging at the entrance of the tent, which was the symbol of a prostitute. Where there is a city, there are prostitutes, but Bansheng City Governor, who could often taste fresh goods, was naturally not interested in these prostitutes. The prostitutes here could not be compared to the brothels in the Central Plains. There, even a little servant girl who served tea there was a hundred times more beautiful than the prostitutes here.
However, he was still considering whether he should go in for a drink. Although the grassland tribes did not have a specialized yamen, and had no experience in handling murder cases, if something happened, there would be no one secretly stationed in the city to investigate the people and passers-by. But it would be safer to go back with a little drunkenness and the smell of prostitutes.
Ai Shen slowed down and was thinking about it. He saw the curtain of the tent lift, and a gorgeously dressed woman came out, accompanied by three men in robes who were swaying a little. Under the red light, the woman saw Ai Shen looking at her, and smiled sweetly at him. Her smile was bashful and flattering, and it seemed like she was trying to attract business.
Ai Shen's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. This woman was so beautiful. She had a slim figure, and her face was as beautiful as a flower. Especially that gentle smile of hers, it was very special. He had never seen it on other women.
"Come, let's go for a drink," Ai Shen said with a smile as he reined in the horse.
They dismounted and walked toward the tent. The three herdsmen staggered away while hiccuping. The woman smiled and bowed to him, making a gesture to invite him inside. Ai Shen walked over, hooked his hand under her smooth pink chin, and lifted her pretty face. He looked at it carefully for a while, and a satisfied, lascivious smile appeared on his face.
This girl was too interesting. He didn't know which idiot brought such a beautiful woman to this broken place to earn money. He decided to buy this woman back. Of course, if it was convenient, it would be easier to snatch her back.
Ai Shen hugged the woman's waist. Damn, it was round and strong. He didn't know how powerful it would be to twist such a small waist.
Ai Shen's hand slid down to the woman's round and plump buttocks. He greedily kneaded them while he turned his head and laughed: "Come in, I hope all the girls here are as beautiful as you, then you will all be blessed, hahaha."
When Ai Shen entered the tent, he was startled. The tent was brightly lit, and there was a man sitting behind a low table, smiling at him. There were a few other people beside him, all of them were tall and sturdy, and very shrewd men. They looked like ordinary Mongolian herdsmen. There was also a woman. She was also young, charming, and gentle like water. The woman came up to him with a smile, and shyly bowed to him.
There didn't seem to be anything strange, but Ai Shen felt something was wrong everywhere. He didn't know why, but a sense of danger rose in his heart. He subconsciously said: "There are guests? Haha, then we will come again another day. Let's go! "
Just as he was about to turn around and leave the tent, suddenly his waist tightened. The arm that was coiled around his waist like a soft snake suddenly became as tight as an iron hoop. "Ah!" With a loud cry, the woman twisted her waist and pulled Ai Shen down onto the soft carpet. Without any hesitation, she pressed down on his body like an octopus, tightly binding his hands and feet so that he could not move at all.
Next to Ai Shen was an imperial guard who entered the tent at the same time as him. When he saw Ai Shen was restrained, he still wanted to go forward to help. But the beautiful woman, whose gentle smile carried a bit of shyness, suddenly leaped over like a wild cat and fiercely chopped his neck with her palm. Then her palm suddenly clenched down. The imperial guard let out a blood-curdling scream as a large piece of flesh was immediately torn from his neck.
The woman's hand was wearing a strange iron gauntlet. There was a sharp barb cast on the innermost side of the gauntlet. The gauntlet was like a tiger's claw. It could even tear thick leather clothes, let alone a person's neck.
In the midst of the spurting of blood, the beautiful woman screamed "Ah!" and swung her bloody palm fiercely. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open and her willowy eyebrows were vertical. She was even more ferocious than a man. With a bang, the edge of the gauntlet smashed his throat. The imperial guard looked up and then slowly fell backwards.
A few subordinates who had just finished tying up their horses at the entrance of the tent were treated the same way as Baldy, the chief steward of Bai Yin. A few people appeared from both sides of the tent and the three herdsmen who seemed to have left but suddenly turned back. They used terrible poisonous crossbows to interweave into a deadly net of fire, quickly taking away their lives. After a series of clangs and clangs, they had already fallen in front of the tent like a pile of broken sacks.
Inside the tent, the beautiful young woman who was firmly pressing Ai Shen said in a low, stiff voice: "Ai Shen, captured alive."
That was a man's voice, definitely not a woman's. Ai Shen turned his head in horror. He could barely see that the beautiful woman with rosy cheeks had an indistinct Adam's apple under her pink neck. 'She' was indeed a man. How could a man disguise himself as a woman so well?
Ai Shen's fingertips seemed to still feel the smooth and fragrant feeling when he pinched the tip of 'her' pink butt. He had played with too many women. How could he not distinguish between male and female? How could 'she' be a man?
But both of them were indeed men, and their disguises as women were indeed flawless. This was because they originally had the surname of a daimyo in Japan. In addition to serving as imperial guards, assassinations, sabotage, stealing intelligence and other tasks, one of their duties was to act as their master's catamites and provide for his sexual pleasure. These people were originally men with feminine looks and delicate looks. It was of course very easy for them to disguise themselves as women.
Cheng Qiyun had many similar samurai subordinates. In the team that accompanied Tunmi to the grassland to carry out the sabotage mission, there were ninjas disguised as women. Not only were they proficient in various assassination techniques, but they were also very strong samurai themselves. Moreover, there were 'women' in the team, which was very helpful for their various actions. This was a very good camouflage so that they could carry out many secret missions without arousing suspicion.
They were all subordinates recruited by Cheng Qiyun from Japan. Most of the low-level samurai in Japan were very poor. If they could not rely on a rich and powerful master, their life would be worse than that of ordinary farmers.
There was a joke in Japan that said, "In addition to quilts and pots, there is also a big stone in the house of a little samurai, because when he feels cold, he can lift the stone to keep warm."
Such samurai, once the master they relied on failed, would immediately become poor and have no food or clothing. Now that Japan was in the Warring States Period, there were often a large number of homeless people. Most of these people would become pirates and launch raids on the surrounding countries to survive. There were also a small number of people who became hooligans and swindlers.
Cheng Qiyun found that these samurai's martial arts were very good, especially the close servants of the daimyo. Most of them were proficient in ninjutsu, good at hiding and tracking. They could be used immediately without training.
Moreover, they had a very strange belief that once they swore allegiance to someone, they would have a kind of dog-like loyalty and blind worship for the master. Why not use such power? Therefore, after she focused her power on the development of Liaodong, she recruited a lot of these samurai.
As a traitor, Ai Shen was most afraid of falling into the hands of the Han people. Although this person's Han language was neither fish nor fowl, they were talking in Chinese, which meant that they came from a certain Han power. His only hope now was that the person who captured him was a rival of him, or another traitor. Otherwise, there would be no way for him to live.
Unfortunately, he did not get the conditions of the blackmail that he was looking forward to. The leader just waved his hand, and he was dragged up and escorted to the back.
The corpses outside were moved in one by one, and the leader stood up with a smile. "Changjin, dispose of the corpses, don't leave any clues, and take their horses away."
"Yes!"
"Koyama Hikoshiro, Itō Itō, the two of you have completed your mission. Staying here will only attract attention. Go back to Lord Seijō's place at night."
"Yes!" The two Japanese samurai who were disguised as beautiful women replied respectfully.
Lord He waved his hand and said, "Well, the rest of you, clean up and arrange this place. When the sun rises tomorrow morning, this place must be restored to a shop." He smiled and said, "Ai Shen has been captured. Now, it's time to deal with that old fox!"
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.
