Zhu Ba was puzzled. How could he have encountered such a group of experts in such a small place? He immediately wanted to leave the shop.

Before he could take a single step, someone in the crowd shouted, "Watch out!"

The moment those two words were uttered, several crossbow bolts shot out from beside the group of well-dressed people, aimed at the group of burly men in coarse cloth clothes.

With a loud bang, the table was overturned, blocking the crossbow bolts, and someone shouted, "Want to kill the prince? You'll have to get past us first!"

"Brothers, grab your weapons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the burly men in rough clothes drew their swords and began to fight each other.

The shop owner and the waiter never appeared from beginning to end. It's unknown whether they had already hidden themselves or were killed by either of the two groups.

At that moment, Zhu Ba was the only outsider in the shop. When he saw the two groups of people fighting, he quickly jumped back and landed at the doorway.

Zhu Ba intended to ride away directly, avoiding involvement, but after taking only one step, he heard angry shouts coming from inside:

"You bunch of lackeys of the emperor! Is this the only underhanded trick you can use to kill the prince? You bastards, I'll take you all to the underworld with me today!"

"Brothers, we must keep the Thousand Machine Battalion here! We absolutely cannot let them leave..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man let out a scream and his voice was cut off; he had clearly been killed.

Zhu Ba paused, glanced at the old horse with its head bowed, and then looked back at the fighting crowd.

Then another voice reached his ears: "Who are you people! How dare you ruin our plans! Prepare to die!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of them shouted angrily, "You bunch of lackeys, you've certainly traveled discreetly this way, otherwise we would have stopped you as soon as you left the capital!"

Zhu Ba leaned cautiously against the door, peeking at the battle inside. The two groups were fighting fiercely, with several people on both sides already dead.

Zhu Ba's heart pounded wildly. Although he had been a bandit, he had not actually fought many tough battles. The constantly splattering blood kept irritating his nasal cavity.

A voice inside him told him, "Leave quickly, leave quickly, don't get involved, or you will surely be killed."

In fact, he really wanted to leave immediately, but his feet just wouldn't move.

The reason is quite simple.

Those well-dressed men, known as the "Thousand Machines Battalion," were there to assassinate the Prince of Zhenbei.

The other group, though their organization was unknown, were there to stop the Thousand Machine Camp.

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Zhu Ba's mind.

My hometown is so close. I haven't seen my mother and brother for many years. If I leave here, I might be able to get home tomorrow. Then I can fulfill my filial duty to my mother and spend more time with my family.

That would surely be a joyful and harmonious scene.

But if they leave, and those Thousand Machine Battalion killed these rough-clothed men, will they continue to assassinate the prince?

They dared to assassinate the prince with such a small number of men, so they must have some formidable methods.

This group of people is dangerous!

Zhu Ba's hands were trembling slightly as the voice in his mind rang out again.

"The prince has a large army protecting him, and there are countless people around him. How could they possibly kill him?"

Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Prince could never have been assassinated by them!

Let's go. Even if the Thousand Machine Battalion wins, they won't be able to get to the prince.

"I'm just a nobody, lacking both exceptional wisdom and formidable martial arts skills. What can I possibly do?"

Zhu Ba shifted his feet, already intending to leave.

But after taking only one step, he stopped again.

Another voice popped into my head:

"If there is even the slightest possibility that they succeed and the prince is really assassinated, what will happen to Beiliang?"

Will we still be able to farm when we go back? Is the grain tax going to increase again? Are the brothers going to have to go back to being bandits again?

Children who could be in school are now forced to work in the fields and beg for food.

Are we going to have to live a life of barely having enough to eat and no clothes to cover our bodies again?

His body stiffened, and he could no longer take another step.

Zhu Ba could no longer pretend not to see, so he turned around and looked inside. In that short time, almost all the rough-clothed men were dead.

Although not many of the Thousand Machine Battalion soldiers died, they were all wounded.

Both sides were exhausted after this intense battle.

One of the burly men in rough clothes shouted, "If you go to kill the Prince, you will harm everyone in Beiliang! You want to destroy everything that Beiliang has now!"

"Hmph! You're quite stubborn. Let's see if your words are tougher than my blade!" The Thousand Machine Battalion members immediately drew their swords and charged at the remaining burly men.

But just then, jars of wine came crashing down from the counter onto the heads of the Thousand Machine Battalion soldiers.

"Bang bang bang!"

The wine jars shattered one by one. The men of the Thousand Machine Camp had not expected such a turn of events. In the brief moment of their surprise, the burly man opposite them slashed with his swords, instantly taking down the two of them.

And the one who threw the wine jar was none other than Zhu Ba!

Upon entering the shop, there was a counter with many wine jars on it. Zhu Ba knew he couldn't beat these people, so he threw out the wine jars to cause trouble.

At that moment, as the wine jar was broken, the spilled liquor emitted a rich aroma, mixed with the smell of blood, and Zhu Ba felt his body gradually heating up.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you lay a hand on us!"

The men of the Thousand Machines Camp were covered in alcohol, and one of them turned around and shouted angrily at Zhu Ba.

Zhu Ba took a deep breath, put down the bundle on his back, took out a short dagger from his waist, and mustered his courage to shout:

"I am your Uncle Zhu, and I never change my name or surname!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ba pounced on him...