Clang! Clang! The sound of armor clashing came from the far end of the street.
A squad of Imperial Guards on night patrol arrived late.
Mu Zian's expression remained calm in the rainy night.
I've made such a commotion on the street, and these Imperial Guards have only just arrived.
Mu Zian would never believe there was nothing wrong with it.
As the rain gradually stopped, a strong, pungent smell of blood filled the air.
Even the well-informed Imperial Guards were speechless with shock at the sight of the corpses scattered on the ground.
Mu Zian stepped over Pei Shaoqing's headless corpse.
He walked past the Jinwu Guards who were standing there, stunned, and whispered.
"Wash the streets clean."
After saying that, Mu Zian's figure completely disappeared into the shadows.
Mu Zian was not surprised by the assassination attempt.
If a powerful family that has dominated the Dali court for a hundred years doesn't even have this much skill, then that would be truly laughable.
Meanwhile, inside a mansion in the capital, candlelight flickered.
Pei Jianzhi knelt on one knee, and a weary voice came from the shadows.
"Pei Shaoqing made his move?"
"They've made their move!"
"This time, we have mobilized the assassins that our Pei family has raised for many years to ambush Mu Zian on his way out of the palace."
"The Imperial Guards responsible for patrolling the streets have already been transferred in advance. This time, Mu Zi'an is doomed!"
Pei Jianzhi wore a smug smile, as if he would soon hear the news that Mu Zian had been chopped into mincemeat.
The weary voice rang out again in the darkness.
"Mu Zian is no ordinary person; he has concealed his abilities for many years, and even I was fooled by him!"
"Truly, he remains silent until he makes a stunning statement."
"Determination of victory in Luzhou with fewer troops, the poetry gathering on the painted boat became famous throughout the world."
"The reform of the imperial examination system and the establishment of the cabinet, and now the use of public opinion to kill Pei Liang, such scheming and methods are beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Upon hearing this, Pei Jianzhi's face showed a hint of disdain.
"It's all because that guy surnamed Mu is lucky!"
A cold snort came from the darkness.
Pei Jianzhi was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head and dared not answer.
"Pei Liang is also a good-for-nothing. The century-old Pei family was completely destroyed in his hands!"
"It seems that Mu Zi'an has already made progress on that matter, otherwise he wouldn't be so ruthless in his pursuit of the Pei family."
The weary voice in the darkness took a deep breath and then spoke to Pei Jianzhi, who was kneeling on the ground.
"As the saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Although Pei Liang is dead, the Pei family must not perish."
"Your official position has been stripped, but there's no need to worry. I'll be able to reinstate you soon."
"It can even help you take your skills to the next level."
Pei Jianzhi was overjoyed upon hearing this, but he hadn't yet uttered his words of thanks.
A cold voice came again.
"You must remember that whoever pays your bills, you must serve them with your life."
Do you understand?
Pei Jianzhi trembled all over, terrified by the oppressive aura of the superior in the darkness.
"I understand, and I will certainly follow your lead from now on."
Another sigh came from the darkness.
"A sword hangs over my head; time is of the essence."
......
The dignified Duke of Zhenguo was ambushed and killed after leaving the palace!
When Xiao Yu learned of this news, he was furious!
Order a thorough investigation into this matter!
The eunuch who was delivering intelligence inside the palace committed suicide that very night.
But that was far from enough. Enraged, Xiao Yu had the chief eunuch of one of the twelve bureaus, where the little eunuch worked, massacred.
Xiao Yu was never a kind person; he would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free.
Moreover, eunuchs were the emperor's inner court officials, and it was even more unacceptable for a traitor to emerge from among them.
That night, all the Jinwu Guards responsible for patrolling the streets were packed up and sent to the border troops.
Xiao Yu had originally planned to let the Pei family off the hook, but Pei Shaoqing's outburst caused a scene!
The Pei family has really had a terrible stroke of bad luck.
They colluded with both insiders and outsiders to assassinate the Duke in the street.
In any dynasty or era, this would be a crime punishable by the extermination of the entire family!
Pei Liang's entire lineage was exterminated, except for his second and third sons, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
In the imperial court, any high-ranking official from the Pei family was demoted three ranks.
Officials in the capital were transferred to other prefectures.
Taking advantage of this assassination attempt, Xiao Yu purged all those connected to the Pei family from the entire Dali officialdom.
The Imperial City Guard was mobilized throughout the night, and various charges against Xiao Yu were laid out on his desk.
For a time, the entire officialdom of Dali was in a state of panic.
The most unfortunate one was Shen Congwu, who was demoted from commander of the Imperial Guards to squad leader by the enraged Xiao Yu and put in charge of guarding the gates of the capital.
Mu Zian, the one who started all of this, remained uninvolved.
With Xiao Xiuning's funds in place, Mu Zi'an began training his troops.
In this era, those who can obey orders without question are already considered elite troops.
There are also professional soldiers, but they are limited to the Imperial Guards and border troops within the Imperial City.
Why are there always examples in history of the few defeating the many?
That's because only a small group of people can truly determine the outcome of a battle.
These soldiers who decide the balance of power are called "buqu," or what is known as a private army.
During the Battle of Hefei, Sun Quan was defeated by Zhang Liao and fled in panic, surrounded by his own troops.
Ling Tong, one of the Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong, saw that the situation was critical and risked his three hundred troops to break through the encirclement with Sun Quan.
These three hundred works constitute Ling Tong's entire fortune.
After exhausting all his resources, Ling Tong faded from the historical stage.
In the war of Dali's destruction of Chu, Mu Zhanying relied on 10,000 elite troops to achieve the prestigious title of Duke of Zhenguo.
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