Chapter 531 No Way Out
Hearing Lin Changning say this, Li Mingxiu looked at the emperor and the eunuch beside him with wariness. A trace of regret flashed in the emperor's eyes. He straightened up slowly, covered his bleeding shoulder, and glanced at the eunuch beside him.
The young eunuch slowly released his grip on the emperor's hand, and the next moment he rushed towards Lin Changning and Li Mingxiu with lightning speed, a dagger gleaming coldly aimed straight at Li Mingxiu's vitals.
Lin Changning threw Li Mingxiu backward, drew his long sword, and began fighting. The little eunuch held the dagger like a viper, stabbing at Lin Changning's vital points with every move, but Lin Changning parried each one.
Seeing this, Wei Shao quickly pulled Li Mingxiu back. After confirming that Li Mingxiu was safe, he picked up his spear and went to help Lin Changning. He threw the spear directly at the eunuch's waist and abdomen. The eunuch dodged Wei Shao's spear tip at an incredible angle, rolled on the ground, and after creating distance between himself and Lin Changning, rushed towards Li Mingxiu again.
The emperor, protected by the crowd in the center, looked at Li Mingxiu. He thought to himself, "If only it were the Prince of Chu. What a pity. But it wouldn't be bad if I could drag the Prince of Chu's only son down with me before I die."
Thinking this, the emperor turned his head and winked at another guard beside him. Since they couldn't escape today anyway, they might as well drag someone down with them.
The emperor slowly retreated, while his guards and personal guards quickly approached Lin Changning. The soldiers behind Lin Changning were no pushovers either; they drew their knives and surrounded the group, hacking and slashing them.
The emperor quietly retreated to the side of the tent. After a while, the Duke of Jin came out of the tent, glanced at the emperor, shook his head slightly, and sighed: "Your Majesty, it would be better to surrender and perhaps you can save your life."
The emperor glanced at the Duke of Jin: "Does the Duke want me to surrender?"
The Duke of Jin put his hands behind his back and said, "Your Majesty, there is no way out. If you are willing to write an abdication edict and send it to the King of Wei Chu, you may be able to live."
A look of confusion appeared on the emperor's face. The war had not lasted for three months, and his army was on its way. Why had it been defeated so quickly?
The emperor was somewhat confused and bewildered: "Duke, I don't understand. Since ascending the throne, I have been diligent and conscientious, never slacking off for a single day... I..."
He was interrupted halfway through his sentence by the Duke of Jin: "Your Majesty, there is no point in saying these things now. Your Majesty only needs to tell me, do you want to live?"
The emperor remained silent for a moment, then gently shook his head: "I am the Son of Heaven, the ruler of the country. I would rather die than surrender!"
Duke Jin also fell silent. The emperor had indeed been diligent in the years since his ascension to the throne, and his handling of state affairs was not bad. However, he was still young and his methods were still immature. He was checked and balanced by the civil official group and had few capable people under his command. In addition to the natural disasters and man-made calamities of the past few years, he also encountered the rebellion of Prince Sheng.
Just when King Sheng had finally resolved the situation, chaos erupted on the border. Just as the border was stabilized, King Chu rebelled. The supply of provisions couldn't keep up, and there were no strong generals available to lead the troops.
It can only be said that the emperor was truly unlucky.
Natural disasters, man-made calamities, and the rebellion of regional princes—this once prosperous country is now in such a state of turmoil. Alas!
A hint of confusion flashed in the emperor's eyes. Could it be that his father had seized the throne from his ninth uncle, incurring the wrath of the heavens? Was that why his father had died young and why he had encountered so many misfortunes after ascending the throne?
Unlike the confusion in the emperor's eyes, Lin Changning only wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible and return to Taiyuan. Ashu was currently unconscious, and his second brother was struggling to hold on in Taiyuan. The sooner he could return, the sooner he could feel at ease.
However, the people around the emperor were all top-notch fighters, and Wei Shao was injured after fighting with several of them. Li Mingxiu was also accidentally slashed in the arm.
That little eunuch was even more troublesome, wielding a dagger with unparalleled skill. Several times, Lin Changning was nearly slashed. Old Zhou wasn't so lucky. While protecting Lin Changning, he was stabbed in the chest by the little eunuch. Fortunately, Lin Changning acted quickly, kicking the little eunuch several meters away. So, Old Zhou was only stabbed by the dagger, and the wound wasn't very deep.
Old Zhang, who was behind him, immediately helped Old Zhou up. Seeing Old Zhou clutching his chest and looking somewhat pale, he asked, "Are you alright, Old Zhou?"
Old Zhou waved his hand and clutched his chest: "Fortunately, the magistrate arrived in time, so the wound wasn't too deep."
If Lin Changning had been any slower, the dagger would have pierced his heart. Old Zhou, still somewhat shaken, grabbed Old Zhang, who was about to go up: "That bastard is very skilled with his hands, don't go up and cause trouble for the magistrate!"
Old Zhang was pulled back, and after hesitating for a moment, he saw Lin Changning fighting with someone and led Old Zhou towards Old Ma's direction to help. Wei Shao and Lin Changning, on the other hand, held the little eunuch tightly from the left and right.
This little eunuch is really troublesome. He draws his dagger quickly and ruthlessly. If you're not careful, you'll get hurt. Lin Changning and Wei Shao exchanged a glance. Wei Shao suddenly stepped forward and used his spear to strike the little eunuch while trying to create distance. The little eunuch grabbed Wei Shao's spear and tried to stab Wei Shao's hand with his dagger along the shaft.
Wei Shao quickly released one hand and turned his head to dodge the eunuch's fatal stab. When the eunuch got close, he tightly gripped the eunuch's hand holding the dagger. Before he could react, the eunuch pulled out a new dagger from his waist with his other hand and was about to stab Wei Shao in the heart.
Lin Changning had already arrived and grabbed the eunuch's other hand with great force, quickly dislocating the man's arm. Seeing that Wei Shao had captured the other hand, he delivered a vicious chop to the eunuch's joint.
With a crisp snap, the little eunuch groaned and his arms drooped limply. The next moment, he saw a knife slash across his neck.
The blood blurred his vision. The little eunuch turned his head away reluctantly, glancing at his master. But when he saw the emperor's slightly terrified eyes, he closed them again in frustration.
Lin Changning tossed the corpse aside, clutching his thigh where he had just been stabbed, and gasped, "Ah Shao, help me up, help me up, ouch~"
Wei Shao hurriedly caught Lin Changning, his face showing some worry: "Commander? Commander? Where are you hurt?"
Lin Changning propped himself up on his uninjured leg, grimacing, "You bastard, you stabbed me in the thigh!!!"
Just now, during the fight, when Lin Changning smashed the man's arm joint with her last blow, the little eunuch took the opportunity to stab her leg hard.
Lin Changning glared angrily at the little eunuch, then looked around. The people the emperor had brought had been almost all dealt with by their own people, and now the sound of rolling hooves was approaching.
Lin Changning's eyes lit up. After being helped onto the horse by Wei Shao, he headed towards the direction from which the billowing dust had come.
"Father is here!"
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