Chapter 197 Breaking the Prison Wagon, Rescuing the General
Mu Cheng and his family are about to be escorted to the execution ground.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen assassins arranged by the Prime Minister had arrived near a house in the royal city.
This house was the place the Prime Minister arranged for those outsiders to live in.
Inside the house at this moment.
Five unremarkable, lean men took off the silk clothes they had worn when posing as merchants, revealing their close-fitting protective suits.
This specially made tight-fitting protective suit was provided by Ning Jinli specifically to the spies of Qingyoutai.
Not only is it extremely lightweight and flexible, but it can also provide some protection against swords and arrows.
These five people were not actually traveling merchants; they were actually secret agents sent by Xiao Qidi to Qingyoutai.
They had just received the latest intelligence that the instigation had been a great success and that assassins were on their way to kill them all.
The five people acted swiftly and methodically, making preparations to deal with the situation.
They opened several large boxes, took out ordinary civilian clothes that had been prepared beforehand, put them on, and also carried the weapons and equipment hidden inside. Then they opened the hidden compartment at the bottom of the large boxes to check them.
Inside the hidden compartment lay a square explosive charge, lying silently and clearly.
Next to the explosive charge, a trigger igniter was also installed.
They skillfully opened the safety device, carefully tied a thin wire from the igniter to the inside of the box lid, and then slowly closed it.
"Alright, with these good stuff, those assassins will definitely not leave alive."
"We must hurry and rejoin the other brothers. We must rescue General Mu and his family!"
"Walk!"
The five of them had everything arranged. They slipped out of the room window and, following the escape route they had secretly planned during this time, avoided the servants and men that the Prime Minister of the Wasteland had arranged in the house, and quickly arrived at the backyard.
In the most inconspicuous corner of the backyard, they moved aside the rubble and haystacks and crawled out through the hole they had dug in the wall earlier.
No sooner had they left than the assassins entered the house.
"Are those merchants still around?" the lead assassin asked the servants and steward in the mansion.
The housekeeper said the five people had been in the house the whole time and had never left.
“Very good,” the lead assassin said in a low voice, “You have all the servants guard every door and window of the house. If even half of them slip away later, the Prime Minister will hold you accountable!”
"Yes, yes, yes!" The butler nodded repeatedly and quickly gave the orders.
Before long, dozens of servants had each guarded all the possible entrances and exits, blocking the house completely.
More than a dozen assassins surrounded the main house. When they got close, the leader waved his hand, and they all rushed in through the front door, the back door, and several windows.
However, once inside, one would see...
The five people were nowhere to be seen in the huge house.
"They got away?!" one of the assassins exclaimed. "Quickly, after them!"
"etc!"
The lead assassin raised his hand to stop him.
He looked around, a confident smile playing on his lips. "They're definitely still in this house."
"Why?" the other assassins asked, puzzled.
He walked calmly and confidently to the large wooden box. "First, why did they run away? They didn't know the Prime Minister had ordered us to kill them. They were still waiting to become the Prime Minister's retainers and gain power."
"Secondly, in this residence arranged by the Prime Minister, are the dozens of eyes of the servants and attendants just for show? Perhaps the steward didn't notice that these five people left the house, but they certainly didn't leave the residence."
"Third, their personal belongings and even the boxes containing their valuables were still there, showing no signs of them packing their things and fleeing in a hurry."
"Therefore, I conclude that they are still in the house, perhaps they went for a walk in the woods, or perhaps they went to the outhouse."
His analysis was so logical that the other assassins breathed a sigh of relief.
One of the assassins asked, "What do we do next?"
The assassin leader stroked the wooden crate, a look of covetousness in his eyes. "We'll wait until they go back to their rooms. Before that, let's move these valuables out. The Prime Minister instructed us to make sure we loot everything."
The other assassins all surrounded them.
Several large wooden crates, each more than half a person tall, were made of the finest wood and were carved with intricate patterns.
This box alone is worth a fortune.
"Open it and take a look," the assassin leader said, and eagerly reached out to lift the lid of the box.
The other assassins couldn't wait any longer, and almost simultaneously, they hurriedly opened several other boxes.
The sound of thin threads snapping rang out one after another.
Before they could even see what was inside the box...
Then came a deafening roar!
By the time the housekeeper and servants arrived at the scene, the entire house had been destroyed, and thick smoke and flames engulfed the ruins.
More than a dozen assassins were killed...
...
On a main road in the royal city.
Officials led the way, followed by several prison carts, with dozens of imperial guards escorting them on both sides and behind.
The prison cart was filled with General Mu Cheng and his family.
He has elderly parents.
There was also his wife, who had been tortured beyond recognition, and his children, ranging in age from seven or eight to their teens.
A notice has been posted in the palace stating that Mu Cheng's family is plotting a rebellion and will be immediately taken to the execution ground to be beheaded and displayed to the public.
The news spread throughout the capital like wildfire.
People came to inquire, and more and more people gathered, gradually filling the road and making it increasingly difficult for the prison van procession to move forward.
When the common people heard that General Mu's family was plotting treason and would be executed, they all thought it was just a rumor. It wasn't until they saw it with their own eyes that they realized it was actually true.
"General! General!" Countless people shouted.
"The general must be innocent!"
"Release the general immediately!"
"We can't kill them!"
"..."
The noise was deafening, one wave higher than the next.
The officials clearing the way tried their best to maintain order while shouting sternly, "Get out of the way!"
"How dare you block the prison van!"
"If you want this, I'll chop you all up!"
Faced with the officials' threats, the people were outraged. Although they were afraid of the gleaming long knives in the officials' hands, they did not give way, but instead knelt down on the spot one after another.
Since the people did not make a move, the officials could not openly draw their swords, and a stalemate ensued.
Someone cried out in anguish, "General Mu Cheng is the guardian deity of our Great Wilderness! From the late king to the present day, he has always protected us! Not long ago, he even recovered lost territory for the Great Wilderness... How could he... how could he possibly rebel?!"
Immediately, others chimed in.
"Yes! The General is loyal and has made countless contributions! We don't believe he would betray us!"
"The General's parents, wife, children, and the whole family have always been very kind to us ordinary people. They even saved money to help the poor. They are all good people!"
"This humble subject begs Your Majesty not to wrongly kill loyal and virtuous officials!"
"..."
The people knelt for a long time, kowtowing and pleading for the general's family.
Inside the prison van, Mu Chenghe and his family members witnessed this scene and were all moved to tears.
The officials and even the imperial guards had mixed expressions.
Let alone ordinary people, even they themselves didn't believe that General Mu would plot a rebellion.
However, the emperor had already issued the decree, and the prime minister had also conveyed the order.
Today will surely be the day of death for General Mu and his entire family.
"Sir...we beg you...we beg you to go and tell the Emperor," a commoner pleaded, clinging to the official's leg, "Don't execute the General! Don't kill his family! This is the plea of all of us commoners!"
"This..." The official looked troubled.
The other people also kept kowtowing and begging for mercy. The voices coming from all directions put a lot of pressure on the officials.
The officials had no choice but to discuss the matter with the Imperial Guards.
Then one of the imperial guards left the prisoner convoy, spurred his horse, and rode towards the palace.
The officials told the people that they had already sent someone to report the situation to the emperor, and that the people should not be anxious or panicked.
The crowd gradually quieted down, gazing towards the direction of the palace, hoping for good news to come back soon.
Inside the prison van, Mu Cheng's parents and wife had fallen into a coma, while the children huddled together, trembling.
Seeing his family in such a state, Mu Cheng felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
Unfortunately, everyone was locked in a separate cage, and he didn't even have a chance to go over and hug them.
He had no hope that the royal guards would go to the palace to report the situation.
Now, the Great Wilderness Lord has completely believed the words of those treacherous officials, and the power of the court has been taken over by the newly appointed prime minister. They have fabricated the so-called treason charge against him with the intention of destroying him.
Why would they care about the people's pleas?
On the contrary...
The more the people love and support him, the more the emperor and the prime minister must kill him.
"Heaven is going to destroy me..." Mu Cheng looked up at the sun, which was gradually being obscured by a layer of dark clouds, and murmured to himself, "Heaven is going to destroy my Great Wilderness..."
"The emperor is foolish and incompetent, and treacherous ministers hold power... Heh..."
"The Great Wilderness's fate is sealed. But... the people of the Great Wilderness will suffer greatly, for they will never be able to live in peace again. Alas, it is my fault for trusting the sovereign too much in me, which has led to this predicament."
"I have let down the people of the Great Wilderness..."
...
Among the densely packed crowd of people.
The five Qingyoutai spies who had evacuated from the house had met up with more than a dozen other brothers and were whispering among themselves.
“We made preparations on the way to the execution ground.”
"But the troops are not moving at all, so... should we just make our move here?"
"With so many people pleading for General Mu, perhaps the king of the Desolate Kingdom will spare the lives of General Mu and his family? If so, we need to make other rescue arrangements. Or perhaps we should wait and see."
"Well... it's hard to say... okay, let's wait and see."
One of the spies secretly took out a drone remote control.
Then, a drone quietly took off from a distant rooftop and flew towards the palace.
Before long, the drone captured images of a large number of royal guards, numbering over a thousand, deployed inside the palace.
Everyone immediately realized that something was wrong.
If the king of the desolate kingdom were willing to spare General Mu's life after learning that the people had pleaded for his life, why would he need to mobilize so many imperial guards?
This is clearly aimed at driving away the people!
If the crowd of people becomes enraged and clashes with the Imperial Guards, it will not only hinder rescue efforts but also cause countless deaths and injuries.
The group immediately decided to launch a rescue operation before the thousands of Imperial Guards arrived!
They then dispersed and, using the crowd as cover, continued to approach the prison van.
When they were close enough, they took out the smoke bombs that Fairy Jinli had given them and threw them around the prison cart.
Puff puff puff!
Thick, pungent smoke rose instantly.
Before the guards next to the prison cart could react, they were choked and couldn't open their eyes.
The Qingyoutai spies quickly put on masks and climbed onto the prison van.
The thick smoke continued to spread, and the surrounding people, unaware of what was happening, could only hurriedly get up and retreat.
"Watch out! Someone's trying to break in!" shouted the captain of the Imperial Guard beside the prison cart procession.
Dozens of imperial guards immediately rushed towards the prison cart amidst thick smoke.
A white haze filled their vision, thick smoke was pungent and blinding, and the closer they got, the more uncomfortable it became, forcing them to cover their mouths and noses and back away.
Upon seeing this, the captain of the Imperial Guard shouted again, "Don't get any closer! Surround the entire prison wagon!"
The officials and imperial guards immediately changed tactics, surrounding the convoy with weapons in hand, ready to attack without hesitation if anyone emerged from the smoke.
Thud—
Thud! Thud!
Several muffled thuds followed.
As the thick smoke billowed and swirled, several figures were sent flying backward one after another.
Without a word, the Imperial Guards plunged their spears into the figure that had rolled to the ground.
After the treatment was completed, it was discovered that these were actually grooms.
"Giddy up!" A roar suddenly erupted from the thick smoke.
Then the horse neighed.
Accompanied by the rapid sound of horses' hooves, several prison wagons burst straight out of the thick smoke.
"Make way! We're here to rescue the General!"
The Qingyoutai scouts struggled to drive the carriage carrying the prison cages, shouting loudly to the people.
Upon hearing this, the people immediately made way for them, clearing a wide path for them.
"Chase them!" the Imperial Guard captain roared. "Don't let them get away!"
Dozens of imperial guards rushed forward.
Including the captain, more than a dozen quick-witted and agile individuals rode their horses at breakneck speed before the carriage reached full speed, leaping onto the prison cart.
The rest of the Imperial Guard wanted to follow suit.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Stop them!"
Wow!
The crowd surged toward the back of the prison van procession like a tidal wave.
The common people used their bare hands to forcibly pull some of the imperial guards off their horses.
Some people didn't care even when they were knocked down by a horse; even when they fell to the ground, they would endure the excruciating pain and hold onto the horse's leg.
Apart from a few who were responsible for driving the carriages, more than ten of the spies from Qingyoutai also climbed onto the cages and fought with the Imperial Guards.
Thick smoke filled the air, dust billowed on the ground, and the crowd surged and scrambled into chaos.
"How dare you rob a death row inmate within the royal city! You're asking for death!" The captain of the imperial guards launched an attack on a masked man in front of him.
The masked man dodged and parried with his short knife.
"Ha! You think a little knife can stand against me?! Take this!" The captain of the Imperial Guard seized the opportunity, swung his bronze sword with both hands, and slashed down with all his might.
Crack!
The bronze sword was broken in two.
The knife in the masked man's hand remained unharmed.
The captain of the imperial guards was stunned. "You... what kind of knife is that?"
"Hey, I'm not telling you." Taking advantage of the moment of confusion, the other person raised their foot and kicked at him.
The captain of the Imperial Guard was caught off guard and kicked off the carriage.
The masked man casually threw him another smoke bomb, and before he could get up, he was choked and his nose and eyes were running.
On the carriage cage, one after another, the Imperial Guards were knocked down by the masked spies from Qingyoutai.
However, their desperate attempts to stop it did slow down the carriage.
The thousands of imperial guards who arrived from the rear discovered that the prison cart had run into trouble, so they sped up and charged through the crowd of people to surround it.
The prison convoy was about to be surrounded.
The angry people shouted:
"Everyone! Let's go together!"
"We'll stop them even if it kills us! Protect the General and his family!"
"Charge! Fight them!"
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