Bai realized what he was about to do, and his survival instinct, which had erupted in desperation, urged him to tighten his grip on the reins, clinging tightly to the horse's back, and urging the horse to flee into the distance.
However, how could Shen Mingjiang give him a chance to escape?
Holding a long spear, he estimated the distance and suddenly hurled it.
The Bai on horseback kept looking back at his movements. When he saw the spear being thrown at him, his pupils contracted and he instinctively tried to dismount to dodge. However, his severely injured and weakened body could not obey his brain's commands. He could only watch helplessly as the spear pierced his body, and then his consciousness was overwhelmed by pain...
*
The Azha tribe was bustling with activity.
The old travelers have left, and new ones have arrived.
The newly arrived merchants chatted enthusiastically with the merchants staying in the tribe, discussing the latest events and the most valuable items at the moment.
Not far from the Azha tribe, an old horse carrying a person trotted towards the tribe.
The man was wearing armor and was lying tightly on the horse's back, as if he were injured.
This golden road from the border of the Great Wei to the Tibetan royal court was rife with banditry, and it was not uncommon for travelers and merchants to be injured.
It's a miracle that you escaped the tiger's jaws and survived.
Therefore, no one paid attention to the old horse that was carrying the injured man at first.
It wasn't until the horse got close that the person lying prone tumbled off its back without moving. Only then did everyone belatedly realize that the horse had carried a dead man.
The enthusiastic conversation and shouts ceased for a moment. A bolder person stepped forward to examine the body and said, "The armor on the deceased looks like that of the Tibetan army..."
As they were discussing this, the old gatekeeper pushed his way through the crowd and shouted fiercely, "Make way, make way! Where did this dead man come from?!"
He dragged the body down while shouting and cursing.
Xue Shen, who was not far away, saw this scene and the corners of his lips curled up, knowing that the fish had taken the bait.
*
The old man dragged the body to a secluded spot, then stopped cursing and bent down to examine the body with a solemn expression.
He had naturally seen the famous General Bayi before. General Bayi was a fierce general under the Third Prince, with extraordinary strength. He never imagined that one day he would see General Bayi's corpse.
The opponent died from excessive blood loss and weakness after being stabbed in the back by a spear.
What kind of person could have such strength to kill the fierce and powerful General Bai?
The old man looked up in the direction of Ximen Mountain, his expression worried. He felt that ever since that merchant who called himself Zhabu arrived, everything had started to get out of control.
He stood there for a moment, carefully hiding the Bai's body, before hurriedly going to the tent to report the situation.
Those inside the tent were also incredulous upon hearing of Bai's death, so shocked that they forgot to lower their voices: "What did you say? Bai is dead? How is that possible?"
The old man bent down, hands tucked into his pockets: "I personally examined the body, I can't mistake it, it's General Bai."
He said worriedly, "Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems at Ximenshan, but General Bai..."
After much deliberation, he finally voiced his concerns: "Could it be that the encirclement and suppression operation has gone wrong?"
I heard that the Wei people whom the Third Prince ordered to be surrounded and killed were actually General Shen of the Great Wei.
Shen Jiajun's formidable reputation was known even to him in the distant Azha tribe.
Such a fierce general could potentially change the course of the battle.
Upon hearing his words, the person seated at the head of the table fell silent. After a moment's thought, the other person said, "Make your preparations. Tonight, after nightfall, I will personally lead men to investigate the situation. I will leave a letter. If I have not returned by tomorrow night, take the letter to the royal court and report this matter to the Third Prince."
After giving his instructions, the other party immediately brought pen and ink, wrote a letter, and handed it to the old man.
The old man carefully put the letter away, bowed to the recipient, and then left the tent.
In the dead of night, the entire tribe fell into a deep sleep.
The old man quietly opened the door, and a small group of masked men silently led their horses out.
The old man did not leave immediately. He stood there and watched them walk away before going back to his tent.
After the masked men had gone some distance, this small group of people spurred their horses and galloped towards Ximen Mountain.
They had only run three or four miles when they saw a group of people faintly visible on both sides of the canyon ahead.
Realizing something was wrong, the masked man immediately reined in his horse and stopped, but it was too late.
After they stopped, dozens of men immediately surrounded them from behind, completely cutting off their escape route.
The masked leader's gaze swept around, and he said in a deep voice, "People of the Great Wei? Who sent you?"
Xue Shen and Shen Mingjiang emerged from the darkness, their sharp gazes piercing each other, laced with sarcasm: "That's what we should be asking you! Who sent you?"
The masked man remained silent.
But Xue Shen didn't need his answer, and said confidently, "It seems to be the Third Prince."
Seeing that he had guessed it himself, the masked man stopped keeping quiet and said through gritted teeth, "It really was you. If I had known this would happen, I should have gotten rid of you sooner."
Xue Shen looked indifferent and said dismissively, "That's a real pity."
Impatient with empty talk, Shen Mingjiang slammed his spear into the ground, raising clouds of dust, and urged, "Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and deal with them so I can go back and check on Zhaozhao."
Xue Shen smiled, raised his arm and slashed down heavily, exuding murderous intent: "Kill! Leave no survivors."
This battle was almost a one-sided massacre. The masked men tried their best to resist, but they were not strong enough and were outnumbered. They had also stepped into a trap set by others and could only be slaughtered at their mercy.
In less than half an hour, Xue Shen and his group dealt with the masked men and even cleaned up the battlefield, leaving no trace.
Shen Mingjiang couldn't wait to mount his horse, raised his whip, and lashed it hard: "Let's go back!"
*
In the Azha tribe, an old man with a heavy responsibility felt uneasy. He paced anxiously in his tent when suddenly a sharp blade was pressed against his throat.
His eyes widened in horror, and he opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, his throat was slit without hesitation.
After his death, the guards found letters on his body and then went to report back to Xue Shen with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the four merchants involved in the incident were also taken into custody by the guards.
The spies of the third prince in the Azha tribe had been completely eliminated. The remaining people, besides the tribe's own people, were all merchants who traveled to and from the area. They were completely unaware of the fighting and changes happening behind the scenes, and were only complaining about why a caravan was arriving in the middle of the night, making it impossible for them to get a good night's sleep.
Only Shen Youying was filled with excitement and trepidation, hiding in the tent, hoping for her father and husband to return.
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