Chapter 160 Three Thousand Soldiers Assemble and Set Off
Marquis Chengen was in charge of the large camp in the suburbs of the capital. It was common for Marquis Chengen and his son to go out of the city at night, so the guards at the city gates all knew the heir of Marquis Chengen and immediately opened the gates for him.
Jiang Yu spurred her horse and followed beside the Marquis of Chengen's heir, galloping out of the city gate. The Marquis of Chengen's heir hadn't expected her to catch up with him. He turned to look at her, pulled on the reins, and lashed the horse's rump with the whip, increasing the speed of their gallop.
Seeing his movements, Jiang Yu slowed down slightly. The Marquis of Chengen was the key now; there was no need for her to compete with his son over such a trivial matter. Besides, she was unlikely to win anyway, given the Marquis's position in the army and his exceptional horsemanship.
The young master of Cheng'en Marquis, realizing that Jiang Yu wasn't chasing him, felt he had been somewhat naive. No matter how capable Jiang Yu was, she was still a woman; what was he doing competing with her? However, he didn't slow down, as he still had important matters to attend to.
The military camp on the outskirts of the capital was not far from the capital city; it only took a little over fifteen minutes to reach it on horseback. Jiang Yu followed the heir of the Marquis of Chengen into the camp without any hindrance and met the Marquis of Chengen.
"Something happened?" Marquis Chengen asked as soon as he saw her.
Jiang Yu nodded, "There are private soldiers on Niujiao Mountain, probably about a thousand men."
Marquis Chengen didn't ask her how she knew; he went straight to the question: "Whose private army?"
This time, Jiang Yu did not hide anything, "King Kang."
The tent was silent. Marquis Chengen looked at Jiang Yu with a deep gaze. "Are you sure?"
Jiang Yu nodded seriously, "I'm sure."
Marquis Chengen remained silent again, but not long after, he said to his son, "Gather three thousand soldiers and set off."
"Yes," the heir of the Marquis of Chengen replied, then turned and quickly left.
A thousand people may not seem like much to them, but if they were to launch a coup, it would cause considerable chaos. Even if the father and son managed to quell the unrest quickly, they might still be reprimanded by the emperor.
Moreover, if Prince Kang were to collude with those inside and outside the coup, it would be difficult to quell the rebellion. In that case, their responsibility would be even greater.
Inside the tent, Marquis Chengen looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Lord Jiang, can you now tell me how you found out about Prince Kang?"
The address of "Lord Jiang" indicated his approval of Jiang Yu, but also revealed his lingering displeasure. Jiang Yu didn't seem to care much; she recounted the investigation into the embezzlement case involving military supplies, omitting, of course, the collaboration with Prince An.
She felt that Prince An probably didn't want others to know about their collaboration.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Chengen's gaze towards Jiang Yu changed, now holding both admiration and sighs. He admired her for accomplishing so much in just six months in officialdom. He was certain she would be promoted after this, and that she would firmly establish herself in the bureaucracy.
It's a pity that despite her talent, her future career might be difficult because she is a woman.
At this moment, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Chengen entered and reported that the three thousand soldiers were ready. Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Chengen looked at Jiang Yu and asked, "Lord Jiang, would you like to go to Niujiao Mountain together?"
Jiang Yu: "Of course."
Marquis Chengen guessed that she would answer like that, and turned to his son, saying, "Protect Lord Jiang well."
Upon hearing the words "Lord Jiang," the heir apparent of the Marquis of Chengen paused for a moment before replying, "Yes."
Jiang Yu thanked the father and son, saying, "Thank you."
"Set off."
Marquis Chengen strode out of the tent, followed by Jiang Yu and his heir. The troops were ready. Marquis Chengen walked to the front of three thousand elite soldiers and, without saying much, simply stated: "Target: Niujiao Mountain; objective: bandit suppression; proceed!"
Three thousand soldiers followed him in perfect unison. It was the first time Jiang Yu had ever seen so many soldiers, and he was deeply moved.
She rode her horse behind the Marquis of Chengen. Because there were infantrymen behind them, their speed was not very fast. After more than half an hour, they arrived at Niujiao Mountain.
The guards from the Duke of Chu's mansion were still on guard here. Jiang Yu asked Li Zhong to contact the guards. A short while later, the head of the guards arrived with two men.
He first bowed to Jiang Yu, then to the Marquis of Chengen and his son. "There are more than a thousand soldiers on Niujiao Mountain. Xing Hui, a staff member of the Prince of Kang, arrived at Niujiao Mountain an hour ago. Now the people on the mountain are making strange movements, as if they want to move."
"How many exits does Niujiaoshan have?" asked Marquis Chengen.
The commander of the secret guards said, "There are four of them, and each is guarded by one of our men..."
Just then, a loud whistle rang out, and the commander of the secret guards immediately said, "Oh no, the people on the mountain are coming out."
These words did not alarm Marquis Chengen. He calmly selected four generals and ordered them to lead their men to block the four exits, following the commander of the secret guards. He led the remaining 1,500 men to guard the middle of the four exits, ready to provide support at any time.
The commander of the secret guards and four soldiers quickly led their troops away, and soon the sounds of fighting could be heard. A quarter of an hour later, a cloud of white smoke rose into the sky from the southwest corner. Upon seeing it, Marquis Chengen pointed in that direction and said, "Go!"
He rode off, and Jiang Yu quickly followed. Marquis Chengen glanced at her; he hadn't expected Jiang Yu to go to the battlefield, but he said nothing.
The night was dark, but many soldiers were holding torches, making the road very clear. Before long, they arrived at the exit at the southwest corner of Niujiaoshan.
Jiang Yu, mounted on his horse, saw the fierce battle ahead. A man dressed in a silver robe and wearing a wolf-head mask was surrounded by dozens of soldiers, but none of them could get close to him. And the soldiers who were attacking him were being cut down by him one by one.
"Du Tianlei, I never expected to see you here," Marquis Chengen shouted.
The man in the wolf-head mask turned his head upon hearing his voice, and was instantly stabbed in the arm by a soldier. He immediately focused on dealing with the soldiers surrounding him, saying, "I didn't expect that Marquis Chengen would still remember me. It's an honor!"
"Hmph!" Marquis Chengen snorted heavily. "Back then, you delayed military affairs because of lust, and the Emperor spared your life. You were ungrateful and committed such a treasonous act. This time, you will not escape death."
"That depends on whether you, Marquis Chengen, can catch me." He looked at Marquis Chengen, then shouted and charged forward. Marquis Chengen and his heir immediately drew their weapons to defend themselves.
Unexpectedly, Du Tianlei lunged at Jiang Yu. The father and son were shocked and rushed to rescue Jiang Yu, but what happened next shocked them.
Jiang Yu lashed out with her whip, striking Du Tianlei's wrist. Despite the pain, Du Tianlei didn't give up his attack, slashing at Jiang Yu with his longsword. Jiang Yu dodged to the side, but Du Tianlei's sword struck the horse's head, causing the horse to fall to the ground, and Jiang Yu also tumbled to the ground.
Du Tianlei grinned maliciously and spurred his horse to trample Jiang Yu. In that instant, Jiang Yu rolled over, simultaneously drawing a dagger from his boot and stabbing it into the belly of Du Tianlei's horse.
The horse neighed and went berserk, throwing Du Tianlei to the ground. At that moment, the Marquis of Chengen arrived and thrust his spear into Du Tianlei's thigh. The Marquis of Chengen's heir jumped off his horse, pressing his spear against Du Tianlei's throat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
