Chapter 408 Critical Situation
The sudden change frightened the King of Qi so much that his face turned pale. He watched helplessly as the long sword stabbed towards his chest with unstoppable force.
Suddenly, a figure rushed over from the side and knocked him down into the carriage.
The King of Qi looked at the eunuch lying on him in horror, his expression extremely painful. He opened his mouth to say something to him, but he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell on top of him.
"Protect His Highness!"
The cold voice of the secret guard was heard outside the carriage, followed by the sound of fighting with swords.
The King of Qi couldn't help shaking all over. He pushed away the eunuch who was pressing on him in fear. He wanted to see what was happening outside, but he was afraid of being stabbed if he got close to the car window.
Until he heard the voices of his own people, he leaned over tremblingly, and smelled a thick smell of gunpowder and blood, which made it almost impossible for him to breathe. He clenched his fists and forced himself to open the curtain.
There was a flash of white light, and warm blood sprayed on his face. He opened his eyes wide and watched the secret guard fall down.
The man in black saw the King of Qi through the gap in the car window curtains, gripped the hilt of his knife tightly with both hands, and walked closer.
The King of Qi was sweating profusely, shaking like a sieve, and inched backwards, step by step, until his back pressed against the wall of the carriage, with nowhere to retreat. A feeling of near-death despair grew in his heart.
His whole body turned limp like a puddle of mud, his blood was flowing backwards, and he couldn't make a sound. He watched in horror as the man in black chopped down with a big knife in his hand, the carriage was torn into pieces, and the blade, carrying a strong wind, came straight at his face.
The King of Qi shuddered and rolled to the side subconsciously. With a "bang", he fell off the carriage. The pain was so severe that he couldn't breathe. Before he could escape, the man in black followed and chopped him down with a knife.
At the critical moment, a group of people came rushing over. The leading lieutenant general threw the spear in his hand, which pierced the chest of the man in black. The knife in his hand deflected and stabbed into the shoulder of King Qi.
The King of Qi screamed "Ah".
When the men in black saw the reinforcements from King Qi arriving, they realized that they had missed the opportunity and that the situation was hopeless, so they retreated.
The lieutenant general rode his horse quickly to the side of the man in black, grabbed the gun handle with his rough hand and pulled it out. Blood splattered on his face, making his eyes look fierce and murderous.
The soldier asked, "Commander-in-Chief, do you want to give chase?"
"No need to chase them." The lieutenant general smelled the gunpowder smoke and looked ahead at the bloody mangled guards and horses. He was worried that there were also landmines ahead. If they chased them, they might be blown up. "Search the scene carefully and investigate the origins of these people."
He dismounted and squatted beside the King of Qi. He saw that the wound on the King of Qi's shoulder was so deep that the bone was visible. Blood had stained half of his clothes. His face was as pale as paper. He didn't know whether it was because of fear, excessive blood loss, or both.
The lieutenant general took out a dagger, cut through the King of Qi's robe, tore off a piece of cloth to bandage his wound, and found a nearby clinic to treat his wound before escorting him back to the capital.
Shou'an Hou was waiting at the city gate. When they returned, he asked, "Commander Jiang, what's the matter with His Highness?"
Lieutenant General Jiang dismounted and said, "Your Highness was assassinated and seriously injured. If I had been a step later, the consequences would have been disastrous."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Shou'an looked towards the carriage behind him, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
As soon as the King of Qi led his men out of the capital, someone came to the Marquis's residence to report to him. He realized something was amiss. The King of Qi was still injured, and all his powers had been handed over to the King of Guangling. What was going on that required the King of Qi to personally handle?
He suspected that it was because he did not cooperate with the King of Qi in asking the Emperor of Northern Qi to appoint a crown prince on the day of Guangning's wedding, and the King of Qi had other actions in private.
He was worried that the King of Qi would cause trouble, so he went to the King of Qi's mansion in person and asked someone to interrogate him. Only then did he learn that the King of Qi had arranged for people to track down the remnants of the previous dynasty and find out their ancestral home.
The clan elder would report all matters concerning his ancestral home every year. He knew exactly what the situation was with the tombs and temples, and it was absolutely impossible for them to harbor the remnants of the previous dynasty.
It goes without saying that someone deliberately set a trap for the King of Qi, and the King of Qi was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, so he actually jumped into the trap.
Now the Northern Qi Dynasty is in a turbulent time, and the struggle for the throne has already begun quietly.
He suspected that it was the Xian Wang and Guangling Wang's faction that was behind the attack, and worried that the King of Qi would be in danger of his life, so he immediately went to the palace to ask the Emperor of Northern Qi to send troops to rescue the King of Qi.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was concerned about the pure bloodline of the King of Qi and agreed to send troops to rescue the King of Qi, thus saving the King of Qi's life.
Shou An Hou continued to ask: "Have you found any clues?"
"Everyone Your Highness sent to our ancestral homeland was killed, and we haven't found any leads. On the way back, I asked Your Highness about the whole incident."
"It is said that the person behind the scenes used your Highness's confidant to write a letter and send it to the Prince of Qi's residence, luring your Highness to his ancestral home, and then ambushed and assassinated him along the way."
"The assassins planted mines along the mountain path. The guards on horseback pedaled the engines, detonating the mines and killing several of the guards. Landmines are military firearms, and the fact that these assassins possessed them shows they were of high status."
"Furthermore, the assassins are highly skilled in martial arts, even slightly better than your Highness's secret guards. Their masters are either of equal or higher status than your Highness."
At this point, Lieutenant General Jiang's expression was dejected. "When the assassins saw us approaching, they immediately retreated. I was worried about the mines on the mountain road ahead, so I didn't send my men to pursue the assassins. The assassins who died there didn't leave any traces on their bodies, so we couldn't find out who their master was."
"They came prepared, so how could they leave any evidence behind?" Shou'an Hou asked, "Have you checked the mountain roads?"
Lieutenant General Jiang replied, "We've checked. All the bombs planted by the assassins have exploded. No innocent civilians will be harmed."
Marquis Shou'an nodded and signaled Lieutenant General Jiang to escort the King of Qi back to his palace.
Lieutenant General Jiang received the order and prepared to mount his horse and head to Prince Qi's mansion.
At this time, a soldier came out of the carriage and said anxiously, "Commander-in-Chief, His Highness has a fever. His forehead is burning and he is talking nonsense."
Lieutenant General Jiang's face darkened. Before he could say anything, he heard Marquis Shou'an say, "Your Highness's injuries have worsened. Send him to the palace immediately to seek treatment from the imperial physician."
Brigadier General Jiang had been on the battlefield, so he naturally knew the danger of worsening injuries. He did not dare to delay and sent the King of Qi to the palace on a fast horse and settled him in the East Five House where the prince lived.
When the queen arrived after hearing the news, she happened to see the imperial physician rebandaging the prince's wound. She slowed down her pace and walked towards the bedside, where she saw a copper basin on a stool, the water in the basin completely stained red with blood.
She looked at her heart and felt panic, and pressed her hand on her heart: "How is your highness?"
The imperial physician replied, "If your high fever subsides tonight and your injuries don't worsen, then you're fine."
The queen understood what the imperial physician meant. If the injury continued to worsen and the high fever did not subside, the situation would be very serious and even life-threatening.
She looked at the King of Qi lying quietly on the bed. His face, which always looked very healthy, was now pale and had lost its usual vitality.
The queen felt as if her heart was pricked by a needle, and she clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
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