Chapter 285 Personal Guards
Gu Yan saw everything clearly from the arrow tower. Those spies who played the long pipes were not spared either; they were all dragged out and executed in public.
The Tiger Soaring Army soldiers had a clear division of labor: handling the corpses, settling the surrendered soldiers, and the sentries and patrols were on duty. The traces of a major battle were quickly cleared away, but they did not rest peacefully. Instead, they took turns to rest.
It is evident that the military camp is well-trained and extremely vigilant.
Gu Yan didn't sleep all night, his mind still highly focused. He watched as the spies were buried in the wilderness, as if he could see his own tomorrow.
It was already daylight, and his team's shift had ended. The soldiers had already left the watchtower, but he hesitated and dared not make a move.
It's obvious that those spies have already been discovered, so how safe is he really?
The King of the Northern Frontier kept him as a centurion, without informing him of the night's plan of action, waiting for him to slip up so he could be captured in one fell swoop.
If he hadn't refrained from intervening and instead provided timely warning, he would probably be a corpse by now.
Gu Yan had already witnessed the Northern Frontier King's skills; if not for a sneak attack, he would definitely not be a match for this man.
Although he escaped the Northern Frontier King's test, it was quite unusual for him, as a centurion, to hide in the arrow tower after sounding the alarm. It's unclear how he will face the questioning from the other soldiers later.
Moreover, he did not act as the emperor requested this time, and it is unknown whether the emperor will harm his grandmother.
Gu Yan was filled with a thousand thoughts, but then he saw Wen Zhi Mo in the crowd suddenly turn his head to look at him. He then used his lightness skill to leap onto the arrow tower and land steadily in front of him.
Gu Yan broke out in a cold sweat and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, King of the Northern Frontier."
Wen Zhiming glanced at him. "Did you ring the gong?"
Gu Yan bowed his head and said, "Yes."
Wen Zhiming said calmly, "Your reminder was timely and well done. From now on, you will stay by my side and serve as my personal guard."
Gu Yan was both surprised and shocked.
"yes."
...
Zixuan Hall.
This is where officials held their daily morning court sessions.
With the Northern King's army pressing in, all the officials, both civil and military, were discussing how to fight the rebels.
This topic has been discussed for many days, but no good solution has been found. Officials have offered the emperor either peace talks with the King of the Northern Frontier, promising him land and honors, or a decisive battle with him.
Neither the emperor nor the king of the northern frontier were willing to accept the former.
The latter comes at a much higher cost.
Each time the discussion ended, the court session was adjourned due to the emperor's dissatisfaction.
But today, when the officials brought up those same old things again and again, the emperor showed no anger. He listened calmly while glancing at the door from time to time, as if waiting for someone important.
The officials below were arguing fiercely, while the emperor above was distracted.
As dawn broke, the emperor and the people he was waiting for still hadn't appeared, and finally, some officials below noticed that one person was missing from the morning court session.
"Strange, where is Lord Qin? He usually favors a contest between the King of Northern Frontier, no wonder I haven't heard anything about him today."
"Yes, is he sick? The Emperor just appointed him as a General of the Palace Guard, why isn't he attending the morning court?"
"Last night, I heard the commotion of soldiers leaving the city. I wonder if it was Lord Qin..."
Hearing the whispers below, the Emperor coughed and said seriously.
"My dear ministers, there's no need to guess anymore. It was indeed I who sent Lord Qin out of the city to launch a surprise attack on the King of the Northern Frontier. Judging by the time, Lord Qin should be back by now. We'll soon know how the battle went last night."
The Emperor was very confident about this surprise attack.
After all, his request wasn't high; he only wanted Lord Qin to hunt down some enemy soldiers while the Tiger Flying Army was exhausted, and then retreat quickly. The Tiger Flying Army had been on the move for days and certainly couldn't catch up with the government troops.
The combined land and naval forces were a strategy he and Lord Qin had agreed upon. He also set the time, not only choosing to attack when everyone was most drowsy at night, but also ensuring that Lord Qin could return before the morning court session.
He wanted to use this first victory to let the officials in the court know that he was no less capable than the King of the Northern Frontier, thereby boosting the morale of the capital.
These words shocked all the officials.
But this was an order and a decision made by the Emperor, and the matter had already been completed. They had no choice but to wait anxiously for the outcome of the war.
The Emperor glanced around with cold eyes and said to Eunuch Chu.
"I've been waiting for a long time. Go outside and greet them. Once you've received them, bring them directly to the Zixuan Palace."
"Yes." Just as Eunuch Chu was about to leave, a young eunuch hurriedly entered the hall.
"Your Majesty, Lord Qin has sent someone back with news."
The Emperor frowned slightly. Why hadn't Lord Qin returned in person to report? Had something unexpected happened?
Lord Qin is not a great talent, so his sacrifice is not a big deal, as long as we gain the upper hand in this surprise attack.
Thinking of this, the emperor remained calm and composed.
"Report back from Xuanjin Hall."
A moment later, a middle-aged man with tattered clothes and bloodstains rushed in. Some of the officials present recognized him.
He was Qin's personal guard.
After he finished bowing, the emperor said with displeasure.
"What happened to you? Where is Lord Qin? How did the battle go last night? How many enemy soldiers were wounded?"
The guard knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
"Your Majesty, Lord Qin has been killed in battle... Of the 30,000 soldiers, only I, the commander, escaped. The rest are either dead or have surrendered..."
"What?" Upon hearing this, the Emperor stood up and asked angrily, "Of the more than 30,000 people, only you escaped, and the rest are all gone? What about the Tiger Soaring Army? What about the King of the Northern Frontier? What were their casualties?"
He thought that Lord Qin was greedy for merit and eager to advance, and after the successful surprise attack, he was reluctant to retreat. In the end, he was captured by the Tiger Flying Army's tens of thousands of troops. In that case, Lord Qin's officers and soldiers must have penetrated deep into the enemy's territory and were wiped out in the fierce battle. In that case, the Tiger Flying Army should not have gained much advantage.
With the situation escalating to such an extent, the Northern Frontier King must have joined the fray, which would increase Gu Yan's chances of success in assassinating him.
Even if we lose 30,000 soldiers, it won't be a loss if we can take the life of the Northern Frontier King.
The Emperor's gleaming eyes were fixed on Lord Qin's personal guard, eagerly awaiting a satisfactory answer from him.
The guard raised his head, shook his head, and sobbed, "The Tiger Soaring Army anticipated our surprise attack. They were well-prepared, not only forcing out our spies but also ambushing a large number of archers on the hillside. Our naval officers and soldiers were shot dead as soon as they peeked out, and when the land forces arrived, they were surrounded from both sides with no way to escape. The Tiger Soaring Army's casualties will not exceed ten. The Northern Frontier King is arrogant and brave in battle, capable of fighting a hundred men single-handedly. Lord Qin died at his hands."
"Shut up!" The emperor's eyes widened in fury.
He wanted to hear news of the Northern Frontier King's death, not his heroism.
The answer from Lord Qin's personal guard not only disappointed him, but also angered him.
"I am the Son of Heaven, the Monarch of the Golden Moon. Anyone who opposes me will face certain death. Lord Qin's greed for merit and recklessness, and his disobedience to my orders, led to this disastrous defeat. Once the King of the Northern Frontier arrives on my territory, I will show him the price he pays for betraying me!"
He was about to say a few more words to make the officials blame the defeat on Lord Qin when a eunuch hurriedly came over and approached Eunuch Chu, seemingly having something important to report to him.
The Emperor instantly perked up and pointed at the young eunuch, saying, "Why are you lurking around in front of the Zixuan Hall? Speak loudly what you have to say!"
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