"Yes, after traveling for so many days, we're finally almost there. Judging by the time, we should be able to enter the city by noon tomorrow."
Er Gou chimed in, echoing the sentiment.
This was his first time traveling so far, and he was overjoyed at the thought of never having to go hungry again if he followed Sun Jian.
Sun Jian smiled and turned to ask Old Jiang beside him, "Didn't Lord Liu say what the procedures would be after we arrive in the capital?"
Old Jiang wiped the potato bits from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and sobbed, "He said he did. He said the houses in the city had already been arranged according to the imperial decree. They are near the back mountain gardens and connected to many imperial estates. There is a front yard and front house, a middle yard and middle house, and a back yard. It has three courtyards and three entrances, and the area is quite large."
"They say that house used to be the residence of a high-ranking official, but after the official committed a crime, the house was left empty for many years."
"Lord Liu said that this favor is unprecedented, and His Majesty values you exceptionally highly, a rare occurrence in history. After we enter the city, we will first settle into our lodgings, and then someone will escort you to meet the Emperor and express your gratitude the next day."
"Um."
Upon hearing this, Sun Jian nodded.
I'm about to see the founding emperor who will be making great strides in the country, and I'm still a little nervous.
"who?!"
At that moment, Old Cao, who had been munching on a potato, suddenly stopped eating, jumped up from the grass, and warily looked around.
His sudden reaction startled everyone, who all turned to look at him warily.
"What's wrong, Lao Cao?"
Sun Jian looked around warily and inquired about Lao Cao's situation.
"We can hear footsteps...they're not far from us!"
“They are from all four directions, and there are no fewer than a dozen of them.”
Old Cao picked up the composite bow that Sun Jian had given him from the ground and nocked a fine steel arrow onto it.
Seeing his appearance, Sun Jian felt a sense of foreboding.
Although his combat strength was as high as 80, while Lao Cao's was only a little over 60, Lao Cao was far superior in terms of alertness.
Old Cao was a renowned hunter in the surrounding area. In winter, he would lie on the snow for an entire day to hunt.
He could hear almost every insect chirping and animal movement within a hundred meters.
Through the changing seasons, I have honed this skill.
The fact that Lao Cao was so wary, and that he was suddenly surrounded in the middle of nowhere, suggests that the newcomers were no ordinary people.
Sun Jian's gaze sharpened, and he said coldly, "Everyone, be alert. Our ranks are too long. Send a few people to inform my three wives, Lord Liu, and Eunuch Zhang to be on guard!"
"This...this is...a robbery?"
Er Gou swallowed hard, looking extremely flustered.
"Damn those bandits! This place is less than fifty miles from the capital. There are guards, soldiers, yamen runners, imperial guards, and imperial troops everywhere. Which bandits are so desperate that they dare to operate in this area!" Old Jiang cursed angrily from the side.
"But if they weren't bandits... then who would dare to surround our honor guard from all sides in this desolate wilderness?"
"You fucking ask me? How the fucking am I supposed to know that..."
"Whoosh!"
Before Old Jiang could finish speaking, an arrow shot rapidly toward the carriage, making a whooshing sound.
The arrow pierced the carriage hard, its tail flapping and humming.
"Enemy attack! Everyone, be on alert!!"
Sun Jian was startled and quickly shouted to everyone in the honor guard.
The words had barely left his mouth when—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
Arrows shot out continuously from the surrounding bushes, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind.
Arrows were fired in rapid succession, their numbers increasing, coming from all directions like a deluge of raindrops.
Some who were weak and slow to react were killed by arrows piercing their chests before they could even find cover.
In an instant, blood flowed like a river, and screams filled the air as wave after wave of arrows rained down, killing one person after another.
"Damn it, is this what they call officers and soldiers?"
Sun Jian looked at these soldiers who were dressed in armor, holding spears, and with sharp blades hanging from their waists. Instead of reacting quickly and seeking out the enemy to fight, they were in complete chaos, like ants on a hot pan, scattering everywhere.
I couldn't help but curse!
damn it! !
What are these honor guard soldiers?
How could such an army exist in Da Gan?
They are not as reliable as the many villagers I brought from Sunjiazhuang.
"Old Jiang, tell the villagers to find cover or lie down on the ground. Old Cao, go to the back of the carriage and protect my three wives. I'll be right back!"
After saying this, Sun Jian picked up the official sword that the dead soldier had thrown on the ground, and with a leap, he rushed into the bushes.
After walking a few steps, I saw many figures hiding in the bushes.
The group of people were dressed in black robes and their faces were covered with black veils, making it impossible to see their faces.
Each of them wore a silver crescent blade at their waist and held a black gold repeating crossbow.
Dressed like that, they must be either assassins or ghost soldiers.
Since they dared to ambush me and try to kill me, then they might as well not live either.
Sun Jian moved like a ghost, his steps light and agile. Before the black-robed assassin could react, he swung his blade and struck.
"Well!!"
The black-robed assassin had a gaping hole in his chest, letting out a chilling scream as blood gushed from the wound. He collapsed and struggled for a moment before losing all breath.
Seeing their comrade fall to the ground, the other black-robed assassins aimed their crossbows at Sun Jian again and pulled the triggers without hesitation.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
Being so close, Sun Jian dared not be careless. He moved with lightning speed, dodging and weaving to avoid the arrows.
He held a short blade in his hand; only by getting close to the enemy could he escape danger.
The best defense is offense, and Sun Jian understood this better than anyone.
Therefore, every time he moved around, he would deliberately try to get closer to the black-robed assassin.
"Snap!"
As Sun Jian approached each black-robed assassin, he would slash his blade straight for vital points, his actions swift and decisive, without any hesitation.
In just a few breaths, five or six black-robed assassins had been disemboweled.
That's it?
"You still dare to ambush me?"
Seeing that only four black-robed assassins remained in the bushes, and that they had run out of arrows, Sun Jian drew his sword and walked toward them.
Seeing this, the black-robed assassins remained calm, exchanged glances, and then leaped out of the bushes, heading straight for the honor guard.
"Holy crap..."
Seeing the remaining black-robed assassins heading straight for the three ladies, Sun Jian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly gave chase.
Chu Qingcheng and Zhou Wan'er knew no martial arts at all. If Gu Zijian hadn't been slaughtering the black-robed assassins who approached their carriage, they would probably have been in mortal danger.
"Purple Sword, watch out!"
The four black-robed assassins who emerged from the bushes had a clear objective and headed straight for the carriage where Chu Qingcheng and Zhou Wan'er were.
Once they were close enough, the four men loaded their new arrows, aimed at the carriage, and pulled the triggers.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Four sharp sounds rang out as the arrows flew away like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Zijian had just blocked the attack in front of him when he suddenly came to his senses, but it was still too late...
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