The officials looked at the majestic and imposing procession with varying expressions.
The commander of this elite force of five thousand soldiers was named Gao Meng! After mounting his horse, he looked towards a certain spot among the officials and his eyes met Ma Shangtao's.
The two of them immediately exchanged a chilling smile.
No one else seemed to notice any of this.
Qin Yu stepped onto the stage, cleared his throat, and then announced with an air of authority, "Let's go!"
"As you command! The army shall proceed!"
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Tang ordered the army to set off!
Once they were out of sight, Qin Yu yawned and lazily waved his hand, saying, "I'm tired. My beloved ministers, you may all return home now!"
...
After the court session, Ma Shangtao did not return to his residence, but instead quietly headed towards the Prime Minister's residence.
"I wonder how your arrangements are going?" Sima Lie asked in a sinister tone.
Upon hearing this, Ma Shangtao immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "Prime Minister! This humble official has completed the task you assigned me..."
At this point, Ma Shangtao deliberately paused.
Sima Lie raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly showing some anticipation.
A sinister glint flashed across Ma Shangtao's face as he coldly explained, "My men will send a group of assassins disguised as bandits to secretly follow and ambush Zhang Tang. Gao Meng is one of my trusted confidants from the Ministry of War! We'll stage a ruse, pretending to fight the bandits and refusing to help, just watching Zhang Tang get hacked to death. At that point, Zhang Tang won't be able to escape even if he has wings!"
Upon hearing these words, Sima Lie's eyes lit up, and his old face immediately lit up with excitement.
He had wanted to get rid of Zhang Tang for a long time, but he just hadn't had the chance.
However, given the large number of informants at the military horse farm and Zhang Tang's high prestige as the head of the Qingliu civil officials, they have been hesitant and have not yet taken action!
And now!
How could he not be excited when the opportunity presented itself?
Once Zhang Tang dies, there will be no more rivals in the imperial court!
Thinking of this, Sima Lie clenched his fist excitedly.
...
On the other side, on Chifeng Mountain Road.
Da Hu rode his horse quickly to the carriage and gently knocked on the window.
Zhang Tang quietly lifted the carriage curtain, squinted, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Big Tiger frowned and reported in a low voice:
“Sir, I saw a small group of refugees fleeing the disaster following us. They have been tailing us.”
Zhang Tang was taken aback, then sneered and shook his head, saying, "Let them follow if they want."
Da Hu looked wary and whispered, "No, sir! These people all have sharp eyes and firm steps, completely different from the normal emaciated refugees, and..."
Just as Da Hu was about to remind the refugees that things weren't going properly, another horse came along.
With a smile, Gao Meng asked, "General Da Hu, what are you talking about with the Imperial Envoy?"
Da Hu immediately fell silent, his gaze towards Gao Meng filled with a dark and unreadable wariness.
Gao Meng glanced at Da Hu, snorted coldly, and then looked at the carriage window with a smile.
"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, no matter what kind of monsters or demons follow behind, this humble general will protect you!"
"Besides, in my humble opinion, the group of refugees following us are just trying to pick up some scraps of food that we've dropped during our journey."
"Besides..."
Gao Meng straightened up and said, word by word, "If these lowly people dare to steal grain and disrupt the relief convoy, this general will immediately unleash a massacre! I will absolutely protect you, sir!"
Zhang Tang listened to these words and seemed to be deep in thought.
It seems that these so-called refugees are inextricably linked to General Gao Meng!
He sneered inwardly, but outwardly remained calm, saying, "Very well! I'll trouble General Gao to protect me!"
Upon hearing this, Gao Meng relaxed and nodded with a smile.
......
The army moved quickly and soon entered a dense forest.
Gao Meng looked at the surrounding terrain, his expression growing increasingly excited.
Not far ahead is a narrow valley with a narrow passage.
This narrow passage is surrounded by cliffs on both sides.
If both ends can be sealed off, it will be impossible for them to escape!
This auspicious burial site was personally chosen by Lord Ma for Zhang Tang!
If I can handle this matter properly, Lord Ma will definitely reward me handsomely!
He could even be directly promoted to Vice Minister of War!
Thinking of this, Gao Meng was extremely excited, and his big hands gripping the reins trembled slightly!
Meanwhile, the refugees behind the army, as if by telepathy, began to slowly gather.
A major change is imminent!
The atmosphere in the group instantly became strange.
The army began to enter the narrow valley, and the refugees behind them were getting closer and closer.
Their faces were menacing as they quickened their pace and charged forward.
But just then, a group of people suddenly rushed out of the mountains and forests!
"stop!"
This group of people stood directly in front of the refugees.
The leader was a one-eyed man with a thick beard, exuding a fierce aura. You could tell at a glance that he was a ruthless killer who wouldn't blink an eye!
This person was none other than Li Geng!
His presence here is, of course, due to orders from Qin Yu!
And all the men behind him were members of the Blood Droplets!
Who are you? Get out of the way!
Among the refugees, a man who appeared to be the leader asked angrily.
Good heavens, just as they were about to launch their attack, a group of people crawled out and jumped out to disrupt things!
If we delay another fifteen minutes, that old fox Zhang Tang will have already walked out of Yixiantian!
It will be much harder to kill him then!
Moreover, judging from the appearance of the group of people in front of them, they seemed to be nothing more than a band of mountain bandits.
"What else could I be doing? Can't you tell? I'm going to rob you!"
Li Geng grinned, striking a greedy bandit pose.
The refugee became even angrier upon hearing this!
"Damn it! A bunch of bandits and brigands dare to block my way! Get out of my way!"
The leader of the refugees mistook them for a band of mountain bandits and immediately drew his sword to intimidate them!
But at that moment, Li Geng suddenly raised his knife and stabbed at him.
The refugee was caught off guard and stabbed squarely!
Fresh blood gushed out from the wound instantly!
He clutched his chest in pain, bent over, and cried out repeatedly.
But to everyone's surprise, Li Geng swung his sword again, and in an instant, a head rolled off.
Having succeeded in his move, Li Geng immediately shouted, "Brothers, forget all the damn stuff, charge in and kill them all! Their loot will be ours!"
With a loud roar, Li Geng charged forward first! Behind him, more than a dozen bandits disguised as members of the Blood Droplets immediately followed up with a swift encirclement, following their trained tactics!
The refugees panicked. They hadn't expected these bandits to be so fierce and brave; they couldn't stop them at all.
A cacophony of shouts and cries of battle erupted!
The air was thick with the stench of blood!
This group of elite assassins, when faced with the Blood Droplets, were like clay chickens and earthen dogs. In less than a quarter of an hour, they all fell to the ground screaming in agony!
Li Geng wiped the blood from his face, and remembering Qin Yu's order, he sneered, "Cut off all their heads and hang them on the trees!"
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