Chapter 428: The Dagger Revealed (5k)
At this moment, the bright winter sun seemed to have become dim.
Behind the execution platform, Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and clearly saw figures suddenly standing on top of buildings in the distance.
Draw the bow and draw the arrow.
With the sound of "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh" of arrows breaking through the air, a rain of arrows shot towards the chests of the executioners standing in a row on the execution ground.
"Buzz—"
The arrow in mid-air suddenly hit an invisible "air wall" outside the execution ground, causing ripples in the space like water.
The arrows lost their kinetic energy and fell softly to the ground.
Gongshu Tianyuan, who was sitting behind Zhao Duan and dozing with his eyes closed, had a talisman on his fingertips slowly burning out and turning into ashes in the blink of an eye.
There was a gleam of brilliance in the little eyes!
"Traitors! Kill the traitors!" Luan Cheng came to his senses at this time, stood up suddenly, his crimson official robe shaking, and he shouted loudly.
His pupils dilated as he clearly saw that after the first round of arrow rain fell, groups of martial artists flew down from the roofs of the buildings.
Each of them wore a conical hat and held a sword. They swooped down like hawks and headed straight for Lu Zhengchun and the others.
"bass!!!"
Before the large group of government troops responsible for enforcing martial law in the surrounding areas could take action, the sound of long swords being unsheathed resounded throughout the surroundings.
Zhang Han, the chief of the Peony Hall, knelt and leaped up, his seven-foot sword gleaming brightly in his hand, shouting:
"Seal the scaffold!"
People have already gone towards those gangsters.
Deputy General Yuan Ji and several strong men under his command also attacked at the same time, killing several rebels in the air.
Hou Renmeng and a large group of Jinyi reacted quickly, pounced on the ring like wolves, and surrounded Lu Zhengchun and other prisoners.
——Although he was going to be killed, beheading him according to the law is one thing, and stabbing him in the back while the chaos is another.
"Wu Ling, do it!"
At the same time, among the crowd of onlookers who were thrown into chaos by the sudden battle, a bearded branch leader looked at Wu Ling beside him and whispered:
"The attention of the court's henchmen has been drawn away. Go and kidnap Alliance Leader Lu. I'll cover for you!"
Wu Ling looked at Zhao Duan sitting on the high platform with a little hesitation, feeling anxious.
He received the task of robbing the execution ground at the last minute, so he had no time to react. He wanted to inform Zhao Duan, but was stared at closely by several other masters of the rebel party beside him.
I don't know what to do at all.
"Wu Ling? What are you hesitating about?" The bearded leader of the branch clutched the dagger in his sleeve, and suddenly stared at him with sparkling eyes.
Wu Ling gritted his teeth and said, "Okay!"
He clasped his hands together, and suddenly a shadow of the god of drama appeared in his pupils. His clothes quickly changed into ancient costumes, colorful, with a row of flags inserted behind his neck and two long feathers extending from his head and hanging down backwards.
He reached behind him with his right hand and a spear with a red tassel appeared.
"Rescue Alliance Leader Lu!"
"Kill the dog officer!"
"Eliminate harm for the people!"
at the same time.
At the same time, members of the Kuangfu Society who were hiding in ambush in all directions of the crowd of onlookers shouted slogans, pulled out weapons hidden in shoulder poles, vegetable baskets, and cotton coats, and attacked the nearest government troops.
This premeditated raid immediately frightened the people even more, and they began to scream in fear and chaos broke out.
The large number of officers and soldiers around were unable to organize effective actions in the face of the frantic and chaotic people. They could only draw their swords and shout at the people to stay where they were and block everyone's escape route.
Haitang's beautiful eyes flashed, her long legs stepped out, and her jade hands touched her waist. In an instant, silver flying knives whizzed out.
"puff!"
"puff!"
"puff!"
The necks of three rebel members in the crowd were instantly cut off by flying knives. They opened their eyes wide, covered their necks, and staggered to the ground.
"Quit the riot!" Haitang shouted, flying knives circling around her as she charged towards the crowd.
At the same time, a group of Jinyi followed her and left the ring to control those people in the martial arts world.
The defense of the execution ground was suddenly empty. A gust of cold wind blew by, and three figures suddenly and obscurely jumped out from the crowd under the cover of the commotion created by the crowd, and rushed towards the execution platform like the shadow of a poisonous snake.
The bearded man and another middle-aged woman stood on either side, seemingly protecting Wu Ling and attracting the attention of the remaining Jinyi men, but in fact they were also sandwiching Wu Ling in the middle, alerting him to any unusual movements.
Wu Ling had not received any orders from Zhao Duan, so he could only shake his spear with gritted teeth. Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums rang out in the air.
A number of command flags flew out from behind his neck, transforming into clones that protected his real body, tore through the defense of the men in brocade clothes, and successfully advanced to Lu Zhengchun.
"Hurry! Hurry!" Lu Zhengchun shouted anxiously with hope in his eyes.
Crash...
A stream of water suddenly appeared in front of him, forcibly blocking Wu Ling. The water was suspended in the air, like a river cut off in mid-air.
In the river, Ji Yue in red clothes and white eyes was like a swimming fish, slowly standing in front of Wu Ling.
She raised a white finger and poked it gently.
"Bang!"
The flower spear handed over by Wu Ling was instantly covered with water vapor, condensed into frost, and then "crackled" and shattered into pieces.
A fancy spear was frozen into pieces.
Those clones were also frozen and shattered one by one, falling to the ground and returning to the shape of command flags.
Wu Ling's pupils narrowed, and his body was wrapped in a stream of water. The water condensed into a "cage" shape, imprisoning him inside.
"ah!"
At the same time, a scimitar came out from the side and pierced the middle-aged woman's heart. Lang Shiba turned his wrist expressionlessly.
The powerful energy destroyed the woman's vitality like a rotten wood.
He drew out his bloody scimitar, dropped a corpse, and caught a glimpse of the murderous light flashing in the eyes of the other bearded man. He frowned slightly and his figure flashed.
The scimitar swept past.
"puff!"
"puff!"
With two cuts, the bearded captain's two arms were cut off and fell to the ground. The dagger spun with a "clang" and rolled to the bottom of the execution platform.
Magistrate Luan was so frightened that his expression changed drastically and he almost vomited.
Crush!
Wu Ling and the other two were considered masters in the martial arts world, but faced with the stranglehold of two people in the secular realm, they had no power to resist at all.
The smile on Lu Zhengchun's face froze. He looked at the scene blankly and suddenly shouted:
"Where are they? Where's Qi Yuchun? Where's Ren Kun? Why are you all the losers here?"
Zhao Duan sat steadily on the high platform, frowning slightly, as he saw that the riots around him were being quickly brought under control.
Faced with the well-prepared imperial troops, this group of rebels who robbed the execution ground were defeated extremely quickly.
"That's it? That's all?" Magistrate Luan finished retching, his face pale and his expression dazed.
"Zhuang Xiaocheng sent only a few people to rob the execution ground. Why did he send only a few? Doesn't he know that these people alone can't accomplish anything?"
At this time, Haitang and Zhang Han also returned and both noticed something was wrong.
Zhang Han suddenly took a few steps to Wu Ling who was trapped in the water cage, and the bearded man whose arms were cut off and whose body was stained with blood and was being stepped on by Lang Shiba.
He glanced at the two of them, put his seven-foot sword against the bearded man's neck, and said coldly:
"Tell me, where are the others? Don't tell me Zhuang Xiaocheng only sent you guys here."
The bearded man knew that his life was coming to an end, but he laughed wildly:
"Hahahaha... you, ahem, thought... the Grand Tutor would be fooled... No... you've fallen into the trap... Your men are all here, Fengcheng is empty... Haha..."
He laughed and coughed up blood, then suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Zhao Duan on the stage:
"Fake emperor's lackey! Grandpa is leaving first! I'll wait for you on the road to the underworld!"
After saying that, he suddenly sat up and took the initiative to wipe his neck on the seven-foot sword, committing suicide!
In the water cage, Wu Ling was stunned and had no idea what was going on. Only then did he realize that the action plan he knew was completely fake.
"Master Zhao, this..." Prefect Luan was shocked and subconsciously looked at Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan sat calmly in the chair from beginning to end. Even at this moment, he just frowned slightly, as if he was thinking.
"I see!"
Suddenly, Haitang, the expert in solving cases, exclaimed. Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to her, she looked solemn and said quickly:
"This was a feint! Zhuang Xiaocheng had no intention of rescuing Lu Zhengchun. We gathered our troops here and set a trap. He knew it would be difficult to attack by force, so he simply gave up and sent more troops to other places...
That’s right! Taking advantage of the fact that other parts of Fengcheng are now empty, they can easily attack government offices, even granaries, document warehouses, arsenals and other important places…”
Prefect Luan's mind buzzed for a moment, but he shook his head and said:
"No way! If Zhuang Xiaocheng intended this, why would he send these people here to die? Isn't it pointless? What a waste of the lives of the club's experts?"
Haitang shook her head, looking bitter:
"No, it's not meaningless! He had to send people to rescue them in order to rally the members' hearts and minds. So, he sent these people here with the intention of sending them to die. This way, as the leader, he would only fail in the rescue and not lose the support of the members!
Moreover, he also needs these people to distract us. From the beginning, these people were abandoned by him."
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengchun, who was kneeling on the execution ground, objected loudly. There was shock in his eyes. He couldn't believe that he was abandoned.
However, no one paid any attention to him at this moment.
As if to confirm the speculation, suddenly, special "flares" were raised in different directions around Fengcheng.
Let out a sharp whistle.
At first there was only one signal, which seemed to be a clarion call for simultaneous action, and then one signal after another rose in response.
“Oh no!”
Luan Cheng was shocked. "Those places are key government offices in the city. We can't afford to lose them! If they are destroyed by the rebels, they might even kill people..."
"Divide the troops."
Suddenly, Zhao Duan, who had rarely spoken, raised his head, glanced at everyone with an unusually calm look, and said:
"We cannot allow the rebels to wreak havoc in the city, or else the imperial court will lose face! Yuanji, Zhang Han, Haitang, Zhang Jian... each of you will lead a team of soldiers to the granary, treasury, prison, and other key locations. We may not be able to rescue them in time, but we must minimize the losses and apprehend and execute the rebels!"
He paused, thought for a moment, and added:
"Among the rebels, there are two masters, Qi Yuchun and Ren Kun. Since they're not here, I'm afraid they've fled to the government offices... Lang Shiba, Ji Yue, the two of you should follow them too, to prevent them from surrounding our reinforcements and ambushing our men with their strong men."
"This..." Haitang was quick to sense something was wrong.
"We're all gone, so you..."
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"Today's beheading will take place. Magistrate Luan and I will be in charge of the execution. We will also use this place as a hub to gather intelligence and issue orders to all parties. This is the location of the central military camp. As for our own safety, there's no need to worry. With Brother Gongshu here, we can always escape even if we encounter danger."
"But..." Haitang still felt something was wrong, but the situation was urgent, so she could only choose to believe him.
Immediately, all officers and soldiers were divided into teams and rushed to the important areas in the city to provide support.
In the blink of an eye, the scene became much emptier, with only a group of county officials left standing around. The people did not dare to leave and trembled on the spot.
Zhao Duan first asked Gongshu Tianyuan to seal the captured Wu Ling's cultivation with a soul-suppressing talisman and tie him up.
Then he smiled and said to the anxious Magistrate Luan:
"Please sit down, my Lord."
Then he turned to the executioners and said:
"The execution continues."
Luan Cheng was stunned, surprised that Zhao Shaobao could face such a difficult situation with such composure and a high demeanor, which was really impressive.
He suddenly felt ashamed: "Luan is many years older than the Young Guardian, but now facing a major event, I am far less steadfast than the Young Guardian. I am ashamed. I really don't know how the Young Guardian can maintain such a state of mind."
Zhao Duan said "Oh" and said as a matter of course:
"Fengcheng is the prefect's territory. Even if there is trouble, it is the prefect who will take the blame. It has nothing to do with me. Naturally, I am calm."
? ?
Luan Cheng stared blankly at the young man beside him, his expression dull, almost unable to believe what he heard.
…
…
Forbidden City Villa.
In the highest pavilion on the cliff.
Zhuang Xiaocheng loosened his clothes and changed into his favorite scholar's robe when he was the Taifu. He sat upright in the pavilion and played chess alone.
Suddenly, the core member of the Kuangfu Society, called Uncle Wu, came over from a distance and stood respectfully with his head bowed.
"Taifu, as you instructed, the captives in the Grape Manor have been dispersed and incorporated into the various teams heading out to attack key locations in Fengcheng. The few people you named on the list to stay behind have also been brought here."
Zhuang Xiaocheng said "yes" without looking up, and said, "Bring them here."
"yes."
Uncle Wu walked away, and soon came back with four or five people, and Yunxi was among them.
Everyone saluted: "Greetings, Grand Master."
Zhuang Xiaocheng smiled and kindly asked them to sit down around the pavilion. He then called Yunxi to his side.
"Yunxi, come and help the teacher make the move."
Whenever the Grand Tutor encountered important matters and needed to think, he had the habit of playing chess with himself.
As a disciple, Yunxi was very familiar with this. She immediately walked over meekly and knelt opposite the chessboard.
No matter what position Zhuang Xiaocheng said, she would help pick up the chess pieces from the chess box and place them in the corresponding position.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Zhuang Xiaocheng asked with a smile, looking around at the young faces.
Everyone was confused.
A young man said excitedly:
"Fifth Uncle said that today our society has to deal with the lackeys of the imperial court and has assigned us all tasks. We have all been waiting, but we didn't expect that you would meet us. Could it be that you want to give us orders in person?
"Taifu, you can say that we have an irreconcilable feud with the imperial court's lackeys. We would rather die than give up two ounces of Zhao Duan's flesh!"
"Me too!"
"We all are!"
"Master, just tell us what you want us to do!"
Several people seconded the motion.
Zhuang Xiaocheng smiled like a spring breeze and looked at these young and innocent faces with emotion.
He had carefully selected these people. They had sufficient potential and talent, firm beliefs, were reliable, and had personally suffered punishment and torture from the court, and had deep hatred in their hearts.
"Very good, but I have no orders for you today. Instead, I want you to come with me and witness the death of that thief Zhao."
Zhuang Xiaocheng spoke calmly, and then explained his arrangements for today to the surprised eyes of the boys and girls.
Yunxi couldn't hide her surprise:
"Teacher, so the people you sent to rescue Alliance Leader Lu today were just a feint? Your real purpose was to have the rest of you attack the important imperial offices?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng shook his head and said:
"No. The execution ground is the main attack, and the attacks on various parts of Fengcheng are feints."
Yunxi was stunned, her pretty and thin face full of confusion:
"Disciple...I don't understand."
Zhuang Xiaocheng greeted the clear eyes and said with a smile:
"Zhao Duan used Lu Zhengchun to pressure us into a rescue attempt, but if we stormed the execution ground, not only would we fail to rescue him, but we would only lose the lives of many patriots. So, I deliberately staged a scene to make them think the execution ground attack was a feint...
In this case, in order to preserve the important areas in the city, Zhao Duan must hastily divide his troops and rush to provide assistance.
Regardless of how he divides his forces, dividing them will inevitably mean fewer strong men around him, which gives Commander Qi and Ren Kun the opportunity to take action."
"Ah," Yun Xi's eyes lit up and she said excitedly:
"So, your ultimate goal today, Teacher, is to assassinate that lackey!?"
After saying that, she frowned again:
"But then, wouldn't the brothers and sisters who were responsible for the scattered feint attacks in various places in the city be in danger? Would they have to face the encirclement and suppression of the imperial army? And what about those patriots who had previously staged the feint attack at the execution ground..."
Zhuang Xiaocheng's eyes revealed sorrow and sadness:
"They know this journey is dangerous, but in order to uphold the country and eradicate the treacherous... You must remember that in this world, there is no victory that can be achieved without bloodshed.
The false emperor is powerful, and the Zhao thief is vicious. If we want to eradicate this thief, let alone Wu Ling, Yue Bai and others, even I, how could I spare my life? "
But the truth is:
From the very beginning, Zhuang Xiaocheng was prepared to abandon all members of the Kuangfu Society in the city as "abandoned children".
How cunning is Zhao Duan?
How could they be easily deceived? Only by throwing a huge sum of money and putting so many members on the chessboard can Zhao Duan's vigilance be dispelled, making him believe that this play is real, and then adopting the strategy of dividing troops.
After he finished speaking, the boys and girls around him were moved to tears. Yunxi's eyes were red and she looked sad, but her heart was calm and she even wanted to laugh.
And a little sad.
Not long ago, she was deceived by the old dog in front of her. Now, she has awakened, but there are still so many brothers and sisters in the society who have been deceived.
Yun Xi resisted the urge to kill the old dog, sniffling and saying fiercely:
"I just want to tear that thief Zhao into pieces, to relieve the hatred in my heart!"
Zhuang Xiaocheng looked at the girl's eyes with satisfaction, showing the deep hatred that penetrated her heart without any concealment, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly:
"Three or five."
Yunxi picked up a chess piece and placed it on the corresponding position on the chessboard.
The fall of this chess piece means that all the chess pieces belonging to Zhuang Xiaocheng on the entire chessboard are "dead".
It can be said that this is a "suicidal" move.
But what does it matter if there are too many sacrifices? As long as there is a chance to kill with one strike, to block all the "Qi" of the chess piece "Zhao Duan".
It's all worth it.
…
…
Autumn execution ground.
The execution continued, and with a command, the executioner brought down his machete.
“Puff, puff, puff…”
More than thirty Taoists, heads rolling down one after another.
Lu Zhengchun was the last one in line. When he saw the shadow of the machete reflected on the ground, the last chord in his heart finally broke, and he shouted loudly:
"I know where Zhuang Xiaocheng's lair is! Don't kill him..."
Before he finished speaking, the ground suddenly rose up in the crowd.
In the khaki glow.
Two figures emerged from the ground:
"Zhao thief, give me your life!"
The real assassination occurred.
(End of this chapter)
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