Chapter 502: Killing King Heng
From the moment the Shenjiying's artillery fire covered the battlefield, there was no suspense in this battle anymore.
On the watchtower, King Heng's face was pale, his hands tightly grasping the horizontal bar in front of him, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging.
He stared straight ahead, and the counselors and officials around him dared not breathe. There was no confidence or pride on their faces anymore.
There was only shock, disbelief, and... fear!
No one expected that the Qingzhou soldiers would be defeated so quickly. When artillery fire covered the battlefield and chariots fell one after another, the smiles on their faces disappeared.
By the time the "young master" began to charge and strangled the nearly collapsed Qingzhou rebels with high morale, this game of "chess" had reached its "final" stage.
"Your Highness!" Everyone was shocked to see Prince Heng suddenly stagger and almost fall.
But soon, King Heng stood firm again, but his face was as pale as gold paper.
Lost! Lost!
Even though Wei Xianzong was still trying his best to resist below, the elite rebels in Qingzhou still had the strength to fight. But in the eyes of King Heng, with just this one battle, his ambition of entering the capital and ascending the throne to become emperor was completely ruined.
"Your Highness, we've got the Thousand Mile Tube!"
At this time, the follower ran up to the observation tower panting and presented a "telescope" in his hand.
King Heng closed his eyes, took a deep breath until his chest swelled, then exhaled deeply, trying his best to regain composure.
He calmly reached out and took the exquisitely designed and expensive lens, raised it, put one end on his right eye, and aimed the other end at the battlefield.
Then, the originally vague scene suddenly filled his eyes. He saw the central army, Wei Xianzong, who had already put on armor and mounted his horse, urging the military officers to join forces to resist.
I saw Tang Ping, wearing silver armor and a silver helmet, charging into the army with a sword as if he were in an empty space.
I saw a beast lying on the ground, dead, with its head blown off.
Finally, King Heng raised the camera and looked towards a distant hilltop, where a group of generals from the five military camps were also watching the battle, as well as...
A handsome young man who had just dropped a pear core.
In the camera, Zhao Duan seemed to sense King Heng's gaze, his bright eyes looked straight at him, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Zhao Duan raised his right hand, put his five fingers together, and gently made a "throat-cutting" gesture at his throat.
"ah--"
King Heng took two steps back in shock, and the Thousand Miles Tube in his hand lost its grip and fell to the ground, rolling under the feet of the crowd.
"Your Highness..." The counselor was startled, and hurriedly bowed flatteringly, picking up the telescope tube on the ground with both hands. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard a low cannon sound.
Everyone on the watchtower subconsciously looked up and immediately felt a frightened look, as they saw a cannonball wrapped in flames flying straight towards them.
…
"What a pity, the accuracy is still a little off."
On the top of the mountain, Zhao Duan looked at the rebel camp with disappointment. Although the shell was successfully delivered to the enemy camp, its landing point was hundreds of meters away from the watchtower.
The range was too far, and the accuracy dropped uncontrollably. After this shot, Prince Heng and others fled, and the best opportunity to "bombard the prince" was lost.
"We are still lacking in actual combat experience, but after this battle, the Shenji Battalion's mastery of new firearms will be taken to a new level."
Zhao Duan sighed, then turned back and smiled at the large group of generals from the Five Army Camps behind him:
"Commander Yuan, why aren't you all talking?"
At this moment, the senior generals of the five military camps, headed by Yuan Feng, were all dumbfounded, staring blankly at the one-sided battlefield below the mountain, with the word "shock" written all over their faces.
Is this the Shenjiying we've always imagined? Is this the power of these new firearms? It was clearly far from this during last year's exercises...
The square-faced commander stood there in shock, the roar of artillery fire still echoing in his mind.
And when he saw that in the camp at the foot of the mountain, after Tang Ping's charge, the musketeers led by Shi Meng came out of the camp and used muskets to help push back the Qingzhou rebels, the shock and fear reached its peak.
"Lord Zhao...this is..." Yuan Feng's Adam's apple rolled down violently, and there was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
The other military officers beside him all had similar expressions, looking at Zhao Duan almost as if seeking confirmation.
"Yes, this is the new firearm of my Shenji Camp." Zhao Duan smiled and nodded, saying modestly:
"It was my debut, luckily I didn't embarrass myself."
More than just not embarrassing, it was a complete crushing defeat!
After being shocked, the generals became excited, not only because of the victory, but also because, as members of the same Beijing camp, they could also use new firearms as long as there was an adequate supply of firearms.
"No wonder Prince Jing rebelled and went to such great lengths to steal the firearms blueprints."
A senior military officer sighed, his eyes filled with deep fear:
"If the Jiancheng Dao rebels also have such weapons, I'm afraid even Privy Councilor Xue may not be able to defend Linfeng."
Zhao Duan smiled but said nothing.
The version of firearms stolen by Prince Jing was far behind the times. Not only was there a generational gap in the weapons, but also a huge gap in the entire tactical level of understanding.
However, there is no need to tell these people.
"Well, the battle is over, but it's not time to celebrate yet. We can't let King Heng get away." Zhao Duan restrained his smile and walked down the mountain.
"Commander Yuan, I'll leave the cleaning of the battlefield to you. I'll capture the king first."
Arrest the prince? Was he sure Prince Heng would escape? Yuan Feng's mind moved and he nodded in agreement.
After watching Zhao Duan fly away with his Qinggong skills, he lifted his spirits and hurriedly led his men down the mountain and back to the barracks, preparing to capture the rebel prisoners and expand the victory.
The Fifth Army Battalion can no longer take any credit, but it cannot just sit there and do nothing.
Just as he was returning to the camp, a low-ranking military officer suddenly ran over hurriedly:
"Commander-in-Chief, the Crown Prince of Heng couldn't stand the torture and confessed a lot of things."
What? You can't handle it anymore? Yuan Feng had a strange expression on his face.
The Qingzhou army was defeated, and you surrendered...
"Let me see it." Even though he felt it was of little significance, Yuan Feng still took Xu Zudi's confession curiously and read it quickly.
Then, the people around noticed that their commander suddenly froze, staring at part of the confession, motionless.
"Oh no, Lord Zhao is in danger!"
Yuan Feng's expression changed, and he looked up suddenly:
"Quickly bring back Lord Zhao!"
…
…
"Your Majesty?"
Inside the Qingzhou military camp, a servant from the palace who stayed behind in the rear camp was surprised to see Prince Heng running hurriedly from the front.
The military camp is huge and has been isolated when camping. The area where the royal tent is located is at the back of the entire military camp and is also the safest area.
The two armies were fighting in the front. The royal guards and servants in the rear camp were unable to see the whole picture due to their vision. They could only hear the rumbling of cannons and shouts of killing in the front.
It is still unclear what the battle situation is like at the front, but people just habitually assume that it is another great victory.
It was a great surprise to see King Heng suddenly return.
"Prepare the car immediately and wait for me behind the camp!" King Heng's face was gloomy and he urged urgently.
The servant was stunned for a moment and wanted to ask what happened, but when King Heng gave him a fierce look, he didn't dare to ask and responded to prepare.
King Heng's face was as gloomy as water. He finally turned his head to glance at the shouts and screams from the camp in front of him. After he was almost bombarded, he immediately fled from the lookout tower, found an excuse to leave the others behind, and hurried back alone.
At this time, he walked quickly to the outside of his own tent and opened the curtain. Inside, the floor was covered with mats. At this moment, the two concubines looked at the returning prince in surprise, and their rouge-painted faces instinctively smiled: "Prince..."
A concubine saw the prince's expression and felt nervous. She subconsciously asked:
"Your Majesty, there was an accident in the battle ahead..."
Prince Heng suddenly stopped and fixed his eyes on the two beautiful concubines who were brought to the army to sleep with him even when he was on the march. He suddenly muttered nervously:
"Leaving you here will only bring disgrace to this king."
The two concubines instinctively sensed danger and stopped, their smiles frozen: "Your Highness..."
The next second, Prince Heng suddenly drew the sword from his waist, and with two slashes, he killed the two concubines in a pool of blood.
Without any pause, he quickly walked to the corner, squatted down, took out a bronze key from his waist, and unscrewed a special metal box on the ground.
He picked up a fiery red half-body armor with a black human face pattern on the front from the box.
Prince Heng quickly took off his gorgeous outer garment and put on his armor inside. Then he took out a low-key and plain set of gray clothes and hats from the bottom of the box, which were no different from those worn by servants, and hurriedly changed into them.
He then threw the gorgeous clothes into the box and locked it. After doing all this, he walked around the corpses of the two beautiful concubines on the ground and hurriedly left the tent.
After a slight hesitation, he turned around and rushed into another remote tent nearby.
"Your Highness?" The two family guards outside the tent were stunned for a moment, their eyes filled with confusion.
Prince Heng said with a stern face: "Is anyone inside?"
"Here we are. Don't worry, Your Majesty. We are guarding them and nothing will go wrong."
"Well, that's good." King Heng nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly jumped up, the knife flashed, and the two defenseless family guards were stabbed to death.
Stepping over the corpses, King Heng used the bloody blade to pry open the tent, only to see a woman tied up inside.
The woman had black hair, a round and majestic face, and a good-looking appearance. She wore a dark horse-faced skirt made of extraordinary silk. She was Xiao Dong'er, the female head of the Xiao family in Donghu, Qingzhou.
Mrs. Xiao's hands and feet were tied with hemp ropes, her legs bent sideways, and she sat on the ground with her back against a box.
With his head down and eyes closed, he looked drowsy. His once smooth skin had become dull and lifeless, and he had lost a lot of weight.
Hearing the noise at this moment, he raised his head, opened his eyelids, and saw King Heng rushing in wearing plain clothes and holding a blood-stained long sword. He was instinctively stunned.
Then she listened to the shouting and killing outside, and suddenly laughed sarcastically:
"Have you finally been defeated? Ha, you are a prince dressed like this, are you planning to escape?"
Xiao Dong'er has not had a happy life in the past six months. After the meeting at Huting last year, she openly defected to the court and became an "imperial merchant", completely breaking off relations with Prince Heng's Mansion.
The Xiao family's situation in Qingzhou became worse, but at that time Prince Heng's Mansion did not dare to go too far and only used some covert means of attack.
It was not until the empress failed in her Fengshan ceremony and the Eight Princes rebelled that Prince Heng immediately ordered the takeover of the Xiao family.
However, because the Xiao family's foundation in Donghu is deeply rooted, it is not easy to eradicate it in a short period of time. Prince Heng is eager to go to Beijing and has no time to deal with the Xiao family.
He was also worried that this big family was causing trouble behind his back, so he simply locked up some of the clan members in the dungeon of the palace and tied up the female head of the family, Xiao Dong'er, in the army.
This will contain the Xiao family and make the local powerful families afraid to act rashly.
However, according to Prince Heng's plan, once he takes control of the capital, the Xiao family will lose its value, and Xiao Dong'er's fate can be imagined.
"Bitch!"
Following Madam Xiao's sarcastic remarks, Prince Heng became enraged. He slapped Xiao Dong'er hard, causing the female head of the family to turn her head to the side. A palm print appeared on her fair cheek, and blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.
The contempt in her eyes grew even stronger. She spat softly and raised her palm-sized face crazily:
"Coward, kill me if you dare. It seems I was right to join Envoy Zhao. What else can a loser like you do besides being arrogant, dreaming of becoming emperor, and bullying women?"
Prince Heng's expression suddenly darkened, but he didn't actually move his knife. Instead, he held the knife in one hand and roughly dragged Madam Xiao out of the tent with the other, sneering:
"Then you'd better hope that that pretty boy surnamed Zhao can come and rescue you."
Xiao Dong'er was stunned for a moment, and caught the hidden message in King Heng's words.
But before she could confirm, King Heng roughly dragged her out of the barracks.
Behind the barracks, the servant had already prepared the carriage. Seeing the prince approaching with a knife in hand, his heart skipped a beat and he trembled with fear:
"Your Majesty, what are you doing..."
Prince Heng threw the cursing Madam Xiao into the carriage without saying a word, and then hacked the coachman to death.
Then he jumped onto the carriage, shook the reins himself, waved the whip, and drove the carriage along the road, fleeing rapidly towards Qingzhou.
He actually abandoned the entire Qingzhou army and escaped alone!
…
“Gee! Gee!”
On the deserted official road, a carriage sped away, leaving behind the shouts and cries of killing.
Soon, Mrs. Xiao, who was tied up in the carriage and almost vomiting from the shaking, could no longer hear the sound of the two armies fighting.
She lay on her side in the carriage, her hair disheveled and her forehead red and purple from being bumped. Through the shaking curtains, she could see the blood-stained long sword and the back of King Heng who was driving.
Although the Qingzhou army was defeated, with Wei Xianzong's ability to lead the remaining elite troops, they were not without the ability to fight.
At least it can stop the Shenji Camp for quite a long time, and this time is enough for King Heng to escape far away.
However, just when Madam Xiao closed her eyes and thought that Prince Heng would take her all the way back to Qingzhou.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped abruptly!
The dignified prince, dressed in a servant's grey clothes and a small hat, who served as the coachman, held the reins in his left hand, subconsciously touched the hilt of the knife beside him with his right hand, his eyes fixed on the front.
In the middle of the deserted official road, shaded by green trees on both sides, a group of cavalrymen quietly blocked the way ahead.
An elite cavalryman from the Shenji Camp, wearing armor and holding a sword, with an expressionless face and murderous intent, blocked his way forward.
On the black horse in the front, Zhao Duan sat leisurely, playing with an old bronze mirror the size of a palm in his hand.
On the mirror, ripples appeared and the image of King Heng driving was slowly fading away and disappearing without a trace.
Zhao Duan stuffed the "Mirror of Love and Lust" into his arms and stared with great interest at the King of Qingzhou, whom he had seen countless times before.
"Prince Heng, where are you going?"
…
Capital city.
In a side hall of the imperial palace, a small closed-door court meeting was being held.
There were not many officials present, but they were all important officials in the court.
The atmosphere was depressing and heavy. The empress sat upright on the dragon throne, folded the memorial in her hand, and placed it on the table covered with yellow mat in front of her. Her bright eyes swept over the faces of Grand Tutor Dong, Yuan Li, the ministers of various ministries, Ma Yan...
"Are all you gentlemen of the same opinion?" Xu Zhenguan's voice was cold and emotionless.
Only two days had passed since the Li Party's rebellion was suppressed, and the aftermath of the coup in the city had not yet completely subsided. The news that the Qingzhou rebels had defeated the Five Army Camps had once again caused unrest in the turbulent court.
No one among the ministers answered for a moment. Finally, the Imperial Censor Yuan Li sighed, stood up, and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, no one in the court, civil or military, doubts Zhao Shaobao's abilities. However, although he is a military commander, he has never led troops into battle. Even with Shi Meng by his side, rushing to help like this would be unwise. Moreover..."
Yuan Li paused and glanced at Ma Yan, who was standing next to him with a sullen face.
The latter understood and took out a secret letter from his sleeve:
"Your Majesty, this is the intelligence just transmitted back by the Shadow Guards of Qingzhou. According to the spies there, Prince Heng not only secretly raises evil beasts, but also possesses a powerful talisman, the 'Red Flame Sacred Armor'.
It is said that this is a sacred object of the Jianghu Zoroastrianism that was destroyed six hundred years ago. Although Zhao Duan has entered the secular world, if he encounters this object, he will be in danger.
Scarlet Flame Sacred Armor? A Zoroastrian sacred object?
Xu Zhenguan narrowed her beautiful eyes.
…
(End of this chapter)
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