The King of Chu never expected that his men would be exposed, which is why he used the army's weapons. When the men returned and reported that they had been ambushed, the King of Chu panicked.
After smashing another room full of things, he gathered his men. This time, to be on the safe side, he did not send the navy, but instead mobilized his private soldiers from the mountains, twice as many as last time.
Qi Chenglang sensed something was wrong as soon as he went out. He turned back and bent down to look at Zhang Yuankai: "They've really gone all out this time. I think it will take some time to break through the encirclement. Now that the fierce battle has begun, you should leave quickly!"
Zhang Yuankai, holding his longsword, sneered, "What nonsense are you spouting! Do you think I can just walk away?"
He raised his longsword and stepped forward to kick the door, but Qi Chenglang grabbed his wrist.
"I don't trust anyone else to leave," Qi Chenglang said in a low voice with a serious face. "Besides me, you have the highest martial arts skills here and are the most likely to break through!"
Shen Yu'an understood Qi Chenglang's meaning: "Deputy Chief of the Guard, the Chief of the Guard is right. Right now, it is safest for you to go out."
Zhang Yuankai's impulsive mind returned to calm at this moment.
It must have been their ambush that thoroughly enraged the King of Chu. They were ambushed before they even left the Jiangnan region, and at that time they were still some distance from Wuzhou. The guards hiding in the shadows had no idea what had happened to them.
"Find a way to bring the people from the Dark Division back..." Qi Chenglang instructed in a low voice, then shook his head and said, "No, we can't send the people from the Dark Division back directly, it's too late."
It was still two days' journey to the steep cliffs of Wuzhou. If the King of Chu really went all out, even if he gave his secret agents wings, they wouldn't have time to fly back.
Qi Chenglang said decisively, "Let them sneak back and find a way to clear the obstacles! King Chu can't possibly only arrange this one ambush!"
At this moment, he finally demonstrated the intelligence expected of a royal guard with a sword.
Zhang Yuankai gritted his teeth, still somewhat worried.
Shen Yu'an took off his cloak and patted Zhang Yuankai on the back: "What are you hesitating for! Such a good opportunity, why don't you hurry up and leave?"
He looked at the arrow in Zhang Yuankai's hand, raised an eyebrow, and said, "This must be sent to the Emperor as soon as possible!"
If the Emperor finds out, he will definitely conduct a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Military Supervisory Commission, which will also help to eliminate some of the Prince of Chu's influence in the capital.
Shen Yu'an drew his longsword from under the soft couch, stretched his body, and smiled, "Go on, we're not that pitiful. Don't forget, Prince Qi has sent people to secretly protect us!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuankai did not hesitate. He turned and rushed out, taking advantage of the darkness and the cover of the crowd, and sped towards the capital.
The King of Chu's men did not notice Zhang Yuankai's departure because Qi Chenglang came down.
During the suppression of bandits in the northern desert, thanks to Xueye's mother's help, he didn't have a chance to use his abilities, but now...
He was determined to show these people the true abilities of the former Imperial Guards, who were ranked among the top three in martial arts in the Sang Dynasty!
Qi Chenglang led his squad in a fierce battle at the front, quickly tearing open a gap, while Shen Yu'an directed from the rear, protecting the merchants as they advanced step by step.
At this moment, the people Qi Chengjun had sent to secretly protect them also caught up and quickly joined the battle.
The first wave of assassinations ended relatively early. After all, although the King of Chu had a large number of private soldiers, they had only been training in the deep mountains since their recruitment began, and they did not have much practical combat experience.
Compared to the bodyguards who traveled all over the country, these people's lethality was indeed limited.
With Qi Chenglang as a powerful weapon, and the fact that they had no intention of taking any prisoners, they killed people cleanly and efficiently. In less than an hour, the first wave of ambush was completely resolved.
Qi Chenglang sent someone to report to the local prefect, while they rested on the spot, cleaned up the battlefield, counted the number of people, and made proper arrangements for the seriously injured guard An before embarking on their return journey again.
Just as Qi Chenglang and the others had guessed, the King of Chu was truly going all out this time. Wave after wave of assassins kept appearing. Starting with the first ambush, there would be another assassination attempt every other day.
Even with his high level of martial arts skills, Qi Chenglang was exhausted by the intense ambush.
After another raid, Qi Chenglang and his men finally decided to rest for a while and then stop advancing. Instead, they would rest for a few days in the next city to recuperate before continuing their journey.
The King of Chu's men acted arrogantly on the official road, but they would never dare to make a move inside the city!
It wasn't just the guards who couldn't hold on any longer; the other managers of the merchant guild had already been mentally defeated by wave after wave of assassinations. At this moment, no one was begging them to hurry back to the Northern Desert; all they could think about was getting some rest.
Meanwhile, the managers who were previously underestimated by Qi Chenglang have performed admirably during this period.
No matter how serious the assassination attempts outside were, they never held back. During the battle, they never ran around or caused trouble. After the battle, they would even try to come down and help with things like bandaging.
The managers of the Northern Desert Merchant Guild grew closer through daily mutual assistance, developing a strong bond of trust and completely casting aside any deep-seated resentment they might have felt.
At this moment, they are comrades-in-arms who share life and death.
After the battlefield cleanup was completed, Shen Yu'an sat back in the car and slumped back onto the soft couch without any regard for his image. He didn't even bother to wipe the bloodstains off his body. Looking down, he noticed that the hand holding the long sword was trembling slightly.
Qi Chenglang opened the carriage door and stepped inside, gulping down a pot of water: "Have you counted which wave this is?"
Shen Yu'an shook his head, lowered his eyes and thought for a moment: "The sixth wave?"
Even though they thought they were well prepared, they were still frightened by the King of Chu's madness.
Qi Chenglang was even more relieved that he had sent Zhang Yuankai to the capital with the message and the arrow from the very beginning.
He sighed softly, "I wonder if Zhang Yuankai has seen the Emperor yet."
If His Majesty knew they were being hunted down by the Prince of Chu, he would probably send some people to protect them, right?
Thinking of his elder brother, who was alone in Huizhou, Qi Chenglang wished he could immediately send the Imperial Guards who were secretly protecting them back to Huizhou.
Perhaps if the King of Chu finds that they are not getting rid of this tough nut, he will turn his attention to his elder brother?
Compared to him, he still felt that his older brother was in more danger!
Unbeknownst to Qi Chenglang, in the council hall of the Chu Prince's residence, Chief Secretary Ling and others were kneeling on the ground, begging the Chu Prince to retract his order and not send troops to hunt down Qi Chenglang and the others.
They have lost nearly a thousand people just for that little bit of salt.
Not to mention that the prefects of various prefectures along the way have already dispatched troops to conduct a thorough investigation, rumors are already rampant in the private army camps of the King of Chu!
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