Huizhou and Jiangzhou are adjacent, and the group had been on a forced march since they set out.
Gu Yuzhi's little horse galloped at breakneck speed, its hooves clattering as it closely followed Guard Zhang.
Although the horse is small, it is definitely not slow when it runs.
Gu Yuzhi was leaning forward, gripping the reins tightly with both hands. But upon closer inspection, one could see that the knuckles of his left hand were white, while his right hand was in much better condition, indicating that he hadn't dared to use his right hand with full force.
Because of the speed, Gu Yuzhi's eyes were slightly narrowed by the wind, and his lips were tightly pursed, determined not to let himself be a burden.
With the Jiangnan navy following behind him, he absolutely couldn't let these naval personnel think that he, the young prince, was inferior to Gu Yufan!
To prove himself, Gu Yuzhi never complained of being tired throughout the entire forced march.
Looking at Gu Yuzhi's fair face, Guard Zhang wanted to suggest they take a break several times, but Gu Yuzhi's tense expression deterred him.
According to Guard Zhang's judgment, they should arrive in Jiangzhou in the evening, at which time Chief Secretary Xie will act as an envoy to negotiate with the prefect and garrison commander of Jiangzhou.
Although it is always said that envoys should not be killed in war, if the other party is determined to rebel, Xie Changshi's identity as an envoy is in great danger.
As Guard Zhang was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed the contrast, tightened the reins, and let out a shout: "Stop!"
Gu Yuzhi quickly tightened the reins and turned to ask, "Guard Zhang, what's wrong?"
Guard Zhang didn't speak, but dismounted, pressing his ear to the ground as if to confirm something.
Upon seeing this, Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up slightly.
He had heard Mr. Huo mention that during battles, scouts would use methods such as ground tremors to determine whether there were enemy troops ahead, and if so, how many there were and how far away they were.
Gu Yuzhi was particularly interested in how to judge these things through vibrations.
He wanted to learn, but he never had the opportunity.
Most importantly, even if he had the opportunity now, he couldn't do it.
After all, he was a prince. If he were to lie on the ground like Guard Zhang, his dignity as a prince would be completely lost.
Guard Zhang returned shortly afterward and gestured to Jiang Kangming. Jiang Kangming turned and whispered, "Quickly move the horses into the woods, be careful to hide, and have the archers prepare."
The archers' preparations made it clear that if the approaching forces were the Jiangzhou garrison commander and others, this place would become a battlefield.
After everyone retreated back into the jungle, Jiang Kangming sent people out to clean up the traces outside.
Guard Zhang led Gu Yuzhi into the jungle. After discussing tactics with Jiang Kangming, he explained to Gu Yuzhi, "Your Highness, I can hear a large force ahead..."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "There are probably more than a thousand people coming this way."
"Their steps were orderly, and there was the vibration of their horses' hooves, so I judged that it was very likely that the garrison commander of Jiangzhou had brought his men over."
If even the prefect of Lianyunzhou could receive news of the imperial edict, there was no way the prefect of Jiangzhou wouldn't know.
It's strange that Jiangzhou and Yangzhou waited until now to make their move.
Gu Yuzhi nodded his little head, then turned around and saw that Guard Zhang was already half-squatting on the ground, his figure hidden behind the dense grass. He gently parted a bit of grass with his fingers, his eyes staring straight ahead.
He didn't know what was going on, but he secretly compared his height with that of Guard Zhang, and was surprised to find that he seemed to have grown taller!
However, he had to wait until he returned to his residence to confirm that he had indeed grown taller before he could speak, since this was a very serious time.
Gu Yuzhi turned his head and looked at the weeds in front of him, which were taller than him. After thinking for a moment, he squatted down.
He originally wanted to peek out through a small gap, just like Guard Zhang had done, but he didn't expect that he was a bit short and the roots under the weeds were quite thick, making the gaps between them particularly narrow.
As soon as Gu Yuzhi squatted down, his entire field of vision was blocked.
He rested his chin on his hand, sighed like a little adult, and said silently to Wen Shu, "I'm still a bit short. If I were a little taller..."
He pointed to a short distance above: "You can just squat down here."
Perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere, Shu Xiaohan deliberately smiled extra happily: "Young Prince, didn't we tell you? You're still young, you don't need to be so obsessed with your height."
Every time he meets someone, he mutters to himself about whether he will grow to be that tall in the future. I don't know why he cares so much about his height.
Gu Yuzhi snorted and was about to speak when he heard the faint sound of horses' hooves coming from ahead.
He hurriedly turned around and craned his neck to look in that direction, but he couldn't see anything and could only stand there anxiously.
Before long, a cloud of dust rose ahead, and a large force was approaching in an orderly fashion.
Guard Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his hand slightly, and said softly, "Young Master Qi, is the leader the garrison commander of Jiangzhou?"
After confirming for a while, Guard Qi nodded and said, "It's him."
Upon hearing this, Guard Zhang quickly turned around and gestured to the ambushing men to stay hidden and on guard.
At his command, the archers fired their arrows.
As the sound of hooves and orderly footsteps grew closer, the atmosphere in the bushes became increasingly tense.
Even knowing that his height would not be discovered, Gu Yuzhi still slumped his straight back, gently covered his mouth, and dared not breathe.
He stared intently at Guard Zhang, and after a short while, he saw Guard Zhang slightly raise his hand. At that moment, the archers had already drawn their bows to their fullest extent.
As soon as Guard Zhang lowers his hand, these arrows will fly out, mercilessly reaping the lives of the enemy.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Yuzhi seemed to smell the dust rising in the air, and he blinked and lowered his head.
In the blink of an eye, he felt as if a gust of wind had brushed past him.
It turned out to be Guard Zhang's hand, which fell heavily.
The sound of arrows piercing the air instantly disrupted the advance of the Jiangzhou garrison and his men.
As cries of pain continued to rang out, the Jiangzhou garrison commander quickly reined in the horses and shouted, "Retreat! Retreat! Enemy attack!"
Damn it, he said we couldn't set off for Huizhou at this time. It's all that idiot prefect's fault!
The city has plenty of food. As long as they guard Jiangzhou City, everything will be fine once His Highness returns!
Who would have thought that the prefect and the two foolish advisors that His Highness left in Jiangzhou would arrest his family and threaten him that he must send troops today.
He was robbed halfway there, and he didn't know how many people were on the other side. Would he lose his life here?
The Jiangzhou garrison commander brandished his broadsword to deflect the arrows while retreating under the cover of those around him.
Once we get out of the encirclement, everything will be fine!
Once I get out of the encirclement, I'm sure I can escape back to Jiangzhou!
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