Chapter 568: Surrender! The monk from Shenlong Temple appears
Chapter 568: Surrender! The monk from Shenlong Temple appears
"Lord Huai, are you waiting for me?"
In the palace, the leader of the embroidered robes, wearing a cloak, stood outside the light of the inner hall, with his arms folded, looking at the father and son in the hall with a smile.
Embroidered clothes pointing directly!
It turned out that it was the "spy chief" under Xu Jingtang who led the team personally and broke into the Huai'an Palace at night. What was his intention?
Zhao Duan, who was in invisible state, had obtained a lot of information about this killer organization from Nie Yurong, so he quickly recognized this person's identity.
He turned his head and looked at the princess who was held in his hands. A solemn look appeared on Xu Junling's elegant and sweet face.
"Embroidered Clothes Envoy." Huai'an King spoke in a low voice, staring at him with shock and anger.
"What do you mean? What does Xu Jingtang mean? You led your troops to break into my palace. Are you going to start a war with me?"
The tall and thin emissary in embroidered robes laughed and said:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I came here tonight with no intention of making enemies with you. It's just that we wanted to enter the palace just now, but the gatekeeper said it was late at night and the palace would not accept guests, and asked us to come again tomorrow. Haha, but the military situation was urgent, so we had to force our way in."
He said he wanted to calm down, but his posture and tone were full of arrogance.
With the help of the elite infantrymen armed with weapons behind them, it seemed that they did not take Xu An seriously at all.
"Military intelligence? How your Yunfu army is mobilized has nothing to do with me?!" Xu An asked angrily.
The embroidered clothes envoy smiled and said:
"Oh, didn't you tell me in advance? Maybe the people below forgot. It's like this. According to the military order of my prince, we will strategically evacuate Jingchuan and temporarily retreat to Yunfu.
In order to protect the families in the city from being invaded by the pseudo-emperor's army heading south, the prince specifically ordered us to protect Prince Huai's family and take them to Yunfu for refuge.
The situation is urgent, and the battle has already started on the front line, so we are a little hasty. Please pack up your personal belongings and gather your family members, and we will evacuate."
Prince Huai'an was stunned, and the Crown Prince was also stunned.
Then, anger appeared on the faces of both father and son at the same time:
The other party actually described kidnapping and coercion in such a righteous manner!
What protection?
It was obvious that he wanted to kidnap the powerful families of Huai River and prevent them from serving the imperial court!
"That's unreasonable!"
King Huai'an stood up angrily, his eyes filled with anger:
"Tell Xu Jingtang to come see me in person. You are just a family general, you have no right to speak to me!"
The embroidered robes envoy did not move. The light of the torch reflected a sneer on his face:
"My prince is busy with military affairs, so there is no need to rush to meet the Prince of Huai. We can just wait until we reach the Huai River and meet again."
Prince Huai'an stared at him, and suddenly calmed down his anger: "Xu Jingtang also wants to force me to express my opinion?"
The embroidered clothes envoy ignored the word "also" and frowned:
"Prince Huai is a smart man, and the Eighth Prince is an ally. Last time, Prince Huai was dishonest in Yongjia, but my prince did not pursue the matter out of consideration for our alliance. Now, I have no choice but to ask Prince Huai to leave...
If the Prince of Huai does not leave, will he wait for Zhao Duan to lead his troops into Jingchuan? By then, with Zhao Duan's cruelty and viciousness, I'm afraid he will directly massacre the Prince of Huai's mansion. Don't be ignorant of good people's hearts."
No...who are you calling vicious?
Zhao Duan was unhappy and looked at this guy as if he was a dead person.
Another name was added to his little notebook of grudges.
The embroidered official was completely unaware that he was on King Zhao's blacklist. He looked around and said calmly:
"The princess and the county lord should be in the inner house, right? Will the prince bring them here personally, or will we do it ourselves? Oh, they are women after all. It would be bad if the soldiers under my command offended the princess and the county lord."
"How dare you, thief!"
Prince Xu Qian was furious. His fingers trembled with anger. He turned his head and stared at Xu An:
"Father! This is a great shame, a great shame! We can't give in any further!"
The muscles on Xu Anfu's face twitched as if he was struggling.
He closed his eyes, feeling bitter.
On the same night, two groups of people came to force him to take sides.
He has always adhered to the principle of not going to the gambling table, but today, he was finally forced into a corner.
"Dad! It's time to make a decision!"
The prince's teeth were grinding.
"Fight with them..."
Xu An was still wavering.
This is Jingchuan Town after all. The imperial army has not arrived yet. Can Zhao Duan and others really defeat King Mu...?
The embroidered official narrowed his eyes, raised his hands, put them behind his back, and made a gesture.
Suddenly, a group of armed rebels grasped the hilts of their swords in silence.
Feng Xiaolian and others who were hiding in the dark also grasped their weapons tightly, ready to attack, with their eyes focused on Xu An's face.
Zhao Duan was also on high alert.
The situation is delicate.
Even though he thought his side was very strong, if Xu An chose to side with King Mu, at a command, this group of rebels and the guards in the palace would attack them together.
It will also be troublesome.
Even if he could get out safely, or even kill these people, the noise would be enough to cause the operation to fail prematurely.
In a silent, oppressive and extremely tense atmosphere.
No one noticed that the princess, who had hardly spoken since being kidnapped, suddenly had a sharp look in her eyes.
Xu Junling looked at his father who was hesitating in the hall and sighed softly.
The next second, she suddenly shouted loudly:
"Royal Palace Guards! Move! Eliminate the Yunfu rebels!!"
This sound was extremely abrupt and instantly broke the balance!
Zhao Duan looked at the princess beside him in astonishment.
The Embroidered Uniform Envoy and Xu An and his son were equally confused.
Feng Xiaolian, who was hiding in the dark, suddenly sighed, lowered her knees first, and rushed out from her hiding place like an arrow, sweeping the sword in her hand.
"what--"
Several rebels screamed, their necks were cut, blood spurted out, and they fell down with their heads raised!
When the princess shouted out the words "Palace Guards", it meant that they could no longer hide.
It was like a signal was released. In an instant, the guards of the palace subconsciously rushed out from the darkness. Amid rustling sounds, figures flashed out from the darkness with swords flashing.
"Meet the enemy!" The embroidered man's face changed drastically and he gave the order almost instinctively.
The crisp sounds of swords being drawn were heard one after another, and the rebels were like frightened birds, and they began to fight with the guards who pounced on them.
The battle broke out extremely suddenly.
Before Xu An in the hall could come to his senses, he felt his hand being grabbed!
The prince's eyes were red, and he shouted excitedly: "Kill them all! Kill them all!"
After being bullied by the rebels for several months, the prince just wanted to vent his anger.
Xu Junling turned his head, looking at Zhao Duan with a pair of bright eyes, and forced a smile:
"My father has no choice now."
Good daughter... you are a filial daughter... Zhao Duan exclaimed in his heart that you did a great job, loosened his grip on her, and also spoke:
"Let's not just stand there and watch. None of these people can get away."
The starlight twisted, Jin Jian raised his staff and released everyone from invisibility.
Yu Xiu did not take action, and emphasized: "I and Jin Jian will only deal with Shenlong Temple and Baiyi Sect."
She has always been very principled.
Zhao Duan curled his lips and walked out, with Lang Shiba and Ji Yue following him like shadows.
Amid the sounds of fighting, the Envoy in Embroidered Clothes flew back into the protection of the army formation after the battle began. At this moment, following the direction of the princess' voice, he saw six people appearing out of thin air.
"Zhao Duan!"
The embroidered clothes make the pupils tremble.
As if he understood something, at this moment, he did not hesitate, and suddenly lifted up his cloak, wrapping himself up like a big bird folding its wings.
Thick black smoke gushed out of his pores.
"Pullingleng..."
The leader who created the Embroidered Robe and Pointed Straight to the Sky turned into a bizarre-looking black eagle. He flapped his wings, stirred up a strong wind, and flew up into the sky like an arrow!
Extremely fast!
In the blink of an eye, it flew out of the palace wall!
"Oh no, he's trying to run away!" the prince shouted.
Zhao Duan, however, remained calm and composed. With a flick of his wrist, the sword fell into his hand.
Looking up at the sky, I saw a sharp bird cry in the time it took to breathe, and the black eagle that had already flown away returned like a meteorite and fell from the night sky!
It was as if... something had pushed it back to me!
"Wow..."
Ji Yue had sharp eyes. She reached out her hand stealthily and just pointed. A ball of water was pulled out from the pond in the courtyard and smashed onto the black eagle, soaking its feathers. It fell to the ground and took on a human shape.
The embroidered clothes servant was filled with shock and anger. Suddenly he sensed danger, so he turned around and took out a small shield. With a "clang" sound, he blocked the sharp scimitar that was coming towards him!
A smile appeared on Lang Shiba's weathered face, and he put away his knife and retreated.
Why did they withdraw... When the embroidered clothes servant was stunned, he felt a sudden pain in his heart. He lowered his head and was shocked to see a piece of knife tip piercing his chest.
Zhao Duan stood behind him and twisted the handle of the knife. The energy contained in the knife easily crushed the internal organs.
He drew out his knife, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Xiu Yishi, who was good at hiding, assassination, and sneak attacks, but not good at close combat, fell unwillingly in a pool of blood, his eye sockets dark and colorless.
One cut results.
"So you're only at the Divine Chapter Realm, so why are you pretending so much..."
Zhao Duan muttered something and sheathed his sword.
At the same time, Ji Yue and Lang Shiba also joined the rebels, cooperating with Feng Xiaolian and other martial arts masters in the palace.
Soon the whole team of soldiers was killed, and the inner courtyard was filled with corpses lying all over the place. The smell of blood gradually became thicker.
"Jun Ling...you..."
At this time, Xu An had slumped down in the armchair, looking at his daughter who was walking towards him with complicated eyes.
Xu Junling swept away her usual sweet and elegant image, pursed her lips, half-knelt in front of Prince Huai, stretched out her snow-white tender hands, grasped her old father's cold hands, raised her head, and her pretty face was full of determination:
"Father, we have no choice."
Zhao Duan stepped into the inner hall with a smile and said jokingly:
"The prince gave birth to a beautiful daughter."
The prince stared at him coldly, thinking, am I not excellent?
Are you targeting me...
Seeing this, Xu An suddenly sighed, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were full of relief and joy. He said bitterly:
"You are no longer suitable for this era, in my opinion. So be it. The palace should be handed over to you from now on. As for your brother... let's not talk about him!"
The prince stared blankly - No, why didn't you mention it...
Prince Huai'an looked at Zhao Du'an again with a complicated expression:
"You just said that if the king is willing to help the court suppress the rebellion, you can give him a lighter punishment."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "My promise is still valid."
"Okay!" Xu An stood up suddenly, his eyes showing a wolf-like ferocity!
It is the nature of businessmen to be hesitant before making a decision, but once there is no way out and they have chosen to bet, there is no possibility of shrinking back and they should go all out and move forward.
"Next, how do you want me to cooperate with you?"
Wouldn't it be better if it was like this earlier... Zhao Duan smiled:
"Before that, I want to ask clearly, Your Majesty, do you know that this group of people will come tonight?"
Xu An smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't know if it was today, but I guessed there would be action in the next few days."
Through his explanation, Zhao Duan quickly understood the whole story:
After Zhao Shixiong surrendered to the imperial court, the entire Jingchuan town was in danger of a storm, and every family was nervously watching how the situation would change.
The spies in the Huai Palace had already learned that Xu Jingtang was trying to withdraw to Yunfu, and at the same time, they had been actively transporting supplies during this period.
The local noble families were also on the transfer list.
"So, Your Majesty, you knew that Xu Jingtang might attack you?" Zhao Duan was surprised.
Xu An nodded:
"I do have some speculation, but at this critical moment, I cannot leave rashly. I can only send people to guard my home closely. I thought that even if Xu Jingtang had this idea, I would come to see me in person to discuss it. But I didn't expect..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the dead Embroidered Clothes Envoy at the foot of the stairs with a look of hatred.
Zhao Duan frowned and said:
"So, the other party coming here tonight may mean that Xu Jingtang is also preparing to evacuate? He will attack each family first? What about the other noble families..."
Xu An said:
"Today, I haven't heard of any nobles being forcibly abducted. If nothing unexpected happens, since they have already attacked me, I'm afraid that tonight, I'm not the only one who will be knocking on the door and asking for 'change of luck'."
Zhao Duan's heart sank.
The situation was worse than he expected.
Unexpectedly, I arrived as quickly as possible, but Xu Jingtang ran away earlier than I thought.
Logically speaking, shouldn't we let people hold out for a little longer in the front to buy more time for evacuation?
The imperial army has only arrived not long ago, and the rear are running away as soon as the fighting starts on the front line. How much lack of confidence do they have on the front line?
Or……
Xu Jingtang was not prepared at all and spent all his family fortune in Jingchuan County?
"If you want to capture and kill Xu Jingtang, it will be quick. The masters of the palace can go with you."
Xu Junling suddenly spoke, with a tone like the head of the family.
Zhao Duan shook his head and declined the offer.
"No need for that. More people may not necessarily be a good thing."
The situation has changed, and their assassination must be accelerated. Not to mention how much help the guards from the palace can provide, the speed at which they are traveling will slow down progress.
"However, I do need the palace to do something," Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"First, I need you to send people to rescue the other nobles in Jingchuan. We can't let these people be transferred to Yunfu or killed by the rebels."
You know, there are still a large number of officials in the court who are from the Huai River.
"Secondly, I need people from the palace to block the Yunfu rebels' large-scale transfer plan from the rear. Or, as far as possible, help open up some passes quickly so that the Beijing camp in the front can break through the defense line as soon as possible."
He believed that the hidden power of the Huai Palace was definitely not limited to what he saw today.
He even suspected that among the guards in the courtyard, there might be some martial artists at the secular level, or some with similar combat power.
However, the Prince of Huai had just surrendered, so he did not dare to use the other party's people.
"Okay, I will order people to do it immediately." Xu An agreed.
Zhao Duan smiled and stretched out his hand:
"It's a pleasure to work with you. Your Majesty, welcome to join the imperial family."
what?
Everyone was confused by his strange behavior and words.
Zhao Duan laughed, took the initiative to shake hands with Xu An, and explained:
"Some country slang, some lightness, everything will be alright after tonight."
Immediately, he signaled to Yuxiu and others and prepared to leave immediately.
Through the conversation just now, he had learned some necessary information from Prince Huai.
It was confirmed that the second young master would be the one going to the front line, and Xu Jingtang had been in control of the overall situation in Baishi Garden for the past few days and had never left.
"Wait," Xu Junling suddenly called him when he saw him about to leave. Then, under Zhao Duan's puzzled gaze, he bit his lip and said:
"Be careful."
……
……
A group of people jumped out from the palace wall and walked quickly towards the alley they came from.
"That princess won't fall in love with you, will she?"
As she walked with her jade sleeves, she looked at Zhao Duan and said teasingly.
The latter's face darkened, and he said righteously:
"The priest is also a monk, please stop gossiping. I only have Your Majesty in my heart, and I have no other thoughts. What's more, the princess is Your Majesty's cousin... This... This..."
Hiss, come to think of it, it's really a red chicken...
Nie Yuxiu snorted and curled her lips: "Man."
Zhao Duan was not happy about it. He walked away while mumbling:
"I'm telling you, don't let her fool you. This little princess is very scheming. She did it on purpose. I'm afraid her purpose is to please me and gain benefits for the palace. But if His Majesty knew about it, haha, her little trick would probably backfire..."
Nie Yuxiu rolled her eyes:
"Have you ever heard the saying that when people feel guilty, they will pretend to be very busy and talk a lot?"
Zhao Duan: “…”
Speechless, he couldn't explain it clearly! This is a novel with a single female protagonist, okay!
Let’s talk about the noisy room.
Everyone returned to the alley and saw Zhong Pan standing next to the dark carriage.
The ugly little Taoist priest looked over calmly and explained:
"That person just wanted to run away, but I couldn't do anything, so I just beat him back."
The three people from the Tianshi Mansion strictly followed the old Tianshi's order and were unwilling to confront the people from the Wang Mansion head-on.
"Brother, I am very grateful for your help in stopping them. Let's continue going." Zhao Duan thanked sincerely.
Soon, the group got into the carriage again. Ripples appeared on the surface of the carriage, and it rushed out of the city at lightning speed. The destination was:
Baishi Manor.
however.
This time, the carriage had not gone very far and was about to reach the city gate when it suddenly stopped again.
Zhong Pan looked forward with a stern gaze and whispered, "Someone is there."
Zhao Duan poked his head out of the carriage and saw two monks with their hands clasped together in front of him.
"Amitabha, I have been waiting for a long time."
……
Correct typos first and then correct them
(End of this chapter)