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Chapter 68: Little Xi is Disobedient – That Faint Thread Connecting the Emperor and the Great General… part 1
Ying Xi opened the door to see the young general, clad in a white robe and silver armor, guarding the entrance.
Lian Qing lowered his head and cupped his fists toward him: “What are Bixia’s orders?”
Ying Xi had long since changed out of his dragon robes. His command was crisp and clean: “Accompany Zhen off the ship to handle some business.”
This gave Lian Qing a fright!
He didn’t dare let his imagination run wild, even upon pain of death. His gaze caught a glimpse of the Emperor’s slender waist, and he instantly recalled General Xie swinging that one-hundred-and-eight-jin Youlong E.
Lian Qing’s throat bobbed: “What business?”
“The assassin is the Guangling Commandery Governor. He made an appointment to meet Zhen alone. Select a squad of soldiers to follow secretly, and kill him.”
Only then did Lian Qing set his heart at ease. Seeing the Emperor’s solemn expression, as coldly exquisite and chilling as a frost blade, all those absurd reveries turned into solemnity. The Emperor was absolutely not some soft and gentle beauty.
“Chen obeys the decree.”
Lian Qing was originally responsible for guarding the Emperor. He disembarked with the Emperor, and even though everyone saw the Emperor wearing civilian clothes, no one along the way stopped them.
Leaving Sanjin Du, the river waters surged.
The warhorse Lian Qing picked out for Ying Xi was docile. The two rode south along the river for over ten miles. The river surface was unusually vast, the silent night was devoid of people in all directions, and even the night navigation lights of Sanjin Du could no longer be seen in the distance.
Lian Qing suddenly pulled tight on his horse’s reins, the river wind disrupting his voice: “Bixia, exactly where are we going?”
“As long as Zhen leaves the Longchuan, this person will naturally find Zhen. There is no need to worry!”
His sharp and overbearing demeanor made one lament his physical constitution.
Lian Qing only felt that if the Emperor could have a good body, the Emperor of Great Qin would undoubtedly sit astride a horse with a horizontal blade, personally charging into battle to slay enemies.
“Bixia, why was this matter not reported to General Xie?”
Taking Ju’er to hunt down Yingzi was naturally the first thought that crossed Ying Xi’s mind, but considering the other’s personality: “Minister Xie is steady and cautious; he would definitely do his utmost to stop Zhen from risking himself.”
Lian Qing felt these words were vaguely incorrect.
Xie Qianli was ruthless and bizarrely unpredictable on the battlefield. He was a fierce general who, even as a youth, dared to ride alone to behead enemy generals and capture cities; he couldn’t exactly be considered “steady.”
Bringing him meant the Emperor had the final say in everything. If General Xie had known, was it actually possible that Bixia could have been persuaded to stop?
That faint thread implicitly connecting the Emperor and the Great General seemed to draw even tighter. Lian Qing felt his scalp tighten from the blowing river wind.
Right at this moment, a signal flare shot into the sky, bursting into a cluster of red fireworks.
“Over there!”
“Hiyah!”
Ying Xi and Lian Qing spurred their horses to ride side by side, heading southeast, the firelight reflecting in their eyes.
The galloping steeds kicked up the wind, blowing his hair backward along with the river breeze. The sound of hooves was like thunder.
“Bixia, if we run any further, we’ll reach the combat zone!” Lian Qing shouted.
The target grew closer and closer; the hooves of the two riders did not pause.
They arrived at a clearing surrounded by sparse woods. Not far away was the Hanshui that flowed through Guangling Commandery.
Ying Xi’s mount paced in circles. Near its hooves was the paper tube of the recently fired signal flare.
Ying Xi caught sight of the paper tube and ducked his head!
He flattened himself against the horse’s back as stray arrows whistled past in a flash. The third arrow was knocked away by Lian Qing’s drawn saber, and the firelight in the bushes abruptly flared bright.
About twenty-some robust men wearing the uniforms of the Jiangnan rebel army charged forward holding torches and sabers, shouts rising from all sides. The leading squad commander bellowed: “Kill Ying Xi! Report to the Guozhu! The Commandery Governor and the Guozhu both have heavy rewards, a reward of a thousand gold and a Wanhu Hou!”
Those enemy soldiers were already right in front of them.
Lian Qing spurred his horse and swung his saber to chop and hack, the blade slitting the throats of several enemy soldiers. He guarded Ying Xi and took the opportunity to blow a horse whistle.
A short, sharp whistle blasted through the dense forest!
The light cavalry of the Longwujun arrived suddenly. These soldiers had been trailing the Emperor from a distance since earlier.
Waiting only for General Lian to give the signal, the soldiers immediately protected the Emperor and split their forces to counterattack: “Kill the leader—”
The Longwujun were fiercely brave; it was a piece of cake for elites to deal with miscellaneous troops.
In an instant, torches rolled everywhere, rebel corpses littered the ground, and the leading squad commander was surrounded by the Longwujun, with seven or eight sabers and spears resting against his neck.
That squad commander went from bursting with ambition to being frightened out of his wits: “Spare my life, Bixia spare my life, Bixia spare my life…”
The squad commander pissed his pants in trembling terror.
Sitting on horseback, Ying Xi said coldly: “Wanhu Hou? Boasting so shamelessly over a tiny patch of land. Where is the one surnamed Jia!”
The fine steed elevated Ying Xi’s stature.
The torches draped the Emperor in a layer of warm colors, and Tiantong, unable to resist the inspiration, added a layer of holy light to the Emperor.
That squad commander only felt this bearing was that of a natural-born sovereign and shivered: “The Commandery Governor said you would definitely come personally. He is waiting for our news by the Hanshui.”
Ying Xi cracked his whip and said arrogantly: “The bastard is hiding himself; Zhen will personally take your head!”
“Hiyah—”
His words were thrown out at the same time as his horsewhip.
The horse let out a loud, long neigh. Ying Xi led the troops in pursuit toward the water’s edge. The momentum was fierce, the horse’s speed incredible. Surprisingly, inside a riverside pavilion along the Hanshui banks, they spotted Yingzi fishing alone. Everyone’s spirits were jolted.
The Hanshui was vast and hazy; the water pavilion was tiny.
Yingzi wore a fisherman’s coir raincoat and a bamboo hat, appearing slightly hunched. He had his back to the official troops, with a fish basket beside him.
Several warhorses advanced from the rear, surrounding Yingzi from a distance.
Yet the fishing rod remained steady and unmoving.
Yingzi seemed to yawn, his tone lazy:
“Born into a branch of the imperial family, able to establish a foothold in the imperial palace all alone until ascending to the highest throne of the Nine Heavens—worthy of being Bixia.”
“Bixia will not be controlled by others. Going to a meeting alone armed with a single blade is not your style.”
“I was luring you, but were you not also trying to lure me out?”
“Cut the crap!” Lian Qing said, “Kill!”
The Longwujun surged forward together, like a silver tide crashing against the shore in an instant.
Yingzi still had his back to them. He raised his left arm and waved his hand.
Thus, along the banks of the Hanshui, an elite unit of the rebel army appeared. They materialized behind Yingzi; this squad of enemy soldiers numbered over a hundred!
Yingzi had arranged a dual-layered strategy:
If Ying Xi truly was stupid enough to come alone, those miscellaneous soldiers could easily take his life.
But he also guessed that Ying Xi wouldn’t submit easily. Yingzi originally thought Ying Xi would set up an ambush; he didn’t expect the Emperor to strike directly at his door.
A beautiful face, a formidable personality; no matter what adversity he faced, he would never yield.
The Emperor of Great Qin remained consistent over the years!
If he fell into the hands of such an Emperor, Yingzi could already imagine his own end. He commanded the elite troops: “The enemy army only has these few dozen men. If this drags out until the official army comes south, we will face tens of thousands of powerful troops. Kill Ying Xi.”
The river wind suddenly rose by the Hanshui.
The blades of the elite rebels gleamed bright as snow. This unit was completely different from the miscellaneous troops from before. Ying Xi had heard of them during the Longchuan military councils; presumably, these were trained by Yingzi according to the standards of Jianghu martial arts experts.
“Su Shisan, Old Seven, break through with me! The rest of you, flank them!”
“Iron caltrops, flying locust stones—greet them with whatever you can use. The only target is the Emperor.”
“Kill Ying Xi!”
“Kill Ying Xi!!!”
The silver armor encirclement contracted, and the rebels formed a swallow-wing formation to wrap around this patch of silver armor.
The two sides clashed; the sounds of clashing metal rang out everywhere, and sparks flew in all directions under the night sky.
The Longwujun soldiers always obeyed Xie Qianli’s dispatch. With the main general absent, the vice general took the lead.
Lian Qing had likewise experienced hundreds of battles. Heavily outnumbered, and with an obvious VIP needing protection, they had to fight with bloody courage.
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