Volume 1: Zhu Xian Town Crisis Chapter 85: Assassination of Xiao Yi (Part 1)

  At the second watch, the gate of the west post house in Chuzhou City was wide open, and a team of more than 40 people rushed out, wearing black armor. After they walked out of the gate, they divided into two rows and stood still, leaving the middle empty.

  Later, a black sedan chair was carried by eight bearers and slowly came out of the door. It walked between two rows of soldiers. At each corner of the sedan chair stood a Jurchen general with a small braid on his head, holding a curved knife in his hand, looking solemn.

  After a moment, the person in the sedan said something in Jurchen to them. The first of the two big men waved his hand and shouted in Chinese: "Lift the sedan!"

  Then the eight sedan bearers carried the large sedan towards the direction of Langui Fang in the east of the city. The guards on both sides also moved forward with the sedan, advancing slowly. They were all lined up in a long snake-like formation, one after another, walking along the side of the road, like two moving walls protecting the sedan in the middle.

  Everyone held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, with their faces outward. Even if someone shot arrows at them from the rooftops or roadside, it would be hard to hit them all at once, not to mention the guards and people in the sedan chair in the middle.

  They led their troops through the west side of Chuzhou City and turned right onto the central avenue, slowly advancing eastward.

  Apart from the two soldiers holding lanterns at the head and tail of the team, no one else in the team held a lantern. The sedan chair was also black, so the whole team seemed to have entered the darkness, making it impossible for people to see their figures clearly.

  Soldiers on both sides gazed vigilantly at the occasional passersby on the street, their hands tightly gripping long spears that could be used for both stabbing and throwing. The gusty evening wind added to the solemn and stern atmosphere, revealing a well-trained elite troop.

  Their footsteps shattered the stillness of the deep night.

  Xiao Yi was sitting upright in the sedan chair at this moment, thinking about his gains and losses since he came south.

  Although this attack did not kill or damage his own face, Yue Yun also showed enough momentum in front of Qin Yi and Wei Liangchen, letting them know that he was not someone who could be easily placated.

  Xiao Yi thought with a happy heart that the bottom line of the Song Dynasty's negotiations had already been revealed to him by Qin Xi and Wei Liangchen. It should be easy to negotiate formally in Lin'an afterwards.

  He thought to himself, this time the negotiations have been successful, and after returning to the capital, despite the unfavorable situation on the battlefield, he was able to obtain so many benefits for the country at the negotiating table, and he should be able to receive a heavy reward from the Emperor and Wuzong.

  The Grand Canal runs through the center of Chuzhou City, dividing it into two parts: Chengxi and Chengdong. Three stone bridges connect these two parts, with Yongsheng Bridge being the central one.

  At this moment, dark clouds are densely packed in the sky, and no bright moon or starlight can be seen. However, Yongsheng Bridge stands out under the black night due to its construction from white strip stones.

  The scouts of the enemy army were quietly climbing on the roof, using lanterns to send signals to their nearest companions in a place where the enemy's line of sight was difficult to detect, indicating the location of Xiao Yi's troops.

  Yue Yun and others who were ambushing at the ambush site quickly judged the route of Xiao Yi's approach and made the final adjustments before the battle.

  Guan Ling led a group of crossbowmen hiding on the rooftops beside Yongsheng Bridge, their heads and faces tightly wrapped in black cloth, only revealing a pair of eyes, like a group of spirits in the dark night.

  When he saw the faint yellow light of the lanterns appearing at the far end of the bridge, Guan Ling's heart that had been stuck in his throat finally came down.

  If Xiao Yi and his men hadn't come from this road to Lan Kwai Fong, the previous arrangement would have been in vain, and they could only wait until tomorrow.

  The footsteps grew louder and the expected prey came from afar.

  Niu Tong, who was lurking beside Yue Yun, unexpectedly said in a low voice: "Xiao Yi is really afraid of death, and he even brought so many guards to protect him when visiting a brothel."

  Yue Yun said in a low voice, "Don't underestimate him, Xiao Yi's deployment of troops is extremely brilliant. Although he is a civil official, he also knows military affairs, unlike the civil officials of our Great Song Dynasty who are clueless about marching and fighting. In a moment, you all pay attention, listen to my command before taking action, don't startle the snake in the grass!"

  Xiao Yi and his entourage stopped beside the Yongsheng Bridge, because the bridge's width could only accommodate this large sedan chair to pass through, and the soldiers on both sides couldn't advance at the same time.

  Xiao Yi's guards were clearly not the first time they had crossed the Yongsheng Bridge, and they were already accustomed to dealing with such situations. A row of soldiers on the left rushed ahead and guarded the bridgehead. Then the four iron guards in front of the sedan chair stepped forward, and as the sedan chair approached the center of the bridge, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

  Yue Yun knew it was time, and lightly bumped Niu Tong. At this moment, Xiao Yi's black sedan chair happened to be walking to the center of the big bridge.

  Niu Tong placed two fingers on his lips, blew hard and let out a sharp whistle, tearing through the quiet night sky, also causing the rhythmic footsteps of the sedan bearers to stop abruptly.

  The guards beside Xiao Yi were all shocked and looked around in all directions.

  All that could be heard was the sound of "whoosh, whoosh" as the elite bowmen of the Beiwei army, hiding on either side of the eaves, fired their crossbows in unison, shooting towards the sedan chair in the middle of the bridge. At this moment, apart from the eight sedan bearers and four iron guards surrounding the sedan chair, there was no one else to defend it.

  The sedan bearers' mournful cries and the iron guards' angry shouts shook the sky.

  The lanterns at the head and tail of the team suddenly fell to the ground, pedestrians on the street ran around in all directions, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

  Four Iron Guards used curved knives to deflect the crossbow bolts shot at them, then turned around to see that eight sedan bearers had been shot dead by four crossbow bolts, and the remaining four were also hit by arrows and injured, unable to carry the sedan anymore.

  The leader of the Iron Guards immediately shouted at the guards: "Quick! Everyone come onto the bridge and protect the lord!"

  He knew that the sedan chair where Xiao Yi was located was currently at its weakest point of defense, but as long as they could hold on for a little while longer, the city guards inside the city would definitely come to support them, and it would be safe then.

  After a loud order from the Iron Guard, the guards who were originally standing at the head and tail of the bridge with long shields to defend themselves put away their shields and rushed onto the bridge. Although they were ambushed, the entire formation was largely intact, and no one panicked, showing that they were indeed well-trained elite soldiers.

  However, Yue Yun wanted them to run at this moment. Because when they were running, their shields were all retracted, which was the best opportunity for shooting. Once these soldiers ran to the front of the carriage and set up their shields to defend themselves, it would be difficult to break through their defense again.

  Guan Ling also knew it was time, and with a loud shout, she ordered: "Use the strong crossbow to shoot arrows!"

  Only the sound of "humming" bowstrings was heard. The "hiss, hiss, hiss" sounds were even more intense than the previous arrow shower, as dozens of crossbow arrows shot towards the bridge from all directions. The hard crossbow's arrows had greater power and could penetrate ordinary armor within fifty paces, and at such a close distance, even heavy armor could be penetrated.

  Although Xiao Yi's guards were all wearing black helmets and armor, they would not have been easily visible in the dark. However, the bridge surface and railings were made of white stone blocks, making them particularly conspicuous.

  After a round of strong crossbow shooting, more than 40 guards guarding Xiao Yi fell by at least half. Even one of the four iron guards was shot and injured.

  Yue Yun knew it was time to strike and immediately got up and jumped down from the eaves.

  Niu Tong stood up at this moment and shouted loudly in a woman's voice: "Everyone, get up and kill this traitor!"

  Immediately, the Wei soldiers lurking under the eaves and on both sides of the street either held up wolf's tooth clubs or grasped curved knives, bravely killing towards the enemy. At the same time, they threw torches onto the bridge surface, illuminating the enemy's position clearly.

  Guan Ling led the crossbowmen, who continued to hold their crossbows and shot cold arrows at the enemies shielding the sedan chair.

  For a moment, the enemy was caught off guard and began to get somewhat flustered.