The large army set out, and in the rear, the city of Ji City was not at all idle. Ensuring the smooth passage of the grain route was the most crucial aspect. Supporting the provisions for over ten thousand troops is not something that can be easily transported along with the army. It requires a considerable number of laborers, as well as oxen and horses for transportation. Fortunately, Yu County is not lacking in livestock, and they can also borrow grain from Ji County. Otherwise, merely transporting provisions could seriously drain vital energy.
However, the defending soldiers of Ji City have been somewhat lax in recent days. Many key ministers have accompanied the commander-in-chief on the expedition, lightening the load on the city’s defense. The daily inspections mainly involve military orders for supplies and grain transportation, becoming monotonous over time. Fortunately, during wartime, there are still regulations to follow; otherwise, who knows what these soldiers might become.
However, today, everything changed abruptly.
A group of about five hundred cavalrymen swiftly approached along the official road. Their horse hooves thundered like a storm, showing no intention of stopping even when they reached the city. The gatekeeper was alarmed and quickly sent someone to intercept them. The leading officer, holding a military token high in his hand, declared, “Urgent military situation, open the city gates!”
It was the token of the Grand General! The bearer of the token could enter not only the city gates but also the General’s residence at will. The gatekeeper carefully observed the appearance of the soldiers, and his expression changed drastically. The soldiers wore damaged armor and blood-stained clothes. Many of them were wounded. Clearly, they were the remnants of a fierce battle that had just broken out.
What made them rush back to Ji City in such haste? Could there be changes in the forward camp?
Ignoring the exact number of people, the gatekeeper quickly cleared the way, allowing them to enter the city. The anxious soldiers watched as the group disappeared at the end of the main street.
Little did they know that after entering the city, the group split into two. The main force headed straight for the General’s residence, while dozens of riders turned their horses towards the east side of the city.
In a matter of moments, the group reached the front of the General’s residence. Seeing the military token of the Grand General, the guards dared not obstruct them and immediately led them to the main hall. Currently presiding in the residence was Liu Sima, a trusted confidant of Wang Jun, responsible for the rear supply route of the large army. Hearing that someone came with a military token, Liu Sima was surprised and hurriedly went to greet them.
The leading officer, upon seeing Liu Sima, quickly stepped forward and knelt down, presenting Wang Jun’s military token. Handing over the token, he said, “The forward camp was ambushed, and the Grand General’s life is in danger! Jiang Changshi instructed us to come and report!”
He handed over Wang Jun’s token, and Liu Sima’s hands holding the token clenched tightly. This thing couldn’t be faked at all, and it was impossible to casually take it out. But they had only set out a few days ago; how could this be happening?
Liu Sima tightened his grip on the token and asked, “What exactly happened?”
The leading officer showed a look of shock and anger on his face, whispering, “It was a ruse by Yi Boyuan, the Commandant of Ji County. He caused chaos in the main camp. Jiang Changshi is currently organizing the scattered troops and specifically instructed Ji City to pay attention to the rear route to prevent an ambush.”
“Where is the Grand General? Is his injury severe?” Liu Sima asked persistently.
“He is severely wounded. I don’t know if he can hold on until he returns, so preparations should be made in the city as soon as possible…”
Upon hearing this, Liu Sima looked at the soldiers behind this officer, suddenly enlightened, and immediately stood up. “Go and fetch General Pu! Also, quickly bring Lord Bin as well!”
Pu Wei is Wang Jun’s trusted and beloved general, also in charge of the city garrison. It was reasonable to summon him. However, calling for Wang Bin carried a more profound intention. Despite being a legitimate son, Wang Bin was highly valued by his father. After Wang Jun left Ji City, the personal guards left behind were all under Wang Bin’s command.
On an ordinary day, this arrangement would be appropriate. But what if Wang Jun had died? His legitimate son, Wang Zou, was only seven years old and could hardly compete with the influence under Wang Bin. Upon hearing news of his father’s death, Wang Bin might harbor aspirations for seizing power, jeopardizing the matter of succession. It was necessary to bring him over quickly, stabilize the soldiers under him, and wait for the Grand General to return to Ji City.
No wonder they sent four to five hundred people just to deliver a message; Jiang Changshi had thought it through!
Liu Sima couldn’t help but whisper, “Be ready to act accordingly later. If anything goes wrong, young Lord Zou is in the West Pavilion. Go there immediately to protect him!”
The officer didn’t say much, simply nodded decisively, and, with a dozen soldiers behind him, withdrew to the side. However, before Liu Sima could figure out how to handle the situation, someone outside reported, “Lord Bin requests an audience.”
So fast! Liu Sima knew something was amiss and quickly got up to greet him. “Lord Bin…”
Wang Bin had no interest in pleasantries and said decisively, “I heard there’s news from Fanyang? How is the situation with the forward camp?”
Having heard about someone entering the city with his father’s military token, how could he sit still? He rushed over to find out the truth.
“Well, the forward camp was ambushed, and the main camp soldiers are in disarray, currently regrouping…” Liu Sima didn’t reveal everything, attempting to first stabilize him until General Pu arrived.
However, Wang Bin was not fooled. “Where is the messenger? Bring him to me!”
“Lord Bin, have you remembered me?” someone behind him asked, but it wasn’t the previous officer.
Wang Bin looked at the person speaking and suddenly furrowed his brow. “You… you are…”
He seemed to recall something, but before he could speak, the person had already taken a step forward. The long knife in his hand gleamed and stabbed into Liu Sima’s back. Without any defense, Liu Sima’s eyes widened, limbs trembled uncontrollably, and his breath ceased.
This sudden attack was too abrupt. Not to mention Wang Bin, even his personal guards by his side didn’t react in time. But while they were caught off guard, someone took action. A dozen messengers simultaneously raised their knives and rushed toward Wang Bin and his guards. One side was prepared, the other caught off guard. In an instant, Wang Bin’s guards were killed cleanly, and he himself had his hands bound and was thrown in front of Liu Sima’s killer.
“You are that General Yi!” Wang Bin finally realized, a mix of shock and anger in his voice, shouting loudly.
He had seen Yiyan before. When he met Liang Zixi, Yiyan was by his side. Although the two had not exchanged a single word, this young man had a distinctive appearance, how could he not recognize him?
How did this General Yi arrive in Ji City? Wasn’t his father planning to win him over, even considering a marriage alliance? Wait, he killed Liu Sima and even had his father’s token, could it be… Wang Bin wasn’t foolish; in an instant, he understood the underlying connections and his face turned pale.
Yiyan didn’t immediately respond. His gray-blue icy eyes swept over him, and he suddenly asked, “May I ask where the two young lords, Wang Zou and Wang Yei, are?”
His voice was neither loud nor soft, and his tone wasn’t particularly intense. Wang Bin, inflamed with anger, retorted, “You bandit! Don’t even think about getting any information from me…”
He didn’t finish his words, and the icy blade had already descended. Wang Bing felt a sharp pain in his ears, and thick blood splattered out. His ear had been severed by Yiyan!
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Wang Bin had never experienced such torment before and screamed in agony.
Yiyan lifted the blade and pinned it on his nose. “Nose, eyes, ears, lips, limbs, please choose your words carefully, Young Lord Bin. You don’t have many chances to answer correctly.”
Was it necessary to cut something every time he spoke nonsense? Wang Bin’s teeth chattered, “In the rear courtyard, in the west wing of the rear courtyard! Both of them are there!”
Father’s two legitimate sons weren’t enough to make him pay such a price.
This answer was no different from what Liu Sima said. Yiyan signaled to the soldiers around him with a glance, and about a hundred men immediately formed a formation, rushing towards the rear courtyard.
Turning his head back, Yiyan asked again, “Where are the other brothers of Young Lord Bin? Where do they reside?”
Wang Bin, now fully aware of the situation, realized that this General might want to eliminate all his brothers, leaving no one to inherit the father’s authority. However, how many soldiers did he bring? These four to five hundred men, were they enough for several assignments?
Without hesitation, Wang Bin immediately replied, “My three elder brothers all live in the Wang Mansion in the west of the city. Another younger brother is working in the office of the provincial governor.”
Splitting the troops! Just now, Liu Sima also invited General Pu, and he would arrive soon with his soldiers. Wouldn’t that be enough to save his life?
Hope flickered in Wang Bin’s eyes. At this moment, he couldn’t provoke the other side; he just needed to buy some time. As long as he could delay for a while, there might be a chance to escape!
However, this time, Yiyan did not take action. The outside started to become noisy as if a confrontation was underway. The General’s Mansion had guards, and even if they were momentarily caught off guard, it wouldn’t take too long for them to react.
Yiyan paid no attention to the noise outside. His long sword in hand sank and pressed against the other’s shoulder. “The order to poison Lord, was it your command?”
Wang Bin was stunned. Before he could answer, the sword swung down. The intense pain struck again, and he fell to the ground with a gaping mouth. A large piece of flesh from his shoulder was shaved off, exposing the bone! That was much more painful than losing an ear!
Wang Bin was truly afraid. He realized a crucial problem. During the meeting with Liang Zixi, he was the one present. What if this General blamed him for the crime? Would he really spare his life?
Perhaps before he could find the answer, the sword’s edge unexpectedly reversed once again, pointing at Wang Bin’s leg. “I wonder how many cuts it will take to torture you to death.”
“It’s Zhang Dian! It was Zhang Dian who poisoned Liang Zixi! I truly did not know of it. It’s all that scoundrel’s fault! He coveted Wang Family’s Seventh Miss, and that’s why he acted ruthlessly!” Wang Bin howled. If he had to be tortured slowly, he would rather die quickly now! It was Zhang Dian who did it! It wasn’t him!
Yiyan’s eyes grew colder, icy as frost. “Where is Zhang Dian?”
“I don’t know! When I wanted to kill him, he had already escaped! It’s said that he went to the Xiongnu Han Nation! I really don’t know… Please, spare me. I’m willing to be a hostage and ensure your safe passage out of the city!” Wang Bin’s lower body showed signs of dampness. He didn’t want to die, truly didn’t want to! Even if he lost his status as an illegitimate son of the Wang family, and all that he possessed now, he wanted to survive, to beg for his life!
Looking at the man on the ground pleading desperately, Yiyan gripped the sword even tighter. His lord was harmed by such a despicable person. Such a detestable creature! Before heading to Ji City, he had determined to find this individual and subject him to a thousand cuts! Little did he expect it to be so effortless. As long as he killed this man, what did the other bastards amount to?
Unfortunately, his time was running out.
The long sword thrust forward, piercing the man’s chest. Yiyan watched as the face, covered in blood, struggled and contorted, gradually losing its breath. Zhang Dian, he remembered.
“General, Wang’s brat has been killed, and seven or eight guards in the mansion have also been dealt with!” A bloodied guard rushed in.
Yiyan withdrew the sword, giving it a light shake to cast off the blood. “Set fire! Redirect the attack to the Intendant’s Residence!”
The Wang Mansion was too far from the General’s Mansion. It was better to break into the Intendant’s Residence first, kill the Intendant and officials, set fire to the granary, and escalate the chaos. The fire in the east granary should have started by now, leaving little time…
When General Pu and his troops arrived, the General’s Mansion was already ablaze. His face turned pale, and he shouted, “Quick! Hurry, people put out the fire!”
In the mansion lived the legitimate wife of the Great General and their legitimate sons. If they lost their lives, how would he explain to the Great General?
However, before the soldiers could charge in, another person rushed in disarray to report, “General! The Intendant’s Residence is on fire too! It’s said that the band of thieves rushed out of the Intendant’s Residence and headed west!”
General Pu’s figure swayed, and he shouted loudly, “Split the troops! Quickly, split the troops to intercept them! Guard the city gates for me; we cannot let this group of thieves escape!”
Did they not want to live? Breaking into the General’s Mansion, and the Intendant’s Residence, setting fire to the granary and creating a large fire in the east of the city. How many people were there in this group of bandits that they dared to act so recklessly?! He couldn’t let these bandits go! It was necessary to let them leave with their lives!
However, at this moment, a fierce battle had already begun at the city gates. With reinforcements inside and a strong army outside, how could these unprepared guards resist? In an instant, the city gates changed hands!
Liu Gong wiped away the blood on his face. “Where’s the general?”
“The general went to set the fire, said he would come after burning down the Wang Mansion.” A tired soldier gasped and replied.
This had escalated too much. Liu Gong looked at the black smoke rising all over the city, feeling both admiration and relief. This thunderous strike almost caught him off guard, let alone the enemies. He wondered when the garrison troops in the city could react. They had to seize the time and leave quickly. Their forces couldn’t afford any delays.
“Guard the city gates. Check if there are any horses in the enemy camp. If there are, bring them all!”
To reach Ji City without stopping, they had traveled day and night. The horses had consumed too much energy. Without changing horses, they might not make it through the escape. However, the number of horses they could find now was extremely limited—every horse counted.
The soldiers below acted swiftly. Liu Gong anxiously stood by the city gates, waiting for the return of that person. In less than fifteen minutes, about three hundred riders came rushing along the main road.
“The General succeeded!” Liu Gong shouted loudly.
From a distance, they could see their own camp. Yiyan raised his voice, “Withdraw!”
Without any hesitation, everyone mounted their horses. Shrouded in blood and smoke, they resembled a dark cloud sweeping through the city gates, rushing back along the same path they came!
