Xie Ming

Chapter 846 Brothers in Misfortune

The Imperial Guards stood in the front row with shields, while the rear flanks held blades and seized every opportunity to kill. The iron formation was like a clenched fist, smashing in inch by inch.

With each step forward, more corpses were left on the ground.

Once the blood-stained threshold is crossed, the palace's garrison defenses, though gritting their teeth, are no match for them.

They rushed through the ceremonial gate, the living stepping on the dead, their boots making a clattering sound in the pool of blood.

In the midst of another chaotic battle, Liao Geng, who was at the back of the formation wielding a sword, remained agitated and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Charge! Charge in!"

"Slay the traitor Xiao and uphold justice on behalf of Heaven!"

Using the faint light from the two rockets flying back and forth, in the dim light of the night, Xiao Yu finally spotted the figure of this scoundrel at the other end of the battle formation. His eyes widened, and he frantically searched his mind.

This young man is a disciple of Ni Yuanlu. He and I had a long-standing feud since he came to this place last year, before Ni Yuanlu took up his post elsewhere.

In the past, considering that he was grateful and law-abiding, Xiao had been quite tolerant of him whenever there were disagreements during public discussions of court affairs.

But unexpectedly, it was he who came to carry out these treacherous schemes today, plotting this assassination behind the scenes.

Thinking about it now, I truly regret letting him go back then.

Gritting his teeth in disgust, Xiao Jingchuan, in order to stall for time, decided to speak up immediately and confront the person directly.

"Liao Gengshen, you traitorous traitor!"

"So it was you who was causing trouble."

He then turned to face the Imperial Guards who had stormed the mansion.

"I am Xiao Jingchuan, Duke of Jingguo, who was personally appointed by the late Emperor as the Grand Commander of the Army and the current Grand Secretary."

Where is Qin Jing?

"Where is your Qin Du Hall?!"

“An army guarding the imperial city was secretly mobilized to carry out this rebellious act on behalf of Liao Fangeng.”

"Do you intend to sever yourselves from the court and from His Majesty?"

"Such behavior is tantamount to treason!"

Xiao Lang's strategy was to win hearts and minds; his words, spoken in a booming voice, were truly remarkable.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers at the forefront of the Imperial Guard clearly hesitated, and the fierce fighting abruptly stopped.

The swordsmen and shieldmen stopped, and the two groups faced off briefly, separated by a pile of corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

The scene suddenly fell into a deathly silence, with only the crackling of the fire, the scraping of armor, and the incessant sound of dripping blood.

A biting wind rushed through the breached door to the front lines, carrying the stench of blood mixed with rust. As it blew, a sticky red mist covered everyone's faces.

"Hey!" Suddenly, Liao Geng broke the deadlock.

"Generals, do not listen to this traitor's incitement; buy time."

"I am carrying out a secret edict from the Empress Dowager, and Commander Mei is also on orders to supervise the battle from the outside. How dare we stop!"

"Kill! Slay this traitor! Kill him!"

Liao Gengshen talked to himself hysterically, and his behavior towards others became increasingly frantic.

Seeing this, Xiao was still thinking of finding another excuse to stall for time.

Yes, without waiting for him to speak again.

Suddenly, Bai Jiu'er's team, which had just been dispatched to flank the rear, arrived at the corner gate of the front hall and charged out from behind without anyone knowing what was happening.

Now that's settled. These Imperial Guards soldiers, who had already begun to waver, felt cheated when their escape route was blocked. They all grabbed their swords and started fighting again.

The two sides were locked in a fierce battle, and Xiao gritted his teeth in despair, truly at a loss for what to do.

After hurling a few curses, he had no choice but to raise his sword again and hold it aloft.

On a snowy night at year's end, the watchtower stands perilous; at midnight, the cold light shatters even the iron armor.

A hidden arrow pierces the corridor, startling the roosting magpie; short weapons clash in the alley, splashing with frost-like force.

The lone army, though its banner stands still as the sun sets, is too battered to bear the weight of its broken armor.

If the general can survive even a breath, he will surely break through the encirclement at dawn.

Meanwhile, there.

In this small city of Hangzhou, besides the Duke of Jingguo's residence, there was actually another fire breaking out in the eastern part of the city.

They suffered this undeserved calamity of war.

If you dare ask, who is it?

There is no other one but Qiu Zhizhong, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, also known as Qiu Feiyu.

Tonight's snow, just past midnight, was short-lived, with only a few flakes falling to the ground.

By this time, close to midnight, the entire city of Hangzhou was already covered in light snow and mud.

Zhi Zhong, the man, was sleeping peacefully in his small house late at night.

Nothing happened the night before. Suddenly, at the third watch of the night, I was jolted awake from a nightmare and got up in a cold sweat.

After calming himself down, he sensed a commotion outside and decided to push open the door to investigate.

Because of a sudden, inexplicable panic, I didn't even have time to slip on my shoes.

The moment his soles touched the brick floor, the bone-chilling cold sent a shiver down his spine.

Although only in his early twenties, the hardships he has endured both internal and external in the past two years have left him looking much thinner and weaker than before.

creak-

He carefully opened the door a crack and peeked out; this cautious manner was something he was already used to.

Without further hesitation, a strange noise suddenly came from the outer courtyard.

The footsteps were not those of an ordinary night watchman; rather, they were the sound of metal striking stone slabs, accompanied by a restless and hurried noise.

Just as the sound of the bowstring being drawn was about to be heard, the bow was pulled back.

This voice was all too familiar to Zhizhong, who had followed Xiao Jun all the way south and was a regular in the army.

Upon hearing this, I felt a sudden "buzz" in my head.

Before he could react with any significant progress, several hidden arrows were already launched and pierced through the door.

Soon after, the doors and windows were damaged, with scraps of paper flying everywhere from the window frames, and the house gradually became a mess.

Qiu Zhizhong ducked down and dodged quickly. He was quick-witted and knew something bad was about to happen. He crawled on the ground and reached for the sword hilt by the bedside.

Although he doesn't often get involved in fighting, his martial arts skills are rather mediocre.

However, having another sword in hand is better than surrendering without resistance.

Moreover, this was not the first time he had received such courtesy.

Not long ago, when Xiao Jun breached the city, he was also affected, as Generals Liu Hou and Gong Yonggu had been imprisoned.

However, judging from the current situation, this time it may be even more difficult than before.

"Young Master, Young Master..."

"Ouch."

Just as Zhizhong gripped the sword hilt, his thumb pressed against the guard, his knuckles turning white, he frantically searched for a way to deal with the situation.

Suddenly, through a gap in the hail of arrows, along the base of the wall, the family's steward, Qiu Fu, rushed in headfirst through the door, risking his life.

"Uncle Fu, watch out!"

He stumbled headfirst into the body, and when Zhizhong looked over, he was truly startled.

Knowing that the arrows from outside haven't stopped flying, why would a sixty-year-old official like him come to join in the fun at this critical juncture?

There was no other way. Zhizhong was quick-witted and nimble-fingered. Just before the hidden arrow from outside could strike, he managed to drag the person to the side of the window with great effort.

"Quick, run! There are thieves and assassins in the mansion!"

"It'll be too late if we're any later."

Qiu Futong and Yu Zhizhong were originally from the same clan.

Once the generational order is calculated, one must still address him as Second Uncle.

Only Qiu Fu's branch of the family was in decline; the farmers had only worked as laborers at the farm in the south for many years.

After all, who doesn't have a few poor relatives?

Recently, as Qiu Zhizhong has gained a foothold in the court, the elders of the clan sent a letter to Qiu Fulai, entrusting him with the household affairs. They considered him a person they knew well and who was willing to work diligently.

So for the past month or so, Qiu has entrusted all the household affairs in this small house to Uncle Fu.

Tonight is dangerous, and I'm used to facing this terrifying situation alone.

Suddenly, Qiu Fu barged in, disregarding his own safety, to deliver a warning.

To be honest, it did bring a warm feeling to my heart.

However, in urgent situations, one must act expediently, and at such a critical juncture, he didn't have the time to be polite with Qiu Fu.

"What exactly happened?" Zhizhong asked urgently.

Uncle Fu was so flustered that he was trembling, but he still managed to tell the whole story.

"I don't know. I just heard the sound of gun barrels being fired somewhere in the city a few days ago."

“When we farmers go hunting, I know what that sound is like.”

"I'm a light sleeper."

"I had just gotten dressed and was thinking of taking a closer look outside when I bumped into someone in our courtyard."

"Erwazi came out and shouted a few words, but he was already no match for his opponent and died."

"Quick, run to the back!"

"There are bad guys around, young master, you'd better hide quickly."

"Hey, don't worry about me, get out of the way!" (End of Chapter)