This was the liveliest Spring Festival Shanxi had seen in a long time.
The imperial court had finally gotten serious about bandit suppression. In the month leading up to and following the New Year, bandit lairs in every prefecture and county were uprooted, and not just one or two. The merchants rejoiced, thinking of the exorbitant protection fees they no longer had to pay, and wished they could deify Prince Rui.
They longed to thank him in person, but unfortunately, they never saw him.
Prince Rui was busy.
First, he was busy leading guerrilla raids. Then, when the Grand Canal Commander and imperial envoys arrived with troops, he began prosecuting corrupt Shanxi officials.
Collusion between officials and bandits, arms trafficking, treason.
Once these charges were proven, the crime warranted the extermination of nine generations of family.
Even ants cling to life, let alone these officials. The entire officialdom of Shanxi was in chaos, with two factions locked in a bitter struggle. Soon, Situ Yan’s side gained the upper hand. This day, under the cover of night, Situ Yan led over a hundred men to Jinzhong. Thanks to Ke Cheng and Cheng Beiyu, Taiyuan and Jinzhong had been the most peaceful. Half of the subordinate officials had already surrendered, and the other half had been suppressed.
Therefore, Situ Yan felt at ease as he entered the city. It wasn’t until his advisor came out to greet him and mention that Cheng Beiyu had warmed some wine and was waiting for him in the backyard that he sensed something was amiss.
Cheng Beiyu was a cautious man and rarely drank. Moreover, the entire Shanxi region was on high alert now, and Situ Yan’s head was fetching a million taels of silver on the black market.
He subtly engaged the advisor in conversation, then, catching him off guard, snapped his neck and shouted, "Run."
Alas, it was too late. The entire yamen was already surrounded.
Seeing the shadowy figures on the rooftops, the hundred-odd subordinates instinctively moved closer, attempting to shield Situ Yan in the center.
Situ Yan bellowed, "Why are you crowding around? Are you trying to make it easier for them to take us all at once? Scatter! Let as many escape as possible."
Mao Pengyi shouted even louder, "No, we must protect the boss."
"Protect my foot! You'll only be a burden to me." He kicked Mao Pengyi’s backside, using the momentum to flash out.
Just then, the figures on the rooftops began to draw their bows and nock arrows.
The men below swung their sabers to deflect the projectiles. Since they hadn't formed a tight circle, their blades had room to maneuver. Furthermore, most of the arrows were aimed at Situ Yan’s direction, so their pressure wasn't immense.
It seemed he was the sole target.
Situ Yan made a decisive move and turned to flee. Of the hundred men he had brought, only a few besides Mao Pengyi were capable of fighting. They were fine against disorganized mobs like bandits, but against the assassins of today, they were no match. In the very first volley, men were already falling. If they sacrificed themselves to protect him, he doubted many would survive. Kuai Shu Ge.
His only option was to use himself as bait and draw these assassins away.
Tsk, these imperial troops were useless. They couldn’t be relied on in a pinch. When he returned to the capital, he would put them through rigorous training. With such skills, how dare they call themselves soldiers?
Thanks to Cheng Beiyu, Situ Yan was somewhat familiar with the Jinzhong yamen. Relying on his qinggong and his saber, he dodged while simultaneously carving a path outwards.
With arrows flying everywhere, Situ Yan's footwork was exceptionally agile, and he even had time to glance back and yell at his men, "All of you, stay alive, or you won't get your severance pay."
This arrogant attitude provoked those behind him. From an unknown direction, a command rang out, "Switch to poisoned arrows."
Soon, the pursuing arrows changed. Under the moonlight, the arrowheads gleamed with a dark luster, clearly coated with potent poison. Situ Yan dared not be careless. While dodging, he swallowed several detoxification pills.
Made by Ji Jin, their efficacy was significant.
Even with potent poison that could kill at a single touch, they could alleviate the effects, preventing immediate death.
With Situ Yan's martial arts, shaking off his pursuers was easy. However, the men chasing him today were clearly exceptional. Even after he had fled the city, he couldn't significantly widen the distance between himself and his pursuers. And this prolonged sprint had brought him to his limit. He gauged his direction and headed towards Red Fire Mountain, a place he had personally scouted.
Half an hour later, the detoxification pills proved their worth.
Situ Yan cursed as he looked at the arrow shaft, still trembling, embedded in his calf.
Then, dragging his injured leg, he went to another cliff.
Red Fire Mountain's treacherous cliffs were vast. One side led to a narrow exit, and the other faced a river. Although the river was swift, escaping by this route offered a greater chance of survival than being caught by a group of experts.
The mountain wind howled. A solitary figure leaped from the cliff. After a long pause, a splash could be heard.
The group of black-clad assassins who arrived a moment later exchanged bewildered glances.
"Should we chase down the cliff to search? If he's not dead, we can finish him off."
"It's a river down there. By the time you get down, who knows where you'll be swept."
"So we just let him escape? What if he's not dead?"
"Let's go back first. The commanding officer will decide everything."
Meanwhile, Ouyang Wen was beside himself with rage: "Are you pigs? His Highness told you to save yourselves, and you actually ran off on your own?"
What kind of subordinates were these?
Mao Pengyi felt deeply ashamed, "Young Duke, we wanted to fight to the death to protect the boss, but you know his qinggong. None of us could keep up."
Ouyang Wen: "You'll be the death of me. What are you waiting for? Gather your men and go to the rescue!"