Chapter 1 The Gathering Storm

The next day, early morning.

Jiang Chen sent Noble Consort Shu, who had kept him company all night, back to her palace. Afterwards, he went to court as usual to handle state affairs.

The atmosphere in the court was heavy with the sense of an approaching storm.

The rebellion in Xinyang City, the Emperor's decree summoning ministers back to the capital, and the shocking assassination attempt on the imperial envoy had made nearly ninety percent of the court officials aware of the dangerous atmosphere.

They tacitly chose to remain silent.

As a result, the usually noisy court meeting became unusually peaceful.

Jiang Chen was naturally happy to see this.

In such a dangerous time, he didn't have the extra energy to deal with those irrelevant officials.

After the court session, at the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Jiang Chen held the secret letter from the spy in his hand, a flash of joy in his eyes.

According to the letter, Yuan Buyi was now out of danger, but the knife wound on his back had not healed and he still needed to recuperate.

Jiang Chen could barely accept this result.

Although the price was a bit heavy, Yuan Buyi's life had been saved no matter what. As long as he received proper follow-up treatment, he should be able to return to his post soon.

Relieved of a worry, Jiang Chen put down the secret letter and turned to ask, "Feng Jin, how long before Xu Changqing reaches the imperial capital?"

Feng Jin pondered for a moment and respectfully said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, according to the scouts, General Xu should be able to enter the city by evening at a normal pace."

Upon hearing this, a hint of solemnity appeared between Jiang Chen's brows.

Although he hadn't dealt with Mei Wen Shi many times, the old fox's ruthless and decisive actions had left a deep impression on him.

He had a feeling that Xu Changqing's journey would not be smooth!

However, the best time to turn against them had not yet arrived, and even if he guessed that the Mei family would take action, he could only wait and see.

Apart from sending a few more teams of guards to welcome him, there was nothing else he could do!

The sun slanted westward, and the blazing sun began to set.

Jiang Chen, who had been sitting behind his desk all afternoon, felt a sense of anxiety rising in his heart.

He gripped the memorial in his hand and frowned, "Feng Jin, hasn't Xu Changqing entered the city yet? Where is he now? Send someone to find out!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Feng Jin accepted the order and winked at the little eunuch beside him.

Jiang Chen got up irritably and paced back and forth in the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Without Xu Changqing, the power he held was severely weakened.

Once Mei Wen Shi discovered that the account book was missing, given his personality, he would probably be driven to desperation and launch a rebellion directly!

At that time, the situation would really be difficult to control!

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen's expression changed, and he no longer hesitated.

He immediately shouted sternly, "Someone!"

At the same time.

On the Yubei Avenue, Xu Changqing was leading several elite troops, riding fast horses towards the imperial capital.

These troops, roughly estimated to number nearly ten thousand, were clad in iron armor and carried long sabers, truly brave and elite.

Suddenly, an unusual sound came from the woods on the right side of the road. The trees swayed, and it could be vaguely felt that something was approaching rapidly.

Xie Jin, who was imprisoned in the prison cart, was the first to notice the anomaly.

Years of leading troops had given him the intuition that the newcomers were ill-intentioned, and he warned loudly, "General Xu, be careful of the woods!"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, countless crossbow bolts shot out from among the trees like spider silk, covering the tens of thousands of elite soldiers.

'Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!'

'Puchi!'

'Ah!!!'

The sound of crossbow bolts piercing through the air, the muffled sound of flesh being pierced, and cries of pain rang out one after another on the official road.

Hundreds of horses in the army were hit.

Stimulated by the pain, these horses lost control, throwing off the soldiers on their backs and rushing around, disrupting the formation.

Xu Changqing guessed the vicious intentions of these enemies, gritted his teeth, and roared, "Everyone, listen to my command, do not act rashly!"

As he spoke, he raised a command flag representing defense, giving instructions to his subordinates.

'Clang, clang, clang!'

Xu Changqing's soldiers were very disciplined. Upon seeing the instructions, they immediately reacted, raising their shields to block the crossbow bolts.

Swoosh! Another few rounds of shooting.

However, even after the crossbow bolts were exhausted, the enemies hiding in the woods still did not show themselves.

Xu Changqing was well-versed in the art of war and instantly realized that the enemy was trying to delay, hoping to exhaust their strength and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

They couldn't be held back by these enemies!

Xu Changqing's heart skipped a beat, and he roared, "Everyone, don't get bogged down in fighting, break through immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, tens of thousands of soldiers immediately divided into several small teams and broke through from all directions.

This change immediately made the enemies in the woods unable to sit still.

A large number of strong men dressed in gray-green short coats rushed out of the woods, wielding repeating crossbows, wearing a layer of soft scale armor, and were very skilled.

Their combat power and discipline were no less than those of regular troops.

"Charge!"

Xu Changqing took the lead, beheading five people on the spot!

This example of leading from the front instantly boosted morale.

The soldiers who were fighting with the assassins were like they had taken a tonic, quickly suppressed the enemy, and killed a large number of assassins in a short time.

Blood splattered, staining the official road red, and countless pieces of flesh and broken limbs were crushed into the mud, mixed with gravel.

Just as the battle was coming to an end and Xu Changqing was about to announce victory, a large number of assassins appeared at the end of the official road.

They kept firing crossbow bolts, taking the opportunity to approach rapidly and launch close-range attacks.

The situation was instantly reversed!

At this time, Xu Changqing's armor had been stained red with blood, and he looked like a killing god returning from hell, full of baleful aura.

"These bastards are using so many death warriors as a sacrifice to delay my return to the capital… Could it be that they are planning another shocking conspiracy?"

"No, I must return to His Majesty's side as soon as possible!"

A fierce look flashed across Xu Changqing's face. After all, when he left, Jiang Chen had reminded him that there was a conspiracy.

He mustered his true qi and fought hard for a few more breaths, but still couldn't find a chance to break through.

Just as Xu Changqing was feeling anxious, his eyes suddenly swept over Xie Jin in the prison cart, and he immediately shouted, "Xie Jin, are you willing to atone for your crimes?"

Xie Jin's body trembled, and a light flashed in his bloodshot eyes as he roared, "This sinner is willing!"

The matter of Xinyang City involved treason. Although he was fortunate enough to avoid the death penalty, he could not escape other punishments.

Now that he had the opportunity to redeem himself, how could he not cherish it?

"Clang!"

Xu Changqing saw his excitement, immediately took out the key, and threw it towards Xie Jin's prison cart.

"His Majesty has ordered that this general must return to the imperial capital immediately!"

"I'll leave the assassins on this official road to you. First, help me cover my escape. After it's done, find a chance to enter the capital, understand?"

Xie Jin hooked the key with his finger and deftly unlocked the lock.

Then, he picked up a long saber from the ground, waved it a few times to confirm its condition, and then solemnly said, "Yes, General!"

After speaking, he couldn't wait to cut open the chains of the other prison carts and excitedly said, "Brothers, the opportunity to make up for our mistakes has come!"

"Hurry down and help General Xu break through!"

With the addition of Xie Jin and other elites, in the blink of an eye, the two sides switched positions.

These experienced and well-coordinated veterans took command of an army, providing cover from the side, and opened up the road back to the capital for Xu Changqing and others...