Chapter 926
: Prince Zhongshun 2
Chapter 926: The Second Prince of Zhongshun
"Brother, something is wrong. We have been walking for so long and we haven't seen any trace of the hunting palace, let alone a single house. Third brother, did you remember the wrong place? Is this the right direction?"
In a dense forest in the Anyang Mountains, the Taiping Cult members were walking in the dark. A burning light was still faintly visible behind them. The one called "Big Brother" was Liang Xiangzhu, who was under the command of the Left Protector. He was considered an old man who followed Master Zhou.
The road ahead was getting narrower and narrower, as if it had reached the end. How could there be a way out?
"Why are you in such a hurry? We are on the right path. Look at the peaks on both sides, one high and one low. This is how it looks like in my memory. At that time, I was in a panic and walked here by mistake. Although it is at the bottom of the cliff, there is more than one way out. There will be a cave in front. Climb up and you will reach Prince Zhou's palace."
After grumbling a few words, the sturdy man called Lao San walked up quickly, scratched the ground a few times, and looked at something. After standing up, he nodded to the few people.
"Brother, that's right, it's here. We're ready to wait until we get out of the bottom of the cliff. Above is the east side of the palace. There is a corner gate there, and the guards are at the entrance of the camp."
Boss Liang said nothing. He took two people with him and walked forward, feeling the shadows of the cliff bottom. However, there was a cave in front of him. To be on the safe side, he sent someone to explore the way first.
"You two, go in and take a look. If it is an exit, be careful not to go out and come back to report."
"Yes, Master Xiang."
The two Taiping sect members nodded, took out their swords, and entered the cave one after the other. They disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The people behind him wanted to follow, but were stopped by Boss Liang.
"Be steady, explore the way first. It's not that I don't trust you, but you haven't been back for so long, and we don't know if the patrol officers have changed their positions. So many brothers died tonight, so it's better to be careful."
Although he was speaking to everyone, he was also explaining to the third brother that brotherhood should not be lost for the sake of small matters.
"Brother, you are right. I haven't been back for so long, and I really don't know how the other side's sentry is arranged. If we really want to go over, we need to be careful."
The third brother was not an ungrateful person. He had lost his life because of his recklessness. The army had 10,000 soldiers, but now there were less than 4,000 soldiers. It was a life-and-death situation. He could only flee as a commoner. But how could he give up the great cause of the Holy Religion?
It was quiet, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the cave entrance.
After waiting for a while,
Seeing some movement at the cave entrance, the two people who had just left came back at the same time, covered in dust and coughing twice.
The two of them were filled with joy and replied;
"Master Xiang, we are on the right path. There is a hunting palace just a hundred feet ahead, and the entrance is extremely hidden. It is behind the hillside. My brothers and I took a quick look and found that there are not many guards."
Hearing that there really was a hunting palace, the people around were delighted. There was a way out. Boss Liang no longer hesitated and immediately turned back to report to Master Zhou.
At this time, Zhou Xiu, with his army, followed the pathfinders in front. The distance was not far, and they had walked for an hour. After a night of panic, they might be a little tired, but at this critical moment, they could only cheer up.
"Master, good news. The narrow road ahead is a secret passage. After entering the cave and climbing up, a hunting fence about three hundred feet away is a palace. The news is correct."
Boss Liang spoke in a steady voice. The information he had obtained could not be wrong. Zhou Xiu knew this. After all, he was an old man who had followed him. He knew the situation well. Since he said so, it must be correct. A fierce look flashed across his face. If he could not capture the city, then he could rob the precious land of Anhu. He just had to avoid the soldiers. Thinking of this, he looked at the exhausted brothers around him and gave them instructions.
"My fellow brothers, we have found the way. Tonight, we will seek revenge on the imperial court. Ahead is the hunting palace. I think there are a lot of things inside. Whether we can survive depends on tonight."
"Don't worry, Master. If we can't get out, we'll die anyway. We might as well fight them."
"Yes, let's fight. We are brothers in the sect, so why should we be afraid of fighting?"
"Master, the brothers will lead the charge, just watch."
The Taiping sect members around, the incense masters, the altar masters, and the flag masters all volunteered to fight. If they didn't fight for their lives now, when would they wait?
Zhou Xiu nodded secretly. The morale was strong enough for a fight. There was no need to wait any longer. He looked at his trusted confidant, Boss Liang, who was silent in front of him. For the first battle, he had to start in the dark.
"Okay, let's do it. You, Boss Liang, will be the first to lead the charge. Bring along the best fighters in the sect and sneak in under the cover of darkness to eliminate the guards. Try not to be discovered."
"Yes, Master, I will be careful."
Boss Liang agreed with a firm look on his face, clasped his fists and turned to leave. Seeing this, Zhou Xiu immediately ordered;
"Quickly organize your troops and wait for Lao Liang to lead his men out. You will follow behind and wait to eliminate the guards. Then rush in immediately and kill any soldiers you see. Leave the women behind. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master, we will win this battle,"
Gloomy voices rang out, and thinking of the brothers who were burned to death, everyone's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and they would seek revenge on the court.
Then there was a series of hissing sounds coming from the secret passage of the cave. The people of the Taiping Sect had quietly come out of the cave. The leader was Liang Xiangzhu, followed by his brothers. After they came out, they lay down behind a slope and observed the camp.
"Third brother, count how many sentries there are."
It was dark at night and visibility was poor. Among the people here, only the third brother had sharp eyesight, so Liang Xiangzhu didn't waste any time and directly asked the third brother to find a high place to explore. Although there was a fire in the palace in the distance, it was too far away to see clearly.
"Don't worry, big brother. Those idiots can only bully the people. What can they do? I will go check it out and then rush in to vent my anger."
"Be careful,"
"Brother, I'm going."
The third brother responded with a gloomy face, and quickly crawled forward. He was still walking on the grass, so naturally no movement could be seen. Liang Xiangzhu waved his hand, and his followers who were lying behind him followed the place where the third brother crawled, carefully following behind him. Seeing that three hundred feet was too far, they were about to get close.
suddenly,
On the quiet official road in the east, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came. Liang was startled and whispered quickly,
"Don't move, the cavalry is coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, a shadow was vaguely seen coming from the northeast, raising a cloud of dust. A group of cavalrymen, escorting a carriage, hurried over. The guards of the hunting palace immediately gathered, carrying chevaux de frise, and stood guard at the gate of the camp.
This commotion,
Their actions stopped, watching the cooked duck about to fly out of their mouths. Liang Xiangzhu was still able to keep his composure, but his men were anxious and ready to move. As more and more Taiping sect members came out of the secret passage, the third brother gritted his teeth and whispered fiercely;
"Brother, how about we take action now and let the brothers behind catch up and kill them by surprise?"
"No, the cavalrymen coming are all heavily armored, and the carriage they are protecting seems to belong to the palace. I think they have encountered something. Let's wait until they enter the camp and settle down before sneaking in. If we act now, not only will the brothers suffer great losses, but if those horsemen escape, how can we catch up with them?"
Liang Xiangzhu's low voice suppressed everyone and made them dare not move, especially the third one in front. He glared at him fiercely, making him dare not move.
"Oh, what a great opportunity,"
"Don't talk. Wait for the hall master's order. Didn't you see that there was no movement on the gentle slope behind?"
Seeing that the third brother was still unconvinced, Liang Xiangzhu had to grab his arm and pointed to the gentle slope behind him. Sure enough, the third brother looked back and saw that there were people on guard on the gentle slope just now, but now there was nothing to see, which meant that the hall master would not take action for the time being.
While hesitating,
The cavalry team was approaching, and the horses slowed down and slowly approached the camp gate. They had no choice but to lower their heads and lie on the ground. After the gentle slope,
The people of the Taiping Sect came out slowly and hid at the back. Zhou Xiu had already noticed the changes ahead and the strange convoy coming up the official road, so he lowered his body and
"Brothers, please be careful and wait and see."
"Yes, Master, look, the person opposite has gotten off the carriage."
Several people were startled and looked up. As the carriage at the camp gate stopped, a man got out of the carriage. He was very outstanding, and his white clothes were very conspicuous under the light of the fire.
"Master, that's not right. The person who came here is obviously a noble from the capital. He came here at night. Do you think it could be the prince of the Zhongshun Palace who came here?"
The incense master beside him made suspicious guesses, and finally took another look. The more he looked, the more it resembled her. In the past, he had come to the capital with Master Chu and met many nobles. There was no doubt about her temperament.
"Oh, the prince of King Chungsun, coming here so late at night is quite interesting. No matter what they are here for, we should seize the opportunity and rush in to have a look. Now the guards are out, so we can't be reckless."
There was a thoughtful look in Zhou Xiu's eyes. Now that it was a life-and-death moment, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot!
"call"
Three hundred feet away, the carriage stopped, and then a sound of footsteps came from the camp. It was the guards in the hunting palace, and they hadn't arrived yet.
There was a curse coming out.
"What's going on? Why are people coming so slowly?"
Following the voice, the person who got off the carriage was none other than Zhou Huaijin, the son of the Zhongshun Palace. He was the second son of the Zhongshun Palace and the biggest rival of the Crown Prince Zhou Yunzhen, making his position as the Crown Prince uneasy. Many of the palace's retainers were inclined towards him. Unfortunately, he missed the position of the Crown Prince just because he was not the eldest son.
How could Zhou Huaijin be convinced?
He recruited many Jianghu disciples and candidates who failed the exam and made them his staff. He came here today to fulfill an important event.
"My Lord, I think we were delayed on the way. The item we are delivering this time is extremely important, so safety is our top priority, so we must be cautious."
Behind him was a man dressed as a martial artist, who lowered his head and explained. He had a simple and honest face, but was very strong. He had a unique hidden weapon, a flying knife, wrapped around his waist. It was obvious that he was also a martial artist.
Zhou Huaijin's attitude softened when he heard the explanation from his master, Sun Daiyun, the leader of the Feidao Sect. However, he still looked impatient. He was unhappy that he had to go out so late. It would be difficult to go back once he left the city gate. He also had to spend the night in this cold palace.
"Master, it stands to reason that people in the martial arts world should know the importance of the agreed time. If it is delayed for too long and not notified in advance, how can the contact person wait here calmly? If it turns out to be troublesome, Master, it will be really troublesome. There are many secret agents watching my brother."
Young Master Zhou had a look of alertness in his eyes. He had hardly seen his elder brother in the palace these days, and he didn't know what he was doing. He took this opportunity. Word had spread in the palace that the whole country would celebrate the 60th birthday of the retired emperor. At that time, many ministers and clan members would present gifts. He also wanted to keep a backup plan. His goal was to make a splash with this gift. If he could win the first prize, there would be many benefits.
But the difficulty lies in this gift. The palace has everything. Even the rare treasures in the world are mostly in the palace treasure pavilion.
Therefore,
The gift had to be unique. The emperor practiced Taoism, almost obsessively, and everyone knew it. The so-called Taoism was nothing more than self-cultivation and longevity. Others didn't know how to give gifts, so he came up with a reason. The gift had to be about practicing Taoism.
People in the inner city, even if they are not from the martial arts world, know that the world's Taoist sects respect Longhu Mountain and Wudang Mountain, and they are called the Taishan Beidou of the famous and upright sects along with Jing'an Temple and Jinshan Temple of Buddhism. Finally, his mind was set on Longhu Mountain. Fortunately, his father had some friendship with Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain in his early years. According to the master's words, he gave many benefits and obtained the Taoist secret book of nourishing qi. He also collected and prepared a 200-year-old purple ginseng for tonight's transaction. However, the time of the exchange was set here, which was incredible.
"Don't worry, sir. Since Longhu Mountain has agreed to this matter, it will definitely be delivered. It is arranged here to avoid the eyes of the prince. It is not easy to contact those famous sects in the palace in the city."
Although Sun Daiyun tried to comfort him, he couldn't help but feel suspicious. This was a long-standing rule, and as the leader of the underworld, how could Longhushan not know about it? Could it be that something happened on the way? According to the skills of those experienced people in Longhushan, even if he was alone, he would have arrived long ago. This shouldn't be the case.
"Hmph, let's wait a little longer. Where's General Sun?"
The second young master shouted impatiently towards the camp gate. At the heavily guarded camp gate, a fat guard with wrinkled clothes ran over, bowed and said;
"Sun Ping, the guard of the hunting palace, greets the Second Young Master. I am sorry that I have not entertained you well. Please forgive me, Second Young Master."
After he finished speaking, perhaps because he bent down too quickly, the helmet on his head suddenly tilted, fell forward, and got stuck on his eyes. This time, not to mention the people around him, even Sun Ping was startled. He quickly reached out to straighten the helmet with a flattering smile on his face. It was really embarrassing.
The second son Zhou Huaijin's face darkened, and he was about to curse, but the Jiang Sect Master beside him pulled his sleeve and leaned over to whisper;
"Sir, this person is from your mother's family, and is considered one of ours. He has always been loyal to you. Don't worry about these trivial matters."
Zhou Huaijin swallowed the breath that had just reached his lips. He had never been out of the capital and didn't know much about external affairs, but he also knew that he needed to win over his subordinates, especially his eldest brother, who had already firmly established himself as the crown prince. If he didn't think of a way out, what would be his future?
"General Sun has worked hard and has been able to perform his duties conscientiously. It's so late, I'm sorry to bother you, General."
The words sounded nice, and although he still felt a little disgusted in his heart, there was still a slight smile on his face, which made people feel like spring breeze. Sun Ping felt relieved and quickly stepped back and made a gesture of invitation.
"Second Young Master, the night wind is cold, please go to the big tent to rest. There are hot wine and hot dishes, as well as the best venison, which has been stewed in the pot inside. If you don't mind, you can taste some."
Sun Ping was not a brainless person. He had just fallen asleep in the big tent. Who knew that the Second Young Master would come so late? Fortunately, he had hunted a deer today. After washing it, he had been stewing it in the pot, just waiting for the Second Young Master to come and enjoy it.
Seeing the servile General Sun, the second son Zhou Huaijin felt much more relaxed. He looked out on the official road and saw no one. It was obvious that those Taoist priests had not kept their promise. He nodded angrily and walked over.
"Master Jiang, let's go in and rest. Deputy General Ming, you should also take the brothers in and have something to eat and warm up."
"Thank you, sir."
A loud noise was heard, and the people at the camp gate surrounded the Second Young Master and brought him into the camp, praising him in a cacophony of voices and clamoring for some maids to come in and make some fun. The guards at the camp gate withdrew back into the camp and disappeared without a trace.
And outside,
The wilderness was still quiet, and no one could see what was happening outside. Boss Liang lay on the ground, slowly retreated back to the hillside, and then found Master Zhou to ask,
"Master, there are quite a few people coming, about a hundred heavy-armored cavalrymen. Looking at the garrison in the camp, there are about three hundred, or close to five hundred. If we want to get in, we must catch them off guard. However, those heavy-armored cavalrymen are not easy to deal with."
"Don't worry. Climb in from the east wall and take care of the people at the camp gate. Then sneak in and kill the guards first. Just scare the cavalry soldiers and let them leave. Once we have found some supplies, we can retreat to the bottom of the cliff. Bring some tents with you. This is a good place to hide."
Zhou Xiu thought of a hiding place in an instant. Although the cave entrance behind him was narrow, it was full of secrets and was a good place to escape. He only needed to cover the entrance so that ordinary people could not find it. After he did what he did today, don't blame him for being cruel!
"Yes, Master, there will be no trouble among us brothers. Please wait for good news."
Boss Liang nodded, stood up and looked outside. It was still calm. Then he bent down and walked out of the gentle slope. Following the shadow of the tree, he moved over, climbed to the position of the third brother, and pulled up a few people from the ground.
"Let's go to the east wall, climb over it, and then start from the camp gate."
"yes, Sir!"
A dozen skilled fighters crouched low, then quickly went around to the front and stood in the corner under the east wall. Looking at the height of the wall, they realized that one person could not climb up.
The few people looked at each other, supported the wall with their hands, and one of them joined hands to serve as the base, while the other one jumped onto the palms of the few people, leaped quickly, climbed over the wall, looked around and saw that there was no one in the yard, then waved down. The people below saw the gesture, and followed suit one after another, climbed over the wall, and immediately found a shade under the trees to hide.
In a moment, more than a dozen skilled swordsmen descended from the wall and hid in the shade of the trees, waiting for the brothers to gather.
suddenly,
A light was lit in a tent not far away, and someone cursed,
"Damn it, you didn't even call me dad even though you were on duty!"
(End of this chapter)