Chapter 428: Seeing the Poor Dagger (5k)
The bright winter sun seemed to dim at this moment.
Behind the execution platform, Zhao Duan squinted his eyes and clearly saw silhouettes suddenly standing on top of the buildings in the distance.
Bow and arrow.
With the sound of arrows piercing the air, the arrows shot towards the chests of the executioners standing in a row on the execution ground.
"Buzz——"
The arrow in mid-air suddenly hit an invisible "air wall" outside the execution ground, causing the space to ripple like water.
The arrows lost their kinetic energy and fell softly to the ground.
Sitting behind Zhao Duan, Gongshu Tianyuan, who was dozing with squinted eyes, slowly burned out a talisman on his fingertips and turned into ashes in his breath.
The little eyes sparkle!
"Rebel! Kill the traitor!" Luan Cheng came to his senses at this moment and stood up suddenly, his crimson official robe shaking as he shouted loudly.
His pupils were dilated, and he could clearly see that after the first round of arrow rain fell, a stream of Jianghu people flew down from the roofs of those buildings.
One by one, wearing bamboo hats and holding swords, they swooped down like hawks and went straight to Lu Zhengchun and others.
“Oops!!!”
Before the large group of officers and soldiers responsible for martial law took action, the sound of swords being unsheathed resounded throughout the surrounding area.
Zhang Han, the treasurer of Peony Hall, knelt down and jumped up, the seven-foot sword in his hand was shining brightly, and he shouted:
"Seal the execution platform!"
People have already moved towards those Jianghu people.
Vice General Yuan Ji and several strong men in the army also took action at the same time, killing several rebels in the air.
Hou Renmeng and other large groups of Jinyi reacted quickly and rushed onto the ring like evil wolves, surrounding Lu Zhengchun and other prisoners
——Although it is necessary to kill, beheading according to the law is one thing, and taking advantage of the chaos to stab someone is another.
"Wu Ling, do it!"
At the same time, among the crowd of onlookers who were in chaos due to the sudden battle, a bearded captain looked at Wu Ling beside him and whispered:
"The attention of the imperial eagle dog has been drawn away. You go and kidnap Alliance Leader Lu, and I will cover for you!"
Wu Ling glanced at Zhao Duan who was sitting on the high platform with some hesitation, feeling anxious in his heart.
He received the task of robbing the law field temporarily, so he had no time to react. He wanted to notify Zhao Duan, but he was stared at by the other masters of the rebel party beside him.
I don't know what to do at all.
"Wu Ling? What are you hesitating about?" The bearded helmsman clutched the dagger in his sleeve and suddenly stared at him with his shining eyes.
Wu Ling gritted his teeth and said bravely: "Okay!"
With his hands making a secret gesture, a shadow of a drama god suddenly appeared in his pupils. His clothes quickly turned into costumes, colorful, with a row of flags stuck behind his neck, and two long feathers hanging backwards from his head.
He grabbed his right hand behind him, and a flower gun shook out the red tassel.
"Rescue Leader Lu!"
"Kill the dog officer!"
"Eliminating harm for the people!"
at the same time.
In all directions among the crowd of onlookers, there were lurking members of the Kuangfu Society shouting slogans, pulling out weapons hidden in carrying poles, vegetable baskets, and cotton-padded clothes, and attacking the nearest officers and soldiers.
This premeditated raid immediately made the people more and more frightened. They screamed in panic and became chaotic.
The large number of officers and soldiers around them were unable to organize effective actions in the face of the crazy and chaotic people. They could only draw their swords out of their sheaths and yell loudly, asking the people to stay put and block everyone's escape route.
Haitang's beautiful eyes flashed, she stepped out with her long legs, touched her waist with her jade hands, and in an instant, a silver flying knife whizzed out.
"Poof!"
"Poof!"
"Poof!"
Three rebel members in the crowd had their necks cut off by flying knives in an instant. Their eyes widened, they covered their necks, and staggered to the ground.
"Quiet the chaos!" Haitang shouted, with flying knives surrounding him, and he attacked the crowd.
At the same time, a group of Jinyi followed her and left the ring to control the people in the world.
The execution ground was suddenly empty of defenses. A gust of cold wind blew by. Under the cover of the commotion created by the crowd, three figures jumped out from the crowd quietly and rushed towards the execution platform like the shadow of a poisonous snake.
The bearded man and another middle-aged woman were on the left and right. They seemed to be covering Wu Ling and attracting the attention of the remaining Jinyi. In fact, they were also sandwiching Wu Ling in the middle and alerting her to any unusual movements.
Wu Ling couldn't get Zhao Duan's order for a long time, so he could only shake his spear, and the sound of gongs and drums suddenly sounded in the air.
The flag flew out from behind his neck and transformed into clones, protecting his real body, tearing apart the defense of the Jinyi people, and smoothly rushed in front of Lu Zhengchun.
"Hurry! Hurry!" Lu Zhengchun shouted eagerly with hope in his eyes.
Wow...
A body of water suddenly appeared in front of him, forcibly blocking Wu Ling. The water was suspended out of thin air, like a river cut off in mid-air.
In the river, Ji Yue, who was dressed in red and had white eyes, was like a swimming fish, slowly blocking Wu Ling's front.
She raised a white finger and poked it gently.
"Bang!"
The flower gun handed over by Wu Ling was instantly covered with water vapor, condensed into frost, and then "clicked" and shattered into pieces.
A flower gun was frozen into pieces.
Those clones were also frozen and broken one by one, fell to the ground, and restored the appearance of the command flag.
Wu Ling's pupils narrowed, and her body was wrapped in a ball of water. The water condensed into a "cage" and imprisoned her inside.
"Ah!"
At the same time, a scimitar shot out from the diagonal stab and pierced the heart of the middle-aged woman. Lang Shiba turned his wrist with an expressionless expression.
The powerful Qi machine destroyed the woman's life like dry matter.
He drew out the blood-stained scimitar and dropped a corpse. He caught a glimpse of the murderous glint in the eyes of another bearded man, frowned slightly, and his figure flashed.
The scimitar passed by.
"Poof!"
"Poof!"
With two cuts, the two arms of the bearded helmsman were removed and fell to the ground. The dagger whirled with a clang and rolled under the execution platform.
Magistrate Luan's expression changed drastically in shock, and he almost retched.
Crush!
Wu Ling and the other three were already considered masters in the martial arts world, but when faced with the strangulation of two Worldly Realm warriors, they had no power to resist.
The smile on Lu Zhengchun's face suddenly froze, he looked at the scene blankly, and suddenly shouted:
"Where are the people? Where is Qi Yuchun? Where is Ren Kun? Why are there only trash like you?"
Zhao Du sat firmly on the high platform and frowned slightly, seeing that the riots around him were being quickly controlled.
Facing the well-prepared imperial troops, the rebel party that robbed the court was defeated extremely quickly.
"That's it? Gone?" Magistrate Luan finished retching, with a pale face and a confused expression:
"Zhuang Xiaocheng sent people to rob the execution ground, why did he send only so many? Doesn't he know that just these people can't accomplish anything?"
At this time, Haitang and Zhang Han also returned, sensing something was wrong.
Zhang Han suddenly walked a few steps to Wu Ling, who was trapped in a water cage, and to the bearded man whose arms were cut off and was trampled on the ground by Lang Shiba, whose body was stained red with blood.
He glanced at the two of them, put the seven-foot sword against the bearded neck, and said coldly:
"Say, where are the others? Don't tell me, Zhuang Xiaocheng only sent you people here."
The bearded man knew that he was about to die soon, but he laughed wildly:
"Hahaha... Do you, ahem, think... the Tutor will be fooled...? No... you have fallen into the trap... Your men are all here, and Fengcheng is empty... Haha..."
< br>
He was laughing and coughing up blood. Suddenly his eyes widened and he stared at Zhao Duan on the stage:
"The false emperor's lackey! Grandpa takes the first step! Waiting for you on the road to hell!"
After saying that, he sat up suddenly, took the initiative to wipe his neck on the seven-foot sword, and actually committed suicide!
In the water cage, Wu Ling was confused and had no idea what was going on. Only then did he realize that the action plan he knew was completely false.
"Zhao Shaobao, this..." Magistrate Luan was shocked and subconsciously looked at Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan sat calmly in his chair from beginning to end. Even now, he only frowned slightly, seeming to be thinking.
"I understand!"
Suddenly, Haitang, a little expert in solving crimes, exclaimed. Seeing everyone's attention being attracted, she looked solemn and said quickly:
"This is a feint attack! Zhuang Xiaocheng had no intention of rescuing Lu Zhengchun. We gathered our troops here and laid a trap. He knew that it would be difficult to attack by force, so he simply gave up and sent more troops to other places...
Yes! Taking advantage of the emptiness in other parts of Fengcheng, they can attack government offices, even granaries, document warehouses, arsenals and other important places..."
Magistrate Luan's mind was buzzing, but he shook his head and said:
"No way. If Zhuang Xiaocheng planned this, why did he send these people here to die? Isn't it pointless? What a waste of the lives of the masters in the society?"
Haitang shook his head, looking bitter:
"No, it's not meaningless! He had to send people to rescue to rally the hearts of the members. Therefore, he sent these people here with the purpose of dying. In this way, he, the leader, only failed in the rescue and would not lose the hearts of the members!
Moreover, He also needs these people to distract us. From the beginning, these people were his outcasts. ”
"Impossible! Impossible!" After hearing this, Lu Zhengchun, who was kneeling on the execution ground, retorted loudly. His eyes were filled with shock, and he could not believe that he had been abandoned.
However, no one paid any attention to him at this moment.
And as if to confirm the speculation, suddenly, special "flares" were raised in different directions around Fengcheng.
Let out a high-pitched scream.
At first there was only one sound, which seemed to be a trumpet to initiate simultaneous action, and then one signal after another rose in response.
"Oops!"
Luan Cheng was shocked: "Those places are important places for government offices in the city, and there is no room for loss! If they are destroyed by the rebels, there will even be mass killings..."
"Divide the troops."
Suddenly, Zhao Duan, who had never spoken much, raised his head, swept the crowd with unusually calm eyes, and said:
"We cannot allow the rebels to cause chaos in the city, otherwise how will the court's face be saved? Yuanji, Zhang Han, Haitang, Zhang Jian... You each lead a team of officers and soldiers to important places such as granaries, bank vaults, and prisons. You may not have time to rescue, but you still have to Minimize losses and arrest and kill the rebels! ”
After a pause, he thought for a moment and added:
"Among the rebels, there are two masters, Qi Yuchun and Ren Kun. Since they are not here, they may have gone to the important places of the government offices... Lang Shiba, Jiyue, you two should also follow, in case the other party surrounds them for reinforcements and uses force to They split up to ambush our people.”
"This..." Haitang was keenly aware of something wrong:
"We are all leaving, then you..."
Zhao Duan said lightly:
"Today, the execution ground will be beheaded. Magistrate Luan and I need to sit in and complete the execution. At the same time, we will use this place as the center to collect intelligence and give orders to all parties. This is the location of the Chinese military tent. As for our safety, don't worry, there is still Brother Gongshu here. , even if you encounter danger, you can always run away.”
"But..." Haitang still felt something was wrong, but the situation was urgent and she could only choose to believe him.
Immediately, the officers and soldiers divided into teams and rushed towards the important areas in the city to support them.
In the blink of an eye, the scene was quite empty, with only a group of county government officials standing around. The people did not dare to leave and were trembling in place.
Zhao Duan first asked Gongshu Tianyuan to seal the captured Wu Ling with a soul-suppressing talisman and tie him up.
Then he smiled and said to the anxious Magistrate Luan:
"Master Magistrate, please sit down first."
Then, he turned to the executioners and said:
"The execution continues."
Luan Cheng was stunned for a moment, surprised that Zhao Shaobao could still remain calm and calm in such a difficult situation, with such a high level of demeanor that it was heartbreaking.
He suddenly felt ashamed: "Luan has lived with Shaobao for many years. Now that he is facing a big event, he is far inferior to Shaobao who remains unmoving like a mountain. I am ashamed. I really don't know how Shaobao has such a state of mind."
Zhao Duan said "Oh" and said matter-of-factly:
"Fengcheng is the territory of the prefect. Even if there is trouble, the prefect will take the blame. It has nothing to do with me, so I naturally feel calm."
? ?
Luan Cheng stared at the young man beside him with a dull look on his face, almost unable to believe what he heard.
……
……
Forbidden Mountain Villa.
In the highest pavilion on the cliff.
Zhuang Xiaocheng wore a loose coat and long sleeves. Today he put on his favorite set of literati robes when he was the Tutor. He sat upright in the pavilion and played chess alone.
Suddenly, the backbone member of the Kuangfu Society named Uncle Wu from a distance came over and stood respectfully:
"Master, according to your instructions, the prisoners in the vineyard have been dispersed and joined into various teams to attack important places in Fengcheng. The few people named on the list you want to stay are also brought here ”
Zhuang Xiaocheng said "En" without raising his head and said: "Bring them here."
"Yes."
Uncle Wu walked away, and after a while, he came back with four or five people, and Yun Xi was among them.
Everyone saluted: "I have met Taifu."
Zhuang Xiaocheng smiled, kindly asked them to sit down around the pavilion, and summoned Yun Xi to him:
"Yun Xi, come and help the teacher settle down."
Whenever the Taifu needs to think about important matters, he has the habit of playing chess with himself.
As a disciple, Yun Xi was very familiar with this. She immediately came over meekly and knelt down opposite the chessboard.
When Zhuang Xiaocheng said a certain position, she helped pick up the chess pieces from the chess box and put them in the corresponding positions.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Zhuang Xiaocheng asked, looking around at the young faces with a smile.
Everyone was at a loss.
A young man said excitedly:
"Uncle Wu said that today our company has to deal with the lackeys of the imperial court, and we have all been assigned tasks. We are all waiting, but we didn't expect that you want to see us. Do you want to give the order in person?
Even though the Grand Tutor said that we have a sworn feud with the imperial hawks and dogs, we would rather die than bite off two ounces of Zhao Duan's meat! ”
"Me too!"
"We all are!"
"Whatever you want us to do, Taifu, just say it!"
Several people agreed.
Zhuang Xiaocheng smiled like a spring breeze and looked at these young and innocent faces with emotion.
He carefully selected these people, who not only had sufficient potential and talent, but also had firm beliefs and were reliable enough. They had personally been ravaged by the imperial court's punishments and had unforgettable hatred in their hearts.
"Very good, but I have no order for you today, but I want you to witness the death of the Zhao thief with me."
Zhuang Xiaocheng spoke calmly, and then explained his arrangements for today in the surprised eyes of the boys and girls.
Yun Xi could not hide her surprise:
"Teacher, so the people you sent to rescue Alliance Leader Lu today were just a feint attack? The real purpose is to let other brothers and sisters attack the important places of the imperial court?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng shook his head and said:
"No. The execution ground is the main attack, and attacking all parts of Fengcheng is a feint attack."
Yun Xi was stunned, her beautiful and thin face was full of confusion:
"Disciple...can't understand."
Zhuang Xiaocheng met his clear eyes and smiled:
"Zhao Duan forced me to rescue Lu Zhengchun, but if we stormed the execution ground, not only would we not be able to rescue them, but we would only lose the lives of many generous people. Therefore, I deliberately made a show to make them think that the execution ground was Feint attack...
In this way, in order to protect the important areas in the city, Zhao Duan must hastily divide his troops and rush for reinforcements.
No matter how he divides his forces, as long as he divides his troops, it will inevitably mean that there are fewer strong men around him, which gives us, Commander Qi and Ren Kun, the opportunity to take action. ”
"Ah," Yun Xi's eyes lit up and she said excitedly:
"So, teacher, your ultimate purpose today is to assassinate that lackey!?"
After saying that, she frowned again:
"But in this case, wouldn't the brothers and sisters who are responsible for spreading the feint attack throughout the city be in danger? Will they face the encirclement and suppression by the imperial officers and soldiers? Also, those people with lofty ideals who went to the execution ground to feint attack before..."
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Zhuang Xiaocheng's eyes showed regret and sadness:
"They know that this trip is dangerous, but in order to help the country and eradicate traitors...you must remember that in this world, there is no victory that can be won without bloodshed.
The false emperor is powerful and the Zhao thief is vicious. I want to eradicate this thief. Not to mention Wu Ling, Yue Bai and the others, I am just an old man. How can I spare my life? ”
However, the truth is:
From the very beginning, Zhuang Xiaocheng was prepared to discard all Kuangfu Society members in the city as "abandoned sons".
How cunning is Zhao Duan?
How can you be easily deceived? Only by throwing away money and putting so many members on the chessboard can Zhao Duan be dissuaded and make him believe that this scene is real, so he can adopt a strategy of dividing his troops.
After saying this, the boys and girls around him were moved to tears. Yun Xi's eyes were red and her face was sad, but her heart was calm and she even wanted to laugh a little.
And a little sad.
Once upon a time, she was deceived by the old dog in front of her. Now, she has awakened, but there are still so many brothers and sisters in the society who have been deceived.
Yun Xi resisted the urge to kill the old dog with her hands, sobbed and said harshly:
"I just want to cut that Zhao thief into pieces to relieve the hatred in my heart!"
Zhuang Xiaocheng looked at the undisguised, heart-wrenching hatred in the girl's eyes with satisfaction, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly:
"Three five."
Yun Xi picked up a chess piece and pressed it on the corresponding position on the chessboard.
The fall of this chess piece means that a large area of the entire chess game, belonging to Zhuang Xiaocheng, is "dead".
It can be said that this is a "suicide" move.
But so what if the sacrifice is too much? As long as he can get a one-hit kill and block all the "qi" of the chess piece "Zhao Duan".
It's all worth it.
……
……
Autumn beheads the execution ground.
The execution continued, and with a command, the executioner lowered his machete.
"Puff puff puff..."
The heads of more than thirty Taoist priests rolled down one by one.
Lu Zhengchun was ranked last. When he saw the shadow of the machete reflected on the ground, the last heartstring in his heart finally broke, and he shouted loudly:
"I know where Zhuang Xiaocheng's lair is! Don't kill..."
Before he finished speaking, the ground suddenly rose among the crowd.
In earthy yellow glory.
Two figures emerged from the ground:
"Zhao Thief, take your life!"
The real assassination occurred.
(End of chapter)