Chapter 589: The Ambush |
Publish Time: 2026-06-21 04:26:38
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A few days later, the fertilizer store operated by the Xi’an government was nearly sold out.
Therefore, Ground Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi, leading several dozen Militia Soldiers, drove dozens of empty carts, preparing to return to Chengcheng County to collect more goods.
As the transport team exited the city gates, it stretched out in a long, imposing line, filing out one after another.
A Qin King Mansion Assassin hidden in the crowd sneered coldly. Following them out, he quickly ran into a nearby grove where prepared horses awaited. Spurring his horse, he took a shortcut ahead. Fifty li was nothing for a galloping horse. In no time, the Assassin reached the woods in Gaoling District.
Here, one hundred Qin King Mansion Assassins had long grown impatient.
The lead Assassin was overjoyed: “Excellent! We’ve waited days for this, itching for it to start. The main targets are finally here.”
A subordinate asked, “Shouldn’t we wait until they return loaded with fertilizer from Chengcheng County? Then we could seize some extra supplies.”
The lead Assassin snapped, “Fool! How could we haul those back to Qin King Mansion? Want the civil officials to have proof against us? We are only here to kill. To vent anger. Kill and run.”
His subordinates finally understood.
The group fanned out through the trees, taking ambush positions arranged in a pocket formation, then settled down to wait.
After what felt like an age, they came…
Shadows of the transport team appeared on the official road – dozens of carts pulled out in a long, strung-out line, head and tail isolated and vulnerable, looking utterly defenseless.
The lead Assassin sneered, “These fertilizer store workers are quite skilled, likely hired from the Lulin (Greenwood) by Wu Shen and Shi Kefa to be muscle. But bullying regular servants is one thing; against us? Certain death. Look how carelessly they’ve stretched themselves thin. They have no defenses.”
The Assassins laughed coldly.
“When the team enters the pocket, charge down. Kill everyone on sight. Leave no survivors.”
“Yes, Leader!”
Just as the Assassins tensed to charge, one suddenly exclaimed, “Eh? Look! Shi Kefa!”
The leader focused his gaze. Indeed. Shi Kefa, the magistrate in Xian, was also in the group, riding a tall horse.
“Leader, Shi Kefa is a Xi’an magistrate. If we attack him…”
“Scared? Pah! Inside Xi’an city, we couldn’t strike an official of the court. But out here in the wilderness? We’re bandits. Even if we kill Shi Kefa, without evidence, the civil officials can’t touch Qin King Mansion.”
“Ah!”
“Kill Shi Kefa too. Spare no one.”
At that moment, the transport team fully entered the ambush zone. The lead Assassin gave the order. A roar erupted from the woods as all the Assassins surged out.
In the instant they charged, Shi Kefa, Ground Rabbit, Zheng Gouzi, and the others, in their eyes, were already dead men.
“Bandits blocking the road!” Zheng Gouzi shrieked in a wildly exaggerated voice. He frantically scrambled for his waist knife in a flustered manner, but it seemed stuck. He pulled and pulled, unable to draw it after several tries.
An Assassin charged him, laughing loudly, and swung his blade straight down at Zheng Gouzi’s face.
Yet, in that split second, Zheng Gouzi’s waist knife was out. Once drawn, his movement became liquid smooth. The blade lunged directly for the Assassin’s chest.
The Assassin, seeing Zheng Gouzi’s struggle, had underestimated him. He never expected it was an act. Caught completely off-guard, he couldn’t evade. Thud! Zheng Gouzi’s blade plunged into his chest.
The Assassin’s chopping stroke, however, was dodged effortlessly.
The man’s eyes flew wide open. He fell. He became an Assassin.
Elsewhere, an Assassin charged to the front of Ground Rabbit. Ground Rabbit cried “ouch”, tumbled backward, and fell behind a cart.
Seeing how disheveled the opponent was, the Assassin dropped his guard and leaped onto the cart in one bound. He wanted to stand on the vehicle to attack Ground Rabbit from above.
Ground Rabbit roared, “Celestial Rabbit Sword!”
The Assassin was startled and was about to defend against the opponent’s special move.
However, he didn’t expect that a narrow long knife emerged from the canvas cover of the cart. With a “thud”, it pierced into the Assassin’s abdomen.
The Assassin gasped out with difficulty, “Embroidered Spring Knife!”
The canvas cover was lifted. An Imperial Guard jumped out from inside, shouting loudly, “Imperial Guards on duty, all irrelevant people, step back quickly!”
At the same time, the covers on multiple carts were lifted. From each cart, an Imperial Guard jumped out.
This scared the Assassins greatly: “Damn, it’s a trap!”
“We still have an advantage in numbers. As long as we kill all these Imperial Guards, we can still…”
The leading Assassin hadn’t finished his sentence when he heard the thundering hoofbeats.
A large group of Imperial Guards had come!
They arrived extremely fast, instantly surrounding a large area. Several riders rushed straight to the center, protecting Shi Kefa from all sides: “Shi Kefa, captain, we are here.”
Shi Kefa said, “Just in time.”
Since the death of Wei Zhongxian, the strength of the Eastern and Western Depots and the Imperial Guards had greatly declined. Still, an emaciated camel was larger than a horse. As the royal imperial spy organization, the Imperial Guards’ action efficiency was not low. They were skilled in covert movements. When they didn’t appear, you couldn’t even see a hair of this group of spies. But when they appeared, in an instant, you were caught like in a vast net.
Cheng Xu feared the Imperial Guards greatly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have worn a mask and used an alias.
Ground Rabbit poked half his head out from behind the cart, shook it, and sighed, “Alas, in today’s situation, there’s no chance for Mr. Rabbit to perform.”
Zheng Gouzi leaned over and chuckled softly, “It’s good for us to save some effort. It’s not suitable to use firearms here, nor convenient to wear armor. Our equipment is incomplete. If we really fight, we would have casualties too. It’s better to leave these casualties to the Imperial Guards.”
Ground Rabbit grinned, “That makes sense, that makes sense.”
“Imperial Guards on duty!” Shi Kefa seemed like a changed man. He was no longer a weak scholar without any strength to bind a chicken, but rather a heroic spy chief. He declared loudly, “Put down your weapons immediately and surrender yourselves. If you do, we may spare your lives.”
The Assassins roared and charged over.
Shi Kefa said, “Since you insist on stubbornly resisting, then don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
He waved his hand, and Imperial Guards rushed in from all directions to attack.
From the very beginning, the battle determined the winner.
It was even said to be a one-sided slaughter.
Assassins fell one after another.
Soon, few Assassins remained.
That leader turned his waist knife to slash his own neck. But suddenly, three Imperial Guards simultaneously rushed at him from three directions. Two desperately grabbed his arms, while the other quickly dislocated his jaw.
“Hmph! Want to die? It can’t be that easy!”
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