readbooksol Chapter 5551 Fierce General
Chapter 5551 Fierce General
Chapter 5551 Fierce General
As night deepened and the rain and mist swirled, the sound of rushing water echoed along the banks of the Wusong River. One by one, assassins carrying swords swung across the river, climbed ashore, and quickly assembled, disregarding the dripping water from their soaked bodysuits. They then crouched low and disappeared into the grass and bushes on the riverbank.
Rainwater accumulated on the grass dripped down, and birds perched in the trees took flight.
Wu Zetian's manor was built on the banks of the river, with the terrain gradually rising from west to east. The main body of the manor was located on a hill. From the main residence, one could see the river in the distance. The manor had many courtyards and was surrounded by dense trees. Every place that was easy to pass through was guarded by both visible and hidden sentries.
The assassins were not only extremely familiar with the terrain, but also knew a great deal about the defenses around the manor. Instead of attacking from the riverbank, they circled around for several miles to the north side of the manor and launched their attack from a lush grove of trees.
Because of the dense trees and the large elevation difference, there were few sentries and defenses here. Although the enemy sent out a warning in time, they were overwhelmed in one fell swoop due to insufficient manpower. The enemy soldiers nimbly jumped over two earthen mounds and came directly to the outside of the courtyard wall.
At this moment, the guards inside the compound had received the warning and quickly took advantage of the perimeter of the wall to launch a counterattack.
The assassins charged out of the dense forest without stopping, launching a fierce attack against the bullets and arrows raining down on them. Nearly a hundred of them left more than twenty corpses on their way. They quickly reached the wall with their numerical advantage and fearless tactics, detonated a bundle of thunderbolts that blew the wall down, and then surged into the manor like a tide through the gap, heading straight for the main house without stopping.
With precise strategy and concise tactics, they charged forward relentlessly through the night and fine rain, an unstoppable force.
The defenses inside and outside the courtyard seemed to be weak, and the assassins seized the opportunity to break through, only one step away from storming the main house.
The windows of the main house were all opened, and even the front door was wide open. Rows of dark gun barrels were sticking out. As the triggers were pulled, the flames spewing from the muzzles were particularly bright and dazzling in the rainy night. Then, a series of gunshots rang out.
After firing, the barrels are retracted, and another batch of barrels are extended and fired again.
Although there were only a few dozen muskets, they were divided into three groups and fired in turn. The dense lead bullets caused great damage to the charging suicide soldiers. One after another, the suicide soldiers were hit and fell to the ground, crying out in pain. The remaining suicide soldiers did not care about the life or death of their comrades. With their heads down and backs crouched, they continued to charge forward on the bluestone slabs stained with blood, fearless and one after another.
In the blink of an eye, a path leading to the main gate was paved with corpses.
Inside the main gate, Hei Chi Changzhi, clad in full armor, drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The massive bow bent and straightened repeatedly, and with each twang of the bowstring, arrows rained down, striking those who fell to the ground in chaos.
However, such a level of defense was clearly insufficient to stop the suicide squad's advance, and the squad reached the gate at the cost of half its members being killed.
Black Tooth Changzhi threw away his longbow, drew his sword with a backhand, and roared, "You all step back, I will face you!"
Whoosh!
The musketeers blocking the doorway immediately retreated, and Black Tooth Chang stepped forward, standing at the entrance. He swung his sword downwards at a suicide soldier charging towards the door. The soldier, who had narrowly dodged the hail of bullets and arrows, hadn't even had time to rejoice when he saw a flash of light appear before him. In haste, he raised his sword to parry, attempting to force his way through the door while the enemy's strength was exhausted and not yet replenished. If he could get inside, the enemy's firearms and arrows would be greatly weakened, significantly increasing his chances of victory.
This also creates space for their comrades behind them to rush into the main house and kill the target.
But everything hinges on his ability to withstand that blow...
The blade flashed from the upper right to the lower left like lightning, its edge slicing through the air with a short, sharp whistle. Then, it struck the assassin's raised sword with a fierce blow. The two swords clashed with a crisp clang, and the assassin's sword was broken in two. The sword that fell from the sky then cleaved him in two from his left shoulder to his right hip.
Blood splattered and internal organs gushed out.
Blood and internal organs splattered all over Black Tooth's armor. He was tall, with long arms, broad shoulders, and a thick back. He was like a demon god, able to hold off ten thousand men!
At the same time, a group of shield-bearers rushed to his side and used their shields to block his lower body. With no worries about defense, Hei Chi Chang Zhi became even more valiant. His horizontal sword flew up and down, and the assassins who rushed to the door were cut down by him, leaving them with broken limbs and blood flowing like a river. None of them could withstand a single blow.
Soon, screams and cries filled the courtyard as more and more guards closed in, trapping all the assassins inside.
The guards formed ranks of three, armed with shields, swords, or spears, and marched forward with firm and steady steps. The few remaining assassins struggled in vain, and were gradually cut down and killed. The encirclement grew smaller and smaller, and the number of assassins dwindled.
Half an incense stick later, all the noise subsided into silence, with only the pattering rain falling from the sky, washing away and diluting the blood on the ground before it flowed into the hidden ditches and into the Wusong River.
Hei Chi Changzhi removed his armor and put on a leather suit. He wiped his sword clean on the corpse, glanced around, and then turned back to the main hall. He stood to the left behind Wu Meiniang, holding his sword, his eyes sharp as a hawk, looking around with self-assurance.
……
Inside the building in the warehouse district, everyone sipped their tea in silence, silently calculating the time, awaiting news of success or failure. They understood, of course, the immense risk, but almost everyone had received instructions from their families, either explicitly or implicitly, that they could act swiftly once the opportunity arose to seize control of the business…
When a dramatic change occurred in Chang'an, Wu Zetian lost her powerful backer and was left isolated and helpless. Even the future of the royal navy was uncertain. They all believed that this was the best opportunity to seize control of the business.
As long as Wu Meiniang is assassinated, the business will be leaderless. Even if Su Dingfang knows that they were the ones who did it, would he dare to arrest and kill them all and throw them into the Wusong River?
Behind them stood members of the imperial family, noble families, and powerful clans who represented almost the core of the highest power in the entire Tang Dynasty.
Their presence here represents the interests of those royal families, nobles, and powerful clans.
Killing them would completely destroy the interests of the imperial family, noble families, and powerful clans, and even Su Dingfang would not be able to withstand the backlash that would result!
But if the assassination fails, they, along with the imperial family, nobles, and powerful clans behind them, will all be caught in Wu Zetian's wrath.
Of course, if something were to happen to Fang Jun in Chang'an, Wu Meiniang's so-called anger would be nothing more than that...
The feeling of waiting is always uneasy.
Finally, amidst the pattering rain outside the window, the sound of footsteps broke the silence, growing clearer and more urgent as it approached.
Then, the sound of footsteps blended together.
The expressions of everyone in the room changed instantly.
None of the guards or sentries in the courtyard gave any warning. The naval soldiers kicked open the door and rushed in, pinning the stunned managers to the ground and beating them for any resistance.
Xi Jun, fully armored, strode in, surveying the group of stewards pinned to the ground with their hands bound, his face cold: "A bunch of arrogant clowns, daring to run around Huating Town? They're courting death!"
"Tie them all up and send them to Lady Wu!"
"Here!"
The stewards were trembling with fear and their faces were ashen, knowing that the assassination attempt had completely failed.
However, it's not yet a time of despair. Even in her fury, Lady Wu is unlikely to lose her mind and kill them all in a fit of rage...
……
The rain enveloped the entire town of Huating. The night was chilly, and their clothes were soaked through after only a few steps. The damp cold seeped in, and the pampered stewards turned pale and shivered. But the soldiers escorting them showed no mercy, punching and kicking them if they slowed down even slightly.
Upon reaching the riverbank, board a waiting warship and cross the river. After disembarking, hurry to the riverside courtyard.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw traces of battle that, though washed away by the rain, had not completely disappeared: a collapsed wall, a broken gate, and a pile of corpses like a mound of skulls leaning against one side of the courtyard.
The rain pattered incessantly, pouring over the "jingguan" (a mound of corpses), mixing with the blood and pooling on the ground to form a stream-like flow...
The managers were ashen-faced. Their only saving grace was that although their plot had been exposed, the assassination had succeeded.
When they were pushed and shoved into the main hall and saw Wu Zetian, dressed in magnificent and colorful embroidery, sitting calmly in the main seat, their last bit of hope vanished completely, and they all hung their heads in dejection, looking as if they had lost their parents.
Even if they were certain that Wu Zetian would be afraid of the various families behind them and would not dare to retaliate too much, who could guarantee that?
No matter how intelligent and shrewd she is, she is ultimately just a woman from Huaxin!
Who can reason with a woman?
What can you do if she acts recklessly and throws a tantrum?
Fortunately, the rage, insults, and loss of reason that everyone had feared did not materialize. Wu Zetian sat steadily with her petite and exquisite body, and her charming face showed no signs of lingering anger, but rather a faint smile.
Under the candlelight, the beauty was as lovely as jade.
Setting down her teacup, Wu Meiniang glanced around, then suddenly smiled, her voice clear and delicate: "There's no need for you all to act so trembling and fearful. Since you dared to order assassins to kill me, you must all be incredibly audacious. Why act so pitiful in front of a weak woman like me?"
No one spoke, because the crisis was not over.
After all, who says you can't kill someone while laughing?
Wu Meiniang didn't take it to heart and continued, "Since you all attempted to assassinate me and failed, you should at least give me and my husband an explanation, right?"
Finally, someone responded: "May I ask what kind of explanation Lady Wu wants?"
Wu Zetian smiled brightly and said softly, "First of all, everyone must sign a pledge admitting to the assassination attempt on me."
The man paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "We are deeply saddened and concerned about the assassination attempt on Lady Wu, but this matter has nothing to do with us."
Is this something that can be admitted?
Even if you know it perfectly well, it's obvious, and the evidence is conclusive, you still can't admit it no matter what.
(End of this chapter)