In the afternoon, Zhang Ning left the Chu Palace in a carriage, exited the palace from Wangjing Gate in the north, and then walked east along Chayuan Street. In addition to the mounted guards, the group also had two carriages, both of which were two-horse carts.
, but the one in front was bigger and more luxurious; Zhang Ning took an old car in the back that was made of solid wood and had not been painted. The people in the car were Chunmei. As Yao Ji's constant attendant, Chunmei traveled with Zhang Ning.
It's really rare.
However, Zhang Ning's team appeared to be very low-key when traveling normally, without the need for ceremonial pomp and ceremony of major festivals. The group of horse-riding guards only wore regular clothes, did not wear armor, and did not carry long weapons. They looked like servants of a wealthy family; however,
Due to long-term formal training, the posture and temperament of this group of people are different from ordinary servants. If you pay close attention, you can guess that they are soldiers. There are scepters in front of the chariots and horses. Only the team of Wuchang City officials are allowed to use this.
kind of stuff.
Naturally, the streets were not cleared of pedestrians. In the eyes of passers-by, the cars and horses could be guessed to be a team of officials, but it was difficult for people to realize that this was the current ruler of Huguang, King Xiang. After all, in the eyes of ordinary people,
When the princes and nobles travel, they beat gongs and drums at five steps, one post, ten steps and one whistle to clear out the idlers and wait.
Everything is very ordinary. Zhang Ning's itinerary is not much different from usual. He is usually like this. If an ordinary daily itinerary requires a lot of fanfare and makes half the city go crazy, it is really unnecessary and troublesome. At this time, the Suzaku Army
The central government office is located in Wuchang City. There are many upstart bureaucrats. You can always see them when walking around on the street. There is nothing unusual about Zhang Ning's team.
Zhang Ning on the carriage was not as calm as before today. He seemed a little restless. He opened the bamboo curtain to look at the scene outside. Chunmei, who was sitting opposite, said nonchalantly: "Your Majesty, you don't need to look. He just turned around."
The next turn must be out of Chayuan Street and into Shahufang."
Zhang Ning was also familiar with the places around the Chu Palace. After all, he had stayed in Wuchang for several months. So he naturally knew where he was, but he still looked up from the car window at the archway at the street entrance. Sure enough, there were words on it: Shahufang
.
He let go of his hand from the bamboo curtain, sat in the carriage and took a deep breath.
After a while, a scream of pain suddenly came from ahead, followed by the neighing of horses and the screams of women, which immediately broke the noisy but peaceful downtown. The Guards shouted in Li Zhen's voice: "There is
Assassin, be on alert!"
"Someone is taking action!" Zhang Ning said in a deep voice. He still looked a little nervous, and then he slapped the carriage twice hard: "Don't stop both carriages. Go straight forward and circle back to the Chu Palace."
Someone was already hit by a crossbow bolt on the street outside. The crossbow bolt penetrated his flesh and blood stained the irregular stone slabs on the street red. A horse rushed towards the street, and the pedestrians carrying the load scattered nuts all over the place.
On the ground, the woman screamed loudly after being frightened, and some people ran to hide. There were two crossbow bolts stuck in the side of the large carriage in front, and several more penetrated into the car from the fragile part of the roof.
Li Zhen looked at the left wing coming from the attack and saw a closed noodle shop with a piece of paper on it, which probably said that the store would be closed for three days due to business reasons. This kind of "fake two-story" storefront buildings are commonly seen in wells in Wuchang City.
, it is actually a wall that runs through, but it is built higher than the wall of an ordinary house, and then a floor is made of beams and wooden boards in the middle to form a two-story building; the lower part faces the street with a facade, and the upper part can accommodate the shop owner and his family.
Accommodation saves land. The crossbow bolts come from the window above. There are figures shaking in the window, and someone is using a crossbow to shoot at the vehicles and horses on the street. The main target of the attack is the conspicuous and large carriage at the front.
At this time, the groom behind shouted: "My Lord ordered the driver to go first!"
After hearing this, Li Zhen called to the cavalry guarding the flanks: "The left flag is coming with me, and the right flag is coming to attack the assassins. Wang Da, you go to the palace gate immediately to recruit troops and surround Shahufang!"
But the cart in front was blocked in the middle and was motionless. Only then did people realize that the groom had been shot to death by an arrow. It seemed that the assassin had shot the groom at the beginning and left the team stranded. Li Zhen hurriedly jumped off his horse, ran over to find a riding whip and hurriedly drove the cart.
.
After the two carriages started, they had just gone three or two shops when seven or eight men in short clothes and masks rushed out from the alley. They suddenly attacked from an angle and a knight who was guarding him was pulled off his horse by two men.
Then a cavalryman rode his horse to rescue him, but the sword in his hand was too short and was not a weapon used by cavalry. It could not be reached at a distance. When he turned sideways and wanted to chop, everyone ran to the carriage.
An assassin, Sayazi, ran quickly to catch up with the big carriage and got in through the door at the back. A guard shouted: "Captain Li, be careful at the back!" So Li Zhen, who was driving the carriage, kept looking back at the carriage behind him.
At the same time, another assassin also climbed up to the door of the second carriage, but as soon as his hand caught the door frame, Chunmei immediately stabbed it with a dagger, only to hear a scream. The man let go, and the sword blade pierced the back of his hand again.
As soon as I pulled it, blood spattered. Then I heard a heavy "plop" sound as it fell to the ground.
Soon after, there was a "wow" sound, and a masked man rushed up from outside. The carriage had just started and was still very slow. The man got in directly, holding a machete in his hand.
He stabbed anyone. Zhang Ning shouted out loud: "Be careful!"
Unexpectedly, Chunmei casually drew out her sword and accurately hit the side of the scimitar. "Cheng!" with a sound, the blade trembled under the force and deflected. It stabbed on the wooden board of the carriage, and a few thin sawdust were stained by the impact.
Chunmei's temples.
Then the dagger was lifted lightly, and a piece of cloth from the sleeve flew into the air, and a bright red blood line appeared on the assassin's wrist, "Oh..." Then Chunmei stopped attacking him, waiting for the man
He pinched his wrist with one hand and instinctively squatted up from the ground. Then he raised his foot and kicked the man on the chin. He was in so much pain in his soft spot that he couldn't resist leaning back, and "
He received a harder kick and fell directly onto his back.
After a fight, the carriage had already driven half the street. The speed was getting faster and faster, and the attack gradually subsided. Only the sound of the wheels turning and the soft creaking of the wooden joints were heard. Pedestrians outside were in confusion, one after another.
Avoid the speeding cars in the city.
Chunmei exhaled and looked at him with eyes as if she had just met Zhang Ning.
Zhang Ning remained calm, with all kinds of thoughts in his mind, and thought to himself: Although this Chunmei usually seems a bit frivolous, since Yao Ji said that Chunmei is fine, she should not leak some internal secrets.
At this time, it is unnecessary to exhort or warn again. Yao Ji will also take care of these processes. Zhang Ning realized Chunmei's gaze and asked softly: "Are you not hurt?"
This sentence may have surprised Chunmei. She was slightly surprised, so she shook her head in response and said nothing.
The carriage and horses made a small circle and returned to Chayuan Street again. When they arrived at Wangjing Gate, they saw groups of soldiers mobilizing eastward. After Zhang Ning's carriage appeared, several military generals came up to inspect it. Even the Wuchang City garrison
After hearing the news, the official Chen Gai also came on horseback.
Zhang Ning stepped down from the carriage. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he was unharmed, and they all came forward to greet him.
At this moment, Li Zhen, the guard, came down, fell to his knees on the ground with a plop, leaned down and hit his forehead on the floor tiles, and he immediately saw blood: "The last general deserves to die!"
When Chen Gai saw this, he just twitched the corner of his mouth and sneered.
Zhang Ning remained calm, but his face darkened slightly. He was not angry, but seemed a little sad. "My dead brother must be buried with dignity. I will order the Council to provide as much compensation to his family as possible."
Chen Gai hurriedly said: "I am also guilty. I am responsible for guarding Wuchang City, but I allowed spies and assassins to sneak into the city. I am responsible for lax security."
Zhang Ning waved his hand: "Wuchang City connects five provinces and connects rivers and lakes. It is located in the center and has a lot of business and travel. Unless the city is under martial law, it is inevitable that bad guys will mix in. This is not General Chen's responsibility."
Chen Gai was a warrior who didn't know how to talk, and he had a straight heart. At this time, he didn't care about the fact that the generals in the palace were not under his jurisdiction. He opened his mouth and lectured: "But Li Zhen, the captain of the guard, is too ignorant. At least
You can't take the prince's motorcade on the same road every day and change the route every now and then. How can an assassin plan an ambush? That's all, but he actually chose a route without even looking for the wind along the road? You walk on the street without paying attention to the wind.
Yeah, I’m so preoccupied with my thoughts!”
Li Zhen could still accept these few words. He was a little guilty at first, so he immediately admitted: "The general will finally realize his crime, and he will realize his crime..."
"Isn't it because you are in harmony with the outside?" Chen Gai suddenly added.
At this time, Li Zhen's blue face really became greener than black and white.
Zhang Ning stopped Chen Gai in time, invited everyone to stay in Langwu inside the palace gate, and sent someone to inquire about the search results.
In less than half an hour, a general guarding the palace gate and a civil servant from the Council came to report. There were armors on the bodies of several assassins. This was not simple, because armors were prohibited no matter where they were.
No one usually hides things privately. If it is an ordinary assassin with no big behind-the-scenes background, where does the armor come from? Not only that, but more directly, a blood letter was found in the store where the ambush was set: Pursuing rebellion under the imperial edict. These four
Words contain a lot of content.
The civil servant of the Council reported: "When I felt that this matter was not trivial, it was too late. Many soldiers witnessed it with my own eyes. I had no choice but to warn the soldiers not to spread rumors, but there were so many witnesses that it would be difficult to keep it secret.
"
Zhang Ning asked: "Are there any survivors?"
The civil servant replied: "Capture two alive. There are probably some escapees. I have sent people to notify the four gates of temporary martial law, prohibiting pedestrians from entering and leaving, and search in Shahufang first."
Zhang Ning ordered: "The living criminals will be handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Council of Ministers will draft martial law and search for assassins throughout the city."
No one had any doubts about this order. After all, it was King Xiang who encountered an assassin. It was a big deal, and it didn't matter even if the whole city was in trouble.