Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The arrow that struck Wuan Jun and Bai Qi flew at an incredible speed, leaving no time for a reaction. The soldiers only realized that the general had been attacked when they saw Bai Qi fall off his horse. They hurriedly urged their horses forward to surround the area, preventing a second arrow from being shot, while the soldiers responsible for covering fire immediately released a volley of crossbow bolts towards the direction from which the hidden arrow might have come.
"Report! My lord! Wuan Jun has been hit! Wuan Jun has been hit!"
In the adjacent room, Luzi, who was meditating, was the first to hear the urgent report from outside. He slapped the stone bed and leaped out. He saw a eunuch leading a battlefield liaison officer rushing over, followed closely by two others as they made their way towards the main hall.
Sun Thirteen and Li Xin, who arrived upon hearing the news, clearly also received the bad tidings. While feeling secretly frustrated, they followed Luzi into the main hall to await orders. According to protocol, one could not enter without being summoned by the king.
Luzi evidently did not adhere to this restriction; he raised his hand to signal the panting liaison officer to wait outside for a moment. Then he stepped into the main hall intending to report the matter. The first thing that caught his eye was the lit lamps still casting light. Clearly, the Old King of Qin had not slept all night and lay dressed in bed; the burning candles emitted faint crackling sounds that were distinctly audible in the quiet room.
Since the outbreak of war in China, people living in this Dark Age had an average lifespan of only around thirty years. King Zhao of Qin, having already lived over sixty years, was now sixty-six years old. This age far exceeded the average lifespan and was considered miraculous for anyone living in those times.
Luzi vividly remembered that just last night when he took his leave, he noticed King Zhao of Qin picking up a memorial placed on the table for review again. Knowing that Qin State could not afford to lose this king, he immediately urged him to take care of himself and rest more. However, the response he received was that he would only look at it for a short while before going to sleep. Little did he expect that this so-called short while turned into an entire night!
Anxious as fire, he fell silent, fearing he might disturb someone’s sweet dreams.
Seeing the king's silver hair flickering in the lamp light, Luzi couldn't help but sigh deeply within himself. If the king were living among commoners, he would already be enjoying a happy life surrounded by four generations of family. Yet because he was born into the Imperial Family, he could no longer live for himself and had to dedicate his life to his country.
Determined to let the king sleep a little longer, Luzi raised his hand to signal the waiting palace attendants not to make any noise or commotion. He then tiptoed back out, thinking that even if there were signs of trouble outside, it wouldn't hurt to take a little more time!
"Lu Aiqing!? What is all this commotion outside!?"
Clearly awakened by the noise, King Zhao of Qin sat up and stretched lazily. He rose and sat on his throne, allowing a palace attendant to come over and tidy up his slightly disheveled hair. As a Lord of the Nation, maintaining his appearance was still very important!
Since the King of Qi claimed the title of Eastern Emperor, King Zhao of Qin took it upon himself to adopt the title of Western Emperor. The already weakened Zhou Clan naturally would not offend these two lords over titles, so they simply went along with it and tacitly accepted the situation.
With the tacit approval of the Zhou Tianzi, the title of emperor was naturally recognized as legitimate by the world. From that time on, the civil and military officials of the two Feudal States changed their forms of address, no longer referring to the two emperors as kings but mostly using terms like Your Majesty.
However, Luzi did not follow suit and continued to address the Sovereign as king. Whether it was out of habit or some other reason, King Zhao of Qin had never raised any objections to this title.
"Your Majesty! Wuan Jun has encountered an incident! He was attacked while on patrol! His life or death is still unknown!"
This statement immediately chased away any lingering drowsiness from King Zhao of Qin, who stared blankly for a moment. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Where is the Surgeon? Go tell them! If their White Grand Commander is gravely injured and unable to recover, let them all accompany him to the grave!"
The importance of Bai Qi to the Qin Army was already well understood!
Upon hearing the bad news about Bai Qi, Luzi felt a pang of anxiety. For King Zhao of Qin at this moment, there was no one who could replace this war god of Qin State. And at this critical time in the Battle of Shangdang, they could not afford to lose Wuan Jun Bai Qi's command!
Luzi only had a general understanding of the situation; specific details needed to be inquired from Bai Qi Army's Liaison Officer waiting outside. "Your Majesty! Wuan Jun's Liaison Officer is waiting outside for your orders."
Hearing that there was a Liaison Officer outside, King Zhao of Qin immediately ordered without delay. "Summon him! Quickly summon him!"
With the order given, Luzi did not leave immediately because he needed to be more cautious after hearing about the assassin. When he saw the Liaison Officer enter the hall, he quickly stepped aside to make way for this soldier. He intentionally brushed against the General's Sword hanging at his waist to ensure he could protect the king's safety at a moment's notice.
That day, after confirming with the Duty Officer, Luzi discovered that this person’s fatal injury was different from those suffered by other fallen soldiers. In an environment filled with flying arrows, injuries caused by arrows were often random and chaotic.
The so-called Arrow Formation referred more to creating oppressive lethal force through dense firing rather than precise targeting. Since it only required archers to determine their shooting range, the resulting damage was not accurate. Not only did the archers fail to target a specific individual, but their attacks were also broad rather than pinpointed.
The fatal wound suffered by the Duty Officer was clearly not caused by the Arrow Formation. The injury on his forehead explains why the Observation Post did not timely notify the garrison in the city about the Zhao Army's Range Arrow. Although this fallen Duty Officer had several other arrow wounds, the distribution of these injuries indicates that they could not have caused instant death.
This means that before the Zhao Army's Arrow Formation released a large number of arrows, this soldier on duty at the Observation Post had already been assassinated! It was precisely for this reason that the Qin Garrison in Bastion City was attacked without any warning.
To confirm whether this conclusion matched their deductions, the meticulous Luzi called upon the archery expert Li Xin to assist in a re-examination. The subsequent findings were quite authoritative, as they were validated and confirmed by an expert in archery. To ensure Luzi understood the reason behind the sudden attack on the Qin Garrison, Li Xin even recreated the scene at the time of the incident.
Whether on the battlefield or among civilians, it is an undeniable fact that you are intertwined with me and I with you. To avoid alarming the enemy, Luzi instructed Li Xin to keep this matter confidential for now. Not for any other reason, but so that they could hide in the shadows alongside their foes. If this information were to spread, they would find themselves at a disadvantage.
The outcome in the following days was positive; under Luzi and his brothers' joint efforts, no similar incidents occurred at West Rampart again. However, unexpectedly, a lapse appeared once more! The hidden enemy had another target: Wuan Jun Bai Qi!
It is easy to dodge a direct attack but difficult to guard against a hidden arrow!
Standing quietly in the hall with his sword in hand, Luzi no longer dared to trust any sudden appearances of outsiders. In his view, this was no longer just about doing his best; it was a historical mission that must be accomplished!
Comment 0 Comment Count