Chapter 114

Chapter 114: The Assassination of Old General Luo After Ling Jiayue and Mu Yuheng received the Crown Prince’s message, they dispatched a group of spies led by Feng Yan to investigate whether Ye Kingdom and the Sheyu Kingdom were colluding. Mu Yuheng thought for a moment, then called the messenger over and said, “When you return, tell the Crown Prince that if that person makes any unusual move, he should avoid confronting him head-on for now and let him revel in his success. Once he goes mad with it, that will be the time to crush him in one blow.” “Yes, Your Highness, Seventh Prince,” the messenger replied. “All right, hurry back. The sooner you return, the sooner you can relay the message. It won’t do to delay and miss the proper timing,” Mu Yuheng instructed. The messenger bowed to Mu Yuheng, then mounted his horse and galloped back to the capital to report to the Crown Prince. “Let us head for the border frontier as well. Our most urgent task is to resolve the threat in the Northwest. After all, the people there are still waiting for us,” Ling Jiayue said. “That’s fine. Let’s hurry there first. Yue’er, the person you arranged can actually be sent to the military camp ahead of us,” Mu Yuheng said quietly. “You knew I had arranged someone?” Ling Jiayue asked in surprise. “Wasn’t it obvious?” Mu Yuheng chuckled softly. Ling Jiayue’s face reddened at his laughter. In a low voice, she said, “I was actually planning to develop them into another force outside the military camp. As for the camp itself, I’ll cultivate my own influence there as well. Don’t worry.” “Very well, then. I’ll look forward to seeing what Yue’er can do. If you find it difficult, you can tell me. I’ll help you too,” Mu Yuheng said. “Don’t worry. I can handle it myself,” Ling Jiayue replied. Mu Yuheng had initially wanted to tell her that he had also arranged for people to protect her, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. Ling Jiayue was far too stubborn; she probably would not accept it. He would simply let them protect her in silence. The two of them once again led the army toward the Northwest border frontier. Countless civilians there were still waiting for them to rescue them. Jiangnan was a place where spring lasted all year. At that moment, Old General Luo was already training troops there. Early in the morning, after finishing his breakfast, Old General Luo straightened his clothes and left for the military camp. Since he had come to Jiangnan to train the troops, he was staying at a civilian inn beside the camp. He had originally intended to live in the military camp as well, but arranging new quarters there would require time and manpower. Old General Luo did not wish to cause trouble for the camp, so he had chosen to stay at the inn himself. The place was rather crude, but that did not diminish his enthusiasm for training soldiers for the nation. When Old General Luo arrived at the military camp, he wore a stern expression. However, all the soldiers knew that although he appeared severe, he was actually a kind and amiable old man in private. He was strict with the soldiers because he did not want them to bleed on the battlefield. The soldiers all genuinely liked Old General Luo—the stern and exacting general who truly cared for and protected them in private. After arriving at the camp, Old General Luo first inspected every battalion. The previous day, he had ordered the soldiers in each battalion to practice close-quarters combat. Battles were fought with real blades and genuine weapons, after all. If the Jiangnan soldiers failed to master close-quarters combat, they would likely suffer on the battlefield. Old General Luo spent the entire day in the military camp. For the past several days, he had been focusing on the soldiers’ combat training, and the results were quite good. Old General Luo was extremely satisfied. That evening, he deliberately gave the soldiers a night off, allowing them to skip their evening training and get an early rest. When the soldiers heard the news, they cheered excitedly. Old General Luo declined the camp officers’ offer to escort him home and leisurely made his way back to the civilian inn where he was staying. Suddenly, a cold flash shot past him from the side, and a long sword thrust toward him. Old General Luo had been tempered on the battlefield, after all. Though he was already advanced in years, his reactions remained extremely swift. The moment he saw the long sword stabbing toward him, he bent down and dodged to the side, causing the sword to miss. As soon as the strike failed, a group of black-clad agents appeared and surrounded Old General Luo. Looking at them, Old General Luo did not try to flee immediately. Instead, he glared furiously at them and shouted, “Who are you? Why are you trying to harm this old man?” The group of black-clad agents looked at him and laughed coldly. “Who are we? We’re the people here to take your life!” As they spoke, the black-clad agents attacked Old General Luo once more. He swiftly drew the treasured sword hanging at his side and engaged them in battle. At the leader’s signal, one of the black-clad agents deliberately exposed the insignia identifying him as one of the Crown Prince’s guards for Old General Luo to see. When Old General Luo saw the emblem, he cried out in alarm, “The Crown Prince!” The leader of the black-clad agents gave a cold laugh. “That’s right. We were sent by the Crown Prince to assassinate you. Today is the day you die. Prepare to meet your end!” Old General Luo could never have imagined that after diligently training troops for Dayi, the Crown Prince of Dayi would actually want him dead. Amid his grief and outrage, Old General Luo’s strength suddenly surged. There was a tragic yet heroic grandeur to the final struggle of this aging warrior. Seeing this, the black-clad agents intensified their encirclement and assault. Old General Luo was old, after all, and his strength gradually began to fail him. Before long, more and more wounds appeared across his body. When the black-clad agents saw that he was running out of strength, they became extremely excited and accelerated their attacks. At last, Old General Luo could hold on no longer and was knocked to the ground. Unwilling to accept his fate, he asked, “I have always served Dayi with utmost dedication. Why would the Crown Prince refuse to tolerate me?!” The leader of the black-clad agents laughed coldly. “Go to hell and ask Yama that question.” With that, he raised the long sword in his hand and brought it down viciously toward Old General Luo. Knowing that his death had arrived, Old General Luo closed his eyes and quietly waited for the sword to fall. Suddenly, a sharp whoosh rang out, followed by the sound of metal striking metal. The sword Old General Luo had been waiting for never came down. Instead, the black-clad agent let out a cry of pain. Old General Luo opened his eyes and saw that the black-clad agent who had been about to kill him had been struck down by a concealed weapon. At that moment, another group of black-clad agents appeared. They engaged the attackers surrounding Old General Luo in battle, and it was obvious that they were far more powerful than the first group. Before long, the outcome was clear. The black-clad agents who had attacked Old General Luo were beaten back and fled. Old General Luo said, “Thank you, brave warriors, for saving my life. May I ask your honored names? I, Luo, will certainly repay this debt of gratitude in the future.” The leader of the group removed his mask and bowed to Old General Luo. “We are the Crown Prince’s guards. We have come under the Crown Prince’s orders to protect Old General Luo. We arrived late this time, allowing you to suffer injuries. That was our fault, and we ask that you punish us accordingly.” “The Crown Prince’s guards? Weren’t the people who just tried to assassinate me also the Crown Prince’s guards? How can you be Crown Prince’s guards as well?” Old General Luo asked in confusion. “This subordinate has a letter personally written by the Crown Prince. Please read it, Old General Luo.” The Crown Prince’s guard handed over the letter, and Old General Luo accepted it and began reading it carefully.