The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 58: Another Troop Arrives, A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Despair

When the general in black armor saw the boy standing on the hillside, he knew that he had failed completely this time. Not only had he failed to kill Tu Chengyu, but he had also lost all five hundred of his men.

At this moment, an endless sorrow welled up in his heart.

He turned to look at his men one last time and saw that they were either killed or captured, with only a few remaining still fighting to the death.

He could already foresee his own end. In order to avoid being caught and revealing the information about the powerful figure behind the scenes, the black-armored general took one last, wistful look at the world, raised his sword, and committed suicide on the spot.

When the enemy soldiers saw their general commit suicide, the few remaining soldiers gave up resistance. Some followed the black-armored general to their deaths, while others, as if they had lost their souls, hung their heads and were captured.

Tu Chengyu saw all of this from the bottom of the mountain.

Yes, the boy standing on the hilltop, smiling at the black-armored general, is Tu Chengyu.

When Quan Wenwei warned that the enemy might be targeting him and would attack him, Tu Chengyu found a eunuch of similar build, dressed him in his robes, and appeared in front of everyone in his place.

He himself hid far away at the foot of the mountain.

After the enemy was driven back and the little eunuch was rescued, Tu Chengyu returned to the mountain in his own name and, following Quan Wenwei's advice, stood on the mountaintop and delivered the final blow to the black-armored general.

With the death of the Black-Armored General and the capture of all his men, the battle came to an end, and darkness fell.

As Tu Chengyu watched the bandits being escorted over, he sent someone to summon Wu Chun, who was guarding the road at the foot of the mountain.

Tu Chengyu asked him, "Did the Imperial Horse Administration bring anyone skilled in interrogation this time?"

Wu Chun said, "Your Highness, I brought several with me when I came for the purpose of the search and seizure."

Tu Chengyu said, "It's good to have someone who knows how to interrogate. Arrange for them to interrogate the prisoners we just captured immediately. Ask them where they came from. I suspect they are the other bandit group that Quan Wenwei mentioned, directly controlled by the person behind the scenes."

Knowing the importance of the matter, Wu Chun accepted the order and hurried off to carry it out.

After the arrangements were made, Tu Chengyu looked around at the soldiers, who were busy treating the wounded, carrying corpses, and cleaning up the battlefield. He was the only one who was leisurely doing nothing.

He felt it wasn't good for him to stay there any longer, so he prepared to take Quan Wenwei, Lao Yao, and the others back first.

But before he could take a few steps, he heard the sentry below suddenly tap his scabbard and shout:

"Another army has arrived at the foot of the mountain."

His shout made everyone stop what they were doing. Tu Chengyu turned around in surprise, wondering if the enemy had a backup plan.

Quan Wenwei looked at Tu Chengyu and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to panic. Even if the newcomers are still enemy troops, it is just another defensive exercise."

Upon hearing Quan Wenwei's words, Tu Chengyu snapped out of his daze, took a few steps forward, and said to Su Xuanbao at the foot of the mountain, "Stop cleaning up the battlefield. Capture the prisoners and bring them back quickly. If anyone disobeys, execute them on the spot."

Upon hearing this, Su Xuanbao quickly urged his men to retreat. Those prisoners who were obedient and could be taken away were taken away, while those who were disobedient or seriously injured were each given a stab on the spot.

Before long, Su Xuanbao led his men back and redeployed the defenses on the steep slope.

But this time, everyone wasn't as confident as before.

As everyone waited anxiously, a long line of torches appeared in their field of vision. Judging from the torches alone, there were no fewer than a thousand people in this force. When the vanguard of this force appeared at the bend in the hillside, what came into view was a scene of utter devastation, with corpses strewn everywhere.

After assessing the situation, the vanguard immediately stopped, and then a torchbearer quickly ran back, presumably to inform the commander behind.

Then, just a few breaths later, several riders surged up from behind.

After these men arrived, they hurriedly jumped off their horses and examined the corpses on the ground for a long time.

Then they stood together and whispered a few words to each other before one of them called out, "Are there any brothers from the Imperial Horse Administration here?"

He called out several times, and just when he thought no one was around, Tu Chengyu nodded to Su Xuanbao, who then stepped forward and called out:

"I'm from the Imperial Horse Administration. Where are you from?"

Upon hearing a reply, the man who had spoken earlier said happily, "We are guards from the Beijing Garrison Command, here to pay our respects to Prince Su by imperial decree."

It was another imperial messenger, and this time it was one of Prince Teng's personal guards. The problem was, Prince Teng had been demoted during the day, so why would the emperor send his personal guards here? Could this be another force sent by the enemy?
Seeing this, Su Xuanbao continued, "It's getting late, and it's inconvenient for the Prince to see you. You can set up camp where you are and talk to him again when it's light tomorrow."

After the announcement was made, the person who had been speaking earlier fell silent, and a younger voice took over: He said, "Is that General Su Xuanbao on the mountain? I am Quan Xu, Quan Ziming, a lieutenant general under Commander Wang. I have met you a few times before, General. I wonder if you still remember me?"

This person actually knew Su Xuanbao. Tu Chengyu asked Su Xuanbao in a low voice, "Do you know him?"

Su Xuanbao said, "Your Highness, I do know Quan Xu from the Jingying Jiedushi Mansion. This person's voice sounds like his. However, I think that for Your Highness's safety, it would be better to let them come over tomorrow after we have seen their identities clearly."

Although Su Xuanbao's suggestion was sound, it would still take up time.

Tu Chengyu also planned to find out the location of the bandits' hideout from the prisoners and send men over that very night to wipe them out.

If we delay by these people for one night, when people hear the news tomorrow, they'll run far away.

Now that Su Xuanbao knows the generals below, they can try to confirm whether these men are sent by the emperor. If so, it won't waste time and will increase their own manpower.

In this way, once the bandit's stronghold is located, we can set off immediately and raid it before the bandit can react.

Tu Chengyu said to Su Xuanbao, "Reveal your identity and have Quan Xu come to see me in person. Let's see if he dares to come."

Upon hearing this, Su Xuanbao called out, "This humble general is Su Xuanbao. Since General Quan Xu is down the mountain, please come over, General. This humble general will take you to meet the Prince."

Upon hearing this, Quan Xu, without suspicion, immediately replied, "This subordinate will come immediately."

Without further ado, he took two soldiers, lit torches, and went up the mountain.

The man's decisive actions dispelled Tu Chengyu's doubts.

Quan Xu, who appears in this chapter, is a guest appearance by a reader.

I would like to express my special thanks to him for providing the character designs and plot.

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(End of this chapter)