The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 50 Ambush
A cold wind blew into the west wing, and snowflakes pattered against the windowpanes.

Xiao Yi stood by the window, gazing at the official road and distant mountains, keeping a close eye on the sky. One by one, the "prisoners" were brought in individually, as if they were being interrogated.

"You don't need to lift a finger; just stay inside and take care of the women and children."

“Alright.” Hua Nong thought for a moment, then asked, “Kill them all? Or should I try to persuade them to surrender…”

Xiao Yi shook his head and said, "If there are any more people, I won't be able to manage them. These four people are handpicked and obedient. It's a matter of my ability, but I promise you, I won't kill indiscriminately."

Hua Nong was not pedantic and said, "I can see that you have a kind heart, and you will be able to manage more people in the future."

"Go, protect them."

Hua Nong was taken away.

Soon, Guo Xin was brought in.

She stood there with her hands behind her back, looking at Xiao Yi, tilting her head slightly, and said, "Pretty impressive, you've become a military general."

"Didn't you tell Zhan Zhao about your family being arrested?"

"No, I'm afraid he'll act impulsively."

Those bright, sparkling eyes dimmed.

Xiao Yi asked, "How is your swordsmanship?"

"not bad."

"What about the crossbow? Do you know how to use it?"

"of course."

"This is for you too."

Xiao Yi handed over the crossbow and quiver as well, and Guo Xin took them and went to the window to examine them.

"When the time comes, you stay on the second floor and guard the stairs. No matter what, don't come down. If anyone rushes up, don't hesitate, shoot them. Can you do that?"

"Don't worry, I'm a daughter of a military family."

"Go, tell them to bring Zhan Zhao here."

"Oh."

Guo Xin turned to leave, then glanced back at him and asked softly, "How's the injury on your leg?"

"It's just a minor scratch, nothing serious."

"Then be careful later."

"it is good."

When Guo Xin, who was bound hand and foot, was pushed in, Xiao Yi first reminded him, "Speak softly."

"Mmm-hmm." Guo Xin nodded quickly.

Xiao Yi removed the rag from his mouth.

Do you know how Mother and the others are doing?

"I don't know, maybe Mu Gong came after them."

"No wonder," Guo Xin said. "Tell me, how do you plan to kill them?"

"Don't worry."

Xiao Yi handed him a knife and then called the four people outside the door in.

"Wait until it's completely dark and there are no pedestrians on the official road before we make our move. By then, they should be about seven or eight tenths drunk. Fan Si, you take the bow and arrows and stand on the second floor, pretending to be guarding the prisoners. Then shoot arrows from the railing to keep watch. Zhan Zhao, come down after we make our move."

"it is good."

"Tieya, Lü You, and Wei Liang, go down with them to drink and chat. First, close all the doors—the courtyard gate, the main hall door, and the back door. If even one of them escapes alive, it could endanger your families in Kaifeng. If things don't go well in this way, we'll go upstairs. I'll kill Mu Gong first; once he's dead, you all act immediately. Understand?"

"clear."

"Don't be nervous, stick to the plan. We have fewer people, but we have the advantage. They're drunk and react slowly, so let's try to avoid any casualties."

"Yes."

"It's still early, let's rest first."

After saying that, Xiao Yi sat down on the couch and closed his eyes to rest.

Zhang Mantun called out to those around him, "If you need to poop or pee, hurry up and do it, lest you cause trouble..."

When Xiao Yi opened his eyes again, it was already dark, and the noise and drinking games downstairs were getting louder.

"Get the weapons ready."

"Ready, Chief."

Xiao Yi stood up, sheathed his knife, hid the dagger in his left armpit, and walked out.

Zhang Mantun's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and Lü You and Wei Liang licked their lips and followed suit.

The four of them went downstairs.

Inside the main hall, the Dragon Guards were drinking and eating meat. Most of them had already removed their armor, and their weapons were either lying on benches or propped up against the wall.

Two couriers carried dishes back and forth, while the portly postmaster diligently poured wine, though he looked somewhat worried.

However, there was a man in armor standing at both the front and back gates, holding a sword, without touching a drop of alcohol.

Xiao Yi frowned inwardly, then gave Lü You a look, signaling him to get the guards at the back gate drunk. Afterward, he looked up at Fan Si and signaled him to shoot the guards at the front gate.

Long Jiewei sat down at two tables. One table had four people, including Mu Gong, while the other table had seven people standing around, most of whom were already quite drunk.

close the door.

Xiao Yi exchanged a glance with Zhang Mantun and Wei Liang. He went to Mu Gong's table, while the other two went to another table.

"Deputy Captain Xiao has arrived."

Mu Gong, his face flushed from drinking, picked up a glass of wine and said, "Brother, I must thank you for your hospitality, hahaha."

"It's alright, it's not out of my pocket."

"Haha, you Crane Control Guards are really lucrative."

Xiao Yi smiled, lowered his voice, reached into his robe, and said, "Brother Mu, didn't you want to see the secret edict?"

"Oh?"

Mu Gong shook his head in surprise, leaned forward, and chuckled, "Don't worry, I will never leak this..."

It was in that very instant.

The cold glint of the dagger flashed in the firelight.

"呲-"

Blood splattered.

Mu Gong clutched his neck, which had been cut in half, in disbelief, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Do it!"

Xiao Yi shouted.

At the same time, the dagger in his hand was already thrusting out repeatedly.

"puff."

One of the people drinking with Mu Gong was stabbed in the neck and fell to the ground.

The other two, upon seeing the blood, were jolted awake and turned to run. One of them tripped over a bench and fell to the ground. Xiao Yi sheathed his dagger, drew his single-edged sword, caught up with him, and stabbed him to death.

Just as the other man picked up his knife, Guo Xin jumped down from the second floor, knocking him down and killing him with a single blow.

"Damn it, they didn't even leave me the empty shell."

"Whoosh."

Fan Si fired an arrow from the second floor, hitting the soldier guarding the front door squarely in the throat.

At the same time, Lü You was drinking with a soldier in full armor who was guarding the back door when the chaos broke out and they began to fight.

"Don't let him get away!"

Zhang Mantun strode over, grabbed the soldier's head with both hands, and twisted it, snapping his neck with a "crack".

The hall was filled with screams, curses, the clash of weapons, and the overturning of tables and chairs.

The battle broke out suddenly and ended quickly; in no time, the hall was filled with corpses lying haphazardly.

Blood stained the ground and flowed to the corner of the wall.

A sweet, fishy smell quickly filled the air. But then someone knocked over the candlesticks, plunging the room into darkness.

"Light the way and count the bodies."

"Nine, ten, eleven, twelve... Damn! One is missing!"

“Fuck!”

"Find."

Xiao Yi turned his head and saw a nimble figure burst out of the window. A moment later, the sound of horses neighing came from outside.

"Chase!"

Without hesitation, he kicked open the door to the main hall, where he saw a man leading a horse, opening the courtyard gate, and rushing out.

He mounted his horse and chased after the direction from which the hoofbeats came.

Behind him, Wei Liang shouted, "Fan Xiaosi, drop the bow!"

"Wei Liang, come with me. The rest of you stay here!"

The moonlight is hazy.

On the official road, the deserters of the Longjie Guard rode their horses at great speed.

Xiao Yi could hear the sound of horses' hooves behind him, as well as the sound of Wei Liang pulling the bowstring.

After chasing around a bend in the official road, the figure ahead became clearer, as firelight shone from afar.

"Whoosh."

With a whooshing sound, Wei Liang fired an arrow.

"Eh-"

The deserter's horse neighed mournfully and threw him violently off.

Xiao Yi looked over and could clearly see a figure getting up from beside the injured horse and running forward.

"The person isn't dead!"

He continued to spur his horse and chase after them.

He glanced up casually and looked into the distance, only to see a procession of torches, like a dragon, rapidly approaching from the official road a hundred paces away.

"Captain!" Wei Liang shouted, "Look..."

"Cum again!"

The deserter saw it too, and as if seeing a savior, he ran forward desperately, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Help! Murder! Traitor..."

"Whoosh."

Another arrow shot out through the air.

Xiao Yi spurred his horse and galloped away. He could see clearly that Wei Liang's second arrow struck the deserter in the thigh, knocking him to the ground.

"drive!"

The horse darted out like an arrow.

As he reached the deserter, Xiao Yi yanked the reins, causing the horse to rear up.

"Eh-"

"There are mutineers..."

The deserter was still struggling to get up on the ground, shouting incessantly.

The horse's hooves pounded down.

The horseshoes crushed the shouts and struggles completely.

Xiao Yi stopped his frightened horse and looked back. The firelight ahead illuminated a large banner with the words "Commander of the Left Wing of the State".

"go!"

Xiao Yi dared not linger, turned his horse around, and led Wei Liang back to the post station at top speed.

Inside the inn, everyone was cleaning up.

Hua Nong and the others also came out to help, and Jiang Erniang and her two children were so frightened that they cried uncontrollably.

"More troops are coming."

"How to do?"

"No rush, I can handle it. Close the door first."

"Here."

Xiao Yi looked around and saw the old postmaster and two postmen lying on the ground, trembling. He asked, "Where is a safe place to hide?"

"There is... a cellar in the backyard... for storing winter vegetables..."

"Take off your clothes."

"Yes Yes."

"Hua Nong, tie them up and take the women and children to the cellar to hide them."

"it is good."

"Qingwen, are the clothes and official robes still in your luggage?"

"exist."

"Very good, give it to me, you go to the cellar too."

Wei Liang said, "Captain, why don't we just kill the postman?"

"Shut up and listen to my orders. Guo Xin, take off your clothes and put on your military robe and armor."

"it is good."

“Select six corpses, strip them of their armor, and disguise them as ‘enemies.’ Dress three of them in the clothes of post station workers, and dress the other three in the clothes from their luggage.”

"Here."

"Don't worry about the rest of the bodies; they are our comrades who died in battle."

Outside the gate, the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.

The group managed to change the body's clothes, and then began banging on the door.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Open the door! A general is passing by, open the door quickly!"

The harsh shouts were like a death knell, and the torchlight shone through the crack in the door.

Inside the hall, the stench of blood was overwhelming. Twelve corpses lay scattered about, dark red blood meandering and congealing in the cracks of the floor.

Xiao Yi took a deep breath, glanced around the hall, and without speaking, added a few more cuts to each of the six corpses that had just changed their clothes.

"Let's all drink, let's drink more."

He picked up a jug of wine, took a big gulp, burped, and then went to open the door.

The bolt was pulled open, and a cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in, causing the flames in the brazier to flicker and dim.

More than ten cavalrymen stood on horseback outside the gate, holding torches that illuminated their cold and indifferent faces.

A chilling atmosphere swept over us.

"What happened? Why are you so slow to open the door?!"

The leading officer's sharp gaze swept across the room in an instant, and upon seeing the situation inside, his brows furrowed abruptly, and he demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

Xiao Yi had completely calmed down. He clasped his hands in a fist salute, handed over the token, and said, "Xiao Yi, the deputy commander of the left wing of the Crane Control Guard, was on official business when he unexpectedly encountered the remnants of Shi's gang. Three of them confronted him head-on, while three others disguised themselves as post station workers and launched a sneak attack. We lost six men, but managed to kill them with our strength."

His voice was somber, tinged with exhaustion and relief.

The officer examined the plaque, his expression softening, and asked, "What's the story behind the corpse on the official road?"

"What?! That was the messenger I sent back. He was killed? Did the general see him...?"

"Enough of this nonsense about petty fry. We are escorting General Cao north on urgent business. We must stay here tonight. Quickly clean up the corpses, wash away the bloodstains, and prepare water for the house!"

Upon hearing "General Cao," and recalling the banner of "Commander of the Left Wing of Feng State" that he had just seen, Xiao Yi's mind raced. He remembered the intelligence files he had seen in the Shi family's study and thought of one person.

"Cao Wei, a native of Changshan, served Emperor Gaozu from a young age. He was brave and resourceful, and led crossbowmen. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, he defeated the Khitan in Luzhou. In the first year of Qianyou, he followed Guo Wei to attack the three towns. He took the lead in the battle, captured Hezhong, and was the first to scale the city wall. For his merits, he was promoted to Grand Protector, Commander of Fengguo Army, and concurrently served as Military Governor of Zhongzheng Army."

Such a high-ranking general leaving the capital could not possibly be to search for fugitives, but I wonder what urgent matter he has to attend to?
(End of this chapter)