Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

After all, they were in a military camp, and the soldiers in the nearby tents heard the noise and rushed out.

Zhang Shikang threw the Emperor's Sword to the ground and covered the bleeding wound with his right hand.

Just when he was about to speak to Zhang Xiuqing, he saw the fallen assassin take out a porcelain bottle from his waist, uncorked it and poured the liquid into his mouth.

Zhang Shikang pointed at the assassin and said:

"Quick! Stop him!"

Those who dare to carry out assassinations in the military camp are most likely powerful people, and the assassins sent by these people must have been strictly trained.

Once the truth is revealed and there is no way to escape, the assassin will commit suicide.

It’s just that suicide is not like what they show in TV dramas where you put poison in your mouth and then bite the pill when you’re ready to take it. That’s all bullshit.

Zhang Xiuqing was five or six steps away from the assassin who was lying on the ground. He had no time to stop him. The assassin began foaming at the mouth and twitching on the ground only moments after taking the poison.

A soldier had already called for the military medical officer, and Zhang Shikang took off his clothes with great effort, revealing the wound on his left arm.

The wound was at least two or three inches long and was still bleeding. As soon as the medical officer arrived, he saw Sun Weifan, wearing heavy armor, running towards him.

Sun Weifan was anxious at this moment. He had never been so nervous even when fighting on the battlefield. He ran and shouted:

"Nephew! Nephew! Are you okay?"

Behind him, Emperor Chongzhen was also running, and the dozens of guards protecting him were also running as if they were facing a great enemy, looking around vigilantly as they ran.

As the Son of Heaven, running is actually very detrimental to his dignity, but at this time Emperor Chongzhen could not care about so much. When he heard that Zhang Shikang had been assassinated, he felt empty in his head, as if struck by lightning.

The more he ran, the more anxious he became. His face turned pale, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and even his eyes turned red.

People are generally like this. When something or someone is easily available, no one will cherish it, and they will not be sad even if they lose it.

But if that thing is obtained by you with great effort, jumping into countless pits, and wasting countless years, it is completely different.

Whether it was Sun Weifan, Emperor Chongzhen, or Lu Xiangsheng who arrived one after another, their faces were filled with anxiety and worry.

Only when they were about to lose him did they finally realize what Zhang Shikang meant to them.

That is a weight they cannot bear.

"Shikang..."

Emperor Chongzhen shouted in a hoarse voice. His Yishan crown had fallen somewhere and he looked extremely embarrassed.

"I was stabbed, it was just a fatal wound, it's not worth mentioning.

Hey, I haven't even started crying yet, Uncle Shi, Brother, what are you doing?"

Seeing that everyone around him was so solemn, Zhang Shikang instead teased them, especially Brother Chongzhen, who, as the emperor, couldn't even control his facial expressions.

"Fortunately, the assassin's knife was not poisoned. My lord, you should take good care of yourself." The medical officer instructed while bandaging the wound.

After hearing the doctor's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Emperor Chongzhen was about to speak when there was a commotion outside the crowd. It was Sun Dasheng and his men.

"Brother! Brother!"

Sun Dasheng had taken off his armor and was only wearing a plain inner garment. He had drunk some wine that night and had fallen asleep, but when he heard that Zhang Shikang had been assassinated, not only did he lose all desire to sleep, he also sobered up from the alcohol.

Although he was only eighteen years old, after two bloody battles, Sun Dasheng had been transformed into a qualified mid-level general.

But he is probably not qualified now. It is uncommon for a general to cry at every turn.

Sun Dasheng shouted and frantically pushed through the crowd, his tears unable to stop.

Unlike Sun Weifan and Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Dasheng and others were brothers who had grown up with Zhang Shikang, and their relationship was so good that it was even closer than that of real brothers.

At such a young age, they had no idea what separations existed in the world. When they heard that their eldest brother had been assassinated, all the members of the Second Sons’ Group were terrified.

"I'm fine, you idiot, how dare you even touch His Majesty!" Zhang Shikang scolded, enduring the pain in his arm.

Sun Dasheng then realized that he had made a mistake. He wiped his tears and was about to apologize to Emperor Chongzhen, but Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand and was not angry.

"Brother, who is so bold as to assassinate someone in the military camp? Tell our brothers, I will chop him to pieces!" Zheng Chong wiped away his tears, his words filled with anger.

"Yes! Big Brother has always been clear about rewards and punishments in the army, and never bullies others. Anyone who is blind, stand up if you have the guts!"

Wang Jingduo, the most timid one, also spoke with gritted teeth. As he spoke, he looked at the soldiers around him, with a hint of distrust in his eyes.

"My fellow generals, you all saw the efforts that the Marquis made for the fallen soldiers. Without the Marquis, there would be no victory today. We are also very angry that the Marquis was assassinated.

But I think this assassin is not from the military camp, he must be a spy who sneaked into the camp." said Hu Dawei, the general of Shanxi.

Even though his military rank was much higher than Sun Dasheng and others, Hu Dawei still spoke very politely. Everyone knew that behind these young generals, there was at least a father who was a hereditary marquis.

It's none of your business, but if it does, you'll cause trouble. After hearing what Hu Dawei said, everyone looked at the assassin's face, but no one recognized him.

"Which general is on duty today?" Sun Weifan asked with a frown.

"Your Excellency, it is Li Hai, the guerrilla commander of Jizhou." Someone in the crowd replied.

"Drag this man outside the military camp and behead him!" Sun Weifan gave the order in a firm tone.

Just now he was only worried about Zhang Shikang, but now that he came to his senses, all he felt was anger.

Since the assassin was not from the military camp, the general in charge of guarding the camp at night cannot escape blame.

"Uncle, it's not necessary, is it? I have offended a lot of people. It wouldn't be difficult for them to plant spies in the camp." Zhang Shikang said helplessly.

He had seen the guerrilla general named Li Hai. He was quite brave in battle and was a decent person. It shouldn't be him.

"No! Military law is military law. You are the commander-in-chief and someone is trying to assassinate you in the military camp. Who else should you kill if not him?" Sun Weifan said angrily.

He would never allow such a thing to happen again, and killing Li Hai was also a warning to everyone.

Sun Weifan's order was quickly recognized by a group of generals. No matter what, someone had to be held responsible for what happened, and there was nothing to say about it.

But the speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. When Emperor Chongzhen heard that Zhang Shikang had offended many people, his brows immediately frowned.

"Shikang, do you think... could it be them?" asked Emperor Chongzhen.

Zhang Shikang certainly knew who Brother Chongzhen was talking about. He frowned and said:

"I don't know, but I can't rule out the possibility."

Although high-ranking officials in the capital do not have military power, they love to maintain servants, many of whom are loyal warriors.

The so-called death soldiers generally refer to orphans who have been raised since childhood. These orphans either encountered natural disasters or man-made disasters and were adopted by wealthy families after they could no longer survive.

The treatment was good, and they even hired people to teach them various kung fu so that they could kill their enemies for them at certain times.

This may be a political enemy or a businessman who is in the way.

These people grew up with great care and not only have great skills, they are also very loyal to their masters.

“It could also be the families in the border towns who have the ability to insert assassins into the military camp.

Or maybe it was Dorgon who did it. He must hate me to the core." Zhang Shikang thought for a moment and then said.

At this time, Zheng Sanjun, Liu Yuliang and others also rushed over. They were all old and walked slowly.

There was no sign of anxiety on their faces. After all, all the cabinet ministers disliked Zhang Shikang. However, none of them showed any expression of gloating.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw them, his expression suddenly became unfriendly, even a little cold.

……