High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

"Received!" Tang Ke's spirits lifted, and he shouted, "By order of the Cavalry Commandant, I am rescuing the emperor and capturing the thief. You all get out of my way at once, or death will befall anyone who obstructs me!"

His voice was loud, but it was quickly drowned out by the sounds of fighting.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swung his sword and charged forward. Since the soldiers were all facing away from him, he was slashed through them as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, creating a gap in their armor.

"Hey, are you really going to kill them? Hold back." Cao Cao was terrified. These were all imperial guards. Who knew if Emperor Ling of Han would settle scores with them later?

At the same time, Zhang Chu kicked Xu Feng away with a double kick, and then seized a long sword from the surrounding soldiers. He wielded the sword like a wheel and charged towards Emperor Ling of Han.

Dong Ruyun then turned her attack on Empress He, attempting to divert the defensive forces. However, she clearly overestimated the Empress's importance in the eyes of the guards; protecting the Han Emperor was their primary task at the moment, and hardly anyone noticed the Empress's dangerous situation.

Empress He was so frightened that her face turned pale. She no longer cared about her image and retreated repeatedly. In her panic, she slipped and fell backward.

She gasped in surprise and closed her eyes tightly in fright.

Contrary to expectations, she didn't fall to the ground; someone caught her just in time.

She opened her eyes and was greeted by a repulsive pockmarked face and an oil-paper umbrella that had been opened to block the assassin's sword.

"Your Majesty, I apologize!" Tang Ke finally seized the opportunity to curry favor and gently helped Empress He up.

"He aided and abetted evil, he deserves to die!" Dong Ruyun slashed with his sword, lifting the human skin mask off Tang Ke's face.

Although Tang Ke put the mask back on in an instant, Empress He had already seen the handsome face, and her disgust for the man who had saved her in her time of crisis lessened somewhat.

But when he helped me up just now, his hand seemed to slide down and he even pinched me, which was a bit disrespectful.

"It must have been unintentional at such a critical moment. I must have been overthinking it. He Lingsi, He Lingsi, your prejudice against him is just too deep!" Empress He patted her chest, promptly correcting her mistaken idea.

Tang Ke had the upper hand against Dong Ruyun and even had time to observe the surrounding battle situation.

Wherever Zhang Chu went, the soldiers crumbled at the first blow, breaking through the human wall in an instant.

"Traitor! The heavenly army has arrived! Surrender now!"

Just as Dong Dahai was about to rush forward to assist the two, a long spear was thrown and pierced through his back. The spear tip emerged from his chest and was pinned to the ground, with blood flowing down the shaft.

Feng Xu finally escaped Ma Yuanyi's clutches and ran away using the human ladder.

He took a few steps and was behind Zhang Chu.

Zhang Chu has once again broken through to Emperor Ling of Han's side.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!" Empress He's voice was panicked and filled with despair.

Cut it off with one knife!

The gleam of the blade made Emperor Ling of Han's forehead tingle, and his pupils dilated continuously.

"You traitor!" Feng Xu struck Zhang Chu in the back with a palm, trying to force her to turn around and save herself.

Zhang Chu showed no intention of dodging, his long sword continuing its relentless advance.

Just when it seemed like a hopeless situation where both sides would perish, a "clang" rang out, and an oil-paper umbrella struck the sword aimed at Emperor Ling of Han with pinpoint accuracy, severing the blade in two.

With the help of his guards, Tang Ke finally defeated Dong Ruyun and saved Emperor Ling of Han in time.

Zhang Chu seized the umbrella handle, and the broken knife continued its downward momentum.

Feng Xu felt a sense of relief, finally managing to prevent the emperor from dying on the spot. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a sword piercing his temple.

The other person was suspended in mid-air with no way to avoid it, and could only use his other hand to catch it, which was then pierced through his palm.

Despite his efforts, he still managed to strike Zhang Chu's back with a palm strike, but the force was much weaker. Zhang Chu then used the broken blade to slash Emperor Ling's face, causing blood to flow freely.

Just as they were about to give chase, Cao Hong, who had been besieging Ma Yuanyi, blocked Emperor Ling's path.

"You dog emperor, I'll take your dog's life another day."

Seeing that things were hopeless, Zhang Chu gave Tang Ke a resentful look.

Despite Tang Ke's disguise of a face full of pockmarks, he still couldn't escape her eyes.

She knew that Tang Ke didn't want her to die with Emperor Ling of Han, but if she missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, assassinating him in the future would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

With a "bang," the umbrella opened almost like it was launched, and a burst of smoke exploded out.

"Don't move rashly, protect His Majesty." Tang Ke covered his mouth and nose, and quickly rushed in front of Emperor Ling of Han, taking a protective stance based on his memory of the landing point.

After a moment of panic, the smoke gradually dissipated.

Zhang Chu and Dong Ruyun had both disappeared from sight.

Feng Xu finally couldn't help but let out a pig-like scream. Tang Ke's sword had pierced through his palm, and he had been holding on until now without having a chance to pull the sword out.

"Your Majesty has been frightened. Two assassins escaped, one was captured alive, and the rest have been executed. We ask Your Majesty to decide what to do with the survivor."

He Jin had recovered from the chaos and relayed the data that Cao Cao had reported.

"I, I..." Emperor Ling of Han was covered in blood and too frightened to speak.

Empress He shouted, "Does His Majesty need to worry about interrogating assassins? Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

The crowd hurriedly pushed the accompanying imperial physician over, tidied up the military formation, and rushed to escort Emperor Ling of Han back to the palace.

Tang Ke stepped aside and watched coldly. The captured prisoner was Ma Yuanyi, which was extremely disadvantageous to him.

This person had a close relationship with me in the past, but he had malicious intentions in stirring up conflict between Zhang Jiao and me on Lingxiao Mountain. If he were to reveal my past as a strategist in the Taiping Dao here, I would probably not escape death.

Moreover, Cao Cao had seen Ma Yuanyi when he met him, so he must have been able to connect the two of them in some way.

"Ziyou, what are you daydreaming about?" Just as he was hesitating whether to take advantage of the chaos to slip away, Cao Cao walked over, a hint of excitement in his eyes: "Hurry up and catch up with the main force. You have rendered meritorious service in protecting the emperor today, and high-ranking positions and generous salaries are just around the corner!"

Tang Ke said with a wry smile, "Today I first slapped Feng Xu, and then I stabbed him in a moment of panic. It would be strange if I didn't get punished later. What's the point of talking about high-ranking positions and generous salaries? I might as well take advantage of the current situation and run away."

"What nonsense! Once that letter is found, all ten eunuchs will be dead. What are we afraid of?"

Cao Cao looked at Tang Ke with a half-smile: "Besides, even if you wanted to leave now, you can't. Before the matter of the assassin is investigated, all those involved must be kept under strict guard, including myself."

Tang Ke was startled, but on the surface she pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "So we're going to be locked up as suspects?"

Cao Cao shook his head: "That won't be the case. They will probably put us in a closed place under the guard of the Tiger Warriors. They will reward us for our merits and punish us for our crimes after the Commandant of the Capital Region finds out the truth."

"But you don't need to worry. You've already met Yuan Shao, the Commandant of the Capital Region. Although Yuan Shu, the General of the Tiger Guard, is not on good terms with him, they are both General He's men and the backbone of our efforts to deal with the Ten Attendants."