knife

Chapter 315 Interception
(Still owing two chapters)
An eagle soared through the sky, circled a few times, and then swooped down like an arrow, landing steadily on a person's outstretched arm.

Li Dachui picked up a piece of dried meat, fed it to the eagle first, and then removed the bamboo tube from the eagle's leg, taking out a roll of paper from inside.

With a flick of his arm, the eagle let out a clear cry, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

After glancing at the scroll in his hand, Li Dachui chuckled, clenched his fist, and when he opened it again, countless scraps of paper flew up from his hand. Before they could drift away, they spontaneously combusted and burned to ashes before being carried away by the wind.

"Protector!" Wu De glanced enviously at the eagle that disappeared into the horizon. Taming such an eagle would be extremely useful, whether for delivering messages or for reconnaissance. He would like to ask for a few to use later.

“Zhang Quanyi has a clever plan. There are four teams that set off from Luoyang, taking different directions and different routes. Everyone is dressed the same. He’s doing this to prevent anyone from plotting to assassinate the Crown Prince along the way!” Li Dachui laughed.

Wu De said in a deep voice, "Isn't this just burying your head in the sand? No matter which route you take, the final destination is still Chang'an."

“Since it’s an assassination, it’s impossible to deploy a large army to block all roads. Chang’an is so big, and the city gates are far apart. You can enter the city from anywhere. So Zhang Quanyi’s trick is actually quite effective,” Li Dachui said with a smile.

It works, but it's not really effective.

No matter how hard Zhang Quanyi tried, he could not have imagined that Wu De, the number two leader of the Black Ice Guard, had already defected to Li Dachui outside the pass, and that Li Dachui was determined to take the life of Crown Prince Li Tai.

The messenger sent to Chang'an was Wu De's man.

The information brought by the eagle that had just flown in indicated the route the Crown Prince had taken.

The sound of hooves thundered as more than a hundred riders galloped wildly.

Everyone was dressed in the uniforms of the Qin light cavalry.

Even when traveling, these light cavalrymen maintained the characteristics of a strong army.

A dozen or so riders served as the vanguard, traveling about a mile ahead of the main force, while four riders stayed behind to cover the rear.

In this way, even if there is an ambush, it is impossible to catch them all at once; there will always be some who slip through the net and then send out the message.

Having safely passed yesterday and evening, Zhang Quanli was much more at ease.

To be honest, he really didn't believe anyone would dare to plot against the Crown Prince.

From Luoyang to Chang'an, this area has always been under the control of the imperial court. They would receive news of any slight disturbance along the way.

Although the guard in front of them only numbered a hundred or so, every single one of them was a master. After forming an army, their combat power increased even more. If there were too few of them, their attempt to assassinate the crown prince would be like throwing an egg against a rock; if there were too many of them, it would not be an assassination attempt, but a rebellion.

How could a large-scale group possibly commit such a heinous act on the road from Luoyang to Chang'an?
So when the first volley of crossbow bolts came whistling through the air and shot down one of the scouts from his horse, Zhang Quanli still found it somewhat unbelievable.

A black-clad, masked knight galloped out of the dense forest. Upon seeing the enemy's charging momentum and formation, Zhang Quanli's expression changed drastically.

Experts see the details.
The layman watched the excitement.

Zhang Quanli's military service predates that of his elder brother, Zhang Quanyi. Having experienced countless battles, he can immediately tell that these men are all seasoned veterans.

Sure enough, as soon as the two sides clashed, Zhang Quanli's proud cavalry was cut down as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. The difference in strength between the two sides was like that of an adult against an infant.

Zhang Quanli roared and charged straight forward with his sword.

The black-clad men who rushed out, especially the leading ones, were at least at the seventh or eighth level of the Profound Origin realm. There must be very few forces in the world that could send out assassins of this caliber.

A face flashed through Zhang Quanli's mind.

As the two swords clashed, sparks flew. Zhang Quanli's heart sank. Despite his cultivation level of the eighth grade of Xuan Yuan, he had not gained the slightest advantage over his opponent.

"Who sent you?" Zhang Quanli roared. "Do you know what you're doing?"

The masked man in black, who had just exchanged another move with Zhang Quanli, laughed loudly: "What don't you know? We're here to take Li Tai's life! If you're smart, hand over Li Tai and get lost right now, and we might spare your life."

"Die!" Zhang Quanli raised his sword and cut down a black-clad assassin, but was immediately entangled by the assassin's leader.

In the distance, Li Dachui and Wu De watched the battlefield ahead.

The White Tiger Brigade was clearly far superior in strength to this guard unit, especially since the number of soldiers ambushing them far exceeded their opponents. Apart from Zhang Quanli, who could still hold on, the remaining guard soldiers were virtually powerless against the White Tiger Brigade.

Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise.

Of the four teams in Zhi Qiu Academy, Xuanwu is responsible for internal affairs, Zhuque is responsible for intelligence gathering, and only Qinglong and Baihu are responsible for violent actions. Although Qinglong was successful in the battle against Beiyuan, it also suffered heavy losses and is now quietly recovering its strength. Baihu is weaker than Qinglong and was sent to the pass to take orders from Zhang Qingyun. Now, some of its core members have joined the inspection team, and the rest are used as a mobile force.

After looking for a moment, Li Dachui shook his head and said, "We've been fooled. Li Tai isn't in this team!"

Wu De was somewhat surprised: "So, when we set off from Luoyang, Zhang Quanyi already began to suspect our people!"

“It shouldn’t be!” Li Dachui said. “Zhang Quanyi isn’t a god. Li Tai should have been in this group when they set off, but he left along the way. What a clever scheme.”

"In that case, Li Tai must have left on light cavalry!"

“They should have left last night!” Li Dachui said. “They only brought two or three guards. They’ve got one scheme after another. Zhang Quanyi is really something.” “So what do we do now? Aren’t we going to fail?” Wu De was a little annoyed.

"Who said that?" Li Dachui laughed. "Since Li Tai left from this group, he can only enter Chang'an through the East Gate, which is also the busiest and most bustling city gate in Chang'an, right?"

Wu De nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll go to the East Gate and kill him!"

Wu De was taken aback: "If we go now, can we still make it in time?"

"You can't catch up, but I can!" Li Dachui pointed to the opposite side: "You clean up here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Dachui disappeared from the opposite side of Wu De.

Looking at the empty space in front of him, Wu De murmured, "If I kill Li Tai in public, how can I frame Wei Zhengdao? If I can't frame him, then killing Li Tai isn't very meaningful!"

But Li Dachui could no longer hear these words, nor did he know where he was at this moment.

The supernatural powers of a master of innate talent are clearly beyond Wu De's comprehension at this stage.

Shaking his head, Wu De covered his face, mounted his horse, picked up his spear, and rode off.

As Zhang Quanli was stabbed off his horse by Wu De, more than a hundred Qin soldiers from Luoyang were all killed on the spot.

The ambushers left some things at the scene, then quickly left with the bodies of their fallen comrades.

At the three-way intersection a few miles from the eastern gate of Chang'an, vehicles, livestock, and pedestrians converge, then proceed along the official road towards Chang'an.

Along the roadside, there were quite a few simple tea stalls and restaurants. Although the food was coarse and simple, and the tea was made from the cheapest tea leaves in the market, it was common for people traveling long distances to have a simple meal here and then enter Chang'an in better condition.

Therefore, business here is always booming.

Li Tai and two guards sat in a teahouse, drinking the cheapest tea from a jug.

In the past, Li Tai would never have been able to drink such tea.

But now he was absent-minded, drinking half-heartedly, his eyes fixed on one of the roads in Sanpinkou.

Judging from their attire, the three were quite ordinary, no different from the others in the teahouse.

But the sight of the horses outside the three-person teahouse immediately distinguished them from the others.

Those three divine steeds were clearly not something an ordinary family could afford.

Li Tai was waiting for Zhang Quanli.

Judging by the time, Zhang Quanli should be here to meet him by now.

But now, he has already drunk three bowls and a can of liquor, yet Zhang Quanli is still nowhere to be seen on that road.

Zhang Quanli's absence is not a simple matter of being late; the most likely explanation is that he was intercepted on the way.

The number of people who could stop him was actually very small.

Whether Li Tai can still enter the city is now uncertain.

Yesterday, Zhang Quanli secretly asked him to leave late at night. Li Tai was somewhat reluctant, saying that everything was safe and sound. Now it seems that Zhang Quanli's worries were indeed prescient.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid General Zhang won't be able to come!" a guard whispered.

Li Tai nodded silently. Half an hour had passed since the agreed time.

“Your Highness, then we can only do as General Zhang instructed earlier and reveal Your Highness’s identity here.” The guard said, “The more you reveal your identity and enter the city openly, the more momentum you create, and those with ulterior motives will not dare to act rashly.”

Li Tai nodded, took something out of his pocket, and handed it to the guard.

That is the Crown Prince's seal.

The three men strode out of the teahouse and stood in the middle of the road. One of them held up the Crown Prince's seal and shouted in a stern voice, "Listen up, friends from all directions! Crown Prince Li Tai of the Great Qin Dynasty is here!"

The guards were skilled in martial arts, and their roar was full of energy. People who were approaching from a distance, those who had already gone quite far, and even some who were eating or drinking tea all turned to look at them. Everyone's face showed surprise.

Is he impersonating the crown prince?
This place is so close to Chang'an, are they trying to kill themselves?
Is he really the Crown Prince? Then why pull this stunt?

Before everyone could figure it out, a loud laugh suddenly came from afar, accompanied by a figure that was faster than a galloping horse, arriving in front of them in an instant.

"You choose the path to hell when there's a way to heaven, and you insist on walking into the gates of hell. Go to hell!"

(End of this chapter)