Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 831 Falling into the trap
As the Duke of Wei watched his troops begin to cross the bridge in an orderly fashion, his fighting spirit soared even higher.

This is Chiang Kai-shek's army. All these years, he has feigned weakness in the court, just to preserve his strength. He continues to recruit soldiers in secret, always preparing for the day when the Chiang family will rise again.

Deep down, he hoped that the King of Qin's succession to the throne wouldn't be so smooth, otherwise his old body would have no use for his skills. Heaven had given him another chance to go to the battlefield.

Duke Wei took a deep breath. The Emperor was wary of him and the Jiang family at every turn; he certainly never expected things to turn out this way.

"As long as we stabilize the situation, we will find a way to get rid of Marquis Changyuan."

Duke Wei gave the instructions in a low voice.

The adjutant beside him responded, "Don't worry, Your Excellency, I will handle this personally." After the battle, even if Marquis Changyuan was not injured, he would feel exhausted. He would be able to take advantage of the situation to get close and kill the man.

Duke Wei asked, "Has that brat Wang Yan made any move yet?"

The lieutenant said, "There is no one lying in ambush within at least two miles ahead."

As long as Wang Yan's troops don't suddenly appear, they should be able to reach Kaide Prefecture smoothly.

As the Duke of Wei was thinking this, he suddenly felt a coolness on the tip of his nose. He looked up and felt snowflakes falling on his face. The Duke of Wei couldn't help but frown.

The snow fell at the wrong time, could it be...?

Duke Wei immediately interrupted his thoughts. Even if the weather was bad, everything else was prepared and they would not be affected.

At worst, we can take a break after entering Kaide.

That is precisely why it is even more important to take over Kaide Prefecture.

As the army gradually landed, the Duke of Wei also shifted his attention away from the pontoon bridge.

“If it weren’t winter, it would be more advantageous for us,” said Wei Guogong. “We would arrive in Kaifeng much faster by taking a large ship.”

The general beside him said, "If His Majesty wishes to pass away prematurely, there's nothing anyone can do. The Duke can just consider it a farewell."

These words brought a smile to the Duke of Wei's face. He patted the general on the shoulder and said, "Take your men and attack the city walls first. I'll give you the credit for that."

"Take orders."

The general was preparing to bring his troops over when he faintly heard a commotion on the pontoon bridge.

It was as if someone was urgently shouting, "The bridge and the boat are moving!"

The general frowned. The bridge and boats were frozen to the ice; how could they possibly move? He wanted to send someone to check, but considering the gravity of the matter, he rode forward himself.

The warhorse stepped back onto the pontoon bridge. After taking only a few steps, a ball of fire suddenly appeared ahead, followed by a loud "boom." The bridge surface shook violently, and then the fireball spread rapidly. For some unknown reason, all the bridge boats supporting the pontoon bridge caught fire.

The connecting cables were damaged, and the entire pontoon bridge suddenly collapsed. Some of the soldiers on the bridge were set on fire and ran away screaming, while others shouted and dodged.

The sudden chaos made the pontoon bridge even more unstable. The general tried to steady himself, but the change was too fast. He felt a tilt and fell off the bridge along with his warhorse.

The soldiers on the bridge were in the same boat; all that could be heard were screams of agony. Some were burned alive, some fell off the bridge, and some were trampled underfoot by their comrades. Only a few instinctively grabbed onto the railings and ropes of the pontoon bridge, trying to steady themselves.

But clearly this was just the beginning. Two more booming sounds rang out, this time the firearms exploded among the soldiers on the opposite bank. Once again attacked by firearms, the soldiers were filled with fear, running and shouting, "The imperial army is here! The imperial army is here!"

"What happened?"

Duke Wei came to his senses and quickly went to check.

The general standing on this side of the bridge witnessed everything. He was stunned at first, and then said, "It seems...it seems someone blew up the pontoon bridge."

The pontoon bridge was blown up, affecting the soldiers who were crossing it.

"who is it……"

The name Wang Yan came to mind when Duke Wei thought of it. It was Wang Yan's men who had infiltrated them... They had planted gunpowder on the bridge beforehand, which was why this had happened.

But the Duke of Wei felt something was amiss, because shouts of battle were clearly coming from the opposite bank. If it were just a few spies, they couldn't have caused such a commotion. Who could it be?
The troops left on the opposite side?
Duke Wei was a seasoned general who had been through many battles. He immediately calmed down and then thought of someone: Marquis Changyuan.

He left Changyuan Marquis's troops in the middle, and now the problem is in the middle.

After these people crossed the bridge, it would have been Marquis Changyuan's turn. Now that the bridge was destroyed, his vanguard troops were completely separated from the rest.

“Don’t worry, Your Excellency. It’s winter now, we can still cross the ice,” the general said. “I will send men down immediately to rescue them, and then check the situation on the other side.”

Duke Wei lowered his head, looking at the ice surface under the moonlight, and a scream came from the ice.

Although the general did not issue any orders, some people had already begun to rescue people on the ice.

People on the other side were also running across the ice towards this side.

At this moment, the troops led by the Duke of Wei were in complete chaos. The soldiers, who were confused about the situation, did not listen to orders and just ran away.

A thought suddenly flashed through the Duke of Wei's mind, and he immediately said, "Call everyone back, and don't let them go down onto the ice. Get them all back up."

Boom! Another fireball.

The commotion drowned out the Duke of Wei's voice.

"Did you hear me? Everyone get ashore."

Duke Wei gave another instruction.

The general standing on the ice seemed to have heard the sound and was about to look at the deputy general not far away when, with a "plop," the deputy general's figure suddenly disappeared before his eyes.

In the icy river, the lieutenant struggled, and the general rushed forward to try to pull him back, but their armor was too heavy, and the man disappeared after only a few thrashings.

"Someone, someone..."

The general lay on the ice and saw many people fall into the water.

"Someone broke through the ice beforehand, someone else... broke through..."

As soon as the general finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck, and the next moment, hot blood gushed out, and his head rolled off.

The man who assassinated the general did not rush forward. He disappeared back into the darkness, watching the situation on the ice, waiting for an opportunity to strike. They were soldiers sent by Wang Yan to break the ice and set traps. They had already completed the task assigned by Wang Yan and only needed to lie in wait. But seeing the rebel army in chaos, how could they not seize the opportunity to make a contribution?

They wouldn't be foolish enough to fight these people head-on; after all, the time to fight them to the death would come when reinforcements arrived.

……

There are traps on the ice.

The soldiers who escaped brought back the news.

Duke Wei clenched his fists; he had been in a hurry to order the troops to be withdrawn because he had thought of this. If they could think of sabotaging the pontoon bridge, they must have tampered with the ice.

The veins on the Duke of Wei's forehead throbbed. He had to find out whether Wang Yan had arranged everything, or if there was a traitor among them.
This determines how he should arrange his forces to fight.

Of course, it is also possible that both are true.

If that's really the case... then this is troublesome.

His troops were split in two. Wang Yan's goal was clearly to defeat them one by one. The troops on the other side were not under his command. If Marquis Changyuan had no ulterior motives, he could break through the encirclement with his men. Otherwise...

When the Duke of Wei closed his eyes, he truly became a fish on a chopping board.

The most troublesome thing was that the King of Qin, for some inexplicable stupidity, refused to cross the bridge with him and instead stayed behind.

With the King of Qin captured, who will they support to ascend the throne?

(End of this chapter)