Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 300 Hope Shattered, Innocent?
Although Zhang Yong was furious, he was also usually arrogant and domineering.

But being a young boy, even though he was born into the Zhang family and had been influenced by the atmosphere of officialdom, he was still shocked by his mother's words and his pupils shrank.

"The news should have reached the ears of that Cangyun commander, Bloodhand Phoenix, by now. The main force of Tian Ce is stationed in Tianjin. At their speed, it will be past noon before they arrive." Madam Zhang ignored Zhang Yong, came out from the back room, went to Zhang Dingyuan's side, put her hands on his shoulders, and gently advised, "Master, if we don't leave now, it will really be too late!"

Zhang Dingyuan looked at the gate with hope in his eyes: "Wait a little longer, wait a little longer!"

Wait?
Madam Zhang smiled sadly. Since learning that the matter had been exposed last night and sending out the message, the Azure Dragon Society has not responded at all. Isn't that obvious enough?
The Zhang family was abandoned by the Azure Dragon Society.

Zhang Dingyuan never saw the people he had placed his hopes on arrive.

Zhang Dingyuan was well aware of this.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have arranged for a boat to go out to sea so early in the morning.

They prepared to flee the Ming Dynasty and seek refuge at sea.

but……

Zhang Dingyuan sighed, shook his head, and said nothing more.

The Zhang family has come to this point, and he cannot escape blame.

If we can't get through today, everything will be over!

suddenly.

A member of the Zhang family scrambled in.

“No… this is bad!”

"Uncle, uncle, it's all over, it's all over. News has come from Third Master's side that the Cangyun Army has suddenly taken action and killed or imprisoned the high-ranking officials of Tianjin Wei, including the commander!"

"And some people saw the Cangyun Army stationed in the city suddenly assemble, all of them clad in armor, seemingly... seemingly..."

This member of the Zhang family was a judge in Hejian Prefecture, a seventh-rank official. He had supported several insignificant forces with the backing of the Zhang family and had many sources of information, but now he was filled with fear.

He had some idea of ​​what the Zhang family was up to.

However, no one expected that the situation would be so serious that it would require the Cangyun Army to be mobilized.

"understood!"

Zhang Dingyuan reacted calmly, as if he had expected it, with a smile on his lips: "Xiao Yue, I have already made arrangements for your family."

"Find Zhang Mazi and disguise yourself to leave the city."

"I've already arranged the boat for the sea trip; it will depart in three hours."

"The second branch left before dawn. Your lineage is now only missing you and a few others. Go on, go on."

"This……"

The Zhang family disciple who came to deliver the message was stunned on the spot.

What's going on? His whole family has run away, and he's the only one who doesn't know?
"Then what will happen to you and your wife, Uncle?"

The Zhang family disciple frowned and said, "It will probably take some time for the Cangyun Army to arrive. We should run now; we might still make it in time!"

Although this person was unaware of what was happening, in his eyes, the worst that could happen was that he could simply leave the Ming Dynasty, go to the surrounding Song Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, or overseas countries, anywhere was fine.

It's better than waiting to die.

“If I leave, you won’t be able to leave.” Zhang Dingyuan shook his head and refused, urging the Zhang family disciple to leave quickly.

After a stick of incense.

Bang! !

The Zhang family's gate was kicked into a shower of wood chips. Several secret guards led a group of Cangyun soldiers into the house. Zhang Dingyuan and his wife tried to resist, but their martial arts were crippled by the secret guards in a single exchange. The remaining members of the Zhang family who had not yet escaped were also captured.

"Boss, a few more are missing."

"Zhang Yong, the eldest son of the Zhang family, and Zhang Rou, the eldest daughter."

The secret guards counted the heads of the Zhang family members. Soon, the secret passage leading from the Zhang family to a slum in the city was blocked by the secret guards and their men, and they successfully caught a few rats who had not yet escaped.

"Gentlemen, where would you like to go?"

Zhang Yong, Zhang Rou, and a small number of the Zhang family members were terrified and turned pale.

"Take it!"

Several Cangyun soldiers pounced on him like wolves and tigers, crippling Zhang Yong who was still trying to resist. They then dragged him out of the tunnel like a dead dog, followed by several Cangyun soldiers who looked like they were carrying chicks.

Zhang Dingyuan and his wife stared wide-eyed, their pupils bloodshot, utterly incredulous. A secret guard stepped forward with a sneer: "A secret maneuver, a deception—Patriarch Zhang, you've thoroughly mastered the Thirty-Six Stratagems!"

"What did you say? I don't understand." Zhang Dingyuan was sweating profusely, but his aura remained undiminished.

"The second and third branches of the Zhang family, as well as the true legitimate son, Zhang Yong..."

"You sent it away ahead of time."

The guard lifted Zhang Dingyuan's chin with his toes and looked down at him: "You two are ostensibly stalling for time, seemingly trying to buy a chance for the second and third branches of the Zhang family."

"In reality, they were just bait you used to protect Zhang Yong."

"Let them go out to sea along the way, and let Zhang Yong do the opposite, sneak into Jinan Prefecture, go down the river, and head to Kaifeng, right?"

"You...you..." Zhang Dingyuan's eyes widened, and all his imposing aura vanished instantly, replaced by panic. He thought his plan was flawless.

With him and his wife buying time, even if the secret guards realized something was wrong, at most they would just have the people from the second and third wives buried with them.

Zhang Yong, who had already changed his name and disguised himself as an ordinary citizen, then slipped away unnoticed and waited for another day.

To avoid being exposed, he even found a scapegoat and replaced Zhang Yong with a face-swapping device.

Now that the secret guard had seen through him, how could he not feel disheartened?

The guard glanced at the woman beside Zhang Dingyuan and said, "The Changchun Island's Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing Technique is indeed exquisite."

"What a pity, we're not home yet."

"Moreover, you thought you were clever by finding a Vajra Realm expert to protect you all the way, but little did you know that this was the biggest flaw. How could an ordinary person possibly have a Vajra Realm expert by their side?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingyuan and his wife were struck dumb.

Xu family!

Although the Xu family was not as famous as the Zhang family in Hejian Prefecture.

However, the Xu family is a martial arts family with good relations with many martial arts sects, and most of the family members are martial arts practitioners. Although they cannot be said to have achieved great success, they can be described as having a wealth of talent.

Not only are there several Vajra Realm experts, but there are also two Finger Profound Masters.

At the same time, the Xu family also acted as front men for the Green Dragon Society.

They learned that the Cangyun Army had launched a large-scale operation, ruthlessly annihilated the Qinglong Society branch, and destroyed the Zhang family, imprisoning everyone from the family head to members who couldn't escape.

The Xu family patriarch immediately ordered Xu Changqing, the only two master of the Finger Profound Realm in the clan, to lead a few juniors and leave through the secret passage.

With his cultivation as a Master of the Finger Profound Realm, Xu Changqing managed to lead several children across the city defenses. He and the Xu family children, aged between five and twelve, raced for over thirty miles, only daring to stop and rest when the wind carrying the salty scent of the sea blew in their faces.

"Second Uncle, where are we going?"

"Yes, Second Uncle, why are we running away?"

"My butt is all bruised and battered from being bounced around."

Several children were chattering away, asking questions.

"We'd like to know the answer to that question too."

In the empty, deserted wilderness, a cold laugh exploded in Xu Changqing's ears.

The next moment, Xu Changqing stared in horror at the figures that had appeared around him at some unknown time.

"The Xuanjia Secret Guard?" Xu Changqing's face turned pale. He thought he had reacted quickly enough and had been running without stopping for a moment, but he didn't expect to be caught up!

Looking at the guards around him, Xu Changqing felt increasingly desperate.

None of the six secret guards were below the Finger Profound Realm.

Although Xu Changqing knew that the Xuanjia Secret Guard was exceptionally terrifying, he never imagined it would be this terrifying.

"These children are innocent, can you spare them?" Xu Changqing pleaded in his voice. He knew the Xu family was doomed, but he still wanted to preserve a spark for the family.

"They plotted against His Highness, colluded with foreign powers, kidnapped women, and trafficked children."

"They are innocent, but aren't the children you kidnapped and sold innocent too?"

The guards coldly drew their swords. Regardless of the countless crimes committed by the Xu family, even if they were innocent, the guards would still carry out Zhu Jinzhen's orders.

"Since you don't want us to live, then I'll fight you to the death!" Xu Changqing circulated his true energy, and a soft sword resembling a venomous snake suddenly appeared in his hand. He slashed at the nearest guard with the force of a whirlwind.

(End of this chapter)