Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 8 The Last Level

The horses of the few people were not running fast, and they rested twice in the middle. It was not until it was completely dark that they passed Cangzhou.

Jia Chuan knew that if he could survive this night, Zhu Zhanji would definitely order Dong Shuben to mobilize troops as soon as possible after dawn.

But this night...

Dong Shuben and Shunzi were in the front, Zhu Zhanji and Haishou were in the middle, and Kuang Zhong and Jia Chuan were at the back.

The horse was no longer running, but strolling forward. Zhu Zhanji on the horse was swaying, as if he had fallen asleep. When his wound was pulled, he would suddenly straighten up, but not long after, he would start swaying again.

Kuang Zhong whispered to Jia Chuan, "The prince has suffered."

Jia Chuan naturally knew that Zhu Zhanji had followed Zhu Di on the Northern Expedition. If it were any other pampered prince, he would have died long ago.

That night, the moon was covered by dark clouds, and it was extremely hot and stuffy, without a breath of wind.

The few people had no torches and could only see the road not far ahead, and the horses could only move forward at a leisurely pace.

Logically speaking, it would be better to stop and rest for two hours, and then jog for another two hours. This would probably be faster than walking like this, but Zhu Zhanji thought that the closer he was to Bazhou, the safer he would be, so he naturally refused to rest. Besides, he would jog for a while occasionally when he felt refreshed.

Jia Chuan looked up at the sky and muttered, "It's going to rain."

Zhu Zhanji suddenly said, "It would be better if we could leave. It would be a relief."

Haishou said anxiously, "No, the wound will be damaged if it gets wet with rain!"

Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter! How can there be no injuries when marching and fighting? Will God make it sunny every day because of this? The weather is very stuffy, and it will rain to cool down!"

As soon as Zhu Zhanji finished speaking, Jia Chuan felt a chill on his face. It was really raining, and it was a heavy rain.

Zhu Zhanji laughed like a child and suddenly shouted "Gee!" The horse rushed into the rain curtain.

Jia Chuan couldn't help but curse in his heart and urged his horse to catch up.

Kuang Zhong was exhausted. He shook his head and sighed, but still walked slowly in the rain.

Haishou was anxious. Subjectively, he wanted to stay by Zhu Zhanji's side all the time. Objectively, his leg was injured, and riding a horse was difficult for him. He could only gallop a few times in the rain.

Dong Shuben and the archer Shunzi were very fast, following Jia Chuan and chasing Zhu Zhanji closely, which was why Kuang Zhong was not in a hurry.

In this way, the six people were divided into three levels. In the front were Zhu Zhanji, Jia Chuan, Dong Shuben and Shunzi who were galloping on horseback; in the middle was Haishou who was extremely anxious; and at the bottom was Kuang Zhong who was sighing.

If Zhu Zhanji had just gone crazy for a while, the team would have been able to reunite soon. However, Zhu Zhanji had been feeling depressed and terrified for the past ten days since he set out from Nanjing. Suddenly, his nature was liberated, and all the emotions that had been pent up in his chest burst out. Because there was too much pent-up emotion, it inevitably lasted longer, causing the distance between the three levels to become increasingly greater.

Jia Chuan tried to persuade the prince several times, but the rain choked him before he could even utter a word. Dong Shuben felt his heart almost leap out of his throat. In such heavy rain, a horse might stumble. What if...

Jia Chuan's body was almost completely stuck to the horse, and the rain hitting his face hurt. He found an opportunity to look back and found that Kuang Zhong and Hai Shou had not kept up, so he decided to slow down.

If he continued running like this, he was not worried about Zhu Zhanji's life or death. He was afraid that he would fall off the horse in front of Zhu Zhanji. If he didn't die, he would be paralyzed or lame, and his life would be over.

Just when Jia Chuan made up his mind to take action, he vaguely heard a voice...

Zhu Zhanji seemed to have heard it as well and finally slowed down.

"Who is ahead!"

Jia Chuan was still feeling relieved that everything was finally quiet when he suddenly heard this shout. His heart couldn't help but tighten. This noise didn't sound like that of ordinary people, and ordinary people wouldn't make a sound if they were walking at night.

It was a dark and rainy night, and they could hear the noise but not see anyone. Jia Chuan only hoped that the other party was a servant of a noble family. Usually, the master would not speak, and it was impossible for them to expect Zhu Zhanji to respond. It was uncertain whether Dong Shuben's soul was still there. Jia Chuan could only bite the bullet and shout, "Who are you?"

Zhu Zhanji had reined in his horse at this time. He originally wanted to ride past without stopping, but he thought that if the person coming was really the King of Han's man, running away would probably bring disaster, not to mention that he didn't want to run at all.

The heavy rain seemed to know that something was going to happen in this area and didn't want to get involved too much, so the rain suddenly became lighter.

In the darkness of night, Jia Chuan drove his horse slowly forward until he was parallel to Zhu Zhanji. A horse's face gradually appeared in front of him, and then he saw a square face wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat on the horse.

Jia Chuan instinctively urged his horse forward to block Zhu Zhanji, and then shouted again: "Who are you?! Why are you stopping here instead of going on a peaceful night road? Are you bandits trying to rob people? Look carefully, we are from the Inspection Office, and we are just taking you to claim the credit!"

Zhu Zhanji finally realized what Jia Chuan said. If the other person was moving as fast as he was, in this dark night with heavy rain, they would have passed each other by the time they saw each other. Even if they realized what was happening, they would have had to turn their horses around and catch up. This person must be waiting here. If so... Zhu Zhanji felt a chill in his heart. This person must be one of the King of Han's men. Zhu Zhanji gripped the reins tightly and looked carefully behind the person opposite him, wondering how many people were waiting.

The leader of the opposite side rode his horse and slowly walked towards Jia Chuan. Jia Chuan had a sharp look in his eyes and an angry face, without any fear.

The man glanced at the other three and asked, "Just the four of you?"

Jia Chuan snorted coldly and said loudly, "How about four? Grandpa has fought in battle and killed enemies before. With the five of you, it's just a matter of a few strokes! I don't need three of them, I can do it alone! Tell me, why are you blocking the road?"

"Where are you going?" The man asked calmly without getting angry.

Jia Chuan was now one horse's length ahead of Zhu Zhanji, so he could naturally see more clearly than Zhu Zhanji. There were four people behind that man, and they were all on horseback.

Jia Chuan wiped the rain off his face, feeling a little anxious. He deliberately spoke loudly for the two people behind him to hear. It would be better if Kuang Zhong and Haishou did not come over at this time. It was obvious that Zhu Gaoxu had a trick up his sleeve. If Zhu Zhanji had not mobilized troops in Cangzhou, placing people blocking the road here would be the last hurdle.

I had underestimated Zhu Gaoxu before.

Even if Zhu Zhanji managed to get here, he would have no resistance as long as he did not mobilize troops, so the people on the opposite side were so relaxed. For him, the number of people was the first hurdle to identification. When they fled to Huangluling, there were only four of Zhu Zhanji and his men left, two of whom were eunuchs. If this was the information the man got, although the number of people was correct, he would know that the people were wrong by looking at their faces and judging their voices.

If he got the news that there were six of them when they left Huangluling, then those four people must be wrong. Jia Chuan thought about paralyzing the enemy first and getting away with it. If he couldn't get away with it, it would be best to mistake him for Zhu Zhanji again (not daring to kill him). There was still a chance of this. As for the last hurdle, Jia Chuan even felt that the foolish King of Han would not think this hurdle was necessary. It must have been the counselors around him who persuaded him to arrange a few people to guard here. The IQ of these people... Jia Chuan felt that he could do it.

But at this time, Zhu Zhanji had a little more appreciation for Jia Chuan. In this situation, Jia Chuan not only stood up without any fear, but also showed extraordinary wit.

"Boss, tell him why we are going to Bazhou?!" Jia Chuan straightened his back and looked very imposing.

Dong Shuben couldn't speak at this time. He made a few "um" sounds but couldn't form a single word.

"Oh, you're so useless! But then again, what does it have to do with you what we're doing in Bazhou? Now I'm asking you! It's late at night, if there are civilians passing by here, are you planning to kill them and rob them?"

The man ignored Jia Chuan and looked at Zhu Zhanji behind him. Zhu Zhanji shouted, "What are you looking at? There's no need to waste time talking to him, Inspector. Just capture him and take him to Bazhou."

Zhu Zhanji was already a powerful figure, and his voice was like a loud bell, making him look even more ferocious than Jia Chuan.

Jia Chuan reached for his sword and shouted, "Shunzi, get your bow and arrow ready!"

Shunzi just took the order and said, "Yes, sir!" and took the package off his back...

The man snorted and said lazily, "We were just wondering why someone would be traveling at night in such weather. We were worried that they were pretending to be us, so we came up to ask a few questions."

"Oh? They sound like one of us. Are you guys on patrol from the garrison?" Jia Chuan's tone changed quickly, but he was actually very nervous. He suddenly realized that although it seemed like he could pass this level, the two people behind him would pass by here sooner or later. If they found Haishou, it would be like they found Zhu Zhanji. If the fast horses caught up with them then, they would all die.

After Jia Chuan finished speaking, without waiting for the man to reply, he turned to look at Shunzi and scolded him impatiently: "What a loser! If we really encounter bandits, by the time you prepare your bows and arrows, we will have been captured! Quickly divide the bows and arrows between the two of them. You are carrying them all by yourself, as if I am bullying you!"

Shunzi was originally full of complaints. He only brought him one archer, but he had to carry three bows and quivers. Who would they be used for?

Shunzi knew Jia Chuan. Besides being able to run faster than a rabbit and tell stories, that was all he was good at. But who was Dong Shuben? He was a patrol inspector. He could certainly shoot an arrow, but could he really use a patrol inspector's power? Carrying three sets of bows and arrows, and then eating them? Not to mention the crown prince, the officials of the Ministry of Rites, and the eunuchs.

Hearing what Jia Chuan said, Shunzi seemed to suddenly understand something and quickly distributed the bows and quivers to Zhu Zhanji and Dong Shuben.

Jia Chuan looked at the man and said, "Brother, don't laugh at me. Our patrol office is not like your guards. It's said to be under the control of the Ministry of War, but in fact it's under the jurisdiction of the local government. It just has some equipment, but it can't compare to the glory of your guards. We are usually lazy. If we really encounter something unexpected, like your sudden appearance, it can be regarded as a reminder for me. Otherwise, if we really encounter fugitives or bandits, I won't be as easy to deal with as you."

The man smiled, knowing that the people in front of him were indeed from the Inspection Office, so he urged his horse to the side and made way, and the four people behind him also made way.

Jia Chuan bowed to the man, then looked back and urged, "Hurry up, you're so slow! You guys were so fast when you were eating!"

Zhu Zhanji understood what he meant as soon as he took the bow and quiver. Dong Shuben also understood it, but his brain was clear and his hands were not under his control. After taking the bow and arrow, he heard Jia Chuan's scolding. His expression really looked like he had done something wrong and didn't know what to do in front of his boss.

"Can arrows be exposed to rain? I told you to divide them, not to destroy them!"

After turning around and shouting, Jia Chuan urged his horse forward slowly. As he passed the five people, he looked inquiringly at the dark roadside. When he saw where the five people were hiding, Jia Chuan shouted in surprise: "Oh! You actually set up a tent on the roadside! Oh, there are three people in it. The treatment in the guard post is really good. Our inspection department..."

‘Swish swish’

The sound of the arrow breaking through the sky was a little muffled in the drizzle.

(End of this chapter)