A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 118 Assassination of the Emperor
On a day in mid-spring, along the banks of the Wei River, the spring waves rippled with green, and the willows swayed gently.

The army set off.

Huo Qubing will lead 30,000 light cavalry out of Shuofang County, while Li Guang, Li Gan, and Han Shuohe will lead 10,000 light cavalry out of Youbeiping County, launching a simultaneous attack on the left and right flanks of the Xiongnu.

The Crown Prince personally saw him off at the Wei Bridge.

Looking at Huo Qubing's resolute face, Liu Ju said in a deep voice, "Return early!"

If there was anyone in the entire Han Dynasty court who was Liu Ju's pillar of strength and the most important person in the country, it was not his mother, Wei Zifu, nor his uncle, Wei Qing, nor even the prime minister, Gongsun Hong, but his elder brother, Huo Qubing.

Only Huo Qubing would carry out all his instructions without any doubt or hesitation, and would be able to complete his mission perfectly or even better.

If possible, Liu Ju would like to keep Huo Qubing by his side forever.

But this is not possible.

Defeating the Xiongnu and smashing the Dragon City were Huo Qubing's destiny. In this era, no one could replace the Marquis of Champion.

If Liu Ju were not the crown prince, he might have been able and willing to accompany Huo Qubing on his journey to seal the wolf's lair and drink from the vast sea. But he was the son of a wealthy family.

The empire forbade him to personally lead the expedition.

Having no expectation of victory, Liu Ju was unwilling to exert any pressure on Huo Qubing, and only wished to return to China as soon as possible.

"I will defeat King Hunye and King Xiutu, open up the Hexi Corridor, and I will not turn back until the enemy is defeated!" Huo Qubing declared with a firm and powerful voice.

"We will not turn back until we have defeated the enemy!"

"We will not turn back until we have defeated the enemy!"

"We will not turn back until we have defeated the enemy!"

……

After leaving Wuguan Pass and crossing the Dan River, we entered Nanyang County.

The vast, boundless mountains are covered with lush grass and trees, and Wancheng can be seen in the distance.

The southern tour group was disguised as a merchant caravan. Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty, dressed in brocade and looking like a wealthy merchant, looked at the great city surrounded by mountains and living in the heart of China, and his heart was slightly moved.

Not only Liu Che, but any emperor of the Han Dynasty would have had a subtle feeling when he stepped into the territory of Nanyang Commandery.

Emperor Gaozu made an alliance with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, that "whoever enters Guanzhong first and defeats Qin will be king." Emperor Gaozu set out from Dangjun, passing through Chengyang, Changyi and other places, avoiding the strong and attacking the weak, gradually increasing his power, and successfully occupying Yingyang.

When Emperor Gaozu passed through Yingyang and attempted to enter Guanzhong from Luoyang, he encountered resistance from the Zhao army and was trapped.

At this time, the army of Lü Yi, the governor of Nanyang Commandery, posed a strong threat to Emperor Gaozu. In order to avoid being attacked from both sides, Emperor Gaozu originally intended to bypass Wancheng and continue westward. However, on the advice of the strategist Zhang Liang, Emperor Gaozu finally decided to capture Wancheng first.

Through the "surrender agreement," Emperor Gaozu successfully persuaded Lü Yi to surrender, not only capturing Wancheng but also consolidating control of Nanyang Commandery. This victory relieved Emperor Gaozu of all worries about his rear when advancing into Guanzhong.

Thus, Emperor Gaozu was able to successfully cross Wuguan Pass and Xiaoguan Pass, occupy Lantian, and finally arrive at Bashang, forcing Prince Ziying of Qin to surrender before Xiang Yu could do so, leading to the demise of the Qin Dynasty.

Although he failed to obtain the throne of Guanzhong due to Xiang Yu's overwhelming power, he gained a reputation for righteousness.

To some extent, it was through this that Emperor Gaozu laid the foundation for the Han Dynasty.

Thanks to the protection of Emperor Gaozu, I was able to return to Chang'an smoothly after my southern tour.

At this moment, Liu Che can be considered the most devout believer in the world.

Dong Zhongshu was granted permission to ride in the same carriage. Upon seeing this, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he roughly guessed what the emperor was thinking.

But if you don't burn incense regularly, will it be effective to pray to your ancestors for protection on a rare occasion?

From the time of Emperor Jing, the Imperial Ancestral Temple became a place for Han emperors to exercise their power. Under the pretext of encroaching on the empty land of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the deposed crown prince, Liu Rong, the Prince of Linjiang, was forced to commit suicide in the prison of the Court of Justice.

His Majesty went even further, nitpicking and finding fault with everything in order to reduce the power of the marquises. He stripped one marquis after another of the Grand Masters of Ceremonies, and it was common for them to be punished with hard labor or even executed.

His Majesty has no reverence whatsoever for his ancestors.

The sun was high in the sky above the basin, and the clear blue sky was exceptionally beautiful. Every now and then, flocks of birds would fly over the mountains and then present a "gift".

Dong Zhongshu silently wiped away the bird's uncleanliness, turned to get into the carriage to hide, but suddenly stopped. Looking at the vast, lush mountains opposite, he felt as if countless malicious eyes were watching them from there.

"Your Majesty?" Dong Zhongshu called out.

Liu Che snapped out of his prayers, his brows furrowing slightly as he asked, "What is it, Doctor?"

“Look over there.”

Dong Zhongshu pointed to the mountain forest that made him feel uncomfortable, "I am uneasy."

Liu Che looked in that direction and saw that the birds in the mountains were taking off and landing normally, and there seemed to be nothing unusual.

For some reason, Liu Che also felt a bad premonition.

"stop!"

The dragon's voice fell.

The massive convoy slowly came to a stop.

The Palace Attendant Shangguan Kou rode up to the imperial carriage. "Your Majesty?"

“Send people out to explore that mountain forest.”

"Yes!"

Shangguan Kou accepted the order.

At the command, a group of guards headed in the direction indicated by the emperor, but before they even entered the forest, a whooshing sound rang out, followed by countless arrows shooting out of the forest.

The young men were all from good families in the six prefectures of Longxi, Tianshui, Anding, Beidi, Shangjun, and Xihe, as well as the Sanfu region. They were all skilled in horsemanship, archery, and warfare. Their instinctive reactions even surpassed their mental reactions. They would subconsciously lie down and roll to find space to hide.

However, the near-coverage of arrows still inflicted heavy casualties on the Qimenlang who came to explore.

Qi Menlang, who was in the distance, immediately drew his short crossbow and, without aiming, began to pull the trigger repeatedly towards the mountains and forests.

"It's a crossbow!"

A cry of alarm echoed from the mountains and forests: "The wind is strong, let's get out of here!"

The sound of a large number of people moving through the mountains and forests was heard, and the flocks of birds perched in the trees were instantly startled, forming a continuous mass that blotted out the sky.

Shangguan Kou watched the flock of birds take flight, listened to the sounds in the forest, and estimated the number of assassins, but did not give chase.

Even a large army wouldn't dare venture into unfamiliar mountains and forests; the duty of the gatekeeper was to protect the emperor, not to hunt down criminals.

Only after the sounds of the forest faded and birds took flight in the distance did Shangguan Kou order Qimenlang to retrieve the dead and wounded comrades and to explore the forest once more.

After listening to his subordinate's report, Shangguan Kou picked up an arrow that had fallen to the ground, returned to the imperial carriage, and faced the emperor, whose face was ashen. He held the arrow above his head with both hands and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, it may be a group of mountain bandits who have been lying in ambush for a long time."

The clothes torn by the branches were all coarse linen, and the arrows that were shot were all crudely made, obviously hand-torn. The fact that the birds in the forest were not disturbed was the result of a long-term ambush.

As expected, the luxurious "caravan" tempted the bandits and thieves in Nanyang County.

Who is the Prefect of Nanyang Commandery?

"Your Majesty, the legal official Mi Pu is here."

"This should be reported to the court immediately. The Nanyang Prefecture has failed to effectively control bandits. An investigation should be launched immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The convoy departs again.

Not ten miles away.

Arrows rained down!

(End of this chapter)