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

Chapter 279 Execution
The robbery shocked the Han Dynasty court.

Memorials from the counties and prefectures of the Han Dynasty drifted into Chang'an like snowflakes. The victims included officials, powerful families, wealthy merchants, and big spenders... all of which proved that a mysterious band of bandits existed beneath the imperial court, roaming freely within and beyond the Great Wall.

Just as the kings, ministers, dukes, nobles, and members of the imperial family of both China and foreign countries were filled with doubt and suspicion.

The Crown Prince issued an edict to the entire court.

Princes and ministers prepared carriages for their journeys.

Along the way.

When they encountered the Prime Minister's carriage, the princes and ministers bowed to him from their carriages and then instructed the drivers to slow down and follow behind, not daring to overtake him in the slightest.

They gradually converged into a "torrent".

at this time.

A rough, angry shout suddenly rang out from the inns on both sides of the Imperial Street: "Fire arrows!"

In an instant, countless rockets were launched simultaneously, streaks of blue light whistling sharply as they shot toward the Prime Minister's carriage directly in front.

Before the commander could give the order, the guards around the carriage reacted immediately, drawing their swords to block the barrage of blue arrows.

The burning oil arrows, infused with phosphorus, were extremely difficult to extinguish. When they were knocked down and sent flying, they splattered everywhere. The carriages of officials who were close to the prime minister's carriage were hit hard, and the wood and cloth of Hua Jin immediately caught fire. With the winter wind blowing fiercely, the fire quickly spread.

The guards could block the oil arrows coming from all directions, but they couldn't block the oil arrows shot from the rooftops or falling from the sky.

The blue flame struck the roof of the car, but instead of igniting as expected, it went out after burning off the oil and phosphorus.

It's a wooden lid, yet it doesn't burn.

Although the rooftop assassin didn't know the reason, he knew he had to take the next step and shouted, "Crossbow anchor!"

The bow was replaced with a crossbow, but unlike a regular crossbow, the crossbow bolt was connected to a rope after it was fired.

Crossbow bolts either pierced or hooked onto various parts of the carriage frame. With a deep shout, the assassins on both sides of the street exerted all their strength, trying to dismantle the carriage.

Without the eerie carriage, the old prime minister, a man of flesh and blood, would be completely exposed to the assassins. At that point, a single arrow would be enough to take the life of the powerful Han prime minister.

The guard swung his sword, intending to cut the rope, but the recoil nearly caused him to drop the sword.

The rope was made of steel wire mixed with strong rope, and was extremely sturdy. It could not be broken except by divine weapons or by superhuman strength.

The rooftop assassin raised his crossbow, ready to fire as soon as the vehicle frame was damaged.

His unobstructed eyes revealed the glee of about to slay his enemy.

Embarrassingly, the anticipated scene of the car frame being torn apart did not occur. No matter how hard the assassins tried, they could not tear or damage the car frame in the slightest.

The rooftop assassin frowned. Before he could give another order, he saw that the rooftops on all four sides were filled with people. The leader shouted, "Heaven and Earth Sword Formation, eliminate the powerful enemy! Kill!"

They are disciples of the Mohist school!
The rooftop assassin's expression suddenly changed. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Mohists roamed the states with their "Sword of Punishment for Tyranny," relying not on their scholarship, but on the true sword of punishment for tyranny.

The Mohist disciples were forged in blood and fire, fighting against the strong and helping the weak, and even confronting the armies of powerful nations head-on.

The most famous of them is the Heaven and Earth Sword Formation.

Each swordsman is not only an individual master of swordsmanship, but also has a tradition of fighting in formations.

When two people travel together, they must have certain equipment.

When three people travel together, they must have a formation.

This is the code of conduct of the Mohists.

When there are three or more people, the disciples of the Mohist school will always fight in formation, unlike the wandering knights who pursue one-on-one battles.

In the Mohist philosophy, every action is a battle, not a personal duel, and the goal is to eliminate the opponent as quickly as possible.

This battle formation structure based on the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches allows the Mohist disciples to remain steadfast in any situation, even amidst the surging waves of a cavalry charge, by forming an isolated island with their formation.

After the unification of the world, the concept of the Heaven and Earth Sword Formation disappeared, and it was not even shown in the Confucian school of martial arts. The rooftop assassin had thought that the sword formation had been lost or did not exist at all. But now, it had reappeared. A dozen Mohist disciples rushed out like arrows and formed a cone-shaped formation on the rooftop in the blink of an eye. Each of them held a sword of different lengths. With light steps, they slashed the assassin's throat and pierced his heart the instant they were close to him.

Simple and direct moves, easy to see, but impossible to block.

Mozi's second senior brother, Deng Ji, casually killed an assassin, then leaped up and flew onto the roof like a great eagle, sneering, "So you call yourselves wandering knights?"

Facing an existence at the level of an "ancestor," the assassin was extremely solemn and said in a deep voice: "Gongsun Hong wants to eliminate the wandering knights and has become a lackey of the tyrant. We are unwilling to be captured and are determined to eliminate the tyrant. As fellow knights, we hope that Senior Mo Xia will spare our lives."

If the assassination fails, the Prefect of the Capital will surely send troops to put out the fire and arrest the culprit, and will also seal the city gates to capture the murderer. If he is delayed even for a while, he will not be able to leave even if he wants to.

"A person who hides his true colors and attacks others with hidden weapons, dares to call himself a hero?"

Deng Ji strode onto the roof ridge. "Eliminate violence? You think you're worthy?"

As they were speaking, the assassin lunged forward, his long sword already drawn, but Deng Ji's sword arrived first.

In the blink of an eye, the assassin's sword-wielding arm was severed and fell to the ground.

"Don't move!"

"Move or die!"

Deng Ji placed his sword against the assassin's neck and casually slashed off the assassin's mask, revealing a square face and imposing features.

"what is it call?"

"Zhu Anshi!"

"Oh, so he's a 'hero'."

"You are the one."

……

Enter Weiyang Palace.

Gongsun Hong, along with his disciples Mozi Mo and Huo Guangcai, dismounted from the Lingnan pine wood carriage specially made for them by the Mo family. Following behind, the disheveled officials from both the Chinese and foreign dynasties looked at the old prime minister, who was dressed neatly and looked as usual, and revealed a bit of helplessness.

They suffered an undeserved calamity, yet they couldn't even blame anyone.

In front of his many colleagues and subordinates, Gongsun Hong said, "It is I who have caused you all so much suffering."

"Don't dare!"

"Don't dare!"

"..."

Both the civil and military officials of the two dynasties dared not.

"In the second year of Yuanshuo, His Majesty ordered the wealthy families of various prefectures and kingdoms to relocate to Maoling. Guo Jie, a chivalrous hero from Henan, then colluded with other heroes of the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) to cause trouble, even killing Yang Jizhu, a county clerk of our court, to show off his power. Later, after my strong remonstrance, His Majesty executed Guo Jie and his entire clan. Afterwards, I again advised His Majesty to eliminate the harm caused by wandering knights, but His Majesty did not agree..."

Gongsun Hong's voice was slow, yet it possessed an overwhelming power. "I never imagined that this would lead to such a calamity. My life is as insignificant as a feather, and I would not care even if I died ten thousand times. But with the imperial relocation order, wandering knights and thieves have colluded to rob and kill our officials everywhere, and to plunder our wealthy and powerful in the chaos. Chu Da, the prefect of Liaodong Commandery, and Er Kuan, the prefect of Liaoxi Commandery, were abandoned naked in the wilderness... The wealthy Tian and Wei families within the pass have been wiped out... Officials, powerful families, wealthy merchants, and big businessmen throughout the land have suffered this great calamity, and I am heartbroken by the undeserved misfortune that befell you all!"

Tears burst into tears.

The ministers were silent.

"Gentlemen, within the borders of the Great Han, we must punish the bandits and abolish the ban on martial arts!" Gongsun Hong declared in a thunderous voice.

"Slay the bandits and ban martial arts!"

"Slay the bandits and ban martial arts!"

"..."

Within the palace walls, the furious shouts of civil and military officials from both the Chinese and foreign dynasties soared to the heavens…

(End of this chapter)