Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

The people below immediately shouted at the top of their lungs, "Xiao Ba, it's me, Chen Er Gou!"

"Open the door quickly, it's freezing outside!"

The young man on the gate squinted, not putting down his bow, but raising it even higher, the arrowhead steadily aimed downwards, "Chen Ergou?"

Why does your voice sound off?

It sounds like a male duck quacking!

Tell me, who exactly are you?

If you don't behave, I'll shoot an arrow through your throat!

"Cough cough cough... Little Eight, it really is me!"

The man below clutched his chest and coughed for a while before explaining in a hoarse voice.

"I got caught in the rain while patrolling the mountains a couple of days ago, caught a cold, and ruined my throat. It's still not fully healed, which is why my voice has changed!"

Xiao Ba looked at him suspiciously, lowered his bow slightly, and asked, "Everyone has retreated, why are you the only one left behind?"

How did it get to this state?

Look at you, you look like you've been rolling in a mud puddle from head to toe!

"Oh dear, Brother Ba, don't even mention it!" The man said with a pained expression, clutching his back as if he were about to fall apart.

"I got separated from my brothers, then I lost my footing and fell, tumbling into a ravine. I'm so lucky to have made it back!"

Five zhang away in the deep puddles, King Cheng Xie Jingxing lay prone in the grass, his brows furrowed in worry.

He listened to the conversation above and cursed in a low voice, "What a fucking babbling!"

Asking endless questions about such trivial matters, how can this possibly pass muster?

Liu Wei, who was standing beside him, quickly leaned closer and whispered to comfort him, "Your Highness, please calm down, Your Highness, please calm down."

It's only natural that the gatekeeper would ask a few questions if they heard something amiss.

Don't worry, once the code is matched and the kid comes down to check the wooden plaque, we can take advantage of the situation.

Be patient and wait a little longer.

"Thanks to Your Highness's meticulousness, I was able to interrogate them a few more times and get a clear picture of the guards and sentries at Tiger Head Stronghold tonight. Otherwise, we would have been in serious trouble at this first hurdle."

As Liu Wei spoke, he smiled obsequiously and added a very flattering remark.

Xie Jingxing snorted coldly, a hint of smugness flashing across his face, and then remained silent.

He raised his hand to swatt away a mosquito that was circling his face, his whole body stinging and itchy from the insects and ants in the mountains.

If it weren't for capturing that wretched girl and that brat from the Xiao family, why would he, a dignified king, have to suffer like this?

Thinking of this, he suppressed his irritation and listened intently to the sounds coming from above.

Their group was now lying in ambush in a deep ditch less than five zhang from the village gate, taking advantage of the dense bushes and the cover of night.

As long as the soldier impersonating Chen Ergou manages to sneak in, they can swarm him as soon as the gate opens.

Even if there are traps and mechanisms inside, as long as we can tear open a gap and fill it with lives, we can pave a way out.

What does it matter if a few hundred people die?

For his position as crown prince, and the future throne of the emperor, everything was worth it.

Xie Jingxing's eyes were cold and sinister.

At the gate of the village, Xiao Ba remained silent for a moment before finally revealing a smile: "So it really is Brother Er Gou!"

"Wait here, I'll come down and open the door!"

"Why!

okay!

"Thank you for your hard work, little brothers!"

The fake Chen Ergou below was filled with barely suppressed joy and excitement, and he even moved his body closer to the village gate.

With a creak, the small door on the village gate opened from the inside, and Xiao Ba came down carrying a dim yellow lantern.

He didn't open the gate immediately. Instead, he looked the mud-covered face up and down through the thick wooden fence: "Brother Er Gou, follow the rules. Take a look at the wooden sign."

Fake Chen Ergou nodded hurriedly, his face beaming with smiles: "I understand, I understand, it's only right for Brother Ba to follow the rules!"

Here, take a good look!

As he spoke, he took a wooden plaque from his waist and slipped it through the gap in the fence.

Xiao Ba took the wooden plaque, glanced at it in the lantern light, and nodded: "The wooden plaque is correct."

His gaze never left the man's face outside. He raised the lantern slightly and, using its light, casually glanced into the shadows outside.

Sure enough, you could vaguely see some specks of reflection.

He made up his mind, but didn't show it on his face.

He quickly looked away and glanced at the people outside a couple more times.

The figure is similar, and the face is smeared with mud, but the eyes are wrong, and the tone of voice today is completely wrong.

Chen Ergou was a confidant of Hu Biao, the second-in-command. He usually acted arrogantly and looked down on the gatekeepers, speaking to them in a huff and shouting orders.

Unlike this guy in front of me, who's all smiles and cooperation, his eyes darting around like a thief, as if afraid people won't believe him.

There's no doubt that what's in front of you is a fake.

The real Chen Ergou has already been arrested, and he has most likely betrayed us. That guy was a coward who was afraid of death!

Xiao Ba passed the wooden sign back through the gap in the fence. "There's nothing wrong with the wooden sign."

One last thing: exchanging the password.

Fake Chen Ergou felt a weight lifted from his heart, thinking to himself that these bandits from Tiger Head Stronghold were nothing special, easily fooled with a few words.

He quickly put away the wooden sign, lowered his voice, and said, word by word, "Those who obey me will prosper..."

Those who oppose me will perish.

Xiao Ba finished the sentence, and finally a smile appeared on his face. He turned around and went to pull out the door latch. "It matches! It matches!"

"Hey Er Gou, wait here, I'll open the door for you right away!"

The fake Chen Ergou was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, "Good! Good! Drive quickly!"

While urging him on, he quietly took out a signal flare from his pocket, opened the cap with his thumb, and pulled hard towards the night sky.

call out……

Snapped!

A crimson firework exploded in the night sky.

Upon seeing the signal, Xie Jingxing abruptly waved his hand and shouted, "Charge!"

Hundreds of dark figures sprang up from the deep ravine in an instant, shouting as they surged toward the village gate.

Meanwhile, in the shadows not far behind the gate, Xiao Yi curled his thin lips into a cold smile and made a hand gesture: "Everyone get ready. When they get close, greet them as we said before."

Just as Xie Jingxing's men rushed to the gate of the village, the heavy gate was suddenly flung open.

Xiao Ba stood inside the door, his smile suddenly turning cold. He pointed at the fake Chen Er Gou's nose and cursed, "Chen Er Gou?"

You traitorous dog!

Go to hell!

Before he finished speaking, a short knife slid out from his sleeve, flashed with cold light, and stabbed into the stomach of the fake Chen Ergou!

Two quick and ruthless slashes!

Fake Chen Ergou stared wide-eyed, clutching his stomach in disbelief as he collapsed, blood gushing out.

Xiao Ba drew his sword, turned around, and ran wildly into the village.

Xie Jingxing didn't even glance at the convulsing corpse on the ground, pointing his sword at the gate: "Charge in for me!"

boom………

Instead of the smooth sailing they had imagined, they were met with an overwhelming, foul-smelling black rain!

The brothers who were already prepared carried large ladles and buckets and splashed fermented, soft, sticky cow dung mixed with dirty water onto the enemy troops who were pouring in!

"Ah! My eyes!"

"Pah! What is that?! It stinks to death!"

"vomit……"

The first few dozen people were instantly drenched in excrement, their feet slipped, their vision blurred, and chaos ensued.

Cries for parents, curses, and retching filled the air.

Those behind couldn't stop in time and crashed into those in front, falling down in a chaotic mess and turning into a human porridge at the village entrance.

Xie Jingxing was protected by his bodyguards, and a few drops of splattered splattered on his face, making him so disgusted that he almost vomited up his dinner from the night before.

He flew into a rage: "No retreating!"

All of you, charge upwards for me!

Anyone who rushes in will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!

The second group of people gritted their teeth, stepped on the slippery ground, and stumbled and rushed in again.