Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

Behind one Gushan Ejen were two Jiala Zhangjing, who watched from the side until they were certain that Abatai was dead.

Their faces turned completely pale.

Gushan Ejen asked, "You just said those assassins came from underground?"

One of the guards nodded: "Yes, a hole suddenly appeared in the ground, and then the Prince fell in. The hole disappeared. It was definitely the work of those assassins, Nikan!"

"Did you see how many people were in the cave?" Gushan Ezhen pressed.

He swallowed, his voice lowering as if recalling the situation.

"It was so sudden."

"Suddenly, a hole appeared beneath Prince Beile's feet, and he fell right into it. We rushed over to pull him out, but before we could even see what was below, the hole vanished."

"When we looked again, the ground had returned to normal."

Gushan Ezhen frowned deeply: "So, you still haven't even caught a glimpse of the assassin?"

The guard, shrinking back, replied with difficulty, "No, nothing."

Jiala Zhangjing coldly said, "So, you mean you didn't hear a thing until the Prince fell in, and you didn't even know they were hiding down there?"

Before his personal guards could answer, he continued, "That's right. If you had noticed earlier, how could the Prince have fallen?"

The group exchanged glances, and they could all see the solemnity and fear in each other's eyes.

As a prince, Abatai was already well protected, but these days the defenses have been strengthened even more, with sentries and hunting dogs deployed, and more patrols added. Even Abatai himself dared not stay in a tent, but instead hid among the crowd.

But the assassins still managed to find Abatai without anyone noticing.

At this moment, the Jiala Zhangjing suddenly looked up and said, "Those assassins came from underground, so they couldn't have appeared out of thin air."

"These assassins must have dug a path here; the tunnel is nearby!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately realized what was going on.

"right!"

"If we find that tunnel, we might be able to catch up with them. They can come in underground, so they must have somewhere to get out!"

The guards, who had been in despair, regained some spirit.

Gushan Ezhen agreed, and immediately ordered, "Dig!"

"Dig up all the ground around here. If they can get here from underground, they must have left traces!"

The soldiers began digging around the spot where Abatai had fallen.

The already dug pit was expanded outwards along the pit walls in an attempt to find the passage hidden in the soil.

After digging for a long time, all I found was mud.

Gushan Ezhen, his eyes red, said, "Dig further to the side!"

They dug until the very end, and the original pit had doubled in size, with the surrounding land turned upside down.

But they couldn't even see a shadow of a tunnel.

Gushan Ezhen muttered incredulously, "Impossible, why didn't we find the tunnel?"

Some people cautiously speculated, "Could it be that they've filled in the areas they dug up again?"

"How is that possible? Filling up an underground passage that is wide enough for people to pass through is a huge project. To complete it in such a short time is simply a pipe dream," Jiala Zhangjing said without hesitation.

Everyone looked at each other.

This left even Gushan Ezhen at a loss.

The clue we had just managed to grasp has been lost again.

Panic began to spread among the Later Jin generals.

The only thing we know about the dead Prince is that Nikan's assassination techniques came from underground.

They couldn't even find the hole they dug.

But this only made them more terrified.

They could still be on guard and prevent attacks on the ground, but they were completely helpless against these assassins who broke into the camp from underground.

They don't even know how many of those people there are.

All we know is that they can emerge from underground and even create deep pits to bury people alive.

Jiala Zhangjing subconsciously glanced at the ground beneath his feet.

For some reason, the ground that had felt incredibly solid just moments before now sent a chill down his spine.

His voice was hoarse: "If they can kill even a prince, what about us?"

These words, which were clearly demoralizing, were ignored by Gushan Ejin.

He was more worried that among those present, he was more likely to be mistaken for Cheng Jiang by the assassins, and that he might be the next one to die.

That's right, what was truly terrifying was not the death of Prince Bellor.

Instead, they discovered that the assassins really wanted to kill them, and their deaths were probably only a matter of time.

Even more terrifying is that, to this day, they haven't even seen the enemy's face.

After a long silence, Gushan Ezhen finally spoke slowly: "The most important thing now is to report this news."

"And what about the Prince?"

"Take it back."

Gushan Ezhen did not hesitate: "The Prince is the son of the Taizu Emperor, and his body cannot be left in such a place. Find a stretcher, collect the Prince's body properly, and escort it back overnight."

"besides!"

Gushan Ezhen took a deep breath and earnestly instructed, "Pass on my order: from tonight onwards, no one is allowed to massacre villages without a military order."

"Furthermore, during future marches, unless resistance is encountered or it is truly necessary, ordinary Nikan civilians must not be killed indiscriminately. Anyone who dares to disobey this order shall be punished."

Gushan Ezhen paused, scanned the crowd, and said coldly, "I'll kill him first."

……

After hearing the report from the messenger, Huang Taiji remained silent for a long time.

Huang Taiji only raised his head when he ordered Abatai's body to be brought in.

Beneath the white cloth, the figure who once followed his father in his campaigns across the north and south was now completely still.

"Say it again," Huang Taiji said.

The general in charge of the report lowered his head and recounted the events again.

From increasing patrols and setting up more sentries, to having hounds as bodyguards, and finally having Abatai hide among the crowd.

It can be said that they have considered almost every possible precaution.

Even so, Abatai still died.

Huang Taiji frowned, feeling a tightness in his chest.

Even after years of fighting, he still couldn't understand how these people managed to do it.

An idea popped into my head as if by some strange twist of fate.

Could it be that there are truly non-human beings in this world?

One prince died, and the only information they received was that these people had emerged from the ground; nothing else was known.

Huang Taiji realized that these people were beyond their ability to handle.

Now, there's only one way left.

"I have said before that no one is allowed to massacre villages without authorization, and no one is allowed to kill ordinary Nikan people indiscriminately."

"Now, anyone who disobeys this order will be executed without mercy!"

After Huang Taiji finished speaking, he felt a tightness and pain in his chest.

If we don't do this, he might be next.

Faced with a group of assassins in the shadows, they could only hope that the other side would stop.