stubborn thief

Chapter 694 Turn

To be honest, Liu Shizi was stunned by the assassination.

The person who did it was a centurion named Deng De, who was very brave. He was only wearing a leather vest, but he dared to carry out the assassination in a heavily guarded banquet.

But besides being brave, Liu Shizi felt that this man had trained his muscles to his brain - he was wearing armor.

It was impossible for him not to be on guard against the banquet hosted by the surrendered generals. He did not even allow his subordinates to drink alcohol. Everyone was required to wear armor, even the leather belts that carried bows, swords and muskets.

On the contrary, the surrendering officers all took off their armor and weapons, and only one captain was allowed to carry a sword.

But this was really unexpected.

Sun Tzu's Art of War says that if you are fully prepared, your mind will be relaxed; if you see things often, you will not be suspicious.

Liu Chengzong was no exception. Having made all the preparations, he made them clear for everyone to see.

What he was thinking was that it was impossible for a fool to come and assassinate him... He never thought that anyone would assassinate him.

Assassination?

The success rate of this matter is too low, and few people in the Marshal's Army would think of such a thing.

Everyone knows that the Grand Marshal is not a peasant soldier, and his martial arts foundation is not simply acquired through fighting on the battlefield. He has learned too many unique tricks. Even the most powerful person will find it difficult to gain the upper hand against him in a face-to-face encounter.

When soldiers fight on the battlefield, they hone their skills, and there are standardized ways to measure their levels.

The bow can shoot accurately from a distance, the spear can stab straight, the knife can chop, stab, and pierce. As long as it is practical when facing the enemy, there is no need for routine drills or a list of moves. What matters is practice makes perfect. With day after day of training, when you are in the battle, you can chop wherever you point, quickly, accurately and ruthlessly.

Holding a spear of 150 or 160 meters in length, all he had to do was to hold it level and stab forward accurately. As for whether there were people squatting in front of the formation, that was not something the spearman had to consider, nor was it his job, as the sword and shield men would give him a shot.

The techniques practiced in folk martial arts are different. Cheng Chongdou's two-way swordsmanship and Qi Jiguang's thirty-two-posture boxing, in addition to practicing professional skills, take into account the one-to-many isolated environment, which is more comprehensive and contains some techniques.

For example, some martial arts teachers teach hidden weapons, and they specialize in practicing the mother-and-child sword. It looks like a goose-feather sword, but in fact it can be pulled out into two swords, one long and one short.

Or some folk boxing techniques specialize in three routes, stomping, kicking, crotch and poking eyes, in order to make the enemy lose their combat effectiveness in one go.

These techniques are specific means developed based on skills for specific environments and specific purposes.

For example, Gao Xian of the Marshal's Mansion kept a group of servants when he was an envoy. He developed a martial art. There was a flintlock tube in the iron arm guard, and Liu Chengzong named it "whoever he pointed at would die."

It was very difficult to load bullets and prime that thing, and it required daily maintenance. The trigger was connected to the bowstring worn on the thumb, and it could only fire one shot. The accurate shooting distance was only seven or eight steps, and one had to cock the flintlock on the arm guard in advance to prime it.

But if you are prepared in advance, just give your target a thumbs-up and point it forward, then you can fire and kill him.

But that martial art is not easy to practice, just like the fucking iron sand palm. The gunfire from the tube can easily burn your hands, so you have to wear clothes with arrow sleeves.

When Gao Xian was sent to the southern part of the desert to divide up pastureland, he came up with a new tactic, which was to fix a tube to the breastplate inside his robe, so that he could kill anyone by turning sideways and putting his hands on his hips.

However, Liu Chengzong's martial arts were quite different from the other two. Not only was he excellent in his own martial arts skills and could skillfully use various weapons, he had also learned a bunch of unconventional techniques. Any one of them he picked out was something his opponents on the battlefield had never seen before.

A life-and-death fight is not a martial arts performance. If you haven’t seen a move before or can’t react to it, you will die.

That was a ruthless character who could kill his way through the county government with just a inch of weapon in his hand even when he was hungry for a long time. Three or five Yulin cavalrymen could not defeat a great marshal. Chu Huer, who had led cavalry in conflicts all year round, was beaten like a dog in the Xi'an Prefecture parade ground.

  As long as there is no musket, and the powerful bows and crossbows don't hit you in the face, how can you kill someone wearing armor?

No one would think of it from the perspective of individual assassination.

People are on guard against bigger situations.

For example, some people might launch an organized attack to disrupt the situation, let the war horses escape and cause chaos, and cooperate with the enemy forces outside to attack from both inside and outside; or they might pretend to surrender, get them drunk and then chop them into pieces.

As a result, Deng De was alone, and the most outrageous thing was that the first target of assassination was not Liu Chengzong.

He took a meat-cutting knife which he used as a cutlery and cut the neck of Captain Du who led him to surrender from behind, then threw the wrist-cutting knife at Liu Chengzong and at the same time drew out the Captain's sword.

Until this time, Liu Chengzong, like most of the people in the hall, was still confused by the scene of Deng De killing his superior.

Even Liu Shizi reacted a little slower than others.

Others were surprised, and then reacted.

Liu Shizi went through a process of surprise, confidence, confusion, and understanding.

"That man is holding a knife and is about to kill someone. I want to see who can kill him... No, why is there blood spurting out of Qianhu's neck? Oh, here he comes, here he comes to kill me."

Liu Shizi was so shocked that he really couldn't react to the flying knife, because Zhao Jifang, who was roasting lamb nearby, blocked it with an iron fork.

Deng De ran towards Liu Chengzong who was sitting on the main seat with a knife in hand, and on the way he chopped down another surrendered centurion, scaring the unarmed surrendered generals so much that they didn't know what to do.

But during this process, Liu Shizi reacted.

He is faster than Dunder.

Holding a lamb leg bone in his hand, he rushed out on the food table.

He passed Zhao Jifang, who was stunned by the flying knife that was deflected as if by divine help, and smashed Deng De's knife with a stick, then charged forward with his shoulder.

This scene happened so fast that Zhang Yong, a Yulin Lang holding a knife behind Liu Chengzong, was stunned.

The Yulin are a combination of one old and one young, one old and one new. Today it is Yue Wenkui and Zhang Yong's turn to be on duty.

He was originally standing behind Liu Chengzong. When he saw Deng De clenching the knife and slashing Qianhu's neck, he used his left thumb to push the knife out of the sheath an inch, and then he took a step forward with his right hand holding the knife to protect Liu Chengzong's side.

This position just happened to allow Yue Wenkui to block the two sides of the food table. If he took another step forward and drew his sword, he could stop the assassin who was attacking Liu Chengzong.

But just as he drew his sword, Liu Chengzong, weighing more than 200 pounds including armor, unexpectedly did not take the usual route. He stepped on the table and flew out like a cannonball, knocking the assassin's sword away and making the assassin fly backwards at a speed faster than when he ran towards him, hitting the ground and breathing in more than out.

Zhang Yong was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly stepped forward, passed Liu Chengzong, and swept the crowd with the tip of his knife.

He didn't pay much attention to Deng De who was lying on the ground, because when the two of them collided just now, he not only heard the sound of the sheep leg bone smashing the sword, but also a series of sounds made by the armor hitting the armor leaves.

There were also several crisp sounds like wood breaking.

That was the sound of broken ribs.

The assassin died.

Then, there were no more people with strange behavior in the hall. The surrendered generals looked at each other and sat there in fear waiting to be controlled by the Yulin Lang in distinctive armor. Facing Liu Chengzong, who dropped the sheep leg bone and frowned, no one dared to say a word.

Only Deng De, who was coughing up blood foam, uttered curses with alternating loud and soft shouts, which struck the hearts of every surrendered general like a hammer.

"The military academy wants to sell the city to protect itself. No one cares about the country or the family. Even after death, even ghosts will not let go..."

Suddenly there was a muffled groan, as if the words made his chest hurt so much that he couldn't speak anymore.

Liu Chengzong frowned and lowered his eyes.

Deng De was seen curled up on the ground. Even though he couldn't speak, he still used his fingers to dip into the blood foam he coughed up and wrote on the ground.

'The City Seller'

Liu Shizi could see that Deng De originally wanted to write about the man who sold the city, but he was dying and had already exhausted all his strength, so he could only scribble a few strokes.

Deng De was still staring at the people in the hall, and the pain in his body made his eyes even more ferocious.

Those surrendered generals who were seen by him turned their heads away quickly, avoiding his gaze. This seemed to be a kind of shocking spiritual power, attacking every surrendered general who surrendered to the Marshal's Office.

They even attacked Liu Chengzong.

But this had no effect on Liu Chengzong.

Seen too much.

Just like his ferocious body, it was shattered by Liu Chengzong's collision.

He pushed aside Zhang Yong and Yue Wenkui who were guarding him on both sides and stepped forward.

Not only did he use his body to block Deng De's fierce and ferocious eyes, he also looked down at Deng De and stepped on the bloodstains he had written. The military boots with embedded armor plates made a sound and the soles of his boots easily broke the words.

"You have performed all the loyalty you should have performed, and your death is worthy."

After saying this, Liu Chengzong raised his head, glanced at everyone in the hall, and announced: "Century commander Deng De, you committed treason and killed my generals. You shall be hanged."

"The assassinated Captain Du was promoted to Commander-in-Chief, and the injured Captain Chen was promoted to Deputy Captain to recuperate and receive proper treatment."

After a glance, Yue Wenkui nodded and accepted the order but did not move. Zhang Yong took out a strong bow and dragged Deng De out.

Yue Wenkui has always been slow to react, so Liu Chengzong didn't take it seriously.

This man was born in Zhuanglangwei, a descendant of Yue Fei, and his family was military officers for generations.

When attacking Longzhou, his elder brother Yue Wenyuan was the first to ride up the city wall on horseback, and later the first to rush into the provincial government office. Yue Wenyuan was then appointed as the governor of Longzhou.

When Liu Chengzong asked Yue Wenkui what he wanted, he was slow to react, so Yue Wenyuan spoke for him and followed Liu Chengzong into the Yulin Camp.

However, people who react slowly think and act more carefully.

Yue Wenkui was not in a hurry. He had been a grassroots officer in the Five Towns of Hehuang during the Hehuang period and had worked with Liu Chengzong for a long time. During this eastern expedition, he served as a Yulin guard.

He understood the Grand Marshal's twisted mentality, and he knew even more clearly that the Grand Marshal might not have much hatred towards the assassin who was crushed to pieces in one blow.

Of course, as an officer you must obey orders, but for some dirty jobs, it is hard to say whether to do them or not, and whether they are good or bad.

So it’s better not to rush for it, as someone else is rushing to do it.

Zhang Yong was from Xi'an Prefecture and had just joined the Marshal's Army. He was young and eager to show himself, so it would be a good idea to let him do a good job.

But in fact, Liu Chengzong was not that stubborn about this matter.

If Deng De had been luckier and was only knocked unconscious by the bone stick or subdued, he might have considered whether to spare his life and throw him to Tai Mengwei.

But now that he has been hit so hard that he is dead, there is no need to consider anything else.

It’s simply that whatever you ask for, you will get it.

He wanted to fight for the world, so it was right for him to be assassinated; as officers of the Ming army, it was also right for others to assassinate him.

This is the way the world is supposed to be.

The surrendered generals were still in shock. Liu Chengzong could tell from their expressions that Deng De's curse had a great destructive effect on them.

He took a deep breath, turned around and scolded Zhao Jifang who was still staring at the barbecue fork: "You are not wearing armor, why are you rushing forward? He can't kill me even if he comes with ten more. What if he stabs you to death?"

Zhao Jifang felt extremely aggrieved.

Before I met you, I was studying in the county school. After I met you, I was doing clerical work for a clerk. I had never fought in a war, let alone a war.

This is the first time in my life that I have encountered such an exciting thing.

How the hell did I know it was a knife? Something flew towards me and I just blocked it without even thinking.

My heart is pounding at this moment. It’s good enough that you blocked it, but you even scolded me!

But the object of people's anger is often themselves, and releasing it outwardly is just a means of venting.

Liu Chengzong looked up and down, and seeing that Zhao Jifang had no injuries, he said, "Don't wear a robe all day long. You are not much smarter than him."

  He thought to himself that Deng Deyong was brave but too stupid. I was wearing such thick armor and he wanted to kill me with just a small knife?

At this time, the garrison troops outside the camp were rushing into the official office of Guangwu Camp in armor. Gao Yingdeng, who was in charge of the outer perimeter security, ran in wearing a helmet and armor. Seeing that Liu Chengzong was fine, he was relieved and looked at the surrendered generals in the hall with ill intent: "General, what should we do?"

Liu Chengzong raised his hand to stop Gao Yingdeng who wanted to fight, and said to Liu Fangming and Ma Xiantu beside him: "This is an accident. You are all frightened tonight. Don't be afraid. The two generals, comfort everyone on my behalf and take the officers back to the camp to rest."

"Deng De's goal is to kill his superior. This is also a lesson for you. For the sake of your lives, I hope you will strictly control your subordinates in the future and not let such incidents happen again."

Liu Fangming and Ma Xiantu were also feeling nervous. They wanted to say something but didn't dare to speak at this time.

Everyone could see that Liu Chengzong was deliberately suppressing his emotions after being assassinated.

The two generals had no choice but to obey the order and bid farewell to the surrendered officers and leave.

After they left, Gao Yingdeng wondered, "Why is this man here? He doesn't have to choose today to assassinate his superior."

"Bullshit, he just wants to kill me!"

Liu Chengzong glanced at him and said, "That's just a way to appease the surrendered generals."

"Tonight, you must guard against the two Ningxia camps to prevent further trouble. Besides that, we will set out to cross the Yellow River tomorrow morning. All necessary preparations should be made by the whole brigade tonight."

"East, cross the Yellow River eastward?"

Gao Yingdeng asked in confusion: "Aren't we going to capture Ningxia Town?"

Liu Chengzong shook his head and said, "Forget about Zhencheng, Jifang."

"Yes, Marshal."

Although Zhao Jifang had just been scolded, there was still some embarrassment on his face, but he adjusted himself quickly.

Before the banquet, Liu Chengzong had requested that everyone wear armor, but Zhao Jifang was a clerk and did not include himself in the "everyone", not to mention that he did not have armor.

Liu Chengzong said nothing more.

Now that something has happened and we're being scolded, let us scold.

He made up his mind that he would find a way to get a light chain mail to wear when he went downstairs.

"Draft a document and send it to Wang Wenxiu of the Longxi Brigade, ordering him to lead Li Wanqing of the Standard Battalion to occupy Zhongwei and take over the Mongolian cattle, sheep, mules and horses behind the mountain. The rest of the troops should immediately lead the division north tonight and head to Ningxia Zhencheng with the general camp. Send Yang Chengzu of the Mobile Battalion and Yang Yanchang of the Aid Battalion to me."

"Also inform the Seventh Battalion of our headquarters to prepare to move out tomorrow and cross the Yellow River to the east."

In fact, this assassination had a great impact on Liu Chengzong.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I was too optimistic. Everyone wants to kill me, that's how it should be. We can't stop... Cross the Yellow River to the east and chase Hong Chengchou to death. He can't run away!"

good evening!