Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 775 The Life-Saving Master! Part 4 [Thank you! Bow again! 16k words owed]

Early March
With Jinming Pond wide open, the area around the pond is teeming with tourists.

Even when it's windy or rainy, people still stroll around the pond with umbrellas and boat on the water.

The most bustling time during the period when the pond and garden were open to the public was undoubtedly the day when the emperor arrived at Jinming Pond.

Entertainment and leisure were secondary; the most important thing was that ordinary people could often see the emperor and the important officials in the imperial court.

Although the event was delayed this year, the presence of newly appointed scholars made the area around the imperial garden more lively than in previous years.

Bianjing was the most prosperous and peaceful place in the land, and had enjoyed peace for a long time.

In the past, the people of Bianjing often saw the Imperial Guards conducting military exercises and mobilizations during the New Year and other festivals.

Moreover, the fierce fighting between the rebel soldiers and navy, the rivers of blood, and the dying cries were all blocked by the walls of the pond and garden, and the people did not see it.

Therefore, when the people playing outside the pond heard about the dramatic changes inside Jinming Pond, they did not leave immediately out of fear. Instead, they stood on tiptoe and peered out from outside the pond to see what had happened.

The people's mentality, in modern terms, is: who knows, maybe today, we are witnesses to history.

then,

Even after a large contingent of imperial guards arrived and drove the people near Jinming Pond to the roadside, they still maintained a state of martial law with knives and guns at their disposal.

Many civilians still stood around the gates of Jinming Pond, watching the imperial guards on guard.

Opposite the main gate of Jinming Pond is Qionglin Garden, and in the middle is the main street leading to the west of the city, which can be considered a crossroads.

The people near the crossroads not only gathered to watch, but also whispered and pointed, discussing what was happening in the pool.

In fact, not only the common people were curious, but the imperial guards who had been summoned by the urgent military order were also curious, and most of them listened attentively to the discussions of the people around them.

"What's that noise over there?"

"It sounds like a bugle call!"

"Have you heard? Some people say that the southeast of the city is in chaos as well."

"Southeast of the city?"

Upon hearing this, someone glanced eastward.

However, the tall city walls blocked the view, so people couldn't see anything.

At this time.

"Look! Look! There are moving barricades at the entrance of Chiyuan again!"

Some of the onlookers outside the pond pointed to the other side of the street and shouted.

"Ouch!"

"real!"

"Is His Majesty returning to the city?"

The crowd discussed among themselves, all craning their necks to peer at the gate of the pond garden.

"A cavalry unit is coming out!"

As they spoke, a dozen scouts sped off into the city.

"How many cavalry units are we talking about now?"

“Too many to count!”

Amid the murmurs, another large group of cavalry emerged, and a commoner exclaimed, "Hey? Among these cavalry, why are there two horses ridden by this year's successful candidates in the imperial examinations?"

Everyone hurriedly looked over.

Sure enough, two fine steeds with mudguards extending to their rumps, carrying heavily armed cavalrymen, galloped toward the street.

"That horse in front, doesn't it look like the white horse that the top scholar rode?"

"It's not just similar! It's the mount of the top scholar! Such a tall horse is rare!"

"This top scholar looks truly majestic and handsome in his armor!"

"Yes!"

"Judging from the way they're carrying guns and bows, something really bad must have happened in the city!"

There was much discussion around, and some people were already worried, but now that the area was under martial law by the Imperial Guards, it was impossible to leave easily.

Separated by the guards of the Imperial Guards.

"drive!"

"what!"

The shouts of cavalrymen galloping on their horses rang out.

Then, nearly two hundred cavalrymen filed out, turned left in an orderly fashion at the wide crossroads, and headed into the city.

The sound of hooves echoed around Xu Zaijing. He Guan, who was riding alongside him, said, "Fifth Brother, my personal bow is not as soft as yours."

“Brother He, I know,” Xu Zaijing said calmly.

“Madam Xu is a lucky person, and each household has its own guards and servants.” As He Guan spoke, he saw Xu Zaijing shaking his head.

“Brother He, I wouldn’t be so worried if it were just ordinary thieves. But today the Imperial Guards have changed their ways; they can even attack a city, let alone an ordinary mansion.”

As Xu Zaijing was speaking, his vision suddenly went dark.

The group had already crossed the bridge over the Dragon Protector River and entered the tall and spacious city gate.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed through the city gate, growing much louder.

Along this stretch of road, the cavalry's speed gradually increased.

after a little while,
Xu Zaijing's eyes lit up, and his men entered the outer city of Bianjing.

Looking out from horseback, Xu Zaijing saw that the road leading to Yiqiu Gate in the inner city had been cordoned off by the Imperial Guards, and the journey was very smooth.

Along the way, at street corners, doorways, and windows, many people looked at Xu Zaijing and his group with curiosity, as if trying to discern something from them.

"drive!"

The cavalrymen increased their speed again.

The various crowds, buildings, trees, and vendors on both sides of Xu Zaijing's field of vision quickly receded behind him.

After another shift from darkness to light, Xu Zaijing and his group had already passed through the Yiqiu Gate of the inner city.

With the city walls no longer an obstacle, Xu Zaijing and his companions, hurrying along the main street, could already see the faint wisps of smoke rising from the east.

Although the people along the way looked at Xu Zaijing and his group with strange expressions, they were mostly curious. The restaurants and shops along the street were all open for business.

But after the group crossed the Imperial Street and walked quickly for a while, the surrounding situation began to change.

The shops along the way were all closed, and the smell of burning things wafted into everyone's noses on the wind.

When the people saw Xu Zaijing and his entourage, their faces were filled with fear as they hid to the side.

Seeing this, under He Guan's command, everyone slowed down their horses.

At this time,

A scout was leading the way, galloping towards them.

"Shut up!"

The scout reined in his horse, bowed, and said, "My lord! There are bandits causing trouble ahead! Several street intersections have been blocked by carts and other debris, and are guarded by bandits!"

"Can we go around it?" He Guan asked.

"Your Excellency, our men have scouted several locations, but we can't find a way around them!"

Upon hearing the report from the scouts ahead, Gu Tingye and Rong Xian exchanged a glance.

“Wulang?” He Guan looked at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing looked at the thick smoke in the sky and said, "If we can't get around it, then let's fight our way through! Giddy up!"

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing tossed the cavalry lance in his hand to Gu Tingye behind him, and then drew the powerful bow and arrows that He Guan had given him from his saddle.

The group rode their horses past two intersections and arrived at a point not far from the blocked street.

Xu Zaijing looked around and found that the bandits had made use of what was available, piling up various items such as tables, chairs, benches, wine jars, and screens from the shops along the street in the middle of the street.

At first glance, the height of the clutter was almost level with the eaves of the street.

Behind the wall of clutter, there seemed to be more arrangements, and the crowd could occasionally see the red plumes of the soldiers' helmets flashing by.

"Damn it! This is troublesome!" Rong Xian exclaimed from the side. "The only way to get through is for our heavily armored infantry to push through with their large shields. Our cavalry is useless!"

If it were a chevaux-de-frise, with the archery skills of Xu Zaijing and others, the group could pull it away using iron hooks and ropes.

But such miscellaneous items are unacceptable; not only are they troublesome, but they also become targets for people to shoot.

"Ah."

While surveying his surroundings, Xu Zaijing removed all his armor except for his chest armor and handed it to the cavalrymen beside him.

"Wulang, what are you doing?" Rongxian asked urgently.

"The armor is too heavy! The nearby rooftops might not be able to support it."

Then, Xu Zaijing, now only wearing chest armor, lightly nudged his horse's belly, turned into a side alley, slung his quiver over his shoulder, and stepped onto a courtyard wall.

Upon seeing this, He Guan and Gu Tingye immediately began to remove their armor. Xu Zaijing, standing on the courtyard wall, frowned as he looked at the side room not far from the wall.

Noticing Xu Zaijing's gaze, a window in a nearby room that had been slightly ajar was quickly shut.

Xu Zaijing didn't say anything and started walking towards the roof of the main house.

Seeing Rong Xian wanting to remove his armor, Xu Zaijing said, "Brother Xian, you don't need to! Go to the street later and challenge them to a fight to attract their attention."

"Huh?" Rong Xian was taken aback.

Gu Tingye, who had also climbed onto the wall, said, "Xian-ge'er, be careful."

After saying that, he followed Xu Zaijing up to the roof.

Unlike Gu Tingye, He Guan did not follow Xu Zaijing, but went to the rooftop on the other side of the street.

Then, Xu Zaijing and the others walked quickly along the wall of the house toward the street corner.

The closer Xu Zaijing got to the blockage, the more he frowned.

The reason is that there were still people hiding in their houses where he had climbed up the wall.

But when they arrived near the wall of clutter, the surrounding yard was already in chaos.

Various screams and cries came from the nearby courtyard, and the closer to the wall of debris, the louder the sound.

From time to time, the disheveled corpses of men, women, and children would appear in the courtyards he passed by.

There were still-wet bloodstains near the corpse, attracting many flies that buzzed around it.

"Wow."

Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye stepped onto the green tiles on the roof and slowly descended to a wall.

Following this wall up to the opposite rooftop, you reach the vicinity of the clutter wall.

In Xu Zaijing's view, the small courtyard by the wall was furnished with artificial hills, trees, a pond, and a pavilion.

at this time,

Inside the pavilion, several men dressed as infantrymen of the Great Zhou Dynasty, carrying blood-stained bundles, stood with their backs to Xu Zaijing and his men, looking down at the pond below.

"Young lady! Where have you been hiding?"

"Stop hiding!"

"Come out and let us have some fun, and we'll give you a quick death!"

"If you keep hiding, your brothers won't be happy."

Right below the pavilion, in the pond, two women, soaking wet and looking terrified, were covering a boy's mouth and trembling as they hid.

The boy looked up and saw Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye on the wall.

Just as he was about to speak, the woman holding him covered the boy's mouth even tighter.

The boy twisted his neck in a panic.

The two women noticed the boy's gaze and followed it. When they saw Xu Zaijing's armor, they were instantly terrified.

Seeing Xu Zaijing holding three arrows in his hand, and Gu Tingye standing to the side raising his index finger to signal them to be quiet, the two women quickly covered their mouths with one hand.

While covering their mouths, the two women also resignedly closed their eyes.

They thought that Xu Zaijing on the wall would shoot them with arrows.

"Bang, bang, bang."

After two breaths,
The woman, realizing she was unharmed, opened her eyes. In her field of vision, all she could see were the departing figures of the two people on the wall.

Before the woman could catch her breath,

suddenly,

A hand slammed down from above!

This made the three people hiding in the water under the pavilion shudder again.

But after that hand came down, there was no further movement.

One of the women looked up, trembling, and saw a bandit soldier whose eye socket had been pierced by an arrow, with blood flowing down the arrow shaft.

“Those two, they are not bandits, they are not with the bandits.”

"Is it reinforcements?"

Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye, who had walked away, naturally could not hear the conversation between the two.

at this time,

On the street not far from the wall of clutter,

"Let them pass, and I, this young master, will make the decision and leave you with a complete corpse!"

Rong Xian, riding on horseback, was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"There are people over there!" shouted the bandit soldier guarding behind the wall of debris.

Then came a scream.

Gu Tingye glanced at Xu Zaijing and said, "Fifth Brother, your archery skills are better than mine! My life depends on you!"

"Yes! Don't worry!" Xu Zaijing nodded confidently.

After taking a deep breath, Gu Tingye quickly walked down from the rooftop.

Half an hour later,

Xu Zaijing, whose quiver was half empty, stepped down from the rooftop, using the debris wall as a foothold.

After getting off the ground, Xu Zaijing gave He Guan a thumbs up on the other side.

"Wulang, what should we do with all this junk?" Gu Tingye asked.

Xu Zaijing picked up the large shield that was scattered on the ground, tested its weight, and said, "Let's do it this way!"

Saying,

To Gu Tingye's astonishment, Xu Zaijing lifted the large shield and strode towards the wall of debris.

"Bang!"

"Wow!"

The clutter wall, made up of tables, chairs, benches, screens, wine jars, and other miscellaneous items, greatly hindered the cavalry and could not be cleared away all at once.

It was messy but lacked substance.

At this moment, Xu Zaijing, who was holding a large shield, rammed into it with great force, and a gap immediately appeared in the middle.

After hitting it three times in a row, the wall of debris was no longer an obstacle.

quickly,

The sound of horses' hooves approached.
Rong Xian led his men through the gap and arrived in front of Xu Zaijing and the other two.

After the three mounted their horses, He Guan looked at Xu Zaijing and said, "Fifth Brother, you've seen what happened along the way, so be prepared."

"Ah."

Xu Zaijing nodded, then flicked the reins and continued riding forward.

To the northeast of the palace,

Outer city,

Kaiho Nioji Temple,

In the magnificent but empty hall, Zhang Shipan knelt on a prayer mat in front of the Buddha statue.

"Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap tap."

The wooden fish made a rhythmic sound.

"The rhythm is off!" Zhang Shipan said with his eyes closed.

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the wooden fish paused briefly before resuming its rhythmic ringing.

After bowing respectfully to the Buddha statue, Zhang Shipan looked at the monk beside him, who was frowning and striking a wooden fish, and sneered, "So—their plan at Jinming Pond failed?"

"Yes, senior brother."

"I knew it!" Zhang Shipan shook his head with a smile. "With Xu Zaijing, their nemesis, in their sights, how could they possibly succeed!"

"Senior brother, your insight is truly remarkable! According to the Marquis's heir, Xu Zaijing's spear was as swift as lightning and unstoppable! Now, the matter of deciding the fate of the world rests solely on your shoulders, senior brother!"

The monk looked at Zhang Shipan, who had stood up, and continued, "Brother, after the matter is accomplished, the other party is willing to reward you with the title of a prince."

"Oh?" Zhang Shipan was quite surprised, then he walked out with his hands behind his back: "This is easy to discuss!"

"Thank you, senior brother!" the monk said happily.

Zhang Shipan stopped, turned to look at the monk, and said, "But my condition for taking action is that they find a way to kill Xu Zaijing! I will not take action until Xu Zaijing is dead!"

Seeing the monk's frozen smile, Zhang Shipan sneered and strode away from the main hall.

(End of this chapter)