Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 776 The Life-Saving Master! Part 5 [Thank you! Bow again! 16k words owed]

"There are cavalry ahead!"

"Array up!"

"Quickly form a formation!"

"Shields and spears, forward!"

"Fuck you! You'd rather die than give up money! Throw that stuff away! Form ranks!"

Not far from Xu Zaijing and his men, a group of infantrymen, numbering less than a hundred, dressed in black armor, were being commanded by their officers to transform from a chaotic marching formation into a defensive formation against cavalry charges.

The leaders, including Xu Zaijing, were experienced in battle. Just by looking at the speed of their formation changes, it was clear that this team had been out of battle for a long time and had very little training on a daily basis!
Not only did they have little training, but many of the infantrymen also carried various bulging bundles on their backs and had shimmering brocade and silk wrapped around their waists.

Xu Zaijing and his group naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

Amidst the panicked gazes of the opposing infantry, He Guan, following behind Xu Zaijing, waved the flag he held three times forward.

The cavalry officers behind, seeing He Guan's flag waving, immediately waved in the same manner as the officers in front.

After a while,
The speed of the entire cavalry force increased.

"rush ahead!"

After shouting, He Guan and Gu Tingye followed Xu Zaijing and charged towards the infantry.

Scattered arrows were shot at during this time.

"Crackling."

Several sounds of arrows clashing against armor rang out from the cavalry ranks.

Before the enemy could prepare a second volley of arrows, Xu Zaijing and his men's lances, held horizontally, were already thrusting towards them.

With the thick, long, and sturdy shaft of his lance pointed at the sharp blade, Xu Zaijing accurately pierced the gap in the infantryman's armor.

With the immense power of the dragon steed, the spear pierced through the body and struck the foot soldiers behind it.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the other infantrymen, the two men were impaled by lances and lifted off the ground.

Before the foot soldiers could react to what was happening, they felt a tremendous force strike them and were knocked to the ground uncontrollably.

Immediately, the fallen foot soldier felt a darkness before his eyes, followed by a numbness in his chest and a sharp pain.

The last thing the foot soldiers, trampled by the iron hooves, saw was the horse's belly being protected.

Standing behind the infantry formation, the crossbowmen, their heads adorned with women's gold and silver jewelry, watched as their comrades, led by cavalry, charged towards them, and tremblingly raised their powerful crossbows.

Pull the trigger.

Sharp crossbow bolts shot out like lightning.

But the crossbow bolts struck his comrade who was impaled by a lance.

The archer's hands trembled as he lowered his head, trying to string his crossbow again, but his comrade, who was still alive but had crossbow bolts stuck in his body and was carrying a blood-stained bundle, had already bumped into him.

After a while,
Xu Zaijing, who had broken through the formation, tilted the horse spear in his hand and shook it.

The bandit soldier, still groaning, painfully slid off the spear blade and onto the ground.

Driven by a strong will to survive, the bandits ignored the excruciating pain in their chests and scrambled toward the side of the street while coughing up blood.

Seeing Xu Zaijing approaching, spear in hand, blade pointing skyward, the bandit looked up and pleaded, "Grandpa, spare my life! I have gold and silver on me! Please, Grandpa, spare me!"

Before the bandit could finish speaking, the metal ferrule at the bottom of Xu Zaijing's spear came to a heavy halt.

The Imperial Guards and Cavalry that came with Xu Zaijing were all elite troops. They faced a group of bandits who were looting the city, had no will to fight, and were in disarray. The number of bandits was twice that of the enemy.

Therefore, within a few dozen breaths of their first encounter, ninety percent of the enemy soldiers were killed or wounded.

Some of the cavalry who had broken through the enemy lines with Xu Zaijing adjusted their weapons and armor and immediately acted as scouts, going ahead to explore the route.

He Guan glanced at the battlefield and pointed at an officer, saying, "The wounded should stay behind to finish off the enemy and clean up the battlefield! The spoils of war should be placed in the unclaimed yard to the side, and rewards will be given after the war!"

"Do not be greedy for money, lest you have the life to take it but not the life to spend it!"

"Yes!"

After giving his orders, He Guan lightly nudged his horse's belly and walked toward Xu Zaijing, who was waiting for everyone and reorganizing the cavalry formation.

He Guan came to Xu Zaijing's side and overheard Gu Tingye saying, "Fifth Brother, the Tianwu Army has a strength of nearly 15,000 men, but we haven't seen many along the way! Could it be that they've all gone to the vicinity of the palace?"

“What Brother Ye says is absolutely right!” He Guan said from the side.

Seeing the cavalrymen finish reorganizing their formation, He Guan waved his hand and followed Xu Zaijing, continuing towards Chunmingfang.

On the way,

As He Guan looked around, he said with lingering fear, "We were so lucky to have Wu Lang here today! With the ship capsizing, there were even more enemy soldiers who went into the water to assassinate us!"

"Without Fifth Prince, not only would His Majesty suffer unspeakable misfortune, but the central government would also be wiped out overnight, and our Great Zhou would be paralyzed!"

"Look at the situation today! These traitors must have been plotting for a long time! Their plan is probably for Tan Er to take command of the Tianwu Army and for Tan Si to seize power in a part of the Dragon Guard Army!"

"If we can control the palace now, we can remotely command the Divine Guard to remain in place!"

"With these actions, they can do whatever they want."

This includes, but is not limited to, immediately relieving Yongyi Hou and others of their military power.

They might even accuse the Xu family of treason.

Gu Tingye nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Rong Xian clicked his tongue in amazement: "If things really go like this, the Great Zhou Dynasty will be turned upside down. Then, my Rong family..."

As he spoke, Rong Xian's eyes lit up at first, then he shook his head and smiled bitterly.

As the Crown Prince's younger brother, Consort Rong's son was the first choice to inherit the throne in terms of law.

But the loyalists who supported the emperor's bloodline have all perished today.

Moreover, the Northern Liao would certainly not stand idly by in the face of such a dramatic change in Bianjing.

Even if a traitor uses the pretext of an emergency in the north and the instability of the country due to the young age of the ruler, he can still allow a traitorous prince to ascend the throne.

With a solemn expression, Xu Zaijing said in a calm tone, "At that time, the Rong family and the Gao family will be raided and exterminated together."

"Aren't they afraid that Marquis Tuoxi and his men will lead their troops back to the capital to quell the rebellion?" Gu Tingye asked doubtfully.

He Guan remained silent.

Xu Zaijing said, "At that time, the Northern Liao may have already launched an invasion southward! Erlang, what do you think the officials who fill the high positions in the court will do?"

"What choices will the military leaders in the north make?"

After all, the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince have already passed away, and perhaps Gao Taotao and Consort Rong's son will also 'die of illness' at that time.

Gu Tingye nodded helplessly.

"arrive."

Hearing Xu Zaijing's weak voice, Gu Tingye looked up and saw the Huyan family mansion with its gate wide open, the heavy door panels on both sides of the gate covered with impact marks.

In the dim light, Gu Tingye could also see the broken, thick door bolt at the entrance.

It seems that the gate of the Huyan family was forcibly broken open from the outside.

You can see black smoke rising from the courtyard through the gate.

"Fifth Brother, look over there!" He Guan exclaimed, pointing to the Duke of Anguo's mansion not far away.

Xu Zaijing turned his head to look, and then his eyes narrowed.

Near the stone lions in front of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, there were many corpses dressed as imperial guards, many of which had arrows stuck in their bodies.

Rong Xian asked, "Are these soldiers ordered to surround and imprison the Tan family? Are they all..."

He Guan shook his head in disbelief and said, "A first-rank duke shares the fate of the nation! His family enjoys endless wealth and honor, so how could the Duke of Anguo be plotting a rebellion!"

"Send someone over to take a look," Xu Zaijing said, dismounting and walking towards the Huyan family's residence.

He Guan waved to his subordinates behind him and hurriedly followed.

Arriving in front of the heavy door, Xu Zaijing reached out and touched the dents on the door before looking around the entrance.

He Guan, who had followed, said, "Jing-ge'er, something's not right. There's no body of the gatekeeper in the doorway? There's not even any blood!"

Xu Zaijing remained tense: "Perhaps he sensed something was wrong and hid after closing the door."

With that, Xu Zaijing strode into the courtyard.

Along the way, the flowers and trees in the courtyard were all cut down, and the broken branches and leaves were scattered on the side; the stone street lamps were also kicked over and shattered on the roadside.

The doors of the houses along the way were all wide open, clearly indicating that they had been ransacked and searched.

The group arrived at the second gate.
"Crack."

Xu Zaijing stopped in his tracks.

Immediately, a bandit appeared at the door.

Upon seeing the menacing Xu Zaijing and his men standing before the gate, the bandit soldier froze for a moment. After a long pause, he handed over the embroidered robe in his hand: "Gentlemen, this humble servant..."

Before he could finish speaking, the bandit felt himself fly up.

The bandits crashed heavily into the screen wall at the second gate.

Seeing the half-dead bandits, Xu Zaijing left immediately, saying, "Don't defile this courtyard. Drag them out and kill them."

He Guan waved his hand to his subordinates behind him and said, "Drag them away! Five men per team, go and check out the side courtyard, woodshed and other places!"

"Yes!"

"Also! If you spot bandits, and make sure you're safe, drag them outside and kill them."

"Yes." After saying that, He Guan hurriedly followed.

After everyone went up onto the veranda, they quickly walked towards the backyard.

suddenly,

"Goro. Be careful!"

Gu Tingye shouted.

Before he finished speaking, Gu Tingye saw that Xu Zaijing had a feathered arrow in his hand.

Beside the moon gate leading to the backyard, a bandit soldier stared dumbfounded at Xu Zaijing's actions.

Before Xu Zaijing could shoot the arrow back, the bandit soldier disappeared by the door.

"somebody is coming!"

"somebody is coming!"

The bandits' warning shouts came from inside the moon gate.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zaijing quickly jogged towards the backyard, drawing three arrows from the quiver at his waist as he ran.

Soon, Xu Zaijing and the others disappeared at the moon gate.

After several dozen breaths,

The imperial guards dragged the bandits, who were riddled with arrows in their hands and feet and were crying out in pain, as they walked out.

The backyard, reduced to ruins

The courtyard was filled with the aroma of steamed buns and rice.

However, the bandits used the wood in the yard to cook a rather late lunch.

Gu Tingye and Rong Xian stood to the side, seemingly having heard something, and both had expressions of relief on their faces.

Xu Zaijing sat on the steps at the entrance of the courtyard, looking at the Imperial Guard captain kneeling before him, his face covered in blood.

"Wulang! Wulang! I served under the Marquis before!"

"I still remember how valiant you were many years ago, when you competed with your comrades at the Tianwu Army's garrison!"

"May you be blessed with good fortune, a reincarnation of the God of Literature! It's only been a few years since we last met, and you've already become a top scholar!"

Looking at the officer who was kowtowing incessantly, Xu Zaijing turned his gaze to the main house, which had been reduced to ruins, and said indifferently, "Since we have such a fate, then I will let you choose a way to die."

"Goro! Goro! I had no choice!"

Xu Zaijing said coldly, "Forced to do so? Since you served under my father, are you forced to cook here?"

"If you have any respect or goodwill towards the name 'Marquis Yongyi' and do not misbehave in this courtyard, I will most likely spare your life, considering you told me the good news."

"But what about you?"

The bandit captain said, "I... am a villain."

Xu Zaijing continued, "Looking at you like this, if my sister stayed here, you'd probably be the first one to grab someone and ask for a reward."

"You scoundrel!" The bandit captain's eyes were filled with panic, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xu Zaijing stood up from the steps and said, "Drag him out."

The imperial guards nearby rushed forward.

Seeing that there was no chance of survival, the bandit captain's expression changed. Just as he was about to curse Xu Zaijing, he felt a numbness on his cheek.

Before he could react, his other cheek also felt numb and hot.

A warm sensation and the taste of blood immediately filled his mouth.

However, the imperial guards who dragged him away slapped him across the face with their sword sheaths.

After this happened seven or eight times in a row, the bandit captain was unable to speak and was dragged away, stammering.

At this moment, some imperial guards who had gone to check on the other courtyards arrived here.

He bowed and said, "Commander He, I just discovered a man's corpse in a room."

“Let’s go! Let’s go take a look,” He Guan said.

Upon entering the house,
He Guan looked at the corpse lying behind the debris and asked, "Wu Lang, do you know this person?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head, a look of confusion in his eyes.

He Guan pointed to the corner of the corpse's mouth and collar, and said, "Judging from the blood around his mouth, there must have been some blood on his collar before. But someone wiped it clean when the body was placed down."

"So, the person who placed the body had good intentions?" Gu Tingye asked.

He Guan nodded.

Xu Zaijing looked at the corpse's face and said, "If my brother-in-law's close attendants were here, they might be able to recognize it."

After saying that, Xu Zaijing frowned and said, "When the bandits came, there was no one left in the mansion! Could it be that my sister went back to the Marquis's residence on Quyuan Street?"

“Wulang, very likely!” He Guan nodded.

After stepping out of the house, Xu Zaijing looked at the scene in the courtyard and said, "Even if my sister happens to want to leave the manor or return to the Xu family, she wouldn't take all the maids and servants with her."

Xu Zaijing glanced at the corpse again and said, "It seems someone must have informed my sister and the others."

"Wulang, do you think it's possible that he was a soldier from the Imperial City Guard who was chased after receiving the news and came to the Huyan family before he died?" Gu Tingye guessed.

Xu Zaijing frowned and said, "Then we'll have to let Brother Zhao and the others take a look."

"Goro, where do we go next?" Rongxian asked.

Xu Zaijing took a deep breath and said, "Let's go to the Duke of Anguo's mansion first, and then go to the Li family in the south."

"The Li family, the Viscounts?" He Guan asked.

Xu Zaijing nodded: "If anything unfortunate happens, we can do our part."

"it is good."

Xu Zaijing and the others quickly left the residence.

After mounting their horses, they arrived at the gate of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, which was not far away.

At the entrance of the Duke's mansion, where bloodstains were everywhere, flies swarmed.

The bodies of the Imperial Guards who died from arrow wounds were sometimes covered in blood-stained armor, and sometimes their armor had been stripped off by someone.

There were also many horses lying dead around, wounded by arrows.

The Imperial Guards and cavalry who came with Xu Zaijing had already neatly arranged the corpses of their comrades to one side.

There will likely be more battles to come, and there's no chance to take away the bodies of our comrades yet.

He Guan dismounted and walked along the corpses of his comrades, muttering something under his breath, vaguely mentioning what would happen after the rebellion was quelled.
Xu Zaijing also dismounted and followed He Guan along with Gu Tingye and Rong Xian. During the walk, Xu Zaijing also saw a somewhat familiar face.

Xu Zaijing vaguely remembered that the young man seemed to be the son of the Duke of Xin.

After hearing the report from the Imperial Guards who had gone to inspect the Tan family's residence, everyone mounted their horses and prepared to head south to the Li family's mansion.

Before leaving, Xu Zaijing turned back and glanced at the corpses of the Imperial Guards lying on the ground.

"Shut up!"

Hearing Xu Zaijing rein in his horse, Gu Tingye and the others looked at him with suspicion.

"Wulang, what's wrong?" He Guan asked.

Xu Zaijing shook his head in confusion, turned his horse around, and arrived at the gate of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

After dismounting, he knelt down in front of the young master of Xin State and placed his fingers on his neck.

Xu Zaijing raised his head and shouted, "There's still one alive!"

Half an hour later,

Four cavalrymen were left to guard the survivors.

Xu Zaijing and the others continued heading south.

On the way,

Gu Tingye asked in confusion, "Wulang, how did you know he was still alive?"

Xu Zaijing said, "When I looked back, I saw his eyelids twitch."

Gu Tingye sighed, "He was really lucky to meet you, Wu Lang! If no one had helped him stop the bleeding, he probably wouldn't have survived!"

"Yes! It's also the essence of his armor."

With that, the group continued walking south.

The group walked along the courtyard wall of the Duke of Anguo's mansion for a while, and from time to time, corpses of people and animals appeared by the roadside.

Looking around, Xu Zaijing's gaze sharpened, and a look of incomprehension appeared in his eyes.

Seeing Xu Zaijing staring intently at the back of him, He Guan also turned around and asked, "Fifth Brother, what's wrong?"

Xu Zaijing turned around and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing! It's just a bit unexpected that there's no one left in the Duke of Anguo's mansion."

He Guan nodded.

Xu Zaijing sighed inwardly.

Just now he saw a woman's corpse lying on the side of the road next to an overturned flatbed carriage.

Her face was faintly visible; it was none other than Xiang Mama, who served by Xiao Qinshi's side.

(End of this chapter)