I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 981 The drama is about to end, Su Yao enters the city (Combined chapter)

"General, this is Chigu City ahead."

Ten miles east of Chigu City, Su Yao reined in his horse and squinted his eyes to look at the Wusun capital in the setting sun.

The city wall is built against the mountain, and the red rocks are glowing like blood under the morning sun. No wonder it is called "Red Valley".

At this time, Zhou Yu rode forward and lowered his voice and said, "According to the prisoners, the palace is built at the highest point in the city, and there are about 8,000 soldiers stationed at the four gates. The commander of the South Gate is named Bruce, and he is the confidant of Prime Minister Lusaru."

Su Yao nodded, his eyes sweeping over the sentries on the city wall. Those Wusun warriors were wearing leather armor and holding spears. It was obvious that the recent war on the border had brought a tense atmosphere to the capital deep in the interior.

“It’s time to put this to rest.”

Su Yao looked back at Ashley in the carriage, only to see the pale-faced Wusun princess cuddling up with her maid Saiya, with an extremely struggled expression on her face.

General Zhou Yu looked a little worried, while Su Yao waved his hand, rode his horse closer to the carriage, and stared into Ashley's eyes:

"Your Highness, please remember our agreement. This is the final moment."

Ashley lowered her head to avoid Su Yao's sight, holding Sai Ya's hands tightly with both hands, and her voice trembled: "You will really keep your promise, right?"

"That's right." Su Yao nodded and said, "Just like the Tuke tribe, as long as they can cooperate honestly, I will never kill innocent people."

"Then my father."

Ashley mustered up the courage to look up, a hint of pleading in her amber eyes.

"It depends on his choice."

Su Yao turned his head again and looked towards the orange-red capital:

"I can give him a chance - as long as he is willing to surrender to the Han Dynasty, I can guarantee his life."

The girl's hand suddenly trembled again, and then she squeezed Saya's hand until it turned red.

Would the proud father surrender? She was not sure.

Will I kill him with my own hands?

As they got closer to the capital, Ashley's fear grew.

But time waits for no one.

Even as the two were talking, the defenders on the city wall had apparently already discovered this army approaching the royal capital.

"Report - General, a team of scouts is approaching!" Ma Chao immediately reported.

Su Yao looked up and saw a team of more than ten cavalrymen galloping towards them. The leading knight held up the royal flag, indicating their identity.

"Be on high alert, everyone be prepared."

Su Yao finally glanced at the pale Ashley, and whispered to Zhou Yu:
"Call Torig and the others over, just in case."

Tolig, the old chief of the Tuk tribe, compared to the princess who was "more timid when close to home", the old chief had obviously let go of everything after spending the past few days together. He knew that he had no way out once he got on the pirate ship, so he answered all the questions raised by Su Yao and others and cooperated very well.

Soon, the Wusun scouts approached. The leading knight captain drew his sword and shouted to the newcomers to stop:
"Are you the Princess's Guard? Why are you bringing so many soldiers into the city? Captain Adena, please come out and talk to us."

The guard force originally planned to consist of 800 people suddenly became more than 3,000 people, which naturally could not help but arouse suspicion.

Although they did a good job on the road, it was obvious that once they arrived at the foot of the royal capital, the vigilance of these people was no longer comparable to that of the small tribes along the way.

Fortunately, Su Yao and others had already made a plan.

"Hey, isn't this little Applecoat from Bruce's family? We haven't seen each other for almost four years. He has grown so big now."

The old chief Torig rode forward and greeted with a smile.

The scout captain was stunned, and after a careful look, he asked in surprise: "You are the leader of the Tuke tribe, Torig? How come..."

"Aren't we escorting the princess back to the capital?"

Torig stroked his beard, looking calm:
"Our little princess is so willful. She went to Tianshan Mountain without waiting for the Han people and actually wanted to go north to the border without permission."

"Lord Adena was worried that something might happen to him, so he asked my army to help him bring the princess back."

As he spoke, Tolig shook his head helplessly:

"Because of this, Lord Adena was severely beaten by the princess, and now he can't get off the carriage."

Facing the questioning of the royal scouts, the old chief Torig responded calmly and told the fabricated story.

After hearing this, Apak was silent for a while, looking helpless.

The Royal Guards were well aware of Her Royal Highness the Princess' temper, but they never expected that the princess would become so arrogant that she even dared to hit the captain of the guards.

"In that case," Apak nodded with a wry smile, his eyes sweeping across the gorgeous carriage in the center of the team, "Then please show me the royal court token, Your Highness. I will go back and report right away."

Then, Su Yao, who was riding beside the carriage, leaned over and lifted a corner of the curtain, and Ashley's pale face was vaguely visible. She trembled and handed over a golden token, which was the real thing seized from the royal envoy.

Seeing the princess's unhappy expression in the car, Apak believed Tolig's words even more. He just checked casually and ran away quickly, for fear that he would leave a little impression in the princess' eyes and she would take it out on him when he came back.

"Captain Tolig, you know the rules of the royal court. You cannot bring troops into the city without the king's order. Please wait for a while five miles away. I will report to you and then arrange for you to be settled."

Upon hearing this, the old leader Torig showed an embarrassment on his face: "The princess is exhausted from the journey and urgently needs to rest."

Apak lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, Chief. I will report to Xiang Dalu right away. I will get a reply in an hour at most."

Su Yao saw this and rode forward calmly, lowering his head and saying, "In that case, we will set up camp and wait in front. However," he pointed to the carriage, "the princess is not feeling well, please make arrangements quickly."

Apak nodded repeatedly, left two scouts to lead the way, and took the rest of the people to rush back to the city to report the news.

After the scouts walked away, Zhou Yu, Ma Chao, Yan Xing and others immediately came closer.

"General, the situation has changed." Zhou Yu frowned, "The Wusun people are obviously more cautious than expected."

Frankly speaking, when everyone arrived nearby and saw the tall Chigu City, they realized that they had probably overestimated the Wusun people.

Indeed, according to records from the Western Han Dynasty, the Wusun people were still a pure grassland people who lived by following water and grass, similar to the Xiongnu.

But it is clear that their intelligence is now a bit outdated.

The Wusun people, who live at the intersection of Eastern and Western civilizations and have long occupied the fertile land of the Ili River Valley, have continued to make progress over the past few hundred years. Their city-building and forging techniques far surpass those of their eastern grassland neighbors. They even have a corresponding official system and administrative system, and have become a mature and powerful country.

Ma Chao snorted coldly: "What are you afraid of? Anyway, we have already arrived at the place. If it really doesn't work, I think we can just kill them directly!"

Yan Xing shook his head: "I'm afraid this is not appropriate. The walls of Chigu City are high and thick, and a strong attack would result in too many casualties. If their king escapes during the chaos, it will be difficult to deal with it."

The surprise attack of three thousand people was aimed at a quick attack and decapitation.

If the king escapes and organizes resistance somewhere else, it will be meaningless for them to capture Chigu, and they will be trapped in an endless war of attrition.

This is definitely the worst situation for them as they are far away from the border and alone in deep territory.

"At least we have to find a way to take down one of the city gates first." Su Yao spoke after careful consideration.

It is indeed impossible to surround Chigu City with only 3,000 people, and the king might escape.

But as long as they captured a city gate, the army could take advantage of the opportunity to charge in and attack the palace directly, and the possibility of success would increase significantly.

"Wait a little longer, don't be impatient."

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and said:
"We should not be exposed yet. The royal court should at least allow the princess's 800 guards to enter the city."

"We can adapt to the situation as the time comes. If we can take the opportunity to go deep into the palace, that would be the best, but even if we can't."

Ma Chao's eyes gleamed: "We can also take this opportunity to seize the city and catch him off guard!"

Su Yao nodded slightly, his eyes scanning the distant city wall like a hawk: "Pass the order, let the soldiers be prepared for both situations. If there is a chance to enter the city, act according to the original plan; if the situation changes, use the wolf smoke as a signal and forcefully attack the south gate." Zhou Yu nodded, and finally glanced at the princess's carriage in the sunset: "I still hope everything goes well."

After that, everyone spoke one after another to discuss and supplement various details of the arrangements.

Next, while Su Yao was nervously discussing the next action plan, Apak also brought the information about the princess' return back to the palace.

"What? She beat Adena?!"

In the palace, the King of Wusun suddenly widened his eyes when he heard the report.

"Uh, yes, Kunmi."

Apak knelt on the ground respectfully, bowed his head and said:

"This time, in order to bring the princess back, Lord Adena specifically asked Chief Tolig to send more than 2,000 people to escort her. They are now stationed five miles outside the city, awaiting the king's orders."

"This rebellious girl is so lawless!"

The Wusun king was so angry about his extravagance that he slammed the table and spilled the wine in the golden cup all over the floor:
"Adena has been following me for twenty years, and he is so loyal to me that I have never touched him!"

Xiang Dalu hurried forward to comfort her: "Kunmi, calm down. The princess is young and hot-tempered. I think it was because of Adena's words when he tried to dissuade her that she offended you."

"Young and full of energy? She's almost sixteen! Others would be mothers of two children, but she still seems like she hasn't grown up yet."

"I am too kind to her! Now that the North and the South are at war, she still has the energy to cause trouble for me!"

Gui Xia was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became angry. He ignored the advice of his ministers and directly ordered the princess to be locked up in the cold palace and placed under house arrest. No one was allowed to plead for her until after the war. He would let this rebellious girl learn a lesson.

As for the Wusun King's family affairs, Prime Minister Lusaru did not know what to say, and instead turned the topic to the army outside the city:

"Torige and his men have come from afar, may I ask how we will accommodate them?"

"Since everyone is here, let Tolig enter the palace for a chat. However, don't bring his soldiers with you. Let them camp outside the city and send the grain officer to deliver wine and meat as rewards." Gui Shemi waved his hand with anger still not subsiding. "As for Ashley's guards, send Bruce to pick them up from the south gate and bring the princess directly to the palace."

Xiang Dalu hesitated for a moment and said, "Kunmi, should we ask them to surrender their weapons outside the city first? After all, the palace is an important place."

"Surrender?" Gui Shemi glared, "Those are the personal guards I sent out! Why did you ask them to surrender? Do you still suspect that they will rebel?"

"I dare not, but..."

"Alright, pass on my order." Guishemi turned to Apak, "After entering the city, have Adena come to see me immediately! As for that rebellious girl, send her to the cold palace and no one is allowed to see her!"

"I obey your order." Prime Minister Lusaru lowered his head quickly, but he felt a little uneasy in his heart.

Intuitively, he always felt that something was fishy - with Adena's cautiousness, how could he allow the princess to approach the capital with thousands of foreign soldiers?

But seeing Kunmi's furious look, he did not dare to persuade him. After all, the king's temper had become more and more violent in recent years, especially after the war with the Han army, he would lose his temper at any time.

Therefore, Xiang Dalu, who received the order, had to be more careful. When he sent Apak to the South Gate to pass the message, he specifically reminded the garrison commander Bruce to be on high alert and send more people to keep an eye on the guards entering the city, and take them to the camp in the east of the city to wait until Adena came to the palace to report the situation.

"Does Xiang Dalu suspect that Lord Adena has second thoughts?"

Apak was shocked to hear this.

"No, I believe in Ade's true identity, but I don't think that old Tolig is reliable."

Xiang Dalu Salu paused and explained:
"Since the death of the princess four years ago, his family has been neglected by the king. Now that we are at war, we should be more careful."

Apak suddenly realized.

The Tuk tribe and the royal family have always had close marriages. However, four years ago, the Tuk queen died childless, and the marriage between the two families was interrupted. Then there were rumors that the Tuk tribe was dissatisfied with the royal family and suspected someone of murdering the queen.

As a noble in the royal capital, he had heard a lot of these royal secrets, whether true or false. Once Xiang Dalu pointed them out, he immediately understood and expressed his admiration.

"Xiang Dalu is wise! I will pass on the order and ask General Bruce to take strict precautions."

Prime Minister Lusaru nodded and added in a low voice: "Remember, if you find anything unusual, close the city gate immediately!"

Not long after, Su Yao and others in the Han army camp outside the city received permission to enter the city.

"Report - General, the royal envoy has arrived outside the camp!" A personal soldier came hurriedly to report.

Su Yao and Zhou Yu looked at each other, then immediately stood up and went out of the tent with Tolig and others.

Apak and a group of cavalrymen were waiting outside the camp gate. When they came out, Apak dismounted and saluted respectfully:

"By order of Kunmi, Princess, please enter the palace immediately. The Princess's guards will temporarily stay in the camp east of the city. Chief Torig can enter the palace with Lord Adena to meet him. The rest of you are kindly requested to rest here for a while. Someone will bring you wine and meat later."

When Su Yao heard this, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He signaled to Tolig without showing any expression, and then Tolig laughed and agreed. He gladly accepted the king's order and packed up to enter the palace.

When they returned to the camp, everyone gathered together again. Ma Chao was the first to ask for orders: "I am willing to pretend to be the captain of the guards and follow the general into the palace to capture the bandit leader."

"General Ma, don't be impulsive."

Zhou Yu lowered his voice and said, "General, the situation may have changed. They only allow the princess and a few others to enter the palace. They are probably suspicious. We should not take risks at this moment. We should prioritize controlling the city gates."

After Su Yao pondered for a moment, he agreed with Zhou Yu's plan.

The capital is no different from other places. As the chief of the palace guards, Adena has countless acquaintances, so it is almost impossible for him not to be exposed. In this case, there is no need to act anymore. When we are in position, we can just kill them and take them down in one go.

"Pass the order down, act according to plan B. Mengqi will lead 800 personal soldiers to follow me into the city. Gongjin and Yanming will meet outside the city and wait for the signal. Be ready to capture the city at any time."

"The general will get the order!"

So, under Su Yao's order, the Han army soldiers reorganized themselves and waited until it was completely dark, making it difficult for the enemy to see their faces, before they officially left the camp.

At this time, Princess Ashley, who had been staring at Su Yao not far away, gritted her teeth and seemed to have finally made up her mind.

At the south gate of Chigu City, the night is getting darker.

Standing on the tower, Guard General Bruce frowned as he looked at the long line of torches approaching from a distance. Xiang Dalu's warning was still ringing in his ears, forcing him to be on high alert.

"General, the princess' carriage has arrived at the city." The deputy general came to report.

Bruce nodded: "Pass the order to open the city gate, but all those entering the city must undergo strict inspection."

As the heavy city gate slowly opened, a team with the royal court flag appeared in everyone's sight. The leader was Torig, the chief of the Tuk tribe, followed by dozens of knights, surrounding a gorgeous carriage.

"Stop!" Bruce personally led his men to block the city gate and shouted, "I want to see the princess."

The procession paused slightly, and after a moment, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and the pale faces of Princess Ashley and her maid Saya appeared in front of everyone.

"General Bruce"

Before the princess could finish her words, Su Yao stepped forward to stop her, saying that she was not feeling well and needed to go to the palace to rest as soon as possible.

But Bruce remained unmoved and again asked to meet with the captain of the guard Adena to express his condolences in person on behalf of Xiang Dalu.

At this point, the play has basically come to an end.

"Since you insist on seeing the captain of the guard, I will send you to see him."

Su Yao's voice suddenly became a little colder.

Bruce frowned and was about to say something else when he suddenly heard a sharp cry from inside the princess' carriage:

"General, run!"

"Close the city gate quickly!"

“They are Han Chinese!!!”

Almost at the same time, under the moonlight, a cold light with unparalleled pressure directly attacked Bruce's face.

(End of this chapter)