The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 548: Trouble
Quanzhou.

It was late at night, but the window of the study in the main courtyard of the governor's mansion in the north of the city was still dimly lit, and a blurry figure was reflected on the window paper, seemingly working on documents.

The imposter, Li Yin, had been carefully observing the figure at the window for a long time from the shadow of the pillar under the corridor. Now, he no longer hesitated. He simply straightened his clothes, which were slightly disheveled from climbing over the wall, and then walked out of the shadows with composure, heading straight for the door of the brightly lit study. He deliberately made his footsteps heavier.

"Who goes there!" The guards at the gate immediately became alert and drew their swords.

The imposter stopped, cupped his hands slightly, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people in the study to hear: "I have important business to discuss with Magistrate Wang. It concerns the safety of Quanzhou. Please inform him."

After the guards saw the fake Li's face clearly, they realized that someone had silently sneaked into the depths of the governor's mansion. Cold sweat poured down their backs. Without giving him a chance to say anything, they immediately shouted a warning and were about to step forward to kill him.

At the same time, the study door was opened from the inside, and a man in his thirties walked out. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his face showed some displeasure. He sized up the uninvited guest, Fake Li, but did not stop the guards at the door from summoning other soldiers. He simply said in a deep voice:
"Who are you? How dare you trespass on this official's residence in the dead of night? Do you know what crime you have committed?"

The imposter met his gaze and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "My name is Li Yi. I apologize for visiting you so abruptly, but the situation is urgent and concerns the survival of Quanzhou Port. I have no choice but to do so. In this urgent situation, I have to act accordingly. I apologize for disturbing you, sir."

“Li Yi?” Wang Yanbin repeated the name, his eyes instantly sharpening. He scrutinized the imposter Li again, then waved to stop the guards pouring into the courtyard, stepping aside to make way. “Come in and talk.”

With that, he simply ordered the guards to stand outside the gate while he led the fake Li inside.

“Li Yi… these two names are quite familiar to me.”

Wang Yanbin didn't return to his desk. Instead, he crossed his arms, leaned against the edge of the table, and re-examined the fake Li standing in the center of the room. "You have quite the nerve, breaking into my governor's mansion alone at night. Just based on your empty name and a so-called matter of life and death?"

The imposter Li remained unmoved: "Whether the name is genuine or not is for you, my lord, to judge. I have not come here to prove who I am."

"Oh?" Wang Yanbin raised an eyebrow, took a step forward, approached the fake Li, and lowered his voice, "Then do you know how much your name is worth in Fujian now? Two emperors of the Southern Dynasty have suddenly become the royal brothers of the Northern Dynasty's emperor, abandoning a million troops in Jiangnan. Tell me, if I were to invite your tenth brother, the emperor's brother, to the sea to accompany Prime Minister Xu in the future, or... simply tie him up and send him to the front lines of the Northern army to exchange for some conditions for your brother's withdrawal, what price would he be willing to offer?"

“Lord Wang,” the fake Li said slowly, “if you really think that those fishing sampans in Quanzhou Port can carry you and me safely through the blockade of my Great Tang Navy and across the ocean to try to survive… then I, Li Yi, will agree today and go with you to the sea to see the storms. It’s not impossible.”

He glanced at Wang Yanbin's suddenly unpleasant expression and continued, "If not, then do you think that capturing and killing a useless person like me, who has no soldiers or power and whose martial arts have been crippled, would make my royal brother hesitate to act... Lord Wang, you have not known my royal brother for long, so you may not truly understand what kind of person he is."

Wang Yanbin's eyes flickered slightly; the calmness of the fake Li was clearly beyond his expectations.

The imposter, Li, seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, and slowly continued, "If Your Excellency were to kill me, it might fulfill one of my wishes. My elder brother might even posthumously grant me a princely title, restoring the imperial family's prestige. For me, this would be a posthumous honor, far better than what I am in now. I only need Your Excellency to reveal my identity to the world, so that all may know that Li Yi, the tenth son of Emperor Zhaozong, died at the hands of Xu Wen's henchmen, or perhaps someone unaware of the truth, while protecting Quanzhou Port and warning the people of Fujian. Li Yi... thanks you in advance."

These words, though half true and half false, only piqued Wang Yanbin's interest even more.

When he was young, he was entrusted by his father to build the Zhaoxian Academy in Nan'an, Quanzhou, and recruited a large number of exiled people from the Central Plains, such as Li Xian, Han Wo, and Cui Daorong. For a time, the academy was full of talents and literary activities were very active, making it the "crown of Jiangnan". Later, he governed Quanzhou at a young age, which made Quanzhou well-governed and well-known. The five grains were abundant every year, and overseas trade was particularly prosperous. He was also known as "Zhaobao Shilang" among the people. Even today, he is only twenty-eight years old. In terms of ambition, he has never been willing to lag behind others in Fujian. Now, after talking with this fake Li, he has broadened his horizons.

So he paced a few steps, giving the fake Li another half-smile. After a while, he suddenly waved his hand and said to the door, "Stand back a bit. No one is allowed to come within ten steps of the study without my order."

The footsteps outside the door immediately faded away in unison.

“You certainly have great courage. Then speak frankly, what brings you here at such a risk? You must not have come here to seek death.”

“Save Quanzhou, and save your entire Wang family.” The fake Li didn’t mince words and went straight to the point. “Xu Wen wants to burn down Quanzhou Port, cutting off the last chance of survival for Magistrate Wang and your uncle, the King of Min.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yanbin didn't even change his expression. He simply walked behind his desk and retreated, scoffing, "Do you have any evidence for your words? Such a major matter cannot be based on your mere words alone, which would only lead me to mobilize the state troops and launch a major conflict with Prime Minister Xu."

“Evidence?” Fake Li shook his head. “My lord, evidence is not important. What is important is whether Xu Wen has a motive, and what this would mean for the Wang family if it happened.”

He walked to the map of Quanzhou Port hanging on the wall, his finger tracing the densely packed berths and warehouses. “Prefect Wang is a wise man. He should know that Xu Wen’s burning of the port was intended to destroy the very foundation, not merely destroy the physical structures. Once the port is destroyed, the Emperor’s grand ambition to rule the world will be thwarted. In his fury, what way will the entire Wang family have to escape but to be buried with Xu Wen? Then, who will bear the blame for their incompetence in defending the territory and for arson? At that time, Xu Wen will be desperate, and Prefect Wang and the King of Min will find no way to survive. Besides being bound to that doomed ship, what other path will they have?”

Wang Yanbin remained expressionless, only letting out a cold laugh: "Your words are laughable. Perhaps my uncle has already decided to advance and retreat with Xu Gong and share weal and woe? How can you be so sure that the Wang family has no intention of going to sea?"

The fake Li shook his head and couldn't help but laugh: "Why would you try to deceive me, Your Excellency? The King of Min may have some hesitation, but Your Excellency has absolutely no such intention."

As he spoke, he continued on his own, "Quanzhou is the foundation upon which your father and son built their fortunes, and half of Fujian's wealth comes from here. If you truly intended to flee far away, why would there be no warships or large ships prepared in the port? Could it be that you only rushed to Fuzhou, four hundred miles away, to compete with the King of Min for ships when the situation became dire? Your Excellency, you clearly have no real preparation to go to sea! You can't bear to part with Quanzhou, you can't bear to part with your father's life's work, and you can't bear to part with the people of this city who regard you as their parents!"

These words finally silenced Wang Yanbin. He stopped sneering and his gaze involuntarily fell on the port area map, his hand tapping on the table.

Seeing his wavering, the fake Li softened his tone: "My lord, now the Tang army has surrounded us on three sides, Hunan and Jiangxi have been pacified with a single proclamation, Wu and Yue have fallen, and Nanjing has changed hands. The tide has turned, and it is beyond human control. To resist stubbornly will only cause the bloodshed of the people of Fujian to flow like rivers, and they will flee to sea in panic and become pirates. What good will that do for the Wang clan? If you can help the court preserve this port, it will be an immense achievement, enough to make up for the King of Min's previous hesitation, and it will also ensure the continuation of the Wang clan and save our hometown from the calamity of war."

"Will you aid and abet evil, leaving behind a legacy of infamy alongside Xu Wen, or will you preserve your homeland and earn a place in history? Your Excellency, the choice is yours..."

"Preserve our homeland..." Wang Yanbin murmured, repeating these four words, his expression shifting under the lamplight. After a long while, he exhaled a long breath and slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"Very well! I'll trust you this time! What good plan does Your Highness have?"

The fake Li, feeling somewhat reassured, hurriedly replied:
"Xu Wen has been operating in Jiangnan for a long time, and he may have his own people in Quanzhou. If you, my lord, are in the open, your every move is likely under his watchful eye. If you mobilize troops and impose martial law in a grand manner, you might alert him and force him to launch an attack prematurely. I am in the shadows, which makes it easier for me to investigate. I request that you grant me the authority to act as I see fit and secretly locate suspicious areas. At the same time, we should secretly control the four gates, allowing entry but not exit, to prevent information from leaking and the thief from escaping. When the time is right, we can work together from the inside and outside to capture him in one fell swoop and eliminate future troubles."

Wang Yanbin pondered for a moment and knew this method was feasible. He took out a small copper talisman and handed it to the fake Li: "This is my official token. Seeing this talisman is like seeing me. The general in the mansion is my confidant. Your Highness can use this talisman to mobilize his subordinates. I will take care of the city gate matter immediately."

The fake Li took the bronze talisman and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency. There's no time to lose, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."

As we left the governor's mansion, the night grew even darker.

However, the fake Li did not return directly to the courtyard where he had settled. Instead, he deliberately took several detours and changed his route until he was sure that no one was following him. Only then did he quicken his pace and climb over the wall of his own courtyard.

The moment their feet touched the ground, they heard a few suppressed excited murmurs coming from the main room.

"The boss is back!" a man in the courtyard whispered, and immediately eight or nine people, led by a local thug named Chen Wu, came out of the main room to greet him.

When Fake Li saw the group, his eyes narrowed, while Chen Wu rubbed his hands together and said in a low voice, "Boss, you're finally back. The brothers have made a new discovery. During the day, we sneaked over to the west side of the harbor, and according to the brothers there, there are indeed quite a few unfamiliar faces loitering around the dock, and they've even moved some things inside. Our men didn't dare get too close, but we feel there's definitely something fishy going on!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's heart sank. His sharp gaze swept over the expressions on their faces, a mixture of excitement and unease, and he had a strong sense of foreboding.

These local bullies are ultimately just using petty tricks. If they were truly assassins sent by Xu Wen, how could they have let them see them so easily? They would have left clues by following and investigating them, alerting the enemy without even realizing it!

His lips moved slightly, and he was about to demand more details when his ears caught a few extremely faint sounds coming from outside the courtyard wall.

"Grab your weapons!" Fake Li shouted in a low voice, without explaining further, and immediately kicked Chen Wu in front of him aside. Several darts were instantly stuck in the spot where the two had just been standing.

Immediately afterwards, several dark figures, like ghosts, scaled the courtyard wall from different directions, their movements swift and silent, clearly skilled.

In addition, two people directly cleaved open the not-so-sturdy courtyard gate with their knives, then kicked it open, leaving the wooden door wide open. More than ten figures followed closely behind, instantly surging into the courtyard. Without wasting words, they rushed straight towards the fake Li and his group, their killing intent palpable.

Chen Wu and his companions were terrified by the sudden attack. The excitement they had felt from discovering the clue vanished, and they hurriedly grabbed the stools and short knives at hand to fight back.

Instead of retreating, the fake Li advanced, facing the first flash of blade. He sidestepped and slid, his movements so fast they left only a blur. With a flick of his right hand at his waist, a soft sword similar in style to Li Cunli's appeared in his hand like a snake emerging from its hole.

Then, the sword flashed like a snake spitting its tongue, piercing directly into the tendon of the first assassin's wrist holding the knife, and then flicked upwards, slicing across the opponent's throat.

Blood splattered, and the man collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

The clash between the two sides erupted instantly and quickly escalated into a fierce battle.

The courtyard was cramped, filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and screams. Although the fake Li had lost his internal energy, his killing skills had become second nature. His soft sword was ruthless and cunning, targeting vital points such as joints, aiming to kill or incapacitate his enemy instantly with each strike. His left arm was slashed open by a sneak attack with a short sword, blood gushing out, but he didn't even flinch, and with a backhand slash, he pierced the attacker's heart. Chen Wu and the others were also skilled in martial arts; without Li Xingyun's earlier assistance, the fake Li might not have been able to subdue these local thugs. Therefore, after the initial panic, they were immediately roused by the fake Li's swordsmanship and rushed forward to fight the assassin to the death.

With his eyes scanning all directions, the fake Li leaped and dodged, heading straight for a masked man who was clearly the leader of the assassins.

The other side was clearly unaware of the fake Li's identity. Although the assassins launched a surprise attack, the people sent were clearly careless, and thus, in terms of individual combat strength, they were no match for the fake Li.

So, despite the cost of taking a slash through his ribs from the side, Fake Li lunged forward, flicked his soft sword, and pierced the leader's thigh like lightning. Then, with a twist of the blade, he severed the tendons, and as the leader screamed and fell to the ground, Fake Li pounced on him, kneeing him hard in the back of the chest. At the same time, he instantly dislocated the leader's jaw and quickly searched his mouth, prying out a poison sac hidden between his teeth.

"Leave no one alive!" The fake Li Yijian subdued the enemy leader, then grabbed him and crippled both of his arms. He then used his sword to dodge left and right, protecting the leader as he retreated. He threw the leader to a local thug, instructing him to protect him inside the house, while he himself charged out again.

If these people are indeed Xu Wen's men in Quanzhou, then letting any one of them go could alert the other side and cause them to change their plans.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wu and the others became even more frenzied, desperately clinging to the retreating assassins. Despite his injuries, Fake Li moved again, his soft sword flashing with deadly light. Combined with Chen Wu and the others' counterattack, in just a short while, the remaining assassins had all fallen into pools of blood, lifeless.

Unfortunately, several men who had been waiting outside the courtyard to shoot arrows at him fled when they saw the situation was not good, and they were not captured.

The entire battle, from beginning to end, lasted only a few dozen breaths. The courtyard was already filled with corpses lying haphazardly, and the stench of blood was nauseating.

Fake Li signaled to one of the less seriously injured local thugs to immediately close and barricade the courtyard door, while he dragged the only surviving leader like a dead dog to the oil lamp in the main room. The man's jaw was dislocated, blood was gushing from his thigh, and he was convulsing in pain, but his eyes were filled with ruthlessness as he stared at Fake Li, showing no fear.

Chen Wu, clutching his wounded abdomen, walked up to the fake Li and said shamefully, "Boss... I'm sorry, it was our carelessness that allowed these bastards to follow us..."

After catching his breath, Fake Li shook his head, looked at the subdued assassin leader on the ground, and said, "Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. If they hadn't come to us willingly, how could we have captured them?"

Chen Wu looked at the prisoner, who, though subdued, still had a fierce look in his eyes, and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva: "Boss, I'm afraid we can't pry open the mouth of this tough nut."

The fake Li chuckled coldly, saying nothing more. He squatted down and began to carefully search the prisoner's entire body. Finding nothing, he took out a cloth bag from his pocket, which contained several silver needles of varying lengths.

Without further ado, Fake Li had Chen Wu and the others hold down the prisoner's limbs, and then, to the prisoner's horrified expression, he slowly inserted a silver needle into an acupoint behind his ear.

In an instant, the prisoner's body twisted into a bizarre posture, his eyes bulged out, a strange "gurgling" sound came from his throat, and sweat suddenly soaked his entire body.

Chen Wu and the others felt their scalps tingle and dared not look directly at it.

In no time, the prisoner was limp as a lump of mud and confessed his origins and everything else in detail.

They were indeed Xu Wen's henchmen. They became wary after noticing that local thugs had been investigating their secret hideouts, so they tracked them down to this location to eliminate this unknown force that had suddenly appeared and was investigating them.

Their plan to burn the port remained unchanged. At midnight, several groups of people simultaneously set off from the designated locations to burn Quanzhou.

A cold glint flashed in Fake Li's eyes. He was too lazy to scold Chen Wu and the other incompetent local bullies, and simply gave the order:
“It’s too late. Since someone has escaped, we may have already alerted the enemy. You should immediately send people with this token to deliver messages to Wang Yanbin, informing him of the location and plan. Those of us who can move should come with me to the western shipyard to keep an eye on it. Once the state troops arrive, we can coordinate an attack from within and without.”

……

As dawn approached, Wang Yanbin, having learned of the intelligence, dared not delay. He immediately led the state troops to sweep through all suspicious locations, and then personally led his men to join forces with the fake Li, surrounding a dock in the west of the city that was said to be the main shipyard of Xu Wen's assassins.

Because of the decisive action, the operation progressed smoothly. The enemy's strongholds were eliminated, and this main gathering point was only able to provide some initial resistance before the outer outposts were quickly taken down. The state soldiers stormed into the main shipyard building, where fierce clashes and shouts of battle immediately erupted.

Fake Li and Wang Yanbin stood quietly at the entrance of the dock, the flickering firelight casting shifting shadows on their faces.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

One of Wang Yanbin's trusted lieutenants, who had been closely following him, suddenly drew his sword without warning and slashed it fiercely at Wang Yanbin's back.

Caught off guard, Wang Yanbin only had time to desperately turn to the side before the long knife sliced ​​across his back, spraying blood. He groaned and staggered forward.

"Protect the lord!" the surrounding guards cried out, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

The lieutenant, having failed to kill with his initial strike, immediately shouted hoarsely, "The governor has been taken hostage! Do not listen to slander! This man is Li Yi, the former emperor of Jinling who abandoned Jiangnan! He is a traitor! Do not be misled by him!"

As he shouted, he fought his way through the surrounding state soldiers, his eyes bloodshot as he charged straight at the fake Li. Several of his trusted men also rose up at the same time, their blades flashing, clearly determined to kill the fake Li at any cost.

At this shout, some of the state soldiers who were besieging the assassins inside the dock paused, looking at the fake Li with suspicion and uncertainty. Xu Wen's assassins, on the other hand, seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline, roaring wildly: "It's him! Kill this traitor! Eliminate this scourge from Jiangnan!"

Some of the state soldiers were still at a loss because Wang Yanbin was injured, while others remained loyal to their duties and fought the deputy general. However, many more soldiers turned their spears in the chaos and rushed towards the fake Li with bloodshot eyes.

They might not know the fake Li, but the title of "Emperor of the Southern Dynasty" certainly had an extraordinary stimulating effect within Xu Wen's camp.

Fake Li's expression changed, realizing something was wrong.

He had lost all his martial arts skills and was injured just now. He could still hold his own against three or five ordinary thieves, but in this chaotic army, being targeted by a master would almost certainly mean certain death.

Without hesitation, he turned to flee. However, amidst the chaos and surging crowd, how could he possibly escape at will?
Chen Wu and his men were instantly killed by several suddenly appearing assassins. Both rebels and assassins surged towards the fake Li like a tidal wave, with arrows raining down on him. Left with no other option, the fake Li abandoned his horse to try and remain less conspicuous in the chaos.

But after abandoning his horse, he could only rely on his experience and footwork to maneuver around, dodging the flashing swords and spears in a sorry state. After taking several hits head-on, his arms were already numb from the shock and his tiger's mouth was cracked.

"Shoot-"

A chill ran down his back as a blade ripped through the fake Li's clothes. He staggered and leaned against an abandoned winch, panting heavily. Looking at the faces that were gradually closing in, he felt a sense of absurdity.

Am I really going to die here? Die at the hands of these nameless nobodies?
A assassin seized an opening and slashed down with his blade. Fake Li sensed the wind and tried to dodge, but he was too slow due to exhaustion and was about to be cut in two.

At the critical moment, a clear sword cry arrived first, piercing through the air.

A figure moved with lightning speed, forcefully cutting into the battle with unstoppable momentum. A sword flashed across the sky like a bolt of lightning, and with a loud clang, the steel blade aimed at the fake Li was violently knocked from his hand and flew into the air!
Immediately afterwards, a figure descended into the battle like a roc, and sword light spread out, directly sweeping away several soldiers who were besieging the fake Li.

The newcomer stood in front of the fake Li, sword in hand, slightly out of breath. Who else could it be but Li Xingyun? His clothes were dusty, indicating that he had rushed here, and the Longquan sword in his hand hummed incessantly.

"Li Yi! Aren't I handsome!?"

Looking at the back of the person who had blocked the fatal blow, and hearing the call, a complex emotion flashed through his eyes, but in the end he only sneered and said, "Meddlesome... Who asked you to save me?"

Li Xingyun did not turn around or refute, but simply glanced at the soldiers in front of him who had stopped in their tracks in astonishment at his appearance.

"Stop talking nonsense, can you still fight?"

Li Yi took a deep breath, suppressing the metallic taste in his throat, wiped the blood from his face, and rose up with his sword, his back pressed against Li Xingyun's.

"What do you say?"

In the distance, the sound of wind breaking rang out one after another. Several Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes had already taken off like hawks. With flashing blades, they fiercely charged into the battle. Wherever they passed, it was like tigers entering a flock of sheep, stirring up a storm of blood and carnage.

(End of this chapter)