Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 258, Archery Talent

Inside the arrow pavilion, Fang Yong drew back the bowstring, but there was no arrow on the string; instead, a wisp of white mist, seemingly ethereal, condensed on it.

Suddenly, Fang Yong let go.

With a loud bang, the arrow flew out of the bowstring, instantly piercing the target in the arrow pavilion, then the pavilion pillar behind the target, and finally landing on the palace wall behind it, even penetrating the palace wall, leaving only a smooth and shiny arrow mark.

[Talent: Archery (Perfect)]

【Progress: 0/10000】

[Effect: By focusing the breath on the arrow and drawing the bow with strength, a sharp arrow pierces the clouds, taking the head of an army.]

"Ahhh!"

Exclamations came from outside.

It turned out to be a young eunuch who had just been passing by emptying a chamber pot when the wall suddenly collapsed, and a cold light passed between his legs, scaring him so much that he trembled and couldn't move.

Fang Yongsui sent people to check. He did not expect that condensing qi into arrows would increase their power so much that they would directly pierce through the palace wall. Judging from the screams outside, it seemed that someone had been hit by an arrow.
Soon, the subordinates brought the young eunuch over.

"King Wu!"

The young eunuch nervously greeted Fang Yong, seemingly somewhat afraid of him.

In fact, most of the eunuchs and maids in the palace were afraid of Fang Yong.

Because Fang Yong occupied the palace and sent troops to garrison it, he inevitably killed some eunuchs and palace maids to establish his authority. In the eyes of these eunuchs and palace maids, Fang Yong was no different from a ruthless rebel.

Of course, there really isn't much difference.

Fang Yong's attitude was relatively mild. He looked at the young eunuch and asked:
"What's your name?"

Seeing that Fang Yong's attitude was gentle and did not seem like that of a cruel killer, the young eunuch's tension lessened somewhat, and he kowtowed and replied:
"Your Majesty, my name is Xiao Changzi."

Fang Yong nodded and asked:

"Little Changzi, I just shot an arrow, which accidentally pierced through the wall. I heard you scream outside the wall. Were you injured?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changzi cleverly replied:

"Your Highness, I am wounded, but not seriously injured."

"Oh?" Fang Yong was somewhat surprised by this answer and asked, "How are you injured, yet not actually hurt?"

Xiao Changzi lifted his shirt and pointed to the large hole in the middle of his pants:

"Your Highness, you see, if it were an ordinary person, they would already be injured by now, but I am the only one who is not injured! As the ancients said, how could a sage easily harm a commoner? I suppose this must be the will of Heaven!"

Fang Yong laughed upon hearing this.

This little eunuch is interesting.

His words meant that virtuous people would not easily harm ordinary people, and Fang Yong's arrow just happened to pass through there without hurting him; this was the will of Heaven.

Clearly, this guy was flattering Fang Yong, calling him a sage.

However, Fang Yong was not averse to it; flattery was not a sin.

Fang Yong became somewhat interested in it and asked:
"Have you read the book?"

Xiao Changzi said, "I used to study with the old ancestor in the palace."

Fang Yong asked, "Ancestor? Is it Dai Quan?"

Xiao Changzi nodded quickly.

He was indeed Dai Quan's man, and that couldn't be hidden; otherwise, with his quick wit, he wouldn't have been assigned to empty the chamber pot.

However, there is no need to be too wary. As the former chief eunuch of the palace, Dai Quan had countless adopted sons and grandsons under his command. Xiao Changzi was just one of them. It is obviously unrealistic to say that he was loyal to Dai Quan.

Fang Yong thought for a moment and said:

"I see that you are so clever, it's a waste for you to do such rough work. Would you be willing to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to serve His Majesty?"

Xiao Changzi was taken aback by what he heard and asked:

"The Hall of Mental Cultivation?"

Fang Yong nodded: "Hall of Mental Cultivation."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Changzi decisively kowtowed and said:
"I will obey Your Highness's orders. Wherever Your Highness commands me, I will never refuse!"

"Okay." Fang Yong nodded in satisfaction.

Afterwards, Fang Yong left the arrow pavilion and went to the bathhouse to take a bath.

Jin Chuan was in charge of serving.

After a long while, when Jin Chuan finally came out, her legs were trembling so badly that she could barely stand.

Qingwen rushed to help him up.

At the same time, he kept glancing behind him, as if waiting for someone to come out.

Jin Chuan said weakly, "Don't look anymore, the prince has already left from behind."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen's expression froze slightly, and then she lowered her head in disappointment.

Jin Chuan said, "If you ask me, you should go and apologize to the prince. He's not a heartless person; he'll definitely remember you."

Qingwen lowered her head and remained silent.

She felt she hadn't done anything wrong, so why should she admit it?

Even if the other party is a prince, does that mean he can do whatever he wants...?

On the other side, the grassland.

Yinshan Altar.

The alliance ceremony between the Adil and Abuka tribes was held today.

The sky was clear and cool, and a constant gale raged through the mountains, making the flags flutter wildly.

The Dorrey were given as a gift for the alliance and bound to the altar pillars.

They were just waiting for Tuolei Khan to appear.

However, as time passed, Tuolei's figure still hadn't arrived.

Gao Li and his men, who were lying in ambush in the mountain valley outside, were getting impatient.

Suddenly, a large number of rockets were launched from outside.

Ignite the vegetation on the mountain.

Gao Li was shocked and hurriedly said, "I have a plan! Retreat quickly!"

The ambushing Huaiyin army quickly began to withdraw.

Chen Zhengdu led his men out and shouted:
"Dore, Adil E, your alliance with the Han people is a disgrace to the grasslands. Tuolei Khan asked me to tell you that if you return to the grasslands, he can forgive you for the sake of blood ties. If you remain obstinate, he will call on all the tribes of the grasslands to jointly punish you!"

Having said that, Chen Zhengdu charged forward.

In order to better ambush Tuolei, Gao Li only brought 5,000 heavy cavalry to set up an ambush. After the battle, due to insufficient charging distance, they were no match for Chen Zhengdu's 20,000 steppe cavalry.

Gao Li could only fight and retreat.

During the battle, Chen Zhengdu led his men into the fray and fought Gao Li for more than a dozen rounds. Gao Li was no match for him and was stabbed in the abdomen by a spear. Fortunately, he was wearing armor, so the spear did not penetrate through, but he was still seriously injured. He was only able to be saved by his personal guards who risked their lives to protect him.

The Huaiyin army was well-equipped, and their thick armor could effectively defend against the arrows of the steppe people. However, they were outnumbered, and Gao Li was seriously wounded. In the end, nearly a thousand people were killed or wounded before they broke through the encirclement and escaped back to the Adil tribe.

Not long after the battle, Tuolei, in the name of the Great Khan, denounced the alliance between the Adil tribe and the Han people.

Tuolei called on all the tribes of the grasslands to jointly attack the Adier tribe.

However, the final result was very realistic.

Tuolei's prestige was ultimately inferior to that of Kah Khan, and he received very few responses.

Apart from a few scattered, insignificant tribes that responded to Tuolei's call, the only tribes that could be barely named were the tribes of Gongyulie and Batuxiong.

These two tribes were once considered large tribes, but during the attack on Zhongxia, they were sent by Qah Khan to pursue Emperor Longqing, and then they happened to come face to face with Fang Yong.

In the end, Fang Yong almost wiped out both tribes. Batu Xiong was killed on the spot, and Gong Yulie was also seriously injured. He only escaped by pretending to be dead.

Later, Khan Kah sent the last remaining troops of the two tribes to cover the retreat, but they were almost all killed or wounded, with only a few dozen escaping back.

After these two battles, almost all of the troops led by Gong Yulie and Batu Xiong were wiped out. Apart from a thousand or so people who stayed behind, the tribe was left with only the elderly, women and children, and was on the verge of extinction.

(End of this chapter)