The prince is more stable

Chapter 278 Hunter’s Prey
The saddest thing in life is that you cannot choose how you are born, nor can you choose how you die.

If people could choose how to die, the world would be filled with a lot more poetic and bloody romance.

For example, Zhao Xiaoqian would choose to die under the crotch of a beauty.

Whether it is romantic or not is not the point, but it is definitely romantic.

Friends who often use beauty traps know that dying happily is probably the most comfortable way to die in the world, no doubt about it.

At such a critical moment, Duke Zhao was actually distracted, his thoughts drifting somewhere unknown. Wei Jie felt very powerless. This guy deserved to be killed by the enemy.

With Wei Jie's strong intervention, Zhao Xiaoqian's thoughts finally returned to the world of the living.

Since something unusual was discovered in that nameless valley, it means that the valley must be the ambush site chosen by the enemy.

Disguising themselves as woodcutters and hunters to scout the area on the mountain was quite a clever move, fortunately Zhao Xiaoqian had a deliberate plan this time.

If he was really in a hurry to complete his mission, he would not have let the scouts investigate so carefully, and Zhao Xiaoqian would definitely have been ambushed again, and his life would have been in real danger.

Fortunately, this time Zhao Xiaoqian was no longer the prey, but the hunter.

How does that saying go? A high-end hunter always appears as prey.

"Where is the Longwei Battalion under Zhong Jianzhong's command?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

"Scouts from the Dragon Guard Camp have reported that this morning, while crossing the Yellow River, Zhong Jianzhong specifically ordered the entire army to march westward toward Taiyuan Prefecture to conceal their presence. This is nearly a hundred miles from Xiangzhou, the only route we must take."

"Send a message to Zhong Jianzhong: march towards Xiangzhou tonight at midnight and arrive at the ambush location in the valley before dawn tomorrow. This time, we must block all roads and annihilate them in one fell swoop."

"We will continue to slow down our march and set up camp outside Xiangzhou City tonight, coordinating with the movement of Zhong Jianzhong's troops. Tomorrow morning, we will reach the valley where the enemy intends to kill me. I will obediently submit to their death without a struggle."

Wei Jie sighed, "My Lord, please don't say anything unlucky before a battle..."

"You don't understand. Making beautiful wishes before a battle means you die quickly. That's called setting up a flag. People who wish to be reunited with their wives and children after the battle, or want to eat and drink something after the battle, are bound to die in battle. People like me who make unlucky wishes usually survive."

Wei Jie stared at him in a daze for a long time, then suddenly said, "This humble official will surely die!"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned, then stared at him as if he were a fool. After a long moment, he patted his shoulder and said, "Well said. If you can speak, say more."

…………

Early in the morning, in an unnamed valley twenty miles outside Xiangzhou City.

It was dawn, but the sun had not yet risen. The valley was shrouded in a thick fog. From afar, it seemed inexplicably filled with a sinister murderous intent, which was daunting.

The valley, which should have been full of vitality with springs splashing and birds singing, was now silent, as if the birds and beasts in the mountains had all gone dormant at the same time.

Outside Xiangzhou City, a team of more than 300 cavalrymen broke camp early in the morning and continued to march north.

It was already morning when they arrived at the valley. The team stopped briefly at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the mountain shrouded in thick fog. The more than 300 officials of the Imperial City looked at each other in confusion.

Although they didn't want to admit it, everyone felt a little uneasy in their hearts.

It's a bit scary, especially after knowing that there is a murder hidden inside, this mountain looks even more terrifying. Once you take a step forward, you don't know what kind of deadly move you will face. Every step you take is like jumping back and forth between the world of the living and the gates of hell. It's exciting!

Wei Jie was riding on his horse, but he didn't show any fear at all, he just waved his hands vigorously.

"Go into the mountains immediately and rush to Xingzhou as quickly as possible, quick!"

More than 300 people immediately headed towards the mountains, and Zhao Xiaoqian, wearing ordinary casual clothes, was mixed in the team, but he lowered his head and said nothing.

Wei Jie looked up at the mountain, pursed his lips, and his eyes revealed a contradictory mixture of solemnity and excitement.

Turning his head to look at Zhao Xiaoqian in the middle of the team, he was still riding on his horse, with his head down and not saying a word, as if he had fallen asleep on the horse's back.

Wei Jie smiled, strode forward to lead the way, and took the lead on the mountain path.

The team climbed the mountain silently. More than 300 people stepped on the grass and bushes and slowly moved towards the mountainside.

The atmosphere in the team was a bit complicated, basically the same as Wei Jie's, both solemn and excited.

This was a setup, a setup set by Zhao Jun, and now the truth had finally been revealed. On the road ahead, ambushes were a possibility at any time, and casualties were inevitable, but... it also meant both military merit and rewards.

If you can survive, if you can kill a few enemies, what's the big deal about taking such a small risk? Isn't everyone's future a matter of life and death?

Of course, Duke Zhao is an exception. He mastered the technique of reincarnation in his previous life. What can you do about it?

Among the marching crowd, there was only one person who was gritting his teeth as he walked.

This man is Zhao Xin, an officer of the Imperial City Administration.

At this moment, Zhao Xin walked with his head down, but his eyes were red with excitement, like a starving beast, ferocious but with a bit of madness.

Zhao Xin's walking posture was a little strange. His right hand was swinging unnaturally, while his left hand was tightly grasping the hilt of the sword at his waist. If he encountered any situation, he could draw his sword and attack the enemy in the first time.

However, this also made his walking posture look weird in the team.

A colleague walking by couldn't stand it any longer and advised, "Old Zhao, relax a bit. The Duke has already laid a trap. If the enemy hiding in the dark sees you like this, they'll become suspicious."

However, Zhao Xin still held the hilt of the knife tightly and refused to let go, turning his head with a somewhat ferocious expression.

"I'm so stupid, really... Last time, I was just a little bit away, just a little bit away from being promoted to an official, but I was too careless at the time..."

My colleagues looked speechless.

The last failure left an indelible psychological shadow on Zhao Xin.

Indeed, the nature of "official" and "official" is completely different. Zhao Xin endured all these years and almost got promoted to an official, but unfortunately he missed the opportunity. Only the person involved can understand this sense of frustration.

After returning to the Imperial City Division, Zhao Xin acted like a madman, blaming himself and reflecting on himself whenever he met someone. He kept repeating the same old words over and over again, usually starting with "I'm so stupid, really" and ending with "I was too careless at that time." His colleagues in the Imperial City Division had almost memorized his lines.

"Alright, alright, Old Zhao, we all know you're really stupid, really... Now cheer up. Whether you can get promoted to an official position depends on today. Be more natural and don't reveal any flaws. If the operation fails because of you, not only will you not get promoted, you'll probably have to go to Bingjingwu to experience Liu Duzhi's methods."

Zhao Xin snorted, looked up at the mountains still shrouded in thick fog, narrowed his eyes slightly, and muttered, "I'm so stupid, really... But I won't be stupid again this time."

"Whoever stands in my way will be my sworn enemy!"

"I want to be promoted to an official!"

Crossing mountains and hills has always been the most difficult thing. As the saying goes, "a horse will die if it runs to the mountain", the destination seems to be right in front of you, but the journey seems as far away as a mirage.

After walking for half an hour, the team finally reached the mountainside. Wei Jie turned his head again to look at Zhao Xiaoqian who was riding on a horse behind him, and then ordered them to rest on the spot.

More than 300 people cheered, then found a comfortable place to sit down and replenished their water and dry food.

Wei Jie looked around and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Here, this is it!

As soon as the thought disappeared from his mind, there was a slight whoosh sound, and a sharp arrow shot out from the bushes two hundred steps away to the side, aiming straight at Zhao Xiaoqian in the middle of the team!

When Zhao Xiaoqian on horseback was about to be shot, Chen Shou, who had been guarding the horse, suddenly shouted loudly, and then a shield blocked Zhao Xiaoqian in front of him.

"Enemy attack! Be alert!" Wei Jie also shouted.

More than 300 subordinates of the Imperial City Bureau drew their swords and quickly formed several circular formations.

Just as the formation was completed, deafening shouts of killing were heard from the mountainside and foot of the mountain, and then a chaotic sound of footsteps came from all directions, gathering towards the three hundred subordinates of the Imperial City Bureau and surrounding them.

Human figures suddenly appeared in the grass, bushes, and dense forests. Wei Jie took a rough look around and found that there were about a thousand people, and they were surrounding them from all directions. It was obvious that they had been ambushed for a long time.

"It's here! It's finally here!" Wei Jie was so excited that his hand holding the knife was trembling slightly.

"Fire the flares!" Wei Jie shouted loudly.

A sharp arrow with an empty whistle shot into the sky, and the sharp and shrill whistling sound echoed throughout the valley.

(End of this chapter)