The prince is more stable

Chapter 279: Encirclement and Ambush
The enemy's attack was fierce, but it was expected.

The trip out of Beijing created all kinds of momentum and spread all kinds of confusion. Zhao Xiaoqian was willing to risk his life, wasn't it just for this moment?

The shrill sound of the arrow rose up and exploded above the fog-shrouded mountains.

Wei Jie raised his sword and shouted, "Form a circle and defend!"

The three hundred or so subordinates of the Imperial City Administration looked somewhat nervous. The enemy was surrounding them from all directions. More than a thousand enemies against three hundred...was the advantage on my side?
Wasn't it just for this moment that I took the initiative to step into the enemy's ambush?
The circle was quickly formed, with the outer layer connected by shields. Countless blades stuck out from the gaps in the shields, like hedgehogs with their barbs exploded.

More than a thousand enemies were dressed in ordinary people's clothes, and there were even people dressed as merchants, woodcutters, and hunters.

These people are scattered in the city and outside the countryside, inconspicuous at all, like a drop of water into the sea, and will not attract anyone's attention at all.

At this moment, these people were holding spears and swords, and they surrounded them from all sides. Everyone had a ferocious look on their faces, and combined with their clothes, the scene looked particularly weird.

The goal of the more than a thousand enemies was very clear. They did not fight with the subordinates of the Imperial City Division at all, but went straight to Zhao Xiaoqian who was surrounded in the center of the circle.

As they charged, arrows continued to be shot from a hundred steps away, also targeting Zhao Xiaoqian. The arrows blocked by the shield were one size larger than ordinary arrows, and were obviously shot by the Shenbi bow again.

For this ambush, the enemy probably spent all their money.

Facing the charge of more than a thousand enemies, the ones who suffered the most were Chen Shou and his imperial guards.

In order to confuse the enemy, Zhao Xiaoqian deliberately brought fewer people and troops when he left the capital, and only brought dozens of guards from the Chu Palace.

In order to protect Zhao Xiaoqian, these dozens of people had to struggle to resist the attack of more than a thousand enemies.

The two sides fought fiercely, and Chen Shou and his subordinates from the Imperial City Bureau were instantly at a disadvantage and could only fight and retreat.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian was protected by the crowd and involuntarily followed them back up the mountain.

The enemy also had a main general. He was tall and strong, with a messy beard on his face. The thick hair almost covered his facial features.

The commander-in-chief did not charge in person, but stood at the back of the battlefield where both sides were fighting. He was completely unaware of the screams and casualties from both sides. His eyes were fixed on Zhao Xiaoqian in the center of the circle.

The goal is very clear. Zhao Xiaoqian must be eliminated at any cost.

"Use the hammer to break the shield formation!" the enemy commander shouted.

Several hammers emerged from the enemy formation and struck hard at the outer shields of the circle.

There was a loud bang, the shield broke, and a hole was torn in the circular formation.

The enemies rushed towards the torn hole like sharks that smelled blood. The hole became bigger and bigger, and the circular formation was no longer in shape.

In the chaotic fight, the escort officer Zhao Xin remained excited. He slashed left and right with the knife in his hand, killing everyone he saw. Five or six enemies had fallen under his knife.

Seeing that the circular formation had been torn open and Duke Zhao was in danger, Zhao Xin could not help but become extremely anxious.

This was a game of ambush and counter-ambush, and Zhao Xin was hoping to gain military merit through this fight and be promoted smoothly.

At this moment, the circular formation has been torn open, and Duke Zhao is in danger. If anything happens to him, no matter how great the contributions everyone has made in this battle, they will all be wiped out. Not only that, I am afraid that all the members of the Imperial City Administration from Wei Jie to Zhao Xin will be held accountable.

Zhao Xin's eyes suddenly widened with anger.

This won’t do! No one can take away my official position!
In order to get promoted, Zhao Xin worked as a clerk for sixteen years!
He almost got promoted last time, but ultimately failed.

Will the same mistake happen again this time?
Even if the king of heaven comes today, he must give me a promotion! Anyone who dares to stop me will die!

Jin Guan's obsession has driven Zhao Xin crazy.

With a flick of his sword, Zhao Xin knocked down an enemy and rushed towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

"You bastard, don't harm my Duke! That's my official body!" Zhao Xin hacked his way closer. At this moment, his hair was disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot. He really looked a bit crazy.

Wei Jie, who was in the battle formation, was a little surprised. He stared at him for a long time and sighed, "I didn't expect Old Zhao to be so brave. He is truly a fierce general." After a brief fight between more than 300 subordinates of the Imperial City Division, more than 100 people were killed or wounded.

The enemy also suffered heavy casualties. After a strong start, they lost strength. At this point, both sides were exhausted, and even their high fighting spirit and morale had dropped a lot.

At this moment, the shrill whistling sounds of arrows came from the sky above the mountains in all directions.

Wei Jie and the Imperial City Division, who were struggling to resist in the middle of the team, looked cheered up.

"Reinforcements are here!" Wei Jie laughed happily.

However, the enemy commander's heart sank suddenly, and the first thought that popped into his mind was, Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!
In preparation for this ambush, the enemy had scouted the area in advance, sent scouts to explore the route, and had spies keep a close eye on every move of Zhao Xiaoqian's more than 300 men, all in order to launch a sudden ambush at this moment and kill Zhao Xiaoqian on the spot.

In all the arrangements, there is absolutely no possibility of reinforcements appearing.

Xiangzhou City is more than 20 miles away from here. Even if the city heard the news and mobilized troops to provide assistance, it would be impossible for them to arrive so quickly.

Then, there is only one explanation left.

This was a trap, but it was not a trap set against Zhao Xiaoqian, but a trap set by Zhao Xiaoqian against them.

Ambush and counter-ambush.

Before he could finish his thought, the sound of gunfire was heard from the foot of the mountain.

Turning his head to look at the foot of the mountain, he saw countless Song Dynasty imperial guards, wearing armor and holding spears, marching slowly in formation.

When they surrounded Zhao Xiaoqian from all sides, he never thought that he had already been surrounded from all sides.

There was a look of madness in the enemy commander's eyes as he looked at Zhao Xiaoqian in the Imperial City Siyuan Formation.

"Kill Zhao Xiaoqian first, and I won't care whether you live or die!"

After saying this, the commander and the enemy launched a more fierce charge towards the circular formation.

At the head of the circular formation, Zhao Xin fought bare-chested, brandishing a curled-blade sword, slashing left and right like a madman, shouting, "Whoever dares to hurt my Duke will die!"

The subordinates of the Imperial City Bureau thought they were about to face an even more frantic attack, and everyone was prepared to die in battle. However, after encountering the enemy, they found that the pressure did not seem to be that great.

Looking back, the five thousand soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion have quickened their pace and surrounded them from all sides. With bursts of musket fire, how many rounds can more than a thousand enemies withstand?

When the enemy commander went crazy, there were actually only about 200 men left under his command.

Wei Jie immediately cheered up and shouted, "I have the advantage, everyone hold on!"

At this time, the Imperial City Siyuan Formation was no longer under pressure, and the appearance of the formation gradually became apparent between the shields.

Zhao Xiaoqian, who was originally protected in the center of the formation, slowly turned his head and grinned at the enemy commander standing behind him across the battlefield where the two sides were fighting.

The commander took one glimpse of it and was utterly horrified.

That person is not Zhao Xiaoqian at all!
He was wearing Zhao Xiaoqian's official uniform and a double-winged official hat, and was protected by Chen Shou and other imperial guards, but he... was really not Zhao Xiaoqian!

The feeling of being deceived became more real. The general's body shook and became shaky, and he subconsciously looked back.

Outside the musket array of the Dragon Guard Camp in the rear, a young man in armor was riding on a horse. He had a handsome face and a gentle demeanor, and was staring at him with cold eyes.

The two men's eyes met in the air, and the light in the commander's eyes gradually dimmed.

Yes, if it was a plan, why would he take the risk himself?

In this fake world, what is real?
Outside the battlefield where the two sides were still fighting, the enemy commander quietly began to doubt his life.

(End of this chapter)