Chapter 531 Interception

In the evening, it is cloudy, and the twilight is vast.

In front of him is an endless forest. Li Ke, the king of Wu, stood on a hillside, looking forward with his hands, and couldn't help frowning.

It was midsummer and the weather was hot. There is a faint fog in the big forest shrouded in the twilight ahead, as if a demon is about to appear in the world, ghostly.

"Your Highness, why don't you go back to Anding Post Hall and leave tomorrow?" The entourage guard general Yin Yangaded.

Li Ke thought for a moment and said, "If you turn back to Anding, you have to walk more than 20 miles back and forth, and now the gate is closed, which is a lot of inconvenience. I remember that when I passed by from here two years ago, there were quite a lot of villages and towns, and it was not so desolate. Why don't you see them all the way now, and there is no place to stay?

Yin Yang replied, "May be because of the sneak attack on the Western Frontier of the Chalin Mausoleum a few years ago. Since then, the people of many villages outside the western border have moved to the inland to avoid disasters. In addition, it is said that there are still some Tubo relics occupying the dangerous places and robbing passers-by. In particular, the three states of Hui, Yuan and Jing are the least peaceful. Although the government tried its best to suppress it, the road conditions in these places were complex and dangerous, and the whereabouts of the thieves and bandits were difficult to catch, so they have been suppressing them, and the legacy is very deep.

Li Ke sighed softly, "I think that Tubo has been calmed down for a long time, but I didn't expect that the disaster left by the war is still lingering. Yin Yang, you don't want to say that there may be bandits and mountain thieves in this mountain forest, do you?

"It's hard to say!" Yin Yang said worriedly, "Therefore, I'd better go back to the Anding Post Hall for a night's rest. When the general will go to the government to show his identity at the end of tomorrow, and ask the local soldiers to escort us, so that we can pass through this jungle without fail."

"No need. I haven't been worried about the place all the way. I'm not afraid that it will be like this because of a mountain forest. Li Ke looked back at the more than ten riders behind him and said, "I'll wait for the fast horse to fight and try to cross this jungle before sunset. If it really doesn't work, it's okay to camp on the spot and stay for one night. At the beginning, I marched thousands of miles in the barren land of the plateau. I have survived such days. What's the matter with the mountains and forests?

"Since Your Highness insists, I have nothing to say." Yin Yang subconsciously clenched the scabbard and shouted behind him, "Brothers, cheer up, and your highness is a good guard!"

"No!"

"Let's go!" Li Ke raised his whip and rode lightly into the mountain forest. Yin Yang and more than a dozen elite soldiers of the Wu Palace followed closely.

More than an hour later, night officially came.

A bonfire rose in the mountains and forests. Li Ke, Yin Yang and others gathered around the bonfire, cooked some hot soup and ate some dry food. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the mountain forest. Fortunately, some deworming and mosquito repellents were prepared before the trip. At this time, several sergeants were cleaning up the marching tents and spraying potions, and they were about to sleep out in the mountain forest.

Li Ke sat by the fire, nibbling dry noodles with a bowl of hot soup, looking straight at the jumping flames and silent.

"Your Highness, the bed is ready. It's better to go to bed early." Yin Yang came over and said.

Li Ke nodded, " Sit down, Yin Yang. After being busy for so long, you can also take a rest and have something to eat.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Yin Yang sat next to Li Ke, drank soup and ate cakes.

Li Ke looked at Yin Yang and said with a smile, "Yin Yang, I think you have been following me for a while. At the beginning, you, Qin Mubai and Yuwen Hongtai were both lieutenants in our house. Now Qin Mubai is in charge of Fengjiang, and Yuwen Hongtai is also famous all over the world. But you are still in my house. Have you ever been a lieutenant of the cadet in this song?

Yin Yang hurriedly put down the soup bowl noodle cake, held his fist and said with a straight face, "The last general is determined to follow your highness until he dies!"

"Okay, I know you are loyal." Li Ke patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said, "You, Quan Wanji, and many officials and generals in the house have been following me for a long time. They are close to each other, and their names are like brothers. I, Li Ke, have no virtue and no talent. I have the loyal assistance of so many of you, and I have no reward to give to you. Every time I think about it, I feel ashamed. I don't know how bad luck is when I return to Beijing this time. If it is fierce, then I, Li Ke, would rather break my body and bones than leave a good way for you; if it is good, I will share the glory and wealth every day, and I will never forget each other!"

"We wait for His Highness to salute Bo Yuntian, and then we are willing to follow him all the way, with no regrets!" Yin Yang said righteously, "Your Highness is the hero. If heaven has eyes, he will live up to each other!"

Li Ke smiled indifferently and said, "It's never what you want to do. There are nine out of ten things that are unsatisfactory in the world. In fact, for so many years, if it hadn't been for your help and Qin Mubai's secret help, I'm afraid I've already lost my reputation and achieved nothing. What's more about today? Now my father called me back to Beijing. As expected, it is mostly related to the Crown Prince of the East Palace. Therefore, our trip is actually very dangerous.

"I know." Yin Yang's face darkened and he whispered, "There are many people in the court who don't want Your Highness to return to Beijing. As early as the beginning of leaving the city, his subordinates and Quan Changshi had suggested that His Highness take more guards. Why didn't His Highness listen?

Li Ke smiled and said, "What's the difference between bringing ten people and bringing a hundred people? I just went back to Beijing to report my duties, and the court did not allow me to lead the troops. How can I create a big fight and disturb the people all the way? Yin Yang, now under the world, I don't know how many pairs of eyes are staring at me, Li Ke. But if there is a little out of the ordinary, it is a burst of criticism. How can it be suffered? As early as many years ago, Qin Mubai warned me that everything should be low-key, tolerant, should not be sharp, and should not be presumptuous. It turns out that he is right. I, Li Ke, can live to this day and have the opportunity to serve the country and make contributions, all thanks to this sentence. But the tree has always wanted to be quiet and the wind has not stopped. No matter how low-key and forbearance I am, there have always been people who refuse to let me go. Hey..."

"Young Commander Qin is indeed an extraordinary person." Yin Yang said, "I can't figure it out. In fact, he is younger than me. When will he be superior? He seems to be unpredictable about many things? Whatever he wants to do, he will be able to do it very well.

"Ha ha!" Li Ke smiled and said, "He is that kind of person, which makes people jealous and respectable. There's nothing he can do. I remember that when I drank a few more glasses with him in the past, he boasted that whether it was from literature and martial arts or other business, as long as he did what he did with his heart, he must be able to do better than ordinary people. I was very unconvinced at that time, but now when I think about it, it's really like this. Qin Mubai, he is an excellent person in all aspects. Maybe he doesn't have a very top and outstanding side, but as long as he does it with his heart, it must be not bad. This is a valuable place for him.

"Yes, I can't be unconvinced!" Yin Yang said, "When it comes to using soldiers, he is definitely not as good as Wei Gong and Li Yaoshi, and even as good as his two brothers Su Dingfang and Hou Junji. If it comes to Wenzhi, he may not be as good as an assassin state official under his jurisdiction, let alone your Highness and Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and others in the court. In terms of martial arts, he is close to my strength, far less than Xue Rengui, a fierce general under his command; in terms of talent, he is not good at poetry and music, and he can play the pipa with two hands. But he is just dabbled in a wide range, and there is no obvious missing side.

"You missed a point." Li Ke smiled slightly and said, "He is not as good as Su and Hou, but his two brothers are convinced of him and are willing to go through fire and water for him. His ability to govern is average, but he has united a large number of capable officials such as Xiao Liang. He is ordinary in martial arts and talented, but Xue Rengui, Yuwen Hongtai and other tiger and lion generals. He is willing to insert a knife in his two ribs. Even the king of Jiangxia, who is meritorious and famous all over the world, respects him as his own. There has never been a shortage of talents around him. The four pillars and eight armies in the Kansai Army are all unique talents. Just wait for him to return to the court every day, and he must shake up and step forward.

"Yes, why?" Yin Yang was confused.

"Personality." Li Ke said two words briefly and said with an interesting smile, "This guy has a special charm that can't be seen or touched, which can make people who come into contact with him involuntarily like him, trust him and respect him. Men are willing to be friends with him, and women are willing to entrust him for life. In fact, even I have always been very lucky to be friends with him.

Yin Yang grinned, "We are also very lucky to follow Your Highness. As Your Highness said, Your Highness also has such a special charm, which can make me willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness. In fact, there are many similarities between Commander Qin and His Royal Highness. This may also be one of the reasons why you two are so in love, right?

"Real?" Li Ke laughed and said, "I haven't seen him for a while. Not to mention it, I really miss him. Yin Yang, you say, if Qin Mubai is a woman, then I will marry him!"

"Haha!" The sergeants burst into laughter.

Smile, suddenly a person shouted - "Be careful, there are assassins!!"

Everyone was shocked. Before the word 'assassin' fell, they heard a sharp arrow in the air, and the warning man shouted in pain and fell to the ground!

Obviously, it was hit by an arrow!

"Be careful, everyone, protect your Highness!!" Yin Yang jumped up, took off his clothes and decisively put out the bonfire, and protected Li Ke in the core with two other soldiers and hid in the dark.

There was a whistle in the surrounding woods, and sharp arrows flew around. What an assassin ambushed!

Li Ke has also drawn a knife in his hand and said secretly: Unexpectedly, the most unlucky thing still happened. There are really assassins on the way!

"Your Highness, be careful, there are a lot of people on the other side!" Yin Yang whispered in the dark, "Listen to the direction of the arrow, we have completely fallen into the siege and ambush. The other party's organization is strictly premeditated, and it doesn't look like an ordinary bandit!"

"Yes, ordinary bandits seek money first and kill people first." In danger, Li Ke was still calm and sneered, "And now, the other party will kill him without face to face. Obviously, he is here to assassinate!"

"Will that be?! ..." Yin Yang was so excited that he didn't dare to go down.

"Don't guess, concentrate and get out of danger!" Li Ke said briefly.

"Yes!"

A short distance ahead, several bodyguards are already in contact with the assassins. In the darkness, there was an angry shout of killing. Occasionally, I saw a star ignite in the night sky, and the fight was very fierce.

Yin Yang and the other two bodyguards put it in a font, protecting Li Ke at the core. Looking at the battle in front of him, he was shocked and shouted: The opponent is not weak! What I chose are all the elite soldiers among the elite soldiers, and all of them have extraordinary martial arts skills. I didn't expect that the assassin was stronger, and our people couldn't stand it!

This is in danger!

"Your Highness, let's go! I'll take you through the siege!" Immediately made a quick decision, and Yin Yang pulled Li Ke to drill into the dark.

Li Ke stood still and frowned deeply and said, "Those brothers are still fighting desperately. How can Ke live alone?"

"Your Highness, if you don't leave, you will increase the casualties!" Yin Yang said urgently. Seeing that Li Ke was still motionless, he knelt on one knee and said, "I would like to beg Your Highness to take a step forward!" We are willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness and die! But if Your Highness doesn't get out of danger, the lives of those brothers will be in vain!"

Li Ke gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, let's go!"

Three bodyguards guarded Li Ke, killed two assassins who were in the way, dodged several cold guns and arrows, and broke through to the corner of the dark forest.

The fierce battle in the woods was fierce, and more than half of the ten guards in the Wu Palace were killed and injured. But these people all regarded death as their home, and the death war was delayed, buying time for the evacuation of Li Ke and others.

In the dark forest of the night, Li Ke and others panicked and chose their way, but at least they escaped for more than a miles. The sound of fierce battle in the rear has faded away, and the four people hid behind several big trees and gasped.

"Your Highness, continue to escape. We are not out of danger yet!" Yin Yang pulled Li Ke and wanted to leave again.

"Okay..."

Before Li Ke's words fell, suddenly two sharp piercings came through the air. The two bodyguards in front of him fell to the ground and died neatly. Li Ke and Yin Yang were shocked and stared at it. At the same time, the two people were hit by an arrow in the throat and broke their necks!

"Master!" Yin Yang took a breath of cold air!

"Due, Du, Du", a few unhurried horseshoes, a rider appeared in the night, blocking the front of Li Ke and Yin Yang.

"Some, I've been waiting for you here for a long time, Your Highness the King of Wu!"

Immediately, the man's voice was blurred, which was obviously transmitted through the masked scarf. Li Ke looked up at the hazy moonlight. Sure enough, the horseman was covered with a black scarf in the night, and his eyes were cold and shining, and his murderous spirit burst out.

Yin Yang's hand holding the knife was full of sweat, and his face was sweating profusely. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Your Highness, be careful, this man's means are extraordinary! Waiting for my subordinates to fight to the death, Your Highness is waiting for the opportunity to escape!"

"No need." Li Ke shouted in a low voice, but stood in front of Yin Yang, put the knife into the sheath, looked up at the man on the horse, and said in a high voice, "Your Excellency, since you have come here specially for me, it must be an old knowledge. Otherwise, you don't have to mask!"

Immediately, the man stared straight at Li Ke, and the flashing light in his eyes was full of killing and coldness. He hung a knife on his waist and a bow on the saddle, so that he could relax. It seemed that he didn't pay attention to the two people in front of him at all, and he was not afraid that they would suddenly get into trouble or escape.

"Why don't you speak? Are you afraid that I will hear your accent? Li Ke sneered and said, "You only said one sentence just now, and I seem to have known you."

"Real?" Immediately, the man obviously laughed and vomited these two words. The horse he stepped on raised his hoof a few times, and Yin Yang was like a big enemy. He stood in front of Li Ke again with a knife.

"I can hear that you are Jing Xiangren!" Li Ke pulled Yin Yang away and took a step forward and shouted, "As expected, you are my old knowledge when I was an official in Xiangzhou! - Who are you?"

"Good ear power, good memory!" Immediately, the man sneered, "Unfortunately, you are going to die. There is no need for a dying person to know so much.

With a "bang", the knight's long knife came out of its sheath, and the cold light was shining!

"Your Highness, be careful!!" Yin Yang shouted loudly, pulled up and waved his knife and cut out at the knight.

"No!"

Li Ke shouted, and before the words fell, he heard a scream from Yin Yang. He fell to the ground in the air and rolled a few times. He even twitched a few times without saying anything, as if he was angry and died!

"Yin Yang!!" Li Ke shouted sadly and was about to come forward, and a long knife was already on his neck.

"Don't move." Immediately, the man said in a deep voice.

"Let's do it." Li Ke took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, stood up straight and closed his eyes.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill him." Immediately, the man not only did not do it, but said, "The king of Wu is loyal, and there are many loyal people around him who dare to die. Such a person kills one less than one. How can you have the heart?

Li Ke opened his eyes in amazement and looked at the man at the horse. He took back the long knife and put it into the sheath, and stretched out a hand to Li Ke, "King Wu, please get on the horse!"

"This! ..." Li Ke was stunned for a moment, "Your Excellency, what do you mean?"

"Someone wants to kill you, only between turning over. Since I don't kill you, I will save you." Immediately, the man's voice was as calm as the water of an ancient well. He said leisurely, "You're right. Someone is the old knowledge of the King of Wu; but it's not the old knowledge, but also your prisoner."

"What? Then who are you...? What's the point of coming here?"

"Naturally, it is here to intercept the King of Wu."

"So what do you mean now?" Li Ke looked sideways at Yin Yang lying quietly on the ground, both shocked and angry.

Immediately the man was silent for a moment, stretched out his hand and pulled off the black scarf on his face.

Li Ke stood on the spot stunned and speechless.

"Your Highness certainly didn't expect that it would be me." Immediately the man smiled.

"I didn't expect it. Ten thousand... I didn't expect it!" Li Ke took a deep breath, "Aren't you supposed to have died a long time ago?"

"Oh, that's a long story!" Immediately, the man stretched out his hand to Li Ke again, "King Wu, please get on the horse! If you delay for another moment, you can't get out! Your subordinate was just knocked unconscious by someone, and there is no risk of his life. When he wakes up, he goes to the government to report the case, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It's important to ask the king of Wu to run for his life first!"

"You... Since you are the killer who came to intercept, why did you do this?" Li Ke said uncertainly, "If you don't explain, I would rather go with you inexplicably!"

"Oh! ..." Immediately the man sighed and said, "Yes, I was ordered to kill you. But for the old kindness, I can't kill you."

"Old grace? How have I ever been kind to you?

"It's not that you have an old kindness. It's one of your friends who has great kindness to someone and has an appointment with friends. Just because of him, I can't kill you. Because you are very important to him and his good friend. Immediately, the man looked up at the moon and looked back at the past. He sighed leisurely and said, "Your Highness, King Wu, please remember that you can escape today... It's all the well-being created by your friend."

"I see. You are talking about Qin Mubai! When he was in Xiangyang, it was Qin Mubai who broke through the river and water ghost and caught you, the head of the green forest bandit, and then cracked the treasure secret of the former Sui Yang Emperor's Mausoleum left by your grandfather. As a result, you two did not fight and did not know each other, but became confidants. Am I right? Lord Song Cao - Zhao Chong?" Li Ke said.

"That's right." Immediately, the man turned out to be Zhao Chong!

"Well, although I still have a lot of things I haven't figured out, I'd like to go with you." Li Ke took a deep breath, "For nothing else - I believe in Qin Mubai, his vision will not be wrong!"

"Please get on the horse!"