The Child Emperor-Chapter 251: Three Assassins

The three assassins dispatched by Marquis Junyang, Hua Bin, rode without rest, finally reaching Windy Fort after the third watch. Though wearing Southern Army armor, they managed to pass through several checkpoints despite questioning.

Between White Bridge Town and Windy Fort, the Southern Army was in complete chaos. The small Northern force led by Cai Xinghai lacked the strength to maintain order or resist a potential counterattack from Grand Tutor Cui. They chose to consolidate their forces for self-preservation, abandoning the defense of White Bridge Town to avoid unnecessary conflict. This actually made things easier for the three assassins.

The foot of Windy Fort was filled with temporary camps with lax security. Many soldiers stayed awake all night gathering information. The assassins dismounted, boldly entered a camp to rest briefly and observe the situation, then walked up the mountain into the fortress.

Military discipline was slightly better on the mountain, though people still moved openly between barracks, gathering in groups to whisper outside buildings.

The three assassins exchanged glances, confident about their mission. After circling the camp separately for a short while, they quickly learned the Weary Marquis’s location.

The Weary Marquis had been in the meeting hall all evening without leaving, with few guards around him.

The assassins regrouped, their confidence growing. They even felt assassination might be unnecessary – Grand Tutor Cui could simply send a general to ride here and win over the Southern Army troops, easily capturing the Weary Marquis alive.

But they weren’t soldiers and had no interest in winning over the Southern Army. They didn’t consider seeking help, only wanting to complete their mission quickly and return with the Weary Marquis’s head to show Marquis Hua and Grand Tutor Cui.

“Be careful of the guard by the Weary Marquis’s side,” one assassin said. He had learned it wasn’t the Weary Marquis himself who killed General Zhao, but rather an unremarkable guard he judged to be highly skilled.

They quickly divided their tasks: one would keep watch outside while two went in – one to handle the guard, the other to kill the Weary Marquis and take his head. If they encountered anyone else, they would claim to be messengers from White Bridge Town.

After observing a while longer, they approached the meeting hall without hiding their movements. They met several soldiers who, breaking military law by wandering at night, naturally didn’t stop to question others.

The meeting hall had no guards at the entrance, further showing the Weary Marquis’s poor security and lack of reinforcements.

One assassin gently pushed the door – it was barred from inside, as expected. He knocked, calling loudly: “Message from White Bridge Town! Message from White Bridge Town!”

After a moment, a voice inside asked: “Southern Army or Northern Army?”

Though dressed as Southern Army soldiers, the assassin replied: “Northern Army, General Cai… sent us.” He couldn’t remember Cai Xinghai’s name and rank, so simply called him “General.”

Someone inside lifted the bar.

The three assassins stepped slightly aside, hands on sword hilts, ready for any sudden attack as the door opened.

The person who emerged wasn’t the Weary Marquis, nor did they attack. Instead, it was someone the assassins recognized.

Cui Teng stood in the doorway. He didn’t recognize them and asked confusedly: “You’re from the Northern Army?”

One assassin responded quickly, “We’re delivering messages for General Cai of the Northern Army…”

Suddenly, a stern voice demanded from behind them: “Where did these Northern Army soldiers come from?”

The three assassins turned around and saw five Southern Army soldiers standing beneath a torch by the road, watching them warily. People were constantly moving about the camp, and the assassins hadn’t paid special attention to them.

Before the assassins could speak, Cui Teng harshly rebuked them: “Who do you think you are? How dare you act so impudently before me? Where is your superior? Have him come see me!”

Cui Teng considered himself above others, but having been under house arrest in White Bridge Town and lacking an officer’s uniform, most soldiers in Windy Fort didn’t recognize him. His scolding only made them angrier.

“We dare not be impudent, we just want to clarify something: they’re Northern Army soldiers, so why are they wearing our Southern Army armor? What happened in White Bridge Town? Did the Northern Army attack the Southern Army?” Several soldiers didn’t back down, instead stepping forward.

Nearby soldiers heard the argument and came running. Soon there were fifteen or sixteen people gathered.

Cui Teng grew nervous. “You… you’re confused, that’s not one question – it’s several.” Then he lowered his voice: “Quick, come inside.”

The three assassins hadn’t expected this complication at such a crucial moment. No response seemed right, so they could only nod and follow Cui Teng inside.

The Southern Army soldiers outside were furious.

Zhao Mengli had been extremely strict in commanding troops. Among his subordinates, some hated him, some feared him, and naturally some liked or even revered him. Yesterday’s events happened too suddenly. The officers were too timid to seek revenge, but the more the soldiers thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. The Weary Marquis was just one man – even if he was the Northern Army’s Grand Marshal with an imperial decree, what right did he have to kill the Southern Army’s Left General without reason?

All night, the Southern Army soldiers in the fort had been discussing this question. Though no one had stepped up to form a concrete plan, their discontent had grown steadily. The arrival of these three “Northern Army soldiers” finally ignited that dissatisfaction.

“Explain yourselves! What exactly did the Northern Army do? Where did you get Southern Army armor?” A dozen soldiers shouted as they charged toward the meeting hall. Their voices were quite loud, and many Southern Army soldiers who were still awake came running from all directions, gathering in increasing numbers.

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Though Cui Teng verbally refused to yield, ordering those outside not to meddle in affairs that didn’t concern them, he kept gesturing to the three “Northern Army soldiers” to hurry inside.

The assassins had no choice but to enter first and figure things out later.

“I’ll deal with this when dawn comes…” Cui Teng hurriedly closed the door, fumbling to put up the bar.

The three assassins took the opportunity to observe their surroundings. The hall was very dark, with only two oil lamps placed near the entrance. In the distance, they could see someone standing in front of the main seat, but the skilled guard was nowhere to be seen.

“Leave the door open,” Han Ruzi said.

Cui Teng was startled, holding the door bar as he said: “Brother-in-law, this is no joke.”

“Let them in,” Han Ruzi insisted.

While Cui Teng was stunned, the soldiers outside had reached the door and were ramming it. Cui Teng hurriedly moved aside. The soldiers rushed into the meeting hall, saw the Weary Marquis in the shadows, and stopped in their tracks, spreading to both sides, no longer daring to charge forward.

The three assassins didn’t dare advance either, not because they feared the Weary Marquis, but because they were wary of the guard that they had not yet seen.

More and more Southern Army soldiers poured in. By the time the three assassins realized it, they were completely surrounded. Cui Teng ran to the Weary Marquis’s side and asked quietly: “Can you handle this?”

Han Ruzi ignored him. After the incoming soldiers had mostly settled, he said: “Let one person step forward to speak.”

Fifty or sixty Southern Army soldiers stood at the entrance, with even more outside, but no one stepped forward.

Han Ruzi waited a moment, then said: “You will be pardoned.”

Finally, one Southern Army soldier was pushed forward. Though their real grievance was Zhao Mengli’s death, they didn’t dare bring it up directly. Instead, he pointed at the three “Northern Army soldiers” and said: “We… we just want to know what happened in White Bridge Town. These three are clearly Northern Army soldiers, so why are they wearing our Southern Army armor?”

“Hmm.” Han Ruzi turned and sat down in the tiger-skin chair. “Ask them.”

Cui Teng was shocked, the Southern Army soldiers at the door were shocked, and the three assassins were even more shocked.

The hall fell silent for a moment. The lead Southern Army soldier slowly turned to face the three “Northern Army soldiers” and reluctantly asked, “Did you come from the Northern Army camp at White Bridge Town?”

The three assassins were extremely uncomfortable but had to nod. One of them said, “Yes.”

“What happened at White Bridge Town?”

“Nothing… everything is normal. We were ordered by General Cai to report to the Weary Marquis.”

“If everything is normal, why are you wearing Southern Army armor?”

Northern Army armor was primarily black, while Southern Army attire featured crimson red – the difference was very obvious. Having misspoken, the three assassins found themselves in a predicament. They wanted to tell the truth but weren’t sure the Southern Army soldiers would support them. Their faces changed color, arousing even more suspicion.

“Speak, quickly!”

With weapons pointed at them, even supreme martial artists couldn’t escape the encirclement.

One assassin had a quick idea: “We are Northern Army soldiers ordered to deliver a message for the Southern Army. General Cai said this would cause less trouble.”

But the Southern Army soldiers’ doubts hadn’t lessened. “Why didn’t you explain this earlier? Which company are you from? Who is your general?”

“17th Company, under General Du Kun.” The three assassins had spent enough time in the Southern Army camp with Hua Bin to remember some of the company commanders’ names.

Han Ruzi beckoned Cui Teng over and whispered something to him. Cui Teng strode to the door, looked the three assassins up and down, and suddenly said: “You’re lying. Du Kun led the 17th Company back to the Capital with my father. How could he have left three men behind?”

The soldiers at Windy Fort weren’t clear about troop movements at White Bridge Town. The three assassins were martial artists after all – even though they had traveled with the army, they couldn’t distinguish between different companies. When Cui Teng called them out, they immediately panicked.

One assassin could no longer contain himself. He suddenly drew his sword and shouted: “We serve Grand Tutor Cui and came to kill the Weary Marquis! Southern Army soldiers, listen to me…”

Cui Teng stepped back and shouted: “I am Grand Tutor Cui’s own son and have never seen these people before! They’re acting suspiciously – they’re neither Southern nor Northern Army. They must be assassins sent by the Champion Marquis to sow discord between the Southern and Northern armies!”

When ordinary soldiers drew weapons, they relied on comrades around them for protection. But martial artists were used to fighting alone – drawing weapons first for self-preservation, immediately revealing their difference from soldiers.

Before Cui Teng finished speaking, the Southern Army soldiers had already attacked. They distrusted martial artists even more than Northern Army soldiers.

“We serve Grand Tutor Cui…” the three assassins shouted in frustration, but they couldn’t stop the frenzied Southern Army soldiers.

Martial arts experts were still experts – even wounded multiple times they could counterattack, stabbing several soldiers. But experts were still human, and they were helpless against so many weapons.

As three bloodied corpses fell, the blood-crazed Southern Army soldiers didn’t lower their weapons, but turned as one to look at the Weary Marquis in the shadows.

Cui Teng’s face grew even paler as he slowly backed away, no longer daring to mention he was the Cui family’s second son.

Han Ruzi stood and walked toward the soldiers, ignoring Cui Teng’s silent warnings and the bloodied weapons.

He refused to meet any soldier’s gaze, staring instead at the three corpses. Walking close, just steps away from the nearest spear, he said: “Look, this is evidence of the chaos in the Capital. The Champion Marquis sending assassins means he will move against the Emperor and Empress Dowager too.”

Of course, when saying this, Han Ruzi had no way of knowing the Champion Marquis had already died from poison.

“The safety of the court and the survival of Great Chu now rest in your hands. Follow me to quell this rebellion and you can achieve merit that will last for an eternity. Gold and land will certainly follow.”

Han Ruzi raised his head to meet everyone’s gaze. “Even fighting on the frontiers your whole lives, how many chances like this will you get?”

The soldiers looked at each other. Their leader said: “We… we just…”

“You came to save me, I understand. Now the assassins are dead. I will remember your merit, while the Champion Marquis would remember your crimes.”

One by one, the soldiers lowered their weapons, then respectfully withdrew from the hall.

Cui Teng looked at the Weary Marquis with near worship. “Brother-in-law, you’re too daring.”

“Those who truly want to kill me don’t need to find excuses,” Han Ruzi had his own way of judging.

“What do we do now?” “I must return to the Capital quickly,” Han Ruzi looked at Cui Teng. “I need you to guide me.”

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