Lu Xuan gritted his teeth in pain. Even though he was wearing a layer of specially made light armor underneath, the short crossbow at close range still pierced through both layers, injuring his skin. But there was nothing he could do; he had to suffer some injury. Even though Li Longji had witnessed the whole thing, if he didn't get hurt at all, it would seem like something was missing.
The crossbow bolt on his back caused Lu Xuan to stumble. Yang Taizhen, who was beside Li Longji, was so frightened that she covered her mouth, almost crying out.
This arrow seemed to be a signal. A few rounds later, Lu Xuan was grazed in the chest and thigh by a horizontal blade. Although the wounds weren't deep, the bleeding was real. Soon, his right leg was stained red with blood.
His sword grazed the neck of an ant. But at the same time, a spear pierced his right shoulder. Lu Xuan retreated rapidly, greatly reducing the spear's penetrating force, leaving his shoulder with only a superficial wound. Then, with a single stroke, he severed the ant's head.
By this time, the ants had forced Lu Xuan into a corner. Several of Li Longji's guards were also fighting the ants. However, these Imperial Guards were rather weak. Lu Xuan glanced at them and sensed that they wouldn't last more than a few rounds. But this was exactly what he wanted.
The limelight of rescuing the emperor was originally his own doing. With more people involved, wouldn't the credit be harder to distribute? Besides, while he was confident in his own safety, protecting Li Longji was already his limit. Any more than that, and he was powerless to do anything more. A slight sadness welled up in his heart. In any case, such events inevitably resulted in the deaths of some others. But now that things had come to this, he had no time to hesitate.
Zhang Xiaojing finally broke in.
Many might ask, how could these battle-hardened veterans, so formidable, possibly break through with the skills of the Bad Guys?
First, the Bad Guys are no longer the same as before. They've been personally trained by officers like Li Fushan. They are now absolutely qualified soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Second, everyone has underestimated Zhang Xiaojing's combat prowess.
Although Zhang Xiaojing seemed powerless against Lu Xuan, there's a scene in the original novel where, after Yuan Zai took control of the Jing'an Division, he immediately labeled Zhang Xiaojing a criminal and attempted to use the Lüben Battalion to frame him. However, the enraged Zhang Xiaojing chopped him up like a chopping vegetable, killing over a dozen of them. Yuan Zai was so terrified he wet himself.
In the TV series, there's a scene where Zhang Xiaojing cuts down the Right Valiant Guard, as easily as slicing vegetables. This proves that his skill is unparalleled in Chang'an. If Lu Xuan weren't around, probably very few people could defeat him.
The chaotic fight in the hall quieted down after Zhang Xiaojing rushed in. The Ants temporarily halted their attack and formed a protective barrier in front of Long Bo. It was unclear how he managed that; these Ants assassins were incredibly loyal to Long Bo.
"Long time no see, Boss Zhang." Long Bo pushed through the crowd and said to Zhang Xiaojing with a smile.
"Xiao Gui???" Zhang Xiaojing was also 'shocked'. "How is it you? What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you? I want justice for my dead sister, and for everyone here. I'm going to kill this old emperor and show those high and mighty people that even ants can shake a tree."
"Why didn't you come to me if something was wrong? Why did you have to resolve it this way?" Zhang Xiaojing was speaking from the heart. He was genuinely angry that Xiao Gui hadn't sought his help. By the time he found out, Xiao Gui's actions were already irreversible.
In fact, it wasn't just Xiao Gui. All the ants here had done similar things. Even without tonight's events, according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, they would at least be executed in the autumn.
"What can you do for me? The Eighth Regiment was almost completely wiped out back then. The fault lay with the Ministry of War, with the Emperor, with Li Linfu, and with this Tang Dynasty. What can you do? My sister's entire family died a violent death. The murderer was the magistrate of Guangwu County. What can you, a mere constable from Chang'an County, do?"
I was stripped of my official title and all my rewards. Framed as a wanted criminal, I'm thrown into a death row in Lanzhou. What can you do? Every single ant here has suffered the same fate as me. What the hell can you do?
Long Bo's hysterical outburst brought a tense silence to the entire hall.
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Chapter 88 To Become a Higher Official
"Only by becoming a higher-ranking official can one protect more people." This was Cui Qi's lament in the original novel. Zhang Xiaojing, however, had never heard this saying before, yet a similar thought arose in his mind.
If he were not merely a minor official, but a lieutenant general, or even a general or supreme general, in the Dragon Martial Army, perhaps Xiao Gui wouldn't have taken such a risk and would have sought his help. He would also have been able to assist him. But now, it's all too late. What Xiao Gui has done is absolutely irreversible.
"Bad Men, listen to my command! Kill all the thugs without mercy!" Zhang Xiaojing shouted. More than a hundred Bad Men surrounded the remaining thirty-odd ant-like assassins.
"Ants, heed my command! Today, we, though we are but ants, will cut down this great tree that is the emperor. Though we face death nine times over..."
"I have no regrets..."
The remaining ants shouted in unison.
This startled Zhang Xiaojing. "Nine deaths without regret"—this was the motto of the Eighth Regiment back then. Zhang Xiaojing and Xiao Gui had shouted this motto countless times. But he never expected to hear it again, especially at this moment, under these circumstances. For a moment, Zhang Xiaojing felt a profound sense of irony wash over him.
The slaughter resumed. This time, all the ants charged towards Li Longji without regard for their own lives. They didn't even care about the crossbow bolts behind them; they just charged forward recklessly.
Lu Xuan picked up a heavy lance from the ground and swung it fiercely. With his overwhelming and unreasonable strength, he knocked down the first five or six ants. However, the lance was quickly seized by several other ants, and a stalemate ensued. But more ants, wielding broadswords, charged forward.
With a thud, Lu Xuan seemed to have finally given in. He was kicked to the ground by an ant, crashing heavily in front of Li Longji. Yang Taizhen covered her mouth in horror, tears welling up in her eyes.
But Lu Xuan, who had seemingly fallen to the ground, stood up again the next second. Wielding a warhammer, he smashed away the two first attackers. However, his own chest was also slashed heavily by a horizontal blade.
The opponent was incredibly strong, and two layers of light armor were torn through. A nearly twenty-centimeter-long gash appeared on Lu Xuan's chest. He let out a scream. With a swift left-hand strike, he severed the opponent's arm. With his right hand, he used his warhammer to split the man's head open.
"Lu Xuan is here! You will not be able to harm His Majesty!" Even amidst the chaos of battle, Lu Xuan didn't forget to shout his slogan, making his presence felt. Li Longji, standing behind him, was moved to tears. Such a loyal and courageous man was truly a blessing to the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Xiaojing finally broke through the blockade, completely ensnaring all the ants. Seeing this, Lu Xuan collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Li Longji hurriedly stepped forward and personally helped him up.
"Captain Lu, are you alright?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious." He coughed as soon as he finished speaking, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Lu Xuan winced in pain. He had bitten his tongue and squeezed out the blood himself.
However, in that brief moment of relaxation, a whooshing sound rang in his ears. It was Long Bo's longbow suddenly unleashed. In an instant, a strange light flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes. His right hand shot out like lightning, directly catching the arrow. Unfortunately, he was still a step too slow. The arrow had already pierced Li Longji's chest.
"Xiao Gui!" Zhang Xiaojing shouted. He stabbed Xiao Gui in the abdomen and pinned him to the ground.
"Hahahaha, Zhang Tou, did you see that? I hit him! I hit the old emperor! Hahahaha, cough cough cough cough..." Xiao Gui shouted, coughing up blood. Seeing Li Longji hit by an arrow, the remaining ants seemed to have lost the will to resist. Their goal had been achieved.
"Why does it have to be this way?" Zhang Xiaojing asked, pressing down on Long Bo.
"There's only one way... Zhang, listen to me. Give them a quick death; they're all pitiful people."
"I know," Zhang Xiaojing replied softly.
"And then there's killing me, taking the credit, becoming a high-ranking official, a truly good official..."
"I know, I know..." Zhang Xiaojing suppressed his emotions and responded softly, his eyes already brimming with tears.
"That's good. I have no other wishes... That... Lieutenant Lu is a... remarkable person, hehe... I aimed... at the heart... You know... at this distance... I never... miss... Hehehehe..."
Xiao Gui's business plummeted and eventually fell silent. Zhang Xiaojing couldn't show much sadness at this moment. He could only stand up and shout.
"The leader of the bandits has been executed."
In the corner, Li Longji was drenched in sweat, his expression one of utter shock and disbelief. He was truly terrified. An arrow piercing his chest wasn't frightening enough? Although Lu Xuan had blocked most of the arrow's force, it had still pierced his flesh and entered his body. And it had appeared just as he was beginning to relax. Li Longji felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and cold sweat poured down his body. Clearly, this was a sign of extreme shock and fear.
Lu Xuan actually wanted to pierce the arrow deeper. However, considering Li Longji's age and the repeated frights and desperate runs he had endured that night, he hesitated. If the arrow went too deep, it might kill him, which would be disastrous.