Standing upstairs, Long Bo raised his right hand, and an ant handed him a powerful bow.
Long Bo drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired it into Lu Xuan's back. In the darkness, Lu Xuan's hair suddenly stood on end. His rapidly running body abruptly rolled to the side. A long arrow landed firmly where he had just been, its fletching still trembling.
Lu Xuan glanced back at the rooftop and continued his frantic run, dragging Li Longji along. At that moment, several of the most pursuer assassins raised their crossbows.
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Lu Xuan shouted, trying to make his presence known. He then tackled Li Longji and Yang Taizhen to the ground. He casually dragged a corpse from the ground and used it as a shield behind him. The next second, he heard the sound of crossbow bolts piercing flesh from behind him.
After the rain of arrows, the corpses were riddled with crossbow bolts. Lu Xuan tossed aside the bodies and dragged Li Longji and Yang Taizhen along as they continued their run. The rapid whooshing sound of arrows cutting through the air returned. It was the sound of Long Bo's powerful bow and arrows.
This time, however, the arrow was aimed at Li Longji.
Lu Xuan shoved Li Longji away abruptly. An arrow grazed his ear, leaving a bloody gash on his face.
Yang Taizhen screamed in fright. "Your Majesty..."
But before they could catch their breath, the ants caught up with them.
"Hurry up."
The three's destination was a small side gate of the imperial city. It was a small gate used by palace eunuchs when they went out to make errands. It was also the closest gate to the three of them.
By the time Li Longji's hand touched the doorknob, the ants behind him were already engaged in combat with Lu Xuan. In the open terrain, more than a dozen ants rushed forward simultaneously.
Long-haired men, wielding broadswords, warhammers, and even a burly man wielding a chain mace—heavy weapons used in the army for breaking through enemy lines—were being swung by one man. The whistling chain mace was so powerful that even Lu Xuan dared not take it head-on. He could only roll sideways, looking somewhat disheveled, to avoid the blow.
The next second, five or six swords came crashing down on Lu Xuan's head.
Instead of retreating, Lu Xuan advanced. His body suddenly contracted, and he rolled forward, crashing into the leg of one of the ants.
He sprang from the ground, his left elbow striking his opponent's chin with a single blow, stunning him. He then pulled the stunned assassin close, shoving him behind him. Five swords followed, slashing down on him simultaneously. But Lu Xuan used his mangled body as a shield, launching another attack.
The mangled corpse was sent flying by Lu Xuan's immense force. The five pursuers were knocked off balance. In an instant, Lu Xuan's body had passed right through them. Only five headless corpses remained behind him.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Xuan had slain several men, even these battle-hardened veterans were momentarily stunned. Lu Xuan used this opportunity to retreat quickly, and at that moment, Li Longji had already opened the side door. The three of them darted out through the side door.
Li Longji shouted even louder, "Where are the Dragon Martial Army? Kill these traitors immediately!"
However, after shouting, he realized a serious problem.
"Holy crap, where is my Dragon Martial Army?"
------------
Chapter 84 This...
The Dragon Martial Army, of course, did not exist. They had all gone to rescue the great Right Chancellor. Li Longji discovered in despair that even if he escaped the capital, the only person he could rely on was still that barbarian from the Western Regions.
At this moment, he even had the mind to marvel at his own good judgment. His promotion of this Western Region barbarian had indeed paid off. Such formidable martial prowess, coupled with unwavering loyalty—this Commandant Lu was practically the perfect example of a subject. As for ability, that was secondary to the emperor.
Looking back, Li Longji saw that Lu Xuan had barely managed to hold the small door shut with two spears. But seeing the door frame shaking violently, Li Longji knew it wouldn't last much longer.
"Captain Lu. Tonight's events are likely not the result of a deliberate plot to rebel. The Dragon Martial Army has been maliciously redeployed, and you are the only one we can trust. Once this matter is resolved, I will grant you the position of General of the Dragon Martial Army."
After all, seasoned politicians are willing to offer benefits at crucial moments. It's just a matter of opening their mouths; they're talking about the Dragon Martial Army General. That's a top-tier official of the third rank. Above that is the Grand General, also a third-rank official. Of course, the situation is also clear: if Lu Xuan's side lets up, then everything is over.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Xuan was overjoyed. He bowed excitedly and then spoke.
“Your Majesty, the Imperial City is no longer safe. The Dragon Martial Army is also unreliable. The closest force that can protect Your Majesty is the Court of Judicial Review. After all, the Imperial City Guard is located there, and under its command, there should be more than one elite team of Golden Guards and Right Valiant Guards. We can go to the Imperial City Guard first to ensure our safety.”
“That makes sense. Let’s go to the Imperial City Guard, as you say.”
At the Longwu Army headquarters, General Chen Xuanli was in a rage.
"I am the Grand General of the Dragon Martial Army. Why do I not know about the movement of those two groups of troops?"
"Reporting to the General, this is an order from the Right Chancellor and the Imperial City Guard."
"The Imperial City Guard is nothing!" Chen Xuanli blurted out. He was a key figure who had helped Li Longji seize power in the Shenlong Coup, and his influence was unmatched. The newly established Imperial City Guard, despite its considerable authority, was utterly insignificant in his eyes. However, Li Linfu was a different story, and in the end, Chen Xuanli didn't dare directly criticize him.
"What's wrong with the Right Chancellor again? He has the Right Valiant Guard protecting him, so why is he mobilizing my Dragon Martial Army?"
"According to the Imperial City Guard, the Right Chancellor was attacked and killed by a group of Turkic wolf guards in front of his house. The Right Valiant Guard suffered heavy losses, which is why the Dragon Martial Army was mobilized to provide support."
"..." Chen Xuanli fell into an eerie silence. He was a seasoned, battle-hardened general, known for his meticulousness and strictness. Upon hearing this news, he instinctively felt uneasy.
"How's the Imperial City?" Chen Xuanli wasn't concerned about Li Linfu's life or death, but instead inquired about the Imperial City. He suddenly realized that if Li Linfu had redeployed the Dragon Martial Army around the Imperial City, it would create a very serious problem: a huge gap would appear in the Imperial City's defense system. And this gap was created by Li Linfu himself...
"Nothing special has come out of the capital."
"Go and fetch the general in charge of the handover with the guards inside the imperial city right now. I have some questions for him." Watching his subordinate leave, Chen Xuanli's face remained grim, and a strange sense of unease kept flashing through his mind.
He actually wanted to go to the capital personally to confirm things, regardless of the consequences. However, this would leave the Dragon Martial Army without its leader. The Lantern Festival was the Dragon Martial Army's most demanding time, filled with both duty and pressure. Even a half-minute absence from headquarters could result in a significant amount of information not being processed in a timely manner. This could lead to a chain reaction, brewing into undesirable mistakes. Chen Xuanli, always cautious, disliked making such errors.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan led Li Longji and Yang Taizhen through a throng of revelers, running towards the Imperial City Guard. Along the way, Li Longji was pushed and shoved by the crowd, almost to the point of wanting to scream, "I am the emperor, get out of my way!" But Lu Xuan stopped him in time.
Li Longji himself understood that if he were to actually shout that, he would likely be remembered for his infamy, albeit as a laughingstock. Moreover, with swarms of assassins behind him, the crowd could at least act as a deterrent. But shouting now was tantamount to stripping himself naked and inviting others to attack him.
Imperial City Guard.
The situation here is incredibly busy. With the Right Chancellor under attack, they, as the Right Chancellor's direct subordinates, naturally have to go to great lengths to demonstrate their loyalty. Almost all the armed forces have been dispatched to protect Li Linfu. The remaining officials are using large-scale physical maps of Chang'an to conduct calculations, attempting to pinpoint the location of the Turks.
When Lu Xuan brought Li Longji to the palace, the guards of the Imperial City Guard nearly arrested them as traitors, since impersonating the emperor was punishable by the execution of nine generations of one's family. Fortunately, Song Hun, a former censor, knew the emperor and managed to clear up the misunderstanding. Unfortunately, before this, two guards who had tried to arrest Li Longji had already been killed by Lu Xuan.
"Song Hun, you good-for-nothing! The imperial city was infiltrated by thieves, and countless of my ministers were killed or wounded. Even I was nearly killed by the rebels. If it weren't for Lieutenant Lu's desperate protection, I probably wouldn't have been able to leave the imperial city. What are you good for, the head of the Imperial City Guard?" Li Longji was still not satisfied with what he said. He reached for a polo mallet used for calculations on the table and lashed it down on Song Hun's head.
Although the Jing'an Division had acted arrogantly and domineeringly, what Li Longji heard at that time, aside from their somewhat excessive actions, was mostly about how many Turkic spies they had wiped out and how many vicious bandits they had captured. Their basic duties were absolutely impeccable.
Since the Jing'an Division was renamed the Imperial City Division, no one has impeached the Imperial City Division for its misconduct. The problem is, the thieves have already reached the Emperor's doorstep, and the Imperial City Division is completely unaware. This isn't just incompetence; it's blatant accompliceship...
Li Longji unleashed a brutal beating on Song Hun, leaving him covered in bruises and nearly unable to catch his breath. Song Hun himself was terrified, his mind filled with only one thought.