Ambush! A cold smile spread across Duke Jin’an’s face.
“I knew it. Where there’s something strange, there’s always a scheme behind it,” he said, pushing aside the guard in front of him and gazing into the heavy rain ahead. Night had fallen, and with the imperial guards tightly packed around, he could neither see who was approaching nor how many there were.
They had let him leave the capital so willingly precisely because they wanted him to encounter some “accidents” along the way.
Incidents like these were nothing new to him – he had faced them since childhood. If he didn’t encounter trouble now, that would be the real surprise.
No sooner had he spoken than several eerie sounds pierced the air. Several imperial guards at the front of the procession fell from their horses.
“It’s the Divine Arm Bow!”
The Divine Arm Bow!
At these words, the faces of those around him changed instantly.
Duke Jin’an’s expression darkened as well.
He had anticipated an ambush, but he never expected the assailants to dare use the Divine Arm Bow.
However, since this had the Empress Dowager’s approval, it wasn’t impossible for them to deploy such a formidable military weapon. Being struck by a Divine Arm Bow was entirely different from being hit by an ordinary arrow – it seemed they had no intention of concealing this from the eyes of the world.
“Form ranks quickly!”
Everyone knew the power of the Divine Arm Bow all too well. Men and horses moved in unison, shields were unloaded from horseback, and carriages on the road struggled to turn and gather together. The imperial guards raised their shields, forming layers of protection around the group.
In the heavy rain, the eerie sounds of the Divine Arm Bow continued relentlessly. The outermost shields could not hold – they were pierced one after another, and guards fell, leaving the archers behind them completely exposed to the enemy’s line of fire.
“This gives us no chance to counterattack at all!” Eunuch Jing shouted loudly. “This can’t go on like this!”
“Yet we haven’t even traveled far from the capital – it’s insane that they would go to such extremes.”
Inside the carriage, Ban Qin and Su Xin clung tightly to each other. Though their expressions were fearful, they were not completely panicked.
“With Madam here, it’ll be alright,” Su Xin said.
“As long as I’m with Madam, nothing else matters,” Ban Qin added.
The two exchanged a glance, their hands clasping each other’s firmly.
“Sister, is this just like when you encountered the wolf pack back then?” Ban Qin asked quietly.
Su Xin looked at her and smiled.
“Yes,” she replied. “Now you are also sharing hardship with Madam.”
“Your Highness, get into the carriage,” Master Gu shouted, having stood in the rain for only a moment before being thoroughly drenched from head to toe. “Even if they have the Divine Arm Bow, breaking through their encirclement shouldn’t be too difficult.”
The numerous loyal guards he had brought along were not there just for show. When they had left the capital, their party had not been particularly conspicuous, but as they journeyed onward, more and more people had joined them. Now, Duke Jin’an’s personal guard outnumbered the imperial troops.
Duke Jin’an remained motionless, and just as Master Gu was about to press him further, someone emerged from the carriage.
“Cheng Fang,” Duke Jin’an immediately turned and reached out to stop her. “Get back inside quickly. Be careful not to get caught in the rain.”
Cheng Jiao-niang raised her hand and patted him gently.
“It’s fine,” she said, jumping down from the carriage.
“Cheng Fang!” Duke Jin’an called out again in concern.
Master Gu couldn’t help but stamp his foot in frustration.
“Princess Consort, please hurry back inside,” he urged.
Why add to the chaos now?
“Cao Gui,” Cheng Jiao-niang called out.
Steward Cao immediately jumped down from another carriage and hurried over.
“You take over,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned for a moment.
Who?
All eyes fell on Cao Gui.
This unremarkable middle-aged man, dressed in the most ordinary steward’s attire, had a slightly plump figure – well-suited to his role as the chief steward of Cheng Jiao-niang’s assets in Jiang-zhou.
Could it be that this man was more than just someone who managed estates and kept accounts?
The gazes from all around made Cao Gui so excited that tears welled up in his eyes.
Yes, this was the feeling.
This was infinitely better than the feeling of being flattered for throwing money around in Jiang–zhou.
What was the point of living if not for moments like this?
“Yes,” he replied with a composed tone.
He was no longer the minor steward from the Zhou family who had just joined Cheng Jiao-niang’s side a few years ago. Now, he could keep his pride in his heart without showing it on his face.
“Men, bring the cart.”
Hearing this order, Cheng Jiao-niang’s guards rushed to a carriage. Working in swift but orderly chaos, they unloaded the cart in almost the blink of an eye and pushed it forward.
“Make way! Make way!” Steward Cao shouted.
The wall of guards holding shields looked at them in surprise but instinctively stepped aside.
“What are you doing?” Eunuch Jing shouted, hurrying forward to block their way. “Do you think you can break through with just a cart and human shields? Don’t forget, that’s the Divine Arm Bow! You’ll only ruin our formation!”
Steward Cao grinned at him.
“The Divine Arm Bow?” he said. “Eunuch, what’s so special about the Divine Arm Bow? Don’t forget, the ancestor of the Divine Arm Bow is right here.”
The ancestor of the Divine Arm Bow…
Eunuch Jing was stunned.
Rows of shields parted, and the cart was pushed further toward the front. Arrows whistled and thudded relentlessly, and as the formation broke to make way, it seemed as though a gap had been torn open from within, leaving it precarious.
All eyes gradually focused on these men and this cart.
The cart appeared to be an ordinary carriage, yet something about it seemed different.
As it drew closer to the outer edge, the force of the Divine Arm Bow’s attacks grew stronger. Two guards quickly pushed the side panels of the cart outward, and the panels unfolded like wings. The arrows that flew toward them struck the panels, their thuds mingling with the sound of the rain.
Thud, thud – it turned out that these panels were not ordinary cart panels.
The gazes of those around widened immediately. Ignoring the pouring rain, they stared intently at the cart.
The two side panels unfolded, revealing a row of strange crossbow mechanisms inside.
“A Multi-Bolt Crossbow?” exclaimed Eunuch Jing, who had followed them over in surprise.
Yet it didn’t quite look like one.
Enormous cylindrical tubes pointed high toward the front – without bowstrings or bolts.
What kind of strange contraption was this?
The cart came to a halt right there. Hiding behind its panels, they could see a dense crowd of people on the road ahead, all dressed uniformly in black. As night fell, their figures grew hazy and indistinct.
The commotion on this side had already been noticed by the enemy, and their arrows intensified.
Suddenly, a torch was ignited, and the light blurred everyone’s vision.
“Fuck!” Eunuch Jing cursed under his breath.
Why light a torch? Did they want the enemy to see them clearly and aim better?
Before his shout faded, a loud boom echoed. A fiery light shot straight from the cart, shaking the vehicle and the ground beneath, leaving a ringing in their ears.
Eunuch Jing’s mouth fell open.
He watched as a sudden burst of flames erupted on the opposite side, accompanied by screams. In the fiery glow, he could clearly see people collapsing and rolling on the ground.
“Fuck…” Eunuch Jing murmured, stunned.
…
Accompanied by this deafening roar, the situation shifted instantly. The Divine Arm Bow attacks ceased entirely as men and horses surged into chaotic combat, though the commotion did not last long.
The fear brought by the unknown overpowered the resistance of blades and soldiers. The moment the explosion sounded, those on the opposite side began to scatter and flee in all directions.
“Your Highness, it seems they are bandits,” a subordinate hurriedly reported. “They claimed they didn’t recognize the royal banners and regalia, mistaking us for a passing wealthy merchant caravan, and attempted to rob us.”
Duke Jin’an paid no attention.
“Nonsense! What bandits could possibly possess the Divine Arm Bow?” Eunuch Jing impatiently waved his hand. “No need to ask further, nothing needs questioning. Just eliminate them all.”
The subordinate hastily acknowledged the order and rushed away.
Eunuch Jing then turned his attention back to the cart before him.
“Is it broken already?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
“It was made of bamboo tubes – not very sturdy. It breaking is quite normal,” Cheng Jiao-niang explained.
Bamboo tubes!
Eunuch Jing and Master Gu couldn’t help but step forward again, examining the shattered cart. The multi-bolt crossbow-like device on it had also fallen apart, and in the pouring rain, the pungent smell of gunpowder grew even more intense.
Steward Cao and several guards were in the process of disassembling the scattered wooden frames and bamboo tubes.
Indeed, it was a thick bamboo tube.
“Giant bamboo,” Master Gu whispered to Eunuch Jing.
“Burn the cart,” Cheng Jiao-niang ordered.
Steward Cao acknowledged the command. As he and the guards gathered the shattered bamboo tubes onto the cart, Eunuch Jing’s heart stirred, and he followed them over.
Steward Cao and his guards had brought three carts in total this time. Initially, Duke Jin’an’s people had privately scoffed at how much they had brought along. Now, however, it seemed that if all of it consisted of such formidable weapons, they had actually brought far too little.
When the cover of one of the carts was lifted, Eunuch Jing peered inside. He saw a pile of weapons and various jars and bottles.
There were no more of those giant bamboo tubes…
Steward Cao walked back carrying a jar and tossed it onto the dismantled cart. It shattered with a crash, filling the air with the scent of alcohol. He then took a torch handed to him by a guard and threw it onto the cart.
The convoy of men, horses, and carriages rumbled forward.
Eunuch Jing, riding on horseback, glanced back. Amid the heavy rain, a pile of flames still burned brightly, standing out starkly in the darkness.
Was that all it took?
Without any real struggle, without any further action, the ambush was already over?
Eunuch Jing felt a strange mix of emotions – the urge to laugh, yet something indescribable lingered.
His gaze involuntarily fell on Duke Jin’an’s carriage ahead.
God…
