dognovel Chapter 371 The Handiwork of Yan Yue Kingdom
Chapter 371 The Handiwork of Yan Yue Kingdom
Shi Wanxia added, "With His Highness the Crown Prince here and the soldiers of the Eastern Palace here, they will definitely protect everyone! Hide well and don't give the enemy any opportunity!"
Just then, a little girl of about four or five years old was pushed to the ground by the chaotic crowd and cried loudly in fright.
Upon seeing this, Shi Wanxia immediately rushed over and hugged the little girl tightly.
The little girl's mother was nearby, but she was swept away by the crowd and could not get close, so she could only call out anxiously.
"Don't be afraid, your sister will take you to find your mother."
Shi Wanxia gently comforted the child in her arms, her gaze quickly locking onto a neatly stacked pile of firewood.
It was relatively secluded and sturdy enough.
She carried the little girl and quickly ran behind the woodpile to hide, while waving to the girl's mother to signal her to come and join them.
In the shadows behind the woodpile, Shi Wanxia held the trembling little girl tightly, gently patting her back with one hand while secretly gripping the short dagger hidden in her sleeve with the other—the one Shen Yanzhou had insisted on giving her for self-defense.
She looked up at the battlefield where firelight and moonlight mingled, and saw Shen Yanzhou standing on a high platform, calmly directing the guards to counterattack. His figure was like a pillar of strength in the chaos, bringing peace of mind.
Cui Jiu, like a tireless shadow, always stood not far from her, deflecting the arrows shot at him with each rise and fall of his sword.
The night is still very long.
This sudden night raid was clearly just the beginning.
But as Shi Wanxia looked at Shen Yanzhou's resolute back and felt the child in her arms gradually calming down, the initial fear in her heart was slowly replaced by something more determined.
Whoever comes, she will never let these people who have just escaped the inferno fall into deeper despair.
Deep in the shadows of the ruins of East Street, a figure, like an ink stain blending into the night, silently lurked behind a broken wall.
The man was dressed in black, his face covered with a black cloth, only his eyes were visible. He was staring intently at Shen Yanzhou, who was directing the defense on the high platform not far away. His gaze was so venomous and sinister that it could drip ice shards.
He was the leader of this sneak attack, a spy from the neighboring country of Yan Yue who had infiltrated the capital.
The fire on East Street in the daytime was orchestrated by them. They intended to create panic by causing chaos and disrupt the order of the capital.
Unexpectedly, Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou personally led a group to appease the people and protected these surviving "troublemakers" very well.
"waste!"
The leader cursed under his breath, his knuckles digging into his palm as he strained.
The first volley of arrows was intended to take advantage of the darkness and chaos to kill at least a few civilians and intensify their discontent with the court.
Unexpectedly, the palace guards reacted so quickly, and Shen Yanzhou was as alert as a sleepless eagle, managing to keep them completely unharmed.
What infuriated him even more was that these people, who should have been the tools for them to incite public opinion, were now cowering behind Shen Yanzhou and his guards. Although they were still fearful, they seemed to have found a sense of security.
The female official from the Ministry of Works by the campfire said something that made several women who had been crying earlier start to help comfort the other children.
"Prince..."
The leader murmured the two words, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by ruthlessness.
The twenty-odd assassins behind him were waiting for his command. Arrows were already nocked, and they would launch a second attack as soon as he gave the order.
But if the target is Shen Yanzhou… his Adam's apple bobbed.
Assassinating the crown prince is no joke.
If successful, Cangling Kingdom would certainly eliminate a formidable enemy, but if exposed, the two countries would surely reignite the war, and he and the people behind him would not only be unable to return to claim their rewards, but their remains would probably be lost forever.
Not to mention, although they had been operating in the capital for many years, the guards of the Eastern Palace were all capable of taking on ten men each, and Shen Yanzhou himself was also exceptionally skilled. To strike them down in one blow would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.
"Sir, if we don't act now, things will get complicated by dawn!" came a subordinate's hushed urging voice from behind.
The leader took a deep breath and his gaze fell on Shen Yanzhou again.
Under the moonlight, the young prince stood tall and straight. Even in danger, there was no sign of panic between his brows. He commanded and directed the situation in an orderly manner, clearly a formidable opponent.
His Majesty of Yan Yue Kingdom had long ago said that as long as Shen Yanzhou was not eliminated, Yan Yue's plan to march north would be hindered.
Is now... the best opportunity?
He looked around; the ruins were scattered everywhere, and the night was dark—it was the perfect time to hide.
Although Shen Yanzhou had guards around him, he had to spare some attention to protect the civilians, so his forces were scattered.
As long as they concentrate their firepower, first shooting down the guards around Shen Yanzhou, and then taking advantage of the chaos to fire sneak arrows...
If Shen Yanzhou dies here, Cangling will surely be thrown into chaos.
With a new emperor yet to be chosen, court officials will fight tooth and nail over who to support, leaving no time to worry about border defenses.
At that time, Yan Yue's iron cavalry will be able to drive straight in, crush Xiangyang, and drink from the Yangtze River...
A glint of fanaticism flashed in the leader's eyes as he thought this. The risks were great, but the rewards were tempting enough.
He was a man who lived on the edge of a knife; he had heard the saying "fortune favors the bold" since he was a child.
"Target: Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou."
He finally made up his mind, his voice as cold as ice, "Second row of archers suppress the guards, first row, follow me and aim at Shen Yanzhou, on my command, fire three arrows at once, make sure to kill him in one shot!"
The assassins behind him instantly turned on their heels with murderous intent. They adjusted their postures, drew their bows to their fullest extent, and the arrowheads gleamed with a cold light in the darkness, like the spitting of a venomous snake, all aimed at the tall figure on the high platform.
The chief gripped the crossbow tightly, his fingertips pressed against the trigger, his heart pounding like a drum, not out of fear, but because of the impending storm.
He watched Shen Yanzhou's movements, saw him bend down to comfort a guard whose arm had been grazed by an arrow, and saw him raise his hand to signal the people on the other side to pay attention to the northwest direction—that was the broken wall where they were hiding.
Had they been discovered? The leader's heart tightened, then he let out a cold laugh.
So what if we found out? The arrow is already on the bowstring, and we have no choice but to release it!
He slowly raised his hand, and just as he was about to strike, he suddenly caught sight of Shi Wanxia beside Shen Yanzhou.
The female official had somehow appeared beside the crown prince, pointing in the direction where they were hiding, seemingly saying something.
Shen Yanzhou's gaze immediately turned to him. Although they were dozens of feet apart, the leader inexplicably felt that those eyes seemed to pierce through the night and see straight into his heart.
"put!"
He swung his hand down abruptly, almost shouting the word.
In an instant, dozens of arrows once again pierced the night sky, carrying an even more fierce momentum than before, and whistled towards Shen Yanzhou on the high platform!
Shen Yanzhou pushed Shi Wanxia away and quickly organized his men to defend.