Chapter 34 : Unexpected Events In The Camp

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WARNING: Descriptions of blood and torture ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

Murong Heng and the generals meticulously formulated a plan of assault, starting from Suzhou. Given that Murong Yu hadn’t yet had enough time to dispatch troops to defend Suzhou, Murong Heng successfully occupied Suzhou within three days.

One wave hadn’t yet receded when another rose up. The people of Suzhou had just experienced a war. No one expected Murong Heng’s army to invade the city again. Before you knew it, people were in a state of anxiety and panic throughout the day.

However, once Murong Heng entered the city, he rode on a tall horse and swept his fierce gaze across all the people present. It was a look that signified triumph. After a moment’s silence, he raised his voice and said profoundly, “My fellow citizens, This Prince’s Iron Halberd Army will not harm innocent people; please rest assured.”

When the common people heard this, they immediately calmed down and even eyed Murong Heng with less timidity. In the days that followed, they did not suffer any oppression, and everything was as if the war had never occurred. Effectively, the city had already changed hands.

Upon hearing that Suzhou had been occupied, Murong Yu narrowed his eyes ferociously. He threw a glance at the general, who was kneeling at his feet, and booted him to the ground with a sudden kick as he hollered, “Trash! Why didn’t you prepare defences beforehand, knowing that Murong Heng dispatched troops?”

The general who’d been kicked spat out a mouthful of blood. Even though he was well-built, he couldn’t bear the kick that had come out of nowhere. Moreover, Murong Yu fully intended for him to die and had employed all his strength in this kick. Blood dribbled out from the corner of his mouth as he lay on the ground. His chest throbbed like it was about to explode.

The more Murong Yu thought about it, the more furious he became. “Since you can’t be a good general, then just go and die.” He drew out a long sword from the waist of the guard, held the hilt of the sword with both hands, and stabbed it directly into the general’s chest. The general struggled a few times, his eyes bulging. Then ceased moving.

The commotion within shocked the palace attendants outside, but they didn’t dare say a word. Soon, the general’s body was dragged out. His eyes were wide open, even in death.

In the meantime, Murong Heng had just finished discussing the next strategy with Fan Hu and the others, so he returned to the commander’s tent to rest. Unexpectedly, the candles in the tent were burning brightly. He couldn’t help but wonder if that person hadn’t gone to sleep yet.

There was a surge of tenderness in his heart. Murong Heng silently walked over and spotted Shen Ci leaning against the edge of the bed. His eyes were closed, and his breaths were even. Murong Heng reached out to help him lie down, not wanting to wake him up.

“You’re back?” Shen Ci rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned. His actions appeared like a languid kitten in Murong Heng’s eyes. He instantly sat by his bedside and wrapped his arms around him.

“What’s the matter?” Shen Ci, who was abruptly embraced by him, asked uncertainly.

“It’s nothing; I just want to hold you.” Murong Heng didn’t loosen the strength in his arms. He’d been outside every day these few days, and rarely had time to accompany him. Still, as long as he returned at night and saw his face, it was worth it, even if he felt that exhausted. Only by creating a stable and prosperous era can the two of them live together happily.

Shen Ci allowed him to continue hugging him without saying anything. After some time, he urged Murong Heng to go have a bath. Following that, they both lay down on the bed together. The candles inside the tent were extinguished. He rested on Murong Heng’s chest. After pondering for a while, he said softly, “Murong, now that we have taken control of Suzhou, Murong Yu will definitely be outraged after hearing the news. I predict that he will send people to assassinate you.”

Suzhou isn’t a military base, but it is an extremely crucial location. A few cities past Suzhou lies the capital. According to an old saying, breaching Suzhou is equivalent to breaching half of the empire. This is evidence of the importance of Suzhou. Therefore, it is normal for Murong Yu to be exasperated over Suzhou’s capture.

“I know.” Murong Heng had also thought of this. Knowing Murong Yu’s character and his penchant for vengeance, he will definitely send someone to kill him before the two armies engage in battle. As such, he had already made arrangements to defend against Murong Yu in the event of a surprise attack.

“Alright.” Shen Ci agreed softly. He pursed his lips and didn’t know what else to say. His eyes couldn’t see, so naturally he couldn’t go to the battlefield with Murong Heng and assist by fighting side by side with him. He could only help him silently behind him. He felt somewhat frustrated when he thought of this. After a long while, he said earnestly, “Although Murong Yu isn’t a person capable of leading the army to battle, he has a cruel temperament. You have to be careful.”

Murong Heng replied softly when he heard this. He stretched out his arms to pull him even closer. He understood everything Shen Ci said and would protect himself well so that he wouldn’t worry.

The next day, the army proceeded to set off. As Shen Ci had anticipated, when the two armies were fighting, Murong Heng actually encountered several undercover guards who wanted to launch a surprise attack on them. He had already prepared for it, so naturally, he killed them all without saying anything further.

After he killed these people, Murong Heng returned to the battlefield and continued to fight. From a distance, he noticed that there was a general killing many of his soldiers, and anger rose within him. He spurred his horse over, his sword aiming at the man.

“Murong Heng? You came just in time to die!” This general’s name is Liang Ce. He was Murong Yu’s trusted general. Murong Yu had promised him plenty of benefits for this battle campaign. So long as he can bring Murong Heng’s head in, he will subsequently receive continuous promotions and be rewarded with glory and wealth throughout the remainder of his life. Thus, he threw in his life for Murong Yu and relentlessly wanted to kill Murong Heng.

When Murong Heng heard him, he didn’t answer, merely throwing him a mocking smile. He narrowed his eyes and raised his sword to meet Liang Ce’s attack. Their horses brushed past each other’s. Murong Heng leapt up and landed behind Liang Ce before slashing his back.

Liang Ce wasn’t easy to deal with. He dodged while on the horse, then turned to face Murong Heng. The two swords collided with a clang. Both of them continued to fight, moving from atop the horse to beneath the horse. At that moment, it was hard to distinguish who was superior.

After fighting for a while, Murong Heng made use of the horse to dodge Liang Ce’s sword before sweeping himself under the horse and launching a powerful kick at somewhere on Liang Ce’s lower body. Upon seeing Liang Ce’s face contort in agony, Murong Heng leapt up and held the sword across Liang Ce’s neck.

“Murong Heng, you’re cheating!” Liang’s crotch was in excruciating pain, and his gaze was furious.

“All’s fair in war, or don’t you know?” Replying with a ruffian-like smile, Murong Heng grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up. When they noticed that their general had been captured, the enemy troops immediately panicked. Chaotic morale was a major wartime nightmare, and after a short time, they became defeated and had to withdraw their troops and flee, abandoning the captured Liang Ce.

After returning to the camp, Murong Heng removed his armour and washed off all the dust before heading over to the tent where Liang Ce was being guarded. As he observed his lukewarm expression, Murong Heng smiled slightly and walked over to sit in front of him. He said in a deep voice, “Liang Ce, This Prince won’t say much else. As long as you surrender, whatever Murong Yu has promised you, This Prince give you that and then some.”

His Ah Ci had long ascertained this person’s temperament. He was merely someone who was greedy for fame and fortune. As long as he was provided with sufficient benefits, it wasn’t difficult to sway him.

“Do you speak the truth?” Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, there was a crack in Liang Ce’s expression. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He wanted to agree, but when he recalled that his entire family was under Murong Yu’s control, he hesitated again.

“This Prince can help you rescue your family.” Seeing that he hadn’t yet decided, Murong Heng added another bargaining chip and waited patiently for his answer.

Liang Ce didn’t say a word. He stared at the ground, glanced around a few times, then finally sighed softly and said, “Fine, I promise you.” He just wants to make his way up, and it didn’t matter to whom he pledged allegiance, but his family… When he thought of this, he said seriously, “You must fulfil whatever you promised me.”

“This Prince will honour his word.” Murong Heng got up and left after speaking.

Within three days, Murong Yu learned that Liang Ce had been captured, so he immediately dispatched another general to face the enemy. On the other hand, he slaughtered Liang Ce’s whole family to relieve his anger.

When Murong Heng heard that the enemy was attacking again, he led the army into battle. After he left, there were only a few groups of soldiers remaining in the barracks to guard the camp.

Just then, upon surveying that there was no one around, someone in the barracks sneaked over to the tent where Liang Ce was being guarded. He met a soldier at the doorway. With a cold look, he twisted the soldier’s neck, breaking it and laying the body on the ground. Upon entering the tent, he saw Liang Ce resting on the bed. He narrowed his eyes, drew a dagger out of his sleeve, and viciously plunged it towards Liang Ce’s chest. He dared to betray the emperor; he’s a goner for sure!

Unexpectedly, before the dagger found its mark, Liang Ce’s eyes flew open. As fast as lightning, his hand stretched out to clutch his wrist. Liang Ce stared into his eyes and said in a low voice, “Who bade you to come?” Could it be that Murong Heng didn’t keep his word?

“Liang Ce, you betrayed the emperor, and you deserve to die!” That one sentence verified the reason for the incident. Since Liang Ce wasn’t letting go, Wang Er used his other hand and grabbed a fistful of knockout drug powder from inside his lapels before tossing it at Liang Ce’s face. He pulled back his hand and thrust it violently at Liang Ce’s chest.

The ruckus inside the tent soon alarmed the patrolling soldiers outside. When he heard the voices, Wang Er hurriedly slashed at himself and then fell to the ground. Immediately after that, a group of soldiers rushed into the tent and saw that Liang Ce on the bed was no longer breathing. They asked in disbelief, “Wang Er, what’s going on?”

Wang Er clutched his wound, pretending that it was unbearable, and got up from the ground. He said in a hoarse voice, “I wanted to come in to check on this man’s condition, but I didn’t expect that the soldier outside and Liang Ce had already been killed. I wanted to come out to inform you all. Suddenly, that man appeared from the shadows, and I was unknowingly injured by him.”

Since they were comrades in the same military camp, they didn’t doubt Wang Er’s words. The leader narrowed his eyes and said, “There’s a bandit in the barracks; search the camp quickly!”

The atmosphere in the barracks suddenly became restless, and the increased activity spread to the commander’s tent, where Shen Ci was. He walked out of the tent and asked in confusion, “What has happened?”

“Sir, don’t come out.” The soldier guarding the door stretched out his hand to stop him. The prince had instructed him to protect this gentleman well, and he dared not slack off. At that moment, he caught sight of Wang Er, whom he occasionally bumps into, making his way over. There were blood stains on his weapon, and he couldn’t help but ask, “What happened with you?”

“I was injured by a bandit.” Wang Er replied, pretending to be in pain and unable to walk. He asked for his assistance to fetch some medicine. When he noticed that the soldier was somewhat uncertain, he began to ramble on loudly: “I’ll wait for you here; if you don’t go now, I’m going to die!”

Since they belonged to the same unit, the soldier guarding the doorway contemplated it for a moment. Upon seeing Wang Er’s ashen face, he hurried off to get the medicine. Unexpectedly, once he left, Wang Er quickly wiped off the expression on his face and walked in stoically into the tent.

“Who are you?” Shen Ci heard something amiss with the footsteps and subconsciously took a step back.

“No talking; follow me.” Wang Er let out a sneer, took out the dagger in his sleeve to place on Shen Ci’s neck, and forced him to go outside. Without warning, it started to rain heavily, and both their clothes became soaked.

Shen Ci felt a coldness on his neck and a slight tingling pain. He froze and understood that there was a mole bandit within the barracks holding him hostage to threaten Murong Heng. He didn’t dare act rashly and walked ahead cooperatively.

The soldiers who were searching the camp and the soldier who was guarding the commander’s tent arrived at the same time. When they saw Wang Er holding Shen Ci hostage, they took a cold breath. While someone was sent to inform the prince, others surrounded him, saying, “Wang Er, what do you plan to do?”

“Cut the crap; tell Murong Heng to come and meet me!” Wang Er’s eyes bulged, and his hand applied pressure. A thin blood mark appeared on Shen Ci’s neck, which was quickly washed away by the pouring rain.

In the meantime, Murong Heng, who was on the battlefield, heard about the unexpected events in the barracks. He withdrew his troops without delay and returned to the barracks. As soon as he entered the camp, he saw Wang Er holding Shen Ci hostage. His eyes burst into flames, but he took a deep breath to force himself to calm down and said in a deep voice, “Wang Er, release him! If you hurt him, don’t think you can walk out of here alive today!”

“I can let him go if you want.” Wang Er revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth and the most hideous smile. His hand exerted pressure, and he unwittingly saw Shen Ci’s pained expression. The cut on his neck deepened. He noticed Murong Heng’s distressed look, and he laughed, saying, “As long as you cut off your own head, I promise that he won’t die!”

As soon as the words came out, Shen Ci was shocked.

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