Chapter 15

The mountain bandits advanced like a wall, wielding their swords and axes together.

The guards retreated step by step, eventually forming a small circular formation.

Wang De's face was pale. He looked around, trying to find a weakness in the enemy, but found nothing. He knew very well that the next moment would inevitably be a brutal scene of blood and gore. Everyone present—the guards, the two personal maids of the County Lady of Jingling, and the three stunned Jin army soldiers in the corner of the courtyard—would die.

Wang De's usual long sword had just been cut in half by Hu Liuniang. Now he held a ring-pommel knife he had taken from his baggage. He gripped the hilt, feeling the cloth wrapped around it, and found it still quite handy. As a hundred-man commander responsible for protecting important figures under the Eastern Sea King, he was already prepared to die in battle. However, even so, it was not enough to atone for his mistake.

In the past two months, the political struggles in Luoyang had escalated. The forces supporting the current emperor and those loyal to the Eastern Sea King had frequent conflicts. For this reason, the Eastern Sea King was planning a fierce counterattack. Before that, he specially sent his beloved daughter, the County Lady of Jingling, to Bingzhou to communicate with his powerful relative, the Duke of Dongyin, Sima Teng, who commanded several tens of thousands of troops. Such an honor was enough to make the Duke of Dongyin feel the Eastern Sea King's sincerity, ensuring that he would stand with the Eastern Sea King in the subsequent storm of conflict.

The County Lady of Jingling used the connection between the Pei family and Funiu Fort to secretly cross the Xiongnu-controlled territory and reach Shangdang, a plan personally devised by Wang De. In his view, Funiu Fort had intricate ties with various figures in the Taihang Mountains, making them a true local power. Escorting a small group of a dozen people would be easy for them. The long-term good cooperation between the Pei family and Funiu Fort further guaranteed safety.

However, with the Jin court's failure in Bingzhou, the foundation of this cooperation suddenly disappeared. The Xiongnu Han Kingdom was undoubtedly a better partner than the He Dong Pei family. The Xiongnu, who had plundered the entire Bingzhou, would certainly have enough wealth to trade with the bandits, while the bandits could provide the Xiongnu with security and intelligence along the Taihang Mountains.

The County Lady of Jingling would be a gift from the bandits to the Xiongnu. Those fierce Xiongnu chieftains would certainly not refuse to have a noble lady of the Jin imperial family warm their beds. Not to mention the countless secrets of the Luoyang central government that the County Lady of Jingling possessed, which were invaluable.

Wang De clenched his teeth so hard that they made a grinding sound.

The situation was extremely dire. The only option now was to fight to the death. If heaven favored them, perhaps they could break through. But if they failed to break out, they must ensure that the County Lady did not fall alive into the hands of the bandits!

He hoped the County Lady would have the same awareness. Otherwise, he would have to kill her before dying in battle... Wang De thought painfully, involuntarily turning to look at the County Lady of Jingling.

He was momentarily stunned. In the County Lady's eyes, there was no particular tension, but rather a hint of cunning.

At the same time, Wei Xuan, who was beside him, shouted loudly, "Don't attack!"

Wang De reached out in surprise to grab Wei Xuan's shoulder, "Old Wei, what are you doing?"

"Don't attack!" Wei Xuan shouted again. He shook off Wang De's hand and strode toward the bandits, who were on high alert. "I am a secret agent under the command of Chen Yuanda, the Yellow Gate Attendant of the Xiongnu Han Kingdom, not a Jin person!"

Wang De staggered as if struck by a heavy blow.

The name Chen Yuanda was too familiar to Wang De.

This Yellow Gate Attendant was not an official of the court but a false position in the Xiongnu Han Kingdom. Chen Yuanda was the most trusted Han advisor to the Xiongnu Great Chanyu Liu Yuan. He held important secrets and was directly ordered by Liu Yuan himself, responsible for intelligence gathering and various subversive activities against the Jin court.

For several years, Chen Yuanda's elusive methods had caused the Jin court's army in Bingzhou countless troubles. Their battle plans were no longer secret, their generals defected in battle, and their brave warriors were assassinated... Such news often made the high officials in the Luoyang central government shake their heads. More than one person used this as a reason to criticize the Duke of Dongyin, Sima Teng, for his poor management.

It turned out that the hands of this Xiongnu Han Kingdom secret agent leader had long extended beyond Bingzhou. Who would have thought that even a trusted guard in the Eastern Sea King's residence in Luoyang could be a Xiongnu spy? The guards escorting the County Lady of Jingling north were carefully selected, and their loyalty and reliability should have been beyond question. Especially Wei Xuan, who had served under the Eastern Sea King for fifteen years. He had even fought side by side with Wang De for six years!

Wang De let out an angry roar, "Wei Xuan!"

Wei Xuan completely ignored Wang De. Hu Liuniang gave a nod, and the bandits immediately parted to let him through. He quickly passed through their encirclement and walked toward Hu Liuniang.

Zhang Zhaizhu immediately stepped between Hu Liuniang and Wei Xuan, alert.

Wei Xuan nodded slightly to Hu Liuniang, somewhat haughtily, "I am an agent of Attendant Chen! If Funiu Fort is willing to cooperate with our Great Han, I can act as a mediator. The Great Chanyu is always generous to his friends, and Attendant Chen will certainly appreciate Funiu Fort's goodwill."

"How can we verify that you are Attendant Chen's man?" Hu Liuniang asked.

Wei Xuan flicked his wrist, and a palm-sized wooden token flew toward Hu Liuniang.

Zhang Zhaizhu extended his arm and intercepted the token mid-air. He examined it closely and saw that the wooden token was made of very dense wood, dark in color. On the front was a carved image of a strange beast, and on the back were some strange characters that he could not understand.

"Zhang Zhaizhu, others may not know, but you, as an elder of Funiu Fort, are well-informed. You must have heard of the secret token issued by Attendant Chen," Wei Xuan said, crossing his arms arrogantly.

"You're right, it's genuine," Zhang Zhaizhu nodded to Hu Liuniang and then turned to ask, "Since you are a secret agent of the Han Kingdom, and you bear important responsibilities, why were you in the escort of the County Lady of Jingling?"

"Simayue cares for his children and specifically assigned me as a guard. What could I do? Fortunately, capturing this girl today can also be considered a merit..." Wei Xuan said somewhat resentfully.

"Was it because of your persuasion that Su Lao and others attacked the County Lady of Jingling?" Zhang Zhaizhu asked.

Wei Xuan was taken aback, "To capture the County Lady of Jingling, I tried several times along the way. This included inciting Su Lao and others of your fort three days ago. Unfortunately, the plan was leaked, and they lost their lives. Such things are inevitable in chaotic times, I hope Zhang Zhaizhu will not blame me."

"You're right," Zhang Zhaizhu returned the token to Wei Xuan, "You are indeed a secret agent of the Han Kingdom."

Wei Xuan said arrogantly, "Of course."

"Excellent, excellent!" Hu Liuniang suddenly laughed sweetly.

Wei Xuan initially laughed along for a couple of times. Then, he widened his eyes, as if he had seen the most unbelievable scene.

Zhang Zhaizhu laughed heartily. He called out a few times, and the bandits put away their weapons and quickly left the courtyard. The County Lady of Jingling smiled bitterly and waved her hand, relieved. Her guards sheathed their swords, though many still looked puzzled, they undoubtedly relaxed. Wang De looked at Wei Xuan with a complex expression, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately only shook his head.

Wei Xuan took a step back and trembled, "You... you..."

He panted coarsely, his gaze darting across everyone's faces, and finally looked at Hu Liuniang as if begging for mercy. But Hu Liuniang ignored him completely.

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