12dz Chapter 2313 Ambush, Falling into the Ambush
Chapter 2313 Ambush, Falling into the Ambush
Western suburbs of Yingdu.
The embers of the paper money scattered across the sky had not yet dissipated, and the cries of Zhenye still seemed to linger in the air. The funeral procession, like a giant white python, meandered along the official road leading to the Martyrs' Cemetery.
Han Xing's coffin was still steadily carried by sixteen pallbearers, with a memorial banner leading the way, mournful music playing softly, and white banners fluttering in the wind.
Chu Ning continued to walk and support the coffin, with Shen Wanying, Wu Zetian, and Feng Mulan following closely behind. The three princes and princesses were held tightly by the nannies, walking in the middle of the procession in a daze.
All the civil and military officials and imperial guards bowed their heads in solemn silence, immersed in endless grief.
The group slowly made their way to the edge of a dense forest.
This forest is called "Black Pine Forest" because it is planted with lush black pines. It is a rather quiet place in the western suburbs.
The official road winds around the edge of the forest, and after traveling another three miles, you will reach the "Zhonglie Mausoleum," an auspicious site chosen by the Imperial Observatory.
It is the dead of winter, yet the black pine remains vigorous, its dark green needles appearing particularly somber against the leaden gray sky.
The forest was dark and quiet, with the occasional crow flying by, uttering a few mournful cries, adding to the desolation.
No one noticed anything unusual.
No one saw the cold arrowheads hidden in the shadows of the pine branches in the forest.
Sudden--
"call out--"
A sharp, ear-piercing sound suddenly rang out from the depths of the forest!
The sound came so fast and so suddenly that most people didn't even realize what was happening.
A black streak of light had already covered a distance of over a hundred feet, accurately piercing through a flag bearer holding a banner high at the front of the formation!
"Ah—!" The flag bearer only had time to let out a short scream before falling backward, his blood splattering onto the white banner, a horrifying sight.
"There are assassins!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
Exclamations erupted almost simultaneously!
However, this is just the beginning.
Immediately following, an even denser and more terrifying sound of air being torn apart, like rumbling thunder before a storm, rolled in from the depths of the black pine forest—
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
Hundreds of sharp arrows, like locusts swarming across the land, rained down on the funeral procession!
These arrows came with great speed and force, clearly not ordinary arrows, but rather powerful crossbows and bows standard for the military!
"Form ranks! Raise shields!"
Zhao Yu reacted with lightning speed. As the commander of the White Horse Cavalry, he had been fighting for many years and his awareness of surprise attacks far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Almost at the same time as the first arrow whistled, he drew his sword from his waist, flashed forward, and stood in front of Chu Ning!
"Imperial Guards! Form a circular formation! Protect His Majesty! Protect the Empress and the princes and princesses!"
His roar was like thunder, instantly drowning out the chaos and screams.
Although the well-trained Imperial Guards were also shocked by the sudden attack, their commander's orders made them act instinctively.
Hundreds of Imperial Guards, each wielding a shield, quickly converged on the center, their shields stacked one on top of the other.
They built a thick, iron-like shield wall around Chu Ning, Shen Wanying, Wu Zetian, Feng Mulan, and the three princes and princesses!
"Boom boom boom boom—!"
Arrows rained down, striking the shields with dull, teeth-grinding thuds.
Some arrows pierced through the gaps in the shields and struck the bodies of the Royal Guards, eliciting screams of agony.
But the shield wall did not collapse, and it did not retreat an inch!
Chu Ning was protected in the center of the shield wall. His face was ashen, and his eyes burned with boundless rage and killing intent.
He neither dodged nor panicked, but stared intently at the black pine forest from which the arrows had been shot, as if trying to see through and tear apart the enemy in the darkness.
Shen Wanying was pale, but she forced herself not to make a sound. She simply held her two young children—the eldest prince Chu Tian and the second prince Chu Ying—tightly in her arms, using her own body to shield them from the direction in which they might be hit by stray arrows.
Wu Zetian's phoenix eyes held a commanding presence, her hand already resting on the short sword concealed at her waist. Though not in military attire, she possessed a calm and valiant spirit in the face of danger.
Feng Mulan had already drawn her sword, its blade gleaming coldly. She stood on the weakest side of the shield wall, ready to parry any arrows that might penetrate the defenses.
Although the nine-year-old Princess Chu Xiuning was frightened, she was also eager to try and looked like she wanted to go forward.
However, the shield wall provides limited protection.
Only the emperor, empresses, princes, princesses, and other key figures could be protected by the Imperial Guards immediately.
As for the accompanying civil and military officials, porters, musicians, and servants, they were exposed to a rain of arrows with no cover!
Tragedy unfolded outside the shield wall.
Those civil officials, who were used to a life of ease and had never experienced the carnage of the battlefield, scattered and fled like a flock of frightened sheep.
Some fled in panic, only to trip over the robes beneath their feet and fall onto the official road.
Some screamed and ran wildly towards the front or back of the group, trying to escape this land of death.
Some were completely terrified, standing there dumbfounded, watching the arrows fly towards them without knowing how to dodge.
"puff!"
An arrow pierced the chest of a fourth-rank official dressed in a scarlet robe.
His eyes widened as he looked down at the bloody hole in his chest, seemingly unable to believe it was real, before slowly collapsing into a pool of blood.
"Help! Help me!"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
"Run! Run!"
Cries, screams, and pleas for help mingled with the whistling of arrows piercing the air and the muffled thuds of arrows sinking into bodies, creating a symphony of unimaginable horror.
Some of the officials dressed in mourning were shot in the legs and feet, and fell on the road, howling and rolling in pain.
Some were shot in vital areas and died on the spot, while others were grazed by stray arrows, their faces covered in blood, yet they still desperately crawled forward.
The white banners fell, trampled under the chaotic footsteps; the incense burners overturned, and the ashes mingled with blood, staining the pristine white road red.
The solemn and dignified funeral procession has now been transformed into a living hell.
Amidst this utterly devastating chaos, an even more terrifying sound echoed from within the black pine forest—
Heavy, orderly, and thunderous footsteps.
That was the sound of an army marching.
Immediately afterwards, countless soldiers clad in black armor, like ghosts emerging from hell, rushed out from the dark depths of the black pine forest!
Their armor was pure black, without any markings or numbers.
Their helmets were pulled low, covering most of their faces, leaving only their cold, bloodthirsty eyes visible.
In their hands they held gleaming swords and spears, while archers followed closely behind, continuing to fire arrows at the chaotic crowd.
Their numbers were astonishing—black-armored soldiers poured out of the forest like a black tide, continuously spreading and encircling both sides of the official road, surrounding the entire funeral procession.
Together with the officials who had scattered and fled, they were surrounded like turtles in a jar!
"They're...the rebels?!"
"No, it's an assassin! It's an assassin!"
"We're doomed! We're surrounded!"