Chapter 143: Exercise in Progress (Part Two)

Jiang Lichen remained completely indifferent to Yuchi Jingde's coaxing and taunts. With a calm expression, he said, "Old General Yuchi, you are bound to lose today, because you simply do not understand what special operations are. Let me tell you today: special operations mean using any means necessary! Step aside and let me enter the city, or this cripple will die because of you!"

Yuchi Jingde furrowed his brows deeply, never expecting that the War Wolf Squad would resort to such a method to breach the city. This had already crossed the line of the law.

With a cold and piercing gaze, Yuchi Jingde looked at Jiang Lichen, then glanced at the terrified, bloodless cripple in Jiang Lichen's grip. He spoke in a chilly tone, "Little wolf cubs, you truly live up to your name! You are nothing but a bunch of ungrateful, heartless beasts. I'll give you one more chance: release him, and I will let you leave the city! I will not say this a second time!"

Jiang Lichen's eyes held a manic gleam, flashing with a fierce light. "Let me enter the city, and I won't say it a second time either!"

Yuchi Jingde looked at the crazed Jiang Lichen, and suddenly his anger vanished entirely. He felt it was unworthy to waste his temper on such an opponent. Of course, the resentment remained; if Li Er hadn't treasured them so dearly, Yuchi Jingde would have long since ordered his archers to let loose. As for that cripple, Yuchi Jingde didn't care much—if he died, he died, considering it a sacrifice for the country, at most requiring some compensation! Thus, for now, he would simply have to deal with Jiang Lichen himself!

Yuchi Jingde tightened his grip on his single steel whip and suddenly lunged at Jiang Lichen.

Acting as if panicked and flustered, Jiang Lichen hurriedly shoved the cripple toward Yuchi Jingde and turned to flee!

Yuchi Jingde's attention was completely fixed on Jiang Lichen. Reflexively, he reached out to steady the cripple thrown at him, intending to immediately pursue Jiang Lichen. Yet, he never imagined that in that single, brief moment of steadying the man, his fate would be instantly sealed!

Just as Yuchi Jingde was about to give chase, a voice rang out by his ear: "General, you have been killed!" Subconsciously, he looked down at his own chest and was shocked to find a large patch of blood there—the exact pig's blood signifying his death!

Yuchi Jingde stared blankly in the direction the cripple had fled, catching only a fleeting glimpse of a vanishing figure. But just that single glimpse made his lungs burst with fury. This was no cripple; the man had been running as fast as a hare, vanishing down the lengthy street in the blink of an eye.

He spun around to look at Jiang Lichen, only to see him mounting a horse. The steed had just been ridden out from another gateway by another young soldier. Once mounted, taking advantage of Yuchi Jingde's dazed state, Jiang Lichen called out, "My apologies, General Yuchi!" and seized the opportunity to escape!

At last, Yuchi Jingde realized he had been completely played! The hostage-taking and the cripple were all a ruse! Jiang Lichen's engagement with him was meant to lower his guard, the hostage ploy was designed to let the cripple get close to him, and the rider on the horse was the backup. It was a flawless assassination plan executed by a perfectly coordinated three-man team!

Yuchi Jingde did not send anyone after them. Whether they could catch them was one thing, but the most crucial part was the sheer humiliation. If he chased after them now, it would become the talk of the entire city. Better to let them go and let Fat Cheng pull his hair out over it! He just hoped that fellow would get taken down too, otherwise dying alone would be far too awkward! A malicious thought crossed Yuchi Jingde's mind, though as he mulled it over, he suddenly blurted out: "Damn it all! Brat Yi, I am not finished with you! How dare you pull tricks on me! Don't you know that's what I hate the most? Damn it!"

Around noon, at the Chengtian Gate—the entrance to the Inner Imperial Palace—five military officers came running up. Judging from the directions they came from, they belonged to two entirely different factions!

The Gate-Guiding Guards on duty spotted the five men galloping over on horseback and quickly intercepted them.

"Halt! Who goes there? This is the Inner Imperial Palace; unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited!"

Before the guard could finish his question, the man approaching from the west hurriedly called out, "I am General Yuchi's aide, here specially to report to the Grand General that my general has been killed in action!"

No sooner had this man finished than the one running from the direction of Zhuque Avenue chimed in, "I am General Hou's captain, also here to report that my general has been killed in action, and the War Wolf Squad has breached the city!"

Upon hearing this, the guards were utterly stunned. One of them hastily told his comrade, "Hold the fort here, I'm going to report this to the General!" With that, he sprinted away in a panic.

Before long, a thunderous roar echoed from within the palace: "Where are they? Where are they?"

As the echo faded, Cheng Jiuying came barreling out in a rush!

"You're Yuchi the Black's and Hou Junji's men? They were killed?"

"Yes, General!"

"How did they die?"

"Ambushed through trickery!"

"My general fell the exact same way!"

"The entire War Wolf Squad made it inside?"

"I'm not sure, there were three on my side!"

"There were three on my side as well!"

Hearing this, Cheng Jiuying frowned and muttered, "That means there's still one team unaccounted for? What kind of monsters are these? So bizarre!"

Taking a couple of rapid strides, Cheng Jiuying abruptly instructed his adjutant, "Take them to see the Grand General first!"

The adjutant acknowledged the order and led the men into the palace!

After the adjutant left, Cheng Jiuying ordered the palace guards to maintain strict vigilance before returning to his military tent.

Yet, judging by the occasional gleam in his eyes, that scoundrel had clearly cooked up some more wicked schemes!

Inside the Inner Imperial Palace's Royal Garden, at the Lingyun Pavilion!

Li Er was no longer standing by the window. After an entire morning of absolute silence, many had grown impatient! Only Li Yi sat eating and drinking to his heart's content, showing not a single trace of impatience. It wasn't every day one got to visit the imperial palace; if he didn't eat his fill, what a waste it would be!

Li Er had started out full of enthusiasm, but after an entire morning of waiting with no movement whatsoever, his patience had worn thin. Looking up at Li Yi, who was still eating with relish, anger flared within him. "You brat, you can still stomach food? The War Wolf Squad hasn't made a single move yet, aren't you worried they might run into trouble?"

Li Yi spat out a watermelon seed, wiped his mouth, and stood up to reply, "Uncle Li, don't be so anxious! No news is actually normal. If they had charged in aggressively and openly, that would be the strange part! Don't worry! This junior reckons news will be here any minute now!"

With that, Li Yi glanced out the window, chuckled, and said, "Look! Speak of the Cao Cao, and the news arrives! Ah, I imagine Uncle Li Ji is about to get a headache!"

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly looked out the window and saw a group of six men rushing over in a flurry!

Li Ji quickly pulled himself together. He had been sitting idly all morning and had long since grown restless.

The six men made their way up to the pavilion unimpeded, and Li Ji immediately demanded to know what had happened.

Hou Junji's captain and Yuchi Jingde's adjutant hastily recounted the entire sequence of events in detail.

As soon as the two finished speaking, a collective gasp of shock echoed through the room!

Disguise and facial alteration? Underwater ambush? A chain of stratagems? Three-man squads? What kind of people were these? Such intricate plans were pulled off by six ordinary soldiers? Not even seasoned generals could devise something so brilliant! At that moment, everyone's view of Li Yi shifted completely. Especially Li Er and the various generals—their gazes looked precisely like ravenous wolves eyeing their prey!

Li Daozong was likewise filled with extreme astonishment. Swallowing hard, he leaned in and murmured to Li Yi, "Brat, are your people truly this divine?"

Li Yi nodded nonchalantly. "Pretty much! Although it was still a bit risky! But it's their first time, so it's forgivable! We can't be too harsh on them either!"

Li Daozong was left utterly speechless. What was that supposed to mean? Here they were, thunderstruck in awe, and he was actually expressing dissatisfaction? Whose dignity was he stepping on?

"Brat, do you know what they're planning to do next?"

Li Yi looked up casually, flashing an inexplicable smile. "I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell!"

"Hey! You brat, you're keeping secrets even from me?"

"Oh, Uncle Li, keep your shirt on! Where's the fun if I spoil it? Just sit back and keep watching!"

Li Daozong let out a cold huff. After pondering for a moment, he decided to press no further.

Li Ji glanced back at Li Er and, seeing the emperor's brows similarly furrowed, knew he had to figure something out himself. Yet, try as he might, he had no idea how to flush the War Wolf Squad out into the open!

Before long, Li Er suddenly spoke up: "Are you saying the War Wolf Squad excels at disguise and facial alteration?"

Li Yi chimed in, looking displeased. "Uncle Li, you can't do that. This is a competition, and you are the referee. Besides, there's a bet riding on this!"

"Shut your mouth, Emperor! As the referee, isn't it within my rights to understand the situation?"

Li Yi was left speechless. A referee understanding the situation? Did a referee need to understand anything? Was that a referee's job? But since Li Er was the boss, Li Yi could only wave his hand in resignation and step back. Interrogate away if they pleased! In the end, he wouldn't be the one losing face anyway!

Upon hearing Li Er's inquiry, the captain and the adjutant hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

With a stern gaze and an overwhelming imperial aura, Li Er pressed down directly upon the two men. "How can you prove that you yourselves are not members of the War Wolf Squad?"

Crushed under the weight of Li Er's pressure, the two men dropped to their knees in fright!

The adjutant spoke first: "Your Majesty, how could this humble subject possibly be part of the War Wolf Squad? I belong to the Northern Imperial Guard, and furthermore, I am a veteran of the Black Armored Cavalry. It's impossible for me to be in the War Wolf Squad!"

"Oh? You're a veteran of the Black Armored Cavalry? Lift your head and let Us take a good look at you!"

The adjutant hurriedly raised his head. After careful inspection, Li Er recognized him instantly. The old guards of the Black Armored Cavalry were his former comrades who had braved life and death by his side, so he remembered the faces of nearly every single one of them. This man was indeed one of them—neither his eyes nor his features were wrong!

Li Er nodded. "Good! We wronged you, rise!"

Turning his gaze to the captain, Li Er asked, "And what about you?"

The captain hastily answered, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is not from the Black Armored Cavalry. I am General Hou's adjutant and have always followed General Hou!"

"Oh? Which aristocratic family do you hail from?" During the Zhenguan era, most military posts were held by scions of noble houses or prominent clans, which prompted Li Er's question.

The captain quickly replied, "This humble subject comes from the Taiyuan Wang clan!"

Li Er let out an "oh." "From which lineage of the Taiyuan Wang clan?"

Without a moment's hesitation, the captain answered, "Our Taiyuan Wang clan are descendants of Prince Jin, son of King Ling of Zhou. From Huaxu to Prince Jin, it spans forty-five generations."

"Is there proof?"

"There is!" The captain immediately presented a seal. The moment Li Er laid eyes on it, he nodded in acknowledgment!

"Very well! It is the seal of the Wang clan! However, this alone is not enough to prove your identity. So be it—neither you nor the adjutant shall leave. Stay right here!"