Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1598 - 3: The Grand Finale (Part 1)

"Yes!"

The commanders under the King of Huangshan all clasped their fists in order.

After the commanders left, the King of Huangshan said to his deputy, "Have the people been selected?"

"They still need your review!"

"Let’s go..." The King of Huangshan tightened his fist and said.

The King of Huangshan made intense preparations throughout the night, and by dawn, he finally selected the assassins to eliminate Bai Qingyan, choosing only the best among the elite.

The King of Huangshan ordered these assassins to rest well for a day, to set out after a hearty meal at night, and promised that as long as they killed the Emperor of Zhou and returned alive, they would enjoy endless wealth.

On that day, the Huangshan army took a break, and the city gates were sealed, with no exit or entry allowed.

After nightfall, the southern gate of Huangshan City opened wide, and over two hundred assassins clad in dark black short coats, their sleeves and trousers tightly bound with matching cloth, rode out swiftly.

Then, the cautious King of Huangshan first dispatched a group of two hundred soldiers to head to the ambush spot decided upon the previous day. Half an hour later, the King of Huangshan personally led all his forces to set out, the entire army barred from lighting torches, relying on the moonlight to make their way stealthily to the ambush site.

The King of Huangshan dispatched the two hundred soldiers ahead as a kind of reconnaissance; if detected by the Zhou army, encountering real danger, their main force would have time to retreat. If they passed undetected and arrived safely, they could pave the way.

Clouds veiled the moon, stars were sparse. Distant mountains and nearby trees loomed in dark shadows.

The King of Huangshan paused at the entrance of the mountain path, ordering his deputy to lead the troops ahead.

Perhaps due to his many years of caution, the King of Huangshan felt uneasy from the moment he set out.

He sat astride his horse, gazing into the long but not steep forest path, knowing this was not the best place for an ambush; the wide road with its longsides was not steep either, making it easy for the Zhou army to charge.

In a head-to-head bloody melee, the King of Huangshan was aware that his troops could not compare to those elite soldiers of Zhou who survived the wars against the Liang and Xiliang. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The soldiers of Zhou had earnestly faced life-and-death situations on the battlefield, leaving behind only the finest.

When Yan Kingdom recaptured Nanyan, it was Xie Xun’s new army and a few soldiers given by other vassal kings to the second prince, and during the Nanyan war, the Yan Kingdom faced little resistance, with citizens welcoming them, so naturally, there was no chance to hone their strength in battle.

The King of Huangshan clutched his reins tightly, feeling as if this path was deeper and more silent, emanating a dangerous yet sickly sweet scent.

It wasn’t paranoia; the first batch of over two hundred soldiers he sent to the ambush point had already been slain by the Bai family army within this path under the sheen of moonlight, just as he was leading his forces out of the city.

As grey clouds covered the moon, the sound of battle shook the sky.

The crescent moon broke through the clouds just as it exploded with fireworks, illuminating bodies strewn across the ground.

These two hundred soldiers were utterly defenseless against the Bai family army’s slaughter.

The path between the two mountains was swiftly and efficiently cleared by the Bai family troops.

Besides the biting and clear night wind carrying a faint hint of blood, no one could tell that over two hundred soldiers of the Huangshan army had died here.

Da Zhou’s troops, ambushing on both sides, quickly detected the movement of the large troop; the horses’ hooves and footsteps moved at breakneck speed, with considerable soldier strength, yet except for the two torchbearers at the head, there was no light to be seen.

Shen Liangyu, chewing a blade of grass, patiently lay in the grass nest, observing as the entire Huangshan army gradually entered the mountain path...

"Whoosh— Bang!"

Fireworks shot into the sky like a dragon, exploding above.

The King of Huangshan, already in the mountain path, immediately pulled his reins, looking up with wide eyes at the red glow in the sky, which enveloped the soldiers in the path, as well as the dense trees and tall woods.

"Release the arrows!"

The red glow reflected in the King of Huangshan’s eyes also revealed the terrifying scene of an arrow storm descending rapidly upon them from the high skies.

As the red light faded, the mountain path echoed with countless screams.

At the entrance of the mountain path, the sound of battle echoed like thunder, hollering to block their retreat.

At the exit... there were also commanders of Zhou loudly calling to block their exit.

The King of Huangshan fell off his horse, shielded within heavy shields, as the rain of arrows continued, striking the shield formation, sounding like crackles.

On the slopes on both sides, groups of Zhou archers alternated, and from the arrow storm pounding against the shield in torrents, the King of Huangshan knew that the Zhou army had left no opportunity for the Huangshan army to exploit.

The King of Huangshan couldn’t understand why he was ambushed, when clearly... he was supposed to set the ambush! Yet why... had he walked right into the Zhou army’s complete trap?