Chapter 158 Liu Bei as a Duck
Wang Jing took out the secret letter from the bamboo tube with an indifferent look. After opening the blood-red seal, he quickly read the contents of the letter at a glance: "It seems that the other party can no longer hold back."

Xun You took the secret letter from Wang Jing and did not show any surprise after reading it, because all this had been anticipated.

Appointing Liu Bei as the magistrate of Luoyang was originally to make Liu Bei a duck and then to force him to do something unpleasant. This not only showed Wang Jing's trust and importance to Liu Bei, but also threw the hot potato of measuring land and promoting new policies into Liu Bei's hands, making him take the blame.

This has never been an easy task. When Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu unified the country, he also wanted to measure the land. But in the end, he encountered stubborn resistance from the powerful families and nothing happened.

Of course, Wang Jing did not intend for Liu Bei to die.

On the contrary, Wang Jing was giving Liu Bei an opportunity to make a contribution. As long as he could accomplish this task, the three brothers would be promoted and have a bright future.

After throwing the secret letter into the brazier and destroying it, Xun You turned around and said to Wang Jing, "My lord, these three hundred warriors are proficient in battle formations and have used contraband items such as powerful crossbows. They must be warriors that the Yuan family has secretly trained for many years. It is rare that they have all been exposed this time. Now is the time to order the secret guards to close the net."

Since they were death squads, their number could not be too large. By eliminating these 300 people, Wang Jing would have eliminated most of the secret forces left by Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao in Luoyang, and cut off one arm of the Runan Yuan family at the elbow.

Therefore, Wang Jing immediately ordered Shi A to close the net: "I will leave this matter to you, Zijun. You must cut the grass and root out the thieves. Don't let a single thief escape."

Upon hearing this, Shi A's face was also filled with murderous intent. He clasped his fists and responded: "I will kill all of these Yuan family's assassins without a single one left alive!"

Then the secret guard's knife, which was hidden in the shadow, came out of its sheath again with a clang.

Shi A led the team personally and summoned 150 secret guards. Each of them carried a Hundred Blade Machine Box on their backs and rode on their war horses with murderous intent. The group went out from the east gate and galloped at full speed at night, heading straight for Yanshi County.

The autumn wind is blowing gently, the horses’ hooves are galloping, the moon is dark and the sky is high, it’s a murderous night.

Outside Yanshi County, in the camp where the Yuan family's death squad gathered, there was suddenly a series of muffled sounds of knives cutting flesh. After a moment, there was complete silence.

In the flickering firelight, the smell of blood was in the air.

"Captain, everything has been handled."

"No one was left alive?"

"They've all been stabbed. They're all dead."

Shi A, who was wearing a ghost mask, only showed a pair of cold eyes. He nodded calmly after hearing the words: "Collect the team and follow me back to report."

"Yes!"

Those who took part in this operation were all masters, and all of them were equipped with powerful weapons such as the Hundred Blade Casing. It was a surprise attack in the middle of the night, and the Yuan family's death squad was killed without any resistance, and they failed to cause any waves at all.

At noon the next day, the magistrate of Yanshi County had just received an official document from the court. With a terrified look on his face, he led the constables from the yamen to collect the bodies and clean up the place. With so many people talking, the news spread quickly throughout the capital, causing a sensation.

The tavern was full of people discussing this matter.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, you don't know yet, do you? Last night, outside the city, at Yinmagou, a village was reportedly destroyed, with hundreds of people killed. The scene was simply horrific, with blood flowing like a stream, and many of the accompanying constables vomited after seeing it."

"Alas, the world is getting more and more chaotic. People are dying everywhere. I don't know when this shitty day will end."

Several businessmen passing by had worried expressions on their faces.

Xu You and Yang Hong, who were sitting not far away, became more and more frightened the more they listened. How could all the brave warriors become dead?
The two of them exchanged glances briefly, and then tacitly asked the owner of the tavern for a secluded private room.

After avoiding being seen by others, the two of them used the secret alchemy method to isolate the inside and outside. After making sure that no one was eavesdropping, they began to discuss countermeasures in a low voice.

"I'm afraid that all the people we brought with us will be killed this time."

"The action was as fast as lightning, so fast that even you and I didn't have time to react. It was probably Shi A who led the team himself. He is the favorite student of Sword Saint Wang Yue. He has learned all his sword skills and is very powerful. It is probably because the last assassination attempt on Liu Xuande leaked out. The secret guards' control over intelligence is really pervasive."

Yang Hong and Xu You both had unhappy expressions on their faces. Before they even started to assassinate Wang Jing, all the people they brought with them were wiped out.

This kind of thing is really scary.

Yang Hong looked at Xu You coldly: "You were the one who suggested taking action in the first place. You must take full responsibility for this matter."

It was obvious that Yang Hong was trying to pass the buck. After all, his lord Yuan Shu was moody and would not tolerate his subordinates making mistakes, especially mistakes that caused huge losses.

Xu You was unwilling to give up after his mission failed. Instead, he looked at Yang Hong with a determined expression and said firmly, "If you don't have a knife, then you can use someone else's knife to kill someone."

"Whose knife do you want to borrow?"

"Yanshi Li Clan."

Xu You knew that the Li family was a hidden pawn of Yang Hong, so he could only ask him for help: "Brother Shu, you and I are now on the same rope. Even if I am willing to take responsibility, I have lost so many warriors. If I return empty-handed in the end, will the general let you go?"

When Yang Hong thought of Yuan Shu's character, he felt a chill in his crotch and had to agree to cooperate with Xu You's actions.

At midnight, a silver moon hangs in the sky.

Two uninvited guests also came to the Li family mansion.

The head of the family, Li Wei, had a gloomy face and angry eyes. He almost shouted, "Didn't I tell you that the assassination is of great importance and must not be done rashly. We must wait for the opportunity."

Yang Hong, who had already decided to sacrifice the Li family, stood aside in silence with a blank expression on his face.

To him, whether it was Li Wei or the entire Yanshi Li family, they were all "prices" that could be paid and "discarded pawns" that could be abandoned at any time.

If betraying Li Wei could bring enough benefits, Yang Hong would definitely not even frown.

Seeing that Li Wei still wanted to shirk responsibility and fool around, Yang Hong remained silent, but Xu You did not get polite with Li Wei. After all, it was not him, Xu Ziyuan, who was going to kill his entire family.

Xu You calmly waited until Li Wei finished scolding him, then he sneered and said sarcastically: "The opportunity you want will come soon. Liu Da'er was assassinated, and Wang Jing must come to visit in order to win people's hearts. This is your best chance to kill him. Or do you not intend to fulfill your promise?"

Li Wei felt unhappy when he saw Xu You's bossy behavior. Although the Yuan family had three officials in four generations, this was Yanshi County, the capital area, not Runan!

And you, Xu Ziyuan, are not Yuan Benchu!

Therefore, Li Wei had no intention of giving them face, and directly scolded them with a smile: "Whether the time is right or not, I have the final say, so you two should go back."

Then he called his men and said, "Come here, show the guest to me."

"It seems that Patriarch Li will not cry until he sees the coffin."

Xu You stood up and left, but when he reached the door, he turned back and said to Li Wei with a sneer, "Oh, I almost forgot to inform Patriarch Li..."

Li Wei had a bad feeling: "What do you mean by that?"

"I was the one who sent the assassins who ambushed and killed Liu Bei, and these people had appeared in the Li family. If Marquis Qi heard this news, how would he deal with the Yanshi Li family?"

After asking this question, Xu You showed an expression that was neither smiling nor laughing.

As early as when Li Wei greedily accepted the money, he had already stepped into the trap set by Yang Hong, and Xu You simply took advantage of the situation and pushed Li Wei and the entire Li family further into the fire pit.

At this moment, Li Wei finally realized his mistake and regretted it deeply.

"You plotted against me!"

Li Wei was very angry. He was actually being treated as a pawn by others. The feeling of having his fate manipulated at will made him feel depressed and resentful.

"That's wrong. If you were willing to keep your promise and cooperate with us, how could things have come to this? Don't you agree, Master Li?"

Xu You's words made Li Wei fall into the abyss.

Li Wei finally realized that he had no choice.

"So, do you want to cooperate with us now?"

Faced with Xu You's aggressive pressure, Li Wei was like a wounded lone wolf at the moment, and was at the end of his rope.

Of course, he thought about simply killing Xu You and Yang Hong and offering their heads to Wang Jing in order to save his life.

But he didn't dare to gamble. What if Wang Jing still wanted to target the Yanshi Li family?
At this point, Li Wei had no way out. He made up his mind and immediately revealed his vicious nature: "You want me to kill Marquis Qi, but he is a martial arts master and has a large army to protect him. I can't succeed at all." "As long as you want to do it, you can always find an opportunity."

Seeing that Li Wei was willing to cooperate, Xu You showed a happy expression: "Liu Bei was entrusted with the important task of measuring the land, but now he was assassinated. In order to win people's hearts, Wang Jing will definitely come to comfort him. At most, he will bring his twelve sword guards with him. This is the only opportunity you can seize."

"Is this true?"

Li Wei was still a little hesitant. After all, if the assassination failed, he would be killed and his clan would be exterminated.

In order to reassure Li Wei, Xu You said, "Liu Da'er is an extraordinary swordsman and has a tenacious character. He is also surrounded by two powerful generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. How can Wang Jing not personally show his favor and win over such a talented person? The assassins we arranged were also killed by the secret guards, so Wang Jing must have relaxed his mind and thought that no one could threaten his safety. He probably won't arrange troops to accompany him when he travels, and at most he will bring twelve sword guards."

Yang Hong also said: "What's more, in order to be on the safe side, we have specially prepared a treasure that can temporarily suppress Wang Jing's power and create opportunities for you."

After listening to Xu You and Yang Hong's analysis and assurance, Li Wei gritted his teeth and said, "It's better to be like this. Otherwise, if I die, you will be buried with me!"

Xu You and Yang Hong simply sneered at such threats. They had the two Yuans behind them, so how could they take a small local noble family seriously?

"In fact, if we think on the bright side, what we are doing is also equivalent to helping the Yanshi Li family."

The matter was not accomplished, and Xu You could only comfort and encourage Li Wei: "Wang Yuanxu is a perverse person who wants to harm the noble families of the world. If he is really allowed to implement the new policy, will the Li family still have a good life?"

They concealed their land and population, evaded government-assigned taxes and labor service, and then used all kinds of legal or illegal means to annex land.

All the wealthy and powerful families in the world have become rich by doing this.

If Wang Jing were to really allow the implementation of the inheritance law to carry out a nationwide land survey and population registration, the interests of the aristocratic families would inevitably be harmed.

Not to mention, the Li family's original ironware business completely declined because of the Qiqiao Pavilion founded by Wang Jing.

This incident alone was enough to make Li Wei resentful and want to get rid of Wang Jing as soon as possible.

Now Wang Jing wants to measure the land and force his family to pay land tax to the court. For Li Wei, this is tantamount to forcing his family to death.

Li Wei was ready to kill Wang Jing, but he still had some doubts. He looked at Yang Hong and Xu You with a vicious look, "If I take action, even if I succeed, are you sure the Li family won't bury Wang Jing with me afterwards? Although I wish I could tear him into pieces, I absolutely cannot die with him."

Xu You and Yang Hong looked at each other and laughed secretly. Although the fish in front of them was unruly, it finally took the bait.

"Master Li can rest assured about this."

Xu You then took out a long-prepared ten thousand-word letter: "My uncle and I have secretly united the famous families in the four counties. As long as you succeed in the assassination, as long as you raise your arms and call for help, people of insight will surely gather to respond. Maybe Patriarch Li will take advantage of the opportunity of Luoyang's leaderlessness to rule Luoyang and gain supreme power with the merit of killing Wang Jing, the culprit."

Advisors and wise men can always see through the weaknesses of human nature.

With just a few words, Xu You had completely aroused Li Wei's ambition and made him fall into an irresistible fantasy.

Take control of Luoyang and seize power!
When Li Wei heard this, his mind was full of imagination and he couldn't help but start looking forward to it.

Yang Hong also stood beside Li Wei and whispered to him at the right time: "In life, you have to fight for what you want. Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, don't miss it, or it will never come again."

"Okay, I'll do it!"

Li Wei finally made up his mind. He was indeed forced to do so at first, but after Xu You explained the pros and cons to him, he was indeed tempted and became more proactive.

"When will we do it?"

"Now."

"Now?"

"Yes, Wang Yuanxu will come at any time. We just need to set up an ambush in advance where he must pass, and then suppress his body with secret techniques. When the time comes, strong crossbows and poisonous arrows will be unleashed, and there will be no one in the world who cannot be killed!"

Outside Yanshi County, there is Yinmagou.

As the sun sets, golden rays of light spread across the earth.

At this moment, a group of knights were galloping towards them, and the crisp sound of horse hooves echoed in the narrow mountain road.

The leader, wearing golden-scale fish armor, with sword-like eyebrows flying and a heroic appearance, was Wang Jing.

Hu~
Wang Jing pulled the reins and stopped the horse. He looked around, scanning the gradually falling autumn leaves and dead branches on both sides of the mountain road, and asked, "Where are we?"

"According to the map, this place should be Yinmagou outside Yanshi County."

"Oh, the place where Xuande was ambushed?"

Wang Jing first looked around, then chuckled: "The mountains on both sides of the official road are steep, and there are dense forests blocking the view. It is indeed a perfect ambush location."

At this time, Wang Jing had no large army of guards accompanying him, only twelve personal followers. These twelve people were all old soldiers who had followed Wang Jing at the beginning. Among them, six were family warriors trained by the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the other six were old soldiers from Chenliu. They had followed Wang Jing in his battles for two years and were very loyal.

They all took the Black Dragon Bone Tempering Pill to forge bones as hard as iron. They were also proficient in the combined sword formation of the White Ape Sword Technique. They were able to fight against a strong man like Lu Bu, or at least hold off for a while.

"General, there's an ambush!"

Among the twelve sword guards, Wang Xu had the sharpest sense of smell. He could smell the sweat odor in the air as soon as he moved his nose and immediately opened his mouth to warn.

"Since we've been discovered, let's just do it!"

A roar was heard from the woods, followed by the vibration of crossbow strings. Arrows flew in like rain, dense as locusts.

Although the rain of arrows was dense, it did not pose much threat to the twelve sword guards wearing cold iron armor. They simply displayed their peerless swordsmanship, dancing the black iron swords in their hands so tightly that all the incoming arrows were smashed and knocked away.

However, the enemy's real killer move is hidden in this rain of arrows.

咻咻 咻 ~
All they heard was the sharp and menacing sound of three golden arrows breaking through the air. The arrows hadn't arrived yet, but the whistling sound alone was enough to make everyone's eardrums hurt and they were terrified.

"The Qi-breaking Golden Arrows and the Great Yellow Crossbow with magical powers!"

"Form a formation and protect the general!"

The twelve sword guards were shocked. The large yellow crossbow was a powerful weapon in the army, and the Qi-breaking golden arrow was made of refined gold essence. It was extremely precious and ordinary people could not easily obtain it.

The group of thieves in front of us are not only extremely daring, but also must be from a powerful background!

There are arrows hidden in arrows, as if the rain of arrows in front was just a feint, and these three crossbow arrows that are poisoned and blessed with spells are the real deadly killers.

The Qi-breaking Golden Arrow came with great force, and it was engraved with a magic array that was specifically designed to break the warrior's body. Even with the Golden Armor Yuan Gong, it was difficult to completely resist the huge power of the golden arrow.

"Heaven punishes Wang Jing!"

In the woods, Li Wei's eyes were red and bloodshot. In his opinion, with the three Qi-breaking golden arrows fired at the same time, Wang Jing would definitely die.

Boom boom boom~
The golden arrow hit Wang Jing accurately, and the fierce flames hit the surrounding area, stirring up strong winds and large amounts of smoke and dust.

"It's done!"

Li Wei clenched his fists, his eyes full of excitement and ecstasy: "Hahaha, God is really helping me!"

However, when the sand and stones fell and the smoke and dust cleared, Wang Jing's unharmed figure was still standing on the horse's back, and he had not even moved a step.

Just now, the golden arrow hit the Tianyan Lieyu outside Wang Jing's body, triggering the counterattack mechanism. The huge explosion actually successfully resisted the power of the Poqi golden arrow.

Heavenly fire intertwined, and Fiery Feathers protected Wang Jing. He had the Heavenly Flame Fiery Feathers, which were similar to reactive armor, protecting his body, and he did not receive any damage at all. The shock caused by the aftermath of the explosion was also endured by his strong physique.

"How is it possible that he is not dead?"

Li Wei showed an expression of anger and despair. The Qi-breaking Golden Arrow was the biggest trump card given to him by Yang Hong and Xu You. But now that he had used them all at once, he couldn't even break the defense?

(End of this chapter)