webnovelfull Chapter 609 Guan Xing is in trouble again
Chapter 609 Guan Xing is in trouble again
Amidst the envious shouts of the boys and infatuated girls, three burly men raised their crossbows and mercilessly pulled the triggers on Liu Shan, who was at the very front of the group.
At that moment, Liu Shan was whistling and banging on a gong with a smile on his face to the infatuated girls, completely unaware of the danger approaching. Fortunately, Zhang Bao and Xia Tong were there.
In addition to the parade, Zhang Bao and Xia Tong also had the responsibility of protecting Liu Shan. Moreover, as military generals, both of them had basic vigilance and were unlikely to be attracted by the external environment like Liu Shan.
Therefore, the moment the crossbow bolt was fired, Zhang Bao sensed the danger, his pupils contracted sharply, and he decisively shouted, "Assassins! Protect Your Highness!"
As he spoke, he reached out and snatched the bronze gong from Liu Shan's hand, grabbed the edge of the gong, and forcefully struck it at the incoming crossbow bolt.
Xia Tong reacted just as quickly, grabbing Liu Shan's arm and forcibly pulling him behind him as Zhang Bao snatched the gong, using his body as a shield for Liu Shan.
Zhang Bao gripped the gong and swung it forcefully, accurately knocking three crossbow bolts aside. Then he roared, "Xia Tong, take His Highness and go first. I'll go after the assassin."
After saying that, he drew his sword and rushed towards the assassin in the crowd, while Xia Tong quickly pulled Liu Shan to the back and protected him in the formation of the military academy.
The parade participants from the military academy were all elites trained by Guan Xing. The moment Liu Shan entered the formation, they automatically formed a line, protecting him and giving the assassins no chance to carry out a second assassination.
The problem was that while they were well-trained, the onlookers on the roadside were not. The onlookers were so frightened by the sudden turn of events that they screamed and scattered in all directions. Some of them even rushed towards the parade formation, which frightened the soldiers protecting Liu Shan, who immediately brandished their swords and shouted, "Run to other places! Anyone who dares to take a step forward will die!"
The rushing civilians were terrified and instinctively tried to turn around and run away, but due to their excessive tension, they lost their coordination. Some tripped over their own feet, some bumped into others because they were going too fast, and some were bumped into on the back because they were going too slow. All sorts of chaotic scenes were common.
Upon seeing this, Xia Tong immediately shouted, "Leave a team with me to protect His Highness, the rest of you expand the perimeter and keep the civilians outside the cordon."
He was trained by Guan Xing, and naturally he followed the military discipline set by Guan Xing. No matter how difficult the situation, he would never do anything to harm innocent civilians. While abiding by the discipline, he also paid attention to the methods and calmly handled the situation, quickly stabilizing the situation.
But Guan Xing was in a much worse situation, as he was also an assassin's target. At the same time Liu Shan was assassinated, six crossbows were aimed at him from both sides of the road.
Fortunately, Guan Xing had developed muscle instincts on the battlefield. As soon as the assassin raised his crossbow and before he could pull the trigger, Guan Xing tensed up like a fox being targeted by a hunter. He quickly turned his head to scan his surroundings and, upon seeing the crossbow in the crowd, immediately shouted, "Assassin! Everyone on alert!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crossbow bolt was fired. Guan Xing, who was not carrying a sword, decisively reached out and grabbed the sword of a soldier in the military academy formation in front of him. He forcefully pulled the scabbard from the soldier's waist and swung it forcefully, easily deflecting the incoming crossbow bolt to the side.
Jiang Wei reacted just as quickly, using the scabbards of the soldiers in front to deflect the crossbow bolts. He exchanged a glance with Guan Xing and was about to rush into the crowd to capture the assassin when panicked civilians rushed towards them.
Almost all of the girls rushing towards them were infatuated girls who had been drooling over Jiang Wei earlier. The sudden change gave these girls an opportunity, and they all swarmed towards Jiang Wei and Guan Xing, running and acting coquettishly as they went.
"Brother Jiang Wei, help! This is terrifying! Brother Jiang Wei, you can't just abandon people!"
"Lord Shence, save me! Where did this assassin come from? I'm terrified! You are a hero of the Han Dynasty, you won't abandon me at a time like this, will you?"
Unlike the military academy contingent, the Confucian academy contingent had no weapons; at most, they carried folding fans, posing no threat to the girls.
Therefore, the group of infatuated girls rushed over without any scruples, vying to throw themselves into each other's arms, and soon surrounded the entire Confucian Academy formation, including Guan Xing and Jiang Wei.
They've surrounded them...
The purpose of these infatuated girls is simple: they were already drooling over Jiang Wei's good looks, and now that they finally have the chance to get up close, how could they miss it?
When it comes to happiness, you should be brave enough to take action. What if you catch the eye of Brother Jiang Wei?
Even if you don't like it, it doesn't matter. Taking advantage of the situation is never a bad thing.
The same was true for Guan Xing. Although Guan Xing was not as handsome as Jiang Wei and was already married, he had a high status and position. He was the eldest son of a general, the nephew of the emperor, and the Marquis of Shence. He had both family background and ability. This kind of halo was much more attractive than Jiang Wei's looks.
Thinking it would be foolish not to take advantage of the situation, the infatuated girls swarmed forward, some hugging his arms, others his waist, and soon they had completely surrounded the Confucian Academy's formation. Guan struggled with all his might to break free and chase after the assassin, but there were dozens of women surrounding him, three layers deep, even more tightly than when he fought the Wu army. He couldn't break free in a short time and could only watch helplessly as the assassin escaped.
The soldiers in the rear formations of the School of Mathematics, the School of Medicine, and the School of Engineering were not soldiers, but ordinary people whom Guan Xing had temporarily recruited from the city without any professional training. Therefore, they did not take any effective action, but stood there staring blankly at the Confucian Academy formation surrounded by infatuated girls, while saying sourly, "Why is it that the Confucian Academy is so popular with girls, while we are ignored? I'm going to switch to the Confucian Academy."
No sooner had he finished speaking than nearby refugees rushed into the procession, quickly splitting the three formations apart and creating even more chaos.
Not far ahead, Yuan Hui and Xu Jing were stunned by this sudden turn of events. After their astonishment, Yuan Hui looked at Liu Shan, who was being protected by soldiers, and said, "What did I tell you? It's not good for His Highness the Crown Prince to follow Marquis Shence. I must impeach Guan Anguo at the morning court tomorrow."
Xu Jing chimed in, "Indeed, it should be impeached, but that's for tomorrow morning. Let's deal with the important matters first. Everyone, go up and evacuate the people. Don't let them disrupt His Highness the Crown Prince's procession. Go quickly!"
As he spoke, he kicked a slow-reacting guard, urging him and Yuan Hui's guards to step forward and maintain order.
This shows the difference between the two. Xu Jing is pragmatic and knows to solve problems first, while Yuan Hui only thinks about how to talk big and cause trouble. He is useless when it comes to real problems.
With the joint efforts of Liu Shan, Guan Xing, and Xu Jing, the crowd was finally dispersed and the streets gradually returned to order. Only then did Yuan Hui and Xu Jing come to Liu Shan to pay their respects.
Liu Shan helped the two up, comforted them, and then called out, "Anguo, Anguo, are you alright?"
Guan Xing struggled to squeeze through the crowd to stand in front of Liu Shan. Seeing his appearance, Liu Shan couldn't help but laugh and asked, "What happened to you? You're so badly injured."
At this moment, Guan Xing's face and arms were covered with scratches from fingernails. Guan Xing sighed miserably, "The women of the Han Dynasty are too passionate. I can't handle it at all. Xingguo, have you caught the assassin yet?"
Before Liu Shan could answer, Yuan Hui spoke first: "Marquis Shence, you instigated His Highness to go out into the streets, causing His Highness to fall into danger. Your crime is grave. Your Highness, the assassins in the streets have not yet been eliminated. Please return to the palace immediately."
Xu Jing echoed, "This place is not suitable for lingering. Your Highness, please return to the palace immediately."
Guan Xing said, "We can't leave. There are no other assassins in the city, and we don't know if Your Highness will try to assassinate us again on your way back to the palace. If we rush back to the palace, we will only give the assassins an opportunity."
"I have already sent people back to mobilize the army. Let's wait here until the army arrives before returning to the palace."