owlsbooks Chapter 2548 Heavenly Martial Conspiracy, Assassination of the Emperor
Chapter 2548 Heavenly Martial Conspiracy, Assassination of the Emperor
Chapter 2548 Heavenly Martial Conspiracy, Assassination of the Emperor
In the capital city of Tianjing, the frost and snow had just cleared.
The streets were bustling with carriages and pedestrians, and the shops and taverns were lively, but the air was filled with a kind of understated confidence and busyness that belonged to the capital of a powerful dynasty.
A rather inconspicuous carriage, escorted by several capable attendants, slowly drove into the West Market Gate of Tianjing City.
The carriage curtain was slightly lifted, revealing a pair of deep, scrutinizing eyes.
"A powerful neighbor is right next to us..." Tian Wen looked at the wide and flat imperial road outside the carriage, the rows of houses, and the relatively calm expressions on the faces of the passersby, which were different from those in war-torn areas. He couldn't help but sigh softly and then lowered the carriage curtain.
Lord Mengchang, Tian Wen, was a prince of the State of Qi in history. In this life, he was secretly born during a chaotic summoning ceremony and was also implanted into the Tian Qi state, remaining a member of the Qi royal family.
On the other side of the Great Qian Dynasty, although Jiang Ziya was forced to temporarily return to the central court to mediate among the various royal families and feudal lords due to the machinations of the Han Dynasty, this directly affected the war on the front lines.
However, after being attacked by Zhu Yuanzhang and Jiang Ziya, Xiao Ping'an had been weakened to the extreme. He was once the strongest rebel king in the Great Qian Dynasty, but he had been weakened to the point where he could compete for the title of the weakest rebel king.
Even if this battle ends in failure, the previous gains were not in vain. Now, Xiao Ping'an's control over territory is reduced by a full 70% compared to his peak.
Xiao Ping'an, the strongest among the rebel kings, has already been defeated. In addition to those who have been eliminated over the years and those who have disappeared due to mutual annexation among the rebel kings, the once dense and mighty rebel kings are now reduced to only three groups: Tian Wu, Li Mi, and Xiao Ping'an.
The rebel kings of today no longer pose a fundamental threat to the Great Qian Dynasty.
In just over two years, under Jiang Ziya's management, the once chaotic Great Qian Dynasty seemed to have been completely transformed.
After Xiao Ping'an was defeated, among the three rebel kings, Tian Qi seemed to be the most powerful in terms of overall strength.
Not long ago, Jiang Chaoyu's troops seemed to be pressing eastward, which directly triggered Tian Qi's already tense nerves.
It was under these circumstances that Lord Mengchang, Tian Wen, went to Han to seek help from this powerful neighbor.
In the past year, in order to slow down the pace of the Great Qian's suppression of the rebellious kings within its borders, the Great Han has not only tried to sow discord among the various royal families and princes of the Great Qian, but its most important task has been to increase its support for the Tian Qi, which is only separated from the Great Qian by a mountain range.
After all, of the remaining three warlords, the other two were far apart, so supporting Tian Qi would be the most convenient and quickest option for the Han Dynasty.
It was precisely because the relationship between the two sides had entered a honeymoon period over the past year that, given the tense external situation, Tian Qi would think of the Han Dynasty first when it faced external pressure.
The wise men of Tian Qi were well aware that the Han Dynasty was eyeing the Qian region covetously. If they were to move south, not only would the Qian court become their target, but they themselves would also be unable to remain unscathed.
Asking for help from the other party is like asking a tiger for its skin.
However, compared to the Han Dynasty, the threat of the Qian Dynasty is now imminent, and they can only resort to desperate measures.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the post station specially designated for receiving foreign guests in the Han Dynasty. When Tian Wen and his entourage arrived, the official in charge of special reception, who had been notified in advance, was already waiting at the door, showing courtesy while maintaining an appropriate distance. "Lord Mengchang has come from afar and must be tired from his journey. I have prepared lodgings for you. Please rest for now and await His Majesty's summons," the official said as he led Tian Wen into the post station.
Tian Wen nodded with a smile, responding with great poise. Although he couldn't see Wang Yu immediately, he wasn't discouraged. This gave him time to visit some of the more influential officials of the Han Dynasty.
The four lords of the Warring States period were all adept at social maneuvering, and Tian Wen was no exception.
Wang Yu, who had just returned to Tianjing, learned of Tian Wen's arrival from officials of the Court of State Ceremonial, but did not rush to meet him.
On the Daqian side, Jiang Chaoyu only made a show of pressing eastward, but no real fighting broke out, so Tian Qi wasn't in a hurry.
Furthermore, Jiang Ziya was adept at using feints to attack other forces. Previously, he had made it appear as if he was attacking Tian Qi, but in reality, he had mobilized his army to launch a surprise attack on Xiao Xuan.
Before the true intentions of the Great Qian Dynasty are fully confirmed, the Great Han Dynasty will be even less likely to act rashly.
According to Wang Yu's schedule, he shouldn't have returned so soon, but on the very day he was about to depart from Tongquetai, he received a secret message from Luo Wang.
The people from Tianwu Academy contacted Dongyi and Zhao Song, as well as some people from the former Da Cang, along with other mixed groups, intending to assassinate Wang Yu while he was away from the capital.
According to information gathered by Luo Wang, in addition to these foreign forces, the people who took action this time also included former local forces such as Zhao Song and Da Cang, as well as some local aristocratic families and martial arts sects.
Such as some of the Guanzhong aristocratic families, Qingcheng Sect, Juxian Manor, Evil Valley, Power Gang, Vajra Temple and other Jianghu forces, as well as Shangguan Jin Hong who escaped from the Jinqian Gang of Hedong Road, Yue Buqun, Mo Da, Feng Qingyang and other remnants who escaped from the Five Mountains Sword Sect.
Even notorious figures like the Twelve Zodiacs and the Black Wind Duo were drawn in by the lure of profit.
Although Tianwu Dao had meticulously planned ahead, the difficulty of keeping their plans secret naturally increased when they recruited so many cannon fodder, and ultimately, Luo Wang discovered their scheme in advance.
Those driven by profit will naturally be lured away by the same network of interests.
At least from the intelligence reports from Luo Wang, apart from the Vajra Temple which was somewhat respectable, the others were nothing more than worthless rabble, and Wang Yu didn't take them seriously at all.
Although it's uncertain whether there are other Celestial-level powerhouses involved besides the Vajra Temple, even if there are, their threat to Wang Yu is limited.
Not to mention his own strength, he was accompanied by two great masters, Li Yuanba and Ling Donglai, as well as three thousand armored soldiers along the way.
Even Wang Yu couldn't figure out what the purpose of Tianwu Academy organizing such an assassination was.
However, although Wang Yu did not take this pointless assassination attempt seriously, he did not want to waste his time on these people.
There's no other reason than that, as the emperor, he wasn't idle. Given the level of these people, they weren't worth Wang Yu's time to put in any effort.
After Wang Yu led Li Yuanba and Ling Donglai away from the main force, they returned to Tianjing in troop transport vehicles. The remaining main force, while luring the rebels out, was also responsible for wiping them out.