PDLP Chapter 363
Chapter 363
"You're just distracting me. Get out of here."
Zhou Chu was disappointed in him.
Upon hearing this, Hai Rui looked at himself, then at the Embroidered Spring Knife in Zhou Chu's hand and Shen Lian's figure, and finally concluded that he would probably become a burden to his teacher. So he left with a worried expression.
Soon, shouts of killing could be heard not far away. Wang Yangming was about to go to sleep when he heard the message from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He quickly put on a robe and came to Zhou Chu's place.
He knew very well that so many people were here because they were after Zhou Chu.
Zhou Chu felt a warmth in his heart as he watched Wang Yangming rush over with his sword. Although Wang Yangming was a bit old, his actual combat strength was probably much higher than Shen Lian's.
“Hengqi, these people are probably after you. Have Chunfu escort you down the mountain.”
Wang Yangming said urgently.
Zhou Chu did not refute these words. He knew very well that his staying here was the most dangerous thing for Wang Yangming and the students of the academy. Wherever he was, that would be the place where these people would focus their attacks.
It would be impossible for those dozen or so Jinyiwei centurions to completely stop these people.
Zhou Chu and Shen Lian found a small path and headed straight down the mountain. However, they were blocked by dozens of people when they reached the halfway point. Shen Lian drew his Embroidered Spring Blade and charged forward without saying a word.
Shen Lian's martial arts skills were terrifying, but even so, he was struggling to defend himself against dozens of people. He killed one after another, and soon, assassins from other directions surrounded him.
Zhou Chu drew his embroidered spring knife and stood back-to-back with Shen Lian, so as to minimize their openings and weaknesses.
Zhou Chu killed one person after another, his embroidered spring knife constantly clashing with theirs. Eventually, his embroidered spring knife was covered in nicks and chips, but the assassins in front of him seemed endless.
This was the first time Zhou Chu realized how many people a thousand was. Zhou Chu and Shen Lian were facing at most a hundred or so enemies, which was already exhausting for them.
If Li Xian miscalculated anything, it was Zhou Chu's martial prowess. After all, Zhou Chu had only briefly displayed his personal martial skills on Chongming Island, but those who witnessed Zhou Chu's actions were either killed or captured.
Furthermore, Zhou Chu was always accompanied by Shen Lian and many Imperial Guards for protection, so not only Li Xian, but many people believed that Zhou Chu did not have particularly impressive martial arts skills.
In fact, Zhou Chu has been practicing Wang Yangming's kung fu for the past two years. Although he is slightly inferior to Shen Lian, he is far superior to ordinary people.
The relationship between Zhou Chu and Wang Yangming can be described as that of both teacher and friend.
Fortunately, Zhou Chu's residence was always equipped with armor. When they came out, Shen Lian and Zhou Chu were already wearing full armor. Even though they were surrounded by hundreds of people, the two of them stood back to back and managed to kill twenty or thirty people, with the corpses of assassins lying all around them.
But Zhou Chu knew very well that this couldn't go on. There were far more assassins than those in front of him, and once the remaining assassins surrounded them, breaking through would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.
There weren't many assassins besieging Wang Yangming. In fact, it was Wang Yangming who blocked their path. These people's target was never Wang Yangming. They also knew that Wang Yangming was not someone to be trifled with. Most of them bypassed Wang Yangming and went to pursue Zhou Chu.
Despite his best efforts, Wang Yangming managed to stop only twenty or thirty people. He then killed them one by one and chased after Zhou Chu, hoping to help Zhou Chu kill as many assassins as possible.
The sounds of killing were everywhere, waking up the students in the academy. When Hai Rui told them there were assassins, most of them were terrified and stayed inside, too afraid to go out.
A few seemed very excited.
Older students like Wu Cheng'en and Zhao Zhenji were all eager to try their luck and fight on the battlefield.
"I have a rudimentary understanding of military strategy. Those who are not afraid of death, follow me."
Hu Zongxian shouted.
Upon hearing Hu Zongxian's words, students such as Wu Cheng'en and Zhao Zhenji stepped forward.
"If you are willing to follow my instructions, then come with me. If you are not willing to listen, then do as you please, so as to avoid chaos later."
Hu Zongxian looked at the dozens of people in front of him and said with a serious expression.
Although Hu Zongxian may be younger than those who stepped forward, his demeanor and charisma made them unconsciously convinced.
"Now that I've stepped forward, I'll naturally listen to you."
one of them said.
As soon as he said that, everyone else chimed in.
When these students came to study, they were all carrying weapons for self-defense, and the academy did not confiscate their knives or swords.
That night, the entire mountain, from the mountainside to the bottom, was filled with shouts of battle.
That night, most of the dozen or so Imperial Guards commanders protecting Zhou Chu were killed in battle.
Shen Lian was seriously injured, and Wang Yangming was also somewhat exhausted.
Led by Hu Zongxian, the students also killed many assassins. However, when they entered the arena, most of the assassins were attacking Zhou Chu. Some of the students were seriously injured, but none of them died.
Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has gone missing!
The next day at dawn, the entire area around the academy was littered with the bodies of assassins. News spread that Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had been assassinated and was missing, causing shockwaves throughout the region.
Upon receiving this news, Yan Song was so shocked that he immediately stood up.
"What? Lord Zhou has been assassinated?"
This made Yan Song very uneasy. He knew that Yuyao, where Zhou Chu was assassinated, was not far from Suzhou Prefecture, and Yan Song could not escape responsibility no matter what.
This sent a chill down Yan Song's spine.
Who exactly is it that could organize so many people to assassinate the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard right under my nose?
Even knowing the consequences would be severe, Yan Song dared not conceal the news in the slightest and immediately ordered someone to send the message to the capital by express courier.
After doing all this, Yan Song hurriedly arranged for men to begin searching for Zhou Chu's whereabouts.
The entire Jiangnan province was instantly plunged into a state of panic and fear.
The 800-li urgent dispatch disregarded the horses' lives, changing horses at official post stations, achieving a speed of 600 to 800 li per day. Yan Song issued a strict order that the message must be delivered to the capital within two days, resulting in countless horses dying along the way.
Emperor Jiajing was reading memorials in his study when Huang Jin suddenly arrived with another person.
"Your Majesty, an urgent message from Suzhou Prefecture!"
Upon hearing this, Jiajing suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Say!"
Jiajing looked at the messenger and said.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was assassinated in Yuyao. His whereabouts and fate are unknown!"
The messenger's words were concise and to the point.
"What! How many assassins are there?"
Jiajing immediately stood up, staring intently at the messenger.
"No less than a thousand people."
The messenger swallowed hard.
"More than a thousand people? What is Yan Song good for? Issue an imperial edict to dismiss Yan Song and the governor of Jiangnan Province and imprison them. Also, arrange for people to search for the whereabouts of the weighing instrument. At the same time, thoroughly investigate who was responsible for this assassination. If they cannot find out, then clean up all those people in Jiangnan."
Jiajing said with a face full of anger.
The emperor's wrath can cause the deaths of millions; this is no joke. After Jiajing's decree reached Jiangnan, Yan Song dared not utter a single complaint. He only hoped that Zhou Chu could survive. As long as Zhou Chu lived, he had hope. If something happened to Zhou Chu, his future would be completely ruined.
The entire Jiangnan region was placed under martial law. At sea, Yun Jin received news of Zhou Chu's assassination and was filled with rage.
"The Xuanwu Army is assembling and marching towards Jiangnan!"