The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 65: Capture the King to Catch the Thief

The rebels charged forward with overwhelming momentum.

The two cannonballs terrified Xia Chengxu and his men, who scattered and fled. Xia Chengren, the most skilled in martial arts, immediately collapsed to the ground.

Only Xia Chengzong remained guarding Emperor Yonglong.

He was meticulous in his observations and precise in his calculations, having anticipated that the trajectory of the shells would not harm them, and therefore remained fearless.

Emperor Yonglong's positive emotions +10 +10 +10

Emperor Yonglong's decades of cultivation of inner strength allowed him to stand steadily without moving an inch.

But after witnessing the power of the artillery shells, he was still terrified.

He wasn't disappointed even though his grandchildren had scattered in all directions.

How could a little child not be afraid? This is the normal reaction of a child.

However, Zong Ge'er stood firm and continued to protect him, which greatly moved him!

At this moment, Xia Chengzong shouted, "Quickly, their cannons are ready to fire again. This time, they're probably aiming at the palace. Quickly find a place to hide!"

The artillery of that era had limited range, and because it used solid shot, its destructive power was also limited.

Without knowing Emperor Yonglong's exact location, the chances of hitting him were slim.

Xia Chengzong was also wondering why the rebels launched a direct assault right from the start, instead of bombarding the palace with artillery.

At that time, Emperor Yonglong was completely unprepared, which gave him the greatest chance of success.

He quickly came up with the answer.

It's still a matter of range.

The cannons were too large; they couldn't possibly move them into range without alerting the guards.

Therefore, they attacked first to draw the attention of the inner guards, and then took the opportunity to advance their artillery.

Move the cannons to a position that can cover the palace, and take out the heavy infantry with the first shot.

Therefore, there was no reason not to try bombing the palace with the second shot to see if they could kill the emperor.

After giving the order, Xia Chengzong took the lead and led them to hide.

The crowd hesitated, but Emperor Yonglong followed. The crowd hurriedly followed, and some of his grandsons were even brought along.

Xia Chengzong quickly led everyone to a corner he had already chosen.

This is the safest location he calculated.

Boom! Boom!

Two more cannon shots rang out, and two cannonballs landed in the palace, destroying most of it.

Everyone was filled with fear.

Xia Chengzong said to Xia Chengxu and the others, "You stay here to protect Grandfather, I'll be right back!"

After saying that, Xia Chengzong turned and walked out.

Emperor Yonglong hurriedly asked, "Zong-ge'er, where are you going?"

Xia Chengzong said, "I'll go and wipe out the artillerymen and destroy the cannons so they can't endanger Grandfather's safety!"

Emperor Yonglong hurriedly stopped him, saying, "It's too dangerous. You mustn't go. I'll send someone myself..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Xia Chengzong resolutely rushed down.

This moved Emperor Yonglong, but also filled him with worry.

For Xia Chengzong, charging down was far safer than staying in place.

Staying on high ground means facing bullets.

If you charge down, you'll only be facing the gunners.

Flesh and blood are no match for bullets.

But his martial arts skills came in handy when facing the gunner.

The terrain outside the palace was completely imprinted in his mind.

Therefore, even though the outside was dimly lit by the torchlight and could not be seen clearly, he still walked as fast as he could.

He covered the distance of over three hundred steps in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

A few dozen steps away, he saw two dark, crouching tiger-shaped cannons.

A dozen gunners are working together, some pouring water on the gun barrel to cool it down, and others preparing to load shells.

There were ten rebel guards protecting the perimeter.

If they went any further, they would inevitably alert the rebel forces on the outskirts.

Xia Chengzong took down his longbow, nocked an arrow, and shot.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!Whoosh!

His arrows flew like the wind, never missing their mark.

Gunners a few dozen paces away fell to the ground, one by one, struck by arrows.

"Enemy attack!"

The remaining people, though panicked, remained calm.

While quickly dodging, they began searching for the enemy, preparing to counterattack.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!Whoosh!

Xia Chengzong didn't stop, firing arrow after arrow, and the rebel artillerymen fell one by one.

Gunners must undergo long and rigorous training before they can operate the guns; he shot and killed most of them in one go.

The remaining two or three gunners hid in the blind spot behind the cannon, and for a moment they could not find a suitable angle to fire.

However, the remaining two or three gunners were so frightened that they hid behind the cannons, trembling with fear. They dared not operate the cannons anymore.

At this moment, the rebel soldiers guarding the outer perimeter also found Xia Chengzong's location.

They quickly surrounded Xia Chengzong in a semi-circle.

Xia Chengzong dropped his longbow, drew his sword, and charged forward.

Now his swordsmanship and agility have both reached a certain level of proficiency.

However, if surrounded by the enemy, neither of these two options are reliable. Without inner armor, one would likely be hacked to death quickly.

Xia Chengzong naturally understood this principle: a swift victory was necessary, and they must not be surrounded by the rebels.

brush!

In a single exchange, he used uncanny movement to dodge the long sword slashing down from the rebel leader, and struck the rebel squarely in the throat, killing him instantly.

Next, he used the same method to fight the rebels.

Strike once and retreat immediately; never linger in battle.

He quickly eliminated four or five rebels.

The rebels sensed something was wrong and shouted to form ranks.

The remaining seven or eight rebels formed a battle formation and pressed towards Xia Chengzong.

Seeing this, Xia Chengzong bypassed them and charged towards the remaining gunners.

His goal was to kill the gunners and destroy the artillery, so why would he be foolish enough to engage in a head-on confrontation?

The rebel army, having completed their formation, was both shocked and enraged, and pursued them relentlessly.

However, their speed was far inferior to Xia Chengzong's.

They need to maintain their formation, which slows them down even further. How can they possibly catch up?

Xia Chengzong rushed to the cannon and killed the remaining gunners with a few sword strikes.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!Whoosh!

He lost his longbow, but there were still arrows in his quiver.

The pursuing rebels were only a dozen steps away from him.

He simply flung the arrows with his hand, and three arrows took the lives of three more rebels.

The remaining rebels were so frightened by the killing that they immediately turned and fled.

Xia Chengzong didn't chase after it. Instead, he found a large rock and smashed it a few times, destroying the cannon's firing mechanism and rendering it unusable.

The mission has now been successfully completed.

Without artillery support, the rebels were no match for the internal guards.

At that moment, Xia Chengzong heard the deafening sounds of fighting coming from the northeast again.

This sparked a thought in his mind.

There are at least two rebel groups, not just this one.

It is unknown which army stopped the rebels.

Although he knew that the rebels would ultimately fail and the emperor would be safe.

But he has traveled through time and changed the plot. Who knows if something unexpected will happen?

Xia Chengzong wondered what else he could do.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him.

He stripped off the uniform of a short artilleryman and put it on himself.

Then, he quietly approached the rebels from behind.

Then they infiltrated the rebel ranks.

At this moment, the rebels and the defending troops were engaged in fierce fighting.

Prince Yizhong, dressed in a bright yellow robe, was riding a horse in the center, giving instructions.

Xia Chengzong approached quietly, then leaped onto his horse and snatched the long sword from his hand.

With a swift turn, the blade was already pressed against his neck.