"Your... Your Highness, the Prince of Yan..."
No matter how arrogant and boastful Lin Zheng had been before, all his courage crumbled in the face of Song Yinghuai in person.
Song Yinghuai stood upright and handsome not far in front of Lin Zheng, simply staring coldly at him with a look so icy that it was even colder than the spring rain.
Lin Zheng's eyes stared straight ahead, filled with shock and fear. His legs trembled like a sieve.
The Prince of Yan had returned as they'd hoped!
But unfortunately for Lin Zheng, he realized that he was the one who had to bear Song Yinghuai's wrath!
The way Song Yinghuai looked at him was like looking at a dying man, making him feel as if he'd been kicked into an ice - cold lake in the middle of winter.
It was utterly despairing.
With a "thud", Lin Zheng shamefully knelt down.
The night pearl in his hand rolled to one side, emitting a greenish glow that made the dark forest seem like a purgatory on earth.
"Your Highness, spare my life!" Lin Zheng had none of the arrogance he'd shown when he'd besieged Caiyu and the others. He knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately. "Your Highness, spare this humble servant's life! I was just following orders..."
Song Yinghuai's gaze fell on the token at his waist, and he let out a soft laugh.
"The Chief of the Eastern Depot? Huang Shan is dead, and now that you've just taken over, you want to avenge him?"
Cold sweat poured down Lin Zheng's face. He mumbled, "Yes... yes. My adoptive father... no, Huang Shan deserved his death. This humble servant had long been disgusted with his using his position to bully others. Your Highness getting rid of him was in line with the will of heaven and the people..."
At this moment, Lin Zheng wished he could pour out all the flattery he'd learned in the palace.
But Song Yinghuai was too lazy to listen to his nonsense. He directly looked at Caiyu and asked, "What was the name of the dead guard?"
A flash of pain crossed Caiyu's eyes. "Ruan Wu!"
"Good." Song Yinghuai pointed at Lin Zheng, who was kneeling on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "I know you feel guilty about Ruan Wu. Now your chance for revenge is right in front of you. Go!"
"Your Highness, spare my life!" Lin Zheng was terrified when he heard this and shouted desperately for mercy. His voice was shrill.
When Caiyu heard the word "revenge", her eyes were already filled with a rolling killing intent. Her eyes were as cold as a Shura from hell.
She quickly drew out her Yaojiu dagger and walked towards Lin Zheng.
Lin Zheng let out a loud cry and tried to get up and resist, but Song Yinghuai struck him in the chest with a palm.
His ribs seemed to break. The excruciating pain made Lin Zheng kneel back to his original position and he could hardly straighten up.
However, this was only the beginning.
He only felt a flash of cold light in front of his eyes, and suddenly a sharp pain hit his face!
Warm blood flowed from his face and instantly blurred his eyes.
"Ah!"
Lin Zheng let out a shrill scream that echoed through the sky.
But before he could react, his scalp, ears, nose tip, mouth...
Countless knife edges sliced at him one after another.
From his face to his body, no part was spared.
Caiyu's voice seemed to come from between her teeth, burning with volcanic anger.
"This knife is for you having someone use a musket to blow Ruan Wu's face to pieces!"
"This knife is for you having someone use a musket to shred Ruan Wu's body!"
"He was only in his early twenties! He was always so vain, dreaming of finding a wife with his good looks!"
"You blew the face he loved and cherished to pieces!"
"When I transported his body back to Yan, his parents couldn't even recognize him!"
"I'll make you die a miserable death! Ah!"
Caiyu roared, hoarse and exhausted. At this moment, she was like a crazy woman.
Lin Zheng's shrill screams gradually died down from the initial ear - piercing wails...
His body was full of holes, and there was not a single piece of intact skin. He was like a huge beehive.
Finally, he lay on his back on the ground, his body twitching from time to time as he was on the verge of death.
Caiyu seemed to have lost her mind and kept hacking at him non - stop.
It wasn't until Song Yinghuai forcefully pulled her into his arms and snatched the dagger from her.
"I want to kill him to avenge Ruan Wu!"
The young girl's face was flushed, and her eyes were blood - red. She raised her neck and stared straight at Song Yinghuai, her pupils flickering with endless anger, more scorching than fire.
"Yes, revenge." Song Yinghuai raised his hand and gently patted her on the back. His voice was deep and doting. "You've already taken your revenge. Ruan Wu can rest in peace..."
"Be good. Put the dagger away."
His voice was steady and seductive.
Caiyu stared blankly at Song Yinghuai for a moment. Never had she been so obedient. She obediently handed over the dagger.
But at this moment, her rationality seemed to collapse.
Her vision went black, and she fell into endless darkness.
Song Yinghuai quickly picked her up. His deep eyes were dark and bright, like a star - filled night sky with a cold chill.
The Crown Prince...
It was good this way. This trip by the Crown Prince had pushed Caiyu one step closer to him.
Song Yinghuai carried Caiyu out of the dense forest. Dozens of Xinchang city guards also came pouring in from all directions.
Han Fen and the others also stumbled out of the forest. The blades of their knives were still dripping with blood.
They were escorting seven or eight captives, including water bandits and Eastern Depot agents.
Some people were holding several muskets and were playing with them excitedly.
"This musket... is really powerful!" Leng Fei caressed it lovingly. "I wish I could have such a weapon someday."
His words made everyone burst into laughter. "You're daydreaming! These were bought by our Great Ye from overseas. We don't have such good things in Great Ye!"
"Only the most trusted guards of the court can carry muskets."
"What a pity." Leng Fei muttered in disbelief. "Our Great Ye is a celestial empire. Why can't we invent muskets? We even have to buy them from foreign merchants... Gunpowder was clearly first invented by our Great Ye, but now other countries have made muskets and explosives before us!"
He felt the external structure of the musket. "Look, look. I think... if I had a musket, I could definitely figure out its mechanism!"
"Do you know the art of strange mechanisms?" Song Yinghuai's voice sounded behind Leng Fei.
Leng Fei was startled. He quickly put down the musket in his hand, turned his head to look at Song Yinghuai, and bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness!"
There was full respect in his tone. "In reply to Your Highness, my grandfather was a blacksmith. My father could make weapons and was also interested in the art of mechanisms. I've been influenced by them since childhood and have quite a lot of research on these weapons and mechanisms."
At this moment, he sincerely admired Song Yinghuai and no longer had the unruly spirit he'd had before they set off.
They were just fifty ragtag soldiers with mediocre weapons.
But after entering the dense forest, thanks to Song Yinghuai's proper ambush arrangements, when facing the Eastern Depot agents with high martial arts skills, well - armed with muskets and broadswords, and the energetic water bandits, none of them died.
They even managed to capture several captives, and beheaded the rest.
Leng Fei counted...
His military achievements were enough for him to obtain a hereditary position!
Now he was completely and utterly in awe of Song Yinghuai.
No wonder he was known as the God of War. The rumors were true. He could turn a losing hand into a winning one!
"Good." Song Yinghuai was still holding Caiyu. He nodded slightly and looked at the piled - up heads on the ground. "How many were beheaded? How many were captured alive?"
Leng Fei was filled with admiration. Unconsciously, he stood at attention and replied proudly and loudly,
"Sixty - seven heads were beheaded! Eight were captured alive! Among them, six were water bandits and two were Eastern Depot agents!"
"Very good!" Song Yinghuai was quite satisfied. "Clean up and escort the heads and captives back to Xinchang. Then wait for the military rewards."
He looked at Leng Fei and asked, "Do you want to join the Yan Army?"
The Yan Army?
The invincible army that had been blocking the 300,000 Tartar iron troops on the border for years, not allowing them to take a single step across the line?
Leng Fei was overjoyed and immediately replied, "This subordinate is willing!"
Song Yinghuai said, "Since that's the case, I'll ask Xinchang for your documents. You'll join the army in Yan in three days... General Tan Xiong intends to set up a special army in the Five - Army Battalion specifically for handling firearms. After you join, it's up to you to see if you can design these firearms."
"Han Fen, make the arrangements for me." After giving his instructions, Song Yinghuai took Caiyu and left first, eager to return to Xinchang.
He left behind a group of excited Xinchang city guards cheering.
Everyone was immersed in the joy of victory, except for Ruan Qi and a few others, who anxiously asked everyone they met,
"Where's Qingqing? Has anyone seen a maid in the forest?"