Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 497 Chang Kun's Self-Immolation?

Liu Ye rushed to the garrison eunuch's residence, while Xu Hongji was not idle either. Upon leaving Meilou, he immediately ordered the four city gates to be under martial law and to thoroughly investigate any suspicious persons. In an instant, the Beijing garrison was frequently mobilized, the city gates were heavily guarded, and the atmosphere inside the city became tense.

The location of the eunuch's residence was not unfamiliar to Liu Ye. After the last battle with the Shenji Battalion, he had chased them directly to Chang Kun's residence. This second time, he was even more familiar with the place.

He led his sword-wielding squad from the banks of the Qinhuai River through Chaoku Street, heading straight for Taiping Gate. Shimazu Chiyo and Qin Tian were also quick, arriving with their special forces to meet him outside Taiping Gate.

Qin Tian asked, "General, why not bring in the other infantry battalions?"

Liu Ye shook his head: "What are we doing bringing them here? To fight? Our opponent is just a eunuch who has been stripped of his military power, with at most a few dozen strong servants. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Besides, I have a good relationship with the Duke of Wei right now, so there's no need to make a big fuss and put him in a difficult position."

As they spoke, they arrived at the gate of the garrison eunuch's residence. Several burly men in flying fish robes guarded the entrance. Upon seeing the large group of people, their expressions changed, and they drew their embroidered spring knives, shouting, "Who goes there? The Embroidered Uniform Guard is conducting a case here. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach."

Normally, such a shout would be enough to scare away 90% of the onlookers; whether officials or civilians, no one wants to deal with the secret police without a reason. Unfortunately, Qionghai Army was not among the onlookers.

Liu Ye stepped forward and said with a smile, "Brothers, my surname is Liu. I am the garrison commander of Qionghai Town. I am an old acquaintance of Eunuch Chang. I would like to visit him tonight. Could you do me a favor?"

This is blatant lying. To come with a large group of men to "visit" an old acquaintance in such a menacing manner is something no fool would believe, and these few Imperial Guards certainly wouldn't be fooled.

If it were any other general, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't even give them a second thought. They exercise their power of investigation and trial without needing evidence; arrests are made at their whim. Theoretically, all officials, both civil and military, are under their control. With a single order from the emperor, they could even arrest the prime minister. What are mere generals compared to them? But this general of Qionghai Town has recently become too famous. Whether it's driving out Japanese pirates and the Dutch, achieving a great victory over bandits, or capturing the rebel leader Gao Yingxiang alive, none of these are easy feats. He was recently personally bestowed the title of Earl of Pingnan by the emperor, and his influence is at its peak. He's not someone who can be scared off by the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard alone. Even if they were to openly fight, how many men could possibly contend with hundreds or even thousands of ferocious soldiers before them?

A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. The Imperial Guards looked at each other, wondering how to deal with the situation, when Liu Ye walked over, stuffed two heavy silver ingots into the hand of the leading Imperial Guard officer, and said with a smile, "Brother, helping others is helping yourself."

Seeing that the other party was tactful and offered a way out, the junior officer hesitated. However, Chang Kun was a convict and not under the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; there was no need to clash with these common soldiers. He said, "No matter what you want with him, not too many people can go in, lest it make things difficult for us." Then he whispered, "Even if they're here to cause trouble, they can't be taken away, and they can't be injured, lest we have trouble explaining ourselves when we return to the capital."

Liu Ye nodded, "Understood." He then ordered Shimazu Chiyo and the sword-wielding squad to follow him inside. Reaching the door, he casually asked, "Brother, I heard Eunuch Chang is in some trouble and needs to go to the capital for punishment. Why haven't he set off yet?"

Xiao Qi touched the silver ingot in his sleeve, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "He is an old acquaintance of our leader this time, and he even gave him some benefits, saying that he would have a few days to take stock of his family property and make arrangements for his affairs. So we only guarded the gate and did not allow anyone to enter or leave at will, and we did not set off immediately."

"I'm afraid these past few days haven't been spent taking stock of his assets, but rather planning tonight's assassination." Liu Ye sneered and stepped through the gate. The Imperial Guards at the gate exchanged glances, and then one of them followed him into the house.

Passing through the front yard and entering the inner courtyard, it was brightly lit. A group of servants stood in front of them, each holding a dark object about two feet long. It seemed that Chang Kun had come prepared and was ready for action.

Chiyo Shimazu had a keen eye and immediately recognized it as the Divine Arm Crossbow, a weapon only found in the military. While its range wasn't very long, its accuracy and lethality within its effective range were astonishing. She immediately shouted, "Form ranks! Block the general in front!"

The sword-wielding squad immediately dispersed, forming a line to act as human shields in front of Liu Ye.

Shimazu Chiyo warned, "General, this is a special crossbow used by the Ming army. It is incredibly powerful. Be careful."

Liu Ye frowned and said, "The divine crossbows in the army? Could they have been confiscated when Chang Kun was in charge of the weapons bureau?" He whispered to Shimazu Chiyo, "Go outside and call Qin Tian in."

At this moment, the door opened, and Chang Kun stood in the doorway, looking at Liu Ye with hostility. He sneered, "Liu Ye, the fact that you're standing here means tonight's plan failed. It's a pity that despite all the careful planning, we still couldn't take your life. And that Duke of Wei who kicked you when you were down, I'm afraid he escaped by luck too?"

Liu Ye smiled. "It's best if you confess without being asked, so I don't have to waste my breath. Since you didn't kill me, I believe in letting grudges linger overnight, so this matter must be settled tonight."

Chang Kun waved his hand nonchalantly: "The victor is king, the loser is villain. I've fallen into your hands, so I have nothing to say. But I'd rather die than let you humiliate me. Tonight, I'll go with this mansion, so you'll have to watch helplessly as you can't avenge your grudge."

Liu Ye was taken aback. "What do you mean by 'traveling together'?"

Chang Kun retreated into the room, and the door creaked shut. A moment later, thick smoke billowed from the room, along with the smell of cooking oil mixed with burnt wood.

Could this eunuch be going to commit suicide? Liu Ye found it hard to believe that such a greedy eunuch would commit suicide so casually, and in one of the most tragic ways.

He wanted the samurai of the sword-drawing squad to rush in and see what was going on, but there were more than a dozen crossbows pointed in their direction, making it impossible to get through.

At this moment, Qin Tian arrived. Upon seeing him, Liu Ye quickly said, "Use your bow and arrows to disperse this group! We need to see Chang Kun with our own eyes to be sure whether he is a traitor or not. We need to see him alive or dead."

He and Chang Kun were now locked in a life-or-death struggle. If he didn't completely eliminate this eunuch, given his vengeful nature, he would surely try to assassinate him after escaping. There's no such thing as being able to guard against a thief for a thousand days; having such an adversary secretly watching him was like a persistent ghost, making it impossible to eat or sleep in peace.

Qin Tian nodded, took down his bow, and drew back the string. A creaking sound rang out as the bow and string curved into a full moon. The burly servant opposite him, holding a crossbow, realized a skilled archer had arrived and panicked, hesitating whether he should strike first.