Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 311

They had no chance to rescue His Majesty the Emperor who was under attack...

Chapter 379 The Exploding Mechanism Azure Dragon

The Six Sword Slaves' mission was to sabotage the assassination attempt by the anti-Qin alliance and completely eliminate the anomaly, Yan Ri, within the Luo Wang network, thus setting the stage for their next big event in Sanghai.

Therefore, upon realizing that they had fallen into a trap and that this place was bait for anti-Qin rebels, the first thought of the Six Sword Slaves was to escape.

Shinjiro scanned the approaching enemy and quickly made the decision to hold his ground:

Although the goal is to escape, we are outnumbered by the enemy. If we rush to escape, we may be exploited by Xiaoyaozi and ultimately none of us will be able to leave.

Instead, the six of them only need to wait a short while for the main force of the Luo Wang in the forest to arrive. At that time, the advantage will return to the Luo Wang, and they will be able to leave easily!

Inside the dense forest, Zhao Gao, who was sneaking around, also spotted the red dragon signal. His expression changed drastically. Instead of rushing into the bait to suppress Xiaoyaozi with the Six Sword Slaves, he used his lightness skill to rush towards the location of the attack. Luo Wang had made a mistake today. He had considered Xiaoyaozi's defection, but he did not expect them to split into two groups.

These rebels were already short-handed; if they were to split their forces further, they would likely be wiped out on both fronts without achieving any results.

Especially after learning that Zongheng, Gao Jianli, Xiaoyaozi, and even Qinglong were together, Zhao Gao made a wrong judgment.

Now, we need to do everything we can to remedy the situation!

At the attack site, the mechanical Azure Dragon opened its mouth and spat out its fifth explosive shell, destroying a six-cart. Although the attack was still successful, it was blocked by Qin army ballistae during launch and was almost detonated in the air.

After this attack, dozens of ballistae modified by the Gongshu family were deployed. They tacitly used half of them to attack the Azure Dragon mechanism, while the other half focused on defending against the Azure Dragon's next attack. Master Ban initially judged that it was unlikely that the next explosive shell could accurately hit the six chariots in the distance.

The threat posed by those ballistae was not limited to penetration. The Mo family had explosive shells, and the Gongshu family, who were skilled in using offensive mechanical arts, could naturally also manufacture explosive crossbow bolts, which were multi-projectile type, capable of area-of-effect attacks.

The mechanical Azure Dragon was large and powerful, with thick legs for standing, but its upper body was rather thin, making it difficult to withstand the explosive impact of the crossbow bolts for long. In particular, Gai Nie, Wei Zhuang, and Gao Jianli, who were responsible for blocking the Qin army's experts from approaching, were forced to retreat and dodge the explosive bolts, and their positions gradually began to lose coordination...

Meanwhile, the guarding mechanical beasts of the Gongshu family were nearing completion, meaning the Qin chariot's defenses would become increasingly sophisticated. Once they launched a counterattack, their side would be wiped out...

The destruction of five six-horse carriages was far beyond their expectations, but only the tyrant himself knew whether he was actually in those carriages.

Boom! Another explosion crackled and popped all over Qinglong's body. Master Ban knew that he could not delay any longer. If the gunpowder inside Qinglong was affected by these explosions, it would be extremely bad. He had to start preparing for the retreat.

Thinking of this, Master Ban pulled the red lever inside the Azure Dragon mechanism.

Qinglong fired an explosive shell at the sixth carriage, which was unsurprisingly intercepted by the ballistae. Then, the silent Qinglong's eyes turned red, and it mechanically roared.

Upon hearing this order, Gai Nie, Wei Zhuang, and Gao Jianli, each trapped among heavily armored soldiers and Qin troops clad in black armor, knew that they would have to flee.

There were many experts in the Qin King's chariot. Once they were caught by these people, it would be difficult to break free for a while. In addition, there were endless Qin soldiers. As time went by, even though the three of them were among the top experts in the martial arts world, their bodies gradually began to show signs of their own blood.

However, this is the middle of nowhere, and even if they are guilty of assassinating the emperor, as long as they have no burdens, it would not be difficult for them to escape.

Especially given that the main force of Luo Wang and the Six Sword Slaves were still tied up by Xiaoyaozi's side and could not arrive in time.

The three used Hundred Steps Flying Sword, Horizontal Sweep in All Directions, and Yi Shui Han to kill the nearest group of Qin soldiers, and then decisively fled into the dense forest. As for Master Ban and the mechanical Azure Dragon, they seemed to have abandoned them.

While the two masters, Gao Jianli and Zong Heng, were not known for their lightness skills in the martial arts world, that was relative. At least for ordinary Qin soldiers and martial arts experts who had served the Qin state, they could not catch up with them.

The battle-hardened armored soldiers attempted to shoot with their crossbows, but failed to capture any of them.

Now, the Qin army convoy's only remaining target was a dilapidated, heavily blackened mechanical dragon and the weak Master Ban.

Master Ban's expression was grave. The retreat plan hadn't included having the three of them take him with them; that would have made him a burden. His only option for retreat was to rely on the mechanical Azure Dragon he and the previous Grand Master, Yan Dan, had created in imitation...

Ying Zheng, inside the carriage, didn't know much about what was happening outside. In the situation just now, any attempt to report could have exposed his location. Wang Li, who was in charge of the defense, was indeed eager to make a name for himself, but he wouldn't be so foolish as to do something like that.

As for the fact that Ying Zheng was lucky enough to survive and was not in one of the five six-horse chariots that were destroyed by the Azure Dragon Mechanism, it is certainly not something that can be described simply as good luck. In fact, he was not in any of the six chariots at all, but was in the four chariots belonging to ministers from beginning to end.

The entire caravan consisted of nine six-horse carriages, all of which were empty.

Therefore, Ying Zheng did not panic and ordered the coachman to drive away. The position of this four-horse carriage was also intentionally far away from all the six-horse carriages, so that if the enemy launched an assassination attempt according to the usual approach, he would not be in any danger.

However, the fact that the Azure Dragon could appear so close to the convoy was itself a threat.

In the past, Ying Zheng was not afraid of Jing Ke's assassination attempt because he had Gai Nie, the Shadow Guards, the Luo Wang (a secret network of intelligence), and even masters of the Yin Yang School by his side.

Therefore, as the master of the empire, he had enough confidence to face those who hated him.

Even though today's events ended without serious harm, the continuous explosions still sent a chill down Ying Zheng's spine, and his face turned ashen: future defenses need to be arranged even more meticulously.

According to previous intelligence, there was only one Azure Dragon Mechanized System created by Mozi approximately three hundred years ago. That one was destroyed in front of everyone in the Mechanized City. Although there was prior intelligence about this second one, the intelligence estimated that its power was nowhere near that of Mozi's Azure Dragon, and it had been under constant surveillance by the Net...

But the reality is... either the Luo Wang (a secret police organization) failed in its duties, or the anti-Qin forces remained strong!

It's more likely that it has both!

This empire still needs to be managed by himself: Fusu spent many months in Sanghai, but he neither suppressed the rebels nor subdued the Confucianists. His methods were too immature!

Only when he learns to use the power of 'law and military force' in his own hands can he withstand the pressure from a country.

“Sanghai is too comfortable and too timid. Fusu needs to go to a more challenging environment to be tested.”

The explosive bombs fired by the Azure Dragon outside hadn't hit another carriage for a long time, so it could be assumed that the assassination attempt had basically come to an end. Ying Zheng didn't have enough clues about the assassination attempt itself to make a decision easily, and his thoughts turned to his eldest son.

On the mountain grows the hibiscus, in the marsh grows the lotus. But I see not Zidu, but a madman.

Compared to the virtuous and modest "Fusu," the "arrogant and unruly" in the latter part of the poem might be more suitable for dealing with those rebellious rebellious states...

Boom! The explosion, even more deafening than the Azure Dragon bomb, caused the carriage to tilt suddenly. All the horses in the convoy were startled and fell to the ground. A splinter from the explosion even pierced the wall of the carriage where Ying Zheng was, only being stopped by the metal plate embedded in the wall.

A considerable distance outside His Majesty's carriage, the mechanical dragon exploded...

Chapter 380 Certificate of Surrender

Although the mechanical Azure Dragon has two pairs of wings on its back, its wing structure and particularly 'solid' legs indicate that it does not have the ability to fly.

Master Ban pulled the lever, firmly driving the mechanical Azure Dragon toward the center of the Qin army. This action immediately encountered even fiercer attacks: the Qin army deliberately shot at the joints of the mechanical Azure Dragon, especially its lower body.

Master Ban disregarded this; the Azure Dragon was bound to escape, but he couldn't leave it for the Qin army to explore!

Assessing the condition of the mechanical beast he was piloting, and realizing that he wouldn't be able to get the Azure Dragon to the designated location in time, Master Ban made a snap decision and pressed the button with the 'Forbidden' engraved on it without hesitation.

With a snap, the mortise and tenon joint between the cockpit and the Azure Dragon's chest was actively twisted off. As the cabin tilted outward, with a loud boom, the Azure Dragon's wings spread open and its entire body turned red. Then, a huge explosion that caught all the Qin soldiers completely off guard suddenly occurred, originating from the Azure Dragon's massive thigh!

With a deafening roar, the cockpit where Master Ban was located was ejected into the air at a 45-degree angle by the force of the explosion...

As the only remaining master of mechanical arts in the Mohist school, this was his escape route!

...

All the rebels fled, and the Azure Dragon mechanism exploded. When Ying Zheng walked out of the carriage with a cold face, a group of more than a dozen generals and ministers related to the emperor's defense were kneeling outside his carriage.

This includes Wang Li and Zhao Gao, who was almost entirely lying on the ground.

Ignoring these useless people immediately, Ying Zheng first looked at the chaotic center of the Azure Dragon explosion.

The entire surface was blackened, and the surrounding tree trunks and roads were blown up. The army was urgently carrying out cleanup and repair work.

This assassination attempt against him was far more serious than the Jing Ke incident more than a decade ago... In the remote Taishan region, far from Xianyang, the arrogance of the anti-Qin rebels was evident.

This was the case in the Qi-Lu region because it had experienced relatively little warfare. But how arrogant were the rebels in the Yan-Zhao and Chu-Yue regions?

"Have you captured the traitorous members?"

Having gained a deeper understanding of the Qin Dynasty, Ying Zheng asked in a cold voice.

Wang Li broke out in a cold sweat, bowed, and lowered his voice: "The arrest warrant has been issued, and the army is pursuing me..."

"Pursue?" The Emperor's stern words left the Imperial General speechless, and he lowered his head even further. As a direct descendant of Wang Jian and Wang Ben, Wang Li had no military achievements to earn him high prestige, and his personality was also lacking. Therefore, he could not have the most basic respect from His Majesty like his grandfather and father.

Faced with the increasingly authoritative rebuke of the emperor, he became so confused that he couldn't speak.

"Your Majesty, the audacious rebels today are still remnants of the Mohist school that were not wiped out last year, and they have also joined the ranks of the Guigu School. These martial arts heroes have never obeyed the laws of the court, and their martial arts skills are quite high. If the army does not force them into a corner, it will be very difficult to capture them."

Another young minister, dressed in civil official attire, knelt on the ground and offered a suggestion to Ying Zheng: "The Prime Minister once said that if we want to eliminate them, we must use the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) to control the Jianghu. This strategy should continue to be used today."

Ying Zheng glanced at the minister, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his remarks, but his words subtly implicated the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) as a gleaming, cold blade used by the Qin Dynasty to deal with the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world): "Zhao Gao, where are your inseparable six sword slaves?"

"Your Majesty, the intelligence within the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) was flawed. The Six Sword Slaves were trapped in the bait of the rebels and failed to arrive in time. This servant deserves to die..."

Zhao Gao dared not raise his head, and directly admitted that Luo Wang had made mistakes and errors in this operation and requested to be punished.

"Deserves to die? Ha..." Ying Zheng didn't need to hear how Luo Wang made a mistake or what mistake it made; he only needed the result: "Meng Yi, after the Mount Tai sacrifice, I need to see the results of Luo Wang's investigation."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" The minister who had spoken earlier calmly accepted the order, while Zhao Gao continued to lie on the ground, trembling all over, a fierce glint flashing in his unseen pupils.

The police had detected the assassination attempt by the rebels in advance, which was commendable, but they failed to prevent the assassination from taking place and instead became guilty.

The process of investigating the merits and demerits was entrusted to Meng Yi of the Meng clan to investigate the Luo Wang. The two sides had some enmity before, and the Luo Wang obviously had no chance to simply gloss over the matter.

Only by incurring losses can one minimize the impact of this mistake...

------

On Xiaoyaozi's side, the Six Sword Slaves took the opportunity to leave after the main force of the Luo Wang assassins arrived: they had the chance to wipe out this group of traitors in one fell swoop, and the Six Sword Slaves were best at killing, but now the safety of His Majesty the Emperor and the subsequent accountability were the most important.

Killing a group of rebels would certainly bring merit, but disobeying the Red Dragon signal flare is a capital offense. It's not hard to imagine how to choose between the two.

After the Six Sword Slaves left, Xiaoyaozi was unwilling to stay any longer. His mission was complete, and he needed to retreat.

However, even without the Six Sword Slaves, these groups of Kill-level and Earth-level assassins are not easy to deal with: the ferocity of the Luo Wang assassins far exceeds that of the Mo family disciples and ordinary wandering knights. Only the members of Liu Sha, who are also assassins, can deal with them on equal terms.

The losses inevitably increased. Of course, Xiaoyaozi could retreat on his own without any risk, but that would be detrimental to his reputation.

After today, he will completely lose the support of the Qin state and be forced to wander the world, unable to care about his reputation.

After a fierce battle, with the support of three masters—Xiaoyaozi, Chisongzi, and Tian Guang—and Chilian of Liusha summoning a large number of poisonous snakes from the forest to intimidate them, the main force of Luowang retreated on its own initiative, and the anti-Qin alliance suffered another loss.

Taking advantage of the fact that the group of assassins from Luo Wang had gone to support the emperor's convoy, Xiaoyaozi quickly disappeared into the dense forest with the remaining men.

After escaping to a safe distance, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang successfully reunited. The two then found Gao Jianli, and the three of them headed towards the direction where Master Ban had been launched.

Judging from the outcome, this assassination attempt at least caused the Qin state to lose face. Even if it failed, it could serve as a case study to inspire the confidence and courage of anti-Qin figures across the country: after all, they escaped unscathed from an assassination attempt on a tyrant.

However, this came at the cost of losing the last Azure Dragon of the Mo family. In addition, the Black Tortoise was also out of commission after the battle at the shipyard prison, leaving only a small number of White Tigers and one Vermilion Bird among the Mo family's four divine mechanical beasts.

It is foreseeable that without a stable base like the Mechanical City, every action the Mohists take in the future will cause them to deplete their stored mechanical beasts. In the end, if even the Mechanical Vermilion Bird is destroyed, then the Mohists can be declared extinct.

In a war of attrition, no matter how much manpower the Qin Dynasty squanders, it can easily crush them.

Such worries are not worth considering when the operation is only half successful. If news later comes that Ying Zheng really died in this attack, then any price will be worth paying.

"found it."

Gao Jianli saw a huge patch of 'dandelions' covering the treetops in the distance, and knew that it was the safety parachute used for landing after the Azure Dragon was launched.

Since the safety umbrella was successfully opened, there shouldn't be any major problems with Master Ban.

With the guidance, they quickly located the ejection pod and pulled out Master Ban, who was covered in blood and unconscious, in a frightening state.

He was still breathing. Despite his obesity, Master Ban's physical condition was still quite good due to his years of dealing with mechanical arts. He successfully gambled on this dangerous and untested projectile.