A Night in the Grid
Chapter 556 Launch (5)
On either side, they finally felt a hint of something amiss. Little Yu Hang had suddenly gained so many experts that they couldn’t help but sense each other. His Highness the Crown Prince also noticed something and significantly strengthened his own defenses, making a successful surprise attack that much more difficult. The Second Prince grew anxious, but when he learned that Ye Tao had other forces besides Liu Yong and Jin Ze, he felt both trepidation and a degree of confidence. He was determined to seize control of the country, and no matter the cost, he was thrilled to the point of trembling.
Also trembling, at this very moment in the deep of night, was Jin Ze, huddled beneath a courtyard wall. It had been a long, long time since he had done anything like this infiltration and assault. Since following Ye Tao, he had mostly been on the battlefield, fighting to protect. But now, the long-lost excitement overwhelmed him. Starting with his little finger, he unlocked his joints bit by bit, the cracking sounds incessant, and his body warmed up with this almost completely static exercise. The slight chill of the raindrops on his body became all the more refreshing.
Jin Ze's current location was separated from the Crown Prince's residence by only a single alley. The courtyard where he and his men were hiding belonged to a great scholar from Chun Nan, but the scholar and his entire family were now under their complete control. Liu Yong and Jin Ze had launched their surprise attack simultaneously, silently taking control of the entire residence. Then, the guards, one by one, disguised themselves as housekeepers, maids, stewards… under the cover of an ordinary day in a wealthy household and the drizzling rain, they had all infiltrated. This arrangement made Liu Yong and Jin Ze somewhat concerned that Ye Tao might not have enough protection around him throughout the day. However, since this was the plan Ye Tao insisted on, they could only obey, and do their best to finish the job quickly and return after resolving all the issues.
A guard quietly approached Jin Ze and reported, "Captain, everything is ready. The Second Prince is now at the headquarters of the Imperial Guards, and he has sent someone to notify us. We'll launch the attack at the second watch."
"Mm, keep an eye on the movements across the way. Don't let anything slip at this crucial moment," Jin Ze reminded him.
"Don't worry, Captain," the guard replied before leaving.
The second watch… wasn't that almost upon them?
Inside the Imperial Guard headquarters, the Second Prince stood in the center, draped in a shining suit of armor. Before him was a detailed sand table of Yu Hang, and the Imperial Guard generals were gathered around, all inexplicably excited. Challenge, defiance, slaughter… these were all thrilling words.
The Second Prince held a pocket watch in his hand, watching the second hand tick forward step by step, finally passing the golden mark at the top. "Gentlemen, let's move out," he ordered calmly.
"Your subordinate obeys!" With a unified low roar, the Imperial Guard generals cupped their hands and turned to leave. Immediately, shouts and the sound of horses' hooves echoed outside the door. The Second Prince took a deep breath and said to the two men behind him, "Let's go too."
The Imperial Guard generals would take control of the most important locations in the city at the first opportunity. The palace was already under their control, so that was not a concern. However, the Wu Ying Hall, which controlled the deployment of troops, the Tian Ji House, which managed the entry and exit of documents, the residences of the civil and military officials who were loyal to the Crown Prince, and the City Guard headquarters, whose control was crucial to the success of their operation, all depended on the Imperial Guard taking control at the first opportunity. As long as the measures were appropriate and the actions were organized and decisive, the Crown Prince would definitely not have time to mount a counterattack. He was not a soft-hearted person. The Crown Prince had to die today, and as long as the Crown Prince died, nothing else mattered; he would naturally be the only candidate to succeed the ruler. And he himself would take his men to deal with the Crown Prince, his own brother. This was something he couldn’t entrust to anyone else.
As the lonely sound of the night watchman echoed through the city, Liu Yong, acting alone, also began to move. Years of following Ye Tao had not diminished his will and martial arts skills, but had instead allowed him to see all kinds of lives and scenery. At his level, the degree of martial arts skill no longer depended on how hard one trained, but on one's state of mind and experience. In addition to his great skill and daring, he was not afraid to use any weapons and equipment that would make his actions more convenient. Liu Yong was wearing a rainproof and waterproof night suit. This suit was divided into three layers, inner, middle and outer. Although it was not light, it was waterproof and breathable, and also provided considerable protection. At least in testing, ordinary soldiers could not shoot through this type of clothing with their three-edged arrows. The shoes were made of the same material and had soft soles, so even when running at full speed, the sound of landing could be minimized. For a master of Liu Yong's level, these shoes made silent landings trivial. Liu Yong didn't wear the matching helmet, but simply tied a ribbon to hold his hair back from blowing in the wind. The waterproof canvas strap slung from his left shoulder to his right waist held fourteen throwing knives, the blades of which had been blued, shining with a faint blue light that was inconspicuous at night. On his back was a standard set of Yun Province cavalry sword and off-hand sword. Liu Yong started out using a dao, but years of military life had made him accustomed to this handy weapon.
Liu Yong jumped directly into the Crown Prince's residence and ran all the way towards the center. He was moving so fast that in the rainy night, some of the guards only felt a gust of wind pass by, and didn't even realize that it was an assassin infiltrating the Crown Prince's residence. Liu Yong didn't care about any of that; he was aiming for those few experts.
Suddenly, he sensed some movement from the side, and he pounced without hesitation.
"Wind and Thunder Hand Li Yinghan?" Liu Yong stood in front of the man and asked in a deep voice.
"Who's there?" Li Yinghan shouted, but before he could yell loudly, Liu Yong had already struck. Li Yinghan, known for his swift strikes, didn't even have time to react before Liu Yong's hands clamped onto his head and twisted forcefully… This expert bodyguard of the Crown Prince couldn't even withstand one blow from Liu Yong, and didn't even understand how he died.
Liu Yong shook his head in disappointment, shook the rain off his hands, and continued forward. Then he encountered a pair of patrolling swordsmen. Liu Yong drew his custom-made cavalry sword and swooped in with a whoosh. Only one person screamed before falling; the other five made no sound at all. Liu Yong shook his head. This time it was because he hadn't done well enough. He had somewhat underestimated these people and hadn't gone all out. Now, that scream would definitely attract a lot of attention. However, Liu Yong wasn't too worried. As long as he moved fast enough. Besides, there were people supporting him.
The Crown Prince's residence was absurdly large, Liu Yong couldn't help but sigh after breaking through two layers of defenses. The entire residence was barely smaller than the Danyang palace, and its architectural splendor and flamboyance surpassed it. However, this splendor had no unique character. Dongping had been building like this for over a hundred years, and even longer ago, and still did now. Following Ye Tao, Liu Yong had at least improved a lot in terms of architectural aesthetics. A rapid breakthrough was very technical work. After bypassing another patrol, Liu Yong heard that the group he had just dealt with had been discovered. A series of sharp whistles sounded.
Before the guards could gather and investigate, something even more terrible happened to the Crown Prince's residence. Liu Yong could hear the sound of neat footsteps and the friction of weapons clashing outside the walls. It seemed that the Second Prince had launched his attack. The Crown Prince hadn't expected his brother to act on this day at all, and his defenses were a little lax.
Seeing two or three capable-looking guys running towards the outer perimeter, seemingly trying to get a message out, Liu Yong changed his mind and pounced on them. Silently, with just a few quick passes, the men fell. Then Liu Yong returned to his original direction. As he approached the middle area and began to see the main hall surrounded by groups of people, Liu Yong stopped and quietly observed the movements in the distance. There were indeed a lot of experts around the Crown Prince, and their response at this critical moment could be said to be very accurate and calm. Some people dispersed in several directions, working with the ordinary guards to prepare defenses. Squads of soldiers formed ranks, raising shields and a forest of spears in positions where they could defend against enemies that might appear at any time, rather than rushing out to drive away the attacking Imperial Guards. They knew that it was almost impossible to do that now. The Imperial Guards coming from all directions outnumbered them tenfold, and the best way to do it was to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements, using the terrain to their advantage.
Fireworks for sending messages flew dozens of feet into the air and then fell down at an angle. In this humid weather, this thing wasn't very useful, but immediately afterward, a signal arrow flew into the sky, and its sharp whistle could probably be heard throughout half the city.
Hearing this sound, everyone who felt that this matter should have nothing to do with them quickly closed their doors tightly, for fear of getting into trouble. But there were also many, many people who had been preparing for this day for a long time, and were inexplicably excited.
Ye Tao's current residence was a little distance from the Crown Prince's residence, after all, he had not chosen the more centrally located Royal Garden, but a merchant's residence. But without a doubt, Ye Tao was still awake and waiting. Hearing the whistle in the distance, Ye Tao smiled calmly and instructed the guards beside him, "Are you all ready too? If things don't go well, we're going to have to run away."
The guard looked embarrassed. Obviously, running away was not a topic they were enthusiastic about. "Sir, everything is ready. It's just that the weather today is a bit troublesome."
Ye Tao said in a deep voice, "It's okay. Don't say you're all ready, even if you're not prepared at all, do you think they'll dare to touch us? Ask around and see what the state of the other parties is." Ye Tao added.
Ye Tao probably wouldn't have thought that, apart from the two princes and the people under his command who were cooperating in the operation, the first to launch the attack among all the people waiting for this moment would actually be the people from the Ju Xian Prince's mansion.