The moonlight was as cool as water.

Fan Xian squinted, looking at the distant mountains below, the distant coastline, and the small boat gently rising and falling in the ink-like sea.

His inner strength was overbearing, and his eyesight was astonishing, but he still couldn't clearly see the situation on the boat. Yet, strangely, he seemed to be able to see the old man on the boat, the bamboo hat, and the wispy beard, even from this distance.

Of the four Grand Masters in the world, he had only met Ye Liuyun.

Once in his youth, once in Suzhou City, each time was breathtaking. Ye Liuyun was a dashing man, an extremely dashing man. Tonight, he came riding the waves with his sword, his presence not yet arrived, but his demeanor already captivating.

At this moment, Fan Xian looked at the boat in the vast ocean, thinking of the Grand Master standing alone on it, charging straight towards Da Dong Mountain, unafraid of ten thousand enemies. He couldn't help but feel deeply moved, a sense of admiration rising in his heart for no reason.

The small boat appeared very close, but was actually very far away, bathed in moonlight on the horizon, slowly moving this way, seemingly never able to reach the shore.

However, Fan Xian knew... the most distant distance in the world was not the distance between life and death, so this small boat, which was about to determine the life and death of countless people, would eventually have its moment of landing.

At the foot of the mountain, on the side facing away from the coastline, flickering lights suddenly appeared. Although they were just flickering, the light was bright enough to reach the mountaintop. One could imagine the powerful rebel army emerging like ghosts on the battlefield, desperately attacking the defenses of the two thousand Imperial Guards, the fire spreading uncontrollably as they set fire to the camp.

Fortunately, there was a lot of rain in the summer, and the sea breeze blew, making the mountain air humid. There was no worry that the fire would directly burn Da Dong Mountain into a charred pillar, killing everyone on the mountain.

Several more mournful signal arrows shot into the sky, but only reached halfway up the mountain before falling weakly and miserably. The Imperial Guards' defense line at the foot of the mountain was already weakening and about to collapse.

……

……

At this time, the small boat had not yet arrived, and the powerful enemy had already reached the foot of the mountain. The Qing Emperor and his entourage stood with their backs to the sea, in front of the viewing stone railing at the front of the mountain, silently watching the movements at the foot of the mountain, watching the flickering fire, and listening to the faint sounds of fighting. However, after all, it was too far away. When the sounds of fighting reached the mountaintop, they were blown by the wind and played with by the treetops, turning into a somewhat distorted rhythm.

There was no killing intent, at least the people on the mountaintop could not feel such an atmosphere. In comparison, the small boat slowly drifting towards them from the sea behind Da Dong Mountain brought them more tension.

At this time, the Minister of Rites, the Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and all the officials in charge of the Heaven Worship Ceremony had already come out of their rooms, attending the silent Emperor, each filled with shock and fear, but no one dared to say anything.

The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards had already rushed down the mountain, preparing to fight to the death on the front line, but it was feared that by the time he arrived, the two thousand Imperial Guards would have already turned into wandering souls in the night, corpses in the mountains.

Fan Xian felt a bitter taste in his mouth and subconsciously licked his dry lips. A trace of shock arose in his heart—where did this army at the foot of the mountain come from? Why hadn't the Overwatch Council's network in Shandong Road detected any news in advance? Why hadn't the five hundred Black Riders stationed in the Xiao Mountain area played any role? How was the enemy able to sneak to the foot of Da Dong Mountain so silently?

But what shocked him the most was the situation at the foot of the mountain. Looking at the retreat of the fires, listening to the rise and fall of the fighting, and judging from the signal arrows, he knew that the Imperial Guards could no longer hold out—the two thousand Imperial Guards were about to collapse so quickly!

Qing Yu Nian established its rule over the world by force. Although the Imperial Guards were stationed in the capital and were certainly not as good as the Dingzhou Army and the Northern Expedition Army in terms of field combat capabilities, since the Eldest Prince was transferred to the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards, many backbone generals had been drawn from the former Western Expedition Army, and the strength of the Imperial Guards had been effectively supplemented. Even if they were not a match for those large armies, they shouldn't... collapse so quickly.

In addition to his shock, Fan Xian felt a trace of doubt. Whose offspring was this attacking army?

……

……

"It's Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion." The Emperor stood by the stone railing, looking in the direction of the foot of the mountain. Although it was obvious that he couldn't see what was happening below, he saw a trace of unease in Fan Xian and Hong Lao's eyes, and said indifferently: "The Imperial Guards are no match for them."

"Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion?" Fan Xian frowned, immediately thinking of the strange Cangzhou Victory a month ago between Cangzhou and Yanjing. Although he still didn't know how Yan Xiaoyi managed to send these soldiers to the foot of Da Dong Mountain, since the enemy had already arrived, thinking about these things now was a waste of time.

"You are the Director of the Overwatch Council. An army travels thousands of miles, deep into the country. What should be the punishment?" The Emperor asked Fan Xian with a smile.

Fan Xian smiled wryly, knowing that His Majesty was joking, but with the situation at the foot of the mountain so dangerous, he had no mood for jokes. He replied: "Even if there is a secret passage north of Danzhou, the Overwatch Council should have received news. Therefore, I believe that someone in the Council is helping him."

The Emperor smiled, but said nothing, but the smile contained a hint of self-deprecation.

Fan Xian said that there was a problem in the Council, which was honesty, but also a test. He wanted to test whether the elite troops at the foot of the mountain, Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion, were deliberately let in by the Emperor. Looking at the Emperor's confident expression and calm posture at this time, Fan Xian believed in this theory in his heart, but the Emperor's smile seemed very helpless...

"I want to know the specific situation down the mountain." The Emperor suddenly said coldly: "I don't want to be blind."

The Emperor personally led the army in the Southern and Northern Wars that year, establishing great achievements that surpassed the world, and was considered the number one general on the continent. However, he had not personally led an army in nearly twenty years, which allowed Shang Shanhu of Northern Qi, who resisted the barbarians, to gradually overshadow the Emperor's military glory.

And in a situation like tonight where the imperial carriage was surrounded, if the Emperor could personally command the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Guards at the foot of the mountain would probably not have been defeated so miserably, but... at this time in the night mountain, even if there was a bright moon hanging high, going up and down the mountain was not as easy as singing a mountain song. It would take a very long time to transmit orders, let alone personally command.

Therefore, the Emperor's expression was a bit cold, and his tone was a bit unkind.

This small amount of unkindness did not scare the people around the Emperor to death. In this situation, it was calm enough that the Emperor did not fly into a rage and chop off the heads of these officials around him.

Fan Xian slowly lowered his head, touched his index and ring fingers lightly with both hands, building an "intentional bridge," and instantly circulated the domineering true energy throughout his body, urging the two different Heavenly Cycles in his body to circulate rapidly, forcing his six senses to the clearest state.

In an instant, the aura around him greatly increased, stirring a gust of wind on the mountaintop for no reason, and causing the sand and rocks to move slightly!

The Tiger Guards guarding the Emperor were shocked and made defensive movements in this sensitive moment. Only Hong Lao, the old eunuch, remained half-asleep, standing behind the Emperor.

After a moment, Fan Xian respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, it's a bit strange. The enemy seems to be retreating."

Hearing this, the Emperor also frowned, and after a long time, he said faintly: "How many people did he bring, that he dares to try to seal off the entire mountain, not letting a single person out? Yan Xiaoyi... what a big appetite!"

The rebel army suddenly retreated when their momentum was strong, giving the Imperial Guards a chance to breathe. The officials on the mountaintop, including Fan Xian, were a little confused, but only the Emperor clearly judged the rebel army's intention... to give the Imperial Guards a chance to regroup and form a formation, fearing that the battle would eventually descend into chaos, allowing a few survivors to escape this great net. The rebel army at the foot of the mountain... was preparing not to let anyone escape Da Dong Mountain to report the news to the surrounding prefectures and counties!

"Impossible," Fan Xian said. He knew that according to the Overwatch Council's procedures, the Sixth Bureau swordsmen mixed in with the Imperial Guards should take the opportunity to break through the encirclement at the first time to notify the Dongshan Road government and urgently dispatch troops from the state army and the nearest troops to support them.

With the Overwatch Council Sixth Bureau swordsmen's ability to move in the dark, even if ten thousand cavalry arrived at the foot of the mountain, it would be impossible to kill or capture all of these swordsmen in such a night. They should always lose a few.

And at this moment, a shadow-like gray-clothed man rose from the ten thousand-step ladder. This man's lightness skill was excellent, but his posture was extremely strange, as if a spring was installed on his knee joints. Every time he touched the ground, he would bounce up lightly... Although his posture was not as graceful as that of an absolute master, he excelled in speed and silence.

Before the gray-clothed man had reached the mountaintop, countless snowflakes had already bloomed in the night sky, snow-like sword flowers. The Tiger Guards lurking around the Emperor raised their long sabers and slashed past. At that moment, they even overshadowed the moonlight.

The gray-clothed man did not attack, but held up a token high. The token was very obvious in the moonlight and the light of the blades. It was the Overwatch Council's waist tag.

Eunuch Yao waved his hand, and the Tiger Guards returned their sabers, but still revealed their figures, surrounding the gray-clothed man in the center. More than a dozen long sabers pointed at him, creating an imposing manner.

Fan Xian believed that even if he were between these dozen long sabers, he would only have the chance to escape. But he took a step closer to the gray-clothed man, with a look of inquiry and worry on his face.

The gray-clothed man was Wang Qinian, one of the twin wings of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian's absolute confidant. Today, when the sudden change occurred, he led the Overwatch Council to deploy defenses at the foot of the mountain. At this time, he was already shocked beyond description. He did not say much to Fan Xian, and knelt directly in front of the Emperor and Fan Xian amidst the surrounding of the swordsmen, and said in a deep voice: "Five thousand rebels, holding crossbows, all of them are archers..."

The people on the mountaintop fell silent at the same time because of this news. First of all, this news proved the Emperor's judgment that the attacking rebel army was Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion, and only Yan Xiaoyi, an archer god, could train all his personal guard battalions into archers chosen from thousands.

Although the range of arrows was not as far as that of crossbows, they were faster than crossbows. Five thousand archers attacked in the darkness. It was said that Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion was full of longbowmen... No wonder the Imperial Guards and the Overwatch Council members at the foot of the mountain were resisting so strenuously.

The Emperor looked at Wang Qinian kneeling in front of him, and asked in a deep voice: "How is the battle going?"

Wang Qinian's voice choked, and he immediately replied: "I went up the mountain when the attack occurred, and I don't know the current battle situation."

The Emperor snorted coldly, but did not continue to express his dissatisfaction. It had been a very short time since the attack, and the distance between the mountain and the foot of the mountain was extremely far. Apart from the signal arrows, Wang Qinian was the first official to rush to the top of the mountain to report the news. Looking at his pale face, one could tell that this short time of sprinting up the mountain had consumed most of his spiritual energy.

"Five thousand longbowmen..." The Emperor suddenly sneered, "Wanting to annihilate two thousand Imperial Guards, Xiaoyi doesn't have such ambition and means. I'm really curious who the master commanding at the foot of the mountain is."

The rebel army sealed off the mountain, but did not attack at this time, the situation was a bit strange. Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian and asked directly: "Did anyone break through?"

The Overwatch Council acted according to regulations. If the superior asked, the subordinate naturally knew what he was asking. Wang Qinian's face changed slightly, and he reported to Fan Xian: "Seventeen members of the Sixth Bureau, all dead."

Fan Xian's face did not change, and he asked: "Confirmed?"

"Confirmed..." Wang Qinian lowered his head and reported: "I looked back when I was halfway up the mountain. There were ambush battles on two quiet paths in the southwest and northwest directions. There were experts lurking."

Fan Xian's pupils shrank slightly, and his heart ached. He forced himself to suppress the growing anger and sorrow. The Sixth Bureau had always walked in the darkness. Where did Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion have swordsmen who were so accustomed to assassination? Being able to kill all his subordinates in the night proved that the level of those assassins themselves was much higher than the level of the Sixth Bureau swordsmen!

He then took a deep look at Wang Qinian.

Wang Qinian did not nod or shake his head, but his right hand supporting the ground moved slightly.

Fan Xian sighed in his heart, knowing that Wang Shisanlang was still well-behaved, and felt a little relieved. He turned back to look at the Emperor, without considering, and said calmly:

"Your Majesty, the people from Dongyi City are here too."

……

……

Hearing this sentence, the Emperor did not react at all, as if waiting for something. After a moment, Eunuch Yao came back from the stone steps and whispered something in the Emperor's ear. The Emperor's face gradually darkened.

Fan Xian now knew that when the first warning arrow rose, Eunuch Yao had already arranged for the Tiger Guards to break through and send a message. However, he had now received a report confirming that this breakthrough had failed.

The Sixth Bureau swordsmen of the Overwatch Council and the powerful Tiger Guards had both failed in their two attempts to break through the encirclement at night. How many experts did Dongyi City lend to the Eldest Princess? Could it be that the most numerous ninth-rank experts produced in the Sword Hut were all gathered at the foot of Da Dong Mountain today?

Did Si Gu Jian come?

The night wind on the mountaintop rose again, the small boat on the sea in the distance was still sometimes near and sometimes far, the sound of fighting at the foot of the mountain gradually subsided, and the moonlight shone on the mountains and forests, but could not sweep away the darkness in the mountains and forests. He did not know how much hidden killing intent was waiting for the people on the mountaintop.

The Emperor suddenly thought of the scene where Fan Xian was using his power earlier, and asked coldly: "Your skills are getting better and better. Has your old illness from last year relapsed?"

Fan Xian did not understand why the Emperor would suddenly ask such an irrelevant question at this time, and replied: "It has not relapsed."

"Very good." The Emperor quietly looked at the vast land under the moonlight, "Then I can rest assured to hand this matter over to you."

"Get out!" The Emperor roared gloomily and angrily.

On the mountaintop, besides the Emperor, Fan Xian, Hong Lao, and the Tiger Guards hidden in the darkness, everyone else obeyed the order and rolled back to the temple and residence, leaving this place empty for His Majesty and Director Fan, this pair of... pitiful father and son.

—————————————————————

"I came to worship the heavens this time, it was originally a gamble, worshipping the heavens, gambling... is also the heavens."

A trace of heaviness flashed between the Emperor's eyebrows, and he said: "I don't want to wait any longer, so I want to gamble my life. I am gambling on the destiny... Success or failure is all within my calculations. If I succeed, my Great Qing Dynasty will have no internal worries from now on. Within three years, I will point my sword at the world, and no one will dare to delay my footsteps."

However, he did not say what would happen if he failed, and said coldly: "Perhaps I miscalculated one thing. I lured Uncle Liuyun up the mountain tonight, and I thought that the two of them would not interfere... After all, this is an act of my Great Qing Dynasty breaking its own cornerstone. If it were in the past, they should have stood by and watched."

Fan Xian was silent on the side. He was sure that there were ninth-rank experts from Dongyi City participating in the rebel army at the foot of the mountain, but no one could guess whether Si Gu Jian would come.

"Even if that idiot comes, so what? But..." The Emperor slowly closed his eyes and sighed, "I must consider the things behind, so you go down the mountain."

Fan Xian was stunned and looked up, not knowing how to answer. He had thought for a long time about how to persuade the Emperor to let him go down the mountain, but he did not expect that the Emperor himself would propose this idea—but at this time, the roads at the foot of the mountain were all sealed off, with five thousand longbowmen plus those terrifying ninth-rank swordsmen from Dongyi City, how could he go down the mountain?

The Emperor smiled mockingly and said, "Did you think that I would keep you by my side and force Lao Wu to take action?"

Fan Xian smiled helplessly.

The Emperor took a deep breath, as if to absorb all the moonlight on the mountaintop into his chest. After a moment, he said in a cold voice: "Regardless of whether I succeed or not, the capital will definitely say that I am dead... So I want you to go down the mountain, I want you to go back."

He looked quietly into Fan Xian's eyes and said, "I have four sons, and two of them are worse than pigs and dogs. You go back to the capital on my behalf to teach them a lesson. Don't... let me down."

Fan Xian's emotions were very complicated, and then he heard the Emperor say a sentence that was even gentler than the sea breeze: "There is no need to stay here and gamble my life with me. Go back to the capital. If the ending of things is not what I imagined, you can do whatever you want. Whoever wants to sit on that chair, you decide for yourself."

Fan Xian's heart was greatly shaken and he could not speak.

……

……

(Rushed up, thank you very much for every vote you cast, I hope everyone will continue to support the monthly ticket, I will definitely write seriously... This may not be the best, but it must be the most serious and most attitude thirty chapters.)