Duobang thought even deeper and knew clearly that if Aliduo were captured, given his understanding of Aliduo, he might not withstand severe torture, and the entire plan would fail.
Duobang pondered for a moment and decided, he might as well go along.
Duobang found his repeating crossbow, took out a small porcelain bottle, and dipped the arrows into it. When he took them out, the arrowheads had turned black. His intention was not to sneak attack Xiao Jingyun, but to watch over Aliduo. If Aliduo fell into enemy hands, he had to be eliminated immediately.
Exiting the city gate and reaching the steep slope, he observed carefully and found it to be a good spot for an ambush.
Standing slightly back from the steep slope, he would be unseen from the main road, facilitating concealment. Not far behind the slope was a forest, convenient for retreat.
Duobang, accompanied by Aliduo, held up his bow and arrows, comparing them repeatedly. Finally, he chose a relatively ideal spot, marked its position, then retreated down the slope to find a sunny area to bask in the sun.
While sunbathing, Duobang repeatedly cautioned Aliduo, "You must remember what I said. You only have one chance. After shooting the arrow, regardless of whether it hits, run towards that forest. Do you understand what I mean?"
Aliduo nodded again.
"I will wait for you in that dense forest to help hold off the pursuers, and you should retreat as quickly as possible."
With the arrangements made, Duobang then rose to retreat into the dense forest, also to find a suitable location.
He knew that after Aliduo shot his arrow and fled, even if the enemy was fast, they would have to pursue into the dense forest to potentially surround Aliduo. Therefore, the key to victory or defeat lay in that dense forest.
At this time, Xiao Jingyun had already led his men to depart.
Zhou Quan led the men in front, while others followed behind, surrounding Xiao Jingyun in the middle.
Zhou Quan remained quite cautious, sending scouts ahead to search any suspicious areas.
The dense forest not far from the south gate was naturally a重点.
After a search by dozens of Imperial Guards, no anomalies were found. They immediately retreated and continued forward.
Aliduo stood on the high slope, watching the fast horses approaching in the distance. He knew these were the scouts sent by Xiao Jingyun.
Aliduo instinctively took two steps back.
But soon, he heard the sound of horseshoes disappear, followed by commotion. Aliduo knew they were about to dismount and search, so he quickly retreated.
Not far from the bottom of the slope, there was a small cave, barely large enough for one person to hide.
Aliduo curled up there, not daring to move.
Imperial Guardsmen walked up the steep slope and stood at the top, looking around. Seeing no anomalies, they left one person to guard the slope and the rest retreated to continue forward.
In the dense forest in the distance, Duobang saw that a guard had been left behind and inwardly lamented, thinking that if this were the case, his plan would likely fail.
Aliduo cautiously poked half his head out. Seeing a person standing at the top of the slope, he was a little surprised. But fortunately, the person's gaze was fixed on the main road, likely watching the direction from which Prince Xiao Jingyun was coming, and did not notice the abnormality behind him.
Aliduo slowly crawled out of his hiding place and slowly moved towards the steep slope.
Thirty feet, twenty feet, ten feet.
At this moment, dust was rising in the distance, and Xiao Jingyun was approaching.
The rising dust also attracted the attention of the Imperial Guardsman, and it covered Aliduo's movements. He took three quick steps to reach the guardsman from behind, covered his mouth with one hand, and clasped his neck with the other, pulling him back and then twisting.
With a "snap," the guardsman's neck was broken. He died without even a groan.
Aliduo quickly stripped off the man's armor and haphazardly put it on himself. Regardless of whether it fit, it at least looked the part.
In the forest, Duobang saw this and secretly nodded. He suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. Such a good subordinate, even if captured, could he bear to kill him?
But then he thought, to complete the mission, there was no other choice.
Prince Xiao Jingyun soon arrived. He clearly had no security concerns along the way, a testament to Zhou Quan's trust.
Zhou Quan, running at the forefront, saw the Imperial Guardsman on the slope and nodded slightly with satisfaction.
Seeing Xiao Jingyun approach, Aliduo suddenly took a step back and bent down to pick up the bow and arrow from the ground. Su Dan Novel Network.
He stepped back, getting closer to the slope, making his actions unclear.
However, he could see below that Aliduo was drawing his bow, stringing the arrow, and aiming at Xiao Jingyun.
Some of the Imperial Guardsmen following Xiao Jingyun noticed the movement of the person on the steep slope and immediately sensed danger, shouting a warning, "Your Highness, be careful!"
Hearing the shout, Xiao Jingyun looked up and saw a flash of light heading towards him.
He inwardly cursed his bad luck and rapidly dodged to the side, but it was still a fraction too slow. The flash directly struck Xiao Jingyun's left arm.
Aliduo, remembering Duobang's instructions, threw off his armor after shooting the arrow and fled towards the forest. Zhou Quan heard the shout, turned around, and saw Prince Xiao Jingyun hit by an arrow.
His gaze shifted, and he saw the steep slope. Zhou Quan leaped from his horse, soared onto the slope, and saw Aliduo fleeing towards the dense forest.
Without a word, Zhou Quan lunged in pursuit. As the Prince's captain of the guard, Zhou Quan's martial arts were not to be underestimated.
At this point, the Imperial Guardsmen behind him split into two groups. One group remained on guard and tended to the Prince, while the other group also pursued in this direction.
Everything unfolded as Duobang had predicted. As soon as Aliduo entered the dense forest, Zhou Quan caught up. Zhou Quan swung his sword, aiming for Aliduo's back. Aliduo was not weak either; he dodged by shifting his body.
After a few exchanges, Aliduo began to falter. His martial arts were not his strong suit; his strength lay in his brute force.
Furthermore, Aliduo lacked a suitable weapon, only a sturdy bow to parry and block.
At this moment, he remembered Duobang's instructions and couldn't help but shout loudly, "Captain, Captain, save me!"
Duobang, hidden in the trees, heard this and knew he could no longer hide.
If he continued to hide, Aliduo might reveal more. He quietly took out his repeating crossbow, aimed at Zhou Quan, and pulled the trigger. Two short arrows shot out.
Zhou Quan heard the sound of sharp objects cutting through the air. Without panic, he twirled his sword in the air and leaped to the side, dodging the two arrows.
Aliduo took the opportunity to turn and flee, but after only a few steps, he was caught up by Zhou Quan again.