Chapter 1062: The Huangyou Major Case

Wang Yan had long anticipated an assassination attempt; otherwise, why would he wear his official robes daily while strutting conspicuously through the streets?

Compared to solving a problem, it is always simpler to eliminate the person who created the problem.

The reason they waited until now to act was likely fear of damaging the vessel while catching the rat; after all, Wang Yan differed from others, possessing a public combat record: years ago outside Hangzhou, he alone challenged over twenty men and emerged without a scratch, and later on the official road in Hangzhou, when surrounded and hunted by hundreds, he alone held his ground, attacking and shooting until over a hundred lay dead or wounded—truly too fierce.

Therefore, the thieves naturally chose a moment when heaven's timing, earth's advantages, and human harmony aligned to deliver a fatal blow to Wang Yan.

This location was far from the yamen and not an area where Wang Yan frequently appeared; whether regarding support from the populace or the response speed of the Xunyuan and military patrol posts, both were inferior, and here they could remain hidden, whereas in places Wang Yan often visited, the common people would truly report them...

The moment Little Pillar was kicked flying and hit the ground, a knife thrust straight out from the panicked crowd nearby; Little Pillar leaned back, balanced on one foot, delivered a kick to crush the attacker's lineage, then hooked the man's groin, exerted core strength to rise again, swiftly seized the knife, and with a flash of blade light, slit the throat of the assailant.

Blood sprayed, splashing across Little Pillar's face, making the lad appear even more ferocious and murderous; he let out a loud shout and charged straight at the several men approaching.

Just then, his posture as he was about to leap forward froze, for Wang Yan had yanked the lad back from above and slapped the back of his head.

"Do you have a brain? With so many people, can the two of us fight them? Run immediately."

While speaking, Wang Yan also caught a bare blade with his empty hands and kicked an attacker's shinbone to shards, glanced at the dozens of people now approaching from all directions, and then, leading Little Pillar, rushed toward the yamen.

This time they were clearly in earnest, hating Wang Yan to the extreme and intending a single strike to ensure death.

Yet within these brief moments, as the common people fled in panic, the previously bustling street saw dozens of people charging upstream against the flow of the crowd; Wang Yan quickly estimated their total number at approximately eighty.

Among them, fifty wore armor and wielded standard-issue ring-pommel swords and long spears, while the remaining thirty wore ordinary attire but were all extremely robust, running with great power.

This was not the most critical factor, since the military trafficking weapons was nothing new, and he had dealt with such a case before; what truly mattered was that these fifty men possessed coordination and executed combined military formations.

They enveloped him from two directions along the long street, using men who clearly looked like Jianghu thugs as cover to shrink the encirclement; evidently, the Jianghu men in front were meant to hinder Wang Yan's movements, while those capable of combined attacks and coordination, clearly having undergone organized collective training as 'soldiers,' were the main force assigned to kill him.

This clearly accounted for his fierce combat record by deploying high-specification forces; these fifty men were no pushovers, and under such circumstances, apart from personnel within the Imperial Palace, virtually anyone in Bianjing could be successfully assassinated.

Of course, Wang Yan was not included in that category.

He lifted Little Pillar, used his forward momentum to spin and hurl the lad onto a nearby two-story building, then, riding the inertia without losing speed, blocked a slashing knife and slammed straight into a Jianghu man charging at him, sending the man flying.

"Ah..."

The man emitted a cry of agony, only to be pierced through the body by a long spear thrust forward by an armored soldier behind him; the spearhead dripped with blood, creating a horrifying scene.

Precisely because of this man's suffering, the footsteps of two armored soldiers were successfully obstructed; driven by immense force, they retreated repeatedly, creating a gap in their formation.

But evidently, veteran soldiers who had undergone training and surely seen battle would not have their formation broken so easily.

As the two spear-wielding armored soldiers retreated, armored men on both sides wielding ring-pommel swords already swung their blades down, while armored men two steps further to the side, holding long spears, thrust toward the same direction; this was executed with anticipation, meaning that as they slashed down and thrust forward, according to normal developments, the enemy would collide right into these attacks, facing them simultaneously, since most people could not react in time.

If one wore armor, survival might be possible, but without armor, even the most formidable general would mostly not withstand this volley, for human reaction speed and strength have limits.

But Wang Yan was not included in that category; had he not wished to avoid appearing too terrifying, he would have killed all fifty men within moments.

His primary concern was avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings and guarding against someone fabricating a prophecy to ruin his plans; after all, he could govern the nation with literary prowess and lead armies with martial might, his personal combat ability was frighteningly high, his subordinates and the common people all supported him, and he did not even need others to fabricate prophecies—whoever became Emperor would tremble with fear.

Therefore, restraint was necessary, and methods had to be employed; in fact, up until now, apart from being assassinated, he had not used martial force at all.

Seeing Wang Yan brush past the thrusting spear tips to charge in, he swiftly swung his blade in a horizontal sweep, then forcibly collided with and sent flying the armored soldiers blocking his path, inevitably getting splashed with blood all over his body.

Immediately afterward, Wang Ran as if risking his life, broke into a full sprint; the assassins hesitated for a moment, primarily because Wang Yan had a combat record and high prestige, and they had not expected him to now flee in such an undignified, desperate manner without any regard for face—not only fleeing, but even shouting loudly for help, displaying absolutely no grace, which was truly vastly different from the Wang Yan they had imagined.

Immediately, they one by one turned around and, joining forces with the group from the other side, chased desperately after Wang Yan; some threw their knives, some hurled javelins, and others drew strong crossbows from their waists, drew the strings, nocked bolts, and fired fiercely from behind.

Wang Yan nimbly dodged left and right, looking back in apparent panic, shouting continuously, both seeking rescue and using words to urge these men to lay down their weapons.

He appeared extremely panicked and seemed to be running for his life, always maintaining a distance of about seven or eight meters from the pursuing team behind him, occasionally falling back a few more meters, leaving only a few body lengths between himself and the pursuers, making them believe that continuing to run a few more steps would allow them to catch and hack him to death.

These people had certainly come with the intent to die, but seeing Wang Yan run so fast that killing him was impossible, they naturally chose to live; therefore, Wang Yan had to keep them dangling, preventing them from losing their fighting spirit.

The common people of Bianjing on this street were truly witnessing something extraordinary, buzzing incessantly with discussion.

"Officials deserve to be killed; well done killing him."

"What nonsense are you spouting? That is Patrol Commissioner Wang."

"What? He is Patrol Commissioner Wang?"

"Hey, isn't that your benefactor? If not for Patrol Commissioner Wang, wouldn't your beautiful wife have been ruined by that Ma Laoliu? And now you just watch like this?"

"I would like to help, but I fear death; surely Patrol Commissioner Wang has offended too many people, those dog-officials grew afraid, so they sent people to surround and kill Patrol Commissioner Wang."

"Don't say anything else, but Patrol Commissioner Wang runs truly fast; wow, his reactions are also quick, dodging everything."

"This time it's a huge incident; rebel soldiers in armor surrounding and killing a civil official—if Patrol Commissioner Wang escapes, I fear rolling heads will fall again..."

People discussed endlessly, yet no one lent a hand, all watching this spectacle rare even in a century; amidst their buzzing conversations, Wang Yan's past awesome deeds were mentioned once again, and naturally, his vigorous crackdown on gangster groups in Jingcheng was the top priority, with these people reciting the names of once-famous regional gang leaders.

One person said this, another said that, and for a time, they chatted lively.

Only Wang Yan in the midst of the scene ran as if risking his life in a frantic sprint, while a few common people suffered injuries and screamed in pain from stray arrows...

As the absolute central city, Bianjing actually had preparations for sudden incidents, with numerous military patrol posts that could basically ensure assistance would arrive before long whenever something occurred.

But Wang Yan moved back and forth performing evasive maneuvers, running along this long street over six hundred meters in length, which basically amounted to a two-way rush, yet no support appeared.

Clearly, this assassination attempt against Wang Yan was comprehensive; not only had personnel been organized to act, but administrative measures had also restricted relevant personnel from appearing, slowing the speed of Wang Yan's rescue.

Fortunately, believing success was certain, they had not simultaneously released signal arrows, which would have interfered with Wang Yan transmitting his location.

Therefore, when Wang Yan had fled desperately for nearly a quarter of an hour in a manner that seemed 'perilously narrow,' actually running the armored soldiers into a scattered disarray, he finally collided with the subordinates from the Xunyuan Yamen who had arrived as support.

"Commissioner! Are you injured?"

A patrol captain, seeing Wang Yan's desperate, blood-covered appearance, hurriedly expressed his loyalty.

Wang Yan, panting heavily, waved his hand: "Gather the men and arrest all of them; seal off that street for this official and conduct individual interrogations; identify the owners of the establishments where these people hid, and regardless of whether they are related to the assassination attempt against this official, arrest them first; arrest all soldiers and officers from nearby military patrol posts; furthermore, block the city gates, allowing entry but prohibiting exit."

"Yes, Commissioner."

The captain nodded, then waved his hand and instructed his subordinates: "Transmit the order, seal the city, and assemble."

The patrol officers accompanying him pulled two fireworks from the small of their backs, lit them with fire starters, and the next moment, the fireworks rose into the sky and exploded; shortly after, the sharp sounds of signal arrows rang out from various places throughout the city.

The entire Xunyuan Yamen sprang into full motion; they were no longer gentle, roughly pushing aside people blocking their way as they ran quickly and assembled.

Wang Yan paid no attention to all that, turned around, led a horse belonging to who-knows-whom from the roadside, and headed straight toward the Imperial Palace.

The commotion from earlier had already spread far and wide, so Wang Yan did not even enter the Imperial Palace; outside the Imperial City where various high officials and nobles resided, he saw only tightly closed city gates and armies on the city walls resting with weapons ready, awaiting action.

Such a response speed indicated that one could not say the Song Dynasty's army was merely a decorative facade; the strength of an army was determined by multiple factors.

Like the fifty men who had just surrounded and attacked him, their combat experience was quite rich, all being veteran soldiers of many years, genuine killers, yet they could not defeat Western Xia, nor could they defeat Liao.

The Great Song does not lack good soldiers; it lacks a sound military system, its leaders in the rear are incompetent, and the entire chain from the front lines to the rear is abysmal. This is precisely why reform is necessary: because the Great Song is neither wealthy nor strong. The fundamental purpose of reform is to generate revenue.

Wang Yan, covered in blood, waited for a long time outside the city gate before the gates of the Imperial City finally swung wide open. He rode his horse swiftly to the outer precincts of the Imperial Palace, dismounted, and then hurried on foot toward the Hall of State Affairs.

By the time he arrived, Zhao Zhen and the high officials of the Hall of State Affairs were all seated, their expressions bearing varying degrees of shock as they looked at his condition.

Without waiting for anyone to ask, Wang Yan bowed with clasped hands to Zhao Zhen and spoke with a mournful voice: "Your Majesty, honored Ministers, just after your servant departed... I was ambushed and surrounded. At that moment... had I not spent every day exercising my body and fleeing for my life, I fear I would have been killed by these thieves today."

"While I was in Hangzhou, I trained and organized the Xiang Army, thus I understand a few matters of martial affairs. Just now, I saw clearly that those fifty armored archers were all veteran warriors of the battlefield; this matter must involve generals of the Forbidden Army. Your Majesty, if this incident is not thoroughly investigated, our Great Song will be in grave danger... Your servant requests a full investigation to ensure these rebels are beheaded, to restore clarity and integrity to the civil and military officials of our Great Song, and to put Your Majesty's mind at ease..."

Zhao Zhen did not dominate the conversation with a single voice; instead, he scanned the reactions of everyone present and said, "This matter is extremely heinous and must be severely punished. What do you ministers think?"

The others exchanged glances. Pang Ji sighed and said, "Indeed, it should be so. This servant believes Inspector Wang is impartial and iron-faced; he will certainly uncover the truth and bring these rebels, who respect neither sovereign nor father, neither state nor law, to justice."

"In that case, let Minister Wang handle it. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicature and Revision shall also provide some personnel to assist." Zhao Zhen nodded, settling the matter, then asked with concern, "Is Minister Wang unharmed?"

"I thank Your Majesty for your worry and care; your servant is unharmed. I shall proceed to attend to this matter immediately."

"The rebels are rampant; Minister Wang, please exercise extra caution."

Wang Yan bowed with clasped hands, turned, and departed with quick strides...

Why did Pang Ji sigh? Because they could no longer stop Wang Yan.

Previously, when Wang Yan was ambushed, it merely involved someone in the military selling off armaments, or it was a struggle between Wang Yan and powerful families. Even Wang Yan's arrival in Jingcheng, until today, had been a conflict between Wang Yan and other officials. But today was different: someone had the audacity to mobilize troops to surround and kill Wang Yan. This was a complete trampling upon the sensitive line shared by the Song sovereign and his ministers.

The dynasty already emphasized civil affairs over martial ones and already maintained all sorts of precautions against military men; yet now, someone actually dared to deploy soldiers to surround and kill an official appointed by the court? This was no longer a question of whether one was rebelling or not; this was a challenge to the very foundation upon which the Zhao Song dynasty was established.

Did Zhao Zhen not know that Wang Yan would surely expand the scope of the investigation? He had assigned this task to Wang Yan precisely because he wanted it expanded. In today's Hall of State Affairs, who would dare utter a single word of dissent? Anyone who did could leave their post immediately.

This was absolutely beyond question; on this point, Zhao Zhen was willing to risk his life. If the army could disobey his deployments and ignore his commands, how could he continue to rule as Emperor?

Furthermore, Wang Yan was now absolutely more furious than anyone else. Even if he were not permitted to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter, Wang Yan would still frantically attack and slander other officials; whoever he believed wanted him dead, he would destroy. That scenario would be even more terrifying than assigning Wang Yan to lead the investigation. At least with an official assignment, and with personnel from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicature and Revision supervising from the side, Wang Yan would still observe some rules...

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Wang Yan first returned home to comfort Hualan and Shulan, who had already heard the news and were somewhat panicked and uneasy. Afterwards, he took a bath, changed his clothes, shared a meal with his wife and concubine, played with his son for a while, and only departed when a minor clerk from his office arrived at the residence to report the situation, going out to prepare to unleash a major case.

According to the consistent naming conventions, this incident should be recorded in the history books as the 'Huangyou Great Case'.

"Inspector, the thieves who carried out this ambush numbered eighty-three in total. At the time, the Inspector's personal attendant killed one, the Inspector killed four, and during the subsequent arrests, another twenty-six were killed, leaving fifty-two captured alive. In the surrounding area, there were eight shops in total, belonging to three families; all have now been arrested. Among the onlookers on the street were previous informants, bandit chiefs, and toughs; those who participated in today's ambush of the Inspector were of the same ilk. All sixteen military patrol stations and their respective patrol captains in the vicinity have been arrested."

"After a preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that some of them came from the underground Worry-Free Cave. They claim that many of the Inspector's enemies are hiding within the cave, plotting to take the Inspector's life. In the eight shops, three underground tunnels were discovered. The armored men were all infantry soldiers of the Divine Guard Army; as for their specific unit designations and who their commanding officers were, they remain tight-lipped. Brother He the Third is currently interrogating them..."

Wang Yan listened for a while, then turned and asked, "Are those three families listed on the register?"

The register he referred to was a list specifically compiled by the Inspection Bureau containing civil officials and powerful families against whom they had gathered evidence of crimes but had not yet acted. This was the Inspection Bureau's treasure trove, as well as its guide to making fortune.

"They are."

"Ransack their homes! Torture them severely."

"Inspector, punishments do not apply to Physicians..."

"Then make him stand aside and watch as He San'er minces human flesh, roasts it, and feeds it to dogs. If he still does not confess, slice his son into pieces for me. He is a Physician, but is his son one? Could it be that everyone in the family is a Physician?"

"Yes, Inspector."

"Also, do not forget the sergeants and squad leaders of those military patrol stations. Ask clearly why they did not come to the rescue and who ordered them not to move. Once you find out, go arrest them..."

After giving these instructions, Wang Yan waved his hand for the minor clerk to deliver the messages, while he himself, accompanied by Xiao Wang Dongliang, who had narrowly escaped death, leisurely made his way toward the government office...