Chapter 337

If Gu Yi were to truly let the one hundred thousand garrison troops inside Hulao Pass launch an attack,

I fear these seventy thousand so-called Yizhou elites would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of total annihilation.

……

In the dead of night.

Inside the imperial palace of Runan.

Yuan Shu, filled with anxiety, had exhausted all his efforts and finally managed to drift into sleep.

However.

Before he could even enter a deep slumber,

he heard several sets of footsteps suddenly ring out within the palace.

Like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, Yuan Shu leaped up from his "dragon bed."

"Thud!"

A sword hilt struck the spot where Yuan Shu had been lying just moments before.

"Pretender Emperor, yield your life!"

Several different voices echoed within the palace.

In an instant,

Yuan Shu was so terrified that every pore on his body stood on end.

Just as he prepared to grab his sword to fight back,

he found that someone had already snatched it away.

"I am the Son of Heaven!"

"How dare you lot attempt to kill me?"

Yuan Shu roared, emboldening himself.

Yet,

the several assassins could not help but burst into laughter.

"Son of Heaven?"

"Based on what?"

"If not for our support, what are you?"

"But we never expected you to be stupid to this degree!"

"Since that is the case, we have no choice but to borrow your head to allow this Yizhou land to cut its losses in time!"

After speaking, the several assassins charged together toward the direction where Yuan Shu was located.

At the most critical moment,

the palace gates were suddenly burst open by a swift figure.

The newcomer, wielding a trident halberd, was none other than Ji Ling.

"Scoundrels!"

"How dare you attempt to assassinate His Majesty?"

Ji Ling was so anxious his eyes seemed about to split.

He mustered all his strength, erupted with unprecedented speed, rushed to Yuan Shu's side, and shielded him firmly behind his back.

A strange scene suddenly unfolded.

The several assassins exchanged glances and, by unspoken agreement, retreated out of the palace.

Their martial skills were actually not weak either.

Although Ji Ling's martial prowess approached the threshold of a first-rate fierce general,

if a real fight were to break out,

there was a high probability Ji Ling would not be able to protect Yuan Shu.

However,

the goal of these assassins was never truly to kill Yuan Shu.

Their objective had already been achieved.

There was no need to linger here any longer.

Watching the several assassins disappear into the darkness,

Ji Ling breathed heavily in his nervousness.

"Your Majesty, were you not injured?"

After confirming the assassins had left, Ji Ling hurriedly turned to look at Yuan Shu.

At this moment, Yuan Shu's eyes contained endless fury.

Through the "words inadvertently revealed" by those assassins, Yuan Shu had already guessed who the mastermind behind his assassination was.

This birthed a deep, intense hatred within Yuan Shu's heart.

"Ji Ling, convey my decree."

"Immediately conduct raids on the homes of these aristocratic families within Runan City!"

"Those who dare to resist, kill without mercy!"

Even an ant can shake a tree.

How much more so for Yuan Shu?

Although our 'Honey-Water Brother' usually appeared quite unreliable,

everyone has their own 'reverse scale'—a point of no return.

As the representative of the Yizhou and Nanyang aristocratic families, Yuan Shu still had a clear understanding of what kind of temperament these families possessed.

Yet he truly did not expect that this group of families would not only fail to support his ascension to the throne but instead send assassins to take his life!

How could Yuan Shu endure this?

After declaring himself Emperor, Yuan Shu's mindset had undergone a massive change.

The scene of "the hearts of the world turning toward him" that he had envisioned had not appeared.

Instead, the various warlords were about to attack him in unison.

Although Yuan Shu often comforted himself,

saying he was the "Tu Gao" mentioned by Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, the one who would replace the Han,

but how long could such a lie hold up?

The one hundred thousand garrison troops Gu Yi had newly added to Hulao Pass were likely enough to defeat all the standing armies of the Zhong Dynasty.

Under such circumstances,

even if Yuan Shu were foolish, he knew he was perhaps not far from his date of death.

Yet at this critical juncture,

the Yizhou and Nanyang aristocratic families, this group of his former supporters, actually wanted to take his life!

Since that is the case...

It would be better if everyone just perished together!

Anyway... his own days were coming to an end, so he wouldn't let others have an easy time either!

Thinking of this,

a thick murderous intent emerged in Yuan Shu's eyes.

Because Yuan Shu had recruited many mountain bandits and outlaws under his command,

this meant that apart from the civil and military officials provided by the aristocratic families, he still possessed his own core group of followers.

Therefore,

Yuan Shu was not afraid that his generals would refuse to follow his orders or be unable to strike against the Yizhou and Nanyang aristocratic families.

When dawn arrived,

the home raids, led by Ji Ling, officially began.

The great aristocratic families of Yizhou naturally could not allow Ji Ling to raid their homes.

Furthermore,

the matter of assassinating Yuan Shu was not planned by them at all!

This was equivalent to having a massive black pot forced upon them for no reason.

Consequently, these aristocratic families within Runan City rose up in resistance.