Chapter 80: Assassination

"How's the Defense?" Wang Baobao asked.

"The main camp has inner and outer layers; the outer camp houses infantry and civilian laborers, the inner camp houses cavalry and family members, there are watchtowers on all four sides, and three squads rotate daily," Hala blurted out all at once.

Zhu Yong listened, then said to Wang Baobao, "Ask him if there's any way to slip in."

Wang Baobao asked in Mongolian.

Hala's eyes rolled, and he said, "There…there is a way. I'm a Thousand Household, I have a passage token, I can bring people into the outer camp."

"What about the inner camp!" Wang Baobao pressed.

"The inner camp requires the king's personal order, but…I can try, just say I captured a few traitors to be sent for interrogation," Hala said.

Wang Baobao looked at Zhu Yong.

Zhu Yong thought for a moment, then said, "Let him lead the way; we disguise ourselves as his men and slip into the outer camp."

"That's too risky; if we're discovered, we'll be trapped inside," Lan Yu frowned.

"No tiger's den, no tiger cubs; but we can't go all the way in. I'll take three hundred men inside, while Elder Brother and General Lan handle the outside support," Zhu Yong said.

"Prince, I'll go! I'm familiar with the Northern Yuan main camp's layout," Wang Baobao said.

Zhu Yong shook his head, "You must command from outside; if anything goes wrong, you need to bring troops to support."

He then looked at Hala and said, "You'd better not try any tricks, or you'll be the first to die."

Hala nodded repeatedly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

The wind and sand gradually eased.

Zhu Yong selected three hundred elite troops, donned Northern Yuan cavalry armor, and took Hala's passage token.

Wang Baobao and Lan Yu led the remaining forces to hide behind the mound, agreeing to use a sounding arrow as the signal.

With everything prepared, Zhu Yong flipped onto his horse.

He wore a Northern Yuan Thousand Household leather coat, smeared some gray dust on his face, and actually looked somewhat like one.

The three hundred elites were also dressed, appearing like a Northern Yuan patrol unit.

"Depart," Zhu Yong ordered.

The party set out, with Hala sandwiched between two soldiers, his horse's reins tied to the saddle in front.

If he dared to move, he'd be pulled off his horse instantly.

The group marched toward the Fishing Sea.

The wind and sand stopped completely, and the sky cleared gradually.

The grassland stretched vast and endless.

After about two hours of travel, the outline of a lake appeared ahead.

They arrived at the Fishing Sea.

It was one of the largest lakes in Mobei, its surface broad, shimmering with rippling light under the sun.

The lakeshore was dotted with vast clusters of tents, dense as mushrooms on the grassland.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose, and voices and horse whinnies could be heard.

It was indeed a main camp.

Zhu Yong halted his horse and observed carefully.

The main camp truly had inner and outer layers; the outer camp's tents were crude, mostly housing infantry and civilian laborers.

The inner camp's tents were tall and orderly, surrounded by wooden palisades.

Shadows flickered on the watchtower, and soldiers guarded the camp gate.

"Come, go over," Zhu Yong said to Hala.

Hala took a deep breath, steeling himself as he walked ahead.

The party slowly approached the main camp.

The gate guard saw Hala and shouted, "Hala, Thousand Household, back already?"

Hala forced a laugh, "Back, I've captured a few suspicious people to be sent for interrogation."

The guard glanced at Zhu Yong and the others, found no flaw, and waved them through.

The party entered the outer camp smoothly.

Within the camp, people came and went; soldiers trained, civilian laborers moved supplies, and women cooked meals.

Seeing Hala bring people in, they stepped aside.

Hala led Zhu Yong and the others inward, gradually nearing the inner camp.

The inner camp's gate guards were stricter, over twenty soldiers, all clad in leather armor, wielding long spears.

"Stop, who goes there?" the guard captain barked.

Hala stepped forward, handed over the token and said, "It's me, Hala, I've captured a few traitors to be sent for interrogation."

The guard captain took the token, glanced at it, then surveyed Zhu Yong and the others.

"These are all yours? Why do they look unfamiliar?"

Hala hurriedly said, "They're newly recruited soldiers, recruited from the southern tribe."

The guard captain gave another look, then waved them in, "Go ahead! The king is in council, you all wait at the side tent first."

"Yes…yes…" Hala exhaled in relief.

The party entered the inner camp.

The inner camp was far tidier than the outer, tents lined up neatly, with a main road in the middle leading straight to the central big tent.

In front of the big tent stood a Wolf Head Banner, fluttering in the wind.

Zhu Yong saw the target.

But he didn't act hastily; instead he followed Hala to a side tent.

The side tent was empty, with only a few blankets and a low table.

Zhu Yong ordered the soldiers to guard outside the tent, and entered the tent himself with Hala.

"What do we do now?" Hala asked cautiously.

Zhu Yong ignored him, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted a flap to look outside.

In front of the central big tent were dozens of guards, each towering and wielding curved knives.

Toghus Temur should be inside.

Zhu Yong gauged the distance; from the side tent to the big tent was about fifty steps.

Between them were patrolling soldiers and officers coming and going.

A head‑on charge with three hundred men against the entire Military Camp would certainly fail.

We need to think of another way.

He turned to Hala and asked, "At what hour does Toghus Temur come out each day?"

"Usually at Shen Hour, to inspect the camp," Hala replied.

Zhu Yong looked at the sky; it was late Wei Hour, half an hour away from Shen Hour.

"Alright, wait for him to emerge."

Time passed bit by bit.

People occasionally passed by the side tent, but none entered.

The soldiers inside the tent tightened their nerves, hands gripping their knife handles.

Zhu Yong sat on a blanket, closed his eyes, and rested his spirit.

Finally, Shen Hour arrived.

From outside came Horn Sound, followed by orderly footfalls.

Zhu Yong opened his eyes, lifted the tent curtain, and looked out.

The central big tent's door curtain was drawn back, and a group of people walked out.

At the head was a towering man with a knife scar on his face, Toghus Temur himself.

He wore an ornate leather robe, a Jin knife at his waist, and walked toward the camp amid a swarm of guards.

Zhu Yong narrowed his eyes.

This is the moment.

He gestured to the soldiers behind him.

The soldiers understood, slipped away quietly, and blocked the roads around the side tent.

Zhu Yong inhaled deeply and took long strides out of the side tent.

He did not walk quickly, but each step was steady and forceful.

A guard noticed him and shouted, "Who goes there? Halt!"

Zhu Yong did not stop, and kept moving forward.

The guards became alert, drew their knives, and surrounded him.

Toghus Temur also halted, furrowed his brows, and looked this way.

Zhu Yong was still thirty steps away.

Twenty steps.

Ten steps.

The guards had already surged to his front, swinging their curved knives down.

Zhu Yong brandished his Double Hammers, sweeping one horizontally.

"Clang clang...."

Several curved knives were blasted away, and the guards shrieked miserably as they fell.

Toghus Temur's face turned pale and he shouted, "An assassin! Stop him!"

More guards surged forward.

Zhu Yong, like a tiger among sheep, swung his Double Hammers, and flesh and blood flew wherever he passed.

His aim was clear; he charged straight at Toghus Temur.

Toghus Temur drew his knife to meet him, but he was no match for Zhu Yong.

With a single hammer strike, the Jin knife shattered.

Another hammer blow collapsed the sternum.

Toghus Temur's eyes bulged, blood foam spewed from his mouth, and he slowly fell to the ground.

Until death, he never saw clearly who had killed him.

The Military Camp erupted into chaos in an instant.

"The king is dead!"

"An assassin!"

"Quick, capture the assassin!"

"......."

After Zhu Yong smashed Toghus Temur to death, he did not linger in battle, and shouted, "Retreat!"

Three hundred elite troops escorted him outward.

The soldiers in the side tent also broke out, coordinating inside and out, carving a bloody path.

The inner camp's guards tried to block them, but leaderless, their command was chaotic.

Zhu Yong led his men to the camp gate; the guard trying to close the gate was smashed away by his two hammers.

Rushed out of the inner camp; the outer camp also fell into chaos.

Wang Baobao and Lan Yu heard the commotion and led troops to intervene.

The two forces met, fighting while retreating, and quickly broke away from the Military Camp.

When the Northern Yuan army organized a pursuit, Zhu Yong and his companions had already vanished deep in the grassland.

As the setting sun sank, the shore of Buyuerhai lay in ruins.

Toghus Temur's corpse was carried into the great tent, and the Northern Yuan generals looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

The king is dead, the Grain and Fodder have been looted, and the troops' morale is scattered.

This battle—how can we still fight it?

Meanwhile, fifty li away, Zhu Yong's great army was galloping.

On horseback, Zhu Yong turned his head and glanced toward the direction of Buyuerhai.

This blow should keep the Northern Yuan in pain for a while.

From now on, it depends on when General Xu Da's main force arrives.

As night fell, campfires lit up on the grassland.

The Northern Expedition of Hongwu Year Four finally achieved a decisive breakthrough.