Chapter 1 Yaoli Assassinates Qingji
513 BC, Wu State, Five Lakes (Taihu Lake).
Thousands of sails are racing, the waves are rolling!
On the vast lake, hundreds of warships are advancing forward in a mighty manner, cutting through the waves.
On every warship, there were soldiers in armor and armed with sharp weapons standing like an umbrella.
They arrived exhausted, but there was no sign of tiredness on their faces!
On the deck of the ship in front, a young man in his early twenties was sitting cross-legged, gazing at the foothills in the distance, with a meaningful expression on his face.
But he was more than eight feet tall, with a tall figure, a handsome face, and was wearing a scarlet battle suit and a pitch-black armor.
With his hair tied with a purple gold crown and a bronze belt in the shape of a taotie tied around his waist, he looks heroic and extremely majestic!
He is Prince Qingji of Wu, the son of the late King Liao of Wu.
"Sir, the Gusu Mountain is ahead. If nothing unexpected happens, in a day or two, the army will be able to reach the capital and be at the gates of the city!"
On the side of Qingji, there was a man standing with his head bowed.
This man was thin, only about five feet tall, with a narrow waist and an ugly appearance. He held a short spear in one hand, and the sleeve of the other was empty, obviously he was missing an arm.
Compared with the handsome Qingji, Yaoli really pales in comparison!
"Hahaha, Yaoli, do you think our trip will be so smooth?"
Qingji just laughed it off.
"It will go well!"
The thin man named Yaoli looked flattering and said, "Since you started the war against Wu, you have won every battle you have fought. You have been unstoppable and unstoppable. The enemy troops surrendered at the sight of you!"
"Now, as long as you can capture Wudu and behead the thief Ji Guang who stole the country, I will ascend the throne and avenge my father's death."
Hearing this, Qingji still had a nonchalant smile on his face, and said without comment: "Yao Li, you must not take it lightly. Before everything is settled, any accident may happen!"
"You are absolutely right, sir."
At this moment, a strong wind blew in their faces, and the waves surged. The boats under the feet of Qingji and others were shaking, like a small boat in the stormy sea.
Qingji steadied his body and stood still like a mountain!
Meng Ben, a general standing behind him, stepped forward and advised: "Sir, the wind is strong on the river. Please go to the boathouse to rest for a while and recharge your energy."
Before Qingji could speak, Yaoli on the side said, "General Meng is wrong."
"Since you are the commander, you should stand at the bow of the ship. This way, you can boost morale and command the fleet forward! How can you persuade you to rest inside?"
Meng Ben thought about it and realized that this was indeed the truth, so he stopped trying to persuade him.
From beginning to end, Qingji sat steadily on the bow of the ship without saying a word!
Looking at Qingji's broad back, Yao Li lowered his head , with a sharp light flashing in his eyes from time to time.
Yao Li couldn't help but tightly grasp the short spear in his left hand, and beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead!
He looks quite nervous!
Suddenly, an even stronger wind blew, and Qingji, who had been sitting steadily on the bow of the ship, seemed to be unable to withstand it, and his body swayed.
Yaoli seized this opportunity and took advantage of the shaking and swaying momentum to stab Qingji with his short spear!
This blow was powerful and aimed at Qingji's heart. If it hit, it would definitely go through his chest. By then, even the immortal gods would not be able to save Qingji!
"ah!"
A shrill scream like a pig being slaughtered suddenly rang out.
However, this was not Qingji’s scream, but Yaoli’s wailing!
At the critical moment, Qingji suddenly grabbed Yaoli's spear, then grabbed his wrist with his backhand and squeezed it hard.
The force was not small, at least it could dislocate the tendons in Yaoli's wrist!
"Woooooa ...
Qingji then picked up Yaoli with one hand, grabbed his neck, and suddenly threw his head into the water like a chicken, immersing it once, then again, and repeated this three times!
Yaoli drank so much lake water that his stomach was filled with it. His eyes turned white and he almost fainted.
With a "bang", Qingji casually threw Yaoli onto the deck on the side and watched coldly.
Seeing this, the soldiers behind him hurried forward and held Yaoli down.
The incident just happened so suddenly that they were unable to react!
If Li Guo really succeeded and killed Qingji with one spear, the consequences would be disastrous.
At the very least, this army of revenge created entirely by Qingji will collapse!
Thinking of this, Meng Ben and other generals could not help but glare at Yao Li, and wanted to cut Yao Li into pieces with their spears.
"Wait a minute."
At the critical moment, Qingji called out to all the soldiers.
"Yao Li, what else do you have to say?"
“Cough cough cough…”
Yao Li collapsed on the deck, coughing violently and spitting out a lot of water from his mouth.
At this moment, seeing Qingji asking questions, Yaoli couldn't help but laugh miserably and said, "Qingji, I have failed in my assassination attempt. I have nothing to say but death!"
He held his head high, looking ready to die.
You can kill me or chop me up, it’s all up to you!
"Hahahaha! Yaoli, you are such a pathetic and hateful person."
Qingji smiled disdainfully and said, "You are loyal to me and you dare not avoid the axe to assassinate me. You are really brave and worthy of praise."
"Of course, you cut off one of your own arms in order to assassinate me, and persuaded the traitor Ji Guang to kill your wife and children in order to get close to me and gain my trust. This is really wrong!"
Qingji pointed at Yaoli's nose and shouted, "How innocent are your wife and children? You actually mutilated yourself and killed your wife and children just for your own selfish desires and to build your own reputation!"
"How is your behavior different from that of an animal? No, even an animal wouldn't do what you did!"
"I, Qingji, despise you, and the people of the world are ashamed to be associated with you! "
Upon hearing this, Yao Li couldn't help but feel his shoulders trembling, his thighs shaking, and a look of shame appeared on his face.
What Qingji said was true and he couldn't refute it!
Yaoli was a butcher and usually made a living by fishing. Thanks to his father being a professional assassin, Yaoli was an excellent swordsman and had the courage of ten thousand men. He was a very famous swordsman in the State of Wu.
After Zhuan Zhu assassinated King Liao, Yao Li took Zhu as an example and determined to become famous throughout the world!
It happened that Ji Guang usurped the throne of King Wu and obtained the country in an illegitimate way. Therefore, he was worried about Prince Qingji who was preparing for war in Wei State to avenge his father. Yao Li took the opportunity to offer a self-torture plan.
As a result, Yaoli had his right arm chopped off and his wife and children were all imprisoned!
After he escaped, his wife and children were executed by King Ji Guang (Helü) of Wu, and their bodies were burned and abandoned in a busy city!
The reason why Yaoli's wife and children met with such a miserable end was actually Yaoli himself.
How can this not make people sigh?
However, it was also because of this that Yaoli, who defected to Qingji, was able to gain Qingji's trust and be regarded as Qingji's confidant, who ordered him to train soldiers and repair boats every day.
Qingji's attitude towards Yaoli can be described as sincere trust and respect!
Who would have thought that at this critical moment, Yaoli would actually commit the act of assassinating Prince Qingji?
