dmims Chapter 26 Substitution
Chapter 26 Substitution
This stunned not only the common people and the soldiers, but even the executioner, Bai Shandian, under the official tent! How could another executioner who looked exactly like me suddenly appear? Had he lost his mind to play such a ridiculous joke?! Just as Bai Shandian was still bewildered, the common people parted to make way, and the burly cavalry slowly advanced like a dark cloud pressing down on the city. The "Bai Shandian" on the Ferghana horse demanded an imposing question: "Who are you, you madman? How dare you impersonate a high-ranking official, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, and sit so high in the executioner's seat? Who are you? Get down here!" Bai Shandian laughed wildly, his anger turning into a mocking laugh. After a long while, he finally stopped laughing and said coldly, "Your voice does resemble mine, and your gestures are somewhat similar, but I wonder if the sword you hold is also similar?" "Bring it here so I can examine it!" the "White Lightning" coldly retorted. "What are you, worthy to see my imperial sword? Get down here now, don't delay my execution!" White Lightning was somewhat flustered, but as a leader, his composure was extraordinary. He immediately said to Zhang Kuang, who was sitting beside him, "Lord Zhang, go over there, disarm him, and arrest him!" Zhang Kuang stood up, clasped his hands in a fist, and said, "Understood!" Then, with a leap, he rushed to the "White Lightning." Without saying a word, his palms moved in unison, sometimes striking, sometimes grabbing, a flurry of palm shadows that enveloped his opponent. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, his left hand suddenly transformed into a blade, slashing at the opponent's pulse point, while his right hand gripped the hilt of the sword, about to snatch it from his grasp! This was a short-range fighting technique of disarming an opponent, a basic skill in Northern Long Fist, relying on speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. Zhang Kuang, a vagrant who had roamed the martial world his entire life, had learned a wide variety of martial arts styles, but he was best known for his broadsword. As the saying goes, "A shorter blade is more dangerous, a longer blade is more powerful." Today, Zhang Kuang committed a cardinal sin in martial arts! It turned out that he had seen someone daring to impersonate White Lightning, and found it both laughable and utterly naive. He underestimated the person, not even bothering to bring his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and went straight into combat bare-handed. To be honest, while his bare-handed disarming skills were precise and ruthless, they lacked speed; he mainly lost because he couldn't deliver a blow.
Unexpectedly, the "White Lightning" did not dodge, but suddenly kicked out and kicked him straight in the chest! This move was sudden and very powerful. With a scream, Zhang Kuang was kicked more than ten feet away and fell into the official tent! With a whoosh, the Green Standard Army soldiers on both sides quickly drew their weapons and surrounded the Eight Banners soldiers in the center!
"Let's see who dares to be insolent! Open your dog eyes wide and see what this is!" "White Lightning" drew his longsword with a whoosh, holding the scabbard in one hand and brandishing the gleaming blade in the other, shouting fiercely, "This is the genuine Imperial Sword! It can behead tyrannical emperors and treacherous officials! When this sword is drawn, it's as if the emperor himself is present! Anyone who dares to cause trouble again will be killed without mercy!" Seeing his righteous and stern words, unlike a mere blusterer, the Green Standard Army soldiers all focused their attention on the sword in his hand, unsure if it was real or not, and dared not make a move. The entire scene fell silent. The common people were also completely bewildered, their eyes wide, craning their necks to watch, closely following the development of the situation.
Inside the official tent, White Lightning snorted coldly and asked in a deep voice, "You keep saying that the sword in your hand is an Imperial Sword, but do you know what the mark of an Imperial Sword is?" The "White Lightning" smiled coldly, "As an imperial envoy, His Majesty the Emperor made it perfectly clear to me when I left the capital. It turns out there's a mechanism behind the hilt of this sword. Unscrew the nut on the hilt, and you'll see it's hollow inside, containing a scroll of yellow silk imperial edict. The contents of the edict are the mission I was sent here—of course, this is a government secret, and I can't reveal it publicly." White Lightning was clearly shocked upon hearing this! He thought to himself, "This fellow is absolutely right! Only the Emperor and I know about this; it's a secret among secrets. How did this fellow find out?" He hurriedly examined the Imperial Sword in his hand, and upon closer inspection, cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead! The sword did resemble an Imperial Sword in appearance, but the hilt wasn't made of gold; it looked like it was cast in brass! He hurriedly beckoned to a Green Standard Army soldier, ordering him to check his mount behind the official tent. The soldier returned shortly and reported, "Reporting to Lord Bai, something terrible has happened! Your famous Ferghana horse, the Ferghana steed, is gone!" Bai Shandian, enraged, roared, "You horse thief! Are you perhaps Red Moon? Oh, right, that's your specialty! I almost forgot! How did you manage to switch my personal imperial sword with it? Tell me!"
"Bah! What nonsense are you spouting? I don't understand a word! Guards, seize this scoundrel impersonating me! I will punish him severely!" "White Lightning" turned the tables, and with a single command, several Manchu soldiers leaped from their horses, charging menacingly towards White Lightning in the main hall of the official tent! White Lightning roared, "You've really rebelled! You're courting death!" He twirled his sword, and with a few swift strokes like thunderclaps in a clear sky, in a single exchange, the Manchu soldiers dropped their weapons, clutching their wounded wrists, frozen in place!
"You scoundrel! How dare you resist arrest! I'll show you what I'm made of!" "White Lightning" immediately unscrewed the hilt of the imperial sword, took out the scroll of imperial edict, unfolded it, and shouted, "The imperial edict is here! Who dares not kneel!" Upon hearing this, the entire street was terrified and hastily knelt on the ground. Seeing Zhang Kuang, the Green Standard Army, and the Eight Banners soldiers all kneeling, White Lightning involuntarily knelt as well! Since entering the Central Plains and establishing its capital, the Qing Dynasty had placed great emphasis on recuperation and strict governance, achieving periods of peace and prosperity, and enjoying immense prestige, especially during the Qianlong era. Although White Lightning knew the other party was an imposter, he had no way to explain himself. Everyone knew that even a three-year-old child wielding the imperial sword would be obeyed without question! The imperial sword represented supreme imperial power and unparalleled imperial majesty! In short, it was as if the current emperor himself was present!
The "White Lightning" burst into wild laughter, then solemnly read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The case of Hong Chen, General of Hangzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang Province, is extremely complex and difficult; therefore, the verdict is temporarily postponed. The Imperial Envoy, White Lightning, is hereby dispatched to the execution ground immediately to escort him back to the capital for joint trial by the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate. So be it!" The common people on the street struggled to understand his stilted words, but Zhang Kuang and White Lightning heard it clearly. This was a special rescue for Hong Chen! It really was Red Moon in disguise! White Lightning flew into a rage, standing up and pointing at the man, shouting: "Your imperial edict is fake! It's not written like that on the edict! Dare you show it to me so I can see it for myself?"
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to let me see this?!" "White Lightning" roared. "Zhang Kuang, I order you to immediately lead your men to arrest him! Otherwise, you will be charged with harboring a criminal! If he dares to resist arrest again, he will be executed without mercy!" Upon hearing this order, Zhang Kuang was caught in a dilemma, feeling extremely uneasy. He knew that White Lightning was an imposter, but the man had the imperial edict! If he really led the arrest of White Lightning, how could White Lightning possibly spare him once the case came to light? Just as he hesitated, he suddenly heard a strange whistle. White Lightning leaped into the air, somersaulted several times, touched people's heads with his toes, and disappeared into the eaves and brackets of the shops on the side of the street...
"Damn it, you're lucky you left fast!" "White Lightning" ignored him, directly ordering everyone to stand up. He immediately commanded, "Bring Hongchen here and take him away! Lord Zhang, you continue as the executioner, killing the other two traitors! That's doing a service to the people and serving the country, a meritorious deed!" Seeing two Manchu soldiers help Hongchen over and put him back into the prison cart, he cupped his hands to Zhang Kuang and smiled slightly, saying, "Lord Zhang, I entrust everything here to you! Farewell!" Zhang Kuang returned the bow, but remained silent, his face extremely grim! Yes, seeing Hongchen about to be taken away by the suspects, he, as the only law enforcement leader in the government, didn't know how to deal with it. What should he do?