bookrandom Chapter 175 The Death of Afu
Chapter 175 The Death of Afu
Seeing Li Jingqing's expression, Li Mao was puzzled.
It couldn't have been a problem while they were guarding Yinshan, could it?
Seeing that Li Jingqing managed the vast Yinshan territory so well, even better than when he was still here, Li Mao thought to himself that it wasn't a matter of Yinshan.
He was even more confused and looked at Li Jingqing with a puzzled expression.
Li Jingqing didn't look at him, but said in a sullen voice, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. There is something... Your Highness needs to know."
Something still happened!
Li Mao's heart sank, sensing something was wrong: "What's wrong?"
Li Jingqing was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Afu... he's dead."
Upon hearing this name, Li Mao felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer.
Ah Fu was his capable subordinate, loyal and brave. How could he have suddenly passed away?
During the battle against the Wolf Army, Afu was injured. Li Mao, knowing that Guo Ziyi was with him, decided to leave Afu in Yinshan to recuperate. Before leaving, Afu was very unhappy, and Li Mao promised him that he would definitely return within six months.
But when I returned, I heard such terrible news.
"What happened? Tell me in detail." Li Mao suppressed the turmoil in his heart and tried his best to keep his voice steady.
Li Jingqing sighed and began to recount: "That night, Afu was on patrol alone when he suddenly discovered that some unidentified people had infiltrated the camp. During the pursuit, he was ambushed and, although he fought back fiercely, he ultimately lost his life. The murderer escaped, and I sent men to search the mountains overnight and captured him."
"But the murderer was already prepared and committed suicide by poison on the spot, so we couldn't get anything out of him. Judging from the tattoos on his body, he was a member of the Wolf Army, but... the Wolf Army has basically made peace with us and is just waiting to send the princess to the Tang Dynasty for a marriage alliance. From then on, they can reach an agreement and stop attacking each other. There's no need for the Wolf Lord to send someone to assassinate a soldier in the middle of the night."
Li Jingqing was utterly baffled, and now the Yinshan military camp was filled with unease. The pain of losing Afu, and the constant threat of being watched and potentially attacked, weighed heavily on them.
Upon hearing this, Li Mao's gaze grew even colder.
—Afu's death was not only the loss of a loyal subordinate for him, but also a provocation from an enemy lurking in the shadows, even a slap in the face!
"We must find out the truth," Li Mao said in a low voice. Only Li Jingqing could sense the anger and determination in his low voice.
Li Jingqing nodded in agreement: "Yes, your subordinate will do his utmost!"
As night deepened, Li Mao drank alone by the campfire.
Li Jingqing sat down wearily, picked up a bowl of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
“Jingqing,” Li Mao said softly, “you’ve really had a hard time these past few days.”
Li Jingqing must have been devastated when Afu died, thinking that Li Mao had entrusted his closest subordinate to him, but he had failed to protect him and died so inexplicably.
If one dies in the smoke of war, it would be a worthy death. But what kind of situation is this?
Li Jingqing forced a smile: "This is all my duty. Seeing Your Highness return safely makes it all worthwhile. I heard that Your Highness has won several great victories in battles, and I was even happier than if I had won the battle myself."
Li Mao nodded, watching the flames leap, many thoughts flashing through his mind.
He had initially thought this trip to Yinshan would be a rare moment of relaxation, since Li Jingqing had already taken care of everything. However, Afu's death seemed to be a warning that this trip to Yinshan was anything but simple.
As the night deepened, Li Mao stepped out of his tent alone and gazed at the starry sky.
The stars, like diamonds, are embedded in the deep blue sky, serene and vast.
"Ah Fu, do you know who did it?" he asked softly, as if hoping the stars could give him an answer.
In the distance, a lone wolf howled, its cry echoing through the valley.
Li Mao withdrew his gaze, his eyes gradually turning cold.
No matter who the mastermind behind Afu's death is, they will never escape Li Mao's grasp!
Gazing northeast at the flickering firelight of the Wolf King's camp, Li Mao clenched his fists and made a decision. That very night, he rode alone to the Wolf King's camp. In the darkness, his black figure moved as silently as a ghost.
Before the guards around the camp could notice anything amiss, Li Mao swiftly and decisively took them down to the ground.
He charged into the tent, drew his long sword, and held it directly to the wolf lord's neck!
The wolf lord was dozing on a wool felt rug.
He suddenly woke up with a start, his eyes filled with astonishment and fear.
"Prince Shou...you...you've gone mad?!" The Wolf Lord's voice trembled as he tried to struggle, but Li Mao held him down so he couldn't move.
The other wolf soldiers in the camp rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and were stunned by what they saw, too afraid to make a move. They couldn't understand why this usually calm and collected Tang prince, who had always been so successful in negotiations with them, had suddenly become so frantic.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the next tent.
Immediately afterwards, Princess Aya rushed in.
Her face was pale, and when she saw Li Mao, her eyes were filled with confusion: "Your Highness, what do you mean by this? We were about to become allies, why can't we talk things out? Does Your Highness want to throw away everything we've worked for before?"
Aya considered herself to have a certain relationship with Li Mao, as they had helped each other and accomplished quite a few things together.
But now...
Even she wasn't confident she could persuade Li Mao, who seemed to be burning with rage and had gone mad.
Seeing the threatening posture of the long sword in Li Mao's hand, Aya's heart almost jumped into her throat, but she still tried her best to calm herself down and said, "Please put down your weapon, Your Highness, so that we can have a proper talk."
Li Mao's gaze was icy. He pulled a piece of parchment from his robes and threw it on the ground: "Princess Aya, please take a look for yourself. What is this?"
“A man with this tattoo infiltrated my camp and killed one of my most trusted lieutenants. Are you still going to pretend you don’t know and ask me why I suddenly launched this attack?”
Aya picked up the parchment and examined the patterns drawn on it carefully.
A moment later, it was confirmed that the pattern was indeed occupied by their wolf army soldiers.
Their tribe has a long tradition of tattooing, and the soldiers especially like to have this design tattooed on their arms or chests. Because it's so common, there's absolutely no way she could mistake it.
Her face immediately turned extremely ugly. She turned to the Wolf Lord and questioned, "Father Khan, what's going on? How could our soldiers assassinate Tang soldiers? You, you're confused!"
The Wolf Lord was equally shocked, his usually ferocious and cold face now filled with innocence: "I have absolutely no idea about this! Aya, we are about to negotiate peace with the Tang army, and the weather has been good these days. What reason do you think I would have to do something like this?"