"These wolves are in for a treat tonight." A scout sat leaning against a large branch over ten meters high up in a tree.
"Yeah." Another scout leaned against a nearby branch, his voice kept equally low.
They felt no psychological discomfort at the sight of the Quzhao soldiers' corpses being devoured by the wild beasts in the mountains.
It wasn't that they were cruel, but rather that the Quzhao had done even crueler things to their Han people.
"Their Dragon Shadow Guards are indeed formidable. It's a pity we didn't get a chance to join the battle this time."
"What's the rush? There are still so many Quzhao soldiers outside Gefeng City. There will always be a time when we are needed."
Before long, the low growls of wild wolves and the sounds of chewing flesh and bones echoed through the dense forest.
A pale light appeared on the horizon, and the city began to bustle with activity.
The Gefeng Tavern opened by Jiang Jin was packed with people.
Yes, after the new year, she had opened another tavern next to the inn.
The workers in the city gradually had money in their hands, especially the single men and women. They spent most of their time working and didn't have much time to cook for themselves.
They simply chose to eat out. It was convenient, inexpensive, saved time and effort, and was very cost-effective.
"Give me two steamed buns."
"Give me a bowl of porridge and a fried dough stick."
"I want a fried dough stick too. These fried dough sticks are so delicious. I heard the Lord invented them."
In the shop, Sun Acao's hands didn't stop moving as she replied, "The Lord did invent them. She taught us hand in hand."
After the tavern opened, Jiang Jin transferred her here to be the manager.
The crowd cast envious glances at her and the few cooks in the shop. To receive personal instruction from the Lord was the blessing of a lifetime.
The cooks straightened their backs; they also felt this was something they could brag about for the rest of their lives.
At this moment, Jiang Jin was also eating fried dough sticks, accompanied by Yun Chengxuan and Dong Si.
"Lord, are you still going to the Verdant Woods today?" Dong Si asked as he ate.
This fried dough stick was incredibly delicious, though it used a lot of oil. Fortunately, they had slaughtered a wild boar a few days ago and rendered some fat.
Jiang Jin gave a soft "Mm" and said, "Let's see what move Quzhao makes."
From the city tower, they could see the troop movements of the Quzhao people. As long as soldiers left, it could be seen.
Dong Si sighed with emotion, "You are a great talent, Lord. That tunnel is too useful."
Jiang Jin smiled. Of course it was useful. It had taken thousands of people several months to dig. Besides the main tunnel, there were also intricate branch paths underground.
"The black pills and iron ore should be almost used up. Have the mining area transport some more back. Right, make sure to clean up the transportation tracks thoroughly."
Now that the Quzhao people were around Gefeng, the fear was that they would spread their personnel out and discover the transport traces.
Although the chances of this were not high, as the tunnel entrances and exits designed by Jiang Jin were very concealed, it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Dong Si kept nodding. "Rest assured, Lord."
Yun Chengxuan finished eating and picked up a handkerchief nearby to wipe his mouth. "Aunt, I'm still following you today."
Jiang Jin had no objections to this. Yun Chengxuan had almost become her personal bodyguard recently, following her everywhere.
Half an hour later, Jiang Jin arrived at the county office. Not long after she arrived, a soldier came to report that Quzhao had indeed dispatched nearly 2,000 soldiers.
Jiang Jin's eyes were filled with ice. "Let's move out."
The Verdant Woods.
Today, Qu Fei personally led the team, determined to find the location of the grain robbers and kill them all.
When he saw the Quzhao soldiers who had been devoured by wild wolves, leaving only fragments of clothing and heads, a chill ran through his heart.
The scene was extremely tragic and bloody.
He only felt anger surging in his heart, wishing he could tear the grain robbers into a thousand pieces.
With a wave of his hand, soldiers immediately advanced cautiously, while he walked in the middle of the formation.
Soon, the corpses of their soldiers appeared ahead again, none left intact.
Moreover, looking at the bite marks, it shouldn't just be wild wolves; there must have been other large beasts from the mountains.
Everyone fell silent. The tragedy before them was too heavy to bear; the mutilated corpses lying on the ground were their former comrades.
Walking a bit further, they found drag marks on the ground and the corpses here.
A soldier went forward to investigate and soon returned to report, "Looking at the footprints, they should have been dragged away by the wild beasts in the mountains."
Qu Fei was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed. Was this an eat-and-take operation?
Eating wasn't enough; they had to drag it home to eat slowly?
"Can you track the beasts' trails?"
A tall, thin man beside him advised, "Finding the grain robbers is the priority right now. It won't be too late to kill these beasts when we have free time."
His name was Qu Mu, sent by Qu Bai to assist Qu Fei in this operation.
Qu Fei was good at martial arts and brave in battle, but he was impulsive and lacked thorough consideration, which was why Qu Mu had been sent over.
Qu Fei gritted his molars, suppressing the frustration in his heart. "Any discoveries on the corpses?"
There were too many corpses. Even if the mountain beasts ate and packed some away, the dense forest still held many intact bodies.
"There are knife wounds and arrow wounds, but they are very strange. The wounds are a bit special, not from our conventional arrowheads. I suspect they are from the repeating crossbows of the Jinyang Army."
Qu Fei was startled. "What? Take me to see, quickly."
Fifteen minutes later, he finally confirmed, "Looking at the style, it does look like the repeating crossbows of the Jinyang Army. But how could the Jinyang Army be here?"
Qu Mu's eyes shifted. "The Jinyang Army likely consists of more than one unit. Besides the one inside Gefeng City, there might be another Jinyang Army operating outside."
If his guess was correct, it was very likely that this outside Jinyang Army was out on a mission and, upon returning, found Gefeng City besieged by them.
So, deciding to go all the way, they simply robbed their grain and disrupted their siege from the outside.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was the case.
This was extremely important information; the news had to be sent back to the general.
"Let's send a few people back to inform the general of this news," he suggested.
Qu Fei waved his hand. "We can all go back together after we take down this group. I'm not at ease sending people back alone."
Qu Mu frowned. He opened his mouth but felt he had no reason to object. Indeed, sending a few people back might not be safe; they could be wiped out halfway.
However, he felt a faint unease in his heart and instructed in a low voice, "Everyone be careful. The Jinyang Army is not simple, and they have repeating crossbows."
Qu Fei didn't act arrogant about this point either; the corpses of the Quzhao soldiers were still lying on the ground.
He made a hand signal.
The Quzhao soldiers immediately scattered, adopting an encircling formation as they crept into the mountains.
As they gradually ventured deeper, the corpses became fewer, and the trampled tracks on the ground diminished, yet the forest grew increasingly dense.
There were also many lush, green shrubberies, displaying vast patches of greenery in this early spring of the northern lands.
Qu Fei, however, grew increasingly cautious. Although he wasn't too clever, his strength was formidable, and his martial artist's perception was very sharp, catching a whiff of an unusual aura.
The further they went, the fewer bloodstains and corpses there were, until there were none at all, and the dense forest appeared even quieter.
Qu Fei narrowed his eyes slightly, halted his steps, and raised his hand.
The soldiers following behind him immediately stopped, while the dozens of soldiers in front continued to advance.
Crack.
Thud.
Suddenly, five or six soldiers who were still marching ahead vanished from sight, accompanied by the sound of screams.
It's a trap!
The soldiers walking in front had fallen into a trap!
The dozen or so soldiers trailing behind retreated in fright.
Thud.
Suddenly, a massive log bristling with sharp wooden spikes sprang up from the ground and slammed into them, sending them flying like autumn leaves scattered by the wind.
The soldiers caught directly in its path were impaled by the spikes and pinned to the wood. Their bodies contorted into grotesque angles as they wailed in excruciating pain.
Other soldiers suffered spikes driven into their eyes, cheeks, or necks. A lucky few, completely shielded by the men in front of them, were merely knocked to the ground by the sheer force of the impact.
In the blink of an eye, blood soaked the earth, and agonizing screams, as shrill as the howling of ghosts, echoed through the forest.
