Yao Ji opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Ever since they captured Gefeng City, Zhou Sui had been relegated to defending it. It had indeed been a long time since he last saw action.
Jiang Jin smiled, "Alright, count yourself in."
"Yao Ji, you will defend the city this time." She then looked at Yao Ji.
Yao Ji nodded, "Understood."
Seeing their excitement, Yun Ci was somewhat worried. "Could there be any complications?"
He feared this might be a trap set by the Quzhao forces to lure them out, with an ambush waiting nearby just for Gefeng to take the bait. After all, they had seized a significant amount of Quzhao's supplies and killed many of their men.
Jiang Jin lifted her chin, her tone resolute. "There won't be."
She had stationed scouts all around Gefeng; if there were any movements, she would definitely receive word.
She then instructed Yao Ji, "This time, I will lead the Dragon Shadow Guards and a cavalry battalion into battle. I'll leave you two hundred Dragon Feather Crossbows."
"If anyone attacks the city, don't panic. Just stall for time. When we return, we can catch them in a pincer movement."
Over the past few months, the weapons workshop had focused primarily on manufacturing the Dragon Feather Crossbows, producing another three hundred or so.
Yao Ji nodded. "Rest assured, My Lord. I will defend Gefeng with my life."
On a narrow mountain trail in Yuqiu Mountain, a Quzhao army of several thousand was marching rapidly. However, the rugged and uneven path meant they couldn't go much faster even if they tried.
Leading the way was a burly man around thirty years old—Fang Wu, the General of the South of Quzhao.
At this moment, his face was dark, his vigilant gaze sweeping the surroundings.
Beside him stood an equally stout man. "General, there is no need to worry. We will be fine once we pass the Gefeng border."
Fang Wu scoffed coldly, "It is truly disgraceful that our grand Quzhao army must detour around a tiny place like Gefeng."
He said this, but he wouldn't actually dare to march straight through Gefeng.
One only needed to look at Qu Bai's heavy losses to know just how formidable the Jinyang Army was.
Qu Bai was renowned within the Quzhao army, and every single one of his subordinate generals was fierce and brave.
Yet, without even engaging in a direct, head-on battle, he had lost over ten thousand soldiers and several of his best commanders.
The stout man sighed, "I wonder what kind of crossbows the Jinyang Army possesses to be so devastating. If we had such divine weapons, conquering the entire Yan Kingdom would be a breeze."
Fang Wu raised a hand to push aside a protruding branch. "They have such powerful weapons, yet they turtle up in Gefeng. This proves their numbers are small."
"Just wait. Once we take Ze'a Commandery, our next target will definitely be Gefeng. When we trample Gefeng to the ground, we will find out exactly what kind of crossbows they use."
The stout man curled his lips into a sneer. "Hmph, when the time comes, we must slaughter all the citizens of Gefeng. We were too soft-hearted in the past; that's why these Han people had the chance to rebel against us."
As if imagining this beautiful future scenario, bloodthirsty smiles appeared on both their faces.
Right at that moment, a sudden scream rang out from the rear.
Fang Wu's heart skipped a beat. He immediately gathered his wits, looked back, and shouted, "What's going on back there?"
However, because the mountain path was narrow—allowing at most two people to walk side-by-side—the formation was stretched incredibly long. Combined with the winding road, he couldn't see the rear at all.
Before anyone from the back could answer, he heard the swishing sounds of arrows being fired.
His body's combat instincts reacted faster than his brain. He raised his long blade to block in front of him.
Clang, clang, clang! Several arrows were deflected by his blade and flew off in all directions.
Although he had parried the incoming arrows, he was secretly shocked. The force behind the arrows was immense!
What kind of bows were these?
Suddenly, his heart pounded violently as a strong sense of foreboding washed over him.
It was the Jinyang Army!
Within the borders of Feng Province, very few Han factions dared to ambush the Quzhao army. The Jinyang Army was one of them, and they were the most brazen.
"Enemy attack! Take cover in the dense forest! Archers, prepare to fire! Fight independently, hurry!"
He issued the orders calmly. Moving with extraordinary speed, he blocked arrows while retreating toward the roadside bushes, disappearing into the woods in the blink of an eye.
The stout man followed closely behind him, vanishing from the mountain path in an instant.
What they didn't know was that archers were the Jinyang Army's primary targets. Any Quzhao soldier carrying a bow had basically been shot dead in the first volley.
In a short while, the mountain path was left with nothing but a field of corpses and the severely wounded who could not move.
The rest of the Quzhao army had all fled into the mountains.
Jiang Jin made a hand signal. Her men ceased firing and quickly pursued in the direction the Quzhao soldiers had fled.
Almost no one ever walked through these mountains, so the fleeing Quzhao soldiers left massive trails behind. Tracking them was very easy.
Li Mai gripped his Dragon Feather Crossbow, advancing cautiously along a patch of trampled weeds. Suddenly, a broadsword slashed toward his head.
The distance was too close; it was too late for him to turn and shoot. Yet, there was not a trace of panic in his eyes. Instead, he aimed his crossbow at another Quzhao soldier rushing out of the bushes.
Barely needing to aim, he quickly pulled the trigger. The arrow shot out like lightning, piercing the Quzhao soldier's neck.
At the exact same moment, the Quzhao soldier swinging the broadsword at him suddenly froze, an arrow lodged in his own neck.
This was the three-man squad tactic they had trained in: his back was covered by his comrades.
Before the Quzhao soldier's corpse even hit the ground, dozens more Quzhao soldiers leapt out from the jungle, charging at Li Mai's squad.
Li Mai and his two squadmates were not afraid. Behind them was their squad, their platoon—their comrades would soon arrive to support them.
The three of them leveled their arrows at the Quzhao soldiers and fired.
Just as they expected, the arrows of the nearby Jinyang soldiers were already locked onto these enemies.
Swish, swish, swish! In an instant, dozens of arrows were unleashed...
Holding her Dragon Feather Crossbow, Jiang Jin walked through the dense forest. She fired an arrow at a few rustling leaves in the distance.
A scream echoed, and a Quzhao soldier crushed a patch of bushes as he rolled out, an arrow buried deep in his chest.
Several Quzhao soldiers roared as they burst from the underbrush, charging straight at Jiang Jin.
Yun Chengxuan, who was following behind Jiang Jin, stepped forward and swung his blade down.
Pfft!
Hot, fresh blood sprayed across the forest leaves, causing them to tremble.
Yun Chengxuan's archery skills were actually quite excellent, but he preferred using his blade, Buddha's Heart.
Seeing her eldest nephew charging at the front, Jiang Jin could only look for another target.
Suddenly, her eyes turned sharp and cold. Her body retreated at top speed as she raised her Dragon Feather Crossbow and fired a shot directly overhead.
