She pressed herself against the city wall and listened for a while. Only after confirming that the patrols were not on top of the wall did she take a flint from her robes. With a sharp snap, it flashed once, then went out.
Snap, snap, snap.
It lit three times in succession.
At the same time, her teammates several yards away struck their own flints. The flashes were faint, but in the pitch-black night, and with everyone watching for them, they were still conspicuous.
The stake-bolt crossbowmen on this side had already adjusted the direction of their bolts according to the flashes.
Watching the distant lights, Meng You thought to himself, Is this how they’re marking the target for the stake bolts?
It was indeed a good method. What a pity that the Jinyang Army was destined to be wiped out tonight.
“Move. We’ll sneak over,” he ordered in a low voice.
The moment he finished speaking, countless flaming arrows came shooting toward them.
Bang, bang, bang, bang…
The fire arrows fell like rain all around them. Quite a few struck them directly, and screams rang out.
Holding a Dragonfeather crossbow, Xia Chanyi used the faint firelight from the arrows that had just landed in the distance to take aim at Meng You. Her eyes were cold.
The Quzhao people never learned their lesson. They were always trying to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. Unfortunately for them, they never quite understood how to do it.
Meng You cried out in shock, “We’ve walked into an ambush! Archers, get ready—fire! Everyone else, charge! Kill—”
Before he could finish, an arrow pierced his throat.
The Quzhao soldiers reacted quickly. The archers fired toward the direction where the Jinyang soldiers might be hiding in the distance.
Unfortunately, every arrow fell short.
That was only to be expected. The Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows had a range of over a hundred zhang. Since they had prepared an ambush, how could they possibly position themselves within the range of the enemy’s weapons?
The deputy general ran a few steps forward before realizing that Meng You had not followed.
When he turned around and saw the arrow sticking from Meng You’s throat, his pupils contracted. He shouted, “General!”
Meng You looked at him and opened his mouth. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, but he could not say a word before collapsing.
Xia Chanyi expressionlessly aimed at the deputy general, who was preparing to run toward Meng You. But after letting out a loud roar, the deputy general turned and fled.
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran!
Xia Chanyi: “…”
She did not hesitate any longer and released the arrow.
Almost at the same moment Xia Chanyi made her move, the stake bolts on their side were fired.
Listening to the repeated bangs, Shuangjiang silently counted the number of bolts.
When the final bolt fell, she was the first to run toward their target. “Go!”
At the southern gate of Tai’an County, the guards on duty were nodding off when one of them seemed to hear screams. He lifted his sleepy eyelids.
His eyes suddenly widened, and he snapped fully awake as he stared at the firelight in the distance.
His mind was still hazy. “What’s going on? Who’s fighting whom?”
The distance was too great for him to make out any figures. He could only see scattered points of firelight and hear faint screams.
The other guards were roused by his shout and all turned to look toward the fire.
“Wait… The color of those uniforms. Why do they look a little like ours?” one soldier said, drawing a sharp breath. His eyesight had always been excellent.
“Hiss.” The first soldier sucked in a breath as well. “Are you sure?”
The other guards grew tense, stretching their necks and wishing they could see more clearly.
Just then, the sound of wind seemed to rise. Arrows flew through the air, accompanied by firelight, splashing blood as they struck.
The Jinyang crossbowmen standing before the southern gate fired repeatedly at the city wall under the dim glow of the flaming arrows.
The surviving Quzhao soldiers on the wall hurriedly ducked behind the crenellations and shouted, “We’re under attack! Quickly, sound the—”
Shuangjiang had already climbed onto the wall and was charging toward the southern gate…
On the hillside, the Quzhao soldiers were caught completely off guard. They had no way to fight back and scattered in all directions.
Hua Ruo was responsible for sealing off the western route. Hearing the Quzhao soldiers fleeing toward her with cries of panic, a smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Only after the enemy entered the ambush zone did she shout, “Fire arrows!”
Whoosh!
The flames flared to life. Arrows shot out and scattered across the escape route of the fleeing Quzhao soldiers.
As the firelight illuminated the area, countless arrows gleaming coldly in its glow flew toward the panicked soldiers.
The troops under Hua Ruo carried ordinary bows and arrows, but the distance was short and their aim was quite accurate. Screams rang out.
At the same time, Zhao Feng was engaged in a similar battle while sealing off the eastern route.
Tonight was destined to be a night without peace.
The night raid on Pingwan County was personally led by Zhou Sui.
Unfortunately, he had deliberately slowed the pace of the assault, and Quzhao still did not send any reinforcements. Even Dancheng, which was not far away and had received the news, failed to send anyone out.
Zhou Sui could only bring the operation to an unwilling close.
The sunlight the next morning seemed tinged with blood, making everyone feel deeply uncomfortable.
After waiting all night, Tang Tishou finally gave up hope. Tai’an, along with the three thousand soldiers he had sent out under General Meng, had been completely wiped out.
News also arrived from Dancheng: Pingwan County had fallen to the Jinyang Army the previous night.
In the space of two or three days, only Dancheng and Heichun County remained in Donghu Commandery!
Perhaps after being struck so repeatedly by the Jinyang Army, Tang Tishou’s ability to endure the blows had improved remarkably. This time, he did not even vomit blood.
Rong Liang hurried in. “General, the scouts have reported that Tai’an has already raised the Jinyang Army’s flag. And there’s more…”
“Our soldiers are gone as well. General Meng and his entire force have been wiped out. The Jinyang Army is chopping wood. It seems they intend to burn the bodies.”
Tang Tishou closed his eyes and said nothing.
Rong Liang’s expression was grave. “General, what are we to do? Donghu now has only Dancheng and Heichun left.”
Tang Tishou lowered his head and thought for a moment before giving his order. “Abandon our positions. Withdraw into Heichun County and hold the city.”
“Send word to Dancheng. They are not to send anyone out either. They are to guard the city and wait for instructions from the Grand Chanyu.”
Rong Liang nodded. He was about to leave and deliver the order when Tang Tishou’s voice came from behind him.
“Move quickly.”
The Jinyang Army’s movements were simply too fast. He was afraid they would have their hands free to seize the people.
Rong Liang understood the urgency. His steps quickened as he went out to relay the order.
As it turned out, the person who understood you best was not always your enemy—for the Jinyang Army did not make a move.
Along the rugged mountain road, Shuangjiang and Hua Ruo rode their horses back toward Fuchuan. Zhao Feng had been left behind to guard Tai’an.
Hua Ruo sighed, her voice filled with envy. “The Dragonshadow Guards are truly formidable. They always get to carry out the special missions.”
After the night raid, they had still been cleaning up the battlefield, while Xia Chanyi had already led the Dragonshadow Guards hurriedly back to Shanguan County.
For her to leave in such haste clearly meant that their lord was about to make a move as well.
The Dragonshadow Guards were the only elite force capable of taking part in battles on both fronts. How could Hua Ruo not be envious?
