Yao Ji reported from the side, “In total, we wiped out more than eighty soldiers from the Jiao tribes.”
Jiang Jin had brought five thousand elite troops this time. Since their large numbers had been spotted by the Jiao tribes’ patrols, they had no choice but to silence every one of those soldiers.
Jiang Jin nodded. “Is there anywhere nearby where we can dispose of the bodies?”
Yao Ji nodded. “There’s a swamp several li to the south. Perhaps we can drag the bodies there?”
Just then, Dongzhi came rushing over with his men.
“My lord, the other patrol has been completely eliminated.”
Jiang Jin had been worried that there might be more Jiao tribesmen nearby, so she had kept two soldiers alive. After interrogating them, she had indeed learned that another patrol was in the vicinity.
Only then had she sent Dongzhi to deal with it.
Several days later, scouts from the Jiao tribe’s Mengyi settlement discovered traces of what had happened and immediately returned to report to their leader.
There were countless barbarian tribes, and the Jiao people alone were made up of dozens of settlements. This particular territory belonged to the Mengyi tribe.
The tribal chief frowned deeply. “Did you find out who did it?”
A few days earlier, two patrols from his tribe had suddenly stopped reporting in.
At first, he had paid little attention. The grasslands were vast, and it was perfectly normal for warriors to be away on patrol for a day or two without returning to the settlement.
It was only after things began to seem amiss that he sent people out to search.
The search had taken another two days. It was only today that they had discovered the truth.
The scout shook his head. “No. The bodies must have been thrown into the swamp. They couldn’t be recovered, so we couldn’t see any wounds.”
The scene had been completely clean, leaving no useful clues behind. The only thing they had found was a faint trail of dragging marks near the swamp.
“Could people from another tribe have done it?” a tall man asked.
The chief pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “Our relations with the neighboring tribes are all fairly good. In principle, that shouldn’t be possible.”
The tribes of the same race were not necessarily harmonious, but the Mengyi tribe got along reasonably well with the surrounding tribes. There had been minor frictions, but no major conflicts—certainly nothing that would lead to the deaths of more than a hundred warriors from two patrols.
He looked at the scout. “Go investigate again. See whether there are any other traces nearby.”
The scout acknowledged the order and quickly withdrew.
The chief then turned to the tall man. “You go as well. Visit the surrounding tribes and sound them out. Find out what they have to say.”
While the investigation was unfolding, Jiang Jin had already passed through Jiao territory and entered the Ji tribe’s lands. After crossing mountains and ridges, they finally reached the tunnel near Wenxia City.
Once they entered Punan Commandery, the group traveled at night to avoid detection, resting in the hills during the day.
Jiang Jin and the others all had telescopes, allowing them to spot trouble in advance. The journey had gone smoothly enough.
Shuangjiang, Yun Yu, and Nan Wen’s three teams, which had been operating outside to harass the enemy, also gathered there.
This was Wei Tai’s first time meeting Jiang Jin. She was nothing like what he had imagined. He had never expected such a formidable force to be under the command of a woman.
But the moment he saw Jiang Jin’s eyes, he understood. He had never seen such a calm gaze, one that seemed to have everything under control, in any other person of authority.
In that instant, he knew that she was an extraordinarily powerful individual.
After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and bowed. “Greetings, my lord.”
Jiang Jin was not surprised by the way he addressed her. She studied Wei Tai for two breaths before speaking. “There’s no need for such formalities.”
Wei Tai secretly let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, he suddenly felt grounded and secure.
At the same time, he was quietly delighted. Wenxia City would no longer be fighting alone. They finally had someone to rely on.
His chest surged with excitement, and he wished he could charge into Wenxia City immediately.
“Young Marquis, it’s been a long time,” Qiu Liao said. As a steady and composed man, he could not help feeling stirred at the sight of an old acquaintance.
Jiang Jin had brought him along because he was relatively familiar with Chongzhou. She intended to make him the chief civil official of Wenxia City.
Nan Wen also gave Wei Tai a simple, honest smile. “It really is you, Young Marquis.”
Wei Tai had already seen the two of them. The corner of his mouth twitched. “It’s been a long time.”
He had never expected the two of them to be so fortunate as to join this force so early.
Qiu Liao knew some of the truth. Seeing that Wei Tai had no desire to say more, he sighed inwardly, though he showed nothing on his face and merely nodded faintly.
Nan Wen had wanted to chat a little longer, but with the tension before battle hanging in the air, it was not the right time to say much.
Shuangjiang, Xia Chanyi, and the others felt as though it had been a very long time since they had last seen Jiang Jin. They were all visibly excited.
“My lord.”
Jiang Jin smiled at them. “You did an excellent job completing the mission.”
“We owe it all to you, my lord,” they said in unison.
Yao Ji looked worried. “My lord, have the weapons you mentioned arrived?”
They had traveled light this time. Each person had brought only about seven days’ worth of provisions, and they had carried very few weapons. In particular, they had not brought any of the large siege crossbow bolts.
Jiang Jin smiled. “Don’t worry. They should have arrived. I’ll go take a look later.”
“For now, let’s discuss tonight’s operation.”
She spread out the map and began laying out the battle plan.
It was not until the afternoon that Jiang Jin took Yun Chengxuan with her to find “her people” nearby.
By dusk, everyone had received a variety of weapons and provisions.
Wenxia City had grain stores of its own, but it likely did not have much meat, fresh produce, or vegetables. So Jiang Jin had prepared a large quantity of cabbages, potatoes, and other vegetables, along with some meat.
The weapons, meanwhile, had been prepared in abundance.
Long before the attack on Wenxia City had begun, she had ordered the weapons workshops to work day and night producing huge quantities of siege crossbow bolts, repeating crossbows, and the corresponding arrows.
For this isolated city, she had prepared an extremely formidable defense: five hundred thousand arrows.
When Wei Tai received a Longming repeating crossbow and its ammunition case, he was completely dumbfounded.
During this time, he had followed Yun Yu and the others, and they had used ordinary weapons when fighting the Ji army.
But Yun Yu and the others carried Longming repeating crossbows with them. They simply refrained from using them unless absolutely necessary.
Wei Tai had practiced with one before and knew how powerful this kind of repeating crossbow was.
Yet here, nearly eighty percent of the several thousand soldiers were equipped with repeating crossbows. There were also box after box of arrows stacked in dense rows.
The sight made his scalp prickle. At that moment, he truly understood why his lord was so confident that she could seize Wenxia City and hold it.
They were simply too well supplied. In any case, he had never fought such a lavishly equipped battle before.
He could not help swallowing. To be honest, he was beginning to feel like stealing one. What was wrong with him?
Zhu Liao and the others were even more excited, expectant, and nervous. They carefully helped carry the provisions and weapons.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the thick, battered walls of Wenxia City in gold.
Ye Shang passed through the central street and looked toward Chu Qing and the others, who were still “locked up.”
Chu Qing looked back at him, his expression calm and impassive.
Ye Shang curled his lips. “What are you looking at, you Han dog?”
Chu Qing: “...Tch. It’s not as if you aren’t Han yourself.”
Ye Shang snorted. “We’re Ji soldiers now. Hmph. I won’t stoop to arguing with a Han dog like you.”
With that, he walked away in a carefree manner.
A look of resentment flashed through Chu Qing’s eyes. A moment later, he lowered his head weakly, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Was it about to begin?
He had waited far too long for this day.
He would soon be free.
Whether he lived or died, as long as he killed Ji Duoyan and Ji Bo—and killed even one more barbarian—he would consider it worth it.
His companions beside him were equally excited and exhilarated. They were like trapped beasts, waiting only for the moment when the cage would open.
Uncle Liu paced nervously around the room. When he heard a faint knock at the door, he jumped in surprise, then broke into a delighted smile. They were here!
Seeing Ye Shang and the others, he asked excitedly, “Is it tonight?”
The tunnel had been completed the day before, and several entrances throughout the city had all been successfully connected.
Ye Shang nodded. “That’s right.”
Uncle Liu was overjoyed, but he quickly schooled his expression and asked solemnly, “What do you need me to do?”
Ye Shang instructed him seriously, “All you need to do is notify the townspeople not to come outside while we’re fighting. Make sure they keep their doors securely bolted so they won’t be accidentally injured by us.”
