When Chen San fell down, his usual nonchalant smile was still on his face.
Zhao Ling picked up Li Shun and ran back, not daring to look back. He knew that when he looked back, he would see Chen San being pierced through the chest by a machete, and that image would be burned in his mind like a soldering iron. He could only run, running as fast as he could, with muddy blood and soil under his feet, the noise of the battlefield in his ears, and Li Shun's breathing on his shoulders getting weaker and weaker.
"Hold on... Hold on, Old Li..." Zhao Ling shouted hoarsely, not sure whether he was shouting to Li Shun or to himself.
A hundred steps away, the tents of the medical camp were vaguely visible. But within these hundred steps, there were sporadic fighting, stray arrows, and dead horse corpses. Zhao Ling gritted his teeth and zigzagged across the battlefield like a wounded wolf, with arrows grazing his ears several times.
When he finally rushed into the tent, his legs weakened and he fell to the ground with Li Shun.
"Medical officer! Medical officer!" A sound like a broken bellows came from his throat.
Two medical officers covered in blood rushed over, took a look at the wound on Li Shun's shoulder, and their expressions suddenly changed. "Poison arrows! Quick, get the antidote powder and burn the knife!"
Zhao Ling sat paralyzed on the side, watching the medical officers hurriedly opening the wounds, squeezing out the poisonous blood, and pouring in medicinal powder. Only then did he realize that he had also been hit by an arrow in his arm, the shaft of the arrow was still inserted, and the blood had soaked half of his sleeve. But he felt no pain, and just looked at the roof of the tent numbly.
Outside the tent, the roars of the battlefield, the clash of weapons, and the whine of war horses blended into a vague roar.
Chen San is dead.
That Chen San who always liked to say "a man is dead and a bird is in the sky", that Chen San who was very skilled with a knife and could always stab the enemy in the waist at the critical moment, that Chen San who secretly hid alcohol and was discovered by Shi Meng and was punished with twenty laps while still smiling playfully... are dead.
Zhao Ling slowly closed his eyes. Something flowed from the corner of his eyes, hot, mixed with blood and ash.
"Team A! Team A can still move, come here!"
Li Zhenwei's voice cut through the noise like a knife. He rushed across the right wing on horseback. The wound on his left arm was only wrapped with a strip of cloth a few times, and blood was still seeping out. On the horseback, his figure was still upright, but his face had no blood.
Qin Tiexin pulled out Edgeless from a pile of Di People corpses. The blade was covered with sticky blood, reflecting a dark red light under the gloomy sky. Beside him, Tu Dazhu gasped and leaned against him. Resting with a broken shield, Lin Feng was wiping the blood on the sword with the lapel of his clothes. Zhang Shan, Zhao Ziliang, Zhou Laowu, and Wang Meng were bandaging each other's wounds.
Eight people--no, seven people. Chen San didn't come back.
The seven people quickly moved closer to Li Zhenwei. Shi Meng also walked quickly from the other side. The claw marks on his face were covered with blood, making him look even more ferocious.
"Where are Zhao Ling and Li Shun?" Shi Meng asked hoarsely.
"Zhao Ling took Li Shun to the medical camp, and Li Shun was hit by a poisonous arrow." Qin Tiexin whispered, "Chen San... didn't come back."
There was a brief silence. The wind carried the smell of blood into everyone's nostrils.
Li Zhenwei took a deep breath, and the breath made a sound like a broken bellows in the chest, "There is no time. The general has an order - Team A follow me and go deep behind enemy lines."
He glanced at everyone and paused on Qin Tiexin's face. "Target Yelü Hongshan. Instead of rushing into the battle now, we need to wait for them to retreat and intercept them on the only way they can pass."
Shi Meng narrowed his eyes. "Specific."
Li Zhenwei took out a blood-soaked map from his arms - it was the layout of the Northern Di army formation that a scout had just exchanged for his life. The map was simple, but clearly marked four points, which were distributed in an arc behind the Northern Di army.
"Night Scouts's command base." Li Zhenwei's finger crossed the four points, "They rely on semaphore and sentry arrows to command the infiltration team. If Yelü Hongshan wants to retreat, they must go through this road--"
He pointed to a winding valley road on the map. "These four strongholds control the commanding heights on both sides of the valley road. We will pull out the strongholds and lay in ambush. We will take action when Yelü Hongshan retreats and passes by."
"How many of us are there?" Zhou Laowu asked hissingly, "To deal with Yelü Hongshan's personal guards?"
"It's not a head-on fight." Li Zhenwei stared at the map, "It's an assassination. You'll be gone with one strike, whether it succeeds or not."
He raised his head. "On the frontal battlefield, the general has mobilized Formation-Breaking Camp and all the cavalry. Northern Di cannot last for two hours. Once defeated, Yelü Hongshan must retreat north along this road - this is his shortest way back to Mount Wula. We must seize these four strongholds and ambush them before they are defeated."
"Where are the other teams?" Zhang Shan asked.
"Teams B, C, D, and E are responsible for cleaning up the infiltrated Night Scouts and covering our operations." Li Zhenwei put away the map, "For this mission, the fewer people, the better. Team A has the strongest overall ability, so it's us."
He paused. "The original plan included the archery skills of Zhao Ling and Li Shun... but now they are not here. We don't have time to wait."
Shi Meng was silent for a moment and said hoarsely, "How to get through? It's impossible to get through the frontal battlefield."
"Change your clothes." Li Zhenwei pointed at several Night Scouts corpses not far away, "Ride their horses, wear their leather armor, and get through."
A quarter of an hour later, the nine people had changed into their outfits.
Night Scouts's leather armor is dark brown, decorated with wolf fangs and eagle feathers, and has a strong smell of sheep mutton and blood. Qin Tiexin is too tall, and the leather armor is tight on the body, and the sleeves are short. Tu Dazhu is even more reluctant, and the leather armor is almost torn by him. But he can barely wear it.
Nine horses - Northern Di war horses collected from the battlefield. The horses' hooves are wrapped in soft cloth and they run very softly. In addition to their weapons, each person also carries three days' worth of dry food, water bags, fire breaks, and ropes.
Li Zhenwei turned on his horse, his movements a little stiff due to the wound on his left arm. He took one last look in the direction of Xinyang Pass - where the sound of killing was loud, and Formation-Breaking Camp's Mo Dao was raised like a forest, and every time he swung it down, it brought up blood mist all over the sky.
"Let's go."
The nine horses left the main battlefield like ghosts, circled to the west, and then turned north.
The snow was still falling, gradually getting heavier. The snowflakes fell on the leather armor, melted quickly, and flowed down mixed with blood. The horses were running on the frozen soil, the sound of hoofbeats was dull. Along the way, they encountered several scattered Northern Di broken troops-all of them had escaped from the frontal battlefield. They were all in despair, and no one gave them a second glance.
Two hours later, the first stronghold appeared in sight.
It was a simple earthen fort built on a low hill, commanding the entrance to the valley. There was a wooden fence outside the earthen fort, and figures could be vaguely seen walking around inside. There was a black pennant on the roof - the mark Night Scouts.
"Dismount and walk over." Li Zhenwei whispered, "Pretend to be a messenger."
The nine people dismounted and tied their horses in the forest in the distance. Qin Tiexin walked in the front. He deliberately hunched his back to make himself look less conspicuous. Shi Meng followed him, his hand on the handle of the knife.
At the gate of the earthen castle, two Night Scouts were warming themselves by the fire. Seeing someone coming, one of them stood up and asked in Di language, "Which part is it from?"
Li Zhenwei stepped forward and responded in blunt Di language, "Helian General's tent, urgent report from the front."
That Night Scouts looked at them - the nine of them were covered in blood and their leather armor was damaged. They really looked like they had returned from fighting on the front line. After checking the tokens, he waved his hand. "Go in, the commander is inside."
The inside of the bunker was warmer than outside. There was a fire in the middle, and five Night Scoutss were sitting around. The leader was a one-eyed man who was peeling dried meat with a knife.
"What's the matter?" One Eye didn't even raise his head.
Li Zhenwei walked to the fire, and Qin Tiexin, Shi Meng and others quietly dispersed and blocked the doors and windows.
"The general has an order -" Li Zhenwei spoke slowly, but in Chinese.
One Eye suddenly raised his head!
But it's too late.
Qin Tiexin slashed the two people at the door. Lin Feng The long sword was like a poisonous snake spitting a message, and instantly pierced the throats of the two people next to the fire. Tu Dazhu slammed his shoulders and knocked the one-eyed man and the low stool away! Shi Meng added another blow and died.
The battle ended within five breaths. Nine versus five, silently.
"Search." Li Zhenwei whispered.
There is nothing special in the earthen fort except for some dry food, arrows, and signal flags. But there is a more detailed map of the valley hanging on the wall, with several locations marked with cinnabar.
"It's a hidden sentry." Shi Meng pointed to the mark on the map, "One every three miles, using mirror reflection to transmit the signal. We removed this stronghold, but the hidden sentry is still there."
"If you continue walking, you will be exposed." Zhang Shan frowned.
Li Zhenwei stared at the map and suddenly pointed to one of the hidden sentinel positions. "This point is on the back of the ridge, and the entire valley cannot be seen. Let's go around and touch it from the back."
He looked at everyone. "But be quick. The frontal battlefield won't last long. Once Yelü Hongshan starts to retreat, we won't have time."
The nine people remounted their horses and headed around the ridge.
The second stronghold was in a mountain col. It was built on a few natural boulders and was more hidden. But before it got close, Lin Feng reined in his horse and said, "There is a whistle."
At the entrance of the mountain col, two Night Scouts are hiding behind the rocks, holding bows and arrows.
"Force it." Li Zhenwei made a decisive decision, "We can't let them report the news."
The nine horses suddenly accelerated and rushed straight into the mountain col!
"Enemy attack--" Night Scouts was halfway through shouting the warning. Zhao Ling must be familiar with this reaction if he were here--but he was not here at the moment. Arrows were fired at him, Qin Tiexin knocked down one with his sword, and Tu Dazhu blocked the other with his shield.
The horses rushed into the col, and there were seven Night Scouts inside, sorting out their quivers and signal flags. When they saw someone rushing in, they immediately drew their swords to fight!
A melee broke out.
Zhang Shan was the first to rush in. When the scimitar slashed at his abdomen, he had no time to dodge. He caught the knife with his stomach, then hugged the opponent tightly, blocking the opponent's door from closing, and roared, "Ziliang!"
Zhao Ziliang pounced from the side, and the short knife pierced the back of Night Scouts. But the knife of another Night Scouts had already slashed at Zhao Ziliang's back--
"Clang!"
Qin Tiexin Edgeless stood horizontally, and sparks flew everywhere. He made a backhand slash with the "Sever the Flow" diagonal chop, sending the opponent flying with both his body and the sword!
Lin Feng was like a ghost, shuttled through the chaos, and each sword hit the weak points of the armor such as the throat, eye sockets, and armpits with precision. Tu Dazhu's giant shield protected Zhou Laowu and Wang Meng, and the two took the opportunity to release arrows, shooting down the two of them.
But the enemy was prepared after all. A Night Scouts jumped down from the boulder and slashed Li Zhenwei's back of the neck with his machete! Shi Meng pushed Li Zhenwei away violently and used his shoulder armor to catch the blow. The leather armor shattered and the bones were visible. He grunted and stabbed the opponent's lower abdomen with a backhand knife.
The battle ended within twenty breaths.
All seven Night Scouts were killed. But Zhang Shan was kneeling on the ground, clutching his abdomen with both hands - a long gash had been cut there, and his intestines had flowed out, steaming in the cold wind.
"Zhang Shan!" Zhao Ziliang rushed over, trying to stuff his intestines back in a hurry.
Zhang Shan's face was as pale as paper, but he grinned. "Tuck... it can't be stuffed back..."
He looked at Li Zhenwei, his voice getting weaker and weaker. "General... I... was holding back..."
"No." Li Zhenwei squatted down and held his hand, "You are good."
Zhang Shan smiled, and his eyes began to wander. He finally looked at Zhao Ziliang, his lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just slowly closed his eyes and dropped his hands.
Zhao Ziliang's eyes were red, and he opened the bloody dagger from Zhang Shan's stiff fingers. He was also scratched on the leg, and the bone was visible, making him unable to stand firmly.
"You stay." Li Zhenwei looked at Zhao Ziliang's leg injury, "Find a place to hide, wait for us to come back, or... wait for the army to march north."
Zhao Ziliang gritted his teeth: "I can still--"
"This is an order." Li Zhenwei interrupted him, "Hide and survive."
Zhao Ziliang was silent. For a long time, he pounded the ground hard, dragged his injured leg to crawl behind a rock crevice, and covered his figure with withered grass and stones.
The eight people continued on their way.
The horses ran for another half an hour. The third stronghold should be in the valley ahead, but the valley was extremely quiet, not even the sound of birds.
"Something's wrong." Lin Feng reined in the horse and twitched his nose, "It smells of blood, very light."
Li Zhenwei raised his hand to signal to stop. Everyone dismounted and walked towards the entrance of the valley on foot.
In the valley, several simple wooden houses were built against the mountains. They looked deserted outside. But there were a few strings of dried meat hanging under the eaves, still shaking gently - someone had touched them just now.
"There is an ambush." Shi Meng said hoarsely.
But there is no time to hesitate. The killing sound on the front battlefield has faded, which means that the decisive battle is about to decide the winner. Yelü Hongshan may retreat at any time.
"Strong attack." Li Zhenwei drew out the knife, "I will be the first."
"No." Qin Tiexin suddenly said, staring at the window of the wooden house, "There are new holes in the window paper, which are arrow holes. There are at least two people waiting inside with their bows stretched out."
He pointed to the side of the wooden house. "I'll crash in from there. Lin Feng follow me. Tu Dazhu protect the general."
Li Zhenwei glanced at Qin Tiexin and nodded. "Okay."
Qin Tiexin took a deep breath and rushed towards the side of the wooden house! The wall was made of wooden boards. The moment he hit it, Edgeless chopped it down with all his strength!
"Boom!"
The boards shattered! Almost at the same time, a bowstring sounded inside the house, and two arrows were shot from the front window - but they missed.
Qin Tiexin crashed into the house, and was met with a ray of sword light! He ducked to avoid it, and Edgeless swept across, cutting off the man's legs at the knees! Amidst the screams, Lin Feng swept in from his side and stabbed with the long sword, killing the three of them in an instant.
But these were not the only people in the room.
Several hidden grids suddenly opened on the roof, and arrows rained down! Zhou Laowu just rushed into the door, and an arrow pierced his throat. His eyes widened, and the bow fell to the ground in his hand, and he fell straight back.
"Laowu!" Wang Meng's eyes turned red and he was about to rush in when he felt a pain in his leg - an arrow shot through the tibia of his calf. He fell to his knees and a Night Scouts appeared from behind the door, slashing down with a scimitar!
The head rolled down and blood spurted three feet high.
"Wang Meng!!!" Tu Dazhu roared, and the giant shield slammed into it, knocking Night Scouts out with the door panel, and then struck down with an ax, splitting the opponent in half!
Qin Tiexin had already killed the red-eye. He saw two archers in the corner of the room, aiming their bows at Li Zhenwei. With a roar, Edgeless threw it out!
"Pfft!"
One knife penetrated both of them! But the two archers loosened their strings before they died, and the arrows went straight to Li Zhenwei's back!
At the critical moment, Shi Meng pushed Li Zhenwei away violently.
"Chi--"
The arrow penetrated Shi Meng's left shoulder, and half of the arrowhead emerged from behind. He staggered a step, but pulled out the arrow with his backhand, bringing out a pile of flesh and blood.
"Coach!" Qin Tiexin turned around.
"Leave me alone!" Shi Meng roared, the muscles on his face twisted with severe pain, "This stronghold is not cleared yet! You go! Go to the last stronghold! I will come here!"
Li Zhenwei stared at Shi Meng: "You are alone--"
"I've killed ten of them too!" Shi Meng grinned, his smile looking crazy in the blood, "Hurry up! There's no time!"
If Qin Tiexin wanted to say anything else, Shi Meng pushed him hard. "Let's go! This is an order!"
Li Zhenwei took a deep look at Shi Meng, and that look contained too many things - they had been together for twenty years, escaped death countless times, and finally had to part ways in this barren mountain.
But he finally turned around and said, "Let's go."
Qin Tiexin gritted his teeth, picked up Edgeless, and rushed out of the wooden house with Li Zhenwei. Lin Feng and Tu Dazhu followed closely behind. The four of them rushed to the other end of the valley without looking back.
Behind him, from the wooden house came Shi Meng's crazy roar, the sound of weapons clashing, screams, and finally a loud noise - like the sound of a roof beam collapsing.
Then, silence. No one came out again.
Only the wind and snow howled.
Qin Tiexin didn't look back. He couldn't look back. He just held Edgeless tightly, his knuckles turned white, and his arms trembled from excessive force.
The four of them rushed out of the valley, mounted their horses, and continued heading north.
The last stronghold is on a cliff, overlooking the entire valley. But unexpectedly, there are only two Night Scouts here - most of them have been transferred to the front line.
Lin Feng When I touched it, the two people were warming themselves by the fire, and they didn't realize there was anyone behind them. The two swords were silent.
In addition to some dry food and signal flags, there was also a complete crossbow machine in the stronghold. The crossbow arrows were equipped with special buzzers--obviously used to sound alarms.
"It's right here." Li Zhenwei looked at the valley path under the cliff. The view here is excellent, and the entire road can be seen. The valley path is narrow, with cliffs on both sides. Once you enter, you will be catching turtles in a jar.
The four people quickly cleaned up the traces and dragged the body to the back of the cliff to hide it. Tu Dazhu checked the crossbow machine, while Qin Tiexin and Lin Feng looked for the best shooting position on the edge of the cliff.
Li Zhenwei walked to the edge of the cliff and looked south.
In the wind and snow, the killing sounds from the direction of Xinyang Pass have gradually subsided. Instead, there is a low and chaotic roar - that is the sound of the army's defeat.
He sat down slowly, took out the dry food from his arms, broke half of it and handed it to Qin Tiexin: "Eat."
Qin Tiexin took it, put it into his mouth mechanically and chewed it. He ate slowly, his eyes were empty, as if his soul was still in the wooden house just now.
Tu Dazhu silently sharpened the ax blade. Lin Feng wiped the sword, over and over again.
On the cliff, only the wind and snow howled.
They are waiting.
Wait for the defeated army.
Wait for Yelü Hongshan.
Waiting for the final hunt.